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US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Donald Lu on Saturday expressed its Government’s commitment to supporting Sri Lanka’s ongoing anti-corruption initiatives as needed during a meeting with President Anura Kumara Dissanayake at the Presidential Secretariat. He stated that the US is prepared to provide financial and technical assistance to strengthen Sri Lanka’s security and economy. He also emphasised the US Government’s willingness to offer technical expertise to help recover funds that were illegally taken out of the country, as part of Sri Lanka’s anti-corruption program. The discussion highlighted the US Government’s appreciation for the new administration’s prioritisation of key political, economic, and social challenges. Lu reaffirmed US support for safeguarding Sri Lanka’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. President Dissanayake highlighted that Sri Lanka’s political culture significantly influences corruption and waste. He emphasised that efforts are underway to reduce these issues by fostering a new and improved political culture. The President also spoke about initiatives to uplift rural living standards through improvements to the rural economy and efforts to establish a modern civil service by enhancing the quality of public services. The meeting was attended by Labour Minister and Economic Development Deputy Minister Anil Jayantha Fernando, Secretary to the President Dr. Nandika Sanath Kumanayake, Additional Secretary to the President Roshan Gamage, US Ambassador Julie Chung, USAID Deputy Assistant Administrator for Asia Anjali Kaur, US Department of Treasury Deputy Assistant Secretary for Asia and the Pacific Robert Kaproth, USAID Mission Director Gabriel Grau, and Political and Economic Affairs Counsellor Shawn Gray, among others.JERUSALEM — Israel approved a ceasefire agreement with Lebanon's Hezbollah militants on Tuesday that would end nearly 14 months of fighting linked to the war in the Gaza Strip. The ceasefire, starting at 4 a.m. local time Wednesday, would mark the first major step toward ending the regionwide unrest triggered by Hamas’ attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. But it does not address the devastating war in Gaza, where Hamas is still holding dozens of hostages and the conflict is more intractable. Hours before the ceasefire with Hezbollah was to take effect, Israel carried out the most intense wave of strikes in Beirut and its southern suburbs since the start of the conflict and issued a record number of evacuation warnings. At least 42 people were killed in strikes across the country, according to local authorities. Another huge airstrike shook Beirut shortly after the ceasefire was announced. There appeared to be lingering disagreement over whether Israel would have the right to strike Hezbollah if it believed the militants had violated the agreement, something Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu insisted was part of the deal but which Lebanese and Hezbollah officials have rejected. Israel's security Cabinet approved the U.S.-France-brokered ceasefire agreement after Netanyahu presented it, his office said. U.S. President Joe Biden, speaking in Washington, called the agreement “good news” and said his administration would make a renewed push for a ceasefire in Gaza. The Biden administration spent much of this year trying to broker a ceasefire and hostage release in Gaza but the talks repeatedly sputtered to a halt. President-elect Donald Trump has vowed to bring peace to the Middle East without saying how. Still, any halt to the fighting in Lebanon is expected to reduce the likelihood of war between Israel and Iran, which backs both Hezbollah and Hamas and exchanged direct fire with Israel on two occasions earlier this year. Netanyahu presented the ceasefire proposal to Cabinet ministers after a televised address in which he listed accomplishments against Israel’s enemies across the region. He said a ceasefire with Hezbollah would further isolate Hamas in Gaza and allow Israel to focus on its main enemy, Iran. “If Hezbollah breaks the agreement and tries to rearm, we will attack,” he said. “For every violation, we will attack with might.” The ceasefire deal calls for a two-month initial halt in fighting and would require Hezbollah to end its armed presence in a broad swath of southern Lebanon, while Israeli troops would return to their side of the border. Thousands of additional Lebanese troops and U.N. peacekeepers would deploy in the south, and an international panel headed by the United States would monitor compliance. Biden said Israel reserved the right to quickly resume operations in Lebanon if Hezbollah breaks the terms of the truce, but that the deal "was designed to be a permanent cessation of hostilities.” Netanyahu’s office said Israel appreciated the U.S. efforts in securing the deal but “reserves the right to act against every threat to its security.” Lebanon’s caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati welcomed the ceasefire and described it as a crucial step toward stability and the return of displaced people. Hezbollah has said it accepts the proposal, but a senior official with the group said Tuesday it had not seen the agreement in its final form. “After reviewing the agreement signed by the enemy government, we will see if there is a match between what we stated and what was agreed upon by the Lebanese officials,” Mahmoud Qamati, deputy chair of Hezbollah’s political council, told the Al Jazeera news network. “We want an end to the aggression, of course, but not at the expense of the sovereignty of the state," he said, referring to Israel's demand for freedom of action. “Any violation of sovereignty is refused.” Even as ceasefire efforts gained momentum in recent days, Israel continued to strike what it called Hezbollah targets across Lebanon while the militants fired rockets, missiles and drones across the border. An Israeli strike on Tuesday leveled a residential building in central Beirut — the second time in recent days warplanes have hit the crowded area near downtown. At least seven people were killed and 37 wounded, according to Lebanon's Health Ministry. Israel also struck a building in Beirut's bustling commercial district of Hamra for the first time, hitting a site around 400 yards from Lebanon’s Central Bank. There were no reports of casualties. The Israeli military said it struck targets linked to Hezbollah's financial arm. The evacuation warnings covered many areas, including parts of Beirut that previously were not targeted. The warnings sent residents fleeing. Traffic was gridlocked, with mattresses tied to some cars. Dozens of people, some wearing pajamas, gathered in a central square, huddling under blankets or standing around fires as Israeli drones buzzed overhead. Israeli military spokesman Avichay Adraee issued evacuation warnings for 20 buildings in Beirut's southern suburbs, where Hezbollah has a major presence, as well as a warning for the southern town of Naqoura where the U.N. peacekeeping mission, UNIFIL, is headquartered. UNIFIL spokesperson Andrea Tenenti said peacekeepers will not evacuate. Israeli forces reach Litani River in southern Lebanon The Israeli military also said its ground troops clashed with Hezbollah forces and destroyed rocket launchers in the Slouqi area on the eastern end of the Litani River, a few miles from the Israeli border. Under the ceasefire deal, Hezbollah would be required to move its forces north of the Litani, which in some places is about 20 miles north of the border. Hezbollah began firing into northern Israel on Oct. 8, 2023, saying it was showing support for the Palestinians, a day after Hamas carried out its attack on southern Israel, triggering the Gaza war. Israel returned fire on Hezbollah, and the two sides have exchanged barrages ever since. Israel escalated its bombardment in mid-September and later sent troops into Lebanon, vowing to put an end to Hezbollah fire so tens of thousands of evacuated Israelis could return to their homes. More than 3,760 people have been killed by Israeli fire in Lebanon the past 13 months, many of them civilians, according to Lebanese health officials. The bombardment has driven 1.2 million people from their homes. Israel says it has killed more than 2,000 Hezbollah members. Hezbollah fire has forced some 50,000 Israelis to evacuate in the country’s north, and its rockets have reached as far south in Israel as Tel Aviv. At least 75 people have been killed, more than half of them civilians. More than 50 Israeli soldiers have died in the ground offensive in Lebanon.top.646 。

WASHINGTON (AP) — A ninth U.S. telecoms firm has been confirmed to have been hacked as part of a sprawling Chinese espionage campaign that gave officials in Beijing access to private texts and phone conversations of an unknown number of Americans, a top White House official said Friday. Biden administration officials said this month that at least eight telecommunications companies , as well as dozens of nations, had been affected by the Chinese hacking blitz known as Salt Typhoon. But Anne Neuberger, the deputy national security adviser for cyber and emerging technologies, told reporters Friday that a ninth victim had been identified after the administration released guidance to companies about how to hunt for Chinese culprits in their networks. The update from Neuberger is the latest development in a massive hacking operation that has alarmed national security officials, exposed cybersecurity vulnerabilities in the private sector and laid bare China's hacking sophistication. The hackers compromised the networks of telecommunications companies to obtain customer call records and gain access to the private communications of “a limited number of individuals." Though the FBI has not publicly identified any of the victims, officials believe senior U.S. government officials and prominent political figures are among those whose whose communications were accessed. Neuberger said officials did not yet have a precise sense how many Americans overall were affected by Salt Typhoon, in part because the Chinese were careful about their techniques, but a “large number" were in the Washington-Virginia area. Officials believe the goal of the hackers was to identify who owned the phones and, if they were “government targets of interest,” spy on their texts and phone calls, she said. The FBI said most of the people targeted by the hackers are "primarily involved in government or political activity.” Neuberger said the episode highlighted the need for required cybersecurity practices in the telecommunications industry, something the Federal Communications Commission is to take up at a meeting next month. “We know that voluntary cyber security practices are inadequate to protect against China, Russia and Iran hacking of our critical infrastructure,” she said. The Chinese government has denied responsibility for the hacking.The NFL Network is reportedly considering whether to continue featuring ads on RedZone, a decision that has sparked significant backlash from viewers online. During Week 15 of the NFL season, fans were surprised by the presence of commercials on RedZone, particularly as NFL Network's Scott Hanson began the show with his well-known phrase: "Seven hours of commercial-free football starts now." According to Front Office Sports , the NFL Network is "undecided" about future RedZone commercials, although one source suggests the league may experiment with double-box ads in the final two weeks of the season. Terry Bradshaw secured Fox NFL role after simple gesture won over producer Andy Reid leaves Michael Vick reeling with FOX NFL Sunday message The insider also speculated that the NFL might delay until the 2025 regular season, at which point it would introduce RedZone advertisements more extensively. The introduction of ads to NFL's RedZone has left many fans disgruntled and considering abandoning the show, which was previously commercial-free. A fan on social media protested, "It's official, redzone has sold out. The commercial free era is over. what a shame,". Another voiced indignation by saying: "Not to be dramatic but red zone doing commercials now is such an indictment on the current state of things. They are choosing to ruin their reputation with their fans just so they can run a couple ads. Absolutely pathetic.." In response, a third individual lamented: "Redzone commercials the latest example of companies making a product worse for a few bucks just because they can and the consumer being completely impotent to do anything about it. sucks. your brand loyalty is just money for some company.". In light of the significant pushback from viewers, host Hanson extended an apology, "Hey everyone, as we kick off a great football weekend, I just wanted to take a quick second and apologize for using the commercial-free catchphrase at the top of the last show," he confessed. "I was conflicted about it beforehand. I had a tough decision to make, and I made the wrong decision, and I'm sorry. I try to be the best host I can possibly be. DON'T MISS: Robert Griffin III sends message to Netflix team after NFL Christmas broadcast Andy Reid confirms unwanted blow for Patrick Mahomes and Kansas City Chiefs Bryce Underwood turns heads at first Michigan practice after alarming NIL deal "What we have shared together for 16 seasons on NFL RedZone is unlike anything else. I love it. I hope to do it for 16 more years. But being a great host means being accurate, being truthful, and having integrity. And so I hope you consider accepting this apology." In a notable deviation, Hanson refrained from using "commercial-free" in his usual introduction. Just one week after his broadcast blunder, he started Sunday's show by saying: "And you know what? You love RedZone football, we love RedZone football. So from now on it's... seven hours of RedZone football starts now." Despite the concerning change in his slogan, the most recent RedZone broadcast surprisingly went ahead without commercials. According to Sportico , the previous Week 15 commercials were actually just "tests", and a source has claimed that the NFL "does not currently have plans to test the ads again."

Singer Madonna seemed puzzled over ironing as she juggled an iron in one hand and a beverage in the other while gearing up for a soccer mom day. The 66-year-old pop legend and mother to six — Lourdes Leon (26), Rocco Ritchie (22), David Banda Ciccone (17), Mercy James Ciccone (16), along with 10-year-old twins Estere and Stelle Ciccone — offered fans an intimate glimpse into her bustling life as a mom. On Monday, she shared her experience taking her children to football practice and cheering at a game by Asphalt Green Soccer Club in New York . Taking to Instagram she posted several photos showing her family moments. Madonna, 66, 'splits from boyfriend Akeem Morris, 28, after running into same issue' Madonna 'stuffed face' with anti-Trump cake as she slams Election Day results The first image featured her clenching an iron and swirling a cocktail. She captioned it: "Soccer Momming.............. Don't give me an Iron and a Drink at the same time!" Additional photos captured her rinsing tights in a sink and spending quality time with her youngest daughters. Having previously confessed parenting is an ongoing learning journey, Madonna told Vanity Fair in January last year: "Even today, I struggle to understand how to be a mother and do my job. Because, however it goes, whoever you are, having children and raising children is a work of art." She previously stated: "No one gives you a manual [on motherhood]. You have to learn from your mistakes. It is a profession that requires a lot of time. And it is exhausting because there is never rest." Madonna also admitted to feeling envious of her eldest daughter, Lourdes, affectionately known as Lola, whose father is actor Carlos Leon. DON'T MISS... Michael Jackson told Lisa Marie Presley 'I'm still a virgin' when they first met [INSIGHT] Madonna breaks silence over brother Christopher's death with heartbreaking post [COMMENT] Madonna makes dramatic entrance to Milan Fashion Week with black veil [PICTURES] In a past interview with Vogue, she said: "[Lourdes] is insanely talented. I'm green with envy because she's incredible at everything she does – she's an incredible dancer, she's a great actress, she plays the piano beautifully, she's way better than me in the talent department. But she doesn't have the same drive, and again, I feel social media plagues her and makes her feel like, 'People are going to give me things because I'm her daughter.'" She continued: "I try to give her examples of other children of celebrities like Zoë Kravitz, for instance, who have to work through that 'Oh yeah, you're the daughter of...' – and then eventually you are taken seriously for what you do. You just have to keep going." Madonna concluded by saying: "But does she have the same drive that I have? No. But she also has a mother, and I didn't. She grew up with money, and I didn't. So everything is going to be different. But what can I do? I can't fixate on it. I just have to do my best."Seatrium Limited ( OTCMKTS:SMBMF – Get Free Report ) saw a significant decrease in short interest during the month of December. As of December 15th, there was short interest totalling 2,633,900 shares, a decrease of 43.5% from the November 30th total of 4,658,200 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 4,700 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 560.4 days. Seatrium Stock Performance Shares of SMBMF stock opened at $1.34 on Friday. Seatrium has a fifty-two week low of $0.90 and a fifty-two week high of $2.00. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $1.48 and a 200-day simple moving average of $1.31. About Seatrium ( Get Free Report ) Further Reading Receive News & Ratings for Seatrium Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Seatrium and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter .Detroit Mercy defeats Purdue Fort Wayne 79-78

Pete Wicks gushed over his partner Jowita as he was axed from the hit BBC dancing show on Saturday night. The former TOWIE star just missed out on a place in the final. He had to dance off against Love Island star Tasha Ghouri for the last time in the competition. Judges Shirley Ballas, Anton Du Beke, Craig Revel Horwood and Motsi Mabuse unanimously chose to save Tasha and send Pete and his partner Jowita home. Pete and Jowita have sparked romance rumours throughout the competition, and reignited them as they performed their Argentine Tango routine as they appeared to nearly kiss at the end of the routine. Right at the end of the performance, they pulled each other in close and positioned themselves as if they were about to lock lips and looked to be getting very close. Read more Fans questioned whether they had really locked lips on social media. It comes despite Pete seemingly being involved with I'm A Celeb contestant Maura Higgins before she left for Australia, after they were pictured kissing. Pete opened up on his feelings for Jowita on the results show and gushed: "There's a lot of things I'm going to take away from this but the most special thing is you. "You're one one of the most incredible people that I've ever met, not just as a dancer but as a person. You've been a ray of sunshine. You've helped me through things in the past three months that I didn't think I could do. And you made me believe in myself and that means more to me than anything." It comes after Maura revealed in the I'm A Celebrity jungle that she had been getting close to a famous face before the show. The Irish beauty, who first rose to fame on Love Island , was being quizzed by her fellow campmates about her love life. She revealed she had been dating someone important before flying out to Australia, and admitted she was missing them in the jungle and that things 'felt different' with him. She also gave her tough three-word opinion on her love, saying: "He's not an a******."CDS Harps On Critical Role Of DECAN In Promoting National SecuritySoitec SA ( OTCMKTS:SLOIF – Get Free Report ) was the target of a significant growth in short interest during the month of December. As of December 15th, there was short interest totalling 27,600 shares, a growth of 144.2% from the November 30th total of 11,300 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 100 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 276.0 days. Soitec Stock Performance OTCMKTS SLOIF opened at $90.41 on Friday. Soitec has a twelve month low of $67.18 and a twelve month high of $180.20. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $82.98 and a 200 day simple moving average of $103.69. The company has a current ratio of 3.28, a quick ratio of 2.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45. Soitec Company Profile ( Get Free Report ) Further Reading Receive News & Ratings for Soitec Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Soitec and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter .Donald Trump says he urged Gretzky to run for prime minister in Christmas visit

Xtrackers Low Beta High Yield Bond ETF (NYSEARCA:HYDW) Trading Down 0.2% – Here’s What Happened

Detroit Mercy defeats Purdue Fort Wayne 79-78By RONALD BLUM AP Baseball Writer NEW YORK — New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge earned his second American League MVP award on Thursday. Judge was a unanimous pick for the first time, receiving all 30 first-place votes and 420 points in voting by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America. Kansas City shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. got all 30 second-place votes for 270 points, and Yankees outfielder Juan Soto was third with 21 third-place votes and 229 points. Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani won the National League MVP , his third MVP award, all of which have been unanimous. New York Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor was second with 263 points and Arizona second baseman Ketel Marte third with 229. Judge led the major leagues with 58 homers, 144 RBIs and 133 walks while hitting .322. Witt topped the big leagues with a .332 average, hitting 32 homers with 31 stolen bases and 109 RBIs. Soto batted .288 with 41 homers and 109 RBIs. When Judge won his first MVP award in 2022, he received 28 first-place votes while Ohtani got the other two. Judge had discussed the MVP award with Philadelphia’s Bryce Harper, the NL winner in 2015 and ’21. “I was telling him, ‘Man, I’m going to try to catch up to you with these MVPs here, man,’” Judge recalled. “He’d say, hopefully, he could stay a couple ahead of me, which I think he’ll do.” When Judge won his first MVP award in 2022, he received 28 first-place votes while Ohtani got the other two. He is the Yankees’ 22nd MVP winner, four more than any other team. Related Articles Judge was hitting .207 with six homers and 18 RBIs through April, then batted .352 with 52 homers and 126 RBIs in 127 games. “March and April were not my friend this year.” Judge said. “Just keep putting in the work and things are going to change. You can’t mope. You can’t feel sorry for yourself. Especially in New York, nobody’s going to feel sorry for you. So you just got to go out there and put up the numbers?” Balloting was conducted before the postseason.CEDAR FALLS, IOWA — The Saluki men's basketball team held a nine-point lead over Northern Iowa with just over five minutes in the first half, but the Panthers would close out the opening half on a 13-0 run en route to a 78-67 win Sunday afternoon at the McLeod Center. "They were more physical than we were, really on both ends," head coach Scott Nagy said following the loss. "We got off to a better start in this game, but when things got tight, we just couldn't run the offense. They weren't going to let us run what we wanted, and they just played more physical than us on the offensive end." Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Please enable it in your browser settings.