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Emboldened by the view from the top of the NFC North, the Detroit Lions are out to eliminate nightmare holiday gatherings when the Chicago Bears come to town Thursday for a lunchtime division duel. The Lions (10-1) are streaking one direction, the Bears (4-7) the other in the first matchup of the season between teams on opposite ends of the division. Riding a nine-game winning streak, their longest since a 10-game streak during their first season in Detroit in 1934, the Lions are burdened by losses in their traditional Thanksgiving Day game the past seven seasons. Three of the defeats are courtesy of Chicago. The Bears and Lions get together for the 20th time on Thanksgiving -- the Bears have 11 wins -- this week in the first of two meetings between the teams in a 25-day span. Detroit goes to Soldier Field on Dec. 22. "I think there's two things," Campbell said of the Thanksgiving losing streak. "Number one -- Get a W. And it's a division win that's why this huge. Number two is because the players are going to get a couple of days off. So, they have family, friends in, it'd be nice to feel good about it when you're with everybody because it's just not real fun. It's not real fun to be around." Detroit (10-1) owns the best record in the NFC but the Lions aren't even assured of a division title. Minnesota sits one game behind them and Green Bay is two games back. The Bears (4-7) sit in last place and would likely need to run the table to have any chance of making the playoffs. The Lions have been dominant in all phases and haven't allowed a touchdown in the past 10 consecutive quarters. Detroit's offense ranks first in points per game (32.7) and second in total yardage (394.3) The Lions defense has not given up a touchdown in the last 10 quarters. Rookie placekicker Jake Bates has made all 16 of his field goal attempts, including four from 50-plus yards over the past three games. Chicago shows up in a foul mood. The Bears are saddled with a five-game losing streak and Chicago's defense has been destroyed for nearly 2,000 total yards in the last four games. The Bears failed to reach the 20-point mark four times in five outings since they last won a game. In their latest defeat, rookie quarterback Caleb Williams and the offense perked up but they lost to Minnesota in overtime, 30-27. "We have to play complementary football for us to be able to win these games," coach Matt Eberflus said. "The games we have won, we have done that. The games we have been close we've missed the mark a little bit. Over the course of the year, it's been one side or the other, this side or that side. In this league you have to be good on all sides to win. That's what we are searching for." Williams threw for 340 yards and two touchdowns without an interception. The wide receiver trio of DJ Moore, Keenan Allen and Romeo Odunze combined for 21 receptions and two touchdowns while tight end Cole Kmet caught seven passes. "What I've been impressed with is just how he has grown," Campbell said. "He has grown every game but these last two I really feel like he's taken off and what they're doing with him has been really good for him and he just looks very composed. He doesn't get frazzled, plays pretty fast, and he's an accurate passer, big arm, and he's got some guys that can get open for him." Detroit's banged-up secondary could be susceptible against the Bears' veteran receivers in their bid to pull off an upset on Thursday. The Lions put two defensive backs on injured reserve in the past week and top cornerback Carlton Davis isn't expected to play due to knee and thumb injuries. Detroit offensive tackle Taylor Decker (knee) and top returner Kalif Raymond (foot) are also expected to miss the game, though Campbell expressed optimism that running back David Montgomery (shoulder), formerly of the Bears, would play. Bears safety Elijah Hicks was listed as a DNP for Tuesday's walkthrough. --Field Level MediaNo, Voice of America is not a new government organization
Sindh police on their way to becoming model LEA, says MuradSoccer-Italy’s Serie A does deal with Meta to fight illegal streaming
AP Sports SummaryBrief at 6:11 p.m. ESTIf Benjamin Netanyahu stepped foot in Canada, he would be arrested, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau confirmed on Thursday after the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant for the Israeli Prime Minister. Also included in the warrant are Netanyahu’s former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, and a Hamas leader. Trudeau was in Newmarket on Thursday to make a GST announcement when a reporter reminded him that under the warrants, Canadian law enforcement would be obligated to arrest Netanyahu if he entered the country. When asked if he would allow the arrest to happen, he replied: “As Canada has always said, it’s really important that everyone abide by international law, this is something we have been calling on since the beginning of the conflict,” a grim-looking Trudeau replied. “We are one of the founding members of the International Criminal Court (ICC),” he added. “We stand up for international law and we will abide by all the regulations and rulings of the international courts. This is just who we are as Canadians.” The announcement quickly drew both praise and condemnation. “We are ashamed that Canada would align itself with such a politicized decision,” the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs wrote in a social media post. “By doing so, Canada undermines international law, strains its alliance with the U.S., and harms its relationship with Israel. This decision erodes Canada’s role as a principled advocate for fairness and justice on the global stage.” We are ashamed that Canada would align itself with such a politicized decision. By doing so, Canada undermines international law, strains its alliance with the U.S., and harms its relationship with Israel. This decision erodes Canada’s role as a principled advocate for fairness... pic.twitter.com/2hUm2vDKFu The National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM) applauded Trudeau’s backing of ICC — the world’s top war-crimes court. “Today, the Prime Minister took a step in this direction by accepting that Canada would recognize these ICC arrest warrants. This means that Netanyahu and Gallant would be arrested if they stepped foot in Canada. This is an important moment. Canada has chosen to do the right thing.” The warrants against Netanyahu and Gallant allege Israel has used food as a weapon in its campaign against Hamas in Gaza. Israeli officials deny that charge. The court also issued an arrest warrant for Mohammed Deif — the head of Hamas’ armed wing for his role in the Oct. 7, 2023 attacks. Netanyahu, meanwhile, was quick to condemn the arrest warrant against him, saying Israel “rejects with disgust the absurd and false actions” by the court. In a statement released by his office, he said: “There is nothing more just than the war that Israel has been waging in Gaza.” With files from The Associated Press
« All Events 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Dec. 7 and 8 The Placerita Canyon Nature Center’s two-day annual holiday craft fair enables participants to create and decorate holiday wreaths, centerpieces and ornaments using a large assortment of fresh-cut greenery, pine cones and other natural treasures. Children’s crafts will also be available. For those with allergy concerns, note that peanut butter is used on some craft items. This is a fundraising event for the nonprofit Placerita Canyon Nature Center Associates. Admission is free but there is a charge for activities. Cash, check, credit and debit cards will be accepted. More information: placerita.org .China’s trade restrictions on strategic minerals are starting to hit Western companies where it hurts. Blaming Beijing’s curbs on antimony exports announced in August, German chemicals and consumer goods heavyweight Henkel told customers last month it had declared force majeure and suspended deliveries of four types of adhesives and lubricants widely used by automakers, according to a Nov. 8 letter to clients reviewed by Reuters. Henkel uses the silvery metal to make its Bonderite and Teroson-branded products, core parts of the company’s adhesive technologies division, which brought in 10.79 billion euros ($11.4 billion) in revenue last year. “We have been notified by our suppliers that the importation of these raw materials has been delayed pending the Chinese government accepting license applications,” according to the letter, which was signed by two senior executives. “As a result, Henkel is hereby declaring force majeure in connection with its deliveries of these products,” the German company also said, adding it was unable to predict the duration of the situation. The letter from Henkel, which had not been reported previously, and conversations with more than two dozen traders, miners, processors, end-users, and industry experts in North America, Europe and China underscore the severe disruption caused by Beijing’s trade restrictions and highlight how Western players’ struggle to replace China-based supply chains. Contacted by Reuters about the letter, Henkel said it was working to support its customers and find alternative supplies: “We are monitoring the global supply situation of antimony very closely and aim to restore solutions to fulfill our customers’ orders.” The price of antimony, scarce in nature but essential for military equipment such as ammunition, infrared missiles, nuclear weapons, and night vision goggles, rallied nearly 230% this year to about $39,000 per metric ton in Rotterdam’s busy spot market, according to market intelligence provider Argus. China is the world’s largest antimony producer and dominates the production of many strategic materials. Last year, Beijing also limited exports of gallium and germanium – used for semiconductors, solar panels and weapons – as well as certain types of graphite – a key component in EV batteries. Responding to a fresh U.S. crackdown on China’s chip industry, Beijing this week further ratcheted up pressure, imposing an outright ban on exports of gallium, germanium and antimony to the United States, where Henkel makes Bonderite in Michigan. Looking for alternatives Beijing’s restrictions bring added urgency for Western players to cut their reliance on minerals from China. Miner Perpetua Resources for instance, is developing an antimony mine in Idaho with U.S. government funding. But new mines can take years to develop, leaving players like Henkel scrambling to find alternatives, which are often more costly. “Please note that we are in close contact with our suppliers and using all commercially reasonable means to leverage our global supply chain to address this situation and support our customers,” Henkel also wrote in the letter. Meanwhile, some Western miners and processors have started to build up capacity. United States Antimony (USAC), the only North American processor of the metal, made plans to lift output at its Montana smelter, which was running at 50% of capacity after China announced curbs on antimony exports in August. “Our decision to ramp up production was predominantly triggered by the more than tripling of worldwide Rotterdam antimony prices,” the company’s chairman, Gary Evans, told Reuters. China’s restrictions “created significantly more demand for our finished products,” he added. Mining at the Montana site was halted in 1983, when it was cheaper to source antimony from mines outside the United States, and environmental curbs now prevent extraction there, according to the company. USAC, which does not rely on China, is in talks to receive the material from four other countries and one domestic supplier as early as December, Evans said, declining to name them for competitive reasons. Orders at Ottawa-based Northern Graphite which touts itself as North America’s only producer of natural flake graphite, jumped 50% in the aftermath of China’s graphite curbs announced in October 2023, CEO Hugues Jacquemin told Reuters. “When the export controls came into effect in December last year, there was quite a surge in demand. We started ramping up capacity,” said Jacquemin, whose firm is developing projects in Namibia and Ontario to add to its mine in Lac des Iles, Quebec. China accounts for over 70% of supply of both natural mined graphite and its synthetic variety. Mark Jensen, CEO of ReElement Technologies, an arm of American Resources that specialises in recycling and refining rare earths, said China’s most recent export ban means the company has this week fielded at least 10 calls from U.S. miners offering zinc ore, which can be a source of germanium during processing. Those shipments had previously gone to China for processing given lower labour cost and different environmental standards, he said. “We have been reaching out to U.S. suppliers of these feedstock to sell these byproducts to us instead of sending it to China as we are now an alternative to China,” Jensen told Reuters. Canadian miner Teck Resources, which produces germanium as a byproduct at its Red Dog zinc mine in Alaska and is the only supplier of the metal in North America, told Reuters it was studying whether to boost output of the critical material there now that China has blocked exports to the United States. Disrupted markets China’s export squeeze has triggered a surge in prices for many strategic minerals. Gallium sold outside of China was 30% to 40% more expensive than in the People’s Republic in the first half of 2024 from a year before, according to Toronto-based Neo Performance Materials, which produces gallium by recycling manufacturing scrap, said in August. In China, the restrictions have forced some weaker players out of the market, traders and analysts told Reuters. Two Chinese germanium traders told Reuters they had given up on exports as they were unable to secure licenses either because overseas clients were unwilling to provide specific details on end-users or because they are from the United States. Even before Beijing’s latest curbs singling out the United States, no Chinese germanium or gallium was shipped there this year through October, Chinese customs data show. Over the same period in 2023, the U.S. ranked as the fourth- and fifth-largest export market for the minerals. For end-users, China’s restrictions underscore the importance of supply diversification. “When you de-risk, you need to de-risk with different levers,” said Maxime Picat, chief purchasing officer at automaker Stellantis. “If you are a one-solution company, knowing that your battery suppliers are all Chinese or all Korean, then you are at risk.” ($1 = 0.9465 euros) (Reporting by Amy Lv in Beijing, Divya Rajagopal in Toronto, Ernest Scheyder in London and Alessandro Parodi in Gdansk; Additional reporting by Giulio Piovaccari in Milan and Sabine Siebold in Berlin; Editing by Tony Munroe, Veronica Brown and Lisa Jucca)
The long sports-filled Thanksgiving weekend is a time when many Americans enjoy gathering with friends and family for good food, good company and hopefully not too much political conversation. Also on the menu — all the NFL and college sports you can handle. Here's a roadmap to one of the biggest sports weekends of the year, with a look at marquee games over the holiday and how to watch. All times are in EST. All odds are by BetMGM Sportsbook. What to watch Thursday —NFL: There is a triple-header lined up for pro football fans. Chicago at Detroit, 12:30 p.m., CBS: Rookie quarterback Caleb Williams and the Bears go against the Lions, who are one of the favorites to reach the Super Bowl in February. Lions favored by 10. New York at Dallas, 4:30 p.m., Fox: The Giants and Cowboys are both suffering through miserable seasons and are now using backup quarterbacks for different reasons. But if Dallas can figure out a way to win , it will still be on the fringe of the playoff race. Cowboys favored by 3 1/2. Miami at Green Bay, 8:20 p.m., NBC/Peacock: The Packers stumbled slightly out of the gate but have won six of their past seven games . They'll need a win against Miami to try to keep pace in the NFC North. Packers favored by 3. —College Football: Memphis at No. 18 Tulane, 7:30 p.m., ESPN. If college football is your jam, this is a good warmup for a big weekend. The Tigers try to ruin the Green Wave’s perfect record in the American Athletic Conference. Tulane is favored by 14. What to watch Friday —NFL: A rare Friday showdown features the league-leading Chiefs. Las Vegas at Kansas City, 3 p.m. Prime Video: The Chiefs and quarterback Patrick Mahomes are 12-point favorites over the Raiders. —College Basketball: Some of the top programs meet in holiday tournaments around the country. Battle 4 Atlantis championship, 5:30 p.m., ESPN: One of the premier early season tournaments, the eight-team field includes No. 3 Gonzaga, No. 14 Indiana and No. 24 Arizona. Rady Children's Invitational, 6 p.m., Fox: It's the championship game for a four-team field that includes No. 13 Purdue and No. 23 Mississippi. —College Football: There is a full slate of college games to dig into. Oregon State at No. 11 Boise State, noon, Fox: The Broncos try to stay in the College Football Playoff hunt when they host the Beavers. Boise State favored by 19 1/2. Oklahoma State at No. 23 Colorado, noon, ABC: The Buffaloes and Coach Prime are still in the hunt for the Big 12 championship game when they host the Cowboys. Colorado favored by 16 1/2. Georgia Tech at No. 6 Georgia, 7:30 p.m., ABC: The Bulldogs are on pace for a spot in the CFP but host what could be a tricky game against rival Georgia Tech. Georgia favored by 19 1/2. —NBA. After taking Thanksgiving off, pro basketball returns. Oklahoma City at Los Angeles Lakers, 10 p.m., ESPN: The Thunder look like one of the best teams in the NBA's Western Conference. They'll host Anthony Davis, LeBron James and the Lakers. What to watch Saturday —College Football. There are more matchups with playoff implications. Michigan at No. 2 Ohio State, noon, Fox: The Wolverines are struggling one season after winning the national title. They could make their fan base a whole lot happier with an upset of the Buckeyes . Ohio State favored by 21. No. 7 Tennessee at Vanderbilt, noon, ABC: The Volunteers are a fairly big favorite and have dominated this series, but the Commodores have been a tough team this season and already have achieved a monumental upset over Alabama . Tennessee favored by 11. No. 16 South Carolina at No. 12 Clemson, noon, ESPN: The Palmetto State rivals are both hanging on the edge of the CFP playoff race. A win — particularly for Clemson — would go a long way toward clinching its spot in the field. Clemson favored by 2 1/2. No. 3 Texas at No. 20 Texas A&M, 7:30 p.m. ABC: The Aggies host their in-state rival for the first time since 2011 after the Longhorns joined the SEC. Texas favored by 5 1/2. Washington at No. 1 Oregon, 7:30 p.m., NBC: The top-ranked Ducks have been one of the nation’s best teams all season. They’ll face the Huskies, who would love a marquee win in coach Jedd Fisch’s first season. Oregon favored by 19 1/2. —NBA: A star-studded clash is part of the league's lineup. Golden State at Phoenix, 9 p.m., NBA TV: Steph Curry and the Warriors are set to face the Suns' Big Three of Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal. What to watch Sunday —NFL: It's Sunday, that says it all. Pittsburgh at Cincinnati, 1 p.m., CBS: Joe Burrow is having a great season for the Bengals , who are struggling in other areas. They need a win to stay in the playoff race, hosting a Steelers team that's 8-3 and won five of their past six. Bengals favored by 3. Arizona at Minnesota, 1 p.m., Fox: The Cardinals are tied for the top of the NFC West while the Vikings are 9-2 and have been one of the biggest surprises of the season with journeyman Sam Darnold under center. Vikings favored by 3 1/2. Philadelphia at Baltimore, 4:25 p.m., CBS: Two of the league's most electric players will be on the field when Saquon Barkley and the Eagles travel to face Lamar Jackson and the Ravens. Ravens favored by 3. San Francisco at Buffalo, 8:20 p.m. NBC/Peacock: The 49ers try to get back to .500 against the Bills , who have won six straight. Bills favored by 7. —NBA. The best teams in the Eastern Conference meet in a statement game. Boston at Cleveland, 6 p.m., NBA TV: The defending champion Celtics travel to face the Cavs , who won their first 15 games to start the season. —Premier League: English soccer fans have a marquee matchup. Manchester City at Liverpool, 11 a.m., USA Network/Telemundo. The two top teams meet with Manchester City trying to shake off recent struggles. —Auto Racing: The F1 season nears its conclusion. F1 Qatar Grand Prix, 11 a.m., ESPN2 – It's the penultimate race of the season. Max Verstappen already has clinched his fourth consecutive season championship . AP sports: https://apnews.com/sportsI asked Google’s AI to identify the laziest person in history. It said this is impossible. Laziness is subjective. It can’t be measured. Then, strangely, it offered unnamed examples of lazy historical figures, including: “One person was so lazy that mice were able to eat their way into his head while he let them.” Here’s what we know: lazy is pejorative. — we don’t use these put-downs on mountain climbers. That said, Netflix’s did exude laziness. Or maybe Tyson suddenly realized he was a 58-year-old man in the ring with a 27-year-old behemoth. Standing still and biting his gloves became a survival strategy. I digress. Or I forgot what this column is about, which could mean I’m lazy. According to a Finnish meta-analysis published this month, sedentary lifestyles are correlated with poorer working memory. Is this why your friend who can kill hours in front of the TV always forgets what happened last episode? And your other friend, a fervent jogger, never forgets her keys on the way out? Per Science Daily: “The working memory advantage for athletes over non-athletes was found across different types of sports and performance levels. Interestingly, this advantage was more pronounced when athletes were contrasted with a sedentary population, compared to the analysis where the sedentary population was excluded ...” Not fair. I’m not an athlete and am now at greater risk of forgetting my address? There are moments when I can see the wisdom of lazy. Look at this month’s U.S. election. A story this week in U.S. News & World Report cited data from the University of Florida Election Lab. There were roughly 245 million eligible voters — and about 90 million were too lazy to bother. Is that terrible for society? Yes. But on an individual basis, those apathetic souls are now liberated from caring about the consequences of their inaction. My wife and I were getting the yard prepped for Jack Frost this weekend. This is the downside of home ownership: mindless, repetitive, gloomy seasonal tasks you need to perform like a circus monkey until you are as dead as the fallen leaves you last bagged. Nobody ever asks to be buried with their rake. It’s time to stop shaming the lazy. “Lazy” is like coffee or red wine: the scientific consensus keeps flipping. Researchers are now linking lazy with impaired memory? Here are a few contradictory headlines from recent years: “Research Suggests Being Lazy Is a Sign of High Intelligence.” “Why Lazy People Are More Productive.” “Being Lazy Can Help You Live Longer.” “Lazy People Are More Successful!” “Lazy People Have The Best Sex.” Not sure how that last one works. But you know what I love about the lazy, beyond loving I’ll never be recruited to portage? Their . Have you ever had a friend cancel social plans without offering a good excuse? Many moons ago, a friend asked if we could reschedule dinner. She didn’t claim to have the flu. She didn’t say her car broke down. She didn’t say an army of rodents were skulking outside to gnaw into her brain. At the last minute, she was “too lazy” to get dressed up and go out. The older I get, the more I admire such honesty. You know why there is a spike in laziness? Technology. We are tethered to screens. Our bodies are immobilized while our minds are always racing. That’s a bad combo for getting stuff done. It can lead anyone to think, “Trump won? Screw it, I’m hibernating until 2028.” You can now blame everything on tech. Why aren’t kids playing outside? Instagram. Why are there so many singers who can’t sing? Auto-Tune. Why am I winded ambling to my theatre seats? Combustion engine. Why is Aunt Peggy proposing a virtual Christmas this year? Zoom. (And zero cleanup — ) On Monday evening, I was grilling chicken breasts when the propane ran out after five minutes. Realizing it was now the toaster oven or marital salmonella, a haze of expletives tumbled from my lips as I shook my fist at the pewter sky: “Damn you, low tech!” Lazy people should stand up for themselves. They should forcefully reject this bigotry. If that takes too much effort, I’ll do it for them. Listen up, Lazy Bums! Do not feel ashamed for not wanting to engage with this bonkers world. Avoid the rat race, stay off the hamster wheel, be as quiet as a mouse as you stare at the walls while biting your gloves. You do you. Life can’t deliver a knockout if you never get in the ring. Lazy people are ... lazy people are ... my mind just blanked.
United States Consumer Credit Change came in at $19.24B, above forecasts ($10B) in October
The Fed shouldn’t cut rates as inflation is rising, markets are too frothy, JPMorgan Asset Management bond expert saysAP Sports SummaryBrief at 6:11 p.m. ESTAnthony Albanese has said social media platforms “should pay for journalism” while discussing his government’s plan to tax tech giants if they do not make licensing deals with media outlets. Australia’s news industry has long called for digital behemoths, such as Google and Meta, to compensate it for the activity they get from reporting. The Prime Minister on Friday said it was “really important that we support journalism now.” “These social media platforms that ... essentially don’t have journalists working for them, but produce and earn revenue off that work of journalists, be it across the board, whether it’s the ABC or News (Corp) or The Guardian or The Age, they reprint it, send it out in digital form, and they should pay for journalism,” Mr Albanese said. “It’s as simple as that.” The Albanese government announced its “news bargaining incentive” on Thursday, after Meta earlier this year said it would stop paying Australian media organisations for content on its platforms, including Facebook and Instagram. Under the plan, digital platforms generating more than $250m would need to pay a levy. The tax can be effectively refunded if they strike deal directly with media companies. Outlets have been haemorrhaging revenue for years in the wake of social media’s meteoric rise – resulting in lucrative advertising contracts being lost and traditional business models in the industry being gutted. The news media bargaining code introduced by the Morrison government in 2021 resulted in Meta and Google paying up to $200m to Australian outlets. Meta has responded to the Albanese government’s latest digital crack down by claiming most users did not use its platforms for news. However, research within Australia and internationally has consistently shown that the majority of people get their news from social media. Meanwhile, Google has pledged to renew its deals with Australian media. Originally published as ‘Should pay for journalism’: Albo pushes for hefty tax on Meta, Google under proposed news media bargaining code
An Israeli airstrike flattened a multistory building in central Gaza, killing at least 25 people and wounding dozens more, according to Palestinian medical officials, after strikes Thursday across the Gaza Strip killed at least 28 others. The latest deadly strike hit the urban Nuseirat refugee camp just hours after U.S. President Joe Biden’s national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, told reporters in Jerusalem that the recent ceasefire in Lebanon has helped clear the way for a potential deal to end the war in Gaza between Israel and Hamas. The Israeli military did not immediately comment on the deadly strike in Nuseirat. Israel says it is trying to eliminate Hamas, which led the attack on southern Israel in October 2023 that sparked the war in Gaza . The Israeli military says Hamas militants hide among Gaza’s civilian population. The fighting has plunged Gaza into a severe humanitarian crisis, with experts warning of famine in some of the hardest-hit parts of the territory. Israel’s offensive has killed over 44,800 Palestinians in Gaza, more than half of them women and children, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which does not say how many were combatants. The Israeli military says it has killed over 17,000 militants, without providing evidence. The Oct. 7, 2023 attack by Hamas killed some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and around 250 others were taken hostage. Some 100 hostages are still inside Gaza, at least a third of whom are believed to be dead. Here's the latest: UNITED NATIONS – Two U.N. aid convoys were violently attacked in Gaza, making it virtually impossible for humanitarian agencies to operate without putting staff and civilians at risk, the U.N. food agency says. On Wednesday, a 70-truck convoy from Kerem Shalom was waiting for personnel to safeguard the food and other aid destined for central Gaza when there were reported attacks by Israeli forces in the nearby humanitarian zone, the U.N. World Food Program said Thursday. More than 50 people are now estimated to have died in the attacks, including civilians and local security personnel who had been expected to ensure the convoy’s safety, WFP said. The Rome-based agency said the convoy was forced to proceed from Kerem Shalom to central Gaza without any security arrangements, using the Philadelphi corridor, an Israeli-controlled route that had been recently approved and successfully utilized twice. On the way, WFP said, conflict and insecurity led to a loss of communications with the convoy for more than 12 hours. ”Eventually, the trucks were found but all food and aid supplies were looted,” the U.N. agency said. In a second incident, Israeli soldiers approached a WFP convoy moving out of the Kissufim crossing into central Gaza, fired warning shots, conducted extensive security checks, and temporarily detained drivers and staff, the agency said. “As the trucks were delayed, four out of the five trucks were lost to violent armed looting,” WFP said. UNITED NATIONS – The United Nations chief has a message for Israel: Stop the attacks on Syria. Secretary-General António Guterres is particularly concerned about several hundred Israeli airstrikes on several Syrian locations and stresses “the urgent need to de-escalate violence on all fronts throughout the country," U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters Thursday. The Israeli military said Tuesday it carried out more than 350 strikes in Syria over the previous 48 hours, hitting “most of the strategic weapons stockpiles” in the country to stop them from falling into the hands of extremists. Israel also acknowledged pushing into a buffer zone inside Syria following last week’s overthrow of President Bashar Assad. The buffer zone was established after Israel seized the Golan Heights from Syria in the 1973 war. Dujarric said Guterres condemns all actions violating the 1974 ceasefire agreement between the two countries that remains in force. And the U.N. chief calls on the parties to uphold the agreement and end “all unauthorized presence in the area of separation” and refrain from any action undermining the ceasefire and stability in the Golan Heights, the spokesman said. DAMASCUS, Syria — Mohammad Salim Alkhateb, an official with the National Coalition of Syrian Revolution and Opposition Forces — an internationally backed group of the opposition in exile — said his group wants to see a transitional government formed via a United Nations-backed process in the wake of Bashar Assad ouster. It is not yet clear if Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, the main rebel group now in control of Syria, will pursue such a process. The insurgents have said an interim government headed by Mohammad al-Bashir, who is also the head of the “salvation government” of HTS in its former stronghold in northern Syria, will oversee the country until March but have not made clear how the transition to a new, fully empowered government would take place. “The transitional governing body should be formed in Geneva to have international legitimacy,” said Alkhateb, who is now in Damascus. “The transitional governing body, whatever its form, whether it is the ‘salvation government’ or any other, what matters is that it has international recognition.” Alkhateb said that the unexpectedly rapid fall of Damascus and departure of Assad after opposition forces launched their offensive had created confusion and a governance vacuum. A day before the insurgents pushed into Damascus, diplomats from countries including Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Turkey, Iran and Russia met in Qatar to discuss the situation in Syria. Alkhateb said that they had discussed a scenario in which the rebels would halt their advance, keeping the territory they had captured so far in the north — including Syria’s largest city, Aleppo — and the opposition and Assad’s government would go to Geneva for talks on a political settlement to the conflict. However, he noted, “there were no Syrians in that meeting.” Assad fled to Russia before the rebel forces arrived in Damascus but has not officially announced his resignation, which is “why we are living in a vacuum rather than a political transition,” Alkhateb said. He added that creating a professional army should be a priority of the transitional government. “We do not want a civilian who was trained during the revolution to carry military weapons to become the military,” he said. Israel bombed hundreds of military sites in Syria this week in a wave of airstrikes that destroyed “most of the strategic weapons stockpiles” in the country. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the wave of airstrikes in neighboring Syria was necessary to keep the weapons from being used against Israel following the Syrian government’s stunning collapse . WASHINGTON — White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre says Austin Tice, an American journalist missing in Syria for 12 years, “is a top priority for this president.” During a briefing with reporters on Thursday, Jean-Pierre said of Tice, “There is no indication that he is not alive. There’s also no indication about his location or condition.” “What our goal is, is to bring him home. And so, we hope certainly that he is alive and, as we have stated many times before, we are talking through this with the Turks and we want to do everything we can to bring him home,” she said. BEIRUT — Amnesty International said Thursday that four Israeli airstrikes between September and October that killed at least 49 civilians in Lebanon “must be investigated as war crimes.” The rights organization said in a new report that the four strikes targeted homes in the Bekaa Valley, northern and eastern Lebanon, and municipal offices in the south. “These four attacks are emblematic of Israel’s shocking disregard for civilian lives in Lebanon and their willingness to flout international law,” said Amnesty International’s Erika Guevara Rosas, Senior Director for Research, Advocacy, Policy and Campaigns. The rights group said this report was part of its ongoing investigation into violations of the laws of war in Lebanon. Amnesty International investigated four Israeli airstrikes, including one on Sept. 29 in al-Ain that killed all nine members of the same family. On Oct. 21, a strike in Baalbek city in eastern Lebanon killed six members of the same family. Another on Oct. 14 in the village of Aitou in northern Lebanon killed 23 displaced people, including a 5-month-old baby. A fragment from the attack site in Aitou was identified by an Amnesty weapons expert as likely part of a Mk-80 series aerial bomb, weighing at least 500 pounds. These munitions are primarily supplied to Israel by the United States, Amnesty said. The fourth strike Amnesty investigated was the strike that hit the municipal headquarters in Nabatiyeh, southern Lebanon, on Oct. 16, killing 11 civilians including the mayor. “The air strike took place without warning, just as the municipality’s crisis unit was meeting to coordinate deliveries of aid, including food, water and medicine, to residents and internally displaced people who had fled bombardment in other parts of southern Lebanon,” Amnesty said. The rights group said it interviewed survivors and witnesses, examined evidence, and found no military targets near the sites of the four strikes. The Israeli military gave no warnings and did not respond to Amnesty’s inquiries, the group said. DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — An Israeli airstrike hit the central Gaza Strip on Thursday, killing at least 25 Palestinians and wounding dozens more, Palestinian medics said, just hours after President Joe Biden’s national security adviser raised hopes about a ceasefire deal to end the war in Gaza. Photos from the scene of the blast that circulated on social media showed a completely collapsed building with people walking through its mangled and charred remains, smoke rising from piles of belongings strewn over the rubble. Officials at two hospitals in the Gaza Strip, al-Awda Hospital in the north and al-Aqsa Hospital in central Gaza, reported they received a combined total of 25 bodies from an Israeli strike on a multistory residential building in the urban Nuseirat refugee camp. Palestinian medics also reported that over 40 people, most of them children, were receiving treatment at the two hospitals. The al-Aqsa Hospital said that the Israeli attack also damaged several nearby houses in Nuseirat. There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military on the deadly strike. Israel is trying to eliminate Hamas, which led the attack on southern Israel in October 2023 that sparked the war in Gaza . The Israeli military says Hamas militants hide among Gaza’s civilian population. Israel’s war against Hamas has killed over 44,800 Palestinians in Gaza, more than half of them women and children, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which does not say how many were combatants. The Israeli military says it has killed over 17,000 militants, without providing evidence. The fighting has plunged Gaza into a severe humanitarian crisis, with experts warning of famine. Israel says it allows enough aid to enter and blames U.N. agencies for not distributing it. The U.N. says Israeli restrictions, and the breakdown of law and order after Israel repeatedly targeted the Hamas-run police force, make it extremely difficult to operate in the territory. UNITED NATIONS – The U.N. food agency is trying to deal with massive needs in Syria not only from escalating war-related food insecurity and an upsurge in displaced people fleeing Lebanon but also the dramatically new environment following the ouster of Bashar Assad, a senior U.N. official says. “It’s a triple crisis and the needs are going to be massive,” said Carl Skau, deputy executive director of the World Food Program, in an interview with The Associated Press late Wednesday. The WFP estimated that 3 million people in Syria were “acutely food insecure” and very hungry. However, that estimate was made before the Israel-Hezbollah war in Lebanon pushed many Syrian refugees back to their home country, plus the instability caused by the overthrow of Assad. Due to funding cuts, the WFP had been targeting only 2 million of those people, he said. Because WFP has been working in Syria during the 13-year civil war, he said, it has pre-positioned food in the country. It has 500 staff in seven offices nationwide and has operated across conflict lines, across borders, and with all different parties, he said. Skau said Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, the main rebel group now in control of Syria, has promised to provide security for WFP warehouses. Humanitarian aid supplies had been looted at U.N. warehouses in the disorder after Assad fell. “We’re not really up and running in Damascus because of the continued kind of uncertainty there,” he said. WFP initially thought of relocating non-essential staff but the situation in Aleppo, Syria’s largest city, has been “quite calm and orderly," he said. In the short term, Skau said, “what we’re seeing is that markets are disrupted, the value of the currency dropped dramatically, food prices are going up, transport lines don’t work,” and it’s unclear who will stamp required papers for imports and exports. This means that a bigger humanitarian response is needed initially, he said, but in the next phase, the U,N. will be looking at contributing to Syria’s recovery, and ultimately the country will need reconstruction. Skau said he expects a new funding appeal for Syria and urged donors to be generous. JERUSALEM — President Joe Biden’s national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, told reporters in Jerusalem on Thursday that Israel’s ceasefire in Lebanon has helped clear the way for another deal to end the war in Gaza. He plans to travel next to Qatar and Egypt — key mediators in the ceasefire talks — as the Biden administration makes a final push on negotiations before Donald Trump is inaugurated. Sullivan said “Hamas’ posture at the negotiating table did adapt” after Israel decimated the leadership of its ally Hezbollah in Lebanon and reached a ceasefire there. “We believe it puts us in a position to close this negotiation,” he said. Sullivan dismissed speculation that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was waiting for Trump to take office to finalize a deal. He the U.S. believes there are three American hostages still alive in Gaza, but it’s hard to know for sure. He also said “the balance of power in the Middle East has changed significantly” since Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel, especially with the overthrow of former Syrian President Bashar Assad, a key ally of Hezbollah and Iran. “We are now faced with a dramatically reshaped Middle East in which Israel is stronger, Iran is weaker, its proxies decimated, and a ceasefire that is new and will be lasting in Lebanon that ensures Israel’s security over the long term,” he said. KHIAM, Lebanon — An Israeli strike killed at least one person Thursday in the Lebanese border town of Khiam, the Health Ministry said, less than a day after Israeli troops handed the hilltop village back to the Lebanese army in coordination with U.N. peacekeepers, Khiam is the first Lebanese town Israel has pull out of since a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah militants began two weeks ago, and marks an important test of the fragile truce . Lebanon's Health Ministry and state news agency did not provide details on who was killed, and did not report airstrikes elsewhere on Thursday. The Israeli military said the airstrike in Khiam targeted Hezbollah fighters. Lebanese troops deployed in the northern section of the town on Thursday morning and were coordinating with U.N. peacekeepers to finalize Israel’s withdrawal before fully entering into other neighborhoods. An Associated Press reporter who visited Khiam on Thursday observed widespread destruction, with most houses reduced to rubble. Entire neighborhoods were flattened, with collapsed walls and debris scattered across the streets. Lebanon’s caretaker prime minister, Najib Mikati, sharply criticized Israel for striking the town less than 24 hours after the Lebanese army returned, saying it was “a violation of the pledges made by the parties that sponsored the ceasefire agreement, who must act to curb Israeli aggression.” The truce was brokered by the U.S. and France. Israel has previously said the ceasefire deal allows it to use military force against perceived violations. Near-daily attacks by Israel during the ceasefire, mostly in southern Lebanon, have killed at least 29 people and wounded 27 others. Khiam, which sits on a ridge less than 3 miles (5 kilometers) from the border with Israel, saw some of the most intense fighting during the war. The Lebanese army was clearing debris and reopening roads in the northern section of the town. Civilian access to other areas remained challenging as the army clears roads and works alongside the U.N. peacekeepers to ensure the area is free of unexploded ordnance. AQABA, Jordan -- U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is urging the many players in Syria to avoid taking any steps that could lead to further violence. Blinken spoke to reporters in Jordan on Thursday shortly after meeting King Abdullah II as he opened a trip in the region to discuss Syria's future after former President Bashar Assad's ouster. Blinken will next visit Turkey, a NATO ally and a main backer of Syrian rebel groups. Blinken called this “a time of both real promise but also peril for Syria and for its neighbors.” He said he was focused on coordinating efforts in the region “to support the Syrian people as they transition away from Assad’s brutal dictatorship” and establish a government that isn’t dominated by one religion or ethnic group or outside power. Blinken was asked about Israel’s incursion into a buffer zone that had been demilitarized for the past half century. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says the move is temporary and defensive, but also indicated Israel will remain in the area for a long time. Blinken declined to say whether the U.S. supports the move, but said the U.S. would be speaking to Israel and other partners in the region. “I think, across the board, when it comes to any actors who have real interests in Syria, it’s also really important at this time that, we all try to make sure that we’re not sparking any additional conflicts,” he said. ANKARA, Turkey — Turkey’s intelligence chief, Ibrahim Kalin, arrived in Damascus on Thursday, according to Turkish media reports. Kalin was seen arriving at the Umayyad Mosque to pray, surrounded by a large crowd, according to video shown on Turkish television. The visit is highly symbolic. Turkish officials, who supported the opposition against Syria’s government, had predicted at the start of the civil war in 2011 that President Bashar Assad’s government would fall, allowing them to pray at the Umayyad Mosque. AQABA, Jordan — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is renewing calls for Syria’s new leadership to respect women and minority rights, prevent extremists from gaining new footholds in the country and keeping suspected chemical weapons stocks secure as he makes his first visit to the Mideast since the weekend ouster of Syrian President Bashar Assad . Making his 12th trip to the Middle East since the Israel-Hamas war erupted lasted year but amid fresh concerns about security following the upheaval in Syria, Blinken emphasized Thursday to Jordan’s King Abdullah II U.S. “support for an inclusive transition that can lead to an accountable and representative Syrian government chosen by the Syrian people,” the State Department said. Blinken also repeated the importance the outgoing Biden administration puts on respect for human rights and international law, the protection of civilians and stopping terrorist groups from reconstituting. Blinken met with the monarch and Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi in Aqaba before traveling to Turkey for talks with Turkish officials on the situation in Syria and the urgency of securing a long-elusive deal to release hostages and end the fighting in Gaza that has devastated the Palestinian territory since October 2023. Abdullah told Blinken that “the first step to reach comprehensive regional calm is to end the Israeli war on Gaza." ROME — Leaders of the Group of 7 industrialized nations offered their full support for an inclusive political transition in Syria and invited all parties to preserve the country’s territorial integrity. In a message released by Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni’s office, the leaders said they were ready to support a transition that “leads to a credible government, inclusive and not sectarian, that guarantees respect for the state of law, universal human rights, including rights for women, (and) the protection of all Syrians, including religious and ethnic minorities.” The leaders also underlined the importance that ousted President Bashar Assad’s government is held responsible for crimes, citing “decades of atrocities.” They said they would also cooperate with groups working to prohibit chemical weapons “to secure, declare and destroy” remaining chemical arms in Syria. Italy currently holds the rotating presidency of the G-7, which also includes Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Japan and the United States. JERUSALEM — The Israeli military says it struck Hamas militants in two locations in the southern Gaza Strip who planned to hijack aid convoys. Palestinian Health officials had earlier said that the two strikes killed 15 men who were part of local committees established to secure aid deliveries. The committees have been organized in cooperation with the Hamas-run Interior Ministry in Gaza. It was not possible to independently confirm either account of the strikes, which occurred overnight into Thursday. Israel has long accused Hamas of hijacking humanitarian aid deliveries, while U.N. officials have said there is no systemic diversion of aid . U.N. agencies and aid groups say deliveries are held up by Israeli restrictions on the entry of aid and movement within Gaza, as well as the breakdown of law and order more than 14 months into the war between Israel and Hamas. Israel has repeatedly targeted the Hamas-run police force, which maintained internal security before the war. The United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees, the main aid provider in Gaza, said a U.N. convoy of 70 trucks carrying humanitarian aid in southern Gaza “was involved in a serious incident,” resulting in just one of the trucks reaching its destination. It did not provide further details on the incident but said the same route had been used successfully two days earlier. Israel’s offensive, launched after Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack, has caused vast destruction and displaced around 90% of Gaza’s population of 2.3 million, leaving the territory heavily reliant on international food aid. DAMASCUS, Syria — An American who turned up in Syria on Thursday says he was detained after crossing into the country by foot on a Christian pilgrimage seven months ago. Travis Timmerman appears to have been among thousands of people released from the country’s notorious prisons after rebels reached Damascus over the weekend, overthrowing President Bashar Assad and ending his family’s 54-year rule. As video emerged online of Timmerman on Thursday, he was initially mistaken by some for Austin Tice, an American journalist who went missing in Syria 12 years ago. In the video, Timmerman could be seen lying on a mattress under a blanket in what appeared to be a private house. A group of men in the video said he was being treated well and would be safely returned home. The Biden administration is working to bring Timmerman home, Secretary of State Antony Blinken told reporters in Aqaba, Jordan, without offering details, citing privacy. Timmerman later gave an interview with the Al-Arabiya TV network, saying he had illegally crossed into Syria on foot from the eastern Lebanese town of Zahle seven months ago, before being detained. He said he was treated well in detention but could hear other men being tortured.Subscribe Search Search Sort by Relevance Title Date Subscribe ALBAWABA - Google and Samsung are making their most significant venture into the mixed-reality market with the release of Android XR, a new operating system intended to power AR/VR devices. Also Read Google makes quantum computing history, turns 10 septillion years into 5 minutes The project has been developed in partnership with Samsung with the goal of improving user engagement by using motion controls, speech, and eye-tracking capabilities, AFP reports. Samsung's next Project Moohan, a mixed-reality headset that incorporates features from Apple's Vision Pro and Meta's Quest 3, will run Android XR. It will also support devices from other manufacturers, such as XREAL and Sony. Introducing Android XR, our new platform for headsets and glasses built for the Gemini era pic.twitter.com/CBLaFGUwez — Google (@Google) December 12, 2024 After previous products like Google Daydream and Samsung's Gear VR failed to find momentum, Google and Samsung are making a fresh attempt with the aim to mainstream AR/VR headgear, according to Yahoo. By providing features like Google's Circle to Search, which enables users to gesture over items to access extensive details, Gemini AI improves Android XR. For example, by circling a picture and receiving real-time data, users may virtually try on attire and examine a product in 3D, as reported by AFP. The interface of Project Moohan is similar to that of rival AR/VR systems in that it lets users place app windows in virtual environments while still being able to see their surroundings. Support for keyboards and mice also makes it possible to utilize large virtual screens for productive tasks. Google’s President of Android Ecosystem, Sameer Samat, stated “We are at an inflection point for XR, where breakthroughs in multimodal AI enable natural and intuitive ways to use technology in everyday life.” AR/VR headgear is still a limited market despite such developments. The industry predicts that 6.7 million devices will be shipped in 2024 and 22.9 million by 2028, which is far less than the pace at which smartphones are being adopted. A passionate about the Gaming Industry with a career of over 5 years in the field, I write about current trends and news in the Game Development business and how it impact the industry and players. Laith has recently started a new position at Al Bawaba as a freelance business writer. 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Suni Lee’s Amazon Picks Are My Official Black Friday Shopping ListSan Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy was limited with the right shoulder injury that sidelined him last week and there is growing concern about the long-term status of left tackle Trent Williams. Wednesday's practice was not the start to the NFL workweek head coach Kyle Shanahan had hoped after Purdy was unable to bounce back from a shoulder injury in Week 11. Brandon Allen started at Green Bay and the 49ers (5-6) lost 38-10 with the backup-turned-starter committing three turnovers. Williams was reportedly spotted in the locker room with a knee scooter and is experiencing pain walking. He played through an ankle injury against the Seattle Seahawks Nov. 17. Defensive end Nick Bosa (hip, oblique) also missed practice Wednesday, leaving the 49ers to spend the holiday plotting to play the Buffalo Bills (9-2) without the three Pro Bowlers again. "I don't know anyone who gets Thanksgiving off unless maybe you have a Monday night game. You just start a lot earlier and get the players out," Shanahan said. "We cram everything in so the players get out, tries to be home with the family by 5. I usually get home by 7 and they're all mad at me, then get back to red-zone (installation)." The 49ers are in danger of a three-game losing streak for the first time since Oct. 2021. Injuries have been a common thread since September when running back Christian McCaffrey was a surprise scratch with an Achilles injury for the opener. Wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk (ACL) is out for the season at a position dinged from top to bottom. Star linebacker Fred Warner also is ailing and said Wednesday that he fractured a bone in his ankle on Sept. 29 against the New England Patriots. The game against the Bills will mark his eighth straight game playing with the injury. "It's something I deal with every game," Warner said. "I get on that table before every game and get it shot up every single game just to be able to roll. But it's not an excuse. It's just what it is. That's the NFL. You're not going to be healthy. You've got to go out there, you've got to find ways to execute, to play at a high level and to win every single week." Shanahan wasn't interested in injury talk. He said the 49ers have not played well in the past two weeks, and puts part of his focus on getting more out of the running game with snow in the forecast on Sunday night. He's not in agreement with pundits who doubt McCaffrey's ability early into his return from injured reserve, with a per-carry average of 3.5 yards compared to 5.4 in 2023. "The speculation on Christian is a little unfair to him," Shanahan said. "Christian is playing very well. He's playing his ass off. To think a guy who misses the entire offseason is going to come back and be the exact same the day he comes back would be unfair to any player in the world." San Francisco opened the 21-day practice window for linebacker Dre Greenlaw, who tore his Achilles in the Super Bowl in February. His return date is unclear. This article first appeared on Field Level Media and was syndicated with permission.