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EAGAN, Minn. (AP) — Sam Darnold pinballed around his collapsed pocket to dodge a sack on third-and-8, before slicing through a skinny opening to sprint right in search of more space as Justin Jefferson's hand shot up downfield. Darnold let rip an on-the-run throw that sailed 45 yards in the air and straight into Jefferson's arms, where he was stunningly wide open inside the 10. He danced his way into the end zone to give the Minnesota Vikings a 21-13 lead, the harbinger of a fourth-quarter surge past the Atlanta Falcons . “I’m not going to tell you what I told him in regards to my opinion on how many guys make that throw,” coach Kevin O'Connell said with a smile. The 42-21 decision on Sunday not only gave the Vikings (11-2) their sixth consecutive victory but further validated their decision to let Kirk Cousins leave in free agency for a cheaper replacement. With O'Connell directing the quarterback development program and calling the plays and Jefferson leading a dangerous and diverse group of pass-catchers, Darnold has finally found a place he can thrive in after such an environment had long eluded the third overall pick in the 2018 draft — even in this roundabout way after the season-ending injury to rookie J.J. McCarthy. Factor in a defense that's allowing only 18.5 points per game, sixth best in the NFL , and leads the league in interceptions (20), and these Vikings are going to be a tough team to outscore in the playoffs. Darnold became the ninth quarterback in NFL history and the first since Aaron Rodgers in 2019 to hit these benchmarks in a game: at least 325 passing yards, five touchdown passes, a 75% completion rate, no interceptions and a 155-plus passer rating. Jefferson and Jordan Addison combined for 15 catches, 265 yards and five scores. “This is definitely the ball that we want to play every single game,” Jefferson said. “Just the energy, the tempo that we had, just going out there and executing the plays.” None more spectacular than that on-the-run 52-yard touchdown pass from Darnold to Jefferson, who started the play in motion from left to right into a three-man bunch with Addison and Jalen Nailor to set up a favorable matchup with nickel cornerback Dee Alford. Addison ran a clear-out route toward the opposite corner, initially drawing the attention of three defenders. Pro Bowl safety Jessie Bates, who was in a single-high alignment while the other Pro Bowl safety Justin Simmons blitzed, diverted from Addison toward an uncovered Nailor on the other side while ignoring Jefferson streaking behind him. Cornerback Clark Phillips left Nailor to try to catch Jefferson, who'd blown by Alford. “He absolutely cooked the dude on the route,” Darnold said. The Falcons couldn't have played their coverage worse, leaving three receivers open, but that's the type of stress the Vikings can put on a defense with the way Darnold is throwing the ball. “We already knew what he was about once we got him on our team, that he could throw any pass,” Addison said. “He’s just put it on display for everybody else.” What's working Though Darnold has been sacked 40 times this season, he has the athleticism and instinct to extend plays and find one of his tough-to-cover receivers on longer-developing routes even if pressure comes. What needs help The Vikings have allowed their two highest rushing yardage totals of the season in the last two weeks for an average of 4.95 yards per attempt, a trend worth watching for a defense that still ranks second in the NFL against the run. Their final two games against division rivals Green Bay and Detroit will pit them against two of the top five rushing teams in the league. Stock up Rookie Jalen Redmond made his first career start and played 39 of 74 snaps, the most among the interior defensive linemen, and had two tackles for loss and two deflected passes at the line. One came on a third-and-goal throw by Cousins that forced Atlanta to settle for a short kick right before halftime. Redmond went undrafted last year out of Oklahoma, was released by Carolina during the preseason and played this spring in the United Football League. Stock down Will Reichard made all six extra point attempts in his return from a four-game absence to let a quadriceps strain heal, but his only field goal try from 47 yards in the third quarter clanked off the left upright. Injury report CB Stephon Gilmore (hamstring) and backup OLB Patrick Jones (knee) were held out on Sunday. LB Ivan Pace (hamstring) must miss at least two more games. Key number .660 — O'Connell's winning percentage at 31-16 during the regular season is the highest in Vikings history, ahead of Bud Grant (.621). He's fourth among active NFL coaches, trailing Nick Sirianni (.703), Jim Harbaugh (.682) and Matt LaFleur (.677). Up next The Vikings finish their three-game homestand next Monday night against Chicago (4-9), three weeks after beating the Bears 30-27 on the road in overtime. The Vikings have a two-game edge on the Packers for the first NFC wild card, the No. 5 seed, and will clinch a spot in the playoffs with one more win or one more loss by the Los Angeles Rams, who were the last team to beat them on Oct. 24. The tiebreaker outlook in the NFC North, however, will likely require an additional loss by the Lions (12-1) in the next three games, even if the Vikings were to win their next three, to set up a division title game on the final weekend at Detroit. AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFLCONWAY, S.C. (AP) — AJ Clayton scored 34 points as Ohio beat Portland 85-73 on Friday. Clayton added 12 rebounds for the Bobcats (2-4). Aidan Hadaway scored 13 points while going 5 of 12 from the floor, including 1 for 6 from 3-point range, and 2 for 3 from the line and added eight rebounds. Victor Searls had 11 points and finished 5 of 8 from the field. The Pilots (2-4) were led by Vukasin Masic, who posted 17 points. Portland also got 13 points and seven rebounds from A.Rapp. Max Mackinnon also recorded 10 points and seven rebounds. Clayton scored 14 points in the first half to help Ohio up 46-30 at the break. Ohio pulled away with a 7-0 run in the second half to extend its lead to 19 points. Clayton led the way with a team-high 20 second-half points. The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar .
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- New York and New Jersey senators penned a letter to the FBI, Department of Homeland Security, and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), urging them to hold a drone activity briefing. New York Sens. Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand, in conjunction with New Jersey Sens. Andy Kim and Cory Booker, are seeking clarity “on how the agencies are working with federal and local law enforcement to identify and address the source of recent unmanned aerial system activity in New York and New Jersey,” a written statement said. The drones began to appear in New Jersey skies in the middle of November and have rapidly expanded their flight path to include Staten Island, the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge, and Brooklyn. They have been spotted over sensitive areas, including military outfits like Fort Wadsworth and Fort Hamilton, as well as President-elect Donald Trump’s Bedminster Golf Club. While there are FAA air restrictions in place for the golf club and New Jersey’s Picatinny Arsenal Military Base, there are still no specific restrictions in place over Staten Island or Brooklyn’s military bases. The FBI is investigating the drones alongside city and state officials, but no answers have come to fruition yet — much to the ire of elected officials and residents alike. “There are drones all over Staten Island; now I’m getting Ring videos of so many of them,” a Reddit user posted on Sunday. “Nobody knows what’s going on. It’s amazing.” “It is odd and quite bizarre that nobody can figure out who is flying these drones, where they are coming from, and their purpose. It has been reported that some of the drones may be flying without an active transponder, adding to the concern about their whereabouts,” Staten Island Borough President Vito Fossella said last week. That may be why the senators are requesting a response by Dec. 23. This letter comes shortly after Connecticut Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal said that the drones should be “shot down, if necessary.” Dear Secretary [Alejandro] Mayorkas [of DHS], Director [Christopher A.] Wray [of the FBI] and Administrator [Mike] Whitaker [of the FAA], We write out of urgent concern regarding the unmanned aerial system (UAS) activity that has affected communities across New York and New Jersey in recent days. Due to the ongoing nature of these drone incidents, we request that the Department of Homeland Security, Federal Aviation Administration, the Federal Bureau of Investigation brief us as soon as possible on how your agencies are working with federal and local law enforcement to identify and address the source of these incursions. As you know, since late November, communities in the New York City area and northern New Jersey have reported several incidents of unattributable drone sightings at night, alarming both residents and local law enforcement. According to public reports, residents have reported that some of these drones are larger in size compared to other commercially available drone technology. Protecting civilian infrastructure, safety, and privacy as well as military assets and personnel will require a comprehensive response from Congress and the executive branch. For this reason, we request that the briefing you provide also include any authorities, tools, or staff your agencies may require to address these ongoing incidents and the broader security challenge posed by UAS. Thank you for your consideration of this request. We look forward to your response no later than December 23, 2024.LOS ANGELES (AP) — Kendrick Lamar gave music listeners an early holiday present Friday with the surprise drop of a new album. The Grammy winner's 12-track “GNX” is his first release since 2022's “Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers” and his sixth studio album overall. It also comes just months after his rap battle with Drake. Lamar first teased the album with a cover art and video snippet of “GNX,” which features multi-instrumentalist Jack Antonoff as a co-producer on every track except for “Peekaboo.” Other notable producers include Sounwave and DJ Mustard , who both contributed production on the hit “Not Like Us,” the ubiquitous diss track emanating from the Drake feud. Lamar's former Top Dawg Entertainment labelmate SZA appears on a couple songs including “Gloria” and “Luther,” which also features sampled vocals from Luther Vandross and Cheryl Lynn through “If This World Were Mine." On the opening track “Wacced Out Murals,” Lamar raps about cruising in his Buick GNX (Grand National Experimental) car with listening to Anita Baker. He brings up Snoop Dogg posting Drake's AI-assisted “Taylor Made Freestyle” diss track on social media and Nas congratulating Lamar for being selected to headline February's Apple Music Super Bowl Halftime Show in New Orleans. Lamar also shows admiration for Lil Wayne, who expressed his hurt feelings after being passed over as the headliner in his hometown. Lamar, 37, has experienced massive success since his debut album “good kid, m.A.A.d city” in 2012. Since then, he’s accumulated 17 Grammy wins and became the first non-classical, non-jazz musician to win a Pulitzer Prize for his 2017 album “DAMN.” The surprise release caps a big year for Lamar, who was featured on the song “Like That” with Future and Metro Boomin — a track that spent three weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 this year. Lamar is up for seven Grammys, fueled by “Not Like Us,” which earned nods for record and song of the year, rap song, music video as well as best rap performance. He has two simultaneous entries in the latter category, a career first: “Like That” is up for best rap performance and best rap song, too. 1. “Wacced Out Murals” 2. “Squabble Up” 3. “Luther” (feat. SZA) 4. “Man at the Garden” 5. “Hey Now” 6. “Reincarnated” 7. “TV Off” 8. “Dodger Blue” 9. “Peekaboo” 10. “Heart Pt. 6” 11. “GNX” 12. “Gloria” (feat. SZA)
Ousted Syrian leader Assad flees to Moscow after fall of Damascus, Russian state media sayLahore: In a historic and strategically significant visit, Chief Minister Punjab Maryam Nawaz recently concluded her official trip to China, aimed at fostering bilateral cooperation and driving transformative development for Pakistan. This visit not only underscored Pakistan’s commitment to strengthening its long-standing friendship with China but also opened new avenues for collaboration across multiple sectors. The visit was marked by a series of high-level meetings with Chinese officials, business leaders, and industry experts. CM Maryam Nawaz spearheaded discussions that culminated in several landmark agreements, focusing on infrastructure development, technology transfer, and economic cooperation. Some of the key outcomes include: 1. Renewed Focus on CPEC: The visit brought renewed vigor to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), with both sides agreeing to expedite ongoing projects and initiate new ventures. These projects aim to enhance connectivity, energy capacity, and industrial growth in Punjab and beyond. 2. Infrastructure Investment: An MoU was signed for the development of smart cities and modern transport systems in Punjab. This will include state-of-the-art urban planning and public transportation initiatives, contributing to sustainable urbanization. 3. Technology and Innovation Partnerships: Chinese tech companies expressed interest in collaborating with Punjab’s IT sector, focusing on digital transformation, AI applications, and e-governance solutions. 4. Agricultural Collaboration: Agreements were reached to introduce advanced farming techniques and technology to increase productivity and sustainability in Punjab’s agricultural sector. 5. Educational and Cultural Exchange Programs: The visit also paved the way for increased exchange programs, enabling Pakistani students and professionals to gain access to China’s world-class educational and technical expertise. The Sharif family has long been a cornerstone in fostering Pak-China relations. From the visionary leadership of Mian Nawaz Sharif, who initiated several foundational projects under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, to Shehbaz Sharif’s relentless efforts in implementing these projects during his tenure, and now Maryam Nawaz’s proactive role in furthering this partnership, the Sharif family has upheld and strengthened this generational legacy. This enduring commitment reflects their dedication to fostering economic growth and diplomatic ties with China. The outcomes of this visit are poised to deliver substantial benefits for Pakistan. Key impacts include: · Economic Growth: The influx of Chinese investments and technology will catalyze job creation and industrial development, contributing to Pakistan’s GDP growth. · Energy Security: Agreements to enhance renewable energy projects under CPEC will help address Pakistan’s energy challenges and promote sustainable energy use. · Urban Transformation: Smart city initiatives will not only modernize urban centers but also improve the quality of life for citizens in Punjab. · Agricultural Advancement: The adoption of innovative farming methods will boost agricultural yields, ensuring food security and opening up export opportunities. · Youth Empowerment: Enhanced educational and cultural exchanges will empower Pakistan’s youth with knowledge, skills, and global exposure. A hallmark of CM Maryam Nawaz’s visit was her emphasis on fostering people-to-people ties. She participated in cultural events and met with Pakistani students and professionals in China, highlighting the shared values and mutual aspirations of the two nations. CM Punjab’s visit to China reflects a visionary approach to diplomacy and development. By strengthening ties with one of the world’s leading economies, Maryam Nawaz has reinforced Pakistan’s strategic partnership with China, ensuring long-term benefits for the nation. As these initiatives begin to take shape, the people of Pakistan can look forward to a future defined by economic prosperity, technological advancement, and a stronger global standing. This visit stands as a testament to the potential of collaborative efforts and visionary leadership in shaping a brighter tomorrow for Pakistan.
Renuka Rayasam | (TNS) KFF Health News In April, just 12 weeks into her pregnancy, Kathleen Clark was standing at the receptionist window of her OB-GYN’s office when she was asked to pay $960, the total the office estimated she would owe after she delivered. Clark, 39, was shocked that she was asked to pay that amount during this second prenatal visit. Normally, patients receive the bill after insurance has paid its part, and for pregnant women that’s usually only when the pregnancy ends. It would be months before the office filed the claim with her health insurer. Clark said she felt stuck. The Cleveland, Tennessee, obstetrics practice was affiliated with a birthing center where she wanted to deliver. Plus, she and her husband had been wanting to have a baby for a long time. And Clark was emotional, because just weeks earlier her mother had died. “You’re standing there at the window, and there’s people all around, and you’re trying to be really nice,” recalled Clark, through tears. “So, I paid it.” On online baby message boards and other social media forums , pregnant women say they are being asked by their providers to pay out-of-pocket fees earlier than expected. The practice is legal, but patient advocacy groups call it unethical. Medical providers argue that asking for payment up front ensures they get compensated for their services. How frequently this happens is hard to track because it is considered a private transaction between the provider and the patient. Therefore, the payments are not recorded in insurance claims data and are not studied by researchers. Patients, medical billing experts, and patient advocates say the billing practice causes unexpected anxiety at a time of already heightened stress and financial pressure. Estimates can sometimes be higher than what a patient might ultimately owe and force people to fight for refunds if they miscarry or the amount paid was higher than the final bill. Up-front payments also create hurdles for women who may want to switch providers if they are unhappy with their care. In some cases, they may cause women to forgo prenatal care altogether, especially in places where few other maternity care options exist. It’s “holding their treatment hostage,” said Caitlin Donovan, a senior director at the Patient Advocate Foundation . Medical billing and women’s health experts believe OB-GYN offices adopted the practice to manage the high cost of maternity care and the way it is billed for in the U.S. When a pregnancy ends, OB-GYNs typically file a single insurance claim for routine prenatal care, labor, delivery, and, often, postpartum care. That practice of bundling all maternity care into one billing code began three decades ago, said Lisa Satterfield, senior director of health and payment policy at the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists . But such bundled billing has become outdated, she said. Previously, pregnant patients had been subject to copayments for each prenatal visit, which might lead them to skip crucial appointments to save money. But the Affordable Care Act now requires all commercial insurers to fully cover certain prenatal services. Plus, it’s become more common for pregnant women to switch providers, or have different providers handle prenatal care, labor, and delivery — especially in rural areas where patient transfers are common. Some providers say prepayments allow them to spread out one-time payments over the course of the pregnancy to ensure that they are compensated for the care they do provide, even if they don’t ultimately deliver the baby. “You have people who, unfortunately, are not getting paid for the work that they do,” said Pamela Boatner, who works as a midwife in a Georgia hospital. While she believes women should receive pregnancy care regardless of their ability to pay, she also understands that some providers want to make sure their bill isn’t ignored after the baby is delivered. New parents might be overloaded with hospital bills and the costs of caring for a new child, and they may lack income if a parent isn’t working, Boatner said. In the U.S., having a baby can be expensive. People who obtain health insurance through large employers pay an average of nearly $3,000 out-of-pocket for pregnancy, childbirth, and postpartum care, according to the Peterson-KFF Health System Tracker . In addition, many people are opting for high-deductible health insurance plans, leaving them to shoulder a larger share of the costs. Of the 100 million U.S. people with health care debt, 12% attribute at least some of it to maternity care, according to a 2022 KFF poll . Families need time to save money for the high costs of pregnancy, childbirth, and child care, especially if they lack paid maternity leave, said Joy Burkhard , CEO of the Policy Center for Maternal Mental Health, a Los Angeles-based policy think tank. Asking them to prepay “is another gut punch,” she said. “What if you don’t have the money? Do you put it on credit cards and hope your credit card goes through?” Calculating the final costs of childbirth depends on multiple factors, such as the timing of the pregnancy , plan benefits, and health complications, said Erin Duffy , a health policy researcher at the University of Southern California’s Schaeffer Center for Health Policy and Economics. The final bill for the patient is unclear until a health plan decides how much of the claim it will cover, she said. But sometimes the option to wait for the insurer is taken away. During Jamie Daw’s first pregnancy in 2020, her OB-GYN accepted her refusal to pay in advance because Daw wanted to see the final bill. But in 2023, during her second pregnancy, a private midwifery practice in New York told her that since she had a high-deductible plan, it was mandatory to pay $2,000 spread out with monthly payments. Daw, a health policy researcher at Columbia University, delivered in September 2023 and got a refund check that November for $640 to cover the difference between the estimate and the final bill. “I study health insurance,” she said. “But, as most of us know, it’s so complicated when you’re really living it.” While the Affordable Care Act requires insurers to cover some prenatal services, it doesn’t prohibit providers from sending their final bill to patients early. It would be a challenge politically and practically for state and federal governments to attempt to regulate the timing of the payment request, said Sabrina Corlette , a co-director of the Center on Health Insurance Reforms at Georgetown University. Medical lobbying groups are powerful and contracts between insurers and medical providers are proprietary. Because of the legal gray area, Lacy Marshall , an insurance broker at Rapha Health and Life in Texas, advises clients to ask their insurer if they can refuse to prepay their deductible. Some insurance plans prohibit providers in their network from requiring payment up front. If the insurer says they can refuse to pay up front, Marshall said, she tells clients to get established with a practice before declining to pay, so that the provider can’t refuse treatment. Related Articles Health | Which health insurance plan may be right for you? Health | California case is the first confirmed bird flu infection in a US child Health | Your cool black kitchenware could be slowly poisoning you, study says. Here’s what to do Health | Does fluoride cause cancer, IQ loss, and more? Fact-checking Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s claims Health | US towns plunge into debates about fluoride in water Clark said she met her insurance deductible after paying for genetic testing, extra ultrasounds, and other services out of her health care flexible spending account. Then she called her OB-GYN’s office and asked for a refund. “I got my spine back,” said Clark, who had previously worked at a health insurer and a medical office. She got an initial check for about half the $960 she originally paid. In August, Clark was sent to the hospital after her blood pressure spiked. A high-risk pregnancy specialist — not her original OB-GYN practice — delivered her son, Peter, prematurely via emergency cesarean section at 30 weeks. It was only after she resolved most of the bills from the delivery that she received the rest of her refund from the other OB-GYN practice. This final check came in October, just days after Clark brought Peter home from the hospital, and after multiple calls to the office. She said it all added stress to an already stressful period. “Why am I having to pay the price as a patient?” she said. “I’m just trying to have a baby.” ©2024 KFF Health News. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.None
The United States Postal Service might have found a way to unite a nation bitterly divided after this month's election: It will release a Betty White stamp. The beloved actor known for roles in "The Golden Girls," "The Mary Tyler Moore Show," "Boston Legal" and others will be on a 2025 Forever stamp, USPS announced this past week. White died in late December 2021 , less than three weeks before her 100th birthday. The Postal Service hasn't announced a release date for the stamp. Betty White speaks Sept. 17, 2018, at the 70th Primetime Emmy Awards at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles. “An icon of American television, Betty White (1922–2021) shared her wit and warmth with viewers for seven decades,” the Postal Service said in announcing the stamp, which depicts a smiling White based on a 2010 photograph by celebrity photographer Kwaku Alston . “The comedic actor, who gained younger generations of fans as she entered her 90s, was also revered as a compassionate advocate for animals.” People are also reading... Boston-based artist Dale Stephanos created the digital illustration from Alston's photo. "I'd love to send a letter back to my 18-year-old self with this stamp on it and tell him that everything is going to be OK," Stephanos posted on Facebook . USPS wants stamp prices to rise 5 times over the next 3 years Regardless of personal politics, self-proclaimed supporters of Republican President-elect Donald Trump and Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris reacted with delight on social media. "Betty White was my hero, all of my life! I actually had a doll when I was a little girl I named Betty White," one Trump supporter posted on X , formerly Twitter. “Something to make this awful week a little better: We’re getting a Betty White stamp,” a pro-Harris X account posted. White combined a wholesome image with a flare for bawdy jokes . Her television career began in the early 1950s and exploded as she aged. “The only SNL host I ever saw get a standing ovation at the after party," Seth Meyers posted on Twitter after her death. "A party at which she ordered a vodka and a hotdog and stayed til the bitter end.” Photos: Remembering Betty White (1922-2021) Allen Ludden and his wife Betty White, who love to play games, continue a two year gin rummy battle in which she's ahead by a cumulative 6,000 points in Westchester, N.Y. on April 29, 1965. They do it professionally on TV. He's the master of ceremonies on "Password," and she makes frequent guest appearances on game shows. They play games to relax at home. (AP Photo/Bob Wands) Allen Ludden and his wife Betty White admire magnolia blossoms on the lawn of their country home in Westchester, N.Y. on May 14, 1965. (AP Photo/Bob Wands) Actress Betty White in 1965. (AP Photo) Betty White shares a moment backstage at the 28th annual Emmy Awards with Ted Knight after they each won an Emmy for their supporting roles in "The Mary Tyler Moore Show." On the series Miss White played Sue Ann Nivens while Knight played newscaster Ted Baxter. (AP Photo/Reed Saxon) LOS ANGELES, CA - MAY 17, 1976: (L-R) "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" co-stars - Ed Asner, Betty White, Mary Tyler Moore and Ted Knight - all won awards at the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences 28th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards held at the Shubert Theatre on May 17, 1976 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by TVA/PictureGroup/Invision for the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences/AP Images) Actress Betty White with Ted Knight at the Emmy Awards in Los Angeles, Sept. 13, 1981. (AP Photo/Randy Rasmussen) Betty White and Anson Williams don't seem to faze Buckeye, a St. Bernard, during an awards ceremony during which Williams was honored by the Los Angeles Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals as a friend and lover of animals. Ms. White presented a humanitarian plaque to Williams at the event, which was held in Hollywood, California, Friday, May 1, 1982. (AP Photo/Marc Karody) Actress Betty White with actor John Hillerman arriving at Emmy Awards, Sept. 22, 1985 in Pasadena, California. (AP Photo/LIU) Actresses Betty White Ludden, left, and Mary Tyler Moore, right, smile at each other in Los Angeles, Friday, June 22, 1985 during Annual Meeting of Morris Animal Foundation, at which Ludden announced her retirement as President of the animal health group, held at the Sheraton Universal Hotel in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Nick Ut) These four veteran actresses from the television series "The Golden Girls" shown during a break in taping Dec. 25, 1985 in Hollywood. From left are, Estelle Getty, Rue McClanahan, Bea Arthur and Betty White. (AP Photo/Nick Ut) Actress Betty White poses in Los Angeles, Ca. in June, 1986. (AP Photo/Reed Saxon) Betty White stands backstage at the NBC TV Bob Hope "I Love Lucy" special on Sept. 16, 1989. (AP Photo/Djansezian) Michael J. Fox and Betty White, winners of Emmys for best actor and actress in a comedy series, stand backstage at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium in Pasadena, California, Sunday, Sept. 21, 1986 after receiving their honors. (AP Photo/Douglas C. Pizac) Comedienne Betty White places her hand on the star that was presented posthumously to her husband, Allen Ludden, during ceremonies inducting him into the Hollywood Walk of Fame in Hollywood, Los Angeles, Thursday, March 31, 1988. Ludden was honored with the 1,868th star of the famed walkway — between those of White and Tyrone Power. (AP Photo/Nick Ut) Estelle Getty, who plays Sophia, poses with her new husband, who plays Max, and the other "Golden Girls" after taping of episode on Friday, night, Nov. 5,1988 in Hollywood. Left to right are Rue McCLanahan (Blanche), Getty, Gilford, Bea Arthur (Dorothy) and Betty White. (AP Photo/Ira Mark Gostin) Former cast members of the Mary Tyler Moore Show, sans Mary Tyler Moore, are reunited for the Museum of Television and Radio's 9th annual Television Festival in Los Angeles Saturday, March 21, 1992. From left are Gavin MacLeod, Valerie Harper, Cloris Leachman, Betty White and Ed Asner. (AP Photo/Craig Fujii) Actress Betty White, left, writer/producer David E. Kelley, actress Bridget Fonda, and actor Oliver Platt pose at the premiere of their movie "Lake Placid," Wednesday night, July 14, 1999, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill) Betty White, from "Golden Girls," and Mr. T, Lawrence Tureaud, from "The A Team," pose for photographers at NBC's 75th Anniversary Party, Wednesday, Jan. 9, 2002, in the Hollywood section of Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Rene Macura) Actors Betty White, left, Georgia Engel, second left, Gavin MacLeod, center, Valerie Harper, second right, and John Amos pose for photographers during arrivals at CBS's 75th anniversary celebration Sunday, Nov. 2, 2003, in New York. (AP Photo/Louis Lanzano) Actress Betty White laughs as an African eagle roosts overhead at the Los Angeles Zoo Monday, Feb. 20, 2006, in Los Angeles, where White was honored as Ambassador to the Animals by the city for her decades of dedication to the humane treatment of animals. (AP Photo/Nick Ut) Betty White poses for photographers on the red carpet before Comedy Central's "Roast of William Shatner," Sunday, Aug. 13, 2006, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Rene Macura) Betty White arrives at the 34th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards in Los Angeles, on Friday, June 15, 2007. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill) Beatrice Arthur, left, Betty White, center, and Rue McClanahan, of the Golden Girls, arrive at the TV Land Awards on Sunday June 8, 2008 in Santa Monica, Calif. (AP Photo/Matt Sayles) Actor Henry Winkler, center, is seen Beatrice Arthur, right, and Betty White at the TV Land Awards on Sunday June 8, 2008 in Santa Monica, Calif. (AP Photo/Matt Sayles) In this Nov. 24, 2009 file photo, actress Betty White poses for a portrait following her appearance on the television talk show "In the House," in Burbank, Calif. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello, File) Actress Betty White poses for a portrait on the set of the television show "Hot in Cleveland" in Studio City section of Los Angeles on Wednesday, June 9, 2010. (AP Photo/Matt Sayles) Actress Betty White is seen on stage at the Teen Choice Awards on Sunday, Aug. 8, 2010 in Universal City, Calif. (AP Photo/Matt Sayles) Betty White, a cast member in "You Again," poses with fans holding Betty White masks at the premiere of the film in Los Angeles, Wednesday, Sept. 22, 2010. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello) Actress Betty White wears a U.S. Forest Ranger hat after being named an Honorary Forest Ranger by the US Forest Service, at the Kennedy Center in Washington Washington, Tuesday, Nov. 9, 2010. White has stated in numerous interviews that her first ambition as a young girl was "to become a forest ranger, but they didn't allow women to do that back then". (AP Photo/Cliff Owen) Betty White, left, Bradley Cooper and Scarlett Johansson arrive at the MTV Movie Awards in Universal City, Calif., on Sunday, June 6, 2010. (AP Photo/Matt Sayles) Betty White, left, Kristen Bell, center, and Jamie Lee Curtis, cast members in "You Again," pose together at the premiere of the film in Los Angeles, Wednesday, Sept. 22, 2010. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello) Betty White, left, accepts the Life Achievement Award from Sandra Bullock at the 16th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards on Saturday, Jan. 23, 2010, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill) From left, actresses Betty White, Wendie Malick, Valerie Bertinelli, and Jane Leeves pose for a portrait on the set of the television show "Hot in Cleveland" in Studio City section of Los Angeles on Wednesday, June 9, 2010. (AP Photo/Matt Sayles) Alec Baldwin, left, and Betty White are seen on stage at the 17th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards on Sunday, Jan. 30, 2011 in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill) Betty White attends a book signing for her book 'If You Ask Me (And Of Course You Won't)' at Barnes & Noble in New York, Friday, May 6, 2011. (AP Photo/Charles Sykes) Actress Betty White attends a press conference prior to the taping of "Betty White's 90th Birthday: A Tribute To America's Golden Girl" on Sunday, Jan. 8, 2012 in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Vince Bucci) Actress Betty White arrives on a white pony as she is honored at a Friars Club Roast sponsored by Godiva, Wednesday, May 16, 2012 at the Sheraton Hotel in New York. (AP Photo/Starpix, Marion Curtis) Betty White, at left, attends her wax figure unveiling at Madame Tussauds on Monday, June 4, 2012 in Los Angeles. (Photo by Katy Winn/Invision/AP) From left, Sgt. 1st Class Chuck Shuck, Actress Betty White and The 2012 American Hero Dog Gabe pose during 2012 American Humane Association Hero Dog Awards held at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on Saturday, Oct. 6, 2012, in Los Angeles, Calif. (Photo by Ryan Miller/Invision/AP) Betty White and Cloris Leachman onstage at the 24th Annual GLAAD Media Awards at the JW Marriott on Saturday, April 20, 2013 in Los Angeles. (Photo by Todd Williamson/Invision/AP) Ellen DeGeneres, left, presents Betty White with the award for favorite TV icon at the People's Choice Awards at the Nokia Theatre on Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2015, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP) Betty White, left, speaks at the 70th Primetime Emmy Awards on Monday, Sept. 17, 2018, at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles. Looking on from right are Alec Baldwin and Kate McKinnon. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP) Stay up-to-date on what's happening Receive the latest in local entertainment news in your inbox weekly!ALTOONA, Pa. — After UnitedHealthcare’s CEO was gunned down on a New York sidewalk, police searched for the masked gunman with dogs, drones and scuba divers. Officers used the city's muscular surveillance system. Investigators analyzed DNA samples, fingerprints and internet addresses. Police went door-to-door looking for witnesses. When an arrest came five days later, those sprawling investigative efforts shared credit with an alert civilian's instincts. A Pennsylvania McDonald's customer noticed another patron who resembled the man in the oblique security-camera photos that New York police had publicized. Deputy Commissioner of Operations Kaz Daughtry speaks during a press conference regarding the arrest of suspect Luigi Mangione, Monday, Dec. 9, 2024, in Hollidaysburg, Pa., in the fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. (AP Photo/Ted Shaffrey) Luigi Nicholas Mangione, a 26-year-old Ivy League graduate from a prominent Maryland real estate family, was arrested Monday in the killing of Brian Thompson, who headed one of the United States’ largest medical insurance companies. He remained jailed in Pennsylvania, where he was initially charged with possession of an unlicensed firearm, forgery and providing false identification to police. By late evening, prosecutors in Manhattan had added a charge of murder, according to an online court docket. He's expected to be extradited to New York eventually. It’s unclear whether Mangione has an attorney who can comment on the allegations. Asked at Monday's arraignment whether he needed a public defender, Mangione asked whether he could “answer that at a future date.” Mangione was arrested in Altoona, Pennsylvania, after the McDonald's customer recognized him and notified an employee, authorities said. Police in Altoona, about 233 miles (375 kilometers) west of New York City, were soon summoned. This booking photo released Monday, Dec. 9, 2024, by the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections shows Luigi Mangione, a suspect in the fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. (Pennsylvania Department of Corrections via AP) They arrived to find Mangione sitting at a table in the back of the restaurant, wearing a blue medical mask and looking at a laptop, according to a Pennsylvania police criminal complaint. He initially gave them a fake ID, but when an officer asked Mangione whether he’d been to New York recently, he “became quiet and started to shake,” the complaint says. When he pulled his mask down at officers' request, “we knew that was our guy,” rookie Officer Tyler Frye said at a news conference in Hollidaysburg. New York Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said at a Manhattan news conference that Mangione was carrying a gun like the one used to kill Thompson and the same fake ID the shooter had used to check into a New York hostel, along with a passport and other fraudulent IDs. NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny said Mangione also had a three-page, handwritten document that shows “some ill will toward corporate America." An NYPD police officer and K-9 dog search around a lake in Central Park, Monday, Dec. 9, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura) A law enforcement official who wasn’t authorized to discuss the investigation publicly and spoke with The Associated Press on condition of anonymity said the document included a line in which Mangione claimed to have acted alone. “To the Feds, I’ll keep this short, because I do respect what you do for our country. To save you a lengthy investigation, I state plainly that I wasn’t working with anyone,” the document said, according to the official. It also had a line that said, “I do apologize for any strife or traumas but it had to be done. Frankly, these parasites simply had it coming.” Pennsylvania prosecutor Peter Weeks said in court that Mangione was found with a passport and $10,000 in cash — $2,000 of it in foreign currency. Mangione disputed the amount. Thompson, 50, was killed last Wednesday as he walked alone to a midtown Manhattan hotel for an investor conference. Police quickly came to see the shooting as a targeted attack by a gunman who appeared to wait for Thompson, came up behind him and fired a 9 mm pistol. Investigators have said “delay,” “deny” and “depose” were written on ammunition found near Thompson’s body. The words mimic a phrase used to criticize the insurance industry. A poster issued by the Federal Bureau of Investigation shows a wanted unknown suspect. (FBI via AP) From surveillance video, New York investigators gathered that the shooter fled by bike into Central Park, emerged, then took a taxi to a northern Manhattan bus terminal. Once in Pennsylvania, he went from Philadelphia to Pittsburgh, “trying to stay low-profile” by avoiding cameras, Pennsylvania State Police Lt. Col. George Bivens said. A grandson of a wealthy, self-made real estate developer and philanthropist, Mangione is a cousin of a current Maryland state legislator. Mangione was valedictorian at his elite Baltimore prep school, where his 2016 graduation speech lauded his classmates’ “incredible courage to explore the unknown and try new things.” He went on to earn undergraduate and graduate degrees in computer science in 2020 from the University of Pennsylvania, a spokesperson said. “Our family is shocked and devastated by Luigi’s arrest,” Mangione’s family said in a statement posted on social media late Monday by his cousin, Maryland lawmaker Nino Mangione. “We offer our prayers to the family of Brian Thompson and we ask people to pray for all involved.” An NYPD police officer and K-9 dog search around a lake in Central Park, Monday, Dec. 9, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura) Luigi Nicholas Mangione worked for a time for the car-buying website TrueCar and left in 2023, CEO Jantoon Reigersman said by email. From January to June 2022, Mangione lived at Surfbreak, a “co-living” space at the edge of Honolulu tourist mecca Waikiki. Like other residents of the shared penthouse catering to remote workers, Mangione underwent a background check, said Josiah Ryan, a spokesperson for owner and founder R.J. Martin. “Luigi was just widely considered to be a great guy. There were no complaints,” Ryan said. "There was no sign that might point to these alleged crimes they’re saying he committed.” At Surfbreak, Martin learned Mangione had severe back pain from childhood that interfered with many aspects of his life, from surfing to romance, Ryan said. “He went surfing with R.J. once but it didn’t work out because of his back," Ryan said, but noted that Mangione and Martin often went together to a rock-climbing gym. NYPD officers in diving suits search a lake in Central Park, Monday, Dec. 9, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura) Mangione left Surfbreak to get surgery on the mainland, Ryan said, then later returned to Honolulu and rented an apartment. Martin stopped hearing from Mangione six months to a year ago. Although the gunman obscured his face during the shooting, he left a trail of evidence in New York, including a backpack he ditched in Central Park, a cellphone found in a pedestrian plaza, a water bottle and a protein bar wrapper. In the days after the shooting, the NYPD collected hundreds of hours of surveillance video and released multiple clips and still images in hopes of enlisting the public’s eyes to help find a suspect. “This combination of old-school detective work and new-age technology is what led to this result today,” Tisch said at the New York news conference. ___ Scolforo reported from Altoona and Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania. Contributing were Associated Press writers Cedar Attanasio and Jennifer Peltz in New York; Michael Rubinkam and Maryclaire Dale in Pennsylvania; Lea Skene in Baltimore and Jennifer Sinco Kelleher in Honolulu. Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox!
One of the hottest tech stocks cruising atop the market these days is Reddit ( RDDT -7.18% ) . The company has seen its share price balloon by over 170% since its March initial public offering (IPO), with much of that rise coming after its late-October earnings release. The stock's momentum has pushed it to a market cap of over $24 billion. Such an advancement is reminiscent of the (admittedly far more long-term) rise of mighty Apple ( AAPL 0.59% ) . Yes, Apple is a nearly $3.5 trillion company these days, but if Reddit continues to rise in popularity, maybe it could match or even exceed the tech powerhouse's market value by the end of this decade. A sharply rising social media star For those who might not be familiar, Reddit operates an online forum in which users post about, and react to, a dizzying number of topics. This neatly fills a niche opened by search engines like Alphabet 's Google, which can provide results that are quick-hit answers to queries, but typically offer little depth or discussion. Reddit has taken that simple concept and built a quickly scaling business from it. The company derives revenue from advertising, which is standard in the social media world, but also earns a buck by licensing the data it harvests from users and offering paid "premium" memberships to the user base, among other activities. Those third-quarter results that got the market so excited revealed that Reddit grew a meaty 68% year over year to more than $348 million. Better, on the bottom line, it flipped to a profit of almost $30 million from a loss of $7 million and change in the year-ago time frame. Investors got excited about these results, not only because of the hearty growth numbers, but also how they were achieved. Reddit very successfully managed to expand its user base, with daily average uniques (DAUs; better known as daily average users in the broader social media sphere) rocketing 47% higher to over 97 million people. More impressively, the growth rates and total DAUs in both the company's native U.S. and abroad were roughly equal. Reddit as a product is scaling admirably well across the planet, it seems. Operational metrics like DAUs matter greatly for advertisers, and all things being equal, a wider, regular user base means more dollars for the site offering the advertising. Additionally, while average revenue per user (ARPU) didn't grow as impressively, it still grew by 14% on a global basis to $3.58. Here's another sweet opportunity for the company, as its third-quarter ARPU on our shores far exceeded that of the international take, by $5.88 to $1.32. As Reddit's popularity continues to rise abroad, its ARPU should experience a commensurate lift. Another rather promising revenue source for Reddit is data licensing. Advertising was responsible for the bulk (89%) of the top line in the third quarter, yet the "other" revenue category -- containing data licensing -- zoomed 547% higher. While we shouldn't continue to expect such fat numbers, Reddit has a trove of data thanks to its users, and the licensing of this to train artificial intelligence (AI) is still a business in its infancy. It surely has vast potential for the future. A sky-high mountain to climb With those considerable headwinds pushing hard at its back, it's no surprise that Reddit is such a hot item for investors now. Yet becoming the next Apple -- the dream of many a tech entrepreneur -- is like scaling the world's largest mountain. That $3.5 trillion price tag comes from decades of Apple building brand recognition , to the point where almost everyone on our globe has not only heard of the company, but is instantly familiar with its products. It also derives from the long-tail success of what was a revolutionary product on its debut -- the iPhone -- and the development of a lucrative ecosystem built around it. Building a business in these ways isn't cheap, easy, or quick; it takes plenty of vision and capital -- not to mention luck. So even if we give Reddit a generous stretch of time to reach Apple's lofty perch, I don't think it'll quite scale those heights. Management has done a fine and clever job of locking into business opportunities and leveraging them, but advertisers are fickle and prone to shifting to the Next Cool Thing in order to capture potential customers. Data licensing is a high-potential business, sure, yet it remains to be seen how well Reddit will exploit the opportunity. Ultimately, Apple will continue to be a monster next to the modest size of Reddit in both the immediate and mid-/long-term future. That doesn't mean that Reddit is a stock to ignore, though. Quite the opposite -- it has attracted the market's notice for all the right reasons. It's a future social media giant in the making if it continues on its current path, and well worth consideration as a buy.Galaxy Z Flip FE: Processor details revealed for the budget foldable
OP Jindal University Sonipat (Haryana) [India], November 23: The Speaker of Lok Sabha, Om Birla and Minister of State for Law and Justice, Arjun Ram Meghwal today inaugurated India's First Constitution Museum at O.P. Jindal Global University (JGU), Sonipat. On this august occasion they were joined by Naveen Jindal, the Founding Chancellor of JGU and Member of Parliament (Lok Sabha) and other distinguished guests. Also Read | West Bengal Assembly By-Elections Results 2024: Trinamool Congress Sweeps Up All 6 Constituencies, CM Mamata Banerjee Thanks Voters. The Chief Guest, Speaker of Lok Sabha, Om Birla, said, "India's first Constitution Museum at O.P. Jindal Global University marks a historic milestone which will acquaint future generations with our Constitution, illuminating its history, inception, and the immense efforts behind its creation. In 2015, Prime Minister Narendra Modi called for the celebration of Constitution Day, highlighting the visionary ideas that shaped our Constitution. He urged us to remember and honour the contributions of those who worked tirelessly to frame this foundational document. Our Constitution stands as a beacon guiding India and the world. Our Constitution enshrines the principles of equality for all. More than a legal framework, our constitution is a transformative document that has brought profound social, economic, and political change. It is not merely a set of laws but a guiding philosophy, that continues to lead us towards a more just and inclusive society. Our democracy has united diverse cultures, languages, and traditions, exemplifying the spirit of "Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam"--the world is one family--throughout its 75-year journey. Under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi, we continue to advance this legacy." The Guest of Honour, the Minister of State for Law and Justice, Arjun Ram Meghwal, said, "Equality, liberty and fraternity are the cornerstones of our Constitution. We place equality before liberty as it is more important. We will only remain independent, said Dr B.R. Ambedkar, only when we have equality. I especially laud the effort undertaken by Chancellor Naveen Jindal efforts to ensure that citizens would be free to fly the National Flag respectfully and with dignity and honour. The Constitution Museum is a true memorial to the significant contribution of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, the main framer of the Indian Constitution and I sincerely hope that it is visited by the current legislators of India to get a modern and digital insight into the making of the Constitution. Also Read | Tamannaah Bhatia and Vijay Varma To Tie the Knot in 2025? Here's What We Know. The Constitution Academy & the Rights and Freedoms Museum, a Jindal Global University initiative, is an attempt to delve into the cornerstone of India's democracy and the fundamental rights and freedoms enshrined within it. The Chancellor of O.P. Jindal Global University Naveen Jindal, M.P. Lok Sabha said, "Constitutionalism is a philosophy that restricts government power and ensures the protection of individual rights. Constitutionalism is a political theory that emphasizes that limitation of governmental power, regardless of its source of proper procedures. It asserts that there are certain actions a government just cannot undertake, even if they are supported by public opinion or proper procedures. The Constitution Museum is a reminder of the vision of our Founding Fathers. It is the longest written constitution in the world, which came into being because of the painstaking efforts and toil of the constituent assembly. It was crafted with immense foresight with an aim of balancing individual rights and the state powers the resolve to secure to all its citizens, justice, liberty, equality and promote fraternity, to assure the dignity of the individual enshrined in the preamble of the Constitution. The Constitution Musuem at O.P. Jindal Global University is a reminder to celebrate the constitution of the world's largest democracy, and to promote the idea of an Indian constitutionalism as we commemorate the 75th anniversary of the adoption of the Constitution of India on November 26 this year." Professor (Dr.) C. Raj Kumar, the Founding Vice Chancellor of O.P. Jindal Global University thanked the distinguished guests on this momentous occasion and said, "As part of the celebrations, we are also hosting the National Convention on the Constitution of India from 23rd to 25th November. This convention will have distinguished speakers representing the law and public life, including three former Chief Justices, seven judges of the Supreme Court of India, three former judges of the Supreme Court, 20 plus senior advocates of the Supreme Court of India, eight distinguished parliamentarians and different political parties, besides the attorney general for India, the solicitor of India, and several other scholars from India and abroad, it is indeed my distinct honour to extend a warm welcome to our distinguished guests and we are deeply grateful to them for taking the time for inaugurating India's first constitution Museum. I would also like to extend my gratitude to our benefactor and Founding Chancellor Mr Naveen Jindal MP, Lok Sabha who brought to fruition the vision of a global university in India and has achieved historic recognition through his work in bringing the pride of flying the Indian National Flag for every citizen." ABOUT THE MUSEUM The museum is designed to provide a deep and engaging exploration of the Constitution's essential elements and key provisions that every citizen should know. The aim is to make the Constitution both accessible and relevant, demonstrating how its values and ideals have shaped the nation. The visitor can Immerse themselves in the sights and sounds of pre-independence India, through 360-degree visual spectacle. Through cutting-edge technology and multimedia storytelling, our exhibit unfolds the chronological tapestry of events leading to the drafting of the Indian Constitution. The collaboration between the O.P. Jindal Global University and IIT Madras will bring to life an unprecedented experience through a tour guide robot called S.A.M.V.I.D. to commemorate the most significant document that defines India as a Republic. On display in the museum's centre is one of the 1000 photolithographic reproductions of Constitution of India. The original, an elaborately crafted edition taking nearly five years to complete, bears the signatures of the nation's founders--the framers of the Constitution. Prem Behari Narain Raizada rendered the calligraphy, while Nandalal Bose and other artists illustrated the text. The manuscript was published in Dehradun and photolithographed by the Survey of India. The Museum especially highlights the contribution of women members of the Constituent Assembly and there are animations about the life of each female member of the Constituent Assembly focusing on their contribution to the Constitution as well as the making of Independent India. To commemorate the memory of nearly 300 members of the Constituent Assembly, sculptured busts of each member has been placed in niches to recognise their contribution. The gallery also explores the global inspirations and historical frameworks that influenced the creation of India's Constitution, highlighting how these ideas were reimagined and adapted to suit the unique needs and aspirations of India's diverse populace. The mezzanine also holds a hologram exhibit of Dr B. R. Ambedkar. This installation brings his words and vision to life, allowing visitors to experience his legacy first-hand. The answers have been crafted based on his speeches and writings. The art featured in the museum is anticipated to be a major attraction. Rajesh P. Subramanian's sculpture, 'We, The People of India', embodies "unity in diversity," a core constitutional principle. In 'Echoes of Liberty', Rahul Gautam creates a mural that fuses elements from constitutional manuscripts with modern design. Harsha Durugadda's 'Triad of Unity' links themes of unity, justice, and sovereignty. Nishant S. Kumbhatil's 'Insaaf Ki Devi' portrays lady justice holding a balance, a powerful emblem of impartiality in Indian law. Pradeep B. Jogdand's 'Equality Before Law' symbolises equality and justice. Deval Verma's large-scale 'Map of challenges viewers to reconsider notions of value and beauty. K. R. Nariman's 'Freedom' celebrates "We, the People" who uphold constitutional values in daily lives as citizens. Finally, Rahul Gautam's sculpture 'Founding Mothers' artistically represents an imagined photograph featuring the 15 women members of the Constituent Assembly, honouring their contributions to shaping India's constitutional framework. Anjchita B. Nair, CEO, Culture and Head, Centre for Museums has curated the museum emphasising on how the Constitution Museum steers away from the typical unidirectional tone taken by conventional museums and instead uses a multitude of formats for innovative storytelling. (ADVERTORIAL DISCLAIMER: The above press release has been provided by OP Jindal University. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of the same) (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)Jammu, Dec 8: Notwithstanding accusations by a few leaders of the ruling party that “some people were trying to create chaos and wedge between the offices of LG administration and the government”, confusion, many a time, finds an outlet from their own statements. Contradictory statements emanating from within the party perforate measured and subtle statements of the Chief Minister, his political Advisor and National Conference (NC) veterans, who remain grounded in reality and cautious enough not to leave behind any trails of confusion or rancour, which may prove counterproductive in a changed scenario. Discordant (political) notes (by a few) are emitted, sometimes out of ignorance, misreading the situation and sometimes totally missing the context while engaging the media or being engaged by media. TO UNDERSTAND THE CONTEXT OF DISSONANCE AND ITS RIPPLE EFFECTS, SAMPLE THESE RECENT CASES: Days ago, a veteran journalist on ‘X’ posted, “Pondicherry model is a misnomer started by propagandists. Puducherry, like Delhi, is a Union Territory with a legislature – not a STATE. Unlike Puducherry, J&K was a powerful state, with distinct Constitutional history and was promised restoration of statehood after elections.” The post, seemingly, was based on a byte of MLA Zadibal and Chief Spokesperson National Conference Tanvir Sadiq posted by the party’s official ‘X’ handle on December 3, 2024. “Statehood based on the Pondicherry model is planted news: we are talking about full-fledged statehood, which existed before August 5, 2019.” MLA Zadibal and Chief Spokesperson JKNC @tanvirsadiq.” – read the post of JKNC on its official ‘X’ handle. The post was accompanied by a news byte of Sadiq, speaking to the media, seemingly responding to questions about the application of the “Pondicherry (Puducherry) model” in J&K. “....some people, for no rhyme or reason, are creating chaos and confusion. Some people are planting news. One person is saying something, the other is doing something else...We have just one issue, which has been passed by the state cabinet and that is the restoration of full statehood, which we were having before 2019. We are demanding that and this is an elected government, elected by the people and that too with the majority. I believe that people sitting in Delhi; our rulers in Delhi should respect the mandate of the people and restore our statehood at the earliest, during this (ongoing) parliament session only. Rest of all things...this confusion should be stopped,” Sadiq had stated. In response to another question in the same video as to whether talks were being held (by the government) regarding statehood, he stated, “See, the stage of talks is over, now there is a stage of implementation. Central government means the honourable Prime Minister and the honourable Home Minister have promised openly to the people of J&K to restore statehood to J&K. Besides that there is a clear order of the Supreme Court that J&K’s statehood should be restored as early as possible. So where is the problem?” “The elected government has passed a resolution in the cabinet. So I don’t think there will be a delay on this account (restoration of statehood) because the longer it is delayed, the people’s works will get hampered and their problems will be compounded. The most beautiful thing about this country is its democracy. If you are weakening it then it is unfortunate,” Sadiq asserted. Rest everything was alright yet an irksome portion was related to his statement and observation on the “Pondicherry model” which was actually focussed in the party post (reaffirmed by the veteran journalist’s post also). A few days back, Greater Kashmir did a few stories discussing the present status of J confusion on account of dual power structure, being discussed by political parties (NC itself) and many other media outlets as well; kind of uncertainty in administrative circles on this count and ongoing process of framing of Business Rules congruent to (J&K’s) UT status (to remove this state of confusion in grey areas where they don’t exist or where some presumed overlapping is there) till its statehood is not restored and “Pondicherry (Puducherry) Business Rules,” which act as a model (officially) for J&K’s Business Rules. To set the record straight – no name was mentioned (in NC posts) while making references viz., “Pondicherry model a misnomer started by propagandists...”; “Statehood based on the Pondicherry model is a planted news” and “....some people, for no rhyme or reason, are creating chaos and confusion. Some people are planting news....”. All statements were attributed to NC’s Chief Spokesperson. However, as Greater Kashmir had done stories on this count (probably others too would have done), it became imperative to respond to oblique innuendos, which flew thick and fast, questioning the integrity of those who filed stories. First thing first – Greater Kashmir stories had talked about ‘Business Rules’ being framed for J&K or already in place since 2020, modelled after “Puducherry rules”. The premise of stories was based on existing rules governing J&K as Union Territory. They (stories) did not talk about the scenario post-restoration of statehood. Secondly – How can the “Pondicherry” model be described as “a misnomer started by propagandists” and stories based on that “planted news”? For all those who have any kind of illusion on this account, revision of J&K Reorganisation Act, 2019 is mandatory. Under Rules specifically mentioning the “Lieutenant Governor and The Legislative Assembly of Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir”, Rule 13 of the Act talks about “Applicability of article 239 A of Constitution” and it reads: “On and from the appointed day, the provisions contained in article 239A, which apply to “Union Territory of Puducherry”, shall also apply to the “Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir”.” A glance at the rule and one keeps wondering – who is hurting whose credibility (or questioning integrity)? Interestingly, on December 5, National Conference Provincial President, Kashmir Showkat Ahmad Mir, while responding to media queries, admitted that there was a situation of confusion in the absence of Business Rules in certain areas where the powers of the Chief Minister and his ministers were not clear. While answering queries about the holiday on the birth anniversary of Sher-e-Kashmir, he stated, “Following August 5, 2019, they (Centre) took several such decisions which were not in the interest of people and were against the sentiments of people. They cancelled the December 5 holiday, marking the birth anniversary of Sheikh Sahab and also cancelled the Youm-e-Shoura holiday, which marks the sacrifice of martyrs who laid down their lives for the cause of people of J&K. Everyone knows that.” “Recently we have taken over the reins of government. It is still a UT. Powers have still not been defined. In the Secretariat, a committee has been formed to review Business Rules. After that, they will go to the Home Ministry (for vetting). This will be followed by a formal order classifying – what is the domain of LG Sahib and what is the domain of the honourable Chief Minister and his ministers? God willing, soon statehood will be restored. The government is aware of all these circumstances and will take a call at an appropriate time,” Mir said. Same day in Jammu, Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Kumar Choudhary, too, spoke to the media, on this (holiday) account and also on the distribution of power. “Yes, the holiday would be declared, you just have patience for some time. Why would it not be declared? This holiday would not mark an ordinary day but the birth anniversary of Sher-e-Kashmir, who gave us this state of Jammu and Kashmir; our leader, who envisioned it and built it (J&K). Why should the holiday be not there to mark the birth anniversary of such a political stalwart? Just tell me, what financial implication will it bring (on the state exchequer)? Why should anyone object to it?” he asked. Does he not think that the distribution of power should be clear, when asked this, Choudhary asked, “Where is the confusion about the distribution of power?” “Everything is clear. Who says we don’t have power (to act)? If anyone has doubts, they should see it (our action). These two or three employees have been suspended to prove that we have ample power to act,” he said. In Srinagar, on December 5, however, it was the Chief Minister and his Political Advisor, who aptly responded to this issue, subtly. “The Council of Ministers has formally submitted a proposal to Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha to reinstate December 5 as a public holiday in commemoration of the late Sheikh Muhammad Abdullah’s anniversary...Hope the holiday will be restored in time for next year...” was the response of Nasir Aslam Wani, CM’s Political Advisor. The Chief Minister reflected on this issue in a more profound manner as he said, “There are many other dates as well but we have to fight a bigger contest. We have to fight for the restoration of J&K’s statehood.” On December 7, while responding to queries about certain media reports, NC’s Chief Spokesperson Tanvir Sadiq denied any tussle between the two august offices. However, scrutiny of it (his statement) keeps one wondering – if he is clearing the air or he is hinting at the irritants. “We need to understand that as of date, J&K is a Union Territory. At the same time, there is an elected government in place, at present. As far as the tussle is concerned, it (the issue) is being brought up by those people who want to create some kind of problem somehow between the LG administration and the government, by any means. We believe so far no major problem has occurred and we hope that no such problem occurs,” Sadiq said, responding to queries about the latest controversy. “As far as the government and LG administration are concerned, as NC’s Chief Spokesperson, I’m telling you that there is no tussle. If there is some internal issue within the government, it will soon be resolved. We don’t want a dual power system here. Everything has been going on in a positive direction since this government came into power. We hope soon J&K’s statehood is restored so that there remains only one power centre to redress people’s problems immediately....which is done by elected government and not nominated persons,” Sadiq said. “We hope that the LG administration and officers presently in place bear this in mind that sooner or later, statehood will be restored. Therefore they (officers) should listen to the elected people and follow their directions,” he added. In any case, this came a day after Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, fully comprehending the grave consequences of ongoing cacophony, for his newly formed government, reportedly, asked his party leaders to “maintain calm till statehood is restored and not to take any step which will lead to confrontation between his Government and LG administration and cause a delay in the restoration of Statehood.” One wonders – to bring harmony sans any confusion, does one need to pass the buck to others (read media) or look within?
Momentus Inc. Announces Reverse Stock SplitTaiwan said Thursday it detected 16 Chinese warships in waters around the island, one of the highest numbers this year, as Beijing intensifies military pressure on Taipei. The navy vessels, along with 34 Chinese aircraft, were spotted near Taiwan in the 24 hours to 6 a.m. Thursday, according to the defense ministry's daily tally. Beijing has been holding its biggest maritime drills in years from near the southern islands of Japan to the South China Sea, Taiwan authorities said this week. Around 90 Chinese warships and coast guard vessels have been involved in the exercises that include simulating attacks on foreign ships and practising blockading sea routes, a Taiwan security official said Wednesday. There has been no announcement by Beijing's army or Chinese state media about increased military activity in the East China Sea, Taiwan Strait, South China Sea or Western Pacific Ocean. However, a recent Pacific tour by Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te that included two stops in U.S. territory drew fury from Beijing, which claims the democratic island as part of China's territory. The security official said that China began planning the massive maritime operation in October and aimed to demonstrate it could choke off Taiwan and draw a "red line" ahead of the next US administration. The sea drills were "significantly larger" than Beijing's maritime response to then-U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taipei in 2022, the security official said. Those war games were China's largest-ever around Taiwan. Taiwan's foreign ministry said Wednesday that China's increased military activity around the island was evidence that Beijing was a "troublemaker". But China's foreign ministry -- whose spokesperson neither confirmed nor denied that drills were taking place -- directed blame at Taiwan. The de facto U.S. embassy in Taiwan said Thursday it was monitoring "with concern" Beijing's People's Liberation Army (PLA) activity near the island and in the region. While Beijing had not announced major drills in response to Lai's trip, Chinese military activity was "elevated", which was "consistent with levels we have seen during other large exercises," a spokesperson for the American Institute in Taiwan said. James Char, an expert on China's military at Singapore's Nanyang Technological University, said Beijing's silence "serves as a way of demonstrating that the Taiwan Strait as well as the waters and airspace around the island falls under Chinese sovereignty -- hence unnecessary to announce (the drills) to the world". "This is another means by the mainland to force its position upon others," Char told AFP, though he did not rule out Chinese confirmation at a later date. Taiwan said Monday that the PLA had reserved airspace off the Chinese coast until Wednesday. Vietnam-based maritime security analyst Duan Dang told AFP Thursday that aviation data showed the airspace zones had "fully returned to normal". Taiwan lives under the constant threat of invasion by China, which has not ruled out using force to bring the island under its control. Beijing has ramped up the deployment of fighter jets and warships around the island in recent years, and also opposes any international recognition of self-ruled Taiwan -- especially when it comes to official contact between Taipei and Washington. Lai spoke last week with Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson in addition to his two recent stopovers on U.S. soil. The defense ministry's tally of Chinese warships on Thursday was the highest since May 25, when 27 navy vessels were detected during Chinese military drills held days after Lai's inauguration.
Betty White Forever: New stamp will honor the much-beloved 'Golden Girls' actorFutures File has its foundation in commodity futures covering natural resources and raw materials, physical products at the heart of human needs. These include grains, metals, cotton, and fuels. Moving forward, investors/investments during the 1980s found futures contracts efficient and adaptable to a host of “financial futures” such as currencies, stock index futures, interest rate futures; and, now with trepidation, bitcoin futures. The December bitcoin blew to a high of 102,725 on Wednesday and remains over 100,000 as of Friday morning. Many analysts attributed the explosion to president-elect Trump’ s nomination of Paul Atkins to head the Securities and Exchange Commission. Atkins is known to be friendly to the crypto currency markets. One of largest food companies in the world which buys and processes grain and livestock from U.S. farmers and ranchers announced this week that they are laying off approximately 8,000 workers. Cargill, which operates throughout the world, recently released quarterly results of $160 billion in revenue down from $177 billion last year. Good crop yields have increased supply and lowered prices which reduced potential profits for the company. Fears of US tariffs targeting imports could also reduce their profitability. The 2024 United Nations Climate Change Conference, commonly referred to as COP29, took place this November in Baku Azerbaijan. Critics noted that the host country is a major oil and gas producer as well as an authoritarian country noted for its poor human rights record. Many observers concluded that the results of the conference were weak and ineffective in the fight to reduce carbon emissions. Unlike previous COP conferences, COP29 did not mention any push to phase out fossil fuel. In fact over 1500 fossil fuel lobbyists were reported to have attended the conference. Funding issues for future climate change initiatives were considered to be far short of needed revenues and favoring wealthy nations while leaving the have-not nations behind looking down the road.
Beirut, Dec 9 (AP) Syrians poured into streets in celebration on Sunday after a stunning rebel advance reached the capital, ending the Assad family's 50 years of iron rule. Russian state news agencies were reporting that President Bashar Assad and his family had arrived in Moscow and were given asylum. Russia said Assad left the country after negotiations with rebel groups and that he had given instructions to transfer power peacefully. Joyful crowds gathered in central squares in Damascus, waving the Syrian revolutionary flag. Others ransacked the presidential palace and residence. Abu Mohammed al-Golani, a former al-Qaida commander who cut ties with the group years ago leads the biggest rebel faction in Syria and is poised to chart the country's future. He made his first public appearance since fighters entered the Damascus suburbs Saturday, at the capital's sprawling Umayyad Mosque, and called himself by his given name, Ahmad al-Sharaa. He said Assad's fall was “a victory to the Islamic nation”. The rapidly developing events have shaken the region. Lebanon said it was closing all its land border crossings with Syria except for one that links Beirut with Damascus. Jordan closed a border crossing with Syria, too. Israel has issued warnings to villages in southern Syria and its forces seized a buffer zone in the Golan Heights. Here's the Latest: Israel releases images of work on a new barrier with Syria The Israeli military said on Sunday it was reinforcing a barrier along its border with Syria as part of its “enhanced preparedness” in the area following the fall of the Assad regime. Israel released images of the construction, which showed bulldozers digging what appeared to be a trench. The army said in a statement that the barrier was named “New East”. Satellite images analysed by The Associated Press show that as early as September, Israel began building what could be a new road right along the so-called Alpha Line that separates the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights from Syria. The United Nations confirmed that Israeli troops entered the demilitarised zone during the work. Over the weekend, the Israeli military sent additional troops to the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights to bolster Israel's presence along the border with Syria. Russian news agency reporting that Assad has arrived in Moscow Russian state news agencies reported that ousted Syrian President Bashar Assad has arrived in Moscow with his family and been given asylum. The agencies, Tass and RIA, cited an unidentified Kremlin source. The Associated Press was not immediately able to verify the reports but had contacted the Kremlin for comment. Arab League condemns Israel for seizing territory in Golan Heights CAIRO — The Arab League on Sunday condemned Israel for taking advantage of Syrian President Bashar Assad's downfall by moving into more Syrian territory. Hours after Assad's overthrow, Israel announced it had seized a buffer zone in the Golan Heights that was established by a cease-fire agreement with Syria in 1974. In a statement, the Arab League said Israel illegally sought to occupy more territories. But Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the 50-year-old agreement regarding Syrian territory had collapsed and that Syrian troops had abandoned their positions, necessitating Israel taking over as a “temporary defensive position”. United Nations secretary-general marks the fall of the dictatorial regime' in Syria UNITED NATIONS — The United Nations secretary-general is marking the “fall of the dictatorial regime” in Syria and says the future of the country is “is a matter for the Syrians to determine”. A statement by Antonio Guterres also called for calm and the protection of the rights of all Syrians as well as of diplomatic and consular facilities in Syria. He said there is much work ahead to ensure an “orderly political transition to renewed institutions”, and he called on the international community to ensure that “any political transition is inclusive and comprehensive and that it meets the legitimate aspirations of the people of Syria, in all their diversity”. Top Ukraine diplomat says Assad is a dictator' who relied on Russia to prop up his rule KYIV -- Ukraine's top diplomat on Sunday responded to Assad's ouster by describing him as a “dictator” who relied on Russia to prop up his rule - a reference to the military campaign Moscow has waged in Syria since September 2015, teaming up with Iran to allow Assad's government to fight armed opposition groups and reclaim control over most of the country. "Assad has fallen. This has always been and will be the case with all dictators who bet on Putin. He always betrays those who rely on him,” foreign minister Andrii Sybiha said in a post on X. In a separate update on the social network, Sybiha said Kyiv was ready to take steps towards restoring relations with Syria, severed months into Russia's full-scale invasion of the neighbouring state. Kyiv broke off diplomatic ties after Damascus in June 2022 recognised Kremlin-occupied parts of eastern Ukraine as independent territories, in a move welcomed by Moscow and decried by the West as a clear violation of Ukrainian sovereignty. Israeli military issues warning to residents of five villages in southern Syria JERUSALEM — The Israeli military has issued a warning to residents of five villages and towns in southern Syria to stay inside their homes for their safety. “The fighting in your area is forcing the IDF to act,” the IDF's Arabic-language spokesman said on X. The military didn't respond to questions. Earlier, Israel said its troops had seized a buffer zone in the Golan Heights established in 1974, saying it was to protect Israeli residents after Syrian troops abandoned their positions. Defence Minister Israel Katz said on X that the IDF has been instructed to “seize the buffer zone and control points to ensure the protection of all Israeli communities in the Golan Heights – Jewish and Druze – so that they are not exposed to threats from the other side”. Israel captured the Golan in the 1967 Mideast war and later annexed it. The international community, except for the United States, views it as occupied. Head of Syria's biggest rebel faction in first appearance since Assad's fall calls it “a victory to the Islamic nation". BEIRUT - The leader of the largest insurgent group in Syria visited the Syrian capital's sprawling Umayyad Mosque and declared that the victory against President Bashar Assad “is a victory to the Islamic nation”. Ahmad al-Sharaa, who was formerly known as Abu Mohammed al-Golani, made his first public appearance and remarks since fighters entered Damascus. He told hundreds of people at the historic mosque that Assad had made Syria “a farm for Iran's greed”. He added that Assad made Syria a base for the illegal amphetamine Captagon that brought cash to Assad's circles. Al-Sharaa, the leader of the jihadi Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, or HTS, said on Sunday that the victory was achieved because of “God and the blood of martyrs”. He said that he left Syria 20 years ago and since then his heart has longed for this movement. Many Jordanian people welcome the fall of Assad's regime AMMAN — The vast majority of the Jordanian people are welcoming the fall of Bashar al-Assad's regime and the success of the Syrian revolution. “There is no doubt that I felt overwhelming joy at the fall of the Assad regime," said Badi Al-Rafaia, Engineer, union activist and member of the Islamic Action Front. "There is no doubt that we are happy with what happened in Syria, happy with the success of the revolution, happy with the Syrian people getting rid of an oppressor and criminal who treated the Syrian people and made the Syrian state a failed state.” Al-Rafaia said that Jordan is benefiting from what happened in Syria, and "we hope that Jordan will help the revolution succeed and not work against it”. Amman resident Muhab al-Majali said the fall of the Assad regime is “The end of every unjust and tyrannical rule, and more than that, it mortgaged the country and its people to the Iranians, who abandoned it in minutes... I believe that the future is beautiful and prosperous for the Syrians.” The International Committee of the Red Cross calls for safe humanitarian access and protection of civilians in Syria BERLIN — The International Committee of the Red Cross is calling for safe humanitarian access and protection of civilians in Syria after the fall of Bashir Assad's government. “Our teams in Syria, including in Damascus, have been closely monitoring the fast-evolving security and humanitarian situation in coordination with the Syrian Arab Red Crescent,” the ICRC's head of delegation in Syria, Stephan Sakalian, said in a written statement on Sunday. The ICRC is “responding wherever possible, with further efforts underway, as hundreds of thousands of people need care and humanitarian assistance”, he said. Sakalian called “on all parties to urgently enable safe and unhindered access for medical and humanitarian workers to reach those in need, to protect civilians, and to uphold their obligations under international humanitarian law". Iraqi government supports efforts seeking to open a dialogue for Syria's future BAGHDAD — The Iraqi government said in a statement Sunday that it “supports all international and regional efforts seeking to open a dialogue” for Syria “leading to the adoption of a pluralistic constitution that preserves the human and civil rights of Syrians, and supports cultural, ethnic and religious diversity”. The statement from government spokesperson Bassem al-Awadi, said that Iraq understands “the necessity of respecting the free will of all Syrians, and stresses that the security of Syria, the unity of its territories, and the preservation of its independence are of utmost importance, not only for Iraq but also for its connection to the security and stability of the region”. It cautioned against “interfering in Syria's internal affairs, or supporting one party for the benefit of another”. Iraq, which has a close relationship with Iran - once a strong ally of former Syrian President Bashar Assad - has taken in some 2,000 Syrian army soldiers who fled the country amid the advance of armed opposition groups. Yemen's leader welcomes the fall of Syria's government CAIRO — The head of Yemen's internationally recognised government welcomed the fall of the government of President Bashar Assad of Syria. “It's a historic moment,” Rashad al-Alimi, who chairs the ruling presidential council, wrote on X platform of Assad's downfall. “It's time for the Iranian regime to stop meddling in Yemen, respect its sovereignty and identity.” Al-Alimi, who is backed by Saudi Arabia, was referring to Iran's support of Houthi rebels who are at war with Yemen's internationally recognised government for a decade. Families wander through the presidential palace in Damascus, taking picture DAMASCUS — Families wandered through the high-ceilinged halls of the presidential palace in Damascus on Sunday, along with some armed men. Some paused to take family portraits or selfies on the few remaining couches against the backdrop of mosaiced walls, while others walked out with chairs and other items under their arms. On the massive parking lot out front, cars drove in circles honking ecstatically. In central Damascus' Umayyad Square, drivers passing by also honked jubilantly, while young men piled onto a tank abandoned in the square. But for some the celebration was bittersweet. “I am very happy, but this happiness will not be completed until I can see my son out of the prison and know where is he is,” said Damascus resident Bassam Masr. “I have been searching for him for two hours - he has been detained for 13 years.” Netanyahu says Israeli forces have seized a buffer zone in the Golan Heights after Syrian unrest TEL AVIV – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday that Israeli forces have seized a buffer zone in the Golan Heights established by a 1974 ceasefire agreement with Syria. He spoke from an overlook near the border between Syria and the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights, after Syrian rebels tore through the country and dramatically ended Assad's rule on Sunday morning. Netanyahu said the 50-year-old agreement had collapsed and that Syrian troops had abandoned their positions, necessitating the Israeli takeover as a “temporary defensive position”. Israel captured the Golan Heights in the 1967 Mideast war and annexed it. The international community, except for the United States, views it as occupied Syrian territory. Satellite images analyzed by the Associated Press show that as early as September, Israel began construction of what could possibly be a new road right along the so-called Alpha Line that separates the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights from Syria. The United Nations confirmed that Israeli troops entered the demilitarised zone during the work. The United Nations maintains a peacekeeping force in the demilitarised zone called the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force, or UNDOF, with around 1,100 peacekeepers from Fiji, India, Kazakhstan, Nepal, and Uruguay. After the 1973 Mideast war, the UN Secretary Council voted to create UNDOF to patrol a roughly 400 square kilometer (155 square mile) demilitarized zone and maintain the peace there. Airstrikes reported in the area of the Mezzeh military airport DAMASCUS — An Associated Press journalist in Damascus reported airstrikes in the area of the Mezzeh military airport, southwest of the capital on Sunday. The airport has previously been targeted in Israeli airstrikes, but it was not immediately clear who launched Sunday's strike. The Israeli military refused to comment on the airport strike. Israel often does not publicly claim responsibility for attacks in Syria. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based war monitor, reported that Israeli warplanes also targeted warehouses belonging to the Syrian army's Fourth Division and another former military site outside of Damascus on Sunday. On Saturday and Sunday, the Israeli military sent additional troops to the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights to bolster Israel's presence along the border between Israel and Syria. Agricultural areas along the border were declared closed military zones and some schools shifted to online classes in anticipation of unrest. (AP) PY PY (This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)QUEBEC CITY, Canada, Dec. 12, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- LeddarTech ® Holdings Inc. (“LeddarTech”) ( Nasdaq: LDTC ), an automotive software company that provides patented disruptive AI-based low-level sensor fusion and perception software technology, LeddarVision TM, for ADAS, AD and parking applications, is pleased to announce that it will host an Investor and Business Update conference call and webcast on December 18, 2024 at 8:00 a.m. EST. Frantz Saintellemy, President and Chief Executive Officer, and Chris Stewart, Chief Financial Officer, will be participating in the call. The conference call can be accessed in the U.S. by dialing (646) 307-1963 and via (800) 715-9871 for international callers. The conference ID is 1293674. Interested parties may also register for the live webcast , which will be archived on LeddarTech’s Investor Relations website following the event. About LeddarTech A global software company founded in 2007 and headquartered in Quebec City with additional R&D centers in Montreal and Tel Aviv, Israel, LeddarTech develops and provides comprehensive AI-based low-level sensor fusion and perception software solutions that enable the deployment of ADAS, autonomous driving (AD) and parking applications. LeddarTech’s automotive-grade software applies advanced AI and computer vision algorithms to generate accurate 3D models of the environment to achieve better decision making and safer navigation. This high-performance, scalable, cost-effective technology is available to OEMs and Tier 1-2 suppliers to efficiently implement automotive and off-road vehicle ADAS solutions. LeddarTech is responsible for several remote-sensing innovations, with over 170 patent applications (87 granted) that enhance ADAS, AD and parking capabilities. Better awareness around the vehicle is critical in making global mobility safer, more efficient, sustainable and affordable: this is what drives LeddarTech to seek to become the most widely adopted sensor fusion and perception software solution. Additional information about LeddarTech is accessible at www.LeddarTech.com and on LinkedIn , Twitter (X) , Facebook and YouTube . Contact: Daniel Aitken, Vice-President, Global Marketing, Communications and Investor Relations, LeddarTech Holdings Inc. Tel.: + 1-418-653-9000 ext. 232 daniel.aitken@LeddarTech.com Investor relations website: investors.LeddarTech.com Investor relations contact: Kevin Hunt, ICR Inc. kevin.hunt@icrinc.com Financial media contact: Dan Brennan, ICR Inc. dan.brennan@icrinc.com Leddar, LeddarTech, LeddarVision, LeddarSP, VAYADrive, VayaVision and related logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of LeddarTech Holdings Inc. and its subsidiaries. All other brands, product names and marks are or may be trademarks or registered trademarks used to identify products or services of their respective owners. LeddarTech Holdings Inc. is a public company listed on the Nasdaq under the ticker symbol “LDTC.”
However, some state workers failed to return to their jobs and a United Nations official said the country’s public sector had come “to a complete and abrupt halt”. Meanwhile, streams of refugees crossed back into Syria from neighbouring countries, hoping for a more peaceful future and looking for relatives who disappeared during Mr Assad’s brutal rule. There were already signs of the difficulties ahead for the rebel alliance now in control of much of the country. The alliance is led by a former senior al-Qaida militant, who severed ties with the extremist group years ago and has promised representative government and religious tolerance. The rebel command said they would not tell women how to dress. “It is strictly forbidden to interfere with women’s dress or impose any request related to their clothing or appearance, including requests for modesty,” the command said in a statement on social media. Nearly two days after rebels entered the capital, some key government services had shut down after state workers ignored calls to go back to their jobs, the UN official said, causing issues at airports and borders and slowing the flow of humanitarian aid. Rebel leader Ahmad al-Sharaa, who was known by his nom de guerre Abu Mohammed al-Golani, also met with Prime Minister Mohammad Ghazi Jalali for the first time. Mr Jalali stayed in Syria when Mr Assad fled and has sought to project normalcy since. “We are working so that the transitional period is quick and smooth,” he told Sky News Arabia TV on Monday, saying the security situation had already improved from the day before. At the court of Justice in Damascus, which was stormed by the rebels to free detainees, Judge Khitam Haddad, an aide to the justice minister in the outgoing government, said that judges were ready to resume work quickly. “We want to give everyone their rights,” Mr Haddad said outside the courthouse. “We want to build a new Syria and to keep the work, but with new methods.” But a UN official said some government services had been paralysed as worried state employees stayed at home. The public sector “has just come to a complete and abrupt halt,” said Adam Abdelmoula, UN resident and humanitarian co-ordinator for Syria, noting, for example, that an aid flight carrying urgently needed medical supplies had been put on hold after aviation employees abandoned their jobs. “This is a country that has had one government for 53 years and then suddenly all of those who have been demonised by the public media are now in charge in the nation’s capital,” Mr Abdelmoula told The Associated Press. “I think it will take a couple of days and a lot of assurance on the part of the armed groups for these people to return to work again.” In a video shared on a rebel messaging channel, Mr al-Sharaa said: “You will see there are skills” among the rebels. The Kremlin said Russia has granted political asylum to Mr Assad, a decision made by President Vladimir Putin. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov declined to comment on Mr Assad’s specific whereabouts and said Mr Putin did not plan to meet with him. Damascus was quiet Monday, with life slowly returning to normal, though most shops and public institutions were closed. In public squares, some people were still celebrating. Civilian traffic resumed, but there was no public transport. Long lines formed in front of bakeries and other food stores. There was little sign of any security presence though in some areas, small groups of armed men were stationed in the streets.COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Will Howard passed for two touchdowns and rushed for another, TreVeyon Henderson ran for a score and No. 2 Ohio State beat previously undefeated No. 5 Indiana 38-15 on Saturday. All Ohio State (10-1, 7-1 Big Ten, CFP No. 2) has to do now is beat Michigan at home next Saturday and it will earn a return to the Big Ten championship game for the first time since 2020 and get a rematch with No. 1 Oregon. The Ducks beat Ohio State 32-31 in a wild one back on Oct. 12. The Hoosiers (10-1, 7-1, No. 5 CFP) had their best chance to beat the Buckeyes for the first time since 1988 but were hurt by special teams mistakes and disrupted by an Ohio State defence that sacked Canadian quarterback Kurtis Rourke five times. “In life, all good things come to an end,” Indiana coach Curt Cignetti said. Late in the first half, Indiana punter James Evans fumbled a snap and was buried at his own 7-yardline with the Buckeyes taking over. That turned quickly into a 4-yard TD run by Henderson that gave the Buckeyes a 14-7 lead. Early in the second half, Caleb Downs fielded an Evans punt at the Ohio State 21, raced down the right sideline, cut to the middle and outran the coverage for a TD that put the Buckeyes up 21-7. It was the first time a Buckeye returned a punt for a touchdown since 2014. Howard finished 22 for 26 for 201 yards. Emeka Egbuka had seven catches for 80 yards and a TD. “Our guys just played with a chip today, and that’s the way you got to play the game of football,” Ohio State coach Ryan Day said. Indiana scored on its first possession of the game and its last, both short runs by Ty Son Lawson, who paced the Hoosiers with 79 rushing yards. Rourke, a 24-year-old from Oakville, Ont., is the brother of BC Lions QB Nathan Rourke. He was 8 for 18 for 68 yards. “We had communication errors, pass (protection), every time we dropped back to pass, something bad happened," Cignetti said. Indiana's 151 total yards was its lowest of the season. And it was the most points surrendered by the Hoosier's defence. The takeaway Indiana: Its special season was blemished by the Buckeyes, who beat the Hoosiers for the 30th straight time. Indiana was eyeing its first conference crown since sharing one with two other teams in 1967. That won't happen now. “Ohio State deserved to win,” Cignetti said. “They had those (third quarter scores), and we just couldn’t respond.” Ohio State: Didn't waste the opportunities presented by the Hoosiers when they got sloppy. The Buckeyes led 14-7 at the break and took control in the second half. An offensive line patched together because of multiple injuries performed surprisingly well. “We know what was at stake," Day said. “We don't win this game, and we have no chance to go to Indianapolis and play in the Big Ten championship. And that's real. We've had that approach for the last few weeks now, more than that.” Poll implications Some voters were obviously unsure of Indiana because it hadn't played a nationally ranked team before Ohio State. After this one, the Hoosiers will drop. All about Will Howard made history by completing 80% of his passes for the sixth time this season. No other Ohio State quarterback has done that. He completed his first 14 passes in a row and finished with a 85% completion rate. “I think Buckeye nation is now seeing, after 11 games, that this guy is a winner, he's tough, he cares about his teammates, he's a leader,” Day said. Up next Indiana hosts Purdue in the regular-season finale next Saturday. Ohio State hosts rival Michigan on Saturday. ___ Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here . AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football Mitch Stacy, The Associated Press
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