Best time to do your Christmas shopping at every supermarket revealedATLANTA (AP) — The Atlanta Falcons are back in first place in the NFC South and again in control of their playoff hopes. Rookie quarterback Michael Penix Jr. showed the poise in his first NFL start the Falcons will need to take advantage of their opportunity to end a six-year playoff drought. Powered by a big-play defense that produced two pick-6s, a solid starting debut by Penix and two rushing touchdowns by Bijan Robinson, the Falcons cruised past the hapless New York Giants 34-7 on Sunday. On Sunday night, the Falcons (8-7) received the assist they needed when Tampa Bay lost at Dallas . Because the Falcons swept the Buccaneers, they hold the tiebreaker advantage if they remain tied atop the division. The Falcons have games remaining at Washington on Sunday night and at home against Carolina to close the regular season. If Atlanta wins both games, it would win the division and have a home playoff game. The Falcons are assured of their best record since a 10-6 finish under coach Dan Quinn in 2017, their most recent playoff season. Quinn is in his first season as Washington's coach and has led the Commanders (10-5) to three straight wins, including Sunday's 36-33 victory over Philadelphia. Penix, the No. 8 overall pick in this year's NFL draft, was promoted after coach Raheem Morris benched Kirk Cousins. Penix completed 18 of 27 passes for 202 yards with one interception on a pass that should have been caught by tight end Kyle Pitts. Penix is not a dual-threat quarterback, but he showed the ability to escape pressure in the pocket that Cousins lacks following his 2023 Achilles tendon injury. The left-hander's superior arm strength also was immediately obvious. What’s working Robinson's production provided a safety net for the offense which helped make for a smooth transition to Penix. Robinson had scoring runs of 2 and 4 yards. Robinson has rushed for 10 touchdowns this season. He's the first Atlanta player with 10 more more rushing touchdowns since Devonta Freeman during the 2016 Super Bowl season. Robinson ran for 94 yards on 22 carries and had 103 yards from scrimmage. His 11th game this season with at least 100 yards from scrimmage are the most for the Falcons since Warrick Dunn's 11 in 2005. Morris said Robinson deserves to be considered with Philadelphia's Saquon Barkley in discussions regarding the league's top running backs. “Bijan has been outstanding all year in the things that he’s able to do," Morris said. “He’s special. If it wasn’t for this other guy out in Philly, he’d get a lot more recognition across the league. But that guy is having a special year, and Bijan’s not far behind him.” What needs help With kicker Younghoe Koo on injured reserve and watching from the sideline, Riley Patterson was wide left on his first field-goal attempt from 43 yards. Patterson rebounded to make attempts from 52 and 37 yards. Stock up Jessie Bates III and Matthew Judon each had a pick-6 to highlight a day of big plays for the defense. Arnold Ebiketie had his fifth sack of the season and added a fumble recovery. Kaden Ellis added a strip-sack. He also has five sacks this season, including sacks in four consecutive games. It is the longest streak for Atlanta since Patrick Kerney had sacks in five straight games in 2001. Stock down There was some thought that a change at quarterback could be good news for Pitts, who often seemed to be missing in action with Cousins running the offense. After all, a tight end often is a natural target for quick passes from a rookie making his first start. Instead, Pitts had a poor start to the Penix era when he bobbled his first pass from the left-hander, creating an interception by cornerback Cor’Dale Flott. Pitts caught a 7-yard pass on his only other target. For the season, Pitts has 41 catches for 543 yards and three touchdowns. Injuries There will be much interest in this week's injury report after WR Drake London (hamstring) was hurt in the second half. Morris provided an optimistic postgame outlook on London. CB Antonio Hamilton (quad) did not return after leaving the game in the first half. Key number 8: Bates has four interceptions and four forced fumbles. His combined eight forced turnovers lead the NFL. Next steps The game against Jayden Daniels and the Commanders is a reminder Penix was only the fourth of six quarterbacks selected in the first round of the NFL draft. Daniels, from LSU, was the No. 2 overall pick behind Caleb Williams by Chicago. ___ AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl Charles Odum, The Associated Press
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PHILADELPHIA and NEW YORK , Dec. 27, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- FS KKR Capital Corp. (NYSE: FSK) today announced that it has completed its previously announced offering of an additional $100 million in aggregate principal amount of its 6.125% notes due 2030 (the "Notes"). The Notes will be a further issuance of, and form a single series with, the $600 million aggregate principal amount of 6.125% Notes due 2030 that FSK issued on November 20, 2024 , increasing the outstanding aggregate principal amount of the series to $700 million . BofA Securities, Inc., BMO Capital Markets Corp., J.P. Morgan Securities LLC, KKR Capital Markets LLC, SMBC Nikko Securities America, Inc., and Truist Securities, Inc. are acting as joint book-running managers for this offering. FSK intends to use the net proceeds of this offering for general corporate purposes, including potentially repaying outstanding indebtedness under credit facilities and certain notes. This announcement does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any of the Notes, nor shall there be any offer, solicitation or sale in any state or jurisdiction in which such an offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful. About FS KKR Capital Corp. FSK is a leading publicly traded business development company (BDC) focused on providing customized credit solutions to private middle market U.S. companies. FSK seeks to invest primarily in the senior secured debt and, to a lesser extent, the subordinated debt of private middle market companies. FSK is advised by FS/KKR Advisor, LLC. About FS/KKR Advisor, LLC FS/KKR Advisor, LLC (FS/KKR) is a partnership between FS Investments and KKR Credit that serves as the investment adviser to FSK and other business development companies. FS Investments is a global alternative asset manager dedicated to delivering superior performance and innovative investment and capital solutions. The firm manages over $83 billion in assets for a wide range of clients, including institutional investors, financial professionals and individual investors. FS Investments provides access to a broad suite of alternative asset classes and strategies through its best-in-class investment teams and partners. With its diversified platform and flexible capital solutions, the firm is a valued partner to general partners, asset owners and portfolio companies. FS Investments is grounded in its high-performance culture and guided by its commitment to building value for its clients, investing in its colleagues and giving back to its communities. The firm has more than 500 employees across offices in the U.S., Europe and Asia and is headquartered in Philadelphia . KKR is a leading global investment firm that offers alternative asset management as well as capital markets and insurance solutions. KKR aims to generate attractive investment returns by following a patient and disciplined investment approach, employing world-class people, and supporting growth in its portfolio companies and communities. KKR sponsors investment funds that invest in private equity, credit and real assets and has strategic partners that manage hedge funds. KKR's insurance subsidiaries offer retirement, life and reinsurance products under the management of Global Atlantic Financial Group. References to KKR's investments may include the activities of its sponsored funds and insurance subsidiaries. Forward-Looking Statements and Important Disclosure Notice This announcement may contain certain forward-looking statements, including statements with regard to future events or future performance or operations of FSK. Words such as "believes," "expects," "projects," and "future" or similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are subject to the inherent uncertainties in predicting future results and conditions. Certain factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected in these forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially include changes in the economy, risks associated with possible disruption in FSK's operations or the economy generally due to terrorism, geo-political risks, natural disasters or pandemics such as COVID-19, future changes in laws or regulations and conditions in FSK's operating area and the price at which shares of FSK's common stock trade on the New York Stock Exchange. Some of these factors are enumerated in the filings FSK makes with the SEC. FSK undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Contact Information: Investor Relations Contact Anna Kleinhenn Anna.Kleinhenn@fsinvestments.com FS Investments Media Team Melanie Hemmert Melanie.Hemmert@fsinvestments.com View original content to download multimedia: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/fsk-completes-public-offering-of-100-million-6-125-unsecured-notes-due-2030--302339667.html SOURCE FS Investments
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Israel said Tuesday it had bombed more than 350 military sites in Syria during the previous 48 hours, targeting “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 . Israel also acknowledged its troops were pushing into a border buffer zone inside Syria, which was established after the 1973 Mideast war. However, Israel denied its forces were advancing Tuesday toward the Syrian capital of Damascus. Life in the capital was slowly returning to normal after jihadi-led Syrian insurgents ousted President Bashar Assad over the weekend. People celebrated for a third day in a main square, and shops and banks reopened. The United States said Tuesday it would recognize and support a new Syrian government that renounces terrorism, destroys chemical weapons stocks and protects the rights of minorities and women. Syria's nearly 14-year civil war killed nearly half a million people and displaced half of the country’s prewar population of 23 million, becoming a proxy battlefield for regional and international powers. Here's the Latest: SAYDNAYA, Syria — Tens of thousands came to Saydnaya Prison from all over Syria after the fall of former President Bashar Assad to search for their loved ones. The place so notorious for its horrors was long known as “the slaughterhouse.” For the past two days, all have been looking for signs of loved ones who disappeared years or even decades ago into the secretive, sprawling prison just outside Damascus. But hope gave way to despair Monday. People opened the heavy iron doors lining the hallways to find cells inside empty. With sledgehammers, shovels and drills, men pounded holes in floors and walls, looking for what they believed were secret dungeons, or chasing sounds they thought they heard from underground. They found nothing. Insurgents freed dozens of people from the Saydnaya military prison on Sunday when Damascus fell. Since then, almost no one has been found. “Where is everyone? Where are everyone’s children? Where are they?” said Ghada Assad, breaking down in tears. An estimated 150,000 people were detained or went missing in Syria since 2011 — and tens of thousands of them are believed to have gone through Saydnaya. WASHINGTON — The top U.S. military commander for the Middle East was on the ground in Syria on Tuesday, meeting with a Kurish-led, U.S.-allied force at several bases in the country's east, U.S. Central Command said. Army Gen. Erik Kurilla visited with U.S. military commanders and troops as well as the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces. It wasn’t clear if he met with SDF leader Mazloum Abdi, and U.S. Central Command did not respond to a request for details about his visit or with whom he met. U.S. officials said they did not know what his message to the SDF was. The U.S has about 900 troops in Syria, including forces working with Kurdish allies in the northeast to prevent any resurgence of the Islamic State group. In a press release, Central Command said Kurilla received an “assessment of force protection measures, the rapidly evolving situation, and ongoing efforts to prevent ISIS from exploiting the current situation.” Kurilla then went on to Iraq where he met with leaders in Baghdad. UNITED NATIONS – The United Nations says it still getting reports about the looting of warehouses with humanitarian aid in a number of areas in Syria, including around the capital Damascus. U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters Tuesday that U.N. agencies and their partners are working to identify the extent of looting at the warehouses, including those of U.N. agencies and the Syrian Arab Red Crescent. Dujarric said U.N. aid officials report that “the humanitarian situation remains volatile across Syria, with reports of people continuing to be displaced.” Humanitarian officials reported that 25 trucks carrying U.N. aid crossed from Turkey to northwest Syria, which the situation is now relatively calm, the U.N. spokesman said. All 11 receptions opened in Idlib in the northwest to host newly displaced families were empty as of Monday, Dujarric said. In the northeast, he said, authorities report that as of Tuesday 100,000 people have been displaced due to fighting in Tal Rifaat and other parts of Aleppo governorate. Dujarric said the U.N.’s partners report that “reception centers in Tabqa and Raqqa have reached full capacity, and more than 200 sites – including municipal buildings, schools, mosques, and stadiums – are being used to accommodate newly displaced people.” BEIRUT — The Lebanese army said Tuesday that “unidentified gunmen” crossed the border from Syria into eastern Lebanon's Bekaa province and approached a Lebanese border post. In a statement, the army said the gunmen fired into the air and seized equipment from an evacuated Syrian army post in the outskirts of Kfar Fouq, near Rashaya al-Wadi, in the western part of Bekaa province. Lebanese army personnel responded with warning shots, forcing the group to retreat back into Syrian territory. The Lebanese army did not report any injuries or provide further details about the identity of the gunmen. WASHINGTON — Yemen’s Houthi rebels launched multiple drones and a missile at three commercial ships being escorted in the Gulf of Aden by U.S. Navy ships, a U.S. official said Tuesday. There was no damage and no injuries. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss military operations, said U.S. Navy destroyers, and Navy helicopter and a French Air Force aircraft shot down four of the drones and the missile. The three U.S. affiliated flagged ships were sailing east toward Djibouti. The Iran-backed Houthis have targeted shipping through the key waterway for more than a year, attacks they say are meant to force an end to Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza. JERUSALEM — Israel’s military said it bombed more than 350 sites in Syria during the previous 48 hours, targeting “most of the strategic weapons stockpiles” in the country. There is concern that, with the sudden collapse of the Syrian government, weapons stockpiles could be seized by jihadi militants. Warplanes hit what Israel said were Syrian air defense systems, military airfields, missile depots, and dozens of weapons production sites in the cities of Damascus, Homs, Tartus, Latakia, and Palmyra, the Israeli army statement said. In naval operations overnight Monday, Israeli missile ships struck two Syrian navy facilities simultaneously — Al-Bayda port and Latakia port — where the army said 15 Syrian naval vessels were docked. Israeli did not specify how many Syrian naval vessels were hit. The private security firm Ambrey said it had seen evidence that at least six Soviet-era Syrian navy missile ships were hit. Israeli officials said earlier that Israel also targeted alleged chemical weapons sites. JERUSALEM — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed Tuesday that his country’s military launched a wave of airstrikes across Syria to destroy the toppled government’s leftover “military capabilities,” and said Israel wants relations with the new government emerging Syria. Hours after Israeli warplanes pounded Syria, Netanyahu said Israeli doesn’t want to meddle in Syria’s internal affairs, but would take necessary steps to protect Israel's security and prevent jihadi militants from seizing the Syrian army assets. He warned that if the new Syrian government “allows Iran to re-establish itself in Syria or allows the transfer of Iranian weapons or any other weapons to Hezbollah, or attacks us -- we will respond forcefully and we will exact a heavy price from it.” He spoke in a video statement recorded at the Kirya military headquarters in Tel Aviv, after his first day of testimony in his corruption trial. DAMASCUS, Syria — In Umayyad Square in Damascus, Syrians celebrated the fall of President Bashar Assad for the third day on Tuesday despite Israeli airstrikes across the country. Insurgents who recently took control of the capital city tried to impose a new rule banning the celebratory gunfire. There were a few violators, and much less deafening gunfire. Protesters climbed the square's central monument to wave the Syrian revolutionary flag. On the ground, crowds chanted: “Out with Bashar! Out with Bashar!” Assad fled to Russia over the weekend after a lightning rebel offensive toppled his brutal police state. Demonstrators from different provinces marched in the square in groups, celebrating Assad's fall. Men on motorcycles and horses paraded into the square. One woman from Idlib province shouted that the Israeli strikes ruined the joy of ousting Assad. “Why are you striking us? We just deposed a tyrant,” she said. “Give us peace. Leave us alone,” said Ahmed Jreida, 22, a dentist student, when asked about the Israeli airstrikes. Hamzeh Hamada, 22, said this was the first time he had gone out to a demonstration. “We want the country to get better, to live in dignity and be like other countries that respect citizens’ rights and where there are no bribes,” he said. “We have suffered a lot from bribes. ... We had to bribe people for very minor things; things that should be our right.” Abdul-Jalil Diab was taking a stroll with his brothers in another square in western Damascus. He said he came back from Jordan the day Damascus fell. He was there studying German to prepare to move to Germany and said he is now reconsidering his plans. He was ecstatic, saying words can’t describe how he feels. “We are happy to get rid of the corrupt regime that was based on bribes. The whole country feels better. Everyone is happy and celebrating,” Abdul-Jalil Diab said. QAMISHLI, Syria — Residents of northeast Syria in the area around Qamishli airport said Tuesday they heard explosions overnight after an airstrike hit trucks loaded with rockets and ammunition that were heading to a military base in Tartab. “We don’t know the story. It was only in the morning when we realized they are trucks loaded with ammunition, leftovers of the former army, the regime,” said Ibrahim al-Thalaj, who lives near the base. He said residents assumed that the strikes were Israeli. Israel has carried out a heavy wave of airstrikes across Syria targeting military infrastructure after Syrian insurgents toppled the government of Bashar Assad. However, Turkish security officials said Tuesday that the strike in Qamishli was carried out by Turkey, targeting weapons and ammunition that were abandoned by the Syrian army and seized by Syrian Kurdish militants. The explosions lasted for over 20 minutes after the strike, and many houses in the surrounding area were damaged as a result, residents of the area said. “We just felt a strike hitting. It hit the first one (truck) and we saw the other trucks retreating back, and from there rockets and shells started flying over,” said Hamid al-Asaad, an eyewitness from Qub al-Zeki village in Qamishli. “We were sitting when these explosions started to hit the house,” said Mahmoud Hamza of Tartab. “It was hitting randomly and we didn’t know where it was coming from. ... Once we got out of our house, a rocket hit the house.” There were no details released by the local Kurdish administration regarding the explosions, but members of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces blocked the road to the base. BRUSSELS — The European Union’s top diplomat is concerned that Syria might violently fall apart like neighboring Iraq, or Libya and Afghanistan if its territorial integrity and the rights of minorities are not protected. “The transition will present huge challenges in Syria and in the region,” EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas told European lawmakers on Tuesday during a special hearing. “There are legitimate concerns about the risks of sectarian violence, extremist resurgence and the governance vacuum, all of which must be averted. We must avoid a repeat of the horrific scenarios of Iraq, Libya and Afghanistan,” she said. “The rights of all Syrians, including those of many minority groups, must be protected,” she said. “It is crucial to preserve the territorial integrity of Syria, and to respect its independence, its sovereignty, as well as the state institutions.” Kallas also said the collapse of the government has shown that Assad’s backers in Russia and Iran “could neither afford to do it any longer, nor had any interest of being present in the aftermath.” “They are weakened, distracted and overstretched in other theaters in the broader Middle East, but also in Ukraine,” she said. ANKARA, Turkey — Turkey’s intelligence agency, MIT, has attacked a convoy of trucks that was allegedly carrying missiles, heavy weapons and ammunition that were abandoned by the Syrian government and reportedly seized by Syrian Kurdish militias, Turkish security officials said Tuesday. The officials said 12 trucks, two tanks and two ammunition depots were “destroyed” in aerial strikes in the city of Qamishli, near the border with Turkey in northeast Syria. The officials provided the information on condition of anonymity in line with Turkish regulations. They did not say when the attack occurred. The officials said the intelligence agency detected that weapons left by the Syrian government forces were being moved to warehouses belonging to the Syrian Kurdish People’s Defense Units, or YPG. Turkey views the group as a terrorist organization because of its links to the banned Kurdish militants that have led a decadeslong insurgency in Turkey. According to the officials, he group was allegedly planning to use the equipment and supplies against Turkish security forces. By Suzan Fraser WASHINGTON — The White House is signaling its approval of Israel’s strikes against Syrian military and alleged chemical weapons targets and the seizure of a buffer zone in the Syrian Golan Heights after the fall of the Assad government. “These are exigent operations to eliminate what they believe are imminent threats to their national security,” White House national security spokesman John Kirby said Tuesday, saying the U.S. would leave it up to the Israelis to discuss details of their operations. “They have as always the right to defend themselves,” Kirby said. He declined to detail and U.S. intelligence cooperation with the Israelis that went into the strikes. Kirby said the White House was reasserting its support of the 1974 Golan Heights disengagement agreement, but didn’t criticize the Israeli seizure of the demilitarized zone. Israel has a long history of seizing territory during wars with its neighbors and occupying it indefinitely , citing security concerns. Israel captured the Golan Heights from Syria in the 1967 Mideast war and annexed it in a move not recognized internationally, except by the United States. WASHINGTON — The Biden administration says it will recognize and support a new Syrian government that renounces terrorism, destroys chemical weapons stocks and protects the rights of minorities and women. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement Tuesday that the U.S. would work with groups in Syria and regional partners to ensure that the transition from President Bashar Assad’s deposed government runs smoothly. He was not specific about which groups the U.S. would work with. Blinken says Syrians should decide their future and that other countries should “support an inclusive and transparent process” and not interfere. “The United States will recognize and fully support a future Syria government that results from this process,” he said. “We stand prepared to lend all appropriate support to all of Syria’s diverse communities and constituencies.” DAMASCUS, Syria — Jihad Mustafa Shibani was taking his new motorcycle for a spin with a friend around the house of the deposed Syrian president in western Damascus on Tuesday. Shibani was released from prison a week before the capital Damascus fell, after he served two years on charges of buying his motorcycle using foreign currency on accusations he was dealing in dollars. He was tortured for 15 days and and given a quick trial where he was sentenced for two years, he said. He was released the day Aleppo fell to the insurgents. “Everything was banned in Syria. The (Assad loyalists) only could use it,” Shibani said. He said he has never been to this neighborhood, because it was taken over by Assad, his family and supporters. “For 50 years, my family’s house is near here, and we don’t know anything about it. ... The Syrian people had been oppressed, you can’t imagine.” Shibani said he has no fear of the rebel newcomers who have taken control of the country. “We are not afraid. There can be no one more unjust than Bashar. Impossible.” BEIRUT — Lebanon’s prime minister is in contact with security and judicial officials to follow up on reports that senior members of President Bashar Assad’s government have fled to Lebanon. Najib Mikati’s office quoted him as saying that Lebanon abides by international laws regarding people who cross its borders. Rami Abdurrahman of the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition war monitor, said that several top security officials have entered Lebanon over the past two days. Abdurrahman added that Syria’s former intelligence chief Ali Mamlouk, who is wanted in Lebanon over two bombings in 2012 in the northern city of Tripoli that killed dozens, was allegedly brought to Lebanon by the Hezbollah militant group and was staying in a southern suburb of Beirut where the group has deep support. Lebanon’s Interior Minister Bassam Mawlawi, whose ministry is in charge of border crossings, told reporters Tuesday that no person who is wanted in Lebanon entered the country through legal border crossings. There are dozens of illegal border crossings between Lebanon and Syria where people are usually smuggled in and out of Lebanon, but it was not possible to independently confirm whether Mamlouk had entered Lebanon. GENEVA — The United Nations says humanitarian operations in two major areas in northwestern Syria have resumed, deploying food, medical supplies, fuel and other needed services and supplies. Spokesman Jens Laerke of the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reported that some health facilities were “overwhelmed” – in part due to staff shortages – and many border crossings have been closed, disrupting supply chains. OCHA said humanitarian operations in some parts of northwestern Syria were put on hold in the early days of the recent escalation, and resumed on Monday. “As of yesterday, all humanitarian organizations in Idlib and northern Aleppo have resumed operations,” Laerke told reporters at a U.N. briefing in Geneva. He said the three border crossings from Turkey used by the U.N. to deliver assistance into Syria remain open and “we are providing assistance in the northwest, including to those who have been newly displaced.” Even before the latest escalation, which led President Bashar Assad to flee the country, nearly 17 million people in Syria needed humanitarian assistance. More than 1 million have been displaced across Idlib, Aleppo, Hama and Homs since the escalation. JERUSALEM — Israel's Defense Minister Israel Katz said Tuesday that Israel's military destroyed Syria’s fleet overnight and intends to establish a demilitarized zone “in southern Syria” to prevent attacks on Israel. He also issued a warning to Syria’s rebels, saying that “whoever follows Assad’s path will end up like Assad — we will not allow an extremist Islamic terrorist entity to act against Israel across its border while putting its citizens at risk.” Speaking at a naval base in Haifa, Katz said the Israeli navy “operated last night to destroy the Syrian fleet and with great success.” Video showing the smoking wreckage of what appeared to be small Syrian naval ships in the port at Latakia was broadcast by Saudi-owned television station Al-Hadath on Tuesday. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which has closely tracked the conflict since the civil war erupted in 2011, said Israel targeted Syrian warships, military warehouses and an air-defense facility on the coast. Katz added that he had instructed the army to establish a “defense zone free of weapons and terrorist threats in southern Syria, without a permanent Israeli presence, in order to prevent terrorism in Syria from taking root and organizing.” It was unclear if the demilitarized zone would reach beyond the buffer zone that Israel has taken over in the border area. Israel has a long history of seizing territory during wars with its neighbors and occupying it indefinitely , citing security concerns. Israel captured the Golan Heights from Syria in the 1967 Mideast war and annexed it in a move not recognized internationally, except by the United States. DAMASCUS, Syria — Members of the Syrian government under ousted President Bashar Assad will gradually transfer power to a new transitional cabinet headed by Mohammed al-Bashir. The departing government met with al-Bashir for the first time since Assad fled Damascus over the weekend. Al-Bashir had previously led the “salvation government” running the rebel stronghold in northwest Syria. Al-Bashir told reporters after the meeting that the ministers discussed transferring the portfolios to the interim government during the transitional period until the beginning of March. He said that in the coming days the new government will decide on each ministry. DAMASCUS, Syria — Banks and shops are reopening in Damascus after the chaos and confusion of the first two days following the ouster of President Bashar Assad. Sadi Ahmad, manager of Syria Gulf Bank, said life is returning to normal. A customer who came to withdraw money from an ATM was surprised to see it functioning. At the historic Hamadiyeh market, fighters who seized power were still standing guard but shops had reopened — even an ice cream stand. Resident Maysoun Al-Qurabi said she was initially “against what happened,” referring to the insurgency, but changed her mind after seeing footage of rebels releasing inmates from the notorious Saydnaya prison. “People are at ease and secure now,” she said. “Before, people were hungry and scared.” DAMASCUS, Syria — Minority Christians in Syria have been living in a state of uneasy anticipation since insurgents headed by the Islamic militant group Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham took control after ousting President Bashar Assad. Mazen Kalash, a resident of Bab Touma, a Christian neighborhood in Damascus, said he wants to know the plans of the new government that will be formed by the rebels. “The important thing is to feel safe, bring order, law and respect to the citizens,” he said. “We need to be able to work whatever we want and do whatever we want without any interference from anyone.” The insurgents have so far attempted to reassure minorities that they will be protected. Large numbers of Syrian Christians, who made up 10% of the population, fled after the civil war erupted in 2011. Many of those who stayed supported Assad out of fear they might be targeted by Islamist insurgents. TEL AVIV, Israel — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu lashed out at media during testimony at his corruption trial, which involves media moguls. “There has never been such a biased media in any democracy ... as there is in Israel,” Netanyahu told the court, describing his testy relationship with the press. He is accused of exchanging regulatory favors with media bosses for more positive coverage of himself and his family. He has denied wrongdoing. GENEVA — The U.N. envoy for Syria says armed groups that drove out President Bashar Assad have “been sending good messages” about national unity and inclusiveness but acknowledges that a Security Council resolution still counts the leading one as a terrorist group. With Syria’s future and stability still very much in flux since Assad’s departure over the weekend, Geir Pedersen suggested that the international community needs to help the country get through this turbulent moment. “We are still in what I would call a very fluid period. Things are not settled,” Pedersen told reporters at U.N. offices in Geneva on Tuesday. “There is a real opportunity for change, but this opportunity needs to be grasped by the Syrians themselves and supported by the U.N. and the international community.” Referring to Israeli military strikes in Syria, Pedersen said it was “extremely important that we now don’t see any action from any international country that destroys the possibility for this transformation in Syria to take place.” The insurgents are led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, or HTS, which grew out of an al-Qaida-affiliate called the Nusra Front that the Security Council listed as a terror group in a 2015 resolution. “This is obviously a complicating factor for all of us,” Pedersen said. “But we also have to be honest, we have to look at the facts and to see what has happened during the last nine years.” “The reality so far is that the HTS and also the other armed groups have been sending good messages to the Syrian people,” he said. “They have been sending messages of unity, of inclusiveness, and frankly speaking, also, we have seen in (the captured cities of) Aleppo and in Hama ... reassuring things on the ground." Ahmad al-Sharaa, previously known by his nom de guerre Abu Mohammed al-Golani, the leader of the insurgency and the founder of both groups Nusra and HTS, cut ties with al-Qaida in 2016 and says he is committed to pluralism and religious tolerance. ANKARA, Turkey — Turkey has “strongly” condemned Israel’s advance into Syrian territory, saying it was in violation of a 1974 agreement on a buffer zone inside Syria. “We strongly condemn Israel’s violation of the 1974 Separation of Forces Agreement, its entry into the separation zone between Israel and Syria, and its advance into Syrian territory,” Turkey’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement. The ministry accused Israel of “displaying a mentality of an occupier” at a time when the possibility of peace and stability had emerged in Syria. The statement also reiterated Turkey’s support to Syria’s “sovereignty, political unity, and territorial integrity.” Israeli troops on Sunday entered the buffer zone that had been established after the 1973 Mideast war and the military said it would deploy in “several other places necessary for (Israel’s’) defense.” TEL AVIV, Israel — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he works 17 to 18 hours a day and that he is engulfed in meetings, especially during the past year that Israel has been fighting wars. Netanyahu was testifying in his long-running corruption trial. He has denied charges of fraud, breach of trust and accepting bribes in three separate cases. “If only I could steal away five minutes to enjoy some time with my wife,” he told the court Tuesday. TEL AVIV, Israel — An Israeli military official says troops plan to seize a buffer zone inside Syria as well as “a few more points that have strategic meaning.” The official spoke Tuesday on condition of anonymity in line with regulations. The official dismissed reports of a larger Israeli invasion as “rumors.” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday that Israeli forces were moving to control a roughly 400-square-kilometer (155-square-mile) demilitarized buffer zone in Syrian territory. The buffer zone between Syria and the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights was created by the U.N. after the 1973 Mideast war. Following the overthrow of President Bashar Assad, Israel sent troops into the buffer zone. It said the move was temporary and was aimed at preventing attacks. It said the 1974 agreement establishing the zone had collapsed and that Syrian troops had withdrawn from their positions. Israel has also carried out airstrikes across Syria in recent days targeting what it says are suspected chemical weapons and long-range rockets. Egypt and Saudi Arabia have condemned Israel’s incursion, accusing it of exploiting the disarray in Syria and violating international law. Israel captured the Golan Heights from Syria in the 1967 Mideast war and annexed it in a move not recognized by the international community, except for the United States. The rest of the world views the strategic plateau as occupied Syrian territory. — By Joseph Krauss DAMASCUS, Syria — Israel’s air force has carried out hundreds of airstrikes in different parts of Syria as its ground forces move north of the Golan Heights along the border with Lebanon, according to an opposition war monitor. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Tuesday that since the fall of President Bashar Assad’s government, Israel’s air force has carried out more than 300 airstrikes against research centers, arms depots and military infrastructure across Syria, as well as a naval base along the Mediterranean coast. Associated Press journalists in Damascus witnessed intense airstrikes on the city and its suburbs overnight into Tuesday morning. Photographs posted online by activists showed destroyed missile launchers, helicopters and warplanes. Meanwhile, Israeli troops marched along the border with Lebanon and now control a long stretch on the Syrian side facing Lebanon’s Rashaya region, according to the war monitor's head, Rami Abdurrahman, and the Beirut-based Al-Mayadeen TV, which has reporters in Syria. Israeli troops are now about 25 kilometers (15 miles) southwest of Damascus, according to the monitor. DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Saudi Arabia has condemned Israel’s incursion into a buffer zone in Syria and a wave of Israeli airstrikes launched after the overthrow of President Bashar Assad. The Saudi Foreign Ministry said in a statement Tuesday that “the assaults carried out by the Israeli occupation government, including the seizure of the buffer zone in the Golan Heights, and the targeting of Syrian territory confirm Israel’s continued violation of the principles of international law and its determination to sabotage Syria’s chances of restoring its security, stability and territorial integrity.” Israel sent troops into a buffer zone inside Syria that had been established after the 1973 Mideast war. It said the move was temporary and was taken to prevent any cross-border attacks after Syrian troops withdrew. Israel has also carried out heavy airstrikes that it says are aimed at preventing suspected chemical weapons and long-range rockets from falling into the hands of extremists. Saudi Arabia has been in talks with the United States in recent years over normalizing relations with Israel in exchange for a U.S. defense pact, American assistance in establishing a civilian nuclear program and a pathway to the establishment of a Palestinian state. But the kingdom has also repeatedly condemned Israel’s actions in the Gaza Strip, where it is at war with the Hamas militant group. Last month, Saudi Arabia’s crown prince and day-to-day ruler Mohammed bin Salman accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza , allegations Israel adamantly rejects.Cincinnati Bengals QB Joe Burrow Shockingly Has Home Burglarized During Game
More than 450 hams will be delivered to Kamloops community members in need of a festive meal this Christmas thanks to a holiday collaboration. In a news release, BCLC said it partnered with Gateway Casinos, Save-On-Foods and the City of Kamloops to provide the Kamloops Food Bank with 455 hams. “We’ve seen an increase in the number of clients year over year, and we rely on donations from our community,” said Bernadette Siracky, president and CEO of Kamloops Food Bank, in a statement. Siracky added the food bank is grateful to receive support from these groups this Christmas season. “With this donation, we can help people enjoy a festive dinner with their loved ones," she said. Volunteers from BCLC, Gateway Casinos, Save-On-Foods and the City of Kamloops visted the Kamloops Food Bank on Dec. 19 and 20 to deliver the hams. “At BCLC, we wanted to do something really special this winter and work with our casino service providers, like those at Gateway Casinos, to make a real impact in communities across B.C.,” said Jordan O’Genski, BCLC’s manager of social purpose and stakeholder engagement. “We wanted to do more to spark that vitally important sense of human connection, especially at this time of year.”Inside the state and federal charges against the man accused of killing UnitedHealthcare’s CEO
Trump’s Return: Opportunities for Pakistan
FSK Completes Public Offering of $100 million 6.125% Unsecured Notes Due 2030Hawks have little trouble pinning Raptors with 10th straight loss
The Atlanta Hawks are officially back to being must-watch basketball. Fresh off a stunning come-from-behind victory over the Chicago Bulls—highlighted by an explosive 50-point fourth quarter—the national spotlight is beginning to shine on this team’s potential. Fred Katz of The Athletic recently spotlighted some Hawks players in the early-season NBA awards conversation. Dyson Daniels earned a mention in the Defensive Player of the Year race, while both De’Andre Hunter and Jalen Johnson were listed as contenders for the Most Improved Player award. “Could a perimeter player vault to the spot behind Wembanyama? Defensive Player of the Year is usually reserved for big men, but Dyson Daniels might have something to say about that. Daniels is getting steals on 4.4 percent of his possessions, the highest steal rate for any player since Tony Allen in 2010-11. He has 72 more deflections than De’Aaron Fox , who is second in the league. For reference, that’s the same difference as the one between Fox and 147th place. Daniels isn’t just a gambler. He’s a pest on the ball. Dribblers can’t jolt past him. As long as he keeps performing like this, he’s a lock for All-Defense, but he has two main knocks against him,” Katz writes. Daniels has been a complete and total revelation for an Atlanta Hawks club that has struggled on the defensive end of the court with Trae Young in the fold. However, as Katz continues, Wembanyama’s impact far exceeds Daniels’ own contributions for the Hawks. “First, a perimeter player can’t affect team defense like a big man can. And second (which may just be further proof of the previous point), the Hawks are actually better defensively with Daniels off the court. And that’s not just because Daniels plays many of his minutes alongside the defensively challenged Trae Young . When Daniels is on the court and Young is off, the Hawks defense is a sieve,” the national pundit continued. Katz continued with the two most improved player candidates, Hunter and Johnson. “De’Andre Hunter is another player who’s hitting jumpers like never before, though he’s developed in other ways, too. He’s getting to the line more than ever. Hunter used to avoid contact. Now he finishes through it, a big sticking point for Hawks head coach Quin Snyder,” he wrote. Hunter should be in the running for Sixth Man of the Year and MIP. He’s averaging a career-high 20.3 points on the most efficient shooting of his career, 48.5% from the field and an incredible 44% from beyond the arc. Hunter has found his niche and has an excellent chance of taking home the Sixth Man of the Year award. “Another Hawk, Jalen Johnson , should be on the list. Atlanta has handed more opportunities to Johnson this season, who is a better facilitator than ever. He’s never created his own shot this much and has never set up teammates like this. The Hawks offense is not just the Young show anymore. And Johnson is putting up the counting stats we normally associate with winners of this award: 19.4 points, 10.1 rebounds and 5.6 assists. He might be an All-Star this season.” There’s no doubt that JJ deserves to be considered the frontrunner for the MIP award. The Hawks forward can impact the game in so many different ways, from offense to defense to the transition game. He can rebound, defend, facilitate and score. Jalen Johnson deserves MIP consideration, but even more, the former lottery pick deserves All-Star consideration. This article first appeared on SportsTalkATL and was syndicated with permission.
CHP Makes 308 DUI Arrests Over Christmas Holiday Enforcement
Numerous East Coast states are counting on offshore wind projects to power tens of millions of homes and to help them transition to cleaner energy. But putting wind turbines at sea requires the cooperation of a powerful landlord: the federal government. Soon, that government will be led by President-elect Donald Trump, who has frequently disparaged offshore wind and said he will “make sure that ends on Day 1.” In the eight states that have passed legal mandates to reach certain amounts of offshore wind power, Trump’s second term threatens those timelines. “This is absolutely going to create problems for how we’re going to meet our emissions goals and the energy needs for the state,” said Massachusetts state Sen. Jamie Eldridge, a Democrat who serves as vice chair on the legislative Joint Committee on Environment and Natural Resources. For many East Coast states that lack a large land base for extensive onshore development, offshore wind in federal ocean waters is central to their plans for a power supply that doesn’t use fossil fuels. Lawmakers in Connecticut, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New York, North Carolina, Rhode Island and Virginia have established mandates requiring their states to produce certain amounts of offshore wind power in the coming years. Other states have passed laws to allow for offshore wind to be added to their grids or set nonbinding planning targets to prepare for the industry’s development. State leaders say they will continue to pursue offshore wind but realize there may be delays during the next four years. In the meantime, some say they will continue to build out the needed electrical grid and ports to get ready for turbines, in hopes of speeding up offshore wind once Trump’s term ends. Others say they may need to consider building more onshore energy projects, including wind and solar, in the next few years to meet near-term climate goals. “That’s something states will have to take into account,” said Dylan McDowell, executive director with the National Caucus of Environmental Legislators, a collaborative nonpartisan forum for state lawmakers. “Is [offshore wind] still feasible, or do there need to be conversations about solar, [onshore] wind, geothermal, other energy sources that could be put into the mix to help meet those goals? There’s more questions than there are answers right now.” While a handful of offshore wind projects have already started construction or been completed, many more are in various stages of permitting or awaiting lease auctions held by the federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management. Industry experts say the Trump administration could deny permits, cancel pending leases and halt further auctions. It could also threaten the industry’s financing by denying clean energy tax credits. In an extreme scenario, the bureau could even side with opponents who have brought legal challenges against projects that already have been approved and retract permits issued under the Biden administration. Trump’s ability to unwind the moves made under President Joe Biden is “underappreciated,” said Timothy Fox, a vice president at ClearView Energy Partners LLC, an independent research firm. Trump has repeated claims that offshore wind turbines are a major cause of whale mortality — an assertion that scientists say is false. Many of the groups raising concerns about whales to oppose offshore wind are funded by oil and gas donors. Trump’s transition team did not respond to an interview request before publication. Offshore wind also has drawn local opposition from coastal residents who fear it will worsen their views and from fishermen who worry projects could block access to key fishing areas. Meanwhile, some Republicans have pointed to the wind industry’s recent financial struggles to argue that it will increase ratepayers’ bills. “[T]he business model for these projects has fallen well short of projections to the degree that those wind energy developers are either halting construction or asking the government for additional subsidies to make up for projected cost increases,” four Maryland Republican senators wrote to Democratic Gov. Wes Moore in April, unsuccessfully urging him to veto a financing package to boost offshore wind in that state. States’ offshore wind goals were already facing difficulties. Numerous projects were canceled or delayed last year as inflation and supply chain issues raised costs dramatically. Now, political headwinds could cause greater delays. “Offshore wind might not be a viable option over the next four years,” said Fox, the energy analyst. “Unlike a lot of other resources, offshore wind is reliant on a federal review process because these projects are being deployed in federal waters.” Offshore wind turbines currently provide only a negligible amount of power to the United States. But a handful of projects currently under construction will soon raise that number to 4 gigawatts (1 gigawatt can power about 750,000 homes). And much more is on the way. Developers of other projects are working to finalize financing or permits, and wind companies are awaiting federal lease auctions that will open up new areas for development. In total, the project pipeline for offshore wind exceeds 80 gigawatts, according to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory — enough to consistently power more than 60 million homes. The incoming administration could thwart most of that production by denying development permits or leases in federal waters. East Coast states don’t have a viable way to meet their clean energy goals without that offshore production, said Maryland state Del. Lorig Charkoudian, a Democrat who authored a law last year that increased the state’s offshore wind targets. “We’ll continue to support the ongoing development of offshore wind until we have to make other adjustments,” she said. The Maryland law mandates that the state produce 8.5 gigawatts of offshore wind energy by 2031. Developers of a trio of projects off the state’s coast, totaling 1.7 gigawatts, are working to secure permits and financing, according to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. And the state is counting on future lease auctions by federal regulators to prompt more development. Charkoudian acknowledged that Trump could threaten those efforts, but she said the state remains committed to its offshore wind plans. She noted that Maryland is working to improve its electrical grid so that offshore wind projects can “land” their power, an effort that will continue. “Even if other things do get slowed down, this will make things move faster whenever it can get moving again,” she said. Nick Guariglia, outreach manager with the New York Offshore Wind Alliance, a network of industry and environmental groups, said that projects take many years to develop, a timeframe exceeding one presidential administration. He also noted that the maturing industry aligns with Trump’s goals of restoring manufacturing jobs and American energy independence. Members of Congress in both parties are seeing economic growth in their districts because of offshore wind, he said. “This industry has a lot of things to prove about why it’s here to stay,” he said. “Actions are much more important than rhetoric.” Regardless of what happens at the federal level, offshore wind backers will urge New York lawmakers to continue investing in infrastructure and workforce development to support the buildout of more turbines, he said Like Maryland and New York, some states may need to focus their efforts for the next few years on developing transmission infrastructure and turbine-ready ports so that projects can hit the ground running once Trump’s term is over, experts say. “Opportunities exist to prioritize the onshore work necessary to prepare for future leases,” said Alissa Weinman, ocean program manager with the National Caucus of Environmental Legislators, citing the extensive infrastructure needed to support offshore projects. And for now, states may need to look to other energy sources. In Massachusetts that could, for example, include expanding the installation of solar panels on industrial properties, said Eldridge, the state senator. Massachusetts law requires the state to produce 5.6 gigawatts of offshore wind by 2035. State Sen. Julian Cyr, a Democrat who has promoted offshore wind in his district in the Cape Cod region, said it remains hard to predict what actions Trump would take. “But I do expect projects that are still in the permitting process to have at best a slower process, and they may not move forward in this administration,” Cyr said. In New Jersey, state leaders are working to construct 11 gigawatts of offshore wind by 2040. “[Trump] is a serious threat to New Jersey’s goals,” said state Sen. Bob Smith, a Democrat who chairs his chamber’s Environment and Energy Committee. Still, he noted that the country’s rapidly expanding energy needs, driven by data centers and artificial intelligence, could make it difficult for Trump to shut down any new sources of electricity. “Our economy will not function without that additional generation capacity,” Smith said. “Capitalism always finds a way.” Like Smith, many state leaders say they’re still in wait-and-see mode. “If [Trump’s administration] wants to keep us out of the ocean they’ve probably got the tools to do it,” said Virginia state Sen. Creigh Deeds, a Democrat who chairs the Commerce and Labor Committee there. “We’ll just have to cross that bridge when we get to it.” Virginia’s law calls for 5.2 gigawatts of offshore wind power by 2034. ©2024 States Newsroom. Visit at stateline.org . Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.Yet another billionaire is clambering to get into President-elect Donald Trump’s hyper-rich inner circle, the MAGA chief has claimed. Trump, who will take the hot seat on Jan. 20, 2025, has seen his popularity surge among Silicon Valley types after he was endorsed by the world’s richest man, Elon Musk . The number two, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos , soon made a beeline for the big man too, after he was spotted dining with Musk and Trump at Mar-a-Lago earlier this month. Now Bill Gates wants a slice, according to Trump. Writing on Truth Social, Trump said the former CEO of Microsoft— whom Forbes says is the 16th richest in the world— personally asked for an audience with him. In a somewhat incoherent post, he said: “Where are you? When are you coming to the ‘Center of the Universe,’ Mar-a-Lago. Bill Gates asked to come, tonight. We miss you and x! New Year’s Eve is going to be AMAZING!!! DJT.” The murder of health insurance CEO Brian Thompson is being blamed not just on the gunman–but on the industry the dead man worked for, a new poll has found. UnitedHealthcare CEO Thompson was gunned down from behind on a Manhattan street just before dawn on December 4, prompting a nationwide manhunt which ended five days later with the arrest of the suspected killer , 26-year-old Ivy League graduate Luigi Mangione . Now research by NORC at the University of Chicago published Friday shows that while 78 per cent of people said that the alleged killer, had a great deal or a moderate amount of responsibility for the death, almost as many blamed health insurance companies' denial of coverage for the death. And almost as many, 67 per cent, said profits by the insurers were to blame. A majority of people, 53 per cent, blamed “wealth or income inequality in general”–although it was Mangione who was the scion of a millionaire family , while Thompson was from rural Iowa and had been the first in his family to go to college. One in ten said that Thompson’s killer bore no responsibility at all–an issue which is likely to dog jury selection when Mangione goes on trial in Manhattan for the alleged murder. He is charged by both federal and state authorities with murder and in the federal case is eligible for the death penalty . Mangione has pleaded not guilty. After all the chaos of the holiday season, you and your loved one deserve a little one-on-one time. For 2025, make the resolution to create unforgettable date nights with The Fantasy Box . The subscription box comes with everything you need to spice up your love life, like step-by-step scenarios for role-playing, lingerie, accessories, lube, and props. Each box has a unique theme and there are over 30 different themed fantasies to pick. The Ride ‘Em Cowgirl scenario brings you to the wild west. She is a flirty cowgirl in sexy denim shorts and cow print pasties, while he is a charming bartender with a paddle. Perhaps you’re intrigued by the idea of exploring a more dominant and submissive dynamic. In the D is for Discipline box , she is the Mistress with drip candles and he is her toy in a satin blindfold and bondage collar. The Fantasy Box has created a quick quiz you can take to uncover you and your partner’s fantasies. After taking the quiz, you’ll be recommended three boxes. From there, you can buy any box you want directly. Don’t forget to use the code NEWYEAR at checkout to save $50 on your order. If you and your partner love it, try subscribing monthly or bi-monthly for only $99 the first month. Monthly subscriptions renew at $129 per box; bi-monthly at $139 per box. You’ll receive a new themed box, enjoy free shipping, and get up to 20% off at The Fantasy Box’s shop. Free Shipping Free Shipping If you buy something from this post, we may earn a small commission. Tom Cruise ’s first movie project after wrapping up the Mission: Impossible franchise next year with The Final Reckoning has been revealed. And it could land him back in the Oscar conversation. Warner Bros. announced Friday that Cruise will star in an untitled film from two-time Academy Award-winning director Alejandro G. Iñárritu ( Birdman , The Revenant ), set to be released on Oct. 2, 2026. The logline reads: “The most powerful man in the world embarks on a frantic mission to prove he is humanity’s savior before the disaster he’s unleashed destroys everything.” Sandra Hüller, John Goodman, Michael Stuhlbarg, Jesse Plemons, Sophie Wilde, and Riz Ahmed are among the other actors in the cast. The project is Iñárritu‘s first English-language film since 2015’s The Revenant , which won Leonardo DiCaprio his first Oscar for Best Actor. Cruise has been nominated for three acting Oscars over the course of his long career—for Born on the Fourth of July , Jerry Maguire , and Magnolia —but has never received a trophy at the ceremony. Entire stalls were engulfed by flames at the Bryant Park holiday market in Manhattan on Friday morning, videos show. A cause for the blaze is yet to be determined, but a spokesperson for FDNY told Gothamist it’s under investigation. The fire broke out around 9:30 a.m. and nobody was injured, the spokesperson said, adding that the fire was between “six feet wide by 40 feet long” at its peak. Clips of the flames quickly went viral on social media and the market has been closed indefinitely. New York City Emergency Management advised people to avoid the area and warned there will be traffic delays while a probe is completed. It’s the second time this season a holiday market has gone up in flames in the city, coming a week-and-a-half after a fire ignited a swath of Herald Square’s festive shopping corridor. Eighteen shops—and their merchandise, ranging from shirts to glass ornaments—were reportedly razed by that blaze. Bryant Park Christmas Village is on fire 🔥 #whatisnewyork pic.twitter.com/031iZ2D6He Scouted selects products independently. If you purchase something from our posts, we may earn a small commission. Boxing Week sales are still in full swing, folks! As an avid J.Crew fan , I can honestly say that the brand’s discount-laden factory store (the brand’s online outlet) is a great way to get high-quality wardrobe staples without the big price tag. J.Crew Factory always offers discounts up to 40 percent off J.Crew, but for a limited time, you can unlock even more savings from already discounted items. Right now, J.Crew Factory is offering 70 percent off clearance items with the code SALE70 at checkout. Now’s the time to invest in evergreen staples like jeans and office-friendly blazers while they’re half off, or grab a few outwear essentials to round out your cold-weather lineup. The sale also includes tons of denim for just $50, pure cotton crewneck T-shirts for $20, and even new arrivals like NYE frocks and cashmere items. And the sale is not just for women; the gents’ and kids’ sections are equally full of additional savings. Kevin O’Leary , of Shark Tank fame, says half of Canada is “interested” in merging with the U.S.—a longshot arrangement that topped Donald Trump ’s wishlist this Christmas. “Canadians over the holidays—the last two days—have been talking about this,” O’Leary told Fox Business. “They want to hear more.” The 70-year-old Montreal native said he’s headed to Mar-a-Lago to start a conversation that, at the least, may lead to his homeland and the U.S. striking a partnership agreement akin to the European Union. “So secure [the northern territories], give a common currency, figure out taxes across the board, get everything trading both ways, create a new, almost EU-like passport—I like this idea and at least half of Canadians are interested,” he said. O’Leary acknowledged there’d be “a lot of issues” with a merger, but suggested now’s the time to get a deal done with Trump returning to office as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s power is waning. O’Leary may not be the best barometer for what the average Canadian thinks, however. The businessman, worth an estimated $400 million , has ditched the great white north for sunny Miami Beach . He was also soundly rejected by voters when he ran for the leadership of the Canadian Conservative Party in 2017 and won just one percent of the vote. Elon Musk has further stoked the flames of the MAGA H1-B civil war after he agreed with a post that called Americans too “retarded” to exclusively fill the U.S. tech workforce. The eye-popping endorsement came after a pro-Musk account on X summed up the right-wing divide on visas to skilled workers as such: “So basically the right split into two factions, tech right and right right, and the tech right is like ‘hey we need h-1b visa people to do the jobs,’ and the right right was like ‘no you need to hire Americans,’ and the tech right is like “but you guys are retarded,” and the right right is like ‘well you don’t train us,’ and the tech right is like ‘you can’t outtrain being retarded,’ and while all this was going on we learned some people *really* don’t like Indians.” Musk, a 53-year-old South African who’s recently enjoyed a spot inside the “America First” Trump’s inner circle, apparently thought that assessment was a fair one. He responded, “That pretty much sums it up. This was eye-opening.” Trump is yet to weigh in on the latest right-wing divide that pits his longtime loyalists against his new tech bro faction. That pretty much sums it up. This was eye-opening. Several aviation experts said they believe that a Russian defense system caused the Azerbaijan Airlines plane crash that killed 38 people on Christmas Day, according to the Associated Press. The flight was headed from Baku, Azerbaijan, to Grozny, Russia, but diverted course amid bad weather before crash landing near Aktau, Kazakhstan. The incident left 29 survivors, all of whom are injured, the AP reported. With investigations underway in Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and Russia, officials in those countries have urged against speculation about the crash’s cause. Russia’s aviation authority has suggested, nevertheless, that a bird strike could have played a role. But aviation experts seem to disagree. Mark Zee, founder of the aviation safety organization OPSGroup, told the AP that based on images of the plane, he is “90-99%” sure it was struck by a missile. Independent Russian military expert Yan Matveyev agreed that the plane’s tail appeared to have been struck by shrapnel from a missile like the ones used by Russia’s defense system. Meanwhile, the UK aviation security firm Osprey Solutions reportedly cautioned its clients that “Azerbaijan Airlines flight was likely shot down by a Russian military air-defense system.” The man suspected of lighting a woman on fire in a Brooklyn subway car faces life without parole after he was charged with murder . Sebastian Zapeta-Calil, 33, has been indicted on charges of murder in the first and second degree and arson, according to Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez. The horrific scene unfolded on an early morning F train stopped at the Coney Island-Stillwell Ave. stop in south Brooklyn on Dec. 22. Zapeta is accused of igniting the woman’s clothes and “fanning the flames” with a shirt. “These are significant counts. Murder in the first degree carries the possibility of life without parole. It’s the most serious statute in New York state law and my office is very confident about the evidence in the case and to hold Zapeta accountable for his dastardly deeds,” Gonzalez said. Zapeta, an undocumented immigrant from Guatemala, is scheduled to be arraigned Jan. 7. Scouted selects products independently. If you purchase something from our posts, we may earn a small commission. If you’re looking to revamp your at-home fitness lineup ahead of 2025 and don’t have hours to commit to exercising each day, allow us to introduce you to the CAROL Bike . The science-backed and AI-powered fitness bike is engineered to give you maximum results in the shortest time possible—and by the shortest time, we mean as little as five minutes. 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You can try the CAROL Bike for yourself risk-free for 100 days, and the brand offers free shipping (7-10 business days) in the U.S. Chaos descended in South Korea ‘s parliament again after the man tasked with succeeding the country’s recently impeached president was also given the boot. Acting president, formerly the Prime Minister, Han Duck-soo, was brought in two weeks after parliament voted to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol after his failed bid to impose martial law on the country. But Han was accused Friday of dragging his heels in pushing through the Yoon impeachment after he refused to appoint three judges to fill vacancies in the Constitutional Court that would vote on Yoon’s future. As a result, 192 lawmakers voted for Han’s impeachment. However, it was the decision to lower the threshold of required votes from 200 for Yoon’s removal to just 151 that caused lawmakers from the ruling People Power Party to swarm National Assembly speaker Woo Won-shik. “Invalid!” and “Abuse of power!” were among the angry chants. The majority of the parliament in South Korea is from the opposition Democratic Party. Yoon is from the right-wing People Power Party, while Han is an independent. Deputy Prime Minister Choi Sang-mok has taken the reigns... for now. South Korea's parliament voted to impeach acting president Han Duck-soo, prompting chaos as ruling party lawmakers protested the speaker’s decision to allow only 150 votes to pass the bill against Han, which meant no ruling party lawmakers’ votes were needed. pic.twitter.com/BgX9D8vrwh The 92-year-old mother of a murder victim whose death spurred the conviction—later overturned—of a member of the Kennedy family, died Tuesday of complications from the flu, her son said. Dorthy Moxley fought nearly 50 years for justice after her teenage daughter, Martha, was found dead across the street from the family home of Michael Skakel, a cousin of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Skakel was convicted of Martha’s murder in 2002 and freed in 2013 after a judge said he hadn’t received adequate representation. The Connecticut Supreme Court reinstated the conviction in 2016, only to order him freed two years later. A second trial never occurred, in part because some witnesses had died. “It was just incredible how much support we got from people that we knew and people that we didn’t know,” Moxley’s son, John, told the Associated Press . “My mother was always grateful and chose to focus on the communal spirit, if you will, rather than the law. My mother always said she believed in angels and the angels really came out to support her, to support us.” John added: “She was able to take that spirit of support and knowing how important it was to share that with others. And that gave her a lot of joy, knowing that she could help somebody else.”
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The Philadelphia Phillies and right-handed pitcher Joe Ross finalized a one-year contract on Monday. Read this article for free: Already have an account? To continue reading, please subscribe: * PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The Philadelphia Phillies and right-handed pitcher Joe Ross finalized a one-year contract on Monday. Read unlimited articles for free today: Already have an account? PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The Philadelphia Phillies and right-handed pitcher Joe Ross finalized a one-year contract on Monday. The 31-year-old Ross made 10 starts and 25 total appearances for the Milwaukee Brewers last season. He went 3-6 with a 3.77 ERA. Selected by the San Diego Padres in the first round of the 2011 amateur draft, the 6-foot-4 Ross has pitched in 123 career games across seven seasons with the Washington Nationals and Brewers. In his career, he has combined for a 4.19 ERA with 469 strikeouts to 170 walks. He’s 29-34 with a 4.19 career ERA. Ross is the latest in an offseason of minor moves for the NL East champs. The Phillies acquired left-hander Jesús Luzardo from the Miami Marlins and signed free-agent outfielder Max Kepler to a $10 million, one-year deal. Winnipeg Jets Game Days On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop. ___ AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB Advertisement
Daily Post Nigeria Tax reform bills: ‘We can’t retool Nigeria’s economy with obsolete laws’ – Tinubu tells critics Home News Politics Metro Entertainment Sport News Tax reform bills: ‘We can’t retool Nigeria’s economy with obsolete laws’ – Tinubu tells critics Published on December 23, 2024 By Ogaga Ariemu President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has insisted that the controversial federal government’s tax reform bills currently before the National Assembly will retool Nigeria’s economy for the benefit of all Nigerians. He made this known during his first media chat with journalists in Lagos since his inauguration in 2024. “The tax reforms are here to stay. We cannot just continue doing what we did yesterday in today’s economy; we cannot retool the economy with old laws,” he stated. “I have a clear focus on what Nigerians need and what must be done. It is not just going to be an Eldorado for everybody. The new dawn is here, and I am convinced that everyone should embrace it,” he added. Recall that the tax reform bills were rejected by Northern governors and the National Economic Council because they were not seen as beneficial to Nigerians. Since their transmission to the National Assembly, the bills have continued to generate mixed reactions. Related Topics: Tax reform bills Tinubu Don't Miss Christmas: NSCDC deploys 1550 officers in Abia You may like BREAKING: Tax reform here to stay — Tinubu Tinubu blames Abuja, Oyo, Anambra stampedes on organisers’ error I’ve no regrets about removing fuel subsidy – Tinubu Christmas: Tinubu to address Nigerians today on first media chat Tinubu unveils 2024 Christian pilgrimage to Israel, Jordan Tinubu is a listening President – Orji Uzor Kalu Advertise About Us Contact Us Privacy-Policy Terms Copyright © Daily Post Media Ltd
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