Syria latest: Syrians celebrate in the streets as Russian media says Assad has arrived in MoscowMRI confirms a season-ending torn Achilles for Heat’s Dru Smith, ‘a gut punch’
By NOAH TRISTER The Baltimore Orioles have agreed to a $49.5 million, three-year contract with outfielder Tyler O’Neill, according to a person familiar with the negotiations. The person spoke to The Associated Press on Saturday on condition of anonymity because the agreement was subject to a successful physical. O’Neill is set to make $16.5 million in each of the next three seasons. He can opt out after 2025. The Orioles also reached a one-year, $8.5 million agreement with catcher Gary Sánchez, a person with knowledge of the negotiations said Saturday night. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the deal hadn’t been announced. The 29-year-old O’Neill hit .241 with 31 homers and 61 RBIs last season for Boston. It was his first year with the Red Sox after spending his first six big league campaigns with St. Louis. O’Neill can play both corner outfield spots, which could be crucial if the Orioles lose switch-hitting slugger Anthony Santander in free agency. It’s also helpful that O’Neill bats from the right side. Baltimore star Gunnar Henderson bats left-handed, and so do Colton Cowser, Jackson Holliday, Heston Kjerstad and Cedric Mullins. O’Neill’s power is an asset, but his durability is a concern. Leg problems and a concussion limited him to 113 games last season, and that was actually the second-most of his career. He played 138 in 2021, when he set career highs in batting average (.286), homers (34), RBIs (80) and steals (15). He received comeback player of the year honors in the American League this year in the annual Players Choice Awards from the Major League Baseball Players Association. He had played only 72 games in 2023 and the Cardinals traded him to the Red Sox. In his first game with Boston, O’Neill homered on his fifth straight opening day, a big league record. O’Neill won Gold Gloves in 2020 and 2021. Sánchez figures to fill the backup catcher role behind All-Star Adley Rutschman. Sánchez, who turned 32 Monday, hit .220 with 11 home runs and 37 RBIs in 89 games for Milwaukee last season.21-year-old South Carolina man killed in crash with tree, Lexington County coroner says
Paratroopers with the IDF deployed to Syria to conduct "defense activities" following the fall of former Syrian President Bashar Assad. The fall of Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad, the culmination of years of civil war, has given way to a power vacuum with different factions protecting their own interests – and vying for power in the Middle Eastern nation. The U.S., worried about the resurgence of an ISIS stronghold, has struck targets associated with the Islamic State in central Syria. Turkey, which controls a zone of Syria on its northern border, has continued to attack U.S.-backed Kurdish forces. Both work with different proxy groups. Here’s a look at the different forces vying for control in the region: Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has fled the country. (Getty Images) Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) HTS was the key faction behind the fall of Damascus and the fleeing of Assad, and now controls the capital city. But the Islamist militant group is far from a U.S. ally – its leader, Abu Mohammed al-Golani, has a $10 million U.S. bounty on his head and has been designated a terrorist since 2013. The group governed just a sliver of northwest Syria in Idlib. ISRAEL DEPLOYS PARATROOPERS TO SYRIA IN 'DEFENSE ACTIVITIES' AFTER FALL OF ASSAD The group, founded as an al Qaeda affiliate, still remains largely aligned with al Qaeda but focuses on establishing fundamentalist Islamic rule in Syria rather than a global caliphate. The U.N., U.S. and Turkey all designate HTS as a terrorist organization. The group, in recent years, has worked to soften its image and lobbied to be delisted as a terrorist group, highlighting its government services in Idlib and promising to protect religious and cultural sites, even churches, in Aleppo. Experts believe Turkey, which has long looked to topple Assad, may have been at play in HTS’ offensive. Hayat Tahrir al-Sham chief Abu Mohammed al-Golani has a $10 million bounty on his head. Syrian government forces Syria’s forces loyal to Assad have staved off coup attempts since 2011, often through violent crackdowns on protests and rebellion. By 2020, government troops backed by Iran, Russia and Lebanese Hezbollah had pushed rebel forces back to the northwest corner of Syria. In the waning days of November, rebel factions swiftly overpowered government troops, seizing control of Aleppo – a city previously reclaimed by Assad's forces in 2016. Eight days later, the insurgents successfully captured not only Aleppo, but also Hama, Homs and Damascus. On Monday, HTS granted Assad’s forces "a general amnesty for all military personnel conscripted under compulsory service." "Their lives are safe and no one may assault them," the group said in a statement. HTS jihadists fight against government forces in Aleppo. (Bakr Alkasem/AFP via Getty Images) Syrian National Army (SNA) The SNA is a loosely bound coalition of Turkish-backed forces primarily intent on fighting Kurdish forces. But the coalition, which carries out Turkish President Recep Erdogan’s anti-Assad efforts, was also involved in the fall of Damascus. The groups have – in the past – also battled HTS and other Islamic State terrorists. The SNA coalition believes U.S.-backed Kurdish forces in Syria to be linked to Turkey’s Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), a militant group that has launched Kurdish nationalist attacks in Turkey. Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) SDF is a coalition of U.S.-backed Kurdish forces, centered in northeastern Syria. They have long worked alongside the U.S. in battling Islamic State forces in Syria. In addition to fighting the Islamic State, they’ve been fending off attacks from Turkish-backed fighters. US STRIKES DOZENS OF ISIS CAMPS AND OPERATIVES IN SYRIA AMID ASSAD'S DOWNFALL Kurdish forces were not involved in the offensive that toppled Assad, but they hailed the offensive campaign. "In Syria, we are living through historic moments as we witness the fall of the authoritarian regime in Damascus. This change presents an opportunity to build a new Syria based on democracy and justice that guarantees the rights of all Syrians," said Mazlum Abdi, the commander of the SDF, on Sunday morning. Turkey After relatively friendly relations with Syria throughout the early 2000s, Turkey condemned Assad over the violent 2011 crackdown on protesters. While Turkey and the U.S. are allies – bound to protect each other through NATO – they are on opposing sides in Syria, even as both celebrated Assad's downfall. The Turkish military fired on U.S.-backed forces in Syria over the weekend, where fighting erupted between rebel groups in Manbij, a Kurdish-controlled city near Syria's border with Turkey. Turkey has long had a goal of pushing the Kurds away from its border, and is looking to use the current turmoil to capture control along the border and decimate the Kurdish population there. Kurdish separatists have fought Turkey for years, looking to carve out their own autonomous nation. Russia Russia has long propped up the Assad regime, and days ago granted the ousted leader asylum. Since 2015, Russia has effectively acted as Assad’s air force, but its capacity to intervene on the dictator’s behalf has diminished since resources were needed for the war with Ukraine. Opposition fighters remove a government flag from an official building in Salamiyah, east of Hama, Syria, Saturday Dec. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Ghaith Alsayed) Iran Iran was Assad’s biggest supporter, providing arms and military advice and directing its proxy Lebanese Hezbollah to fight the insurgents. But Hezbollah had to direct its troops back to Lebanon to fight Israel, leaving Assad’s forces in a weakened position. HTS leader al-Golani lamented in a speech on Sunday that Syria had become "a playground for Iranian ambitions." Israel Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu credited his forces’ weakening of Hezbollah for playing a key role in the fall of Assad. Israel has consistently launched strikes against Syria with the strategic aim of disrupting the channels Iran uses to supply arms to Hezbollah. After Assad’s fall, Israel, on Sunday, struck Assad’s chemical weapons facilities within Syria, for fear of what hands they may fall into in his absence. Israel also captured control of a buffer zone within the Golan Heights, the first time they’ve captured territory in Syria since the war in 1973. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) moved in on Sunday and told residents to remain in their homes until further notice. They said they needed to capture the territory to ensure border security. They also captured Mount Hermon – the highest point on the border between the two countries and a blind spot in their defenses that Iran had been exploiting to send low-flying drones. The entrance of the Kweyris military airfield in the eastern part of Aleppo province on Dec. 3, 2024, where a portrait of President Bashar al-Assad and a national flag had been tossed in the garbage. (Rami Al-Sayed/AFP via Getty Images) U.S. Some 900 U.S. troops remain in Syria, where they are partnered with the SDF to fight ISIS. On Sunday, President Biden said U.S. troops would remain there to "ensure stability." The U.S. carried out dozens of precision strikes on more than 75 ISIS targets in central Syria over the weekend to prevent the terrorist group from exploiting the unrest to rebuild. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP "We're clear-eyed about the fact that ISIS will try to take advantage of any vacuum to re-establish its capability to create a safe haven," Biden said. "We will not let that happen." Biden said the U.S. would support Syria's neighbors – Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq and Israel – "should any threat arise from Syria during this transition." The president added that the fall of Assad created a "historic opportunity for the long-suffering people of Syria."C$ unless otherwise stated TSX/NYSE/PSE: MFC SEHK: 945 TORONTO , Dec. 9, 2024 /PRNewswire/ - Manulife has been notified of an unsolicited mini-tender offer made by New York Stock and Bond LLC (New York Stock and Bond) to purchase up to 50,000 Manulife common shares, or less than 0.003% of the common shares outstanding, at a price of USD$12.50 per share. Manulife is in no way associated with New York Stock and Bond and does not recommend or endorse acceptance of this unsolicited offer. Manulife cautions shareholders that the mini-tender offer has been made at a price below the current market price for Manulife shares. The offer represents a discount of approximately 60.76% and 60.80%, respectively, below the closing prices of Manulife common shares on the TSX and NYSE on November 27, 2024 , the last trading day before the mini-tender offer was commenced, and a discount of 61.43% and 61.42%, respectively, below the closing prices on the TSX and NYSE on December 6, 2024 . Mini-tender offers are designed to seek less than 5% of a company's outstanding shares, avoiding disclosure and procedural requirements applicable to most bids under Canadian and U.S. securities regulations. The Canadian Securities Administrators (CSA) and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) have expressed serious concerns about mini-tender offers, including the possibility that investors might tender to such offers without understanding the offer price relative to the actual market price of their securities. The SEC states that "bidders make mini-tender offers at below-market prices, hoping that they will catch investors off guard if the investors do not compare the offer price to the current market price." Shareholders should carefully review the New York Stock and Bond offer documents and current market price for Manulife shares, and consult their investment advisors regarding any offer they may receive and review with their advisors all options for their investment in Manulife shares. Manulife has stock transfer agents providing shareholder services in Canada , the United States , Hong Kong and the Philippines . These local agents provide services directly to our registered shareholders and can provide information on share account management, direct deposit of dividends, dividend reinvestment and share purchase plans. Please email manulifeinquiries@tmx.com for more information. Manulife requests that a copy of this news release be included in any distribution of materials relating to New York Stock and Bond's mini-tender offer for Manulife common shares. About Manulife Manulife Financial Corporation is a leading international financial services provider, helping people make their decisions easier and lives better. With our global headquarters in Toronto, Canada , we provide financial advice and insurance, operating as Manulife across Canada , Asia , and Europe , and primarily as John Hancock in the United States . Through Manulife Investment Management, the global brand for our Global Wealth and Asset Management segment, we serve individuals, institutions, and retirement plan members worldwide. At the end of 2023, we had more than 38,000 employees, over 98,000 agents, and thousands of distribution partners, serving over 35 million customers. We trade as 'MFC' on the Toronto , New York , and the Philippine stock exchanges, and under '945' in Hong Kong. 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