NoneThousands attend funeral of Afghan minister
India's former prime minister Manmohan Singh, architect of economic reforms, dies at 92ECP to take up PTI financial matters on 26th During several appearances, PTI adopted delaying tactics due to which proceedings could not be completed ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has taken notice of the financial matters of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and fixed a case for hearing on November 26. Notices have been issued to PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan and then Secretary General Omar Ayub Khan to appear in person before the Election Commission here at 10:00am concerning the ‘consolidated statement of accounts of PTI for the financial year 2023-24. In this connection, the Election Commission has posted the cause list of the case, which was forwarded to its law Wing from the Political Finance Wing for necessary action. “We have certain things to ‘sort out’ regarding PTI finances and want the party leadership to appear before the Election Commission,” a senior ECP official said while talking to this correspondent. It may be recalled that the ECP had announced its decision on August 2, 2022 in the foreign funding case filed by PTI’s founding member and ex-information secretary Akbar S Babar on November 14, 2014. According to the decision, two American companies (PTI NA LLC 5975 & 6160) illegally collected $549,000 & $1,976,500 respectively in the name of PTI. In addition, £792,265 was illegally received by one company from the UK alone. The formal proceedings to seize these funds and other illegal funding, worth more than $7 million, against the government began on August 5, 2022, when the Election Commission of Pakistan issued a show cause notice to the PTI. During several appearances, PTI adopted delaying tactics due to which the proceedings could not be completed till date. Babar has repeatedly demanded that according to the August 2, 2022 decision, the PTI leadership was found to be involved in serious financial irregularities against which delay in legal action is tantamount to putting national security at stake. Commenting on the date fixed for ECP hearing in the PTI accounts, Babar claimed in the last fiscal year, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf entered into more than one lobbying contracts through companies in the name of PTI America. Separately, the Election Commission has issued notification of the certificate containing the information with regard to conduct of intra-party elections of the National Party held on 29.10.2024. The notification about the certificate has been issued in pursuance of Sections 208 & 209 (3) of the Elections Act, 2017 read with sub-rule (2) of Rule 158 of the Election Rules, 2017. Former senator Dr Abdul Malik has been notified as the president and Mir Kabir Ahmad as secretary general of the party.
WASHINGTON − The State Department's Global Engagement Center, the highly touted nerve center for coordinating U.S. efforts to counter foreign disinformation – especially by Russia and China – shut down this week after becoming a lightning rod for conservative criticism. The mission of the GEC, as it is commonly known, was to “direct, lead, synchronize, integrate, and coordinate” the U.S. campaign against propaganda and disinformation efforts aimed at undermining or influencing the policies, security and stability of the U.S. and its allies. But the GEC, with a relatively tiny $60 million budget and staff of 120, was first criticized in 2023 by Elon Musk , the multibillionaire advisor to President-elect Donald Trump , as the " worst offender in U.S. government censorship & media manipulation." More: 'President-elect Musk': Elon's influence on display in government spending fight The GEC was initially included in a stopgap bill to fund the government past a Dec. 20 deadline , but GOP lawmakers deleted it from a last-minute bill ultimately passed by Congress. A State Department spokesperson said the GEC "will terminate by operation of law [by the end of the day] on December 23, 2024. The Department of State has consulted with Congress regarding next steps," the AFP news agency reported. GEC's origins in countering terrorist propaganda The GEC evolved from the Center for Strategic Counterterrorism Communications, established by the Obama administration in 2011 to counter online extremist recruitment and propaganda. An Obama 2016 executive order created the GEC to broaden its mission to include fighting disinformation by state and non-state actors. The GEC soon began to focus primarily on using high-tech tools such as social media analytics to identify and counter disinformation campaigns by Moscow and Beijing that were increasingly targeting Washington and its allies. It sought to broaden its impact by working with other U.S. agencies, foreign allies and the private sector. ‘Calling out China’ – and Russia too A Sept. 28, 2023 report by the GEC called out China for spending billions of dollars annually on foreign manipulation efforts. It detailed how Beijing employed “a variety of deceptive and coercive methods as it attempts to influence the international information environment.” The report said China extensively pushed propaganda , including through fake media and research papers "falsely blaming the United States for creating COVID-19." Those efforts falsely promoted China and the Chinese Communist Party's "desired narratives on issues such as Taiwan, its human rights practices, the South China Sea, its domestic economy, and international economic engagement.” More broadly, the GEC report said, China sought to leverage propaganda, censorship and “digital authoritarianism” to encourage foreign governments, journalists and civil society at large to accept its preferred narratives and avoid criticizing its conduct as it sought more influence on the global stage. The GEC also has published numerous hard-hitting criticisms of Russia. In 2020, the GEC has detailed how Russia spread conspiracy theories during the COVID-19 pandemic. It has called out the Kremlin for trying to sow chaos in U.S. And it has exposed Russian attempts to destabilize U.S. influence in Africa by spreading false claims about U.S. health programs. In September, it called out Moscow and its state-run media organization RT for using propaganda, disinformation – and sophisticated “cyber capabilities” – to sway the global community on issues like its war against Ukraine. More: Lara Trump, Kari Lake, other notable Republicans appeared on podcasts accused of Russia tie That effort by RT involved not only information operations but also covert influence and even military procurement efforts in targeting countries around the world, including in Europe, Africa, and North and South America, the GEC said in a Sept. 13 report. “When state or non-state actors spread disinformation, material deliberately meant to deceive or divide our public, they attack the very foundations of our free and open society,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in releasing the report. He laid out specific steps the Biden administration was taking “to hold accountable those who weaponize disinformation to undermine our democracy,” including coordinated crackdowns by the State, Justice and Treasury departments . In January, the GEC spearheaded an agreement to counter state-run disinformation campaigns that’s now backed by at least 21 countries including Spain, Poland, Finland and the West African nation of Côte d’Ivoire – and that could enable them to also create their own versions at home. Funding for the GEC ran into congressional opposition in 2024 by Republican lawmakers who claimed it was overstepping its authority by trying to silence conservative voices in the U.S. including pro-Trump influencers. Three ranking House Republicans wrote Blinken in July to accuse the GEC of straying from its statutory duty to counter propaganda and disinformation abroad. “Your Department refuses to acknowledge that ... any value the GEC provides is tempered by genuine concerns that the GEC is at best indifferent to, and at worst complicit in, an orchestrated and systematic effort to stretch the term ‘disinformation’ to encompass viewpoints that, among American progressives, are deemed to be politically disfavored or inconvenient...” the lawmakers wrote. Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., who co-authored the 2016 legislation that established the center, said such criticisms were unwarranted and politically motivated. He led the effort to save it from GOP shutdown , along with Texas Republican Sen. John Cornyn. Former Ohio Republican Sen. Rob Portman is also a staunch supporter . “[The GEC] has played an indispensable role in combating Russian and Chinese disinformation,” Murphy said in October. “It would unnecessarily undermine U.S. national security if we eliminated this tool.” When Trump won a second term on Nov. 5, Republicans also retained control of the House and retook the Senate. The GEC tweeted its last on Dec. 18, praising the European Union for its “first-time use of designations under its Russia hybrid sanctions framework.” On Tuesday, the day before Christmas, the site went offline with this message: “This account is no longer in use as of 12/23/2024. For updates on the U.S. Department of State, please follow @StateDept .”Vega-C Rocket Reignites European Space Ambitions
Timeless tunes: How throwback songs bonded Africans in 2024CT US senator says mysterious drones spotted in New Jersey should be ‘shot down, if necessary’
Thousands of Afghans on Thursday attended the funeral of the refugees minister, AFP journalists saw, after he was killed in a suicide bombing in Kabul the day before in an attack claimed by the Islamic State group. The Minister for Refugees and Repatriation, Khalil Ur-Rahman Haqqani, was killed on Wednesday afternoon in a suicide bombing at the ministry's offices in the Afghan capital. Thousands of men, many of them armed, gathered for Haqqani's funeral in his home village of Sarana, in a mountainous area of Paktia province, south of Kabul. The funeral included heavy security, with armoured vehicles, snipers and personnel manning the area and the road from Kabul, which was jammed with hundreds of cars as mourners travelled from surrounding provinces. Senior Taliban officials, including the Chief of Army Staff Qari Fasihuddin Fitrat, and Maulawi Abdul Kabir, political deputy of the prime minister's office, attended the funeral, according to an AFP team on site. The deceased's nephew, the powerful interior minister, Sirajuddin Haqqani, also attended, along with foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi. In a speech there, Muttaqi said the latest IS attacks had been planned "abroad", denouncing, without naming them, "countries harbouring" the organisation. "We call on all nations to work together to stop the common enemy, which does not recognise any kind of morality." In September, the Taliban authorities said IS had training camps in Balochistan province of Pakistan, which also regularly faces jihadist attacks. Haqqani, the highest ranked member of the Taliban government to be killed in an attack since their return to power, "was a big loss for us, the system and the nation", said Paktia resident Hedayatullah, 22. "May God protect our other leaders and keep them victorious." "Our leader... who had his life brutally taken away, achieved martyrdom," said Bostan, 53, haranguing the "cowardly attack" that killed Haqqani. The United Nations mission in Afghanistan condemned the attack on Thursday, offering condolences to the victims' families. "There can be no place for terrorism in the quest for stability," the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) said on X. The European Union and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation also condemned the attack, along with Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Iran. Haqqani -- who is on US and UN sanctions lists and never appeared without an automatic weapon in his hand -- was the brother of Jalaluddin Haqqani, founder of the feared Haqqani network responsible for some of the most violent attacks during the Taliban's two-decade insurgency. The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the attack, saying a bomber detonated an explosive vest inside the ministry, according to a statement on its Amaq news agency, as translated by the SITE Intelligence Group. Taliban authorities had already blamed IS for the "cowardly attack" -- the first targeting a minister since the Taliban returned to power in 2021. Violence has waned in Afghanistan since the Taliban forces took over the country that year, ending their war against US-led NATO coalition forces. However, the regional chapter of IS, known as Islamic State Khorasan, is active in Afghanistan and has regularly targeted civilians, foreigners and Taliban officials with gun and bomb attacks. bur-qb-sw/nro
United, Apple rolling out new way to track lost luggage with AirTags
Turning their toughest challenge so far this season into another runaway win, No. 7-ranked nationally Bradley Central knocked off fellow 2024 TSSAA STate Tournament participant Lincoln County Saturday afternoon in the Bearette Thanksgiving Challenge, at Jim Smiddy Arena. Breaking open a four-point difference in the opening minute of the second half, "PApa Bear" Jason Reuter's squad went on a 24-2, seven-minute hot streak to break the game open on their way to a 62-35 blowout. Having five state tournament qualifiers in their first half dozen games, Bradley Central (4-0) will head to Knoxville Tuesday for a battle of back-to-back state champions, facing DII-AA Knox Cathloic, which opened the campaign with four straight wins before falling to McMinn Central 63-39 Friday in the Farragut Thanksgiving Tournament. Continuing to start the season with an extremely tough schedule, the Bearettes will travel across town to battle archrival Cleveland, which is coming off a Class 4A Final Four run, Friday evening, in Raider Arena. After the teams evenly split the game's opening eight points, the Bearettes closed out the first frame with the final dozen markers for a 10-point (16-6) edge. Lincoln County (2-2) fought back to take the second quarter by a 12-9 margin to loser the deficit to single digits (25-17) at the intermission. Abby Bryan, who led all scorers with 19 points, netted a 3-ball and a free throw in the first 57 seconds of the third period, before the hosts flexed their muscles for 20 straight points over the final seven minutes of the period, pushing the difference back to 22 points (45-23). Bryan once again led the girls from Fayetteville in a short rally, netting the first eight points for thee visitors, but Arkansas signe Harmonie Ware countered the run with back-to-back fast break buckets off steals and assists by Walter State-bound Malia Wilcox. Wilcox then sparked 13-3 streak with her second long-range bomb of the day as the Bearette "D" held Lincoln County to just a trio of free throws in the final five minutes. Ware paced Bradley with17 points, hitting 6-fo-10 shots from the field, plus 4-for-5 at the free throw line, while grabbing a half dozen rebounds. Samford-bound Avary Brewer helped out witha trio of treys in her 13 points, plus she copped three steals and dished a pair of assists. Kennesaw State signee Tatianna Stovall posted a double-double for the victors with 10 points and 11 rebounds, plus she handed out four "dimes," swiped a pair of thefts and "swatted" two Lincoln County shot attempts. Netting just a half dozen points, 2024 Miss Tennessee Basketball finalist Kimora Fields was limited to just 14:33 on playing time after picking up two quick fouls early in the contest. Along with Bryan's 19, Lincoln County got 10 points from Molly Brown to account for more then 82.6% of its scoring.
No. 22 Syracuse looking for 10 wins in 1st year under Fran Brown against depleted Washington State
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Pick your adjective to describe the Kansas City Chiefs this season — charmed, serendipitous, fortunate or just plain lucky — and it probably fits, and not just because they keep winning games that come down to the wire. Every time they need help at a position, they've found someone sitting on the couch, seemingly waiting for their call. First it was wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster, who returned to the Chiefs just before the season after Marquise Brown was lost to shoulder surgery. Then it was running back Kareem Hunt, who likewise returned to his former team when Isiah Pacheco broke his fibula. Left tackle D.J. Humphries came next when other options at the position were struggling, and this week it was Steven Nelson, who came out of retirement to help a secondary that has struggled for weeks. "Just got an opportunity, got a call. Was very excited about it," said Nelson, who spent his first four seasons in Kansas City before stints in Pittsburgh and Houston, and ultimately calling it quits in June so he could spend more time with his family. "I've got two daughters and been spending a lot of time with him," Nelson said, "but still trying to work out. It was kind of the perfect scenario, getting the call, especially where this team has been and this point in the season. Great opportunity." It's been a perfect opportunity for all of them. Perfect fits for the Chiefs, too. Each could have signed just about anywhere else and been able to contribute, yet they were still sitting around when Chiefs general manager Brett Veach reached out. In the case of Smith-Schuster, Hunt and Humphries, there were some concerns about injuries that had kept some teams away, but the Chiefs were willing to take a risk on them. Smith-Schuster, who has dealt with knee trouble for years, missed some time with a hamstring injury this season. But he still has 202 yards and a touchdown receiving, and has provided some veteran leadership in the locker room. Hunt was coming off a sports hernia surgery, a big reason why the Browns — whom the Chiefs visit Sunday — declined to bring him back after five years spent in a one-two punch with Nick Chubb. But when Pacheco went down, Hunt stepped in and their offense barely missed a beat; he has run for a team-leading 608 yards and five touchdowns in 10 games. Humphries was still rehabbing a torn ACL at the start of the season, but the former Pro Bowl tackle was cleared just before the Chiefs called him. Kingsley Suamataia and Wanya Morris had struggled to protect Patrick Mahomes' blind side, so they brought in Humphries to help out. And while he hurt his hamstring late in his debut last week against the Chargers, the Chiefs still hope he'll be recovered and fully up to speed in time for the stretch run and the playoffs. "I'm in Kansas City, bro. I'm pretty ecstatic. It don't get much better than this," Humphries said. "Everybody is excited for me to be here and that's a really good feeling. You're getting All-Pro guys' arms outstretched, like, 'We're so glad you're here.'" The providential signings don't stop at those four players, either. When the Chiefs lost kicker Harrison Butker to knee surgery, they signed Spencer Shrader off the Jets practice squad, and he promptly kicked a game-winner against Carolina. But then Shrader hurt his hamstring and landed on injured reserve. The 49ers had just waived Matthew Wright, and the Chiefs signed him up. He's gone 8 for 9 on field-goal tries, has been perfect on PATs, and banged the game-winner off the upright and through last week against Los Angeles. Just like Smith-Schuster, Hunt and Nelson, Wright had been with Kansas City a couple of years ago. "It definitely helps, him knowing how we do things, how we practice and what we expect," Chiefs special teams coach Dave Toub said. "That all helped, for sure. And he's a veteran. He's been a lot of places. It wasn't like he was a rookie off the street." Or off the couch, for that matter. NOTES: Butker planned to kick again Thursday and could come off IR to face the Browns on Sunday. "He looked good," Toub said. "We have to see how he responds." ... Humphries (hamstring) did not practice Thursday. RT Jawaan Taylor (knee) was limited. ... SS Justin Reid will likely handle kickoffs against Cleveland. He has a stronger leg than Wright and also puts another athletic and adept tackler on the field on special teams. Get local news delivered to your inbox!