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An Israeli airstrike flattened a multistory building in central Gaza, killing at least 25 people and wounding dozens more, according to Palestinian medical officials, after strikes Thursday across the Gaza Strip killed at least 28 others. The latest deadly strike hit the urban Nuseirat refugee camp just hours after U.S. President Joe Biden’s national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, told reporters in Jerusalem that the recent ceasefire in Lebanon has helped clear the way for a potential deal to end the war in Gaza between Israel and Hamas. The Israeli military did not immediately comment on the deadly strike in Nuseirat. Israel says it is trying to eliminate Hamas, which led the attack on southern Israel in October 2023 that sparked the war in Gaza . The Israeli military says Hamas militants hide among Gaza’s civilian population. The fighting has plunged Gaza into a severe humanitarian crisis, with experts warning of famine in some of the hardest-hit parts of the territory. Israel’s offensive has killed over 44,800 Palestinians in Gaza, more than half of them women and children, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which does not say how many were combatants. The Israeli military says it has killed over 17,000 militants, without providing evidence. The Oct. 7, 2023 attack by Hamas killed some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and around 250 others were taken hostage. Some 100 hostages are still inside Gaza, at least a third of whom are believed to be dead. Here's the latest: Syrian exile group says transitional government should be formed through a U.N.-backed process DAMASCUS, Syria — Mohammad Salim Alkhateb, an official with the National Coalition of Syrian Revolution and Opposition Forces — an internationally backed group of the opposition in exile — said his group wants to see a transitional government formed via a United Nations-backed process in the wake of Bashar Assad ouster. It is not yet clear if Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, the main rebel group now in control of Syria, will pursue such a process. The insurgents have said an interim government headed by Mohammad al-Bashir, who is also the head of the “salvation government” of HTS in its former stronghold in northern Syria, will oversee the country until March but have not made clear how the transition to a new, fully empowered government would take place. “The transitional governing body should be formed in Geneva to have international legitimacy,” said Alkhateb, who is now in Damascus. “The transitional governing body, whatever its form, whether it is the ‘salvation government’ or any other, what matters is that it has international recognition.” Alkhateb said that the unexpectedly rapid fall of Damascus and departure of Assad after opposition forces launched their offensive had created confusion and a governance vacuum. A day before the insurgents pushed into Damascus, diplomats from countries including Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Turkey, Iran and Russia met in Qatar to discuss the situation in Syria. Alkhateb said that they had discussed a scenario in which the rebels would halt their advance, keeping the territory they had captured so far in the north — including Syria’s largest city, Aleppo — and the opposition and Assad’s government would go to Geneva for talks on a political settlement to the conflict. However, he noted, “there were no Syrians in that meeting.” Assad fled to Russia before the rebel forces arrived in Damascus but has not officially announced his resignation, which is “why we are living in a vacuum rather than a political transition,” Alkhateb said. He added that creating a professional army should be a priority of the transitional government. “We do not want a civilian who was trained during the revolution to carry military weapons to become the military,” he said. Israel bombed hundreds of military sites in Syria this week in a wave of airstrikes that destroyed “most of the strategic weapons stockpiles” in the country. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the wave of airstrikes in neighboring Syria was necessary to keep the weapons from being used against Israel following the Syrian government’s stunning collapse . Biden administration says missing American journalist in Syria ‘is a top priority’ WASHINGTON — White House press secretary Karine Jean-Peirre says Austin Tice, an American journalist missing in Syria for 12 years, “is a top priority for this president.” During a briefing with reporters on Thursday, Jean-Pierre said of Tice, “There is no indication that he is not alive. There’s also no indication about his location or condition.” “What our goal is, is to bring him home. And so, we hope certainly that he is alive and, as we have stated many times before, we are talking through this with the Turks and we want to do everything we can to bring him home,” she said. Four Israeli strikes in Lebanon should be investigated as war crimes, rights group says BEIRUT — Amnesty International said Thursday that four Israeli airstrikes between September and October that killed at least 49 civilians in Lebanon “must be investigated as war crimes.” The rights organization said in a new report that the four strikes targeted homes in the Bekaa Valley, northern and eastern Lebanon, and municipal offices in the south. “These four attacks are emblematic of Israel’s shocking disregard for civilian lives in Lebanon and their willingness to flout international law,” said Amnesty International’s Erika Guevara Rosas, Senior Director for Research, Advocacy, Policy and Campaigns. The rights group said this report was part of its ongoing investigation into violations of the laws of war in Lebanon. Amnesty International investigated four Israeli airstrikes, including one on Sept. 29 in al-Ain that killed all nine members of the same family. On Oct. 21, a strike in Baalbek city in eastern Lebanon killed six members of the same family. Another on Oct. 14 in the village of Aitou in northern Lebanon killed 23 displaced people, including a 5-month-old baby. A fragment from the attack site in Aitou was identified by an Amnesty weapons expert as likely part of a Mk-80 series aerial bomb, weighing at least 500 pounds. These munitions are primarily supplied to Israel by the United States, Amnesty said. The fourth strike Amnesty investigated was the strike that hit the municipal headquarters in Nabatiyeh, southern Lebanon, on Oct. 16, killing 11 civilians including the mayor. “The air strike took place without warning, just as the municipality’s crisis unit was meeting to coordinate deliveries of aid, including food, water and medicine, to residents and internally displaced people who had fled bombardment in other parts of southern Lebanon,” Amnesty said. The rights group said it interviewed survivors and witnesses, examined evidence, and found no military targets near the sites of the four strikes. The Israeli military gave no warnings and did not respond to Amnesty’s inquiries, the group said. Israeli strike on a multistory building in Gaza kills at least 25 people and wounds dozens DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — An Israeli airstrike hit the central Gaza Strip on Thursday, killing at least 25 Palestinians and wounding dozens more, Palestinian medics said, just hours after President Joe Biden’s national security adviser raised hopes about a ceasefire deal to end the war in Gaza. Photos from the scene of the blast that circulated on social media showed a completely collapsed building with people walking through its mangled and charred remains, smoke rising from piles of belongings strewn over the rubble. Officials at two hospitals in the Gaza Strip, al-Awda Hospital in the north and al-Aqsa Hospital in central Gaza, reported they received a combined total of 25 bodies from an Israeli strike on a multistory residential building in the urban Nuseirat refugee camp. Palestinian medics also reported that over 40 people, most of them children, were receiving treatment at the two hospitals. The al-Aqsa Hospital said that the Israeli attack also damaged several nearby houses in Nuseirat. There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military on the deadly strike. Israel is trying to eliminate Hamas, which led the attack on southern Israel in October 2023 that sparked the war in Gaza . The Israeli military says Hamas militants hide among Gaza’s civilian population. Israel’s war against Hamas has killed over 44,800 Palestinians in Gaza, more than half of them women and children, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which does not say how many were combatants. The Israeli military says it has killed over 17,000 militants, without providing evidence. The fighting has plunged Gaza into a severe humanitarian crisis, with experts warning of famine. Israel says it allows enough aid to enter and blames U.N. agencies for not distributing it. The U.N. says Israeli restrictions, and the breakdown of law and order after Israel repeatedly targeted the Hamas-run police force, make it extremely difficult to operate in the territory. UN food agency faces challenges in Syria UNITED NATIONS – The U.N. food agency is trying to deal with massive needs in Syria not only from escalating war-related food insecurity and an upsurge in displaced people fleeing Lebanon but also the dramatically new environment following the ouster of Bashar Assad, a senior U.N. official says. “It’s a triple crisis and the needs are going to be massive,” said Carl Skau, deputy executive director of the World Food Program, in an interview with The Associated Press late Wednesday. The WFP estimated that 3 million people in Syria were “acutely food insecure” and very hungry. However, that estimate was made before the Israel-Hezbollah war in Lebanon pushed many Syrian refugees back to their home country, plus the instability caused by the overthrow of Assad. Due to funding cuts, the WFP had been targeting only 2 million of those people, he said. Because WFP has been working in Syria during the 13-year civil war, he said, it has pre-positioned food in the country. It has 500 staff in seven offices nationwide and has operated across conflict lines, across borders, and with all different parties, he said. Skau said Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, the main rebel group now in control of Syria, has promised to provide security for WFP warehouses. Humanitarian aid supplies had been looted at U.N. warehouses in the disorder after Assad fell. “We’re not really up and running in Damascus because of the continued kind of uncertainty there,” he said. WFP initially thought of relocating non-essential staff but the situation in Aleppo, Syria’s largest city, has been “quite calm and orderly," he said. In the short term, Skau said, “what we’re seeing is that markets are disrupted, the value of the currency dropped dramatically, food prices are going up, transport lines don’t work,” and it’s unclear who will stamp required papers for imports and exports. This means that a bigger humanitarian response is needed initially, he said, but in the next phase, the U,N. will be looking at contributing to Syria’s recovery, and ultimately the country will need reconstruction. Skau said he expects a new funding appeal for Syria and urged donors to be generous. A top US official says the truce in Lebanon may help seal a Gaza ceasefire deal JERUSALEM — President Joe Biden’s national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, told reporters in Jerusalem on Thursday that Israel’s ceasefire in Lebanon has helped clear the way for another deal to end the war in Gaza. He plans to travel next to Qatar and Egypt — key mediators in the ceasefire talks — as the Biden administration makes a final push on negotiations before Donald Trump is inaugurated. Sullivan said “Hamas’ posture at the negotiating table did adapt” after Israel decimated the leadership of its ally Hezbollah in Lebanon and reached a ceasefire there. “We believe it puts us in a position to close this negotiation,” he said. Sullivan dismissed speculation that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was waiting for Trump to take office to finalize a deal. He the U.S. believes there are three American hostages still alive in Gaza, but it’s hard to know for sure. He also said “the balance of power in the Middle East has changed significantly” since Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel, especially with the overthrow of former Syrian President Bashar Assad, a key ally of Hezbollah and Iran. “We are now faced with a dramatically reshaped Middle East in which Israel is stronger, Iran is weaker, its proxies decimated, and a ceasefire that is new and will be lasting in Lebanon that ensures Israel’s security over the long term,” he said. Israel launches deadly strike on a Lebanese border town just hours after withdrawing troops KHIAM, Lebanon — An Israeli strike killed at least one person Thursday in the Lebanese border town of Khiam, the Health Ministry said, less than a day after Israeli troops handed the hilltop village back to the Lebanese army in coordination with U.N. peacekeepers, Khiam is the first Lebanese town Israel has pull out of since a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah militants began two weeks ago, and marks an important test of the fragile truce . Lebanon's Health Ministry and state news agency did not provide details on who was killed, and did not report airstrikes elsewhere on Thursday. The Israeli military said the airstrike in Khiam targeted Hezbollah fighters. Lebanese troops deployed in the northern section of the town on Thursday morning and were coordinating with U.N. peacekeepers to finalize Israel’s withdrawal before fully entering into other neighborhoods. An Associated Press reporter who visited Khiam on Thursday observed widespread destruction, with most houses reduced to rubble. Entire neighborhoods were flattened, with collapsed walls and debris scattered across the streets. Lebanon’s caretaker prime minister, Najib Mikati, sharply criticized Israel for striking the town less than 24 hours after the Lebanese army returned, saying it was “a violation of the pledges made by the parties that sponsored the ceasefire agreement, who must act to curb Israeli aggression.” The truce was brokered by the U.S. and France. Israel has previously said the ceasefire deal allows it to use military force against perceived violations. Near-daily attacks by Israel during the ceasefire, mostly in southern Lebanon, have killed at least 29 people and wounded 27 others. Khiam, which sits on a ridge less than 3 miles (5 kilometers) from the border with Israel, saw some of the most intense fighting during the war. The Lebanese army was clearing debris and reopening roads in the northern section of the town. Civilian access to other areas remained challenging as the army clears roads and works alongside the U.N. peacekeepers to ensure the area is free of unexploded ordnance. Blinken urges the many players in Syria to avoid taking any steps that could lead to violence AQABA, Jordan -- U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is urging the many players in Syria to avoid taking any steps that could lead to further violence. Blinken spoke to reporters in Jordan on Thursday shortly after meeting King Abdullah II as he opened a trip in the region to discuss Syria's future after former President Bashar Assad's ouster. Blinken will next visit Turkey, a NATO ally and a main backer of Syrian rebel groups. Blinken called this “a time of both real promise but also peril for Syria and for its neighbors.” He said he was focused on coordinating efforts in the region “to support the Syrian people as they transition away from Assad’s brutal dictatorship” and establish a government that isn’t dominated by one religion or ethnic group or outside power. Blinken was asked about Israel’s incursion into a buffer zone that had been demilitarized for the past half century. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says the move is temporary and defensive, but also indicated Israel will remain in the area for a long time. Blinken declined to say whether the U.S. supports the move, but said the U.S. would be speaking to Israel and other partners in the region. “I think, across the board, when it comes to any actors who have real interests in Syria, it’s also really important at this time that, we all try to make sure that we’re not sparking any additional conflicts,” he said. Turkish spy chief makes symbolic visit to pray in Damascus after Assad's fall ANKARA, Turkey — Turkey’s intelligence chief, Ibrahim Kalin, arrived in Damascus on Thursday, according to Turkish media reports. Kalin was seen arriving at the Umayyad Mosque to pray, surrounded by a large crowd, according to video shown on Turkish television. The visit is highly symbolic. Turkish officials, who supported the opposition against Syria’s government, had predicted at the start of the civil war in 2011 that President Bashar Assad’s government would fall, allowing them to pray at the Umayyad Mosque. Paraguay reopens embassy in Jerusalem in diplomatic victory for Netanyahu JERUSALEM — Paraguay reopened its embassy in Jerusalem Thursday, becoming one of a small handful of nations to recognize the city as Israel’s capital and marking a diplomatic victory for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Israel’s international isolation has increased as the war in Gaza drags on, and Paraguay was the first country to move its embassy to Jerusalem since the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attack that kickstarted the war. The United States, Honduras, Guatemala, Kosovo, and Papua New Guinea are among the few countries with Jerusalem embassies. Israel annexed east Jerusalem in 1967 but it wasn’t recognized by the international community, and most countries run their embassies out of Tel Aviv. Spirits were high at the ceremony marking the embassy’s inauguration Thursday, with Netanyahu and Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Saar lavishing praise on Paraguayan President Santiago Pena. “My good friend Santiago,” said Netanyahu, addressing Pena. “We’re a small nation. You’re a small nation. We suffered horrible things but we overcame the odds of history...we can win and we are winning.” Paraguay had an embassy in Jerusalem in 2018, under Former President Horacio Cartes. That embassy was moved back to Tel Aviv by Cartes’ successor, Mario Abdo Benitez, prompting Israel to close its embassy in Asuncion. Saar said Israel and Paraguay shared a “friendship based not only on interests but also values and principles.” He and the Paraguayan foreign minister, Rubén Ramírez Lezcano, signed a series of bilateral agreements and Saar said he would soon visit Asunción with a delegation from the Israeli private sector. “Israel is going to win and the countries we are standing next to Israel, we are going to win," Pena said. US Secretary of State Blinken renews calls for inclusion, stability in Syria in Mideast visit AQABA, Jordan — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is renewing calls for Syria’s new leadership to respect women and minority rights, prevent extremists from gaining new footholds in the country and keeping suspected chemical weapons stocks secure as he makes his first visit to the Mideast since the weekend ouster of Syrian President Bashar Assad . Making his 12th trip to the Middle East since the Israel-Hamas war erupted lasted year but amid fresh concerns about security following the upheaval in Syria, Blinken emphasized Thursday to Jordan’s King Abdullah II U.S. “support for an inclusive transition that can lead to an accountable and representative Syrian government chosen by the Syrian people,” the State Department said. Blinken also repeated the importance the outgoing Biden administration puts on respect for human rights and international law, the protection of civilians and stopping terrorist groups from reconstituting. Blinken met with the monarch and Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi in Aqaba before traveling to Turkey for talks with Turkish officials on the situation in Syria and the urgency of securing a long-elusive deal to release hostages and end the fighting in Gaza that has devastated the Palestinian territory since October 2023. Abdullah told Blinken that “the first step to reach comprehensive regional calm is to end the Israeli war on Gaza." UN envoy urges authorities to collect evidence from Syrian detention centers GENEVA — The U.N. envoy for Syria is calling on authorities to save evidence from detention centers that were a hub of “unimaginable barbarity” that Syrians have faced for many years and cooperate with international investigators looking into such crimes. Geir Pederson referred to new images from the notorious Saydnaya military prison north of the capital, Damascus, after President Bashar Assad fled Syria as armed groups stormed in to overthrow his government over the weekend. “The images from Saydnaya and other detention facilities starkly underscore the unimaginable barbarity Syrians have endured and reported for years,” Pedersen said in a statement. Documentation and testimonies “only scratch the surface of the carceral system’s horrors,” he added. Pedersen urged authorities to cooperate with U.N. bodies like an independent Commission of Inquiry on Syria, which was created in 2011, and an independent group known as the IIIM that was set up five years later to also compile evidence of crimes. G7 leaders say they support an inclusive political transition in Syria ROME — Leaders of the Group of 7 industrialized nations offered their full support for an inclusive political transition in Syria and invited all parties to preserve the country’s territorial integrity. In a message released by Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni’s office, the leaders said they were ready to support a transition that “leads to a credible government, inclusive and not sectarian, that guarantees respect for the state of law, universal human rights, including rights for women, (and) the protection of all Syrians, including religious and ethnic minorities.” The leaders also underlined the importance that ousted President Bashar Assad’s government is held responsible for crimes, citing “decades of atrocities.” They said they would also cooperate with groups working to prohibit chemical weapons “to secure, declare and destroy” remaining chemical arms in Syria. Italy currently holds the rotating presidency of the G-7, which also includes Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Japan and the United States. Israel's military says it hit Hamas militants in two locations in southern Gaza JERUSALEM — The Israeli military says it struck Hamas militants in two locations in the southern Gaza Strip who planned to hijack aid convoys. Palestinian Health officials had earlier said that the two strikes killed 15 men who were part of local committees established to secure aid deliveries. The committees have been organized in cooperation with the Hamas-run Interior Ministry in Gaza. It was not possible to independently confirm either account of the strikes, which occurred overnight into Thursday. Israel has long accused Hamas of hijacking humanitarian aid deliveries, while U.N. officials have said there is no systemic diversion of aid . U.N. agencies and aid groups say deliveries are held up by Israeli restrictions on the entry of aid and movement within Gaza, as well as the breakdown of law and order more than 14 months into the war between Israel and Hamas. Israel has repeatedly targeted the Hamas-run police force, which maintained internal security before the war. The United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees, the main aid provider in Gaza, said a U.N. convoy of 70 trucks carrying humanitarian aid in southern Gaza “was involved in a serious incident,” resulting in just one of the trucks reaching its destination. It did not provide further details on the incident but said the same route had been used successfully two days earlier. Israel’s offensive, launched after Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack, has caused vast destruction and displaced around 90% of Gaza’s population of 2.3 million, leaving the territory heavily reliant on international food aid. American who says he crossed into Syria by foot is free after 7 months in detention DAMASCUS, Syria — An American who turned up in Syria on Thursday says he was detained after crossing into the country by foot on a Christian pilgrimage seven months ago. Travis Timmerman appears to have been among thousands of people released from the country’s notorious prisons after rebels reached Damascus over the weekend, overthrowing President Bashar Assad and ending his family’s 54-year rule. As video emerged online of Timmerman on Thursday, he was initially mistaken by some for Austin Tice, an American journalist who went missing in Syria 12 years ago. In the video, Timmerman could be seen lying on a mattress under a blanket in what appeared to be a private house. A group of men in the video said he was being treated well and would be safely returned home. The Biden administration is working to bring Timmerman home, Secretary of State Antony Blinken told reporters in Aqaba, Jordan, without offering details, citing privacy. Timmerman later gave an interview with the Al-Arabiya TV network, saying he had illegally crossed into Syria on foot from the eastern Lebanese town of Zahle seven months ago, before being detained. He said he was treated well in detention but could hear other men being tortured. US Secretary of State Blinken visits Mideast after Assad's ouster in Syria AQABA, Jordan — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has arrived in Jordan on his 12th visit to the Mideast since the Israel-Hamas war erupted last year and his first since the weekend ouster of Syrian President Bashar Assad that has sparked new fears of instability in a region wracked by three conflicts despite a ceasefire agreement in Lebanon. Blinken was meeting in Aqaba with Jordan’s King Abdullah II and Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi on Thursday before traveling to Turkey for talks with Turkish officials on Friday. The meetings will focus largely on Syria but also touch on long-elusive hopes for a deal to end the fighting in Gaza that has devastated the Palestinian territory since October 2023. Blinken is the latest senior U.S. official to visit the Middle East in the five days since Assad was deposed as the Biden administration navigates more volatility in the region in its last few weeks in office and as President-elect Donald Trump has said the U.S. should stay out of the Syrian conflict. Other include national security adviser Jake Sullivan and a top military commander who traveled there as the U.S. and Israel have launched airstrikes to prevent the Islamic State militant group from reconstituting and prevent materiel and suspected chemical weapons stocks from falling into militant hands. Blinken “will discuss the need for the transition process and new government in Syria to respect the rights of minorities, facilitate the flow of humanitarian assistance, prevent Syria from being used as a base of terrorism or posing a threat to its neighbors, and ensure that chemical weapons stockpiles are secured and safely destroyed,” the State Department said. The U.S. would be willing to recognize and fully support a new Syrian government that met those criteria. U.S. officials say they are not actively reviewing the foreign terrorist organization designation of the main Syrian rebel group, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, known as HTS, which was once an al-Qaida affiliate, but stressed they are not barred from speaking to its members. Netanyahu says Israeli forces will remain in Syrian buffer zone until border security is guaranteed JERUSALEM — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Israeli forces will remain in a Syrian buffer zone until a new force on the other side of the border can guarantee security. After the overthrow of Syrian President Bashar Assad, Israeli forces pushed into a buffer zone that had been established after the 1973 Mideast war. The military says it has seized additional strategic points nearby. Israeli officials have said the move is temporary, but Netanyahu’s conditions could take months or even years to fulfill as Syria charts its post-Assad future, raising the prospect of an open-ended Israeli presence in the country. Netanyahu’s office said in a statement Thursday that Assad’s overthrow by jihadi rebels created a vacuum on the border. “Israel will not permit jihadi groups to fill that vacuum and threaten Israeli communities on the Golan Heights with October 7th style attacks,” it said, referring to Hamas’ 2023 attack out of Gaza, which ignited the war there. “That is why Israeli forces entered the buffer zone and took control of strategic sites near Israel’s border.” The statement added that “this deployment is temporary until a force that is committed to the 1974 agreement can be established and security on our border can be guaranteed.” The buffer zone is adjacent to the Golan Heights, which Israel captured from Syria in the 1967 Mideast war and later annexed. The international community, except for the United States, views the Golan as occupied Syrian territory. Attacker who fatally shot boy on a bus in the West Bank turns himself in, military says JERUSALEM — Israel’s military said Thursday that the attacker who fatally shot a 12-year-old Israeli boy in the occupied West Bank overnight turned himself in to authorities. The attacker opened fire on a bus near the Israeli settlement of Beitar Illit, critically wounding the boy, who hospital authorities pronounced dead in the early morning. Three others were wounded in the attack, paramedics said. The shooting took place just outside Jerusalem in an area near major Israeli settlements. Indonesia evacuates 37 citizens from Syria JAKARTA, Indonesia — The Indonesian government has evacuated 37 citizens from Syria following the fall of the Bashar al-Assad government, officials said Thursday. The evacuees were taken by land from Damascus to Beirut, where they boarded three commercial flights to Jakarta, said Judha Nugraha, director of citizen protection at the Foreign Affairs Ministry. The Indonesian Embassy in Damascus said all 1,162 Indonesian citizens in Syria were safe. Indonesian Ambassador to Syria Wajid Fauzi said the situation in Syria has gradually returned to normal. “I can say that 98% of people’s lives are back to normal, shops are open, public transportation has started running,” Fauzi said, adding that most Indonesian nationals living in Syria had chosen to stay. Israeli airstrikes kill at least 28 people, including 7 children, Palestinian medical officials say DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — Palestinian medical officials say Israeli airstrikes have killed at least 28 people in the Gaza Strip, including seven children and a woman. One of the strikes overnight and into Thursday flattened a house in the built-up Nuseirat refugee camp, according to the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in the nearby city of Deir al-Balah, where the casualties were taken. An Associated Press reporter saw the bodies at the hospital’s morgue. Two other strikes killed 15 men who were part of local committees established to secure aid convoys . The committees were set up by displaced Palestinians in coordination with the Hamas-run Interior Ministry. The Nasser Hospital in the southern city of Khan Younis received the bodies and an AP reporter counted them. The hospital said eight were killed in a strike near the southern border town of Rafah and seven others in a strike 30 minutes later near Khan Younis. The war in Gaza began when Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting around 250 people. Some 100 hostages are still inside Gaza, at least a third of whom are believed to be dead. Israel’s offensive has killed over 44,800 Palestinians in Gaza, more than half of them women and children, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which does not say how many were combatants. The Israeli military says it has killed over 17,000 militants, without providing evidence. The fighting has plunged Gaza into a severe humanitarian crisis, with experts warning of famine. Israel says it allows enough aid to enter and blames U.N. agencies for not distributing it. The U.N. says Israeli restrictions, and the breakdown of law and order after Israel repeatedly targeted the Hamas-run police force, make it extremely difficult to operate in the territory. UN General Assembly demands ceasefire in Gaza and backs UN agency helping Palestinian refugees UNITED NATIONS — The U.N. General Assembly overwhelmingly approved resolutions Wednesday demanding an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and backing the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees that Israel has moved to ban . The votes in the 193-nation world body were 158-9 with 13 abstentions to demand a ceasefire now and 159-9 with 11 abstentions to support the agency known as UNRWA. The votes culminated two days of speeches overwhelmingly calling for an end to the 14-month war between Israel and the militant Hamas group . General Assembly resolutions are not legally binding, though they reflect world opinion. There are no vetoes in the assembly. Israel and its close ally, the United States, were in a tiny minority speaking and voting against the resolutions.
By ALANNA DURKIN RICHER WASHINGTON (AP) — One year after the Jan. 6, 2021 , U.S. Capitol attack, Attorney General Merrick Garland said the Justice Department was committed to holding accountable all perpetrators “at any level” for “the assault on our democracy.” That bold declaration won’t apply to at least one person: Donald Trump. Special counsel Jack Smith’s move on Monday to abandon the federal election interference case against Trump means jurors will likely never decide whether the president-elect is criminally responsible for his attempts to cling to power after losing the 2020 campaign. The decision to walk away from the election charges and the separate classified documents case against Trump marks an abrupt end of the Justice Department’s unprecedented legal effort that once threatened his liberty but appears only to have galvanized his supporters. The abandonment of the cases accusing Trump of endangering American democracy and national security does away with the most serious legal threats he was facing as he returns to the White House. It was the culmination of a monthslong defense effort to delay the proceedings at every step and use the criminal allegations to Trump’s political advantage, putting the final word in the hands of voters instead of jurors. “We always knew that the rich and powerful had an advantage, but I don’t think we would have ever believed that somebody could walk away from everything,” said Stephen Saltzburg, a George Washington University law professor and former Justice Department official. “If there ever was a Teflon defendant, that’s Donald Trump.” While prosecutors left the door open to the possibility that federal charges could be re-filed against Trump after he leaves office, that seems unlikely. Meanwhile, Trump’s presidential victory has thrown into question the future of the two state criminal cases against him in New York and Georgia. Trump was supposed to be sentenced on Tuesday after his conviction on 34 felony counts in his New York hush money case , but it’s possible the sentencing could be delayed until after Trump leaves office, and the defense is pushing to dismiss the case altogether. Smith’s team stressed that their decision to abandon the federal cases was not a reflection of the merit of the charges, but an acknowledgement that they could not move forward under longstanding Justice Department policy that says sitting presidents cannot face criminal prosecution. Trump’s presidential victory set “at odds two fundamental and compelling national interests: On the one hand, the Constitution’s requirement that the President must not be unduly encumbered in fulfilling his weighty responsibilities . . . and on the other hand, the Nation’s commitment to the rule of law,” prosecutors wrote in court papers. The move just weeks after Trump’s victory over Vice President Kamala Harris underscores the immense personal stake Trump had in the campaign in which he turned his legal woes into a political rallying cry. Trump accused prosecutors of bringing the charges in a bid to keep him out of the White House, and he promised revenge on his perceived enemies if he won a second term. “If Donald J. Trump had lost an election, he may very well have spent the rest of his life in prison,” Vice President-elect JD Vance, wrote in a social media post on Monday. “These prosecutions were always political. Now it’s time to ensure what happened to President Trump never happens in this country again.” After the Jan. 6 attack by Trump supporters that left more than 100 police officers injured, Republican leader Mitch McConnell and several other Republicans who voted to acquit Trump during his Senate impeachment trial said it was up to the justice system to hold Trump accountable. The Jan. 6 case brought last year in Washington alleged an increasingly desperate criminal conspiracy to subvert the will of voters after Trump’s 2020 loss, accusing Trump of using the angry mob of supporters that attacked the Capitol as “a tool” in his campaign to pressure then-Vice President Mike Pence and obstruct the certification of Democrat Joe Biden’s victory. Hundreds of Jan. 6 rioters — many of whom have said they felt called to Washington by Trump — have pleaded guilty or been convicted by juries of federal charges at the same courthouse where Trump was supposed to stand trial last year. As the trial date neared, officials at the courthouse that sits within view of the Capitol were busy making plans for the crush of reporters expected to cover the historic case. But Trump’s argument that he enjoyed absolute immunity from prosecution quickly tied up the case in appeals all the way up to the Supreme Court. The high court ruled in July that former presidents have broad immunity from prosecution , and sent the case back to the trial court to decide which allegations could move forward. But the case was dismissed before the trial court could get a chance to do so. Related Articles National Politics | How Trump’s deportations could cost California ‘hundreds of billions of dollars’ National Politics | Auto industry’s shift toward EVs is expected to go on despite Trump threat to kill tax credits National Politics | CDC chief urges focus on health threats as agency confronts political changes National Politics | Trump’s latest tariff plan aims at multiple countries. What does it mean for the US? National Politics | Trump won about 2.5M more votes than in 2020, some in unexpected places The other indictment brought in Florida accused Trump of improperly storing at his Mar-a-Lago estate sensitive documents on nuclear capabilities, enlisting aides and lawyers to help him hide records demanded by investigators and cavalierly showing off a Pentagon “plan of attack” and classified map. But U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon dismissed the case in July on grounds that Smith was illegally appointed . Smith appealed to the Atlanta-based 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, but abandoned that appeal on Monday. Smith’s team said it would continue its fight in the appeals court to revive charges against Trump’s two co-defendants because “no principle of temporary immunity applies to them.” In New York, jurors spent weeks last spring hearing evidence in a state case alleging a Trump scheme to illegally influence the 2016 election through a hush money payment to a porn actor who said the two had sex. New York prosecutors recently expressed openness to delaying sentencing until after Trump’s second term, while Trump’s lawyers are fighting to have the conviction dismissed altogether. In Georgia, a trial while Trump is in office seems unlikely in a state case charging him and more than a dozen others with conspiring to overturn his 2020 election loss in the state. The case has been on hold since an appeals court agreed to review whether to remove Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis over her romantic relationship with the special prosecutor she had hired to lead the case. Associated Press reporter Lisa Mascaro in Washington contributed.
From Architect Of Economic Reforms To 'Accidental' PM: A Look At Manmohan Singh's Rich Legacy
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AUSTIN, Texas, Nov. 26, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Mondee Holdings, Inc. (Nasdaq: MOND) (" Mondee ” or the " Company ”), a leading travel marketplace and artificial intelligence (AI) technology company, announced today that the Company received a notification letter from the Listing Qualifications Department of the NASDAQ Stock Market LLC (" Nasdaq ”) stating that the Company is not in compliance with Nasdaq Listing Rule 5250(c)(1), which requires timely filing of reports with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The November 20, 2024 letter was sent as a result of the Company's delay in filing its Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the three month period ended September 30, 2024 (the " Form 10-Q ”). The Nasdaq notice has no immediate effect on the listing or trading of the Company's Class A common stock (the " Common Stock ”) on the Nasdaq Global Market. Under the Nasdaq rules, the Company has 60 days from the date of the notice to submit a plan to Nasdaq to regain compliance with Nasdaq's listing rules. If a plan is submitted and accepted, the Company could be granted up to 180 days from the Form 10-Q's due date to regain compliance. If Nasdaq does not accept the Company's plan, then the Company will have the opportunity to appeal that decision to a Nasdaq hearings panel. This announcement is made in compliance with Nasdaq Listing Rule 5810(b), which requires prompt disclosure of receipt of a deficiency notification. Notwithstanding the foregoing, on November 25, 2024, the Company's Board of Directors (the " Board ”) determined that the Company does not plan to submit a plan of compliance to Nasdaq to regain compliance with Nasdaq's listing rules and does not plan to appeal Nasdaq's subsequent delisting of its Common Stock from Nasdaq. Prasad Gundumogula takes leave of absence as CEO; Mondee Appoints Jesus Portillo as CEO On November 21, Prasad Gundumogula informed the board of directors of the Company that he would be taking a leave of absence as Chief Executive Officer (" CEO ”) of the Company, effective as of November 25, 2024. Mr. Gundumogula will continue to serve as a director and chairman of the Company's Board. On November 21, 2024, the Board appointed Jesus Portillo as the Company's CEO and a member of the Board, effective as of November 25, 2024. Mr. Portillo will retain his current duties and responsibilities as Chief Financial Officer of the Company. About Mondee Holdings, Inc. and Subsidiaries Established in 2011, Mondee is a leading travel marketplace and artificial intelligence (AI) technology company with its headquarters based in Austin, Texas. The Company operates 21 offices globally across the United States and Canada, Brazil, Mexico, India, and Greece. Mondee is driving change in the leisure and corporate travel sectors through its broad array of innovative solutions. Available both as an app and through the web, the Company's platform processes over 50 million daily searches and generates a substantial transactional volume annually. Mondee Marketplace includes access to Abhi, one of the most powerful and fully integrated AI travel planning assistants in the market. Mondee's network and marketplace include approximately 65,000 travel experts, 500+ airlines, and over one million hotels and vacation rentals, 30,000 rental car pickup locations, and 50+ cruise lines. The Company also offers packaged solutions and ancillary offerings that serve its global distribution. On July 19, 2022, Mondee became publicly traded on the Nasdaq Global Market under the ticker symbol MOND. For further information, visit: www.mondee.com . Forward-Looking Statements: This press release contains "forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, as amended. Forward-looking statements can be identified by words such as: "believe,” "could,” "may,” "expect,” "intend,” "potential,” "plan,” "will” and similar references to future periods. Examples of forward-looking statements include, among others, statements we make regarding the Company's future growth, performance, business prospects and opportunities, strategies, expectations, future plans and intentions or other future events. Such forward-looking statements are subject to risks, uncertainties, and other factors, which could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Management believes that these forward-looking statements are reasonable as and when made. However, the Company cautions you that these forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties, most of which are difficult to predict and many of which are beyond the control of the Company. Factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from current expectations include, but are not limited to, the ability to implement business plans and forecasts, the outcome of any legal proceedings that may be instituted against the Company or others and any definitive agreements with respect thereto, the ability of the Company to grow and manage growth profitably, retain management and key employees, and maintain relationships with our distribution network and suppliers, the ability of the Company to maintain compliance with Nasdaq's listing standards, the expected changes to the Company's capital structure, and other risks and uncertainties set forth in the sections entitled "Risk Factors” and "Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements” in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023 and Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the three months ended June 30, 2024 filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC”), and in the Company's subsequent filings with the SEC. There may be additional risks that the Company does not presently know of or that the Company currently believes are immaterial that could also cause actual results to differ from those contained in the forward-looking statements. Nothing in this press release should be regarded as a representation by any person that the forward-looking statements set forth herein will be achieved or that any of the contemplated results of such forward-looking statements will be achieved. In light of the significant uncertainties in these forward-looking statements, you should not rely upon forward-looking statements as predictions of future events. Except as required by law, Mondee undertakes no obligation to update publicly any forward-looking statements for any reason. For Further Information, Contact: Public Relations [email protected] Investor Relations [email protected]Middle East latest: Israeli strikes in Gaza kill more than 50 people, including kids
CALGARY, Alberta, Nov. 26, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- DIRTT Environmental Solutions Ltd. ("DIRTT” or the "Company”), a leader in industrialized construction, is pleased to announce that Holly Hess Groos is joining the DIRTT Board of Directors effective November 26, 2024 and will also serve as the Chair of the Audit Committee. Effective November 26, 2024, Scott Robinson, current Board Chair and Audit Committee Chair, will step down from his role as Audit Committee Chair. Ms. Groos is a senior financial executive. She retired from Verizon after a 30-year tenure in various leadership roles, including CFO of Verizon Wireless, Head of Internal Audit, SVP Business Excellence, Operational Excellence and Treasurer of Verizon. "We are thrilled to welcome Holly to our Board of Directors,” said Scott Robinson, Board Chair. "We believe her extensive financial experience, including serving as SVP and CFO of multiple divisions at Verizon, combined with her background in operational transformation, will be invaluable in supporting DIRTT in the execution of our growth strategy.” Ms. Groos remarked "I am excited to join the DIRTT Board of Directors and to leverage my financial and operational excellence expertise in an effort to transform how the world builds. I look forward to supporting the team on DIRTT's inspiring transformation journey." Ms. Groos earned a Bachelor of Science (Business Administration / Accounting) from Miami University. She is a Certified Public Accountant from the State of Ohio, a Lean Six Sigma Blackbelt and a member of AICPA. Special Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements Certain statements contained in this news release that are not historical facts are "forward-looking information” and "forward-looking statements” (collectively, "Forward-Looking Information”) as defined under applicable provisions of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, and Section 21E of the Exchange Act and within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws. Forward-Looking Information, by its nature, is based on assumptions, and is subject to important risks and uncertainties, including that Ms. Groos's experience and background will support DIRTT in the execution of its growth strategy, or that such strategy will be executed as expected. You should not rely on any Forward-Looking Information, which represents our beliefs, assumptions and estimates only as of the dates on which it was made, as predictions of future events. We undertake no obligation to update this Forward-Looking Information, even though circumstances may change in the future, except as required under applicable securities laws. We qualify all of our Forward-Looking Information with these cautionary statements. About DIRTT Environmental Solutions DIRTT is a global leader in industrialized construction. Its integrated system of physical products and digital tools empowers organizations, together with construction and design leaders, to build high-performing, adaptable, interior environments. Operating in the commercial, healthcare, education, and public sector markets, DIRTT's system offers total design freedom, and greater certainty in cost, schedule, and outcomes. Headquartered in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, DIRTT trades on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol "DRT” and is quoted on the OTC markets on the "OTC Pink Tier” under the symbol "DRTTF.” FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT [email protected] .Medalist Diversified REIT CFO Winn buys $3,645 in stockDoorDash steps up driver ID checks after traffic safety complaints
NATO and Ukraine to hold emergency talks after Russian attack with hypersonic missileClemson added a quarterback to its 2025 recruiting class on Tuesday with Chris Denson announcing his decision to flip from Coastal Carolina. The 6-foot-2, 175-pounder from Plant City High School in Florida had been committed to the Chanticleers since April and has yet to visit Clemson's campus. Tigers coach Dabo Swinney has been putting a push on to flip Denson in recent weeks following the decommitment of Blake Hebert last month. "I just feel like my development will be through the roof," Denson told On3.com about his decision to switch. "Playing under one of the best coaches in the country and knowing that I haven't reached my potential yet, I know that they will take me to that level." A three-star recruit, Denson is ranked as the No. 50 quarterback in the nation by the 247 Composite. He is the 14th player to commit to the Tigers, who have also seen six players decommit this cycle, according to The Greenville News. "What makes Clemson special is just the level of ball that they are playing at," Denson said. "And the way they compete. I'm a huge competitor, so that's the type of place and people I want to surround myself around." --Field Level Media
It's rivalry week in college football — and there are plenty of playoff implications on the line. There remain only a handful of games for each program, and the race for the College Football Playoff is on. Teams have just a couple of chances left to boost their resume and prove they belong in the field with a chance at a national championship. With the expansion from the four-team format to 12 starting in 2024, the end of the season is all the more exciting. Teams that may have found themselves well outside the hunt for a national championship in years prior find themselves in the thick of a close competition to grab one of the 12 spots in the playoff. The four-team system had been in place since 2012, replacing the outdated BCS format. It expanded the championship series from two teams to four teams, and fans began questioning when it would expand again. The answer ended up being 2024. The first College Football Playoff rankings release began in early November. In total, there will be six reveals before the final 12-team playoff is selected in January. Tuesday, Nov. 26 marks the fourth release of those rankings. Follow below as The Sporting News is tracking the latest bracket reveal of the 12-team CFP era. STREAM: Watch the first CFP rankings show live with Fubo (free trial) College Football Playoff rankings 2024 Who are the top 12 teams in latest CFP bracket poll? Ranking Team Record 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. First four teams out Ranking Team Record 13. 14. 15. 16. Rest of the top 25 Ranking Team Record 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. 24. 25. College Football Playoff bracket 2024 This section will be updated once the new bracket is revealed How new College Football Playoff format works in 2024 The new CFP format consists of 12 teams. Automatic bids are given to the top four conference champions, which are automatically seeded 1-4 regardless of Playoff ranking. The remaining eight spots will comprise at least six at-large bids and then the two highest-ranked remaining conference champs. So, it could be seven at-large bids and then one more conference champion, or simply eight at-large bids. The CFP committee will determine the exact breakdown of the field. At the very least, this new format guarantees that at least one Group of 5 team makes the field. Here's a look at how the College Football Playoff seeding will play out: First round No. 1 team (bye) No. 2 team (bye) No. 3 team (bye) No. 4 team (bye) No. 12 team at No. 5 team No. 11 team at No. 6 team No. 10 team at No. 7 team No. 9 team at No. 8 team Quarterfinals No. 1 team vs. No. 8/9 team No. 2 team vs. No. 7/10 team No. 3 team vs. No. 6/11 team No. 4 team vs. No. 5/12 team Game Date First round Dec. 20-21 Fiesta Bowl (Quarterfinals) Dec. 31 Sugar, Peach, Rose Bowls (Quarterfinals) Jan. 1 Orange Bowl (Semifinals) Jan. 9 Cotton Bowl (Semifinals) Jan. 10 National Championship Jan. 20 MORE: Updated NCAA Top 25 polls after Week 13 of college football season College Football Playoff predictions Here are The Sporting News' latest CFP bracket projections after Week 13, according to Bill Bender : Ranking Team Record 1. Oregon 11-0 2. Texas 10-1 3 Miami 10-1 4. Arizona State 9-2 5. Ohio State 10-1 6. Penn State 10-1 7. Notre Dame 10-1 8. Georgia 9-2 9. Indiana 10-1 10. Tennessee 9-2 11. SMU 10-1 12. Boise State 10-1 College Football Playoff rankings release schedule 2024 There are six total rankings reveal shows. The time will vary as it moves around other sporting events on the network. The schedule is listed below. Date Time (ET) TV channel Live stream Tuesday, November 5 7 p.m. ESPN Fubo Tuesday, November 12 8:30 p.m. ESPN Fubo Tuesday, November 19 7 p.m. ESPN Fubo Tuesday, November 26 8 p.m. ESPN Fubo Tuesday, December 3 7 p.m. ESPN Fubo Sunday, December 8 12 p.m. ESPN Fubo If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. Learn more >Lots of folks are enjoying their new holiday gifts right now — but some might not love that new sweater. The week following Christmas is the biggest week of returns in the U.S., and this year, some major retailers are making some major changes to their return policies. Outlets including Amazon, REI, and Target are changing who can return items and how they return them. It's to combat fraud, which has cost retailers tens of billions of dollars each year. And while you might not be trying to game the system, the changes will affect you nonetheless. In June, Amazon added processing fees for high-return items. That charge varies, since it's based on an item's popularity and how often it's returned. But shoes and apparel are excepted due to sizing issues — so you can still get rid of those reindeer socks without a penalty. Outdoor retailer REI also announced it could refuse a return — but that's limited to frequent returners. The company says the changes will affect only 0.02% of members who show a pattern of policy abuse. Similar changes are at Target, which announced it reserves the right to also refuse refunds suspected of fraud. RELATED STORY | Get ready for the post-Christmas return frenzy The changes come as cases of fraud have increased in recent years. The National Retail Federation estimates return scams cost retailers over $100 billion in 2023 alone. That's after $743 billion in items were returned. By the end of 2024, the group estimates that number will rise to nearly $900 billion. Online shopping it where most returns occur. According to the software company Elite Extra, the cost of handling a return is roughly 17% of the purchase cost. So for every $100 in accepted returns, a company loses $17. You can thank the "wardrobers" out there who return used items, or the folks who fake receipts for stolen goods. Or those who switch high-value items with knockoffs. And don't forget to thank Dear Aunt Sally for the sweatshirt. She meant well.Lots of folks are enjoying their new holiday gifts right now — but some might not love that new sweater. The week following Christmas is the biggest week of returns in the U.S., and this year, some major retailers are making some major changes to their return policies. Outlets including Amazon, REI, and Target are changing who can return items and how they return them. It's to combat fraud, which has cost retailers tens of billions of dollars each year. And while you might not be trying to game the system, the changes will affect you nonetheless. In June, Amazon added processing fees for high-return items. That charge varies, since it's based on an item's popularity and how often it's returned. But shoes and apparel are excepted due to sizing issues — so you can still get rid of those reindeer socks without a penalty. Outdoor retailer REI also announced it could refuse a return — but that's limited to frequent returners. The company says the changes will affect only 0.02% of members who show a pattern of policy abuse. Similar changes are at Target, which announced it reserves the right to also refuse refunds suspected of fraud. RELATED STORY | Get ready for the post-Christmas return frenzy The changes come as cases of fraud have increased in recent years. The National Retail Federation estimates return scams cost retailers over $100 billion in 2023 alone. That's after $743 billion in items were returned. By the end of 2024, the group estimates that number will rise to nearly $900 billion. Online shopping it where most returns occur. According to the software company Elite Extra, the cost of handling a return is roughly 17% of the purchase cost. So for every $100 in accepted returns, a company loses $17. You can thank the "wardrobers" out there who return used items, or the folks who fake receipts for stolen goods. Or those who switch high-value items with knockoffs. And don't forget to thank Dear Aunt Sally for the sweatshirt. She meant well.
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