South Korea’s parliament impeached Acting President Han Duck-soo, dealing another blow to a government already reeling after President Yoon Suk Yeol’s suspension less than two weeks ago for his brief martial law decree. Lawmakers voted 192-0 in favor of Prime Minister Han’s impeachment on Friday, according to National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik. He said before the vote that a simple majority in the 300-seat parliament was needed for the motion to pass, instead of the two-thirds required to suspend a president. The main opposition Democratic Party, which holds 170 seats, filed the motion to impeach Han on Thursday after he resisted pressure to immediately appoint three judges to the Constitutional Court, which would boost the likelihood of a ruling to finalize Yoon’s removal from power. Dozens of ruling party members protested by chanting slogans calling for Woo’s resignation and boycotting the vote. Han said in a statement that he would respect the National Assembly’s decision and suspend his duties. This is the first time an acting president has been impeached in South Korea. Han took over the role after Yoon was impeached by parliament following his Dec. 3 decision to impose martial law, a move that was reversed six hours later. The crisis has rattled financial markets and disrupted Seoul’s diplomacy efforts with partners like the U.S., all while the country’s facing mounting economic challenges and nuclear threats from North Korea. Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok, who now steps in as interim leader, said he will work to minimize any confusion in government operations. He has also instructed the Joint Chiefs of Staff to increase monitoring of North Korea to prevent any provocations that might arise, he said in a statement. It would be nearly impossible for Choi to effectively manage all the roles including finance minister, acting president and acting prime minister simultaneously, according to Shin Yul, a political science professor at Myongji University in Seoul. “This is not a normal situation in a country,” he said. The South Korean won declined 0.6 percent against U.S. dollar after the vote. The currency earlier fell as much as 1.1 percent to the lowest since 2009 on Friday. Han said in an emergency public address Thursday that he would hold off on approving the three judges nominated by parliament. He added that the right to approve the judges rests with the president of the nation. Choi didn’t indicate in his statement whether he would follow Han’s position on the appointment of judges. The Democratic Party has called on Choi to make the appointments immediately. Court process The court, which can still rule with six judges, held its first pre-trial hearing Friday and has until June to make a decision. Yoon has vowed to fight in court, saying he declared martial law to protect the nation from an opposition that’s trying to paralyze the government with impeachment motions and cuts to budget plans. The case against the president is more important and urgent than any other impeachment motion involving government officials, Constitutional Court judge Cheong Hyungsik said at the hearing on Friday, according to a pool report. The court has scheduled the next preliminary hearing for Jan. 3. The political turmoil adds to the risks facing South Korea’s economy, which is expected to grow at a slower pace next year. Export momentum is weakening due to lower semiconductor demand, and companies are bracing for Donald Trump’s return to the White House and his protectionist policies. Recent surveys show confidence among South Korean consumers and businesses has slumped the most since the COVID-19 pandemic. Policymakers have pledged “unlimited liquidity” if needed to reassure market participants and mitigate the economic fallout. The central bank said it would cut its benchmark interest rate next year while considering financial risks and economic conditions. Shin said the political uncertainty could spark an outflow of foreign capital. This would worsen the balance sheets of companies due to their large amounts of dollar-denominated debt, he added.
Strategic hire underscores Assembly's commitment to bolstering its leadership team to deliver best-in-class services and results for its clients. NEW YORK , Dec. 20, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Assembly, a leading global marketing agency within the Stagwell (STGW) network, today announced the appointment of Josh Berman as Executive Vice President, Assembly Lead. Earlier this year, Assembly unveiled a new operating structure with teams organized into 'Assemblies' based on geography and industry sector. Based in New York , Berman will co-lead Assembly East, focusing on deepening brand relationships, driving innovation, and providing more rigor, expertise, and growth for clients. Berman brings 15 years of media industry experience to Assembly. Most recently, as Managing Partner and Client Lead at Wavemaker, he led media planning and buying for a major Church & Dwight brand and contributed to global product development initiatives, leveraging data and technology to craft effective marketing solutions. Over his career, Josh has partnered with marquee brands across various industries, including Citi, Campbell's , IKEA, Tiffany & Co., Amgen, Marriott, and AT&T. Berman's appointment is part of Assembly's ongoing growth efforts, ensuring that the agency remains at the forefront of the industry and continues to meet clients' evolving needs. "Our clients get the best of both worlds—an agency big enough to lead yet small enough to care—which means each client receives the attention, dedicated leadership, and prioritization the industry and clients are demanding," said Rick Acampora , Global CEO of Assembly. "Josh's extensive experience in media strategy, analytics, client leadership, and innovation, coupled with his ability to fuse media and creative to unlock and accelerate brand performance, will be instrumental as we continue to elevate and find the change that fuels growth for our clients. We are thrilled to have him join our team." Berman's role is effective immediately. ABOUT ASSEMBLY Assembly is a leading global omnichannel media agency that merges data, talent, and technology to catalyze growth for the world's most esteemed brands. Our holistic approach weaves together compelling brand narratives with a comprehensive suite of global media capabilities, driving performance and fostering significant business expansion. Our initiatives are powered by STAGE, our proprietary operating system, and executed by a dedicated global team of over 2,300 professionals across 35 offices worldwide. Committed to purposeful action, Assembly leads the way in social and environmental impact within the agency realm. As a proud member of Stagwell, the challenger network designed to revolutionize marketing, Assembly continues to set new standards of excellence. For more information, please visit assemblyglobal.com . Contact Mariana Delacqua mariana.delacqua@assemblyglobal.com View original content to download multimedia: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/josh-berman-joins-assembly-as-evp-assembly-lead-in-north-america-302337752.html SOURCE Assembly
Growing up, Pete Bissonette always wanted to live in a bus or a cave. The latter dream came true, at least in a sense. Bissonette has one of the about 650 homes Mankato, Minnesota-based Earth Sheltered Technology has built since it began in 1981. The company, which has houses in the Twin Cities and Wisconsin as well as in California and Alaska, specializes in partly underground structures, basically man-made caves. Underground homes, also known as earth-sheltered homes, have been around for nearly as long as humans have, though the modern incarnation seemed to gain traction in the 1970s after the 1973 oil embargo and ensuing energy crisis, according to an article in magazine Mother Earth News. At the time, people were looking to reduce energy usage, especially when it came to heating and cooling their homes. Underground homes have other benefits, too, including durability — particularly in the face of natural disasters like tornadoes — and low-maintenance needs (no need to paint when dirt and grass cover the whole house). Perhaps that’s why Earth Sheltered Technology has produced the bulk of its homes, about 450, in the past 17 years, said owner Jeff Hickok. People are also reading... Rest assured, Nebraska volleyball fans: The missing fan behind the servers will be back Saturday Matt Rhule, Luke Fickell both downplay postgame encounter between Fickell, Donovan Raiola Arrest made in 55-year-old cold case of Nebraska teen stabbed to death Signing Day: Meet Nebraska volleyball's five-player 2025 class Wisconsin officer grabbing Donovan Raiola's arm a 'misunderstanding,' UW police say ‘I don’t care who’s played': Nebraska’s Dana Holgorsen on personnel changes at tight end Amie Just: Bring out the tissues — and the brooms — for Nebraska volleyball's emotional win Man found dead in north Lincoln, police say Cover Five: With pressure rising, Matt Rhule delivers Nebraska a bowl bid in Year 2 Nebraska GOP to seek hard-right social policies in 2025 legislative session Sound waves: What others are saying about Nebraska's win against Wisconsin Here's how Nebraska doctors are finding 'more opportunities to save lives' from lung cancer UNO freezes funds for LGBTQ+, multicultural, other student groups after audit Amie Just: Ahead of milestone birthday, local sports figures give advice on turning 30 As Nebraska's Democratic Party shrinks, some former party officials call for change Besides achieving his childhood dream, Bissonette’s other inspiration for building his underground home was the book “Earth Sheltered Housing Design,” published in the late 1970s by the University of Minnesota’s Underground Space Center. John Carmody, one of the leaders of the underground-home movement at the time as a systems designer and environmentalist, oversaw the center and the book, which sold 250,000 copies, according the to university’s website. “I loved every bit of building it,” Bissonette said of his house. “I’m glad I made the decision to build it. I have no intention of ever selling it and made it wheelchair accessible so I can get around in case I need one.” Weathering any storm Bissonette said he has long worried about tornadoes. An underground home, he thought, would protect against that. Underground homes are known for their durability, Hickok said. He said at least two tornadoes have gone over his Mankato underground home. It’s a reason his company has been building so many underground houses in Oklahoma and Texas. Texas averages about 140 tornadoes each year, the most of any state, while Oklahoma ranks in the top five, per CNN. Other clients have reported the structures being able to withstand earthquakes, Hickok said. The U.S. Department of Energy’s website said earth-sheltered homes can cost less to insure, as they naturally can withstand high winds, hailstorms, tornadoes and hurricanes. The Australian Broadcasting Co. even published a story last year about such homes gaining popularity because of their ability to withstand high temperatures and bush fires. “The earth is a very good protector for tornadoes,” Hickok said. “A tornado can’t damage a home unless it can completely surround it, and with most underground homes, they only have south-facing windows.” In addition to saving money on a homeowner’s insurance policy, an underground home could also save on claims. Hail, for example, does minimal damage to the roof, with only some of the piping up top suffering damage. Earth Sheltered Technology was a retirement job for Jeff Hickok’s father, Jerry Hickok. Jeff Hickok said his dad had a fascination with living in a cellar as a child and created the company after finishing at his corporate job. As a kid, Hickok dreaded going to home shows with his father and didn’t pursue the business until later in his life, taking it on around 2007. “I didn’t realize how forward-thinking dad really was with energy-saving and safety of these things,” he said. “I’m so proud to be running the company that my father pioneered.” Energy efficiency Another big selling point: An underground home uses about 80% less energy than a traditional home of its size. That’s because the ground insulates it to keep it at a stable 50- to 60-degree internal temperature. South-facing windows warm it during the day, Hickok said. Dick and Jeanne Newport of Berlin, Wisconsin, remember the ’70s energy crisis and how people wanted to be energy independent. They visited a friend’s underground home back then and left inspired to have their own one day, which eventually happened in 2016. About 980,000 pounds of solid concrete surrounds their two-bedroom, two-bathroom underground home, and most winters, only a single wood-burning stove heats the 2,000-square-foot property, Dick Newport said. On the roof, the two have planted native grasses. “People thought our house was a septic mound because they didn’t know what it was,” Jeanne Newport said. “Until you get to the front, you can’t tell it’s a house. There’s tall prairie grass all around it, and it’s really hard to see the whole rounded shape.” They estimate they pay about $115 in utilities for their highest-usage month. The average Minnesotan pays more than $151 a month for electric and gas utilities, according to Kris Lindahl Real Estate. The Newports estimated it cost about $350,000 to build their house including all the interior design, electrical and plumbing. When adjusting for inflation, that comes out to $465,799 in 2024. Earth Sheltered Technology builds several concrete dome structures with steel beams as support, insulating and waterproofing them for the price of about $150 per square foot, according to Hickok. But the rest is up to the homeowners to DIY or hire contractors. Having to do extra work didn’t bug the Newports, and the lower energy bills every month make up for the cost of building the home. “There’s not a lot of maintenance because most of the house is covered in dirt, and it’s quiet if the windows are closed,” Dick Newport said. “We have peace of mind living here.” Unique vibe This past summer, a “hobbit house” in Pine Lake Township, Minnesota, listed for about $180,000, drawing attention for its unique underground design. Being different is yet another perk of having an earth-sheltered home for Bissonette, who is working on an art piece made of 5,000 empty wine bottles. Outside of his two-bedroom, two-bathroom, 4,000-square-foot home, there’s a large labyrinth in his yard filled with statues from Bali, including one that can identify evil, Bissonette said. There are also tall native grasses growing on the roof among a smattering of solar tubes and ventilation pipes. His home blends into the surrounding vegetation and looks like several hills with trees and shrubs growing on them. It’s not until visitors turn a corner that they’re able to see two garage doors poking out, alongside a front door, wide driveway and windows. When he built his house in 2001, many of his neighbors thought it looked like a military base because of how hidden it was from the main road. But the rooftop patio makes it perfect for hosting, Bissonette said of the views of rolling farmland and acres of wildlife. Bissonette taught himself and installed much of the electrical work, also repurposing salvaged wood for the interior walls, making it uniquely his own. “What surprises people the most is how light it is in the house,” he said. “They expect it to be dark because it is underground, but the curved interior surface of the domes reflect light throughout the space, bouncing it across the inner surfaces, making it bright and light-filled.”Bukayo Saka injury: Arsenal star to miss 'more than two months' after hamstring surgery, Mikel Arteta confirms
New York Giants (2-9) at Dallas (4-7) Thursday, 4:30 p.m. EST, Fox BetMGM NFL Odds: Cowboys by 4. Against the spread: Giants 3-8; Cowboys 3-8. Series record: Cowboys lead 76-47-2. Last meeting: Cowboys beat Giants 20-15 on Sept. 26, in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Last week: Giants lost to Buccaneers 30-7; Cowboys beat Commanders 34-26. Giants offense: overall (24), rush (19), pass (28), scoring (32) Giants defense: overall (19), rush (30), pass (7), scoring (17) Cowboys offense: overall (21), rush (31), pass (8), scoring (T22) Cowboys defense: overall (27), rush (31), pass (21), scoring (31) Turnover differential: Giants minus-6; Cowboys minus-9. WR Malik Nabers. The No. 6 overall pick in the draft had a team-high six receptions for 64 yards despite not being targeted in the first half as the Giants fell behind the Bucs 23-0. Coach Brian Daboll said he is not going to let that happen again. Against Dallas in Week 4, Nabers had a season-high 12 catches for 115 yards, with a long of 39 yards. He was targeted 15 times by Daniel Jones. He sustained a concussion on the last attempt and missed the next two games. RB Rico Dowdle just had his second game of at least 85 yards, finishing with 86 on the road against the Commanders. The undrafted fifth-year player who has taken over as the lead back is looking to sustain momentum for the first time. After finishing with 87 yards in a victory at Pittsburgh, Dowdle came home and was held to a season-low 25 yards in a 47-9 loss to Detroit. Dallas' 31st-ranked run game has been marked by that kind of inconsistency, or worse, all season. Giants DL Dexter Lawrence vs. Cowboys OL. Lawrence is tied for sixth in the NFL with a career-high nine sacks, and the Dallas offensive front has been in flux most of the season. Injuries and youth have kept the Cowboys from establishing a rushing attack in most games. Dallas is coming off an effective showing on the ground and Cooper Rush's best performance in three starts filling in for injured star QB Dak Prescott. Lawrence will test the Cowboys' ability to get the run game going and protect Rush. Giants QB Tommy DeVito emerged with a sore throwing arm from his first start replacing the benched and subsequently released Jones. Daboll said it was uncertain whether DeVito would play and that Drew Lock would get extra reps in practice just in case. ... OLB Azeez Ojulari, who has six sacks and 10 QB hits, was placed on injured reserve with a toe injury. ... LT Jermaine Eluemunor, who started the first 11 games, was ruled out with a quad injury. ... DL Armon Watts won't play because of a shoulder issue. ... The Cowboys will be without perennial All-Pro RG Zack Martin for a second consecutive game with ankle and shoulder injuries. ... CB Trevon Diggs, a 2021 All-Pro, is questionable with groin and knee issues after also missing the Washington game. ... LG Tyler Smith, who injured an ankle about the same time Martin did late in the game against Houston on Nov. 18, says he will play after sitting against the Commanders. ... TE Jake Ferguson has been ruled out with a concussion for the second week in a row. ... WR Brandin Cooks was activated off IR. He hasn't played since the first meeting with the Giants because of a knee issue. The Cowboys have won 14 of the past 15 meetings with the Giants. Matching seven-game winning streaks for Dallas are separated by a New York victory in the 2020 season finale. ... This is the second Thanksgiving meeting in three seasons for the NFC East rivals. There had been just one before that, a 30-3 Dallas victory in 1992. The Cowboys won 28-20 two years ago. The Giants are 0-4 on the holiday since a 13-6 win at Detroit in 1982. The 16 combined losses for New York and Dallas are the most going into a Cowboys Thanksgiving game, according to Sportradar. The previous high was 14 three times, most recently in 2020 when Washington beat Dallas 41-16 in a matchup of seven-loss teams. Washington made the playoffs that season as the NFC East champ at 7-9. ... The first Dallas-New York meeting also was on Thursday. That happened last season with Green Bay and Detroit. The previous — and only other — time was 1923 with the Chicago Bears and Chicago Cardinals. ... The Giants' six-game losing streak is their longest since a nine-game skid, the franchise record, in 2019. ... The Cowboys ended a five-game losing streak with the victory at Washington but are 0-5 at home. It’s the worst home start since Dallas lost all eight games at old Texas Stadium while finishing 1-15 in 1989, the year owner Jerry Jones bought the team. The home losing streak is six going back to a wild-card loss to Green Bay in January. Before losing to the Packers, the Cowboys had won 16 in a row at AT&T Stadium. ... DeVito was 21 of 31 for 189 yards in his first action this season against the Buccaneers. He was sacked four times. ... WR Wan’Dale Robinson has 61 catches, surpassing his career high of 60 in 2023. ... Nabers has 67 catches, the most by a player in his first nine games. Puka Nacua of the Rams set the record of 64 last season. ... WR Darius Slayton had his streak of catching a pass snapped at 26 games against Tampa Bay. ... New York has gone 11 consecutive games without a positive turnover differential, extending the longest single-season streak in franchise history. ... The Giants have not intercepted a pass in 10 consecutive games, tying the NFL record held by the 1976-77 San Francisco 49ers and the 2017 Oakland Raiders. ... New York has one sack in the past three games after getting an NFL-high 35 through the first eight games. ... The Giants have the fewest points in the league (163) and they have played seven games without scoring a first-half touchdown. ... Rookie S Tyler Nubin has led New York with 12 tackles each of the past two games. ... Rush had his highest passer rating as the Dallas starter at 117.6 against the Commanders. He threw for two touchdowns with no interceptions. Rush beat the Giants for one of his victories when he went 4-1 filling in for Prescott early in 2022. He had a TD with no picks in a 23-16 win. ... WR CeeDee Lamb leads the NFL with 77 catches. He and Jarvis Landry are the only players in league history with at least 70 catches in each of their first five seasons. Lamb led the NFL last season with a career-high 135 grabs. ... Star pass rusher Micah Parsons had two sacks against the Commanders and has a sack in each of his three Thanksgiving games. ... WR/KR KaVontae Turpin, who returned a kickoff 99 yards for a touchdown against Washington, is the fifth player since the 1970 merger to have TDs on punt and kickoff returns along with a scoring catch of at least 60 yards. The most recent was Chicago's Devin Hester in 2007. Lamb has averaged 91 yards receiving per game against the Giants in his career, but without a bunch of touchdowns (four). While the Giants lag in most team statistical categories, they do have the seventh-best pass defense in the NFL. AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nflElectronic Travel Authorisation requirement for Grenadians travelling to UK
Logistical issues meant that thousands of Namibians were still waiting to vote in pivotal presidential and legislative elections late on Wednesday as the polling stations were scheduled to close. The vote could usher in the desert nation's first woman leader even as her party, the ruling South West Africa People's Organisation (SWAPO) faces the strongest challenge yet to its 34-year grip on power. Some voters told AFP they queued all day, for up to 12 hours, blaming technical problems which included issues with voter identification tablets or insufficient ballot papers. According to Namibia's electoral law, those in the queue before the polls closed -- scheduled at 9:00 pm (1900 GMT) -- should be allowed to vote. "We have the obligation to make sure that they pass their vote," said Petrus Shaama, chief officer of the Electoral Commission of Namibia (ECN). The main opposition party, the Independent Patriots for Change (IPC) has blamed the ECN for the long lines and cried foul play. "We have reason to believe that the ECN is deliberately suppressing voters and deliberately trying to frustrate voters from casting their vote," said Christine Aochamus of the IPC. She said the party had "started the process" of approaching a court "to order the ECN to extend the voting time". At one polling station inside Namibia's University of Science and Technology in the capital Windhoek, hundreds of people were still in line at 09:00 pm despite some having arrived at 6:00 am, an hour before polls opened. It was a similar situation at the Museum of Independence, according to an AFP reporter, where one voter said he arrived 12 hours earlier and was still in line with hundreds of others. SWAPO's candidate and current vice president, Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, was one of the first to vote and called on Namibians "to come out in their numbers". An estimated 1.5 million people in the sparsely populated nation had registered to cast their ballot. SWAPO has governed since leading mineral-rich Namibia to independence from South Africa in 1990 but complaints about unemployment and enduring inequalities could force Nandi-Ndaitwah into an unprecedented second round. Leader of the IPC, Panduleni Itula, a former dentist and lawyer said he was optimistic he could "unseat the revolutionary movement". "We will all march from there and to a new dawn and a new era of how we conduct our public affairs in this country," the 67-year-old told reporters after voting. Itula took 29 percent of votes in the 2019 elections, losing to SWAPO leader Hage Geingob with 56 percent. It was a remarkable performance considering Geingob, who died in February, had won almost 87 percent five years before that. Namibia is a major uranium and diamond exporter but not many of its nearly three million people have benefitted from that wealth. "There's a lot of mining activity that goes on in the country, but it doesn't really translate into improved infrastructure, job opportunities," said independent political analyst Marisa Lourenco, based in Johannesburg. "That's where a lot of the frustration is coming from, (especially) the youth," she said. Unemployment among 15- to 34-year-olds is estimated at 46 percent, according to the latest figures from 2018, almost triple the national average. For the first time in Namibia's recent history, analysts say a second round is a somewhat realistic option. That would take place within 60 days of the announcement of the first round of results due by Saturday. "The outcome will be tight," said self-employed Hendry Amupanda, 32, who queued since 9:00 pm the night before to cast his ballot. "I want the country to get better and people to get jobs," said Amupanda, wearing slippers and equipped with a chair, blanket and snacks. Marvyn Pescha, a self-employed consultant, said his father was part of SWAPO's liberation struggle and he was not going to abandon the party. "But I want SWAPO to be challenged for better policies. Some opportunistic leaders have tarnished the reputation of the party, they misuse it for self-enrichment," the 50-year-old said. While lauded for leading Namibia to independence, SWAPO is nervous about its standing after other liberation-era movements in the region have lost favour with young voters. In the past six months, South Africa's African National Congress lost its parliamentary majority and the Botswana Democratic Party was ousted after almost six decades in power. clv/br/lhd/sbk
Browns’ Jerry Jeudy has a great chance to make the Broncos look silly for trading him in Denver on Monday night