poker game for beginners
Kroger Announces Chief Merchandising and Marketing Officer Succession
Selcuk Bayraktar, chief technology officer of Turkey’s drone powerhouse Baykar, said on Thursday that Turkish companies now control 65 percent of the worldwide market for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV). Baykar commands nearly 60 percent of the market all by itself. Bayraktar credited cooperation between Baykar and the Turkish government for the company’s rapid rise to dominance of UAV technology. Selcuk Bayraktar happens to be married to the daughter of Turkey’s authoritarian president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan. “In 2004, Baykar developed Turkey’s first robotic guidance system and the first mini-UAV when UAVs were not yet known in the world,” he recalled. More breakthroughs followed, including an air combat UAV called the Kizilelma, which Baykar delivered to the Turkish government a year ahead of schedule in 2022, and the famous Bayraktar TB series of ground attack drones, which became one of the hottest arms products in the world after bravura performances in the Armenia-Azerbaijan and Russia-Ukraine conflicts. Bayraktar drones were so devastating in the hands of Ukraine’s defenders that Russian President Vladimir Putin tried to pressure Turkey into banning sales of the platform to Ukraine. Erdogan refused Putin’s demands. The Bayraktar TB-2 is the system that set the world, and many a Russian tank, on fire. At a drone industry event in Istanbul on Thursday, Selcuk Bayraktar said the TB-3 will be equally revolutionary, boasting the ability to take off and land from ships with short runways. Last month, a TB-3 successfully performed both landings and takeoffs from TCG Anadolu, Turkey’s top-of-the-line drone carrier warship. Selcuk Bayraktar commemorated the achievements on social media: “The Bayraktar TB3 became the first combat UAV platform in the world that can take off and land from short-runway ships. The first trials were conducted last month. The Bayraktar TB3 has also started mass production,” he said on Thursday. Pakistan and Bangladesh are among the latest customers for Bayraktar TB2 drones, a development that made rival India very nervous . The Indian military has lately been warning that it will immediately shoot down any Bangladeshi TB2s that drift over the border. At the end of November, the Sudanese army announced it had deployed TB2 drones against the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) militia, its opponent in the brutal Sudanese civil war. Another product spotlighted at the Istanbul event was the Bayraktar Akinci , a long-range, high-endurance UAV that can carry enough ordnance to engage ground installations and ships at sea. Guided by satellite navigation, the Akinci can remain airborne for up to 24 hours at a stretch. The Akinci was originally developed for the Turkish military, but Baykar now exports it to customers in ten countries, including Pakistan and Morocco. Morocco’s first delivery of Akinci drones and compatible munitions is expected in February. “Baykar has prepared for the races of tomorrow, not yesterday’s or today’s,” he said, boasting that his company’s philosophy helped it grow to three times the size of its nearest American competitor. On Wednesday, Baykar announced that TB2 drones have accumulated over one million hours in flight, becoming the first Turkish-built combat aircraft to surpass that milestone.
The British singer-songwriter, 36, launched Weekends With Adele at Caesars Palace in November 2022 and performed her 100th show on Saturday. Her run of sell-out shows at the venue, which seats around 4,000 people, has been a success but has also taken its toll. In July, she announced she would be taking a “big break” from music after her current run of shows. A post shared by Adele (@adele) Videos posted online from her concert on Saturday show the singer getting tearful as she bid farewell to Vegas. “It’s been wonderful and I will miss it terribly and I will miss you terribly”, she said. “I don’t know when I next want to perform again.” She also said she got “closure” when Canadian singer Celine Dion came to watch her perform, admitting that she cried for a “whole week” afterwards. “It was just such a full circle moment for me because that’s the only reason I ever even wanted to be in here”, she added. Adele shared an emotional embrace with Dion after she spotted the singer in the audience during her Las Vegas show last month. A post shared by Adele (@adele) In footage shared online, the British star can be seen breaking down in tears as they hug in The Colosseum at Caesars Palace, which was built for Dion’s residency. The Rolling In The Deep singer has been vocal about her love for Dion over the years, hailing her as “Queen Celine” after attending one of her performances in an Instagram post in 2018. Dion reciprocated the love at the time, sharing a photo to social media of her posing alongside Adele, who was wearing the singer’s merchandise. She wrote: “Wasn’t able to do all my shows, but was thrilled that @Adele came to one of them.... I love her so much!! – Celine xx”. After their encounter at the venue, Adele said in an Instagram post: “Words will never sum up what you mean to me, or what you coming to my show means, let alone how it felt seeing you back in your palace with your beautiful family.”David Jiricek makes a big first impression on Wild teammates: 'Holy s---, he’s tall'
Can goats predict earthquakes? Can dogs forecast volcanic eruptions? These scientists think soBUCHAREST, Romania (AP) — A far-right populist took the lead in Romania’s presidential election Sunday, electoral data showed, and will likely face leftist Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu in a runoff in two weeks, an outcome that rocked the country's political landscape. Calin Georgescu, who ran independently, led the polls with around 22% of the vote, while Ciolacu of the Social Democratic Party, or PSD, trailed at 20.6%. Elena Lasconi of the Save Romania Union party, or USR, stood at about 17.4%, and George Simion, the leader of the far-right Alliance for the Unity of Romanians, or AUR, took 14.3%. After polls closed at 9 p.m. local time (1900GMT), 9.4 million people — about 52.4% of eligible voters — had cast ballots, according to the Central Election Bureau. Thirteen candidates ran for the presidency in the European Union and NATO member country, and will go to a second round on Dec. 8. The president serves a five-year term and has significant decision-making powers in areas such as national security, foreign policy and judicial appointments. Georgescu, 62, ran independently and was not widely known. He outperformed most local surveys, sending shockwaves through Romania's political establishment. After casting his ballot on Sunday, Georgescu said in a post on Facebook that he voted “For the unjust, for the humiliated, for those who feel they do not matter and actually matter the most ... the vote is a prayer for the nation.” Cristian Andrei, a political consultant based in Bucharest, told The Associated Press that Georgescu’s unexpected poll performance appears to be a “large protest or revolt against the establishment.” “The mainstream political parties have lost the connection with regular Romanians,” he said. “You don’t have strong candidates or strong leaders ... there are weak candidates, weak leaders, and the parties in general are pretty much disconnected.” Georgescu lacks an agenda, Andrei added, and has a vague and populist manifesto with positions that are “beyond the normal discourse." His stances include supporting Romanian farmers, reducing dependency on imports, and ramping up energy and food production. He also has a rapidly growing on the social media platform, TikTok. Ahead of Sunday's vote, many expected to see Simion, a vocal supporter of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, face Ciolacu in the second round. He campaigned for reunification with Moldova, which this year renewed a five-year ban on him entering the country over security concerns, and he is banned for the same reason from neighboring Ukraine. Ecaterina Nawadia, a 20-year-old architecture student, said she voted for the first time in a national election on Sunday and hopes young people turn out in high numbers. “Since the (1989) revolution, we didn’t have a really good president,” she said. “I hope most of the people my age went to vote ... because the leading candidate is not the best option.” Romania will also hold parliamentary elections on Dec. 1 that will determine the country’s next government and prime minister. Andrei, the political consultant, said Romania's large budget deficit, high inflation, and an economic slowdown could push more mainstream candidates to shift toward populist stances amid widespread dissatisfaction. Ciolacu told the AP before the first-round vote that one of his biggest goals was “to convince Romanians that it is worth staying at home or returning” to Romania, which has a massive diaspora spread throughout EU countries. Other candidates included former NATO deputy general secretary Mircea Geoana , who ran independently and obtained about 6%; and Nicolae Ciuca, a former army general and head of the center-right National Liberal Party, which is currently in a tense coalition with the PSD — who stood at 9.3%. Geoana, a former foreign minister and ambassador to the United States, told the AP before Sunday's vote that he believed his international experience would qualify him above the other candidates. Lasconi, a former journalist and the leader of the USR, said she sees corruption as one of the biggest problems Romania faces and that she supports increased defense spending and continued aid to Ukraine.
ALFT Packaging, a pioneering manufacturer of flexible packaging solutions in Sri Lanka, hosted a senior delegation from Nestlé Lanka, led by Managing Director Bernhard Stefan, offering an exclusive tour of its state-of-the-art facility and showcasing the range of industry-leading, world-class flexible packaging solutions. The visit highlighted the growing partnership between the two companies and demonstrated ALFT’s commitment to innovation, sustainability, and excellence in the flexible packaging technology. During the comprehensive facility tour, the Nestlé team gained first-hand insights into ALFT’s advanced manufacturing processes, with particular focus on food safety protocols, sustainability initiatives, and innovative flexible packaging solutions. The delegation expressed strong appreciation for ALFT’s technological capabilities and dedication to maintaining the highest standards of quality and hygiene. Nestlé Lanka Ltd. Managing Director Bernhard Stefan said, “Food safety is our number one priority, making it absolutely critical that we have safety in our packaging materials. It is exciting to see how dynamic and flexible ALFT Packaging is, offering unique solutions for our packaging needs. We were particularly impressed with ALFT’s implementation of sustainability standards in their manufacturing processes.” ALFT’s innovative approach to creating unique and consumer-focused flexible packaging solutions emerged as another vital aspect of the partnership, showcasing the ability to enhance the overall consumer experience. Additionally, the company’s dedicated focus on sustainability impressed the visitors, particularly initiatives in minimising manufacturing waste and developing recyclable flexible packaging materials, aligning perfectly with current environmental priorities and future industry demands. ALFT Packaging Chairman Lakshman De Fonseka, added, “The visit by Nestlé Lanka’s senior team emphasises the strength of our partnership and mutual commitment to excellence in flexible packaging solutions. At ALFT, we are proud to demonstrate how investments in technology, sustainability, and innovation are helping global brands meet their flexible packaging needs while maintaining the highest standards of food safety and quality. We are committed to pushing boundaries in flexible packaging, positioning Sri Lanka as a hub for world-class manufacturing capabilities.” Being the only BRC- “AA” certified flexible packaging plant in Sri Lanka, this visit reinforced ALFT’s position as a leading flexible packaging solutions provider in the region and highlights the commitment to meeting the evolving needs of global brands while maintaining the highest standards of quality and sustainability.AP Business SummaryBrief at 6:44 p.m. EST
Bajaj Fin aims to double productivity with AI
2 Oregon men die from exposure in a forest after they went out to look for SasquatchTrump's lawyers rebuff DA's idea for upholding his hush money convictionHow to Watch Top 25 Women’s College Basketball Games – Tuesday, December 3
AP News Summary at 3:47 p.m. ESTWhy we love Bear Pond Books, a ski town bookstore with a French bulldog 'Staff Pup'
Blum Holdings CEO Sabas Carrillo acquires $7,992 in stockEagles Waive WR Parris CampbellFlorida State has hired former UCF coach Gus Malzahn as its new offensive coordinator. The school announced on Monday evening, two days after Malzahn resigned as the Knights’ coach. “I’m extremely excited to have Gus Malzahn join our staff at Florida State,” FSU coach Mike Norvell said in a statement. “He has one of the most innovative minds in college football and a proven track record of developing elite offenses everywhere he’s been. His offenses have consistently showcased a tremendous running game combined with explosive plays through the air. I’m thrilled to work side-by-side with Gus again as we elevate the Florida State offense back to one of the elite groups in college football.” Norvell and Malzahn previously worked as assistant coaches at Tulsa in 2007 under then-coach Todd Graham. FSU just concluded a disappointing 2-10 campaign, one season removed from a 13-1 mark in 2023, including the program’s first ACC Championship since 2014. The team fell short of qualifying for the College Football Playoff despite going undefeated in the regular season. Malzahn wrapped up a four-year stint at UCF, where he was 28-24, but the Knights finished 4-8 in their second season in the Big 12 and missed a postseason bowl for the first time since 2015. “I am excited to be here at Florida State and to help us win championships,” Malzahn said in a statement. “It’s exciting to work with Coach Norvell, who is someone I believe in as a coach and leader.” FSU finished the season ranked last in the ACC in almost every category, including scoring (15 points per game), rushing (90 yards per game), passing (180 ypg.) and total offense (270.3 ypg.). Norvell fired offensive coordinator Alex Atkins, defensive coordinator Adam Fuller and wide receivers coach Ron Duggans on Nov. 11. Over his 19 years as an offensive coordinator or head coach, Malzahn’s offenses have averaged 447.7 yards of total offense per game. He previously worked as offensive coordinator at Arkansas, Tulsa and Auburn before taking over as head coach at Arkansas State in 2012. He left that job to become head coach at Auburn, leading the Tigers to the National Championship Game against Florida State in 2013. No contract details were released at this time.