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CAMBRIDGE - Information from an Indiana police officer sparked an Illinois state trooper to pull over an Ontario, Canada, truck tractor-trailer for a motor carrier safety inspection on Interstate 80 on Nov. 29. The stop in Henry County led to the detection of over 1,100 pounds of cocaine worth some $50 million and the arrest of two Canadians — Manpreet Singh, 36, and Vanshpreet Singh, 27 — on charges of controlled substance trafficking, possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver and possession of cocaine. Ben Pyett of the Brownsburg, Indiana, police department had been investigating the two men and informed an Illinois State Police trooper they could be involved in narcotics trafficking. Vanshpreet Singh During a preliminary hearing Monday in Henry County, Judge Terry Patton found probable cause to believe Vanshpreet Singh committed a felony. People are also reading... The preliminary hearing for Manpreet Singh was continued to Jan. 14 on a defense motion to allow a Punjabi interpreter to be present in person rather than via Zoom. Defense attorney Larry Vandersnick said his client had the right to confer with his attorneys during the hearing, which would not have been possible via Zoom. According to testimony from State Trooper Daniel Davis, Vanshpreet Singh at first said the company placed the seal on the load the tractor-trailer was carrying. When the trooper told the defendant that the seal on the trailer didn't match the bill of lading, Singh's arms began to shake and he adjusted himself in his seat continuously and said co-driver Manpreet Singh had put the seal on the vehicle. Later, Vanshpreet Singh told officers with the Black Hawk Area Task Force that both drivers put the seal on the tractor-trailer. Manpreet Singh When Davis asked how the men were being paid, whether per mile or a percentage of the load, Vanshpreet Singh said they were splitting the per-mile payment, which the trooper said he found odd as it would be too low for both of them. They were coming from California and headed to Niagara Falls. Davis' K-9 was taken out to conduct a free-air sniff of the tractor-trailer and gave a positive alert. The men were given their Miranda rights and troopers located several trash bags with kilo-sized bricks in front of the first pallets of oranges in the trailer. The men were then handcuffed and the tractor-trailer was relocated to a gas station in Geneseo and then to East Moline state police headquarters. Ultimately 520,000 grams of a substance that field-tested positive for cocaine was found. Davis said he just discovered earlier Monday that his body camera had malfunctioned and missed the first portion of the stop and interaction with Vanshpreet Singh. "I activated it when I noticed it wasn't recording," he said. "I was unaware if I might have bumped it." Defense attorney Jon Brayman asked whether Davis reported the malfunctioning body camera to his agency and the trooper said he hadn't known it was defective until the day of the preliminary hearing. "It's a significant case. The fact the body camera did not preserve is in large part relevant and important to your investigation," Brayman said. Vanshpreet Singh will have a pre-trial hearing on Jan. 16. Close to two tons of cocaine were found floating at sea off the eastern coast of Sicily. The Guardia di Finanza, Italy's tax and customs police said the drugs, worth over $439 million, make the finding a “record seizure”. Veuer’s Maria Mercedes Galuppo has the story. Why does fentanyl exist? The history behind the substance driving record overdose deaths in the US Fentanyl stock photo The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported 72,027 drug poisoning deaths in the United States from fentanyl in 2022. Moline Police Chief Darren Gault said fentanyl and fentanyl-related substances are on the rise in the Quad-Cities. He said fentanyl is being mixed in with other drugs like cocaine or pressed into pills in a cocktail of drugs to increase the potency. The legacy of a medicine checkered with abuse Since Janssen first conceived it in his lab, fentanyl has become the most widely used intravenous anesthetic for surgical procedures. At the same time, its excessive use began just years after the FDA first approved it in the 1970s. In the 1990s, overprescription of other opioid painkillers like OxyContin seeded the ground for the epidemic of opioid use disorder plaguing the U.S. today. From the late 1990s through the 2000s, opioid-related overdose deaths skyrocketed, and regulators began cracking down on overprescribing physicians. Those efforts gave way to a rise in heroin overdose deaths in the early 2010s. And though fentanyl's potential for misuse concerned the FDA in the 1960s, it was perhaps impossible for regulators and the medical community to foresee the bevy of market forces that would lead to the modern-day opioid crisis in which fentanyl is featured heavily. The drug's potency, synthetic origin, and ease of production—coupled with the advent of e-commerce in the 2010s—have made it so that black market actors could flood the market with illegally synthesized pills and powders. Today, any illicitly manufactured drug could be cut with fentanyl, and the prevalence poses a risk for those in recovery from opioid use disorder for whom one relapse could result in death. Story editing by Ashleigh Graf. Copy editing by Paris Close. This story originally appeared on Ophelia and was produced and distributed in partnership with Stacker Studio. A doctor's son and the father of more than 80 medicines Paul Janssen was a revolutionary figure in Western medicine during the 20th century, developing dozens of medications and patenting more than 100 medical advances over his lifetime. The son of a doctor, Janssen lost his sister when she was only 4 years old after she contracted tuberculous meningitis. During World War II, Janssen studied physics, biology, and chemistry in Belgium. His familial background and education in chemistry, in particular, inspired him to think about the potential for chemical sciences to be applied to advancements in medicine. The time in which a young Janssen found inspiration was when war was driving innovation in health care at a rapid clip, and many procedures and medicines we take for granted today were just entering the fray. Surgeons were developing techniques to safely remove flesh so that fewer soldiers had to undergo amputation. Penicillin was seeing broader use for treating bacterial infections, having been discovered over a decade prior. And Janssen, who would become known simply as Dr. Paul to colleagues, was plotting the creation of his independent research laboratory. The quest for the 'most potent' narcotic pain reliever The first open-heart surgery was performed in 1952, kicking off a period of surgical ambition that would inspire Janssen to formulate the chemical compound known today as fentanyl. Around this time, doctors began experimenting with new techniques for heart surgery, the promise of treating heart disease propelling patients to take part in risky experimental procedures. Anesthetics available at the time often caused severe hypotension (low blood pressure) and arrhythmias (an irregular heartbeat) if they didn't kill the patient. Janssen set out to formulate the "most potent" narcotic pain reliever ever made, synthesizing fentanyl for the first time in 1960. The drug was shown to have 100-300 times the potency of morphine, the primary drug used in surgical procedures at the time. Fentanyl also had fewer side effects for patients. With morphine, the amnesia effect that helps patients forget the surgery while anesthetized was sometimes incomplete. Occasionally, morphine would also cause an allergic reaction; it also had the effect of depressing the respiratory system after surgery was complete, making it difficult for the patient to get oxygen. Fentanyl carries a similar impact on the respiratory system, and deaths from overdoses typically are the result of the respiratory system effectively shutting down. Hurdles at the Food and Drug Administration Fentanyl's potency worried some physicians, and that concern led to problems getting approval for its broader use. The Janssen Pharmaceuticals, acquired by Johnson & Johnson in 1961, struggled to get the Food and Drug Administration to approve the drug. It was resolved when Janssen suggested a 50:1 combination of droperidol and fentanyl be used in procedures, thereby diluting the chance for it to be misused because droperidol was known to induce a high that was not enjoyable. The FDA ultimately approved the cocktail for use in the U.S. in 1968; four years later, fentanyl became available for use on its own in small quantities. Fentanyl sales boom Fentanyl's FDA approval paved the way for the drug's use in surgical settings in the 1970s, and its success in heart and vascular surgeries propelled it to widespread acceptance. The drug experienced a rare "blockbuster" moment in the 1980s, with medical sales growing 10 times in just its first year off patent in 1981. New drugs can be so expensive to research and develop that it's rarely profitable for a company to bring them to market unless they know sales will be immense. Fentanyl had the added effect of activating pain-relieving and anesthetic responses in the body quicker than other methods of anesthesia. It was effective not only for surgical procedures but also for patients living with chronic pain and terminal illness. But all else aside, it was also easy and cheap to produce—and clinicians were leaning in. Lollipops and patches hit the market Its popularity in the medical community drove Janssen to develop other opioid anesthetics, which spurred companies to develop new ways of getting the drug into the patient's body throughout the 1980s and into the 2000s. Companies introduced lozenges, lollipops, under-the-tongue sprays, and skin patches with varying use cases for patients depending on their pain relief needs. Some of these new technologies were commercial failures, but they broadened the use cases for the newly synthesized and extremely potent opioids. Sign up for our Crime & Courts newsletter Get the latest in local public safety news with this weekly email.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Southern California quarterback Miller Moss is entering the transfer portal after losing the Trojans' starting job last month. Moss made his announcement on social media Monday. Moss started the Trojans ' bowl victory last season and their first nine games this season before coach Lincoln Riley replaced him with Jayden Maiava in early November. “Being a USC Trojan was a lifelong dream of mine,” Moss wrote. “Putting on the cardinal and gold and competing on behalf of my teammates and school is something I will forever take pride in. I poured everything I have into this — body, heart, mind and soul — and am humbled by and proud of what my teammates and I accomplished.” Moss, who was born in Los Angeles and went to high school in the San Fernando Valley, signed with USC before Riley arrived at the school. Moss also stayed with the Trojans after Caleb Williams transferred from Oklahoma to rejoin Riley, and he served as Williams’ backup for two seasons before getting his chance to play with six touchdown passes in last year's Holiday Bowl. Moss completed 64.4% of his passes this season for 2,555 yards with 18 touchdowns and nine interceptions. After a spectacular 378-yard performance to beat LSU in the Trojans' season opener, Moss didn't play poorly as a starter, but he also wasn't a difference-maker while USC stumbled to a 4-5 record. Moss threw seven interceptions in his final five starts before losing the job to Maiava. The Trojans went 1-4 in that stretch under Moss, who plays as a more traditional pocket passer while Maiava has the mobility usually favored for quarterbacks in Riley's spread offense. “Looking towards the future, I'm unwaveringly committed to becoming an even better quarterback and leader, and to achieving this at the next level,” Moss wrote. Moss has already graduated from USC, putting him in the portal as a graduate student. USC (6-6) is headed to a lower-tier bowl game again to finish this season, its third under Riley. AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-footballSPRINGFIELD — In the days after former President Donald Trump was reelected, Illinois Democrats’ raised alarms about the ramifications of his second term and said they would consider whether the state needs to strengthen any of its progressive laws on reproductive rights and other issues that might be threatened by an unfriendly White House. But the Democratic-led Illinois General Assembly adjourned its final session of the year without taking any meaningful steps in that direction, with some lawmakers saying more time is needed to consider what might be done. Republicans countered by accusing Democrats of considering legislation based only on assumptions about potential actions by the Trump administration. During their five-day fall veto session — legislators left town a day early in the first week — lawmakers did pass a measure to phase out a subminimum wage for people with disabilities, and moved forward on another aimed at making it easier for the state’s child welfare system to have a child’s family member serve as their legal guardian. Some bigger issues were pushed into next year, among them legislation adjusting the state’s pension system and a proposal to consolidate the Chicago area’s transit agencies. Following a lame duck session scheduled for Jan. 2-7, a new General Assembly will be seated on Jan. 8, and after that Gov. JB Pritzker and lawmakers will also need to confront a projected budget shortfall of nearly $3.2 billion for next year’s state budget. Pritzker last week announced he was part of an initiative called Governors Safeguarding Democracy with Colorado Gov. Jared Polis to leverage states’ rights against threats following Trump’s reelection. But Pritzker didn’t go the route of California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who directly asked his state’s general assembly to address Trump’s election in a special legislative session next month. Illinois’ Democratic lawmakers said figuring out exactly what to do will take some time, and that the just-completed session simply provided an opportunity to get discussions started. “So many people that we legislators represent, including ourselves, have so much anxiety about changes to come due to the incoming administration and we don’t know immediately what we can do in the state legislative arena, but we are already listening, talking about it and planning for it,” said Rep. Lindsey LaPointe, a Democrat from Chicago’s Northwest Side. “Those are complicated issues and once we start putting stuff on paper and talking about it publicly, we have to get it right.” Some of the issues being explored are in the areas of environmental protections, immigration and health care access, along with abortion, LGBTQ+ and workers’ rights. State Rep. Lindsey LaPointe, 19th District, speaks during a community violence intervention news conference at the Institute for Nonviolence Chicago in the Austin neighborhood on June 17, 2024. (Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune) State Rep. Bob Morgan, a Democrat from Deerfield, believes he and his colleagues will be working on issues that address “preemptive, proactive protections” for Illinoisans. Morgan, who has a special interest in gun safety issues following a deadly mass shooting in his district at the 2022 Fourth of July parade in Highland Park, questioned whether President Joe Biden’s Office of Gun Violence Prevention would be on the chopping block and how that would affect Illinois. “When we start talking about policy to keep people safe, it really puts the pressure on states like Illinois to really figure out what can we do to reduce gun violence, and the opportunity to rely on the federal government will no longer be there,” Morgan said. Morgan was a main sponsor of Illinois’ sweeping gun ban that took effect in January 2023, but earlier this month was ruled unconstitutional by a federal judge who was appointed to the bench during Trump’s first term. House Republican leader Tony McCombie, who has been critical of the Democratic call for a legislative response to Trump’s approaching presidency, said Thursday she was against having a lame duck session if the Democrats don’t intend to to pass any meaningful measures. “We do not need more time for out-of-touch Democrats to dream up harmful legislation,” said McCombie, of Savanna. “We need bipartisan legislation that focuses on the issues Illinois families care about most.” Republican Rep. Charlie Meier said Democrats shouldn’t be changing laws or passing laws “just because America’s doing what America does” by electing a new president. “They’re going to try to think what he might do before he even does it to create another law on the Illinois citizens that we may not need,” said Meier, of Okawville. “We are a state that has written so many laws, so many rules, that we are about the worst in unemployment in the country.” State Rep. Charlie Meier, R-Highland, speaks during Republican Day at the DuQuoin State Fair, Aug. 29, 2023. (E. Jason Wambsgans/Chicago Tribune) Among the measures lawmakers did move to Pritzker’s desk during the brief session was a heavily debated bill to phase out subminimum wage for disabled workers over the next five years. Federal law allows some employers to pay disabled workers less than minimum wage. In Illinois, some disabled workers are paid less than a dollar an hour, according to the bill’s advocates. Erin Compton, a student who identified as having an intellectual disability, testified in favor of the bill in committee, saying she has held several jobs including in research and as a ticket scanner for the Cubs. “Some people say that having a job isn’t for me, because I’m not smart enough or good enough to work, but I was given opportunities to work in the community and have to have a fair wage,” Compton said. Pritzker praised the legislation, calling it an “unprecedented, crucial leap forward” for disabled people to earn a fair wage. “Far too often, people with disabilities still endure barriers to employment and discrimination in the workplace,” he said in a statement. “Many are paid subminimum wages that devalue their contributions and diminish their likelihood to secure meaningful work and participate in other life-enhancing activities.” While the bill passed with bipartisan support, opponents including Republican Sen. Chapin Rose of Mahomet warned it could lead to a loss of opportunities for some disabled people. Another measure that has bipartisan support provides additional incentives for relatives of children in the care of the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services to maintain a home for the youths as an alternative to the children being placed in foster care with nonfamily members. It passed with no opposition in the Senate on Thursday after passing 113-0 in the House last spring. But because of an amendment that was attached to the bill by the Senate, it has to go back to the House for what will likely be the bill’s final vote. The legislation requires DCFS to seek federal funding to start a “kinship navigator program” to assist relatives who are caregivers with the agency and increase financial support to those relatives. According to the American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois, which pushed for the measure, more than 10,000 children in DCFS care live with relatives, but over 60% of these caregivers are denied the foster care benefits necessary to care for a youth being placed in their household because state law requires them to meet complex standards that were put in place decades ago. “Current licensing procedures create unnecessary roadblocks to financial assistance for relatives serving as caregivers,” Sen. Mattie Hunter, a Chicago Democrat who was a chief sponsor of the measure, said in a statement. “Research shows children are better off when they can maintain connections to their families and traditions. We need to provide these families with the support they need to make this possible.” The veto session was also an opportunity for lobbyists, unions and other advocates to make last-minute pushes to get their bill proposals on lawmakers’ agendas. On the second day of the veto session, thousands descended on the state Capitol for a rally highlighting their concerns over changes made to Illinois’ beleaguered pension system 13 years ago. Workers hired after Jan. 1, 2011, were placed into a “Tier 2” system that offered reduced benefits compared with other employees hired before that date. The overall goal of creating the Tier 2 plan was to shrink a pension debt that now runs to about $141 billion. But benefits paid out under the Tier 2 system at some point won’t equal to what Social Security would provide to those employees, a violation of a federal “safe harbor” law. This would require Illinois to pay large sums in Social Security taxes instead of operating its own pension system which, while still costly, allows the state more flexibility. At the rally, proponents cheered and bellowed chants calling for equality in the state’s pension system. “We are union people. We believe people doing the same job, a fair day’s work, deserve a fair day’s pay, whether that’s in your paycheck, your benefits or your retirement security in a pension,” Pat Devaney, secretary-treasurer of the Illinois AFL-CIO, said to the crowd. “So what happened over the years? Politicians, state governments, local governments came up with schemes to underfund the pensions, take pension holidays, use other gimmicks to cause stress in the system.” The state’s perennial pension problems are among several budgetary matters that will likely be taken up in the coming months by the legislature, along with how to deal with a $730 million fiscal cliff for Chicago-area public transit once federal pandemic aid dries up in early 2026 and whether to set aside more state funding for Chicago’s public school system. Other unresolved issues include gun safety measures that Democrats haven’t been able to bring over the finish line. Legislation often referred to as “Karina’s Bill,” named after Chicago resident Karina Gonzalez, who, along with her 15-year-old daughter, was shot and killed by her husband last year, would require police to remove guns from people who have orders of protection against them, clarifying when and how authorities can confiscate such firearms. As it stands, firearms aren’t always taken from people in those situations even if the firearm owner’s identification card is revoked. Illinois lawmakers could weigh a proposal to create a statewide office to help under-resourced public defenders. One of the proposal’s goals is to address the lack of public defense resources in rural areas, many of which don’t even have a public defender’s office. The measure also seeks to address disparities in the resources allotted to county prosecutors and public defenders. For example, Cook County’s 2024 budget provided about $102 million for its public defender’s office, and about $205 million for its state’s attorney’s office. Other unresolved issues range from whether to allow all dispensaries to sell medical cannabis to legalizing medical aid in dying, often referred to as physician-assisted suicide or medically assisted death. This proposal would give mentally competent, terminally ill adults the right to choose to end their lives by allowing these patients the right to access life-ending prescription medication.
Photo: The Canadian Press Activists participate in a demonstration for climate finance at the COP29 U.N. Climate Summit, Friday, Nov. 22, 2024, in Baku, Azerbaijan. In the wee hours Sunday at the United Nations climate talks, countries from around the world reached an agreement on how rich countries can cough up the funds to support poor countries in the face of climate change. It's a far-from-perfect arrangement, with many parties still deeply unsatisfied but some hopeful that the deal will be a step in the right direction. World Resources Institute president and CEO Ani Dasgupta called it “an important down payment toward a safer, more equitable future,” but added that the poorest and most vulnerable nations are “rightfully disappointed that wealthier countries didn’t put more money on the table when billions of people’s lives are at stake.” The summit was supposed to end on Friday evening but negotiations spiraled on through early Sunday. With countries on opposite ends of a massive chasm, tensions ran high as delegations tried to close the gap in expectations. Here's how they got there: What was the finance deal agreed at climate talks? Rich countries have agreed to pool together at least $300 billion a year by 2035. It’s not near the full amount of $1.3 trillion that developing countries were asking for, and that experts said was needed. But delegations more optimistic about the agreement said this deal is headed in the right direction, with hopes that more money flows in the future. The text included a call for all parties to work together using “all public and private sources” to get closer to the $1.3 trillion per year goal by 2035. That means also pushing for international mega-banks, funded by taxpayer dollars, to help foot the bill. And it means, hopefully, that companies and private investors will follow suit on channeling cash toward climate action. The agreement is also a critical step toward helping countries on the receiving end create more ambitious targets to limit or cut emissions of heat-trapping gases that are due early next year. It’s part of the plan to keep cutting pollution with new targets every five years, which the world agreed to at the U.N. talks in Paris in 2015. The Paris agreement set the system of regular ratcheting up climate fighting ambition as away to keep warming under 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial levels. The world is already at 1.3 degrees Celsius (2.3 degrees Fahrenheit) and carbon emissions keep rising. What will the money be spent on? The deal decided in Baku replaces a previous agreement from 15 years ago that charged rich nations $100 billion a year to help the developing world with climate finance. The new number has similar aims: it will go toward the developing world's long laundry list of to-dos to prepare for a warming world and keep it from getting hotter. That includes paying for the transition to clean energy and away from fossil fuels. Countries need funds to build up the infrastructure needed to deploy technologies like wind and solar power on a large scale. Communities hard-hit by extreme weather also want money to adapt and prepare for events like floods, typhoons and fires. Funds could go toward improving farming practices to make them more resilient to weather extremes, to building houses differently with storms in mind, to helping people move from the hardest-hit areas and to help leaders improve emergency plans and aid in the wake of disasters. The Philippines, for example, has been hammered by six major storms in less than a month , bringing to millions of people howling wind, massive storm surges and catastrophic damage to residences, infrastructure and farmland. “Family farmers need to be financed," said Esther Penunia of the Asian Farmers Association. She described how many have already had to deal with millions of dollars of storm damage, some of which includes trees that won't again bear fruit for months or years, or animals that die, wiping out a main source of income. “If you think of a rice farmer who depends on his or her one hectare farm, rice land, ducks, chickens, vegetables, and it was inundated, there was nothing to harvest,” she said. Why was it so hard to get a deal? Election results around the world that herald a change in climate leadership, a few key players with motive to stall the talks and a disorganized host country all led to a final crunch that left few happy with a flawed compromise. The ending of COP29 is "reflective of the harder geopolitical terrain the world finds itself in,” said Li Shuo of the Asia Society. He cited Trump's recent victory in the US — with his promises to pull the country out of the Paris Agreement — as one reason why the relationship between China and the EU will be more consequential for global climate politics moving forward. Developing nations also faced some difficulties agreeing in the final hours, with one Latin American delegation member saying that their group didn't feel properly consulted when small island states had last-minute meetings to try to break through to a deal. Negotiators from across the developing world took different tacks on the deal until they finally agreed to compromise. Meanwhile, activists ramped up the pressure: many urged negotiators to stay strong and asserted that no deal would be better than a bad deal. But ultimately the desire for a deal won out. Some also pointed to the host country as a reason for the struggle. Mohamed Adow, director of climate and energy think tank Power Shift Africa, said Friday that “this COP presidency is one of the worst in recent memory,” calling it “one of the most poorly led and chaotic COP meetings ever.” The presidency said in a statement, “Every hour of the day, we have pulled people together. Every inch of the way, we have pushed for the highest common denominator. We have faced geopolitical headwinds and made every effort to be an honest broker for all sides.” Shuo retains hope that the opportunities offered by a green economy “make inaction self-defeating” for countries around the world, regardless of their stance on the decision. But it remains to be seen whether the UN talks can deliver more ambition next year. In the meantime, “this COP process needs to recover from Baku,” Shuo said.Censorship in the Digital Age: Adapting to the Open WorldUSC QB Miller Moss enters transfer portal after losing starting job to Jayden Maiava
Demand for AI skills is expected to grow in 2025, driven by tech and non-tech firms. Tech industry hiring could rebound after several slow years, driven by demand for AI skills . AI skills are often scarce, with high vacancy rates for roles like natural language processing. People and companies are placing big bets on artificial intelligence . One of the safer ones is that demand for workers with AI skills will continue to grow. Advertisement Labor market watchers told Business Insider that in 2025, as in 2024, many employers will likely be eager to hire people with skills in AI — like machine-learning specialists who train models, one of this year's most-talked-about roles — but also in wider areas that touch the technology. In the tech industry , which has experienced years of lackluster hiring following a pandemic-era surge, there are early signs of a rebound, Hannah Calhoon, VP of AI at Indeed, told BI. Advertisement If that continues, she said, hiring will likely include roles involving AI. Another area of demand, Calhoon said, could come from employers that aren't tech firms yet that need people skilled in incorporating off-the-shelf AI tools into their businesses and datasets. However, unlike the tech giants, these employers aren't likely to try to build their own AI platforms, she said. So, rather than trying to recruit data scientists and those machine-learning engineers, these companies might instead want workers who can help decide which AI instruments to use and how to incorporate them into their workflow. Advertisement "What they're going to be looking for is people who understand those systems and can help them implement those tools in their business," Calhoon said. That's likely to translate to increased demand in 2025 for roles involving AI implementation and transformation — jobs like applications administrators or solutions architects, she said. There are other signs that the demand for talent involving AI is picking up. Advertisement Last week, Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff said that the company is experiencing "a big hiring surge" and working to fill thousands of roles to help sell products, including those involving AI. Benioff said the company has 9,000 referrals for the 2,000 positions it's opened. Masayoshi Son, the CEO of SoftBank, likewise recently talked up AI's potential. At an event with President-elect Donald Trump last week, Son said that the Japanese conglomerate would invest $100 billion into the US over the next four years and create at least 100,000 jobs in AI and related areas. Already, other employers are looking to grow around AI. According to Indeed, job postings mentioning AI that saw the biggest growth in the first 11 months of 2024 were senior scientists, software engineering managers, research engineers, and researchers. Advertisement AI know-how is scarce for some roles The market may be growing, though it can be hard for employers to hire in some AI-related areas. The talent firm Randstad reports that it's twice as difficult to find and hire senior-level workers skilled in AI and automation as it is for other senior-level jobs in different industries. Related stories Vacancy rates for roles involving specialized AI skills, like developing natural-language processing models, are as high as 15%, Randstad found. That's about double the overall job vacancy rate in the US. Randstad's estimate on AI jobs is based on an assessment of some 10 million job postings and 136 million résumés in the third quarter of 2024. According to Randstad, employers worldwide are having the hardest time finding workers skilled in natural language processing, predictive modeling, and "stakeholder communication." The firm notes that this is partly because such abilities are specialized yet also in demand across industries. Advertisement In the US, Randstad said, the vacancy rate for jobs that require skills like natural language processing stands at 14%. Starting from a small base Indeed recently reported that, as of September, the share of US job postings that mention generative AI or related terminology was up 3.5 times year over year. Yet that doesn't mean that all employers are looking for GenAI whizzes. Indeed found that only 2% of employers globally included skills related to AI in their job descriptions. By comparison, more than 20% called for basic computer skills. Advertisement Nevertheless, Calhoon said, employers' demands for AI skills are only likely to grow. "Maybe not next year, but three or four years from now, in many roles, there will be an expectation that people will have basic fluency in being able to use some of these platforms," she said. That's likely in part because it's not only major employers that will expect workers to have AI skills. Advertisement Andy Schachtel, CEO of Sourcefit, an offshore staffing firm, told BI that businesses of all sizes are looking to AI to boost efficiency. The US Chamber of Commerce found in a mid-2024 survey of 1,100 small businesses that four in 10 reported using generative AI, up from 23% in 2023. About three-quarters of small businesses surveyed said they plan to adopt emerging tech like AI. That could add to the already surging demand for leaders who are experts in AI. According to a review of more than 35,000 public and private companies in the US by Altrata, a research firm focused on executive data, the number of people in the role of chief AI officer or its equivalent — a job many people may not have heard of until this year — was up 70% year-over-year through late October. Advertisement That demand is likely one reason that workers with AI skills or who possess capabilities working with AI tools are, on average, 34% more likely to change jobs, according to Randstad. Nicole Kyle, who researches the future of work, told BI that even for parts of a business where AI might be expected to take on a good share of the workload — like call centers —its adoption would likely increase demand for other roles. She said that in the case of call centers, for example, those added roles might include positions involving data governance and data cleaning, as well as customer experience. That's one reason Kyle, who's cofounder of CMP Research, said she remains optimistic about AI's impact on jobs. Advertisement "I do think net-net, it will create jobs the way other technological advancements have," Kyle said.NVIDIA Acquisition of Israeli AI Startup Run:ai Moving Forward: EU Commission Grants Full Merger ApprovalRussia launched more than 100 drones at Ukraine on December 22, half of which were shot down, according to Ukraine's military, with no casualties reported. The regions of Kherson, Mykolayiv, Chernihiv, Sumy, Poltava, Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhya, Zhytomyr, and Kyiv all saw drones fired in their direction, with 52 of the total 103 shot down, the Ukrainian Air Force reported . Businesses and apartment buildings were damaged in the Russian attacks, though at this point, the military said, "without casualties." Russia has stepped up its air attacks on Ukraine in recent weeks, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy saying on December 21 that Moscow has launched more than 550 guided bombs, almost 550 drones, and 20 missiles over the past week. Russia has systematically targeted Ukraine's civilian and energy infrastructure since the start of the war, stepping up attacks especially at the onset of the cold season, causing maximum difficulties and lengthy power cuts for Ukrainians for the third winter in a row. It has also been accused by Kyiv of targeting residential buildings, which Moscow denies. Russia's massive attack comes a day after Ukraine struck high-rise buildings in Kazan , the capital of Russia's oil-rich republic of Tatarstan. Ukraine has been investing heavily in drone production in part to compensate for its shortage in manpower on the battlefield. Ukraine's Defense Ministry said earlier this month that it had transferred 1.2 million drones to the armed forces through the first 11 months of 2024, including more than 6,000 deep strike drones. Ukraine's drone production is now close to parity with Russia, experts have said. Kyiv has used its long-range drone capacity to hit objects crucial to Russia's war effort, such as weapons and energy facilities. It has tried to avoid civilian targets in part amid concern about backlash from its Western backers. Kazan, one of the wealthiest cities in Russia, is approximately 800 kilometers east of Moscow. Several Russian pensioners were allegedly tricked by scammers into carrying out risky stunts in crowded places in Moscow and St. Petersburg on December 21, police said. A number of the pensioners have been detained, the police said. Law enforcement is still searching for at least one of the suspects. It is unclear who is behind the scam. One incident took place at the Fort shopping center in northeastern Moscow. The building was evacuated following a small explosion in the public services center located there. One woman was treated for injuries after she fell amid the rush for the doors. Meanwhile, a shopping center and a post office in the suburban Moscow towns of Korolev and Khimki, respectively, were evacuated the same day on similar grounds. In Korolev, the explosion blew out several windows and triggered a fire that damaged the shopping center’s ceiling. In the Fort incident, police detained a pensioner who allegedly detonated a firecracker on the instructions of unknown individuals who had extorted 120,000 rubles ($1,200) from her. The 64-year-old suspect in the Korolev incident allegedly tried to detonate pyrotechnics at the police station as well. A 70-year-old woman was detained in connection with the explosion at the post office in Khimki. The same day, two retired women in St. Petersburg allegedly tried to set fire to a police car at the direction of telephone scammers. They have been detained and a case has been opened against them on terrorist charges. Also in St. Petersburg, an explosion occurred at an ATM location belonging to Sberbank, Russia’s largest lender. No injuries were reported. Local media reported that an elderly woman poured a flammable liquid inside the ATM before the explosion. A similar incident at an ATM occurred the night before in the Siberian city of Krasnoyarsk, RFE/RL’s Siberia.Realities reported. This time the suspect was a teenager. Police said the 19-year old girl was duped into carrying out the attack by scammers. She received second-degree burns and is being treated at a hospital. Pakistani militants carried out a daring early-morning raid near the northwestern border with Afghanistan, killing over a dozen officers in the latest attack of 2024 -- a year already marked as one of the deadliest in the region. Laddha Police Deputy Superintendent Hidayat Ullah told RFE/RL's Radio Mashaal that 16 security officers were killed when militants opened fire at a security checkpoint in South Waziristan at 2 am on December 21. He said eight more officers were wounded. Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan (TTP), which claimed responsibility for the attack, said it killed 35 Pakistani security officers. Radio Mashaal could not independently confirm the number of officers killed. Neither side said how many militants were killed during the attack. There has been a steady increase in TTP attacks in Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province since the Taliban regained control of Kabul in August 2021. The TTP seeks to impose Shari'a law in Pakistan. The latest attack came as the elders of Dre Maseed in the Sur Rogha area of South Waziristan held a meeting on December 20 to demand that the security forces change tactics. Sherpao Maseed, a leader of the assembly, told Radio Mashaal that Pakistani defense forces are targeting militants with artillery and mortar shells , putting civilians in danger. The Pakistan Center for Conflict and Security Studies said in its most recent report that more than 240 people were killed in "terrorist incidents" in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in November The death toll included 68 security officers, the highest in a single month this year. Meanwhile, the Army Public Relations Directorate (ISPR) claims to have killed dozens of suspected militants in operations in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa this month. The governments of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Pakistan say they are committed to wiping out the TTP. BUDAPEST -- Hungary's right-wing Prime Minister Viktor Orban has said that U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's recent reported proposal for NATO members states to increase their defense spending would cripple the Hungarian economy. According to recent reports in Britain's Financial Times and The Telegraph, Trump's team informed European officials that the president-elect was expecting the United States' NATO allies to raise their defense expenditure to 5 percent of national gross domestic product (GDP). Speaking at his year-end press briefing on December 21, Orban said that Hungary has already sweated blood to reach the current 2 percent target, and "if the 2 percent has to be increased, that would shoot the Hungarian economy in the lungs." "We would prefer to not spend even 2 percent of GDP on weaponry...but the world is going in the opposite direction," he said. Orban, who has been accused at home and abroad of democratic backsliding, also said he had not discussed this with Trump, adding that, if the increase is inevitable, then he believes it should be gradual. Hungary budgeted to spend 2.1 percent of GDP in 2024 on defense. Orban is one of Trump's main allies in Europe and, on December 9, he met with the president-elect at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida. Throughout the Ukraine war, Orban has maintained friendly ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin, has been critical of EU aid for Ukraine, and has obstructed the bloc's sanctions regime against Moscow. NATO Spending Targets During his time as president between 2016 and 2020, Trump regularly called for NATO members to meet the required 2 percent level of defense spending, goals that most have since met. NATO leadership has also called for member nations to boost spending following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which has triggered the largest war in Europe since World War II. Before leaving office, former Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said that the alliance's members would "have to be willing to pay the price for peace" and said that the current 2 percent target was "no longer enough to keep us safe." And in Budapest in November, the current NATO secretary-general, Mark Rutte, said at the European Political Community summit that member states would have to pay more. "It will surpass the 2 percent greatly more. I am quite clear about that," Rutte said. The United States contributes around 16 percent to NATO's common-funded budget, which is the joint largest share alongside Germany. The United States will also spend roughly $967 billion on defense in 2024. While that accounts for around two-thirds of what all NATO members will spend on defense combined this year, it represents about 3 percent of GDP. The United States last spent 5 percent of GDP on defense in the late 2000s and early 2010s amid the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. During the Cold War, the United States spent between 5 and 11 percent of GDP on defense . Experts said that Trump's proposal is likely a starting point for negotiations with NATO members. Spat With Poland The Hungarian prime minister also defended Budapest's decision to grant political asylum to Marcin Romanowski, a Polish lawmaker from the right-wing Law and Justice party, who is wanted for alleged corruption during his tenure in Poland's previous government. Orban said he didn't think the case involving a Polish politician would be the last. He added, however, that he wanted to keep "conflicts with Poland at a manageable level," and would refrain from commenting on the country's rule-of-law situation. The Hungarian prime minister's office made the announcement on December 19, arguing that the Polish government was persecuting its political rivals. Warsaw has called the move a "hostile act" and has summoned Hungary's ambassador to Poland. KARACHI, Pakistan -- Pakistani military courts have sentenced 25 people for their part in attacks on military facilities in May 2023. Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the media wing of Pakistan's armed forces, said in a statement on December 21 that 25 defendants were given sentences ranging from two to 10 years. On May 9, 2023, following the arrest of former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan in a fraud case, supporters of Khan's party, Pakistan Tehrik-e Insaf (PTI), attacked and damaged military installations, mosques, and government buildings in cities across Pakistan. Several people were killed and dozens injured in the unrest. In its statement, the military's media wing described the sentences as an "important milestone in dispensation of justice to the nation." It added that May 9, 2023 was a sad day for the country, and it would be officially commemorated every year. In response to the verdicts, PTI wrote on the X social network that the military courts have violated the defendants' constitutional and human rights. Khan's party has said the judicial process is not transparent and about 80 people have been in military custody since the unrest, their fundamental rights violated. Supporters of the imprisoned former prime minister, who is accused of inciting attacks against the armed forces, have expressed concerns that military rather than civilian courts are trying some of the cases. They have staged months of protests to demand Khan's release. PTI says its members and supporters did not attack military or government buildings on May 9, 2023. Last year, Pakistan's Supreme Court ruled that civilians should be tried in civilian courts, not military courts. However, on December 13, the Supreme Court suspended the decision and allowed military courts to hear civilian cases. Others charged over the violence are being tried in anti-terrorism courts. PTI regularly campaigns against corruption and nepotism in Pakistan but has been accused of populism and authoritarian tendencies centered around its charismatic leader Khan. KVIV -- An air-raid warning has been declared in all regions of Ukraine due to possible ballistic missile strikes, Ukrainian military authorities said. Russia continued its regular attacks on Ukrainian cities and infrastructure overnight, launching 113 drone attacks, according to the Ukrainian Air Force on December 21. Of those drones, 57 were shot down, and 56 others were unable to reach their targets, the air force said. The Ukrainian Air Force also said Russia had fired one surface-to-air S-400 missile at central Ukraine, but it did not cause any damage or casualties. RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service reported that in the eastern Ukrainian Zaporizhzhya and Kharkiv regions downed drones damaged apartment buildings, causing casualties. Ukraine was under a general air-raid alert for several hours on December 20 as Russia launched missile and drone attacks against the capital, Kyiv, and several other regions around the country. Russian Advance The latest attacks come as Ukrainian forces are struggling to stop Russia's rapid advance in the east of the country. The Russian Defense Ministry announced on December 21 that Russian forces had taken control of the village of Kostyantynopolske in the eastern Ukrainian Donetsk region. The claim about the village, called Ostrovsky by Russia, could not be independently confirmed by Reuters. Meanwhile, Reuters quoted Aleksandr Khinshtein, the acting governor of Russia's Kursk region, as saying that six people, including one child, were killed in a Ukrainian missile attack on December 20 on the town of Rylsk. Ukraine seized territory in the Kursk region in an incursion in August but has since given up about half its territorial gains. Drones, thought to be from Ukraine, hit high-rise buildings in Kazan , the capital of Russia's republic of Tatarstan, with the attacks causing the city's airport to temporarily suspend flights. No casualties were reported. KAZAN, Russia -- Ukraine struck high-rise buildings in Kazan, the capital of Russia's oil-rich republic of Tatarstan, in the latest display of its growing drone capabilities. The December 21 attacks came in three waves between 7:40 a.m. and 9:20 a.m., the Russian Defense Ministry said. The ministry said the drones were of Ukrainian origin. Western experts said they appeared to be Ukraine's Lyitiy model , a light, aircraft-like drone. Ukrainian authorities have not commented on the strike. The press service of Rustam Minnikhanov, the leader of Tatarstan, said in a statement that eight drones attacked the city. According to the statement, six struck luxury residential buildings, one struck an industrial facility, and one was shot down over a river. In a post on its Telegram channel, Kazan mayor’s office said the drones struck targets in three districts of the city. Two drones slammed into the upper floors of a 37-story luxury skyscraper, according to videos posted on social media. The strikes, which were about 30 minutes apart, hit the glass-and-metal building in roughly the same spot. Schools Evacuated RFE/RL's Tatar-Bashkir Service reported that pupils were evacuated from schools in the Soviet district of Kazan and that sirens could be heard in the city. There were no casualties, local authorities said. According to Interfax reports, Kazan Mayor Ilsur Metshin said that people had been evacuated from the affected buildings and were being provided with accommodation and food. The mayor said that all large events in the city would be canceled over the weekend. Kazan, one of the wealthiest cities in Russia, is approximately 800 kilometers east of Moscow. In a statement, the Russian Defense Ministry said that a "Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicle was destroyed over the territory of the Republic of Tatarstan by the air defense forces on duty." Russia's Federal Air Transport Agency said in a statement that "temporary restrictions were imposed at Kazan Airport on the morning of December 21 in order to ensure the safety of civilian flights. Both arrivals and departures are suspended." The ban has since been lifted. Ukrainian drone attacks have previously targeted Russian military and industrial locations in Tatarstan. Local authorities on May 15 shut down two major airports -- one in Kazan and another in the city of Nizhnekamsk -- for several hours "for security reasons" following a drone attack. The Russian Defense Ministry said that "a Ukrainian drone" was shot down over Tatarstan. In April, Ukrainian drones hit an oil refinery in Tatarstan and a dormitory in the Alabuga special economic zone in Yelabuga, which hosts more than 20 industrial enterprises, including chemical, mechanical engineering, and metal treatment factories. It also reportedly houses a facility producing drones. Drone Surge Ukraine has been investing heavily in drone production in part to compensate for its shortage in manpower on the battlefield. Ukraine's Defense Ministry said earlier this month that it had transferred 1.2 million drones to the armed forces through the first 11 months of 2024, including more than 6,000 deep strike drones . Ukraine's drone production is now close to parity with Russia, experts have said. Kyiv has used its long-range drone capacity to hit objects crucial to Russia's war effort, such as weapons and energy facilities. It has tried to avoid civilian targets in part amid concern about backlash from its Western backers. In the summer of 2023, Ukrainian drones twice struck the floors of a high-rise building in Moscow's business district housing Russian government ministries. Experts speculated whether the skyscraper in Kazan that was struck twice was home to someone connected with Russia's war effort. Zelenskiy said that Ukraine will continue to target military objects in Russia with drones and missiles. "We will definitely continue to strike Russian military facilities - with drones and missiles, and increasingly Ukrainian ones, at precisely those military bases, at precisely that Russian military infrastructure that is used in such terror against our people," he said in his regular nightly video address to the nation. In the meantime, Russia has continued its regular attacks against Ukraine, including civilian targets. Russia's armed forces launched 113 drone attacks against Ukraine overnight, according to the Ukrainian Air Force on December 21. Of those drones, 57 were shot down, and 56 others were unable to reach their targets, the air force said. At least two people were killed and more than 60 injured after a car drove at high speed into a busy outdoor Christmas market in the German city of Magdeburg, German officials said on December 20. The car plowed into the market in what authorities suspect was an intentional act in the city in the state of Saxony-Anhalt. “This is a terrible event, particularly now in the days before Christmas," Saxony-Anhalt Governor Reiner Haseloff said. The driver of the car was arrested. Haseloff told reporters that the suspect is a 50-year-old doctor from Saudi Arabia who first came to Germany in 2006. He had not been on law enforcement's radar as a known Islamist, security sources told the dpa news agency. "From what we currently know he was a lone attacker, so we don't think there is any further danger for the city," Haseloff said. Haseloff said the two people confirmed dead were an adult and a toddler, and he couldn’t rule out further deaths. Police evacuated the area as they suspected there could be a bomb still in the car that was driven into the market. Chancellor Olaf Scholz said he plans to visit the city on December 21. “The reports from Magdeburg suggest something terrible is to come. My thoughts are with the victims and their families. We stand by their side and by the side of the people of Magdeburg. My thanks go to the dedicated rescue workers in these anxious hours,” Scholz said on X. French President Emmanuel Macron also reacted on X. “Deeply shocked by the horror that struck the Magdeburg Christmas market in Germany this evening. My thoughts are with the victims, the injured, and their loved ones and families. France shares the pain of the German people and expresses its full solidarity,” he said . Magdeburg, a city of about 240,000 residents west of Berlin, is the state capital of Saxony-Anhalt. The suspected attack came eight years after an Islamic extremist plowed into a Christmas market in Berlin. killing 13 people and injuring dozens more. The attacker was killed days later in a shootout in Italy. The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) said in its final report on the October 26 parliamentary elections in Georgia that numerous issues “negatively impacted" the elections and eroded public trust. The OSCE’s Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) issued the final report on December 20. The OSCE said shortly after the October 26 elections that it had recorded instances of vote-buying, double-voting, physical violence, and intimidation. The final report reiterates the organization's concerns and offers recommendations to improve elections in Georgia. “Numerous issues noted in our final report negatively impacted the integrity of these elections and eroded public trust in the process,” said Eoghan Murphy, who headed the ODIHR’s 2024 election observation mission to Georgia. Murphy urged authorities in Georgia to urgently address all concerns about the elections, which gave the ruling Georgian Dream party more than 54 percent of the vote, enough to maintain control of the government. Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze acknowledged that the final report contains "critical remarks," including on the suppression of votes. "In 76 percent of the polling stations where it observed, OSCE/ODIHR did not identify any irregularities at all," he said at a briefing, adding that in other cases there were "isolated irregularities" that were identified. "These were related to incorrect ballot entry, improper arrangement of the polling station, so-called leaks, video recording, etc." According to Kobakhidze, the Georgian Dream government is ready to cooperate with the OSCE to implement its recommendations. The report refers to the passage of a "foreign agents" law modeled on a similar Russian law, earlier in the year, saying the election took place amid “serious concerns about the impact of recently adopted legislation on fundamental freedoms and civil society.” The law, which mandates that organizations receiving significant foreign funding register as “foreign agents,” took effect on August 1, sparking significant backlash from international and domestic actors. The final report also cites pressure on voters and election day practices that “compromised the ability of some voters to cast their vote without fear of retribution.” In addition, there was an overall lack of response to complaints in the post-election period, the report said, saying the ODIHR “found that cases were not considered sufficiently, limiting legal remedies.” The report reiterates the negative impact of the “polarized and instrumentalized media” and limited campaign finance oversight. It notes that candidates were generally able to campaign freely, and candidates across 18 party lists competed, but a "significant imbalance in financial resources contributed to the uneven playing field.” Demonstrators began gathering in central Tbilisi soon after the elections as criticism mounted over voting irregularities. The protests intensified after Kobakhidze announced that Tbilisi was suspending until 2028 talks with Brussels on Georgia's bid to join the European Union. The ODIHR notes that some protests were violently dispersed, resulting in numerous arrests and allegations of brutality toward protesters and journalists. The ODIHR said that the suppression of protests by force and numerous arrests “caused grave concerns about compliance with international commitments to freedom of peaceful assembly.” Poland has summoned Hungary's ambassador over Budapest's decision to grant political asylum to a Polish opposition politician who is wanted for alleged corruption during his tenure in Poland's previous government. Warsaw was outraged by Hungary's decision to grant political asylum to Marcin Romanowski. The decision, announced the Hungarian prime minister's office on December 19, accused the Polish government of persecuting its political opponents. Poland called the move a "hostile act" that runs counter to the principle of loyal cooperation among members of the European Union. "In response to this action, the Hungarian ambassador to Poland will be summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs today, where he will receive an official protest note," the ministry said on December 20. The ministry also said that if Hungary fails to comply with its EU obligations, Poland will ask the European Commission to respond. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk's government says it has opened the door for prosecutors to investigate suspected wrongdoings committed during the tenure of the nationalist Law and Justice party, which ruled the country for eight years until 2023 and which have been covered up. Tusk said he was dismayed by Hungary's decision to shelter a man being sought on suspicions of defrauding the state of millions of zlotys. “I did not expect corrupt politicians escaping justice would be able to choose between [Belarusian authoritarian leader Alyaksandr] Lukashenka and [Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor] Orban,” Tusk said on December 20. His reference to Lukashenka was apparently linked to the case of a Polish judge who fled to Belarus. Romanowski was detained during the investigation but released in July. He denies the charges against him. Through his lawyer he has argued that he is the victim of political retribution by Tusk's government. Gergely Gulyas, head of Orban's office, said the decision of the Hungarian authorities was in line with both domestic and European Union legislation. He said Romanowski's arrest raised serious concerns about fair treatment and political bias in Polish judicial proceedings. Polish opposition lawmakers, including Romanowski, accused Tusk's government of conducting a politically motivated witch-hunt against them. Romanowski told Polish broadcaster TV Republika that he thinks the fact that Hungary has granted him asylum confirms that "we are dealing with political persecution in Poland." Prosecutors and judges in Poland are politically controlled, he said. A spokesman for the European Commission declined to comment on the specific case but emphasized that EU member states are obligated to enforce European arrest warrants. Stefan de Keersmaecker said at a briefing in Brussels on December 20 that the obligation means that Hungary should send Romanowski back to Poland to face justice. The spokesman added that all EU member states maintain a high level of protection for fundamental rights and freedoms, making them all safe countries for asylum seekers. But an asylum application from a national of another EU member state can only be accepted under exceptional circumstances. The Georgian government has pledged to amend its controversial "foreign agents" law following discussions with the secretary-general of the Council of Europe, Alain Berset. Berset announced at a press briefing in Tbilisi on December 20, wrapping up a three-day visit, that a working group including Georgian representatives, the Council of Europe, and the Venice Commission will be formed to draft necessary changes to the legislation. "The government of Georgia promised to modify the content of the 'Foreign Influence Transparency' law. This working group will determine the specific changes required. I hope similar collaborative processes can extend to other areas, such as equality, anti-discrimination, electoral reform, and reforms in penitentiary and probation systems," Berset said. The law, modeled on a similar Russian law, mandates that organizations receiving significant foreign funding register as "foreign agents." Passed by the Georgian parliament in May despite a presidential veto, it came into force on August 1, sparking significant backlash from international and domestic actors. Georgian NGOs began appearing on the "foreign agent" registry in October, raising concerns about their ability to operate freely. Critics, including the European Union, have warned that the law could derail Georgia's aspirations for EU membership. While Moscow praised the Georgian government for adopting the law, Western countries, including the United States and Britain, condemned it as a tool for undermining democracy. Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze, however, reiterated Georgia's openness to discussions about the law. "If anyone proves there's something harmful in this legislation, we're ready to address it and work with relevant structures of the Council of Europe," Kobakhidze said. Berset's visit comes amid heightened political tensions in Georgia, marked by public polarization, high-level violence, and allegations of electoral misconduct. Addressing the situation, Berset emphasized: "Georgia is at a critical juncture. The country is filled with political tension, polarized public debate, and high levels of violence," adding that the country "deserves stability and democracy." "I am not here to legitimize elections; that is the responsibility of other competent institutions," Berset said, stressing that his primary goal was "to support Georgia and its people." He also said that resolving the political crisis depends on "upholding democracy, human rights, and the rule of law." During his visit, Berset held multiple meetings with government officials, including Kobakhidze, Georgian Dream party founder Bidzina Ivanishvili, and opposition representatives. His visit is seen as an effort to mediate amid deep divisions within Georgian society. On December 19, the United States imposed sanctions on Georgia's Interior Minister Vakhtang Gomelauri and Special Tasks Department Deputy Director Mirza Kezevadze under the Global Magnitsky Act. Hours earlier, Britain had sanctioned Gomelauri and four other senior officials. These sanctions reflect growing Western dissatisfaction with Georgia's political trajectory. Despite this, Kobakhidze assured that the government would "compensate any losses" incurred by sanctioned individuals and announced plans to award honors to the Interior Ministry's leadership following the presidential poll in February 2025 and inauguration of Georgia's next president, whose legitimacy is contested by the opposition and the current President Salome Zurabishvili. Georgia's "foreign agents" law has become a focal point in the country's strained relations with the West. The government's decision last month to delay European Union accession talks until 2028 also sparked protests in the country and criticism in the West. Moreover, economic hardship and the threat of backsliding from the Euro-Atlantic course have created a sense of urgency and fertile ground for unrest. International partners are apprehensive that Georgia's adoption of tactics similar to those used by Moscow could undermine its democratic progress and EU aspirations. Russia's top Islamic body has approved a religious edict that allows Muslim men to practice polygamy, which contradicts Russian law that prohibits individuals from entering multiple registered marriages simultaneously. The Council of Islamic Clerics of Russia's Spiritual Administration of Muslims (DUM), issued a fatwa on December 18 that allows a Muslim male to enter up to four marriages at the same time as long as certain conditions are met. Russia's Family Code explicitly prohibits a person from entering a registered marriage with someone who is already married. But it comes as the Russian authorities are grappling with a dire demographic situation amid a population decline exacerbated by emigration, low birthrates, and high mortality. While the full text of the fatwa has yet to be published, reports from Russian news agencies TASS and RIA Novosti revealed key provisions in it that allow Muslim men to enter into multiple religious marriages. The fatwa stipulates that a man can engage in polygamy only if he ensures equitable treatment for all wives. This includes equal material provision, separate housing for each wife, and spending equal time with them according to an agreed schedule. If a man cannot meet these requirements, he is prohibited from entering multiple religious marriages unless a bride "voluntarily waives" her rights to them. Other circumstances under which polygamy is permitted by the DUM include cases where the first wife cannot conceive due to health issues, lack of desire, or age; in situations of "sexual incompatibility" between spouses; or when a man wishes to provide social and financial support to a single woman and her children. The DUM has acknowledged that women in purely religious marriages lack legal protections, which critics argue may leave women in polygamous religious marriages vulnerable. The conditions for such a marriage, they say, place a significant burden of proof on religious institutions or individuals to ensure compliance. How these provisions align with Russia's secular legal framework and broader societal norms is yet to be determined. Russian officials have yet to comment on the fatwah. The government, however, has been looking for ways to spur Russians to have more children as the declining population ages, a problem worsened by the Kremlin's war in Ukraine, which experts say has seen hundreds of thousands of Russian men die. The Russian government has actively promoted policies to encourage women to have more children, with financial incentives for larger families and efforts to discourage abortions. The Russian Orthodox Church has been assisting the government to promote such policies. Ukraine launched a deadly missile attack on the Russian region of Kursk on December 20, just hours after Russia carried out a massive air assault on Kyiv during rush hour that killed one person and damaged a historic cathedral and other buildings in the capital, including six embassies. Russia's Investigative Committee said an unspecified number of people were killed in the attack on Kursk involving U.S.-supplied HIMARS rockets on the town of Rylsk. According to Mash Telegram channel , at least five people have been killed, and 26 others injured. The attack has destroyed several critical pieces of social infrastructure, including a pedagogical college, a cultural center, and a school. The attack came shortly after Russian launched a barrage of missiles and drones at Kyiv and several other regions around Ukraine. The whole of Ukraine was under a general air-raid alert for several hours as Russia launched eight missiles -- including hypersonic Kinzhal missiles and Iskander/KN-23 ballistic missiles -- on Kyiv alone, Serhiy Popko, the head of Kyiv's military administration, reported . Ukrainian cities and infrastructure continue to sustain regular Russian drone and missile strikes while outgunned and outmanned Ukrainian forces are facing difficulties in staving off Russia's increasingly rapid advance in the east. One person was killed by a strike in Kyiv's Holosiyiv district, while eyewitnesses reported several blasts in the city. The U.S. State Department condemned the missile attack, which damaged a building hosting several diplomatic missions. "Any attack against diplomats or diplomatic facilities anywhere is unacceptable," State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said on X. Kyiv Mayor Vitaliy Klitschko separately reported that falling debris from downed Russian drones fell on four of the capital's districts -- Holosiyiv, Solomyansk, Shevchenkivsk, and Dniprovsk -- wounding at least two people. Kyiv restaurateur Nadir Ahundov voiced his outrage at the Russian strike that completely destroyed his restaurant. "These subhuman [Russians], to drop such bombs on residential buildings," Ahundov told RFE/RL. "I put my heart, my soul into [creating] this," he said, pointing to the trees outside the restaurnat. "These trees were small when I planted them. Look at them now -- those monsters knocked them down." In Kherson, a 60-year-old man was killed in a Russian strike and two others, including an 86-year-old man, were wounded, regional Governor Roman Mrochko reported on Telegram. Late on December 19, a Russian missile struck and badly damaged a two-story apartment building in the southeastern city of Kryviy Rih, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's hometown, wounding five people, including two pulled alive from under the rubble, officials said. The attack also crippled the power supply in parts of the city of 600,000 and damaged a hospital, regional Governor Serhiy Lysak said. In a statement on Telegram, Russia's Defense Ministry claimed that the strikes on December 20 were "in response" to Ukrainian attacks on Russian targets using Western-supplied weapons. The latest wave of attacks from both sides came a day after Russian President Vladimir Putin suggested at his highly choreographed annual press conference a "high-tech duel" over Kyiv to prove that Russia's new hypersonic ballistic missile, dubbed Oreshnik, cannot be shot down by Western-supplied air defenses. "It would be interesting for us.... Let's conduct this experiment, this technological duel, and see the results. I think it would be useful for both us and the Americans," Putin said. In reaction, Zelenskiy posted a message on X calling Putin a "dumbass." "People are dying, and he thinks it’s 'interesting'... Dumbass," Zelenskiy wrote. The United States and the United Kingdom have announced sanctions on Georgian Interior Minister Vakhtang Gomelauri and other senior officials in the ministry in response to their alleged role in a violent crackdown on journalists, opposition figures, and anti-government protesters. The United States also imposed sanctions on Mirza Kezevadze, deputy head of the special forces department in the Georgian Interior Ministry, the U.S. Treasury Department said in a statement on December 19. The Treasury Department said it was taking the action in coordination with Britain, which on December 19 imposed sanctions on Gomelauri and four other officials of the Interior Ministry for alleged human rights violations. A U.S. Treasury Department official said the reasons cited by the two governments for imposing the sanctions were similar. “In the wake of Georgia’s election, key officials in the Ministry of Internal Affairs engaged in a severe and vicious crackdown against their own people, including the intentional targeting of journalists and use of violence,” Acting Undersecretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Bradley T. Smith said in the statement. Any assets owned by Gomelauri and Kezevadze in U.S. jurisdiction are blocked, making their business operations more difficult, the Treasury Department statement said. In addition to Gomelauri, Britain imposed sanctions on deputy Interior Minister Aleksandre Darakhvelidze, Sulkhan Tamazashvili, Zviad Kharazishvili, and Mileri Lagazauri, according to a U.K. government statement. Thousands demonstrated in Tbilisi again on the night of December 19. It was the 22nd consecutive day of protests against the government's decision to effectively halt the country's EU accession talks. The protesters have questioned the legitimacy of the victory of the Georgian Dream party in the election that took place at the end of October. The demonstrations intensified after Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze announced that Tbilisi was suspending until 2028 talks with Brussels on Georgia's bid to join the European Union. “Security forces from the Ministry of Internal Affairs’ Special Task Department responded to protests with disproportionate violence to suppress dissent and discourage protesters,” the U.S. Treasury Department’s statement said. Georgia's pro-Europe president, Salome Zurabishvili, has said the October 26 election was rigged with the help of Moscow and has vowed not to leave office even when her successor -- selected by what protesters say is an illegitimate parliament -- is scheduled to be sworn in on December 29. Zurabishvili has condemned the "brutal and disproportionate attacks on the Georgian people and media," comparing the crackdown to "Russian-style repression." Demonstrations have repeatedly been violently broken up, activists have been detained, and opposition politicians and media representatives attacked. Georgia received EU candidate status in December 2023, and according to surveys, a majority of Georgians support EU membership. Kobakhidze has refused to back down and threatened to punish political opponents, whom he accuses of being behind violence that has occurred at the protests. Georgia’s relations with Brussels soured with the adoption of a Russian-style "foreign agent" law that critics say threatens media and civil society groups by accusing them of "serving" outside powers. One lawmaker was killed and another injured in a shooting at the de facto parliament in Georgia's Abkhazia, a breakaway region supported by Russia. According to local media reports, Adgur Kharazia and Kan Kvarchia, lawmakers operating under the self-proclaimed government, were meeting on December 19 over a proposal to ban the mining of cryptocurrency when a disagreement boiled over. Kharazia, a former mayor of the region's capital, Sukhumi, has a history of violent incidents and reportedly pulled out a firearm and began shooting. Vakhtang Golandzia, a fellow lawmaker who was trying to intervene, was fatally shot. Kvarchia was shot in the arm and taken to hospital. The Health Ministry confirmed the incident while acting Interior Minister Robert Kiut said in a statement that "Kharazia managed to flee the scene and police are searching for him. A special investigative group has been sent to detain him." The shooting comes weeks after Abkhazia's parliament rejected a controversial investment deal with Russia on December 3. The shooting also underlines the region's instability, with presidential elections scheduled for February 2025. The agreement, signed in Moscow on October 30, was widely criticized as 'exploitative' by opposition figures and civil society groups who felt it would grant undue economic advantages to Russian investors while undermining Abkhazia's sovereignty. The political aftermath of the deal also provoked mass protests, forcing the de facto leader, Aslan Bzhania, to resign on November 19. He was replaced by acting leader Badra Gunba, yet the region remains in a state of political instability. The December 19 shooting further indicated the deep division within Abkhazia's leadership and the uncertainty within its political climate. Kvarchia, the injured legislator, has actively opposed the now-shelved Russian investment agreement. In the parliamentary session on December 3, he said the deal was "enslaving for Abkhazia." He accused the executive branch of trying to push the agreement through despite a public outcry. His opposition to the current administration's move has made him one of the key figures in the opposition movement that successfully rallied public dissent against the current administration's policies. Kharazia has a controversial history. In 2020, he was detained for allegedly causing grievous bodily harm and illegally possessing firearms after reportedly injuring an administrative official. His involvement in the December 19 shooting has once again raised questions about accountability within Abkhazia's separatist leadership and broader security mechanisms. The incident has piled on the pressure on acting leader Badra Gunba, who held an emergency meeting following the shooting. Gunba has already been under pressure from opposition groups demanding accountability for the mishandling of the Russian investment deal. The protests that led to Bzhania's resignation underlined deep-seated discontent with Abkhazia's governance and fragile dependence on Russia. The political crisis in Abkhazia reflects a struggle in the region to balance its reliance on Moscow for economic and military support with growing public unease about over-dependence on Moscow. While Russia recognized Abkhazia's independence after the 2008 Russo-Georgian War, most international community still views the region as part of Georgia. A court in Romania has accepted an appeal filed by controversial Internet influencer Andrew Tate and his brother and sent his case on human trafficking and other charges back to prosecutors. The Bucharest Court of Appeals said on on December 19 that it found "irregularities" in the indictment issued by the Prosecutor-General's Office. The prosecutors can now bring forth new evidence to back up their charges or amend the existing ones. The ruling is a blow to Romania's anti-organized crime prosecuting unit DIICOT, which filed charges against Tate, his brother Tristan Tate, and two Romanian women after they were arrested in December 2022 on suspicion of human trafficking. They were formally indicted last year, and the Bucharest Tribunal ruled earlier this year that a trial could start but did not set a date. All four deny the charges. Andrew Tate, 38, and Tristen Tate, 36, are dual British-U.S. citizens and former kickboxers. Andrew Tate has amassed more than 10 million followers on the social media platform X but has been kicked off other platforms, including Facebook and TikTok over accusations of posting hate speech and misogynistic comments. Eugen Vidineac, one of the Tate brothers’ lawyers, said the decision was “a significant legal victory” that “rightly determined that there is insufficient basis to proceed with the case.” Mateea Petrescu, a spokeswoman for Andrew Tate, said the court's review "revealed significant procedural flaws and raised serious concerns about the integrity of the investigative process, further undermining the credibility of the prosecution’s case.” Andrew Tate complained bitterly about the case in a statement issued after the ruling. "They’ve had years to build their case -- years to tear apart my life, target everyone I know, and even subpoena the mother of my child," Tate said. "And yet, they have nothing." DIICOT has not commented on the ruling. The Bucharest Court of Appeal judges said in their decision that they had identified problems in "the manner of presenting the factual situation and describing the constitutive elements in the case" against the two female suspects. The judges also said Andrew Tate's right to a defense was violated in the way he was informed of the accusation of human trafficking regarding one of the alleged victims. Andrew Tate in August was placed under house arrest and Tristan Tate under judicial control for 30 days after they were interrogated by Romanian anti-corruption prosecutors as part of an investigation into new allegations against them. During the criminal investigation, prosecutors said they identified seven women who were sexually exploited "forcibly, in order to obtain significant financial benefits" for the defendants from people who accessed content on social media. Prosecutors accused the Tate brothers of recruiting their victims using the so-called "lover boy" method, seducing them and claiming to want a relationship or marriage. The victims were then taken to properties outside Bucharest, where they were sexually exploited through physical violence and psychological intimidation as they were forced to produce pornographic content, the prosecutors said. Romanian investigators carried out the interrogations and fresh searches at the brothers’ residences as part of the investigation into the new charges. DIICOT said at the time that the new accusations included charges of forming an organized crime group, trafficking of minors, a sexual act with a minor, influencing statements, and money laundering. The brothers said through a spokesperson that the fresh accusations were “not fully clarified." They have been barred from leaving Romania as the proceedings against them continue but are set to be extradited to Britain once their case in Romania concludes. They face further allegations of rape and human trafficking in Britain, where a court ruled on December 18 that police can seize more than 2.6 million pounds ($3.3 million) to cover years of unpaid taxes. Chief Magistrate Paul Goldspring of the Westminster Magistrates’ Court said what appeared to be a “complex financial matrix” was actually a “straightforward cheat of the revenue.” Andrew Tate said in a statement that the ruling “is not justice” and claimed it was a “coordinated attack on anyone who dares to challenge the system.” The Tate brothers have stated that they do not want to be extradited from Romania, which they said they consider their home. A court in Moscow charged Uzbek citizen Ahmat Qurbanov on December 19 with terrorism and other charges in the high-profile killing of Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov, who headed Russia's Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical Defense Forces. In addition to terrorism, Qurbanov has been charged with murder and the illegal possession of weapons and ammunition, according to the Russian state news agency TASS. Qurbanov, born in 1995, has been accused of detonating a self-made explosive device concealed in a scooter parked near a residential building in Moscow on December 17. The blast killed Kirillov and his assistant. Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) detained Qurbanov shortly after the attack in cooperation with the Interior Ministry and the Investigative Committee. Investigators claimed Qurbanov was recruited by Ukrainian intelligence services. The Russian authorities released a video in which a man speaking poor Russian introduced himself as Ahmad Qurbanov from Uzbekistan and "confessed" to having committed the attack. The circumstances in which the video was recorded remain unknown. During the court hearing on December 19, Qurbanov requested a translator due to his limited command of the Russian language. The Uzbek Embassy in Moscow has been actively involved in the case. It commented on Qurbanov's arrest on Telegram, saying that it was in contact with Russian law enforcement agencies. Russian President Vladimir Putin and Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoev discussed cooperation in the fight against terrorism in a phone call on December 19, the Kremlin said. Mirziyoev expressed his condolences for the death of Kirillov and his assistant, according to the Kremlin. The FSB said in a statement on December 18 that the suspect had been recruited and trained by Ukraine's special services and promised money to carry out the attack. While there has been no formal claim of responsibility for the killing, a source at Ukraine's SBU security service told RFE/RL that the blast was the result of a special operation by the Ukrainian agency. Ukraine had accused Kirillov of being responsible for the use of chemical weapons against Ukrainian troops. Moscow has denied the accusation. Crimean Tatar leader Mustafa Dzhemilev has praised the Czech Republic after it adopted a resolution recognizing the deportation of Crimean Tatars by Soviet authorities in 1944 as genocide. In a December 18 vote, 70 of 74 senators supported the resolution, making the Czech Republic the seventh country to recognize the genocide, joining Canada, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, and Ukraine. "This decision morally supports Crimean Tatars and Ukraine and encourages other countries to follow suit," Mustafa Dzhemilev, the national leader of the Crimean Tatar people and a member of Ukraine's parliament, told RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service in an interview after the vote. Eighty years ago, over three days from May 18 to May 20, 1944, Soviet security forces rounded up at least 200,000 Tatars on the Black Sea peninsula of Crimea and brutally sent them into exile in Central Asia. Tens of thousands died during the deportation and under the harsh conditions of their first years in exile. Soviet demographers in 1949 estimated there had been nearly 45,000 “excess deaths” among Crimean Tatars in the previous five years, while Crimean Tatar sources put the losses far higher. Dzhemilev said the recognition means even more than usual for Crimean Tatars since it comes while Russia occupies Crimea -- it illegally annexed the peninsula in 2014 -- and continues its ongoing full-scale invasion of Ukraine, launched almost three years ago. "This is a really important event, especially for the Crimean Tatars, who are currently under occupation. This is moral support for them. And at the same time, this is moral support for Ukraine, which is currently in a state of war with our not very good neighbor," Dzhemilev said. Dzhemilev noted the Czech government's readiness to use its influence to urge other countries to pass similar resolutions, especially those in Russia's traditional sphere of influence. The deportation of the Crimean Tatars -- like those of several other Soviet ethnic populations around the same time -- was ordered by dictator Josef Stalin and overseen by notorious secret police head Lavrenty Beria. It was followed by a campaign of de-Tatarization in Crimea, during which the culture of the Turkic, Muslim people was virtually wiped out on the peninsula. Although most of the persecuted ethnic groups were allowed to return to their homelands after Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev condemned the population transfers in 1956, Crimean Tatars were not. Only in the late 1980s, after more than four decades of exile, did the Soviet government condemn the deportation as a crime and lift the ban on their return. With Crimea occupied again, Dzhemilev said he understands Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's recent statement that Kyiv currently lacks the military strength to retake Crimea by force. Still, he hopes European countries such as Germany and France will convince the United States, which will see an administration change in January when President-elect Donald Trump moves into the White House, to continue its support for Ukraine in repelling Russian forces, including from Crimea. Russian President Vladimir Putin said Moscow is nearing its primary goal in the war against Ukraine and challenged the United States to a missile "duel" involving Russia's new Oreshnik hypersonic ballistic missile. Speaking at an annual news conference used in large part to show his control over almost every aspect of Russia's political and economic spheres, Putin boasted about the country's economy, glossing over the impact of severe sanctions imposed by the West for the Kremlin's full-scale invasion of Ukraine . The tightly controlled question-and-answer session on December 19, a live broadcast on state TV that lasted almost 4 1/2 hours, focused on domestic issues at the start before turning to foreign policy, namely the war in Ukraine. Putin, in power for almost a quarter of a century, said Russian forces were advancing along the front line of Ukraine and were moving toward achieving their primary goals . He didn't specify what he meant, but previously he has said peace will be possible after the "denazification, demilitarization, and a neutral status" of Ukraine. Russia has falsely claimed Ukraine is run by "radical nationalist" and neo-Nazi groups. Later in the broadcast, Putin said he was ready for "negotiations and compromises" in possible peace talks with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump and that he had no conditions for starting such talks. Putin has previously ruled out making any major territorial concessions to end the war, while it has also insisted Kyiv abandon its ambitions to join the NATO military alliance. "Soon, those Ukrainians who want to fight will run out, in my opinion. Soon there will be no one left who wants to fight," he said. "We are ready, but the other side needs to be ready for both negotiations and compromises." However, Putin also admitted he could not say when Russia would regain full control of the western region of Kursk, where Ukraine launched a shock offensive in August and still occupies territory. "We will absolutely kick them out. Absolutely. It can't be any other way. But the question of a specific date, I'm sorry, I cannot say right now," Putin said. The Russian Foreign Ministry said on December 19 that Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov had spoken by phone the day before with his Swiss counterpart, Ignazio Cassis, about the conflict in Ukraine. The ministry said Lavrov "explained in detail the Russian position on the settlement of the situation" and outlined Putin's conditions. Well-known military analyst Michael Kofman at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace said on a podcast earlier this month that he was skeptical that Russia would agree to an early cease-fire and suspected that Moscow could try to tie up the United States in "envoy diplomacy" for months. "I'm sure they'll be happy to schedule a summit in Geneva or perhaps some other place in Europe, all the while intending to make gains on the battlefield. And they've done this before," said Kofman. Kofman added that if Ukraine can maintain its front lines and prevent a breakthrough over the next several months, Russia's negotiating hand will weaken as military resources and economic problems become more acute. Russia has been trending toward authoritarianism since the beginning of Putin's tenure. But since an election in 2018, that trend has been more firmly entrenched than ever. The already marginalized opposition has been crushed. Earlier this year, Aleksei Navalny, Putin's most prominent critic, died while in a Siberian prison. A raft of constitutional amendments imposed in 2020 enabled Putin to seek two additional six-year terms, the first of which he secured with a landslide victory in March in balloting the international community called a "sham" and not "free and fair." The 72-year-old Putin, who is set to surpass Soviet dictator Josef Stalin’s nearly 30-year reign by the end of his new term to become the longest-serving Russian leader in more than two centuries, could conceivably hold power until 2036. Putin struck a defiant tone when the subject of weaponry came up during the broadcast. In an apparent trolling of Washington, he suggested a "21th-century high-tech duel." "Let them determine some target for destruction, say in Kyiv: Concentrate all their air defense and missile defense forces there, and we will strike there with Oreshniks and see what happens," he said. "We are ready for such an experiment, but is the other side ready?" Russia launched the so-called Oreshnik ballistic missile against Ukraine on November 21 in a strike targeting the city of Dnipro. Putin said at the time it was part of Moscow's response to Ukrainian attacks on Russian soil with U.S.-supplied ATACMS and British-supplied Storm Shadow missiles. Analysts have voiced skepticism about the Oreshnik, saying the launching of the new intermediate-range missile was as much about political messaging as it was about military might. Putin has been raising the specter of a nuclear strike since long before the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 and analysts said the Russian leader chose the Oreshnik to send a different signal to Washington. "It's the kind of signaling you engage in when you can't, in fact, escalate in the way you've been threatening," Ruth Deyermond, senior lecturer in the Department of War Studies at King's College London, wrote on X of the November 21 missile strike. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has said that only transatlantic unity could eventually stop the war in Ukraine and lead to peace amid a change of administrations in the United States. Zelenskiy met on December 19 with EU leaders in Brussels to seek fresh support amid concerns that President-elect Donald Trump could pull U.S. support for Kyiv after he returns to the White House next month. Addressing the EU leaders, Zelenskiy welcomed French President Emmanuel Macron's proposal to deploy troops to Ukraine following an eventual cease-fire. "We support France’s initiative for a military contingent in Ukraine as part of these guarantees and call on other partners to join this effort, it will help bring the war to an end," he told the closed-door meeting, according to a text posted on his website. It is "crucial for Europe to make a significant contribution to security guarantees," he said. "We all understand that in January, President Trump will intensify efforts to end the war. It’s up to us whether Europe supports him with a strong, united voice," he told the EU leaders, according to the text. Zelenskiy said Ukraine would ultimately need more protection through membership in the NATO military alliance. NATO has said Ukraine will join its ranks one day but it has not set a date or formally invited Ukraine to join. "It is impossible to discuss this only with European leaders, because for us, the real guarantees in any case - today or in the future - are NATO," he told reporters. "On the way to NATO, we want security guarantees while we are not in NATO. And we can discuss such guarantees separately with both the U.S. and Europe," he said. The meeting came as Ukrainian cities and infrastructure continue to sustain regular Russian drone and missile strikes while outgunned and outmanned Ukrainian forces are facing increasing difficulties in staving off Russia's increasingly rapid advance in the east. The EU leaders and Zelenskiy are to reaffirm their "unwavering commitment" to supporting Ukraine "for as long as it takes," according to draft conclusions seen by Reuters. "Russia must not prevail," the EU draft conclusions say. The bloc's leaders also stress that no decision must be made on Ukraine's fate without Kyiv's involvement. Zelenskiy on December 18 met in Brussels with NATO chief Mark Rutte and a group of European leaders who seek to develop their own plans if Trump, who has pledged to bring a swift end to the conflict, pulls support or forces Kyiv to make concessions to Russian President Vladimir Putin to reach a cease-fire. Organized by Rutte, the meeting involves officials from Germany, Poland, Italy, Denmark, the Netherlands, and the European Union's main institutions. The key topic of Zelenskiy's meeting with Rutte was security guarantees, Zelenskiy's office said. "It is very important to use these two days in Brussels to meet with all our partners and have the same, and very importantly, not divided -- the same -- common European position on how to secure Ukraine, how to strengthen our people and, of course, make our army stronger," Zelenskiy said, according to a statement released by his office. Strengthening Ukrainian air defense especially ahead of the winter was a key topic during Zelenskiy's meeting with Rutte, according to the statement from Zelenskiy's office. Rutte said Kyiv's allies should focus on ramping up arms supplies to ensure that Ukraine is in a position of strength. Meanwhile, Russia attacked Ukrainian regions with 85 drones early on December 19, the Ukrainian Air Force said, adding that 45 drones were shot down while the other 40 were derailed by Ukrainian electronic warfare systems that jammed their navigation systems. The air force said the attack targeted 10 Ukrainian regions -- Poltava, Sumy, Kharkiv, Kyiv, Khmelnytskiy, Chernihiv, Cherkasy, Kirovohrad, Dnipropetrovsk, and Mykolayiv. Russia also launched two Iskander-M ballistic missiles and an Kh-59/69 guided missile during the attack, the air force said. The missile strikes damaged private homes and apartment buildings in the Sumy and Dnipropetrovsk regions, with no casualties or injuries reported. In the Kharkiv region, three people were killed in the village of Shevchenkove, said Kharkiv Governor Oleh Synyehubov. Two women, aged 67 and 65, and a 33-year-old man, were killed, Synyehubov said. One woman was injured and hospitalized as a result of the Russian shelling of Dvorichnaya, he added. The Ukrainian General Staff separately said that it struck an oil refinery in Russia's Rostov region. "Damage was inflicted to the infrastructure and production facilities of Novoshakhtinsk Oil Products Plant located in the Rostov Region of the Russian Federation," the General Staff said in a statement, adding that the refinery supplied Russia's military. Rostov's acting governor Yury Slyusar said that the region "suffered a massive attack" using 30 drones and three missiles. Russia's Rostov region has repeatedly been targeted by Ukraine. Separately, Russian officials said Ukraine struck Russia with at least 13 missiles and 84 drones. In recent months, Ukraine has increased the number of drone attacks on Russian oil refineries and fuel depots that work for Moscow's military. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy met in Brussels on December 18 with NATO chief Mark Rutte and several European leaders to discuss war strategy amid concerns that U.S. President-elect Donald Trump could pull U.S. support for Kyiv after he returns to the White House next month. The meeting came as European leaders seek to develop their own plans if Trump, who has pledged to bring a swift end to the conflict, pulls support or forces Kyiv to make concessions to Russian President Vladimir Putin to reach a cease-fire. The key topic of Zelenskiy's meeting with Rutte was security guarantees, Zelenskiy's office said . "It is very important to use these two days in Brussels to meet with all our partners and have the same, and very importantly, not divided -- the same -- common European position on how to secure Ukraine, how to strengthen our people and, of course, make our army stronger," Zelenskiy said, according to a statement released by his office. Zelenskiy said earlier on X that he and French President Emmanuel Macron had a "detailed one-on-one discussion" that focused on priorities to further strengthen Ukraine’s position. "We continued working on President Macron’s initiative regarding the presence of forces in Ukraine that could contribute to stabilizing the path to peace," Zelenskiy said in an apparent reference to a discussion of boots on the ground raised recently during a meeting between Macron and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz told reporters ahead of the meeting that the priority of the meeting was to secure the "sovereignty of Ukraine and that it will not be forced to submit to a dictated peace." He said any discussion of boots on the ground would be premature. Rutte said Kyiv's allies should focus on ramping up arms supplies to ensure that Ukraine is in a position of strength. Strengthening Ukrainian air defense especially ahead of the winter was a key topic during Zelenskiy's meeting with Rutte, according to the statement from Zelenskiy's office. "We have to do everything we can now to make sure that when it comes to air defense, when it comes to other weapons systems, we are doing everything we can to provide everything we can," Rutte said. Zelenskiy was expected to again plead for more air-defense systems to try to help stave off Russian barrages against Ukraine's power grid. Organized by Rutte, the meeting involves officials from Germany, Poland, Italy, Denmark, the Netherlands, and the European Union's main institutions. Among the potential topics are possible security guarantees offered to Ukraine in the event of a cease-fire and how a cease-fire could be monitored, with one option being an international peacekeeping force. NATO members have rebuffed Kyiv's calls for an invitation to join the alliance right away, sparking speculation that sending peacekeepers could be an alternative. Rutte also said he wants to discuss military aid, especially air defense, with Zelenskiy, saying Ukraine needs 19 extra air-defense systems to protect the country's energy infrastructure from Russian bombardment. Earlier on December 18, Rutte announced that a new NATO command in the German city of Wiesbaden has taken up its work to coordinate Western military aid for Ukraine. "The NATO command in Wiesbaden for security assistance and training for Ukraine is now up and running," Rutte told reporters at NATO's headquarters in Brussels. Dubbed NATO Security Assistance and Training for Ukraine (NSATU), the command takes over coordination of the aid from the United States in a move widely seen as aiming to safeguard the support mechanism against Trump. NSATU is set to have around 700 personnel, including troops stationed at NATO's military headquarters in Belgium and at logistics hubs in Poland and Romania. Russia has condemned increases in Western military aid to Ukraine as risking a wider war. The U.K. and U.S. governments on December 18 said the comments of Russian Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev following the assassination of a high-ranking Russian general by Ukrainian security services were irresponsible and yet another sign of Moscow's desperation. Medvedev, reacting to an editorial in the London-based Times newspaper that called the December 17 killing of a high-ranking Russian officer "a legitimate act of defense by a threatened nation," said Moscow should apply the same logic. Medvedev accused NATO and officials from countries allied with Ukraine in its battle to repel invading Russian troops of being participants in the conflict, making them "legitimate military targets." The U.S. State Department told RFE/RL that Medvedev's comments amounted to more irresponsible rhetoric from the Kremlin and reiterated that the United States and NATO do not seek a military conflict with Russia. "The Kremlin's aggression against Ukraine is the most significant and direct threat to Europe's security and to peace and stability in the Euro-Atlantic area. It is the Kremlin that started this war, and [Russian President Vladimir] Putin could end it today," the State Department's press office said in a statement e-mailed to RFE/RL. U.S. State Department spokesman Matthew Miller told a briefing on December 17 that Washington had no connection to the killing of Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov, the head of Russia's Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical Defense Forces (RKhBZ), or any prior knowledge of it. The U.K. Foreign Office said the comments were "just another example of Putin’s propaganda machine," while a spokesman for British Prime Minister Keir Starmer was quoted as saying Medvedev's comments were "simply the latest in a stream of desperate rhetoric" to come out of Putin's government. "Unlike in Russia, a free press is a cornerstone of our democracy and we take any threats made by Russia incredibly seriously," the spokesman added, according to The Times. "Our newspapers represent the best of British values: freedom, democracy and independent thinking," he said. "I stand with The Times." In its article, The Times said the assassination was "a discriminate strike against an aggressor" and that it underlines the need for Western governments to give Ukraine "all support it needs to fight a just war of self-defense." "All officials of NATO countries involved in decisions about military assistance to...Ukraine are participating in hybrid or conventional warfare against Russia.... And all these individuals can and should be considered legitimate military targets for the Russian state. And for all Russian patriots." Medvedev wrote in response. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas told RFE/RL on December 18 that "Russia is always threatening. And it is meant to scare us, so what we see is the threats we have heard before." Speaking in Brussels before a meeting of EU leaders to discuss the war, she said: "I think the only response we can have is not to be afraid." The man nominated by President-elect Donald Trump to serve as his special envoy for Ukraine and Russia also weighed in on the killing, telling Fox News that it was "not a good idea" in his opinion. "There are rules of warfare and there are certain things you don't do," said Retired Lieutenant-General Keith Kellogg. "When you are killing [officers] in their hometown it's kind of like you kind of extended it and I don't think it's really smart to do." Kirillov and his assistant were killed by a bomb concealed in a scooter outside the entrance of a Moscow building early on December 17. Kirillov is one of a number of Russian officers and pro-war figures to be killed in Russia and in Russian-occupied parts of Ukraine. His death came a week after a senior official from a Russian company that develops cruise missiles used by Moscow in the war was reportedly shot dead just outside the capital. Medvedev's rhetoric draws from the Kremlin's long-term narrative of blaming Western "forces" for anti-Russian actions worldwide and acts of sabotage and "terrorism" on Russian territory. Russian investigators termed the killing a "terrorist" attack and immediately attributed it to Ukrainian intelligence. On December 18, Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) said it had detained a suspect -- a 29-year-old unnamed Uzbek national -- in the case. Medvedev also threatened retribution against journalists from The Times, ominously warning that the newspaper could be included in those "legitimate military targets," adding that "in London, many things happen...be careful." That warning appears to be a thinly veiled reference to the radiation poisoning of former FSB officer and Kremlin critic Aleksandr Litvinenko in London in 2006, and the attempted assassination of former Russian intelligence officer Sergei Skripal in the British city of Salisbury with a deadly nerve agent in 2018. Russia accused Kyiv of "terrorism" after authorities said they had detained an Uzbek citizen who confessed to planting an explosive device that killed a high-ranking Russian officer on the instruction of Ukrainian intelligence. Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov, the head of Russia's Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical Defense Forces (RKhBZ), and his assistant were killed by a bomb concealed in a scooter outside the entrance of a Moscow building early on December 17. The speed of the arrest of the unnamed suspect led some analysts to question whether the 29-year-old Central Asian was a scapegoat, while unconfirmed reports swirled that police were ratcheting up raids on migrants. "The special services have a clear interest in showing their superiors the result of their work, that a successful investigation has taken place, and so on. It's not the first time we've seen this. It's hard to judge right now how accurate this [arrest] is," political analyst Dmitry Oreshkin told Current Time. While no individual or group officially claimed responsibility for the killing, a source at Ukraine's SBU security service told RFE/RL that the blast was the result of a special operation by the SBU. Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) said in a statement on December 18 that the unnamed suspect had been recruited and trained by Ukraine's special services and promised money to carry out the attack. The FSB said the suspect, on instructions from Ukraine, "arrived in Moscow, received a high-power homemade explosive device, and placed it on an electric scooter, which he parked near the entrance to the house of Kirillov." The Kremlin has not commented on the FSB statement, which said the suspect activated the bomb when Kirillov and his assistant were coming out of the building. The accused man had been given $100,000 for the murder as well as residency in a European country, the statement said, adding that the suspect faces life in prison for his alleged crime. "The Ukrainian special services officers involved in organizing the terrorist attack will be found and will receive the punishment they deserve," the FSB said. The FSB did not present any evidence along with its statement, and some analysts questioned the speed of the response. One woman from Kyrgyzstan told RFE/RL in Moscow that she expects a backlash for migrants from Central Asia. "The situation is difficult," the woman said. "I think the position of Central Asian migrants will only worsen after this event. Street inspections will likely intensify." The woman, who spoke on condition of anonymity because she was afraid to reveal her identity, recalled that events after the terrorist attack at Crocus City Hall in March there were many raids and deportations of Central Asians from Russia and it's possible this could happen again, she said. Russian investigators said the assault in which 144 people were killed was carried out by four men, all Tajik nationals. The Kyrgyz woman who spoke with RFE/RL said that she believes Uzbeks in Russia will continue to have a difficult time. "Migration laws in Russia are already being tightened. Things will get worse for them regardless," she said, noting that new laws will come into effect on January 1 and "everything will become even harder." Kirillov, 54, is the highest-level Russian military officer to be killed in an apparent assassination since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. His death came a day after the SBU reported that Ukrainian prosecutors had filed a charge against him, accusing him of being responsible for the use of chemical weapons against Ukrainian troops during the war started by Russia's unprovoked invasion of Ukraine. The SBU has said Russian forces have used chemical weapons almost 5,000 times during the war in Ukraine under Kirillov's leadership. The claim could not be independently verified. The RKhBZ are special forces who operate under conditions of radioactive, chemical, and biological contamination. Kirillov is one of a number of Russian officers and pro-war figures to be killed in Russia and in Russian-occupied parts of Ukraine. His death came a week after a senior official from a Russian company that develops cruise missiles used by Moscow in the war was reportedly shot dead just outside the capital. Viktor Yahun, the former deputy head of the SBU, told RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service in an interview that with some 20 million people in Russia having Ukrainian origins, "you can find a percentage who are ready to sincerely work for Ukraine. That's why there are so many agents over there." Kirillov was seen in footage that was central to an RFE/RL Russian Service investigation that revealed details about a restricted facility outside Moscow. The site is linked to a U.S. assertion that Russia maintains an offensive biological weapons program in violation of the UN Biological Weapons Convention. Former President Dmitry Medvedev, now a senior Russian security official, told a meeting shown on state TV that NATO and Ukraine's Western allies were behind the attack because of their support for Kyiv throughout Moscow's full-scale invasion of its neighbor. "These individuals can and should be considered a legitimate military target," he said. NATO officials have not commented publicly on Medvedev's remarks, but Kaja Kallas, the top EU diplomat, told reporters in Brussels that "Russia is always threatening." "And it is meant to scare us, so what we see is the threats we have heard before, so I think the only response we can have is not to be afraid,” she added. Security analyst Yuri Fedorov told Current Time he expects that Russia "will certainly try to retaliate, so it is very possible that there will be attempts by the Russian agents to kill high Ukrainian military and/or security services officers." "The attacks on Russian generals could have a political and psychological effect, but they cannot seriously impede Russia’s military effort: people like General Kirillov are not the irreplaceable figures who cannot be substituted."
USC QB Miller Moss enters transfer portal after losing starting job to Jayden MaiavaFAIRMONT — Victims of domestic violence and sexual assault will soon be able to access court protection orders remotely thanks to a program adopted by the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals. “We want individuals to be able to come into court,” Lisa Tackett, director of court services, said. “These are very volatile situations that people are in. We want them to feel they’re able to tell the court exactly what’s going on in their lives and ask for that protection.” Tackett presented the Remote Victim Outreach Program to officials in Marion County Tuesday. The program is in 11 counties, Tackett said the goal is to expand it to all 55 counties. Marion and Monongalia counties joined this week. The program will partner with HOPE Inc., to provide victims a safe place to go and access a judge through a virtual courtroom and request vital protection orders without having to encounter their assailant. The remote option is already available in Cabell, Harrison, Jefferson, Kanawha, Lincoln, Mason, Ohio, Wayne and Wood counties. Tackett said it’s important for people to feel safe and secure. The program came to Marion County after Family Court Judge Susan Riffle called Tackett’s office to discuss how small her courtroom was. With only one way in and out, as well as the fact that assailants and victims were in such close quarters, Riffle told Tackett she heard from victim advocates that people didn’t feel safe. “Even though there’s a bailiff in the courtroom, there’s still a lot of fear that happens,” Riffle said. “It’s important to the court system that we provide access, and that people feel safe when they’re asking for the court to protect them.” That spurred a visit from Tackett, who immediately agreed Marion County had to be part of the rollout with Morgantown after seeing what Riffle and the magistrates have to work with. In person hearings can be especially fraught for victims who have to share the room with their assailant. Nancy Hoffman, state coordinator for the West Virginia Foundation for Rape and Information Services, said intimidation doesn’t have to be spoken. It can be a look, a glare, or the assailant’s friends showing up and intimidating the victim through presence alone. “We know that having that safe space available where they can provide information, that makes more victims willing to come forward,” Hoffman said. “The more that victims are willing to come forward, the more offenders are held accountable. So it not only protects them in their situation, it protects those that are around them and that accountability can protect society.” Hoffman said she expects more victims to come forward now that this option is available. While remote technology offers a way for victims to access a judge without having to step into the courthouse, the option to do so will still be available. Magistrates and judges will need to work out the particulars of scheduling with Hope Inc., but the equipment has already been acquired for use, Tackett said. The units run between $5,000 to $8,000 dollars a piece, depending on what’s available. Tackett said her office reaches an average of three or four counties a year, so expansion to all 55 counties is still several years away. The federal grant that makes adding this option to courthouses opens on a yearly basis. She hopes to have the option available by Dec. 1. Anyone seeking to use the new system can file petitions during weekdays, after hours and on weekends through each county’s magistrate court by calling 911. “I hope it saves someone’s life in the process,” Tackett said.
Jennison Associates LLC acquired a new stake in Micron Technology, Inc. ( NASDAQ:MU – Free Report ) in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 10,743 shares of the semiconductor manufacturer’s stock, valued at approximately $1,114,000. A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Atria Investments Inc raised its stake in Micron Technology by 0.3% in the first quarter. Atria Investments Inc now owns 27,749 shares of the semiconductor manufacturer’s stock valued at $3,269,000 after buying an additional 93 shares in the last quarter. Aspect Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of Micron Technology by 39.8% in the 2nd quarter. Aspect Partners LLC now owns 330 shares of the semiconductor manufacturer’s stock valued at $43,000 after acquiring an additional 94 shares during the last quarter. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC raised its position in shares of Micron Technology by 1.3% during the 2nd quarter. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC now owns 7,625 shares of the semiconductor manufacturer’s stock worth $1,003,000 after acquiring an additional 98 shares in the last quarter. LRI Investments LLC lifted its stake in Micron Technology by 57.2% during the second quarter. LRI Investments LLC now owns 272 shares of the semiconductor manufacturer’s stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 99 shares during the last quarter. Finally, E&G Advisors LP boosted its holdings in Micron Technology by 5.2% in the second quarter. E&G Advisors LP now owns 2,015 shares of the semiconductor manufacturer’s stock valued at $265,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. 80.84% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds. Analysts Set New Price Targets A number of research analysts recently commented on the stock. BNP Paribas downgraded shares of Micron Technology from an “outperform” rating to an “underperform” rating and dropped their target price for the company from $140.00 to $67.00 in a research report on Thursday, September 12th. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $140.00 price target on shares of Micron Technology in a research report on Thursday, September 26th. Susquehanna reduced their price objective on Micron Technology from $175.00 to $165.00 and set a “positive” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, September 26th. Raymond James raised their target price on shares of Micron Technology from $125.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, September 26th. Finally, KeyCorp reduced their price target on shares of Micron Technology from $145.00 to $135.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, October 8th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and twenty-six have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $143.04. Micron Technology Price Performance NASDAQ:MU opened at $102.64 on Friday. Micron Technology, Inc. has a 12-month low of $72.93 and a 12-month high of $157.54. The firm has a market cap of $113.80 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 150.94 and a beta of 1.18. The company’s 50-day moving average is $102.46 and its two-hundred day moving average is $112.18. The company has a current ratio of 2.64, a quick ratio of 1.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. Micron Technology ( NASDAQ:MU – Get Free Report ) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, September 25th. The semiconductor manufacturer reported $1.18 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.97 by $0.21. The firm had revenue of $7.75 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.65 billion. Micron Technology had a net margin of 3.10% and a return on equity of 1.58%. Micron Technology’s revenue was up 93.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business earned ($1.21) earnings per share. Research analysts expect that Micron Technology, Inc. will post 8.31 EPS for the current year. Micron Technology Announces Dividend The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, October 23rd. Investors of record on Monday, October 7th were paid a $0.115 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, October 7th. This represents a $0.46 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.45%. Micron Technology’s payout ratio is currently 67.65%. Insider Buying and Selling In related news, EVP April S. Arnzen sold 4,890 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $113.00, for a total transaction of $552,570.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 135,830 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $15,348,790. This represents a 3.47 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink . 0.32% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders. Micron Technology Company Profile ( Free Report ) Micron Technology, Inc designs, develops, manufactures, and sells memory and storage products worldwide. The company operates through four segments: Compute and Networking Business Unit, Mobile Business Unit, Embedded Business Unit, and Storage Business Unit. It provides memory and storage technologies comprising dynamic random access memory semiconductor devices with low latency that provide high-speed data retrieval; non-volatile and re-writeable semiconductor storage devices; and non-volatile re-writable semiconductor memory devices that provide fast read speeds under the Micron and Crucial brands, as well as through private labels. See Also Want to see what other hedge funds are holding MU? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Micron Technology, Inc. ( NASDAQ:MU – Free Report ). Receive News & Ratings for Micron Technology Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Micron Technology and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter .
NoneMumbai: Comedian-actor Sunil Grover recently shared a heartwarming photo of himself with his furry friends on social media. The picture shows Sunil smiling while posing with his four adorable dogs. On Sunday, the comedian took to his Instagram handle and shared the sweet image of him with his four cute furry companions. In the photo, Grover, dressed in a black outfit, is seen sitting with three little puppies, while a bigger dog stands in front of him. Alongside the shot, he captioned it with “kaarvaan.” A post shared by Sunil Grover (@whosunilgrover) In the image, Sunil is surrounded by his playful and energetic furry companions. One dog is perched on his lap, another is standing beside him, and two more are playfully looking at the camera. Sunil’s love for animals is no secret to his followers. He has often spoken about his affection for pets in interviews and has shared glimpses of his time spent with his dogs in the past. This latest post, however, seems to have struck a special chord, with fans enjoying the rare, off-screen side of the actor. Meanwhile, the Jawan actor has reunited with Kapil Sharma on the Netflix show “The Great Indian Kapil Show” after they had a fallout, allegedly on a flight while returning to India from a tour in Australia in 2017. Grover joined the team after a gap of over six years. Grover became a household name with his iconic fictional characters, Gutthi in “Comedy Nights With Kapil” and Dr. Mashoor Gulati on “The Kapil Sharma Show.” However, his relationship with Kapil Sharma hit a rough patch in 2018 after a heated argument during their return from a show in Australia. Following the fallout, Sunil distanced himself from Kapil and stopped collaborating with him. The two finally reconciled earlier this year when Kapil announced his Netflix show, marking their long-awaited reunion.
Egungun of Lagos faces backlash over leaked private video
Insurgents reach gates of Syria’s capital, threatening to upend decades of Assad ruleFoldable phones are no longer reserved for those with deep pockets, and Tecno is proving that with its latest offering—the Phantom V Fold 2. At ₹ 79,999, it’s almost half the price of the Galaxy Z Fold 6 or less than 40% of the cost of the Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold, and is possibly the most impressive generation leap in its category. Let me explain. In my review of the first-generation PHANTOM V Fold, I said the phone has its shortcomings — software that needs optimising, hardware that needed to shave off several tens of grams, and a physical footprint that can be uncomfortable. Well, TECNO has fixed all that and some, all the while dropping the asking price by about ₹10,000. The PHANTOM V Fold 2 is slimmer, lighter (down from 299 grams to a hair under 250 grams), beautifully designed and gives users without deep pockets a chance at using a foldable smartphone without spending an arm and a leg. From large, vibrant displays to stylus support and impressive battery life, this phone has a lot going for it. But, of course, no phone is perfect. So, does the PHANTOM V Fold 2 deliver where it counts? Let’s dive in. Big, Bold, and Lighter Than Before The Phantom V Fold 2 makes an impression right out of the box. TECNO partnered with Spanish luxury brand Loewe to refine the design, giving it a premium feel that’s unexpected for its price. The circular camera module from its predecessor has been replaced with a sleek rectangular setup housing three 50MP cameras. But the real game-changer? The weight. At 249 grams, it’s 50 grams lighter than the first Phantom Fold. For comparison, the Galaxy Z Fold 6 weighs 239 grams, while the Pixel 9 Pro Fold comes in at 258g. Despite being lighter, the Phantom V Fold 2 feels solid and premium in hand, with curved sides that make it easier to hold and unfold. It’s also rated IP54 for dust and water resistance, which is a nice touch. That said, it’s still a big phone. The cover screen is a 6.42-inch LTPO AMOLED panel with a 120Hz refresh rate, protected by Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2. Unfold it, and you’re greeted with a massive 7.85-inch AMOLED display, also with 120Hz support. Both screens are sharp, bright, and colourful, though the folding display isn’t as bright as the cover screen. Still, it’s perfectly usable even in sunlight. The bezels on the inner display are slightly larger than those of its competitors, but they’re not distracting. Plus, the phone supports the new Phantom V Pen for precise input and note-taking, though TECNO didn’t include the stylus with the review unit. A Crease-Free Experience and a Sturdy Hinge One of the standout features of the PHANTOM V Fold 2 is its almost invisible crease. You’ll only notice it if you actively look for it, which is a big win for a foldable in this price range. The hinge, made of “aerospace-grade high-strength” material, is rated for 400,000 folds. While it’s not as robust as the Galaxy Z Fold6’s hinge and doesn’t prop up easily at all angles, it gets the job done. There is, however, a slight creaking noise when folding and unfolding the phone — could have been just my unit, though. TECNO also includes a good-quality case with a built-in kickstand in the box, which lets you prop up the phone when it’s fully unfolded—a thoughtful addition. Packed With Features and a Battery That Lasts Under the hood, the PHANTOM V Fold 2 is powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 9000+ chipset, paired with 12GB of LPDDR5x RAM and 512GB of UFS 3.1 storage. That’s double the base storage of Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold6. It runs on Android 14-based HiOS 14.5, which is loaded with features. While the interface could use some polish, you’ll keep discovering new tools as you explore the device. Multitasking is where this phone shines. Running two apps side by side is seamless, and a simple swipe down the middle splits the screen. Whether you’re juggling work apps like Slack and Teams or scrolling through Instagram and WhatsApp, the PHANTOM V Fold 2 handles it all effortlessly. Battery life is another highlight. The phone packs a massive 5,750mAh battery—the largest in a book-style foldable. It easily lasts a full day, even with heavy multitasking. And when you do need to charge, the 70W fast charging gets you up and running quickly. It also supports 15W wireless charging, a feature missing on some pricier competitors like the OnePlus Open. AI-Powered Tools and Capable Cameras TECNO has gone all-in on AI features. From the AI Cam mode in the camera app to tools like object removal and sticker creation in the gallery, almost everything feels AI-driven. There’s even a ChatGPT-powered assistant called Ella, along with sketch-to-image tools and quick text summaries. As for the cameras, the Phantom V Fold 2 sports three 50MP sensors: a primary camera with optical image stabilisation (OIS), a portrait camera with 2x optical zoom, and an ultrawide-angle lens. On the front, there are 32MP selfie cameras on both the cover and folding displays. The cameras perform well in daylight, delivering vibrant photos with decent dynamic range. Low-light performance, however, is a mixed bag, with details often getting smoothed out. Still, for the price, the camera setup holds its own against more expensive foldables. What Could Be Better? Look, the story here isn't whether or not the PHANTOM V Fold 2 is the best foldable out there. The story is the fact that it is a foldable priced at ₹80,000, which is still less than you'd have to fork out for any other foldable selling at a deep discount during the festive season — for the uninitiated, this was the one-year-old OnePlus Open, which launched at ₹1.40 lakh and dropped to ₹99,999 this festive season. The PHANTOM V Fold 2 gets a lot right, but there are a few areas where it falls short. For one, it’s running on a 2022 processor and a 2023 OS. The MediaTek Dimensity 9000+ chipset is capable for now, but it may struggle to keep up in the long run. Then there’s the software update policy. TECNO promises only two Android updates and three years of security patches. Considering the phone already runs Android 14, you’ll only get updates until Android 16, which limits its longevity. If the hinge is rated for 400,000 folds, shouldn’t the software support last just as long? The Verdict: A Foldable Worth Considering At ₹ 79,999, the TECNO PHANTOM V Fold 2 is THE most affordable book-style foldable in the Indian market—and it delivers a lot for the price. From its big, vibrant displays and excellent multitasking capabilities to its lightweight design and impressive battery life, it’s a solid choice for productivity-focused users. Now, whether you'd want to spend that much on this device or choose a safer smartphone is entirely between you and your wallet. Should you, however, want to dip your toes into the wonderfully weird world of foldable smartphones, the PHANTOM V Fold 2 is an excellent choice. It is the perfect gateway device, proving that you don’t need to spend a fortune to get a capable, feature-rich foldable phone.
'Republicans Pounce': The Single Phrase That Captures the Desperation of the Dead Legacy Media
The Golgi apparatus modifies, sorts and packages proteins to be sent to their final destinations, whether that's within or outside of the cell. It's a core function, but little studied in the setting of cancer immunology, especially when compared to other organelles like the mitochondria or endoplasmic reticulum. "So we were interested in looking a little bit more at the Golgi apparatus. It's obviously an important organelle. How is it being changed or what is its role in T-cells in terms of fighting cancer?" said Nathaniel Oberholtzer, an M.D./Ph.D. student who worked in the lab of Shikhar Mehrotra, Ph.D., co-leader of the Cancer Biology & Immunology Research Program at MUSC Hollings Cancer Center and scientific director of the Center for Cellular Therapy in the MUSC College of Medicine. As it turns out, the healthy function of the Golgi apparatus has a lot to do with how well T-cells function in killing cancer cells. Understanding how a signaling axis mitigates Golgi stress, enabling it to perform properly, points to a possible new therapeutic target for researchers to pursue to strengthen T-cells. Not only that, but Oberholtzer's research shows how the Golgi could be used as a biomarker to select the strongest T-cells for immunotherapy. Oberholtzer, as first author, and Mehrotra, as senior author, along with a team of Hollings scientists published the research this month in Science Advances . T-cells, part of the immune system, can kill cancer cells. CAR-T cells are T-cells that have been modified in the lab to home in on proteins on the surface of an individual's cancer cells . CAR-T cells are custom-made for each patient. Both T-cells and CAR-T cells can become "exhausted" in the hostile tumor microenvironment. Mehrotra's lab looks at ways to boost these cells so that they can fight cancer for a longer time. "The whole tumor microenvironment is conducive for the tumor itself, but not for the other cells which are trying to get in there," Mehrotra said. Just like people, cells are constantly subjected to stress—stress from biochemical reactions that have become unbalanced and mechanical stress from moving. Transient stress can be good. Stressing your muscles through exercise strengthens them, and transient stress on cells can prompt them to a response that ultimately strengthens them. "But if this stress stays there, which it does in the tumor microenvironment, the cells are just in continuous stress, and that will then lead to a very different phenotype and death," Mehrotra said. However, the researchers found that treating the Golgi apparatus with hydrogen sulfide created T-cells that could take more stress. "Hydrogen sulfide is a gaseous signaling molecule present in pretty much all mammalian cell types. Typically, it's a byproduct of different cellular processes, but it's actually been shown to have really important signaling roles as well," Oberholtzer said. "It can modify proteins through a process called sulfhydration, where it modifies cysteine residues and can change their activity." In this project, Oberholtzer found that this sulfhydration process, in modifying a protein called Prdx4 within the Golgi apparatus, confers protection in an oxidative setting. "When you have the stressors that the tumor microenvironment puts on T-cells, you get a disruption, or fragmentation, of the Golgi apparatus where it essentially isn't able to do its job. Hydrogen sulfide protects against that disruption," Oberholtzer said. Looking into this protective effect then led the researchers to look more closely at the Golgi apparatus by itself. "Essentially, if you just use the Golgi apparatus as a simple marker, if T-cells have a lot of Golgi versus less, the ones that have more Golgi are much more robust at killing tumor cells and controlling tumors," Oberholtzer explained. Using cell sorting technology at the Flow Cytometry & Cell Sorting Shared Resource at Hollings, the researchers sorted T-cells according to the amount of Golgi they contained. The top 30% were labeled Golgi-hi and the bottom 30% were labeled Golgi-lo. "Basically, all the cells which are expressing high Golgi have a very different phenotype. They are less exhausted, and they are much more potent in controlling tumors," Mehrotra said. This pre-clinical work suggests that sorting T-cells into Golgi-hi and Golgi-lo and reinfusing only the Golgi-hi cells into a patient would create a better chance of controlling the tumor . "Right now, we're working on doing some validation studies in the Center for Cellular Therapy to potentially be able to start a clinical trial to see if that has a translational ability as well," Oberholtzer said. More work is also needed to understand the role of Golgi stress when all of the organelles in a cell are under stress because of the tumor microenvironment . More information: Nathaniel Oberholtzer et al, H 2 S-Prdx4 axis mitigates Golgi stress to bolster tumor-reactive T cell immunotherapeutic response, Science Advances (2024). DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adp1152YouTube wants to end its clickbait problemColumn: A school board member falls for doing the right thing