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BNP Paribas Financial Markets raised its holdings in Verona Pharma plc ( NASDAQ:VRNA – Free Report ) by 176.5% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 60,211 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 38,434 shares during the quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets owned about 0.08% of Verona Pharma worth $1,732,000 at the end of the most recent quarter. Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company lifted its stake in Verona Pharma by 77.0% in the third quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 105,159 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,025,000 after acquiring an additional 45,741 shares during the period. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P bought a new position in Verona Pharma in the 3rd quarter worth $31,966,000. Jennison Associates LLC lifted its position in shares of Verona Pharma by 54.3% in the 3rd quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 1,740,886 shares of the company’s stock worth $50,085,000 after purchasing an additional 612,854 shares during the period. First Turn Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Verona Pharma during the 3rd quarter valued at about $16,483,000. Finally, Claro Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Verona Pharma during the third quarter valued at about $209,000. 85.88% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors. Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades Several analysts have commented on the stock. Canaccord Genuity Group raised their price objective on shares of Verona Pharma from $37.00 to $44.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. Truist Financial raised their target price on Verona Pharma from $38.00 to $44.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 9th. HC Wainwright upped their price target on Verona Pharma from $36.00 to $42.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on Verona Pharma from $50.00 to $64.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat, Verona Pharma has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $43.83. Verona Pharma Stock Performance Verona Pharma stock opened at $40.50 on Friday. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $35.74 and its 200 day moving average is $26.28. The company has a market capitalization of $3.31 billion, a P/E ratio of -21.09 and a beta of 0.46. Verona Pharma plc has a twelve month low of $11.39 and a twelve month high of $40.76. The company has a quick ratio of 12.88, a current ratio of 13.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.93. Verona Pharma ( NASDAQ:VRNA – Get Free Report ) last released its earnings results on Monday, November 4th. The company reported ($0.56) EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.44) by ($0.12). The firm had revenue of $5.62 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.31 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted ($0.18) earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts predict that Verona Pharma plc will post -2.11 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. Insider Activity at Verona Pharma In related news, CEO David Zaccardelli sold 110,456 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $4.38, for a total value of $483,797.28. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 14,894,464 shares in the company, valued at $65,237,752.32. The trade was a 0.74 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website . Also, CFO Mark W. Hahn sold 12,936 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $5.00, for a total value of $64,680.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 14,276,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $71,380,000. This represents a 0.09 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here . In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 2,094,432 shares of company stock valued at $9,748,833. 4.80% of the stock is owned by insiders. Verona Pharma Profile ( Free Report ) Verona Pharma plc, a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company, focuses on development and commercialization of therapies for the treatment of respiratory diseases with unmet medical needs. The company's product candidate is ensifentrine, an inhaled and dual inhibitor of the phosphodiesterase (PDE) 3 and PDE4 enzymes that acts as both a bronchodilator and an anti-inflammatory agent in a single compound, which is in Phase 3 clinical trials for the treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma, and cystic fibrosis. Recommended Stories Want to see what other hedge funds are holding VRNA? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Verona Pharma plc ( NASDAQ:VRNA – Free Report ). Receive News & Ratings for Verona Pharma Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Verona Pharma and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter .
South Korean tennis star Kwon Soon-woo will begin his mandatory 18 months of military service in January, he has announced on Instagram . Military service has been compulsory for South Korean men aged between 18 and 35 since 1957, with only a few exceptions made. Tottenham footballer Son Heung-min was excused from just under two years of service due to him helping the nation to victory at the Asian Games in 2018. Kwon - the only South Korean man ever to win multiple ATP titles - could have been granted an exemption if he had won gold at the Asian Games last year. He was one of the favourites to do so, but he suffered a surprise early defeat in singles and only managed a bronze in doubles. The 27-year-old went viral after his Asian Games defeat to Kasidit Samrej for smashing his racket to pieces in a fit of rage. But he painted an altogether more positive picture with his statement on Instagram this week. "I will enlist in the army on January 13, 2025," he wrote. "My life as a tourist will stop for almost two years, but I will come back in a more complete form than you can imagine. "I know many people say that it is too late to start playing again after 30... I think 30 is the prime of life and I am confident. "I have only achieved 20 per cent of the goals I set for myself, and the other 80 per cent will be the Korean tennis you dream of. I will make Korean tennis what all tennis fans want it to be, and I will do it until I achieve it." Kwon will be 28 when he returns to the tour and attempts to fight his way back up the rankings, having previously reached a high of 52nd in the world. The Sangju-born competitor boasts a third-round appearance at the French Open, and he has reached the second round of every other Grand Slam since turning professional in 2015. In August, following his first-round exit at the US Open, Kwon gave fans a heads up that his military service was on the horizon. "I’ve been on tour for nine years until this year," he wrote . "I think a lot has been going on. It was really an unforgettable time. "The first half of my life on tour has ended after nine years, but I will do all the things I couldn’t achieve in the second half of my life on tour until I achieve them. I’ll find you as a perfect Kwon Soon-woo in the second half. Thank you very much to those who have supported me so far."
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A gathering of First Nation health directors witnessed a demonstration on Thursday of how healthcare delivery in the North could be transformed. Tuula Nikkanen, a doctor in Finland who developed the technology, virtually monitored devices on a volunteer at the gathering in Thunder Bay. The volunteer had their oxygen levels, blood pressure and virtual stethoscope readings of their lungs and heart checked in real time despite the distance across an ocean. The demonstration was led by 73Health, a remote health diagnostic solution first pioneered in Finland to treat the Indigenous Saami communities and travelling workers in the country’s north. Doctors only visited the town of Ivalo, for example, one day every five weeks. Now, there are doctor appointments daily using 73Health’s technology, Nikkanen told health directors for CanadianFirst Nations at the demonstration. Cat Lake First Nation will now pilot the new diagnostic health initiative starting in January. Cat Lake Chief Russell Wesley hopes the pilot’s success can help expand the technology and end the crisis of unnecessary deaths in remote First Nations. Currently, despite its limitations, telehealth remains one of the only options for these remote communities. In an interview with Canada’s National Observer, Nikkanen explained the difference between telehealth and what 73Health offers. “If you think about telemedicine, there is video connection and there is audio connection, but there is nothing else,” she said. With 73Health, Nikkannen explained, doctors will be able to have real-time readings from the stethoscope, otoscope and dermatoscope to have a clear diagnosis of skin conditions. 73Health is also developing a breath meter to treat asthma and COPD, and an ultrasound. The new pilot also has potential to keep young families in their home community. For example, at the demonstration, health directors heard that 73Health would enable newborn babies in the community that normally require a flight just to receive their routine ear screening test. The technology could carry significant cost-savings. With remote diagnostics, First Nations can side-step expensive flights and overnight accommodations for medical appointments that in Cat Lake alone, are usually in the thousands. But the biggest promise is the opportunity to prevent needless deaths in the North, Wesley said. A diagnosis that could take months can now happen within days or weeks, leading to early detection. “That is true health transformation, because you’ve actually transformed the health delivery system for a remote First Nation,” Wesley said. “So this is, this is what this is about, this is what I hope to achieve.” Wesley points to the death in 2017 of Ruthann Quequish, which led to an inquest this past summer. Quequish died at 31 in her home of Kingfisher Lake after her diabetes went undiagnosed and untreated, despite several visits to the local nursing station. In a press release, Nishnawbe Aski Nation (NAN) Grand Chief Alvin Fiddler called Quequish’s passing an example of the neglect, racism and chronic underfunding of healthcare in northern Ontario First Nations. Wesley agrees. He says there is a systemic underfunding of healthcare in the North, where nurses, working in understaffed clinics, are forced to make a diagnosis on their own. Often, this situation leads to so-called Tylenol clinics, where the only thing overworked nurses have to give is basic pain medication despite the sense of underlying disease. “By the time they get to a specialist appointment, it’s months and months later, and by that time, the medical community confirms what the patient has suspected all along, that something’s wrong with them, and usually it’s terminal,” Wesley said. In Cat Lake alone, there are too many unnecessary deaths, Wesley says. The current healthcare regime has left First Nations dealing with “crisis after crisis.” Despite the promise of the new remote diagnostic technology, Ottawa remains absent at the funding table. Wesley told Canada’s National Observer that Indigenous Services Canada (ISC) turned away the First Nations leadership’s request for 73Health funding, and directed Cat Lake leadership to the NAN Health Transformation funding pool, Welsey said. NAN contributed over half of the $500,000 needed to kickstart the 73Health remote diagnostic pilot, with Cat Lake and a private philanthropist footing the rest of the bill. According to Wesley, ISC said it could not fund the pilot because it was at the end of its mandate and headed toward an election. In a statement to Canada’s National Observer, the office of the Minister of Indigenous Services Canada said they provide funding through the Sioux Lookout First Nations Health Authority to ensure “communities like Cat Lake First Nation have access to the medical services they need, when they need them.” The statement did not directly address the question related to the declined funding due to the end of the government’s mandate. However, the minister’s office said they are in communication with Cat Lake leadership. “Our department has been in contact with community leadership to look into the implementation and integration phase of this program,” Jennifer Kozelj, press secretary for the Minister of Indigenous Services Canada, said in a statement. The Minister’s office also encouraged Ontario to step up for healthcare delivery in the North. Matteo Cimellaro / Canada’s National Observer / Local Journalism InitiativeOur community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info Actress Michelle Keegan has expressed her annoyance at the constant questioning about when she'll start a family, before finally announcing her pregnancy on Sunday night. Michelle and her husband Mark Wright, both 37, took to Instagram to share their joyous news with their followers. "2025 is going to be a special one for us... [baby emoji. love heart emoji]," read the caption of a post that featured a picture of Michelle tenderly cradling her baby bump on a beach, with Mark looking on. The couple, who got hitched in 2015, have been under pressure to start a family for nearly a decade now, with the pressure coming from both fans and their loved ones. Last year, Michelle highlighted that she's the one who gets asked, attributing it to gender bias. The pair, who frequently post pictures with their nieces and nephews on social media, had inadvertently sparked speculation among fans eager for them to have their own children prior to Sunday's announcement. Michelle was reportedly livid over the intrusive questions at the time. Speaking previously to the Mirror, Michelle confessed the scrutiny got to her. "It's horrible. People don't know if we're trying. They don't know the background of what's happening. In this day and age, you shouldn't be asking questions like that," she stated. "I'm asked purely because I'm a woman. I'm immune to it now – it's like a reaction, and as soon as I hear it I brush it off as it's no one else's business," reports the Mirror . Michelle and Mark received an overwhelming number of unsolicited comments about when they will start a family after posting a touching photo in April 2023, holding their prematurely born nephew, Dustin Wright. Fans couldn’t help but ask the couple when they would have kids of their own, with one particularly brazen follower urging on Instagram: "Come on you two, pull your fingers out. It's time now." They were reportedly quite upset by these remarks; Michelle felt "furious" and "incredibly angry". She had previously expressed her desire to have a big family in a 2018 Women's Health interview, saying: "I've always been broody. I love kids, and I want four, so hopefully in the near future." Meanwhile, Mark had shared with The Sun his own take on becoming a parent, stating: "We say we're going to try [for a baby] every year but something comes up with work. So it'll be Michelle filming in South Africa and then I got the job in Los Angeles – so we think, right, we'll try next year. With kids, I used to want three or four. But now, I'm 31, we're not having kids any time before 32. I think we could have two or three. Twins would be great because you're getting two out of the way at once." Mark and Michelle, the love-struck pair, initially met while on individual holidays in Dubai at the close of 2012. They went public with their romance a month later at the 2013 National Television Awards, instantly becoming a celebrity power couple. A mere nine months after confirming their relationship, the duo revisited Dubai, where an enamoured Mark popped the question and Michelle happily accepted.
After a thrilling conference championship Saturday and a drawn-out reveal show Sunday, the inaugural 12-team College Football Playoff field is set. The first true tournament in FBS history has plenty to love -- and elements to loathe. What Went Right: Unique opening-round matchups Whether the first round proves to be more competitive than the four-team Playoff's often lopsided semifinal matchups remains to be seen. Until then, there is at least intrigue in the historic rarity of the four pairings. One opening-round matchup -- ACC automatic qualifier Clemson at Texas -- is a first-time encounter between two programs that combine for seven claimed national championships. Of the other three, the most recent contest occurred in 1996 when Tennessee topped Ohio State in the Citrus Bowl. The Vols and Buckeyes meet as the No. 9 and No. 8 seeds at Ohio State's Horseshoe, with the winner advancing to face top overall seed Oregon. SMU, a perhaps surprising final at-large selection given the Mustangs' dearth of high-profile wins, meets Penn State for the third time ever and first since 1978. The Nittany Lions scored a 26-21 come-from-behind win in Happy Valley, where they will again host SMU. The Penn State victory ended a 30-year stalemate after the first and only meeting in the 1948 Cotton Bowl produced a 13-13 tie. Here's hoping the third part of a 76-year trilogy is as closely contested as the initial two. Meanwhile, the matchup with the most previous installments is the closest in proximity -- less than 200 miles separate in-state counterparts Indiana and Notre Dame -- and the most lopsided. The Fighting Irish and Hoosiers last played in 1991, with Notre Dame's 49-27 win marking its sixth straight victory by multiple scores. Indiana's last win in the series came in 1950, a 20-7 Hoosiers victory in Bloomington. What Went Right: Boise State's big opportunity Although not the first outsider to reach or win a Bowl Championship Series game, Boise State's 2007 Fiesta Bowl victory over Oklahoma was arguably the most pivotal moment in building support for outsiders to compete for the national championship. The Broncos spent two decades knocking on the door, beginning with their perfect 2004 regular season, extending through two Fiesta Bowl wins, and withstanding the heartbreak of late-season losses in 2010 and 2011. The celebration in response to Boise State being part of the bracket -- and not just in, but as the No. 3 seed with a bye into the quarterfinals -- marked a culmination of generations of effort for just this opportunity. What Went Right: ‘Football weather' comes to the postseason From the birth of the bowl system with the first-ever Rose Bowl Game, college football's postseason has resided primarily in warm-weather destinations. This makes sense for the original purpose of bowl games as showcases and celebrations of a team's regular-season performance, but less so for the goal of crowning a national champion. After decades of playing what often amounted to road games in the postseason, northern teams get their opportunity to host. Three of the four first-round contests are in such climates -- though Indiana won't be particularly disadvantaged by weather when playing Notre Dame in South Bend. With average December highs in Pennsylvania in the 30s, SMU will need its heaters on the sideline at Penn State's Beaver Stadium. The more intriguing trip, however, is Tennessee's to Ohio State. Longtime college football fans know the arguments about SEC teams playing in Big Ten country late in the year. Pitting two high-quality teams from the two leagues head-to-head in such conditions is a highlight of this new postseason system. And, given Tennessee and Ohio State have two of the nation's best defenses, expect a style of play befitting what is often described as football weather. What Went Wrong: More teams means more politicking When Mack Brown seemingly spent as much time on TV campaigning in 2004 as that year's presidential candidates, George W. Bush and John Kerry, his Texas Longhorns were among a small collection of teams vying for BCS bids. With the 12-team Playoff opening the top postseason opportunities to as many as 20 teams realistically, the political campaign ads that mercilessly ended in early November were replaced by the politicking of college football figures. Iowa State athletic director Jamie Pollard spent last week taking shots at SMU and other programs over strength of schedule -- a point neglecting that the Cyclones' losses came to unranked Texas Tech and sub-.500 Kansas. Arizona State's thorough dismantling of Iowa State in the Big 12 Championship Game solved that debate at the proverbial ballot box. However, brace yourself for an offseason of recount demands coming out of the SEC. Alabama's exclusion at 9-3, while 11-2 SMU landed the final at-large spot, is sure to play into the same controversy that South Carolina coach Shane Beamer leaned into last week. Beamer told The State (Columbia, S.C.) last week that his program may consider changing its nonconference scheduling in response to its seemingly inevitable Playoff snub. It's an odd position, given South Carolina's three losses all came in-conference, and the Gamecocks' nonleague slate included sub-.500 teams Old Dominion, Akron and FCS Wofford. But then again, how often are political campaign pitches rooted in logic? What Went Wrong: Quantity over quality? A more salient position in Beamer's case for South Carolina is that the Gamecocks scored quality wins during a season-ending, six-game streak. With its Rivalry Week defeat of Clemson, South Carolina added a victory over a Playoff qualifier to complement victories over Texas A&M and Missouri. Alabama, meanwhile, boasts wins over No. 2 overall seed Georgia and that same South Carolina team in contention. SMU's resume might be the most likely to draw ire, given the Mustangs received the last at-large berth. However, SMU beat nine- and eight-win Duke and Louisville, with two losses by a combined six points. Indiana should be the more contentious at-large choice, with the Hoosiers beating only one team that finished above .500: 7-5 Michigan. Indiana's only other matchup with an above-.500 opponent was a 38-15 blowout at Ohio State. That's something Alabama and South Carolina have in common with Indiana, as all three teams lost in routs. Alabama dropped a 24-3 decision late in the season at Oklahoma that presumably doomed the Crimson Tide's chances, while South Carolina lost to Ole Miss 27-3. To that end, there are arguments to be made for and against every team that was on the bubble. No system will ever appease all parties. What Went Wrong: Seeding conundrum Much of the Playoff's very existence flies in the face of college football tradition. One facet of how the field was set that upholds tradition in its own small way is rewarding teams for winning their conferences by reserving the four first-round byes for league champions. When this format was implemented, however, the committee could not have envisioned that two of the top five conference champions would not be ranked in the top 10. Because three-loss Clemson survived a furious SMU comeback in the ACC championship game, and Arizona State caught fire after underwhelming losses to Texas Tech and Cincinnati to win a weak Big 12, the committee was in the unusual position of having to slot a non-power conference champion and double-digit-ranked team in a top-four spot. This first edition of the Playoff seems likely to be the last to use this format, even if this scenario seems like an outlier. --Kyle Kensing, Field Level Media
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Resus Energy Founder and Managing Director Kishan Nanayakkara was recognised at the 7th annual Asia Pacific “50 Leading Lights: Kindness in Leadership campaign” that was released on the recent World Kindness Day. “As we celebrate the seventh year of our 50 Leading Lights: Kindness in Leadership campaign, it’s evident that kindness is much more than a feel-good gesture – it’s a strategic advantage. Both successful leaders and leading academics consistently affirm that kindness enhances wellbeing, fuels innovation, and drives productivity. It is, therefore, a great honour to announce the 2024 APAC Leading Lights list, in association with Asia Square. By leading with kindness, these remarkable men and women transform workplaces into thriving ecosystems where both people and businesses flourish. They are an inspiration to us all,” said 50 Leading Lights Founder – Kindness and Leadership Pinky Lilani, CBE DL. Incorporated in 2003, Resus Energy is an award-winning company having won multiple awards across numerous spheres for its work and governance and was amongst the first bracket of Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE) listed companies to adopt Global Reporting Initiative (GRI). Resus Energy’s initial foray into the power sector was through a joint development of a 100MW thermal power plant. In 2007, Resus began developing its first renewable energy project and became a pureplay renewable energy company in 2015. An equal opportunity employer, Resus operates in a strong “Environmental, Social and Governance” system, built around international best practices with “caring for people and the planet” as its ethos, and has been listed on the CSE since 2009. Currently Resus operates eight small hydropower and two ground mounted solar PV stations across five districts in Sri Lanka and dispatches over 70GWh annually to the national grid. Its third solar PV station is currently under construction. Most of Resus’ power stations are in extreme-rural hamlets. Apart from generating clean energy, Resus plays a pivotal role in protecting the natural environment, uplifting livelihoods of families, providing employment to villagers, including women in the surroundings of its power stations. “We make every effort to keep our carbon footprint low even as we expand our operations and ensure none of our development work or operations adversely affect the environment... and at the same time, our core values reflective across our policy framework, are instilled into our culture and way of life,” said Nanayakkara. “With our work ethos, we reckon that we contribute to sixteen out of seventeen UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and to Sri Lanka’s Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), which Sri Lanka has pledged to achieve as a nation being a signatory to the Paris Agreement.” Nanayakkara who has Masters Degrees from the Universities of Cambridge and Birmingham and AMLP from Oxford, as well as being a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales and the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants, is a worthy recipient of this award. In 2019, He was accorded the Most Outstanding Alumnus Award, AMLP, from the Saïd Business School, University of Oxford. This year’s judges included the Panel Chair and British High Commissioner to Australia Vicki Treadell, IHS Markit Asia Pacific Account Management team Former Partner and Senior Vice President Dr. Bo Zhou, Piramal Industries Vice Chairman Dr. Swati Piramal, Dole Packaged Foods Global Chief Marketing Officer Rupen Desai and Blackrock Real Assets Managing Director Hugh Andrew. The inductees were hosted for a special reception at the residence of the British High Commissioner to Singapore, on 26 November. “Kindness and leadership is a strongly evolving leadership principle today and one that is at the centre of wide discourse,” said Nanayakkara.
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RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson will not appear at former President Donald Trump ’s rally on Saturday in the battleground state following a CNN report about Robinson’s alleged disturbing online posts, an absence that illustrates the liability the gubernatorial candidate poses for Trump and downballot GOP candidates. Robinson is not expected to attend the event in Wilmington, according to a person on the Trump campaign and a second person familiar with the matter who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal planning. Robinson has been a frequent presence at Trump's North Carolina campaign stops. The Republican nominee has referred to Robinson, who is Black, as “Martin Luther King on steroids" and long praised him. But in the wake of Thursday's CNN report , the Trump campaign issued a statement that didn't mention Robinson and instead spoke generally about how North Carolina was key to the campaign's efforts. Robinson's campaign didn't respond to a text Friday seeking confirmation on his Saturday plans. The deadline in state law for Robinson to withdraw as the Republican candidate for governor passed late Thursday. State Republican leaders could have picked a replacement had a withdrawal occurred. Robinson has denied writing the posts, which include racial and sexual comments. He said he wouldn't be forced out of the race by “salacious tabloid lies.” While Robinson won his GOP gubernatorial primary in March, he's been trailing in several recent polls to Democratic nominee Josh Stein , the state's attorney general. “Let me reassure you the things that you will see in that story — those are not the words of Mark Robinson,” he told supporters in a video released Thursday by his campaign. “You know my words. You know my character.” State law says a gubernatorial nominee had until the day before the first absentee ballots requested by military and overseas voters are distributed to withdraw. They were distributed starting Friday. Robinson has a history of inflammatory comments that Stein has said made him too extreme to lead North Carolina. They already have contributed to the prospect that campaign struggles for Robinson could help Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris win the state’s 16 electoral votes. Democrats jumped on Robinson and other Republicans after the report aired, showing on social media photos of Robinson with Trump or with other GOP candidates, attempting to tarnish them by association. Losing swing district races for a congressional seat and the General Assembly would endanger the GOP’s control of the U.S. House and retaining veto-proof majorities at the legislature. “The fallout is going to be huge,” Chris Cooper, a political science professor at Western Carolina University, said Friday. “The Democrats are counting on this ... having a big effect.” But Cooper said Republicans could limit problems to the governor's race only if upward ticket-splitting trends among voters continue. Harris' campaign rolled out a new ad Friday it calls the first to link Trump to a down-ballot candidate. The commercial alternates between Trump’s praise for Robinson and the lieutenant governor’s comments which his critics have argued show his support for a statewide abortion ban without exceptions. Robinson's campaign have said that's not true. The Democratic National Committee is also running billboards in three major North Carolina cities showing a photo of Robinson and Trump and comments Trump has said about him. And a fundraising appeal Friday by Jeff Jackson, Democratic attorney general candidate, also includes a past video showing Republican opponent Dan Bishop saying he endorsed Robinson. “Every North Carolinian when they go to vote ought to look at whether a candidate has done that, because that sends a strong message about who you are as a candidate,” Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper, a top Harris surrogate, said at a Friday news conference. CNN's story, which describes a series of comments that it said Robinson posted on the message board more than a decade ago, sent tremors through the state’s political class, particularly Republicans. While the state Republican Party came to Robinson’s defense late Thursday pointing out he's “categorically denied the allegations,” party Chairman Jason Simmons put out his own statement Friday calling them “deeply troubling” and that Robinson "needs to explain them to the people of North Carolina.” U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis , R-N.C., who endorsed a Robinson rival in the primary, said on X that Thursday “was a tough day, but we must stay focused on the races we can win.” He didn't mention the governor's race. U.S. Rep. Richard Hudson of North Carolina, chairman of House Republicans' campaign arm, discounted Robinson’s impact in North Carolina congressional races. CNN reported that Robinson, who would be North Carolina’s first Black governor, attacked on the message board civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. in searing terms and once referred to himself as a “black NAZI.” CNN also reported that Robinson wrote of being aroused by a memory of “peeping” women in gym showers when he was 14 along with an appreciation of transgender pornography. Robinson at one point referred to himself as a “perv,” according to CNN. The Associated Press has not independently confirmed that Robinson wrote and posted the messages. CNN said it matched details of the account on the pornographic website forum to other online accounts held by Robinson by comparing usernames, a known email address and his full name. CNN reported that details discussed by the account holder matched Robinson’s age, length of marriage and other biographical information. It also compared figures of speech that were used in his public Facebook profile and that appeared in discussions by the account on the pornographic website. This story was first published on Sep. 20, 2024. It was updated on Nov. 22, 2024 to correct which of Robinson’s social media accounts CNN cited in a comparison to language in messages from a pornographic website message board. CNN cited his public Facebook account, not his Twitter account. Price reported from New York. Associated Press writers Kevin Freking in Washington, Meg Kinnard in Chapin, South Carolina and Makiya Seminera in Raleigh contributed to this report.West Hawthorne Cabins: is this Yorkshire hideaway the season’s cosiest stay?
BALTIMORE — Maryland Gov. Wes Moore has seen progress with the state’s expansive Blueprint for Maryland’s Future education initiative and is now looking to refine key parts of the program, addressing the teacher shortage in Maryland and scaling back collaborative time in schools. At this week’s Maryland Association of Counties Conference in Cambridge, Moore announced plans to introduce an education bill during the 2025 Maryland legislative session that ideally will address an ongoing teacher shortage in the state. The governor’s office reports that 4% of the state’s teacher positions are unfilled, meaning nearly 1,600 classrooms don’t have an experienced educator leading students . In addition, approximately 6,000 educators are teaching under provisional certification and are not fully trained and licensed . “This piece of legislation will take aim at the single biggest challenge that we face in education, and that’s the ongoing Maryland teacher shortage,” Moore said at the conference “If we don’t get a high-quality, high-trained and dedicated teacher in every classroom, the Blueprint itself is bound to fail.” Moore said his legislation will address the teacher shortage by building off the foundation of the Educator Shortage Act that is geared toward strengthening the teacher training pipeline. The governor also plans to issue another reform to the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future that includes increased time for educators to engage in curriculum planning, grading and professional development outside of the classroom. However, Moore said the state needs to scale back this part of the program to keep instructors in the classroom and further strengthen the teacher pipeline. The state needs an estimated 15,000 more teachers to implement collaborative time successfully. “This year, I will propose a pause in the implementation of the collaborative time provisions in the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future,” Moore said. “Our goal is to give school districts time – time and space – to recruit and retain enough teachers to make this plan actually work. And while we pause collaborative time, I will also be proposing new short-term grants to schools and districts that want to experiment with collaborative time models to make sure that it works for your own, individual jurisdictions.” “It ensures that our educators have additional breathing room to work together to sharpen their skills and better support our students,” he said. “Let’s be clear: Teachers should be treated like professionals and be empowered to work together outside of class.” Diamonté Brown, president of the Baltimore Teachers Union, said her group is adamantly against the pause. She said the governor should be more focused on decreasing the workload because of the staff shortage. “We do agree that there is a teacher shortage,” Brown said. “We believe a way to address the teacher shortage is to retain the teachers you currently have by decreasing the workload, improving working conditions, and making certain that teachers are being compensated and other school staff members are being compensated properly. And continue to keep competitive wages and desirable working conditions so you can attract not just teachers but other staff members to our school districts.” Sen. Mary Beth Carozza, who is a member of the Senate Education, Energy, and Environment Committee, understands Moore’s reasoning with the pause in collaboration. “I have been working with local school superintendents, boards of education and county officials on their recommendations to address the many challenges that they are facing with the implementation of the Blueprint education policies,” Carozza said. “I am interested in understanding the fiscal and classroom implications of the Governor’s announcement to pause the teacher collaboration program. “My understanding is that the pause in the teacher collaboration program would give teachers more time in the classroom with their students, and I appreciate the Governor’s focus on the teacher shortage.” Moore said the state will implement the parts of the Blueprint that work, including investments in preschool and early education and a focus on early literacy and tutoring. The state will put a pause on the elements of the Blueprint that need a closer look or require laying a stronger foundation for full implementation. Moore said lawmakers will continue to craft and pass legislation to elevate education and make necessary adjustments as we see fit. “To win the decade, we need to provide a world-class education to every student,” Moore said. “That will continue to be our pledge and our push.” However, funds for Blueprint could be an ongoing challenge. Last month, Maryland lawmakers were warned about an impending $2.7 billion deficit they’ll need to resolve for the next budget year, which could prompt a debate over whether they should make deep budget cuts or raise taxes. Some transportation-related fees were part of the $63 billion final budget agreement in order to stave off some cuts to the transportation budget and to secure additional funding for the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future. The education plan is by far the biggest driver of the state’s long-term budget problems. Starting in the 2028 fiscal year, about $2 billion for Blueprint needs are unfunded , a figure that grows to $3.2 billion in the 2030 fiscal year. Kalman R. Hettleman, an education policy analyst and advocate, agrees that a teacher shortage is a challenge in Maryland and across the nation. However, Hettleman sees more pressing challenges with the Blueprint for Maryland, mainly with funding. “The Blueprint was underfunded from the start because of politics and taxes,” said Hettleman, a former member of Maryland’s Kirwan Commission on education reform and the Baltimore City school board. “The major areas of underfunding, for example, are the basic necessities of effective schools – class size, interventions for struggling learners, and support services, including mental health and behavior.” Hettleman said the urgent first step in the next session of the General Assembly is to add to and/or reprioritize existing funding to provide more adequate and equitable funding over the next several years. This can occur without any overhaul of the structure of the Blueprint, he said. However, according to Hettleman, the phase-in priorities in the Blueprint funding must be re-examined and revised so more funding will be available in the early years of the transition for students of color, students who struggle financially or are at an academic disadvantage. ©2024 Baltimore Sun. Visit baltimoresun.com . Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.The LNP government has met for its first party meeting since the election, with leader David Crisafulli focusing attention on fulfilling his key campaign pledge by Christmas. The new Queensland premier met with colleagues at Parliament House from about 4pm on Monday before the first sitting day this week. Premier David Crisafulli addresses his LNP colleagues on Monday. Credit: William Davis “The first thing we’re going to be discussing is the Making Queensland Safer laws,” Crisafulli said. “There’s a lot of hard work to do in the next couple of weeks. “I want Queenslanders to know we’re serious about serving them and being a good government.” As the Cross River Rail project continues to progress, crucial work affecting the existing rail network is slated for the holiday period, with up to 220 rail replacement buses expected to roll out to the rescue. At different stages across December and January all lines were expected to be affected, with timetable changes beginning from December 20 and continuing until January 19. Cross River Rail Delivery Authority chief executive Graeme Newton said the work involved “hundreds of metres” of track removal, connecting overhead line equipment at the southern tunnel entrance, and station work at select locations. “These works require continuous and extensive access to the rail corridor and could not be completed safely or efficiently with trains on the tracks,” he said. Head of Translink Deborah Hume said rail buses would keep the south-east’s transport network running for the period, but advised commuters and travellers to plan ahead and allow extra travel time. “All rail replacement bus timetables will be in Translink’s journey planner closer to the closures and can be accessed through the Translink app or on the Translink website,” she said. Housing Minister Clare O’Neil has welcomed the passage of the government’s key housing policy, while acknowledging there’s more work to do. In questioning O’Neil, Nine’s Today host Sarah Abo noted that the 40,000 people who would be assisted over four years via the help-to-buy scheme “barely skims the surface” when considering that “there is not a single city or region across Australia where the average income earner can even afford to buy a house right now”. Housing Minister Clare O’Neil arrives at question time on Monday. Credit: Alex Ellinghausen O’Neil agreed the policy was “not a silver bullet” but that “it was never meant to be”. “One of the things I want your viewers to know, is just be really wary about the snake oil salesmen in this housing debate who are pretending that there’s one thing we can do to fix the whole problem,” O’Neil said. “The truth is, we’ve had generations-in-the-making housing crisis in our country that’s been building for more than 30 years, and it requires our government to do lots of things differently.” O’Neil said the government was trying to build more homes, get a better deal for renters, and help more Australians into homeownership. “It’s a big, complex program and it’s going to take some time.” Read more about the passage of the housing bill here. A 1100-kilometre transmission line connecting the North-West Minerals Province to the electricity grid near Townsville could cost up to $9 billion to build. That is the latest price tag put on Copperstring 2032 by government-owned corporation Powerlink, as Nine News political reporter Tim Arvier reported on Monday night. The $9 billion includes a $2 billion contingency, and capitalised interest costs of $800 million, and follows a previous cost blowout to $6.2 billion, announced by the then Labor government in August. While documents provided to the LNP government suggest Powerlink made the higher estimate in August, Labor told Arvier that Treasury was behind the estimate of $6.2 billion. The bill to ban social media for children under 16 will be a “test” for Peter Dutton’s leadership, says Social Services Minister Amanda Rishworth. Speaking on Nine’s Today , Rishworth said there was bipartisan support for the bill, but that Dutton was losing control of his caucus. “Just a couple of weeks ago, Peter Dutton said he would facilitate this important piece of legislation and support the government. And now we see our senators defying him,” she said. “So this is a test for Peter Dutton and his leadership.” Also on Today was Nationals senator Bridget McKenzie, who said there were still concerns about digital ID laws and privacy. “We do want strong, robust laws to protect kids under 16 on social media platforms. “We’ve been out of the blocks before the government on this. We need to get the legislation right so it does actually get the outcomes we want. “And we need to make sure that those protections exist in the legislation.” Read more about the debate within the Coalition on the ban here. Social media companies, including Snapchat, TikTok, and Meta, have taken aim at the “rushed” consultation process for the ban on children under 16. Communications Minister Michelle Rowland introduced the world-leading reform to parliament last Thursday, which she said would make the online environment better for young people. The consultation period for groups and individuals to make submissions closed on Friday. A Senate committee held a one-day hearing on Monday and is due to report back on Tuesday. In submissions to the inquiry, several groups, including social media companies, pointed to the short notice period. Snap Inc. wrote that “the extremely compressed timeline” had allowed stakeholders little more than 24 hours to provide a response, which “severely” constrained thorough analysis and informed debate. X, formerly Twitter, also criticised the “unreasonably short time frame of one day”, writing that it has “serious concerns as to the lawfulness of the bill”. Meta, which owns Facebook, wrote that there had been “minimal consultation or engagement” and urged the government to wait for the results of the age assurance trial before progressing with the legislation. TikTok said that despite the “time-limited review”, there was a range of “serious, unresolved problems” that the government must clarify to ensure there wouldn’t be unintended consequences for all Australians. AAP The LNP government has met for its first party meeting since the election, with leader David Crisafulli focusing attention on fulfilling his key campaign pledge by Christmas. The new Queensland premier met with colleagues at Parliament House from about 4pm on Monday before the first sitting day this week. Premier David Crisafulli addresses his LNP colleagues on Monday. Credit: William Davis “The first thing we’re going to be discussing is the Making Queensland Safer laws,” Crisafulli said. “There’s a lot of hard work to do in the next couple of weeks. “I want Queenslanders to know we’re serious about serving them and being a good government.” The temperature in Brisbane is going to come close to 30 degrees today, on a partly cloudy day with the mere chance of a morning shower. The city is predicted to be warmer in the days to come, with the likelihood of showers stronger later in the week. Here’s the seven-day outlook: Stories making the rounds further afield this morning: Treasurer Jim Chalmers has revealed the budget bottom line is getting worse before the looming federal election, with warnings he faces a $27 billion blowout over the next four years. Labor has gained a crucial concession from the Greens after a year of dispute over a $5.5 billion housing plan, but other bills are on the brink of defeat after Senate crossbenchers blasted Labor for trying to rush through changes on various issues. Social media companies including Snapchat, TikTok, and Meta have taken aim at the “rushed” consultation process for the proposal ban on children under 16. In the US, Special Counsel Jack Smith asked a federal judge to dismiss the case accusing President-elect Donald Trump of plotting to overturn the 2020 election. And Israel’s cabinet will meet on Tuesday to approve a ceasefire deal with Hezbollah, with expectations that an accord could be announced “within hours”. Good morning, thanks for joining us for Brisbane Times’ live news blog. It’s Tuesday, November 26, and we’re expecting a partly cloudy day and a top temperature of 29 degrees. In this morning’s local headlines: Ahead of the return of parliament, Brisbane Times state politics reporter Matt Dennien has analysed official diaries to determine who the new ministers scheduled the most meetings with before their election victory last month. Brisbane home prices are forecast to rise by 9 to 14 per cent next year – the highest capital city increase apart from Perth. Police are investigating the death of a child in Innisfail in Far North Queensland on Monday afternoon. The Brisbane Lions have added their voices to a campaign by local charity Beyond DV for men to take the lead in eliminating violence against women. And Grant Howard has been a coal miner since he left school, now based in the Bowen Basin in Queensland. At the weekend he was arrested at a protest, trying to hasten the end of his industry.GIS in Telecom Sector Market Unidentified Segments - The Biggest Opportunity Of 2024 11-25-2024 09:14 PM CET | Media & Telecommunications Press release from: AMA Research & Media LLP The latest study released on the global 'GIS in Telecom Sector' market by AMA Research evaluates market size, trend, and forecast to 2030. The 'GIS in Telecom Sector' market study covers significant research data and proofs to be a handy resource document for managers, analysts, industry experts and other key people to have ready-to-access and self-analyzed study to help understand market trends, growth drivers, opportunities and upcoming challenges and about the competitors. Get free access to Sample Report in PDF Version along with Graphs and Figures @ https://www.advancemarketanalytics.com/sample-report/91586-global-gis-in-telecom-sector-market?utm_source=OpenPR/utm_medium=Rahul Some of the key players profiled in the study are: Bentley Systems Incorporated (United States), Blue Marble Geographics (United States), Harris Corporation (United States), Hexagon AB (Sweden), Pitney Bowes Inc. (United States), RMSI Inc. (India), Trimble Inc. (United States), Autodesk (United States), Maxar Technologies (United States), ESRI Inc. (United States), GIS stands for geographic information system are set of tools which are used to interpret the geographical information and data, the device digitalized the data and then process, stores, interprets, analyze it to provide required output. It helps Telecom companies in solving their problems such as capacity management, personnel management, market segmentation, real time knowledge of network structure and demand forecasting. Telecom companies are adopting the GIS market analysis to offer a wide range of services for increasing their customer reach. Various end-user segments are using GIS tools for Hadoop by ESRI, a GIS provider to study the impact of driver carpooling as it aids in visualization and the analysis of maps. Keep yourself up-to-date with latest market trends and changing dynamics due to COVID Impact and Economic Slowdown globally. Maintain a competitive edge by sizing up with available business opportunity in GIS in Telecom Sector Market various segments and emerging territory. Influencing Market Trend •Increase in Demand for Improved Reality & Virtual Reality in the Industries Market Drivers •Upsurge in Demand of GIS Applications for Mobile & Broadband Services •Increasing Demand of Network Installation across the World Opportunities: •Rising Investment on Research & Development on 5G Technology •Growing Investment in IT Infrastructures •Increasing Government Spending To Develop and Built Smart Cities Challenges: •GIS Technology Is an Expensive Software Analysis by Type (Software, Service), Application (Small & Medium Enterprise (SMEs), Large Enterprise), Deployment (On-Premise, Cloud) Have Any Questions Regarding Global GIS in Telecom Sector Market Report, Ask Our Experts@ https://www.advancemarketanalytics.com/enquiry-before-buy/91586-global-gis-in-telecom-sector-market?utm_source=OpenPR/utm_medium=Rahul The regional analysis of Global GIS in Telecom Sector Market is considered for the key regions such as Asia Pacific, North America, Europe, Latin America and Rest of the World. North America is the leading region across the world. Whereas, owing to rising no. of research activities in countries such as China, India, and Japan, Asia Pacific region is also expected to exhibit higher growth rate the forecast period 2024-2030. On May 13, 2019 Bentley Systems, Incorporated, the leading global provider of comprehensive software and digital twins services has announced the acquisition of Keynetix, a UK-headquartered provider of cloud-based software. The addition of Keynetix software will expand Bentleys geotechnical offerings and accelerates Bentleys vision of enable subsurface digital twins for infrastructure projects and assets. Table of Content Chapter One: Industry Overview Chapter Two: Major Segmentation (Classification, Application and etc.) Analysis Chapter Three: Production Market Analysis Chapter Four: Sales Market Analysis Chapter Five: Consumption Market Analysis Chapter Six: Production, Sales and Consumption Market Comparison Analysis Chapter Seven: Major Manufacturers Production and Sales Market Comparison Analysis Chapter Eight: Competition Analysis by Players Chapter Nine: Marketing Channel Analysis Chapter Ten: New Project Investment Feasibility Analysis Chapter Eleven: Manufacturing Cost Analysis Chapter Twelve: Industrial Chain, Sourcing Strategy and Downstream Buyers Read Executive Summary and Detailed Index of full Research Study @ https://www.advancemarketanalytics.com/reports/91586-global-gis-in-telecom-sector-market?utm_source=OpenPR/utm_medium=Rahul Highlights of the Report • The future prospects of the global GIS in Telecom Sector market during the forecast period 2024-2030 are given in the report. • The major developmental strategies integrated by the leading players to sustain a competitive market position in the market are included in the report. • The emerging technologies that are driving the growth of the market are highlighted in the report. • The market value of the segments that are leading the market and the sub-segments are mentioned in the report. • The report studies the leading manufacturers and other players entering the global GIS in Telecom Sector market. Contact Us: Craig Francis (PR & Marketing Manager) AMA Research & Media LLP Unit No. 429, Parsonage Road Edison, NJ New Jersey USA - 08837 Phone: +1(201) 7937323, +1(201) 7937193 sales@advancemarketanalytics.com About Author: AMA Research & Media is Global leaders of Market Research Industry provides the quantified B2B research to Fortune 500 companies on high growth emerging opportunities which will impact more than 80% of worldwide companies' revenues. Our Analyst is tracking high growth study with detailed statistical and in-depth analysis of market trends & dynamics that provide a complete overview of the industry. We follow an extensive research methodology coupled with critical insights related industry factors and market forces to generate the best value for our clients. We Provides reliable primary and secondary data sources, our analysts and consultants derive informative and usable data suited for our clients business needs. The research study enables clients to meet varied market objectives a from global footprint expansion to supply chain optimization and from competitor profiling to M&As. This release was published on openPR.
A new political chapter has opened in Syria. President Bashar al-Assad has fled to Moscow, where he has been granted asylum. And the rebel group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), led by Abu-Mohammed al-Golani, the nom de guerre of Ahmed Hussein al-Sharaa, has captured Damascus, barely ten days after launching its offensive on 27 November. Brace for numerous theories about why Assad’s regime fell suddenly, with little more than a whimper, and even claims that its downfall was inevitable. In truth, no one predicted HTS’s lightning advance from its redoubts in the northwestern province of Idlib, adjacent to Turkey – not Assad, not Iran and Russia, his principal patrons, perhaps not even Golani himself. The House of Assad was built in 1971by Bashar’s ironfisted father, Hafez, who ruled until 2000. Having brought it down, Golani has a country to run – most of it anyway. HTS’s military success achievement was breathtaking. From Idlib, it moved southward, taking Aleppo, Hama, and Homs, the capital cites of eponymous provinces, and entered Damascus’s outskirts by 7 December, sweeping a hapless Syrian army from its path. Elsewhere, the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army (SNA) attacked Kurdish positions in the north, and rebel militias overran Daraa in the southwest. And the American-supported, Kurd-dominated Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), led by Mazloum Abd – who presides over the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES), located across the northeast bank of the Euphrates River – chased Assad’s army from Deir ez-Zor province, which abuts Iraq and has been a conduit used by Iran and the Iraqi Shia’s militias backing Assad. This is a remarkable development considering that in recent years, Assad’s political position seemed to have strengthened. The nationwide rebellion he sparked in 2011 following a bloody crackdown on protestors in Daraa during Syria’s version of the Arab Spring might have sealed his fate. But the Syrian army, supplemented by Russian airpower and fighters from Iran’s Quds Force and allied Shi’a fighters from Hezbollah and the Hashd al-Shaabi, a clutch of Iraqi militias, saved the day for the Assad regime. From 2016 onward, Assad consolidated his position. His fellow Arab leaders gradually welcomed back him to the fold – even those Gulf monarchies that had funded his Islamist opponents – and Syria rejoined the Arab League. Russia, Iran, and Turkey, convenors of the multi-round Astana peace talks , initiated in 2017, couldn’t persuade him to reach a political settlement with the armed opposition. As Assad saw it, he controlled about 70 percent of Syria and didn’t have to compromise; his enemies did. The United Sates, Europe, and Israel, scarcely Assad’s fans, reconciled themselves to his survival. Some analysts even saw him as a bulwark against jihadist groups, including the Islamic State. Israel disliked his alliance with Iran, but during the Israeli war in Gaza and the related military operations in the West Bank, Assad kept Syria’s southern border regions quiet and also did not aid Hamas, as Iran, Hezbollah, and Yemen’s Houthis did. Still, life after 2011 became even harder for the Syrians Assad ruled. Because of American sanctions and the continuing war, their per capita income plunged from $1,121 in 2018 to $421 by 2022. By 2022, the civil war was estimated to have killed almost 307,000 civilians , 7.2 million were internally displaced ( more than in any ongoing civil war), and five million had become refugees: 3.6 million in Turkey alone. Assad’s regime is dominated by his Alawite community (though Alawites have also joined the opposition), which comprises 10-13 percent of Syria’s population, and it relied on corruption and repression, including mass detentions, and torture , to ensure obedience. But the intermittent revolts in Daraa, especially in 2021 , were proof of simmering resentment. Assad’s fall leaves a vacuum. We cannot know who will fill it and with what consequences. Russia is out of the picture, at least for now. In 2015-16, Russian warplanes, plus ground forces from Iran and assorted Shi’a militias, prevented Assad’s defeat. But with Iran and Hezbollah weakened by their confrontation with Israel, and the Syrian army unraveling, Putin knew that this time Russian airstrikes couldn’t turn the tide. In recent days, Putin ordered Russian personnel to exit Syria, along with the warships docked at the Russian naval base at Tartus and the planes parked at Khmeimim airbase. For Iran, Syria has been a conduit for supplying Hezbollah; Tehran will still have a stake in the country but no longer the sway it had under Assad. The erosion of Moscow’s and Tehran’s power in the region makes the vacuum left by Assad’s demise even bigger. For now, after careful preparation, Golani has filled the void. He used the fragile ceasefire Turkey and Russian brokered in Idlib in March 2020 to better equip and train HTS forces and had already begun refashioning his own image by jettisoning a militant narrative in favor of one suffused with moderation. This was a stark metamorphosis. Golani had fought in Iraq following the 2003 American invasion and even spent five years in American prisons there. The State Department US government designated him a terrorist – it still does – and, in 2017, even offered a $10 million bounty for information leading to his identification or location. After the uprising against Assad began, Golani ran Jabhat al-Nusra, the Islamic State’s (IS) Syrian branch. He then split with IS and aligned with Al Qaeda, but soon cut ties with it as well. He created Jabhat al-Sham in 2016 and HTS, an ensemble of resistance groups, the following year. He now presents himself as an amalgam of Islamist and nationalist, disavows trans-national millenarian ambitions, and promises efficient governance and respect for Syria’s various minorities, among them Alawites, Druze, Kurds, Christians, Assyrians, and Armenians. Some worry that this is an opportunistic makeover designed to gain power, not a genuine conversion. If so, Syria could be in for a new phase of violence. Apart from the challenges of governing, Golani will face hard choices on the international front. Turkey’s influence in Syria has now increased, and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will seek greater leeway to attack the Kurdish enclave in north and northeastern Syria. He may succeed if Donald Trump, true to his words , withdraws the American troops based in Syria since 2014 – nominally as part of a multi-state coalition – to help Mazloum Abdi’s SDF fight IS. Trump already ordered US troops out of Northern Syria in 2019, and could now could cut a deal with Turkish president Erdogan, who considers the SDF part of the PKK (Kurdistan Workers’ Party), which has waged a secessionist war in Turkey’s southeast since 1984. Will Golani then allow Erdogan have his way or decide to resist Turkish military incursions into the Kurdish-dominated AANES – which included the seizure of Afrin, Tal Abyad and Ras al-Ayn in 2019 – by backing Abdi? And if Golani lasts, will he stick with by his professed ideal of a decentralized Syria featuring local autonomy, or eventually seek to control the AANES? And what of Golani and Israel? A Sunni Islamist, Golani won’t align with Iran, Hezbollah, or Hashd al-Shaabi, all backers of Assad. That will please Israel. But Golani’s family fled the Golan Heights after Israel captured it following the 1967 Six-Day War: his choice of nom de guerre (typically spelled Jolani) isn’t coincidental. Moreover, his political awakening occurred after the Second Intifada erupted in 2000. Will Golani focus on effective governance and political reconciliation within Syria and shelve his sympathy for the Palestinians’ resistance against Israel’s occupation? Or will he, in time, decide to support it, setting the stage for a confrontation with Israel? Post-Assad Syria raises many questions. Considering what has happened since November 27, it is prudent to avoid predictions. RelatedTCU leading scorer Frankie Collins will miss rest of season after breaking left foot