From Friday, some parts of the country have received rains to the relief of farmers after eight days of scorching heat wilted crops. Spot-checks indicate that parts of Kasungu, Mchinji, Lilongwe, Dedza, Ntcheu, Blantyre, Thyolo, Mulanje Phalombe and Machinga, which were among the hardest hit, received rains over the weekend. Department of Climate Change and Meteorological Services (MET) data shows that Mtubwi Agriculture in Machinga received rains measuring 48 millimetres (mm) on Friday while Malawi University of Science and Technology in Thyolo recorded 8mm of rain on the same day. A farmer, Alick Jombo of Waliranji Village, Traditional Authority Mavwere in Mchinji said yesterday crops have been revived following heavy rains in the area during the weekend. “Hopefully, the rains will not stop because we also had some days of rains in November but they were followed by the dry spell which damaged crops,” he said. On her part, Farmers Union of Malawi (FUM) president Maness Nkhata said the prospects of more rains in the coming week have brought a sigh of relief to farmers. She encouraged fellow farmers to go back to their fields to continue doing various farming operations such as replanting, weeding, fertiliser application, and other relevant operations. “Despite the fact that some farmers have already suffered devastating effects of the heatwave that the country experienced in the past two weeks, it is not too late to replant and reclaim the season,” said Nkhata. Meanwhile, agriculture expert Zachary Kasomekera has said farmers have various options, depending on what they did before the dry spell. He said farmers who already planted and the seeds germinated will only replant in the plant stations where crops have failed. “If there is no germination, the farmer has to check a few planting stations at random to see if the seed is still alive or dead. If in 20 planting stations, 16 stations have dead seeds then replanting is necessary. Otherwise, it’s better to wait for germination and reseed empty planting stations,” said the Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources council chairperson. MET director Lucy Mtilatila said in an interview yesterday that substantial amounts of rain have been experienced in the Southern and Central regions of the country. “The rains will likely continue in the coming days and will cover most parts of the country, including the Northern areas,” she said. On the prevailing high temperatures, Mtilatila said temperatures will be cooling as the rains continue to fall.
COP29: India says climate deal falls short
KANNUR: A group of highly skilled thieves broke into the house of K.P. Ashraf, a rice merchant in Valapattanam and stole gold and diamond ornaments worth over 300 sovereigns and cash amounting to Rs 1 crore. The robbery, which showcased the burglars’ technical expertise, has left the police investigating multiple leads. The thieves managed to open a highly secure locker, which required simultaneous operation of a key, a lever, and a secondary key. The locker, purchased from a Bengaluru-based company, was designed to be nearly impossible to open without knowledge of its unique mechanism. Investigators believe only someone familiar with this technology could have successfully accessed the locker. The police have already visited the Bengaluru company to gather details about the locker’s technology and service personnel. They are also probing whether anyone connected to the company may have shared insider information about the system. The robbery took place at Ashraf's 'Coral' house near the KSEB office in Valapattanam Manna while the family was away attending a wedding in Madurai. The theft is believed to have occurred between 8 pm on January 20 and 4 am on January 21. The family discovered the crime upon returning home at 9:15 pm on January 21. The burglars gained entry by breaking the grill of a bedroom window at the back of the house. They proceeded to break open the cupboard to retrieve the key to the locker, which was stored in another shelf. Despite the locker being securely placed inside a wooden cupboard, the thieves opened it without causing any visible damage. The police suspect the involvement of individuals with prior knowledge of the house and the security system. Fingerprints collected from the crime scene and 113 CCTV footage clips from the area are being analyzed. A police dog tracked the suspects to the Valapattanam railway station, suggesting they may have boarded a train to Mangaluru after the robbery. Three individuals are under suspicion and the police have intensified their search efforts. The authorities are focusing on tracing connections between the suspects and the technology used in the locker, which could be a crucial lead in solving the case.
Choose correct ITR to report foreign assets; 2 lakh such returns filed: CBDT officialBEREA HOLIDAY CLASSIC: Southern finishes strong; Montgomery County tops Lady PiratesThe Kremlin fired a new intermediate-range ballistic missile at Ukraine on Thursday in response to Kyiv's use this week of American and British missiles capable of striking deeper into Russia, President Vladimir Putin said. In a televised address to the country, the Russian president warned that U.S. air defense systems would be powerless to stop the new missile, which he said flies at ten times the speed of sound and which he called the Oreshnik — Russian for hazelnut tree. He also said it could be used to attack any Ukrainian ally whose missiles are used to attack Russia. “We believe that we have the right to use our weapons against military facilities of the countries that allow to use their weapons against our facilities,” Putin said in his first comments since President Joe Biden gave Ukraine the green light this month to use U.S. ATACMS missiles to strike at limited targets inside Russia. Pentagon deputy press secretary Sabrina Singh confirmed that Russia’s missile was a new, experimental type of intermediate range missile based on it’s RS-26 Rubezh intercontinental ballistic missile. “This was new type of lethal capability that was deployed on the battlefield, so that was certainly of concern," Singh said, noting that the missile could carry either conventional or nuclear warheads. The U.S. was notified ahead of the launch through nuclear risk reduction channels, she said. The attack on the central Ukrainian city of Dnipro came in response to Kyiv's use of longer-range U.S. and British missiles in strikes Tuesday and Wednesday on southern Russia, Putin said. Those strikes caused a fire at an ammunition depot in Russia's Bryansk region and killed and wounded some security services personnel in the Kursk region, he said. “In the event of an escalation of aggressive actions, we will respond decisively and in kind,” the Russian president said, adding that Western leaders who are hatching plans to use their forces against Moscow should “seriously think about this.” Putin said the Oreshnik fired Thursday struck a well-known missile factory in Dnipro. He also said Russia would issue advance warnings if it launches more strikes with the Oreshnik against Ukraine to allow civilians to evacuate to safety — something Moscow hasn’t done before previous aerial attacks. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov initially said Russia hadn’t warned the U.S. about the coming launch of the new missile, noting that it wasn't obligated to do so. But he later changed tack and said Moscow did issue a warning 30 minutes before the launch. Putin's announcement came hours after Ukraine claimed that Russia had used an intercontinental ballistic missile in the Dnipro attack, which wounded two people and damaged an industrial facility and rehabilitation center for people with disabilities, according to local officials. But American officials said an initial U.S. assessment indicated the strike was carried out with an intermediate-range ballistic missile. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a Telegram post that the use of the missile was an "obvious and serious escalation in the scale and brutality of this war, a cynical violation of the UN Charter.” He also said there had been “no strong global reaction” to the use of the missile, which he said could threaten other countries. “Putin is very sensitive to this. He is testing you, dear partners,” Zelenskyy wrote. “If there is no tough response to Russia’s actions, it means they see that such actions are possible.” The attack comes during a week of escalating tensions , as the U.S. eased restrictions on Ukraine's use of American-made longer-range missiles inside Russia and Putin lowered the threshold for launching nuclear weapons. The Ukrainian air force said in a statement that the Dnipro attack was launched from Russia’s Astrakhan region, on the Caspian Sea. “Today, our crazy neighbor once again showed what he really is,” Zelenskyy said hours before Putin's address. “And how afraid he is.” Russia was sending a message by attacking Ukraine with an intermediate-range ballistic missile capable of releasing multiple warheads at extremely high speeds, even if they are less accurate than cruise missiles or short-range ballistic missiles, said Matthew Savill, director of military sciences at the Royal United Services Institute, a London-based think tank. “Why might you use it therefore?” Savill said. "Signaling — signaling to the Ukrainians. We’ve got stuff that outrages you. But really signaling to the West ‘We’re happy to enter into a competition around intermediate range ballistic missiles. P.S.: These could be nuclear tipped. Do you really want to take that risk?’” Military experts say that modern ICBMs and IRBMs are extremely difficult to intercept, although Ukraine has previously claimed to have stopped some other weapons that Russia described as “unstoppable,” including the air-launched Kinzhal hypersonic missile. David Albright, of the Washington-based think tank the Institute for Science and International Security, said he was “skeptical” of Putin’s claim, adding that Russian technology sometimes “falls short.” He suggested Putin was “taunting the West to try to shoot it down ... like a braggart boasting, taunting his enemy.” Earlier this week, the Biden administration authorized Ukraine to use the U.S.-supplied, longer-range missiles to strike deeper inside Russia — a move that drew an angry response from Moscow. Days later, Ukraine fired several of the missiles into Russia, according to the Kremlin. The same day, Putin signed a new doctrine that allows for a potential nuclear response even to a conventional attack on Russia by any nation that is supported by a nuclear power. The doctrine is formulated broadly to avoid a firm commitment to use nuclear weapons. In response, Western countries, including the U.S., said Russia has used irresponsible nuclear rhetoric and behavior throughout the war to intimidate Ukraine and other nations. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Thursday that Russia’s formal lowering of the threshold for nuclear weapons use did not prompt any changes in U.S. doctrine. She pushed back on concerns that the decision to allow Ukraine to use Western missiles to strike deeper inside Russia might escalate the war. ′′They’re the ones who are escalating this,” she said of the Kremlin — in part because of a flood of North Korean troops sent to the region. More than 1,000 days into war , Russia has the upper hand, with its larger army advancing in Donetsk and Ukrainian civilians suffering from relentless drone and missile strikes. Analysts and observers say the loosening of restrictions on Ukraine's use of Western missiles is unlikely to change the the course of the war, but it puts the Russian army in a more vulnerable position and could complicate the logistics that are crucial in warfare. Putin has also warned that the move would mean that Russia and NATO are at war. “It is an important move and it pulls against, undermines the narrative that Putin had been trying to establish that it was fine for Russia to rain down Iranian drones and North Korean missiles on Ukraine but a reckless escalation for Ukraine to use Western-supplied weapons at legitimate targets in Russia,” said Peter Ricketts, a former U.K. national security adviser who now sits in the House of Lords. ___ Associated Press writers Jill Lawless and Emma Burrows in London, and Zeke Miller and Lolita C. Baldor in Washington contributed to this report. ___ Follow AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine
Northwestern wins second women's field hockey national championshipHyderabad: Naga Chaitanya and Sobhita Dhulipala are getting married on December 4, 2024, at Annapurna Studios in Hyderabad. After announcing their engagement in August, the couple has started their pre-wedding festivities. Their Haldi ceremony was a colorful event with close family in attendance. Sobhita looked stunning in a bright red saree and later changed into a yellow outfit, while Naga kept it traditional in a kurta pyjama. Here are some delightful moments from the haldi ceremony of Yuva Samrat @chay_akkineni and @sobhitaD ! 🎉 The joy and love were truly in the air! 😍❤️ #NagaChaitanya #SobhitaDhulipala #SoChay #SoChayWedding pic.twitter.com/jWtozNx2cb Born in Tenali, Andhra Pradesh, Sobhita rose to fame after winning Femina Miss India Earth in 2013. This opened doors to the modeling world and eventually led to her acting debut in 2016 with the critically acclaimed Raman Raghav 2.0. A post shared by Sobhita (@sobhitad) Her career took off with Made in Heaven, where her role as Tara Khanna resonated with audiences. She has since starred in hit projects like Goodachari, The Night Manager, and the blockbuster Ponniyin Selvan series. Sobhita’s net worth is estimated at Rs 7 to 10 crores. She charges Rs 70 lakh to 1 crore per project and earned Rs 1 crore for her role in Ponniyin Selvan I. A post shared by Sobhita (@sobhitad) Together, Naga Chaitanya and Sobhita Dhulipala have a combined wealth of over Rs 160 crores. With their talent, success, and love, they are one of Indian cinema’s most admired couples.Jimmy Carter, 100, gained Nebraska admirers during and after his presidency
New Delhi: The nation is mourning the loss of former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who passed away at the age of 92 on Thursday night. As news of his death broke, leaders from across the political spectrum paid their tributes, remembering him for his wisdom, integrity, and transformative contributions to India's economic reforms. President Droupadi Murmu said that Singh will always be remembered for his service to the nation, his unblemished political life, and his utmost humility. "His passing is a great loss to all of us. I pay my respectful homage to one of the greatest sons of Bharat and convey my heartfelt condolences to his family, friends and admirers," she said. Union Home Minister Amit Shah expressed grief over the demise of former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh saying that from being the Governor of the RBI to the Finance Minister and as the PM, Singh played an important role in the governance of the country. In a post on X, Shah prayed for peace to his soul and strength for his family to bear this grief. "The news of the demise of former Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh is extremely sad. From being the Governor of the Reserve Bank of India to the Finance Minister of the country and as the Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh played an important role in the governance of the country. I express my condolences to his family and supporters in this hour of grief. May Waheguru grant peace to his soul and give strength to his family to bear this grief," the Home Minister said. Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge expressed his deepest and heartfelt condolences to Singh's family, friends, and countless admirers. In a post on X, Kharge said that with the passing of Singh, India has lost a visionary statesman, a leader of unimpeachable integrity, and an economist of unparalleled stature. "Undoubtedly, history shall judge you kindly, Dr. Manmohan Singh ji! With the passing of the Former Prime Minister, India has lost a visionary statesman, a leader of unimpeachable integrity, and an economist of unparalleled stature. His policy of Economic Liberalisation and Rights-based welfare paradigm profoundly transformed the lives of crores of Indians, virtually creating a Middle Class in India and lifting crores out of poverty," he wrote on X. The Congress chief called Singh a man of action rather than words saying that his immense contribution to nation-building will forever be etched in the annals of Indian history "I mourn the loss of a lifelong senior colleague, a gentle intellectual and a humble soul who embodied the aspirations of India, having risen through the ranks with unwavering dedication. I am proud to have been a part of his Cabinet as Labour Minister, Railway Minister and Social Welfare Minister. A man of action rather than words, his immense contribution to nation-building will forever be etched in the annals of Indian history," he said. "In this moment of sorrow, I extend my deepest and heartfelt condolences to his family, friends, and countless admirers. May they get the strength to overcome this huge loss. His enduring legacy of ushering in India's growth, welfare, and policies of inclusivity will forever be cherished. May his soul rest in eternal peace," Kharge added. Congress leader and MP Priyanka Gandhi condoled the demise of Singh and called him a uniquely dignified and gentleman in the rough world of politics. "Few people in politics inspire the kind of respect that Sardar Manmohan Singh ji did. His honesty will always be an inspiration for us and he will forever stand tall among those who truly love this country as someone who remained steadfast in his commitment to serve the nation despite being subjected to unfair and deeply personal attacks by his opponents. He was genuinely egalitarian, wise, strong-willed and courageous until the end. A uniquely dignified and gentleman in the rough world of politics," Priyanka wrote on X. Congress leader Shashi Tharoor said that the party is cancelling all their programmes and rushing back to Delhi from Belagavi in Karnataka. "It's very tragic. He was a great prime minister who served the nation. We are cancelling all our programmes and rushing back to Delhi," he said. Former Deputy National Security Adviser Pankaj Saran, who had worked with Singh during his prime ministerial tenure, said he was a man who symbolised humility and collegiate style of functioning. "He was a consensus builder. A very simple man who did not expect to become the prime minister," Saran told PTI. N N Vohra, who was appointed Governor of Jammu and Kashmir during Singh's tenure, said his death is the end of a "truly rare species of political leadership, which was marked by exceptional intellectual capability, honesty, transparency and unparalleled humility." "A man of very few words, he heard everyone, high and low, and tackled the most complex issues by taking his own decisions which best served the national interest," he said. Singh is the only PM who held prime minister's office without winning a popular vote. He ended his 33-year-long parliamentary innings in the Rajya Sabha on April 3. (with agency inputs)
New Delhi: With Delhi assembly polls drawing near, AAP govt has started focusing on schemes that directly benefit the public. With a large number of senior citizens waiting in queue, social welfare department has started accepting applications to enrol them under the ‘old age pension' scheme. Nearly 80,000 people aged above 60 years, with an annual family income of less than Rs 1 lakh, will be enrolled for the senior citizen pension. Delhi govt provides monthly financial assistance of Rs 2,000 to elderly citizens in the age group of 60-69 years, with an additional amount for those belonging to scheduled castes, scheduled tribes, and minority communities, and Rs 2,500 for those aged 70 and above. Nearly 4.5 lakh senior citizens benefit from the scheme. Since no new additions were made to the list of beneficiaries in the last few years, the actual number have gone down, but the govt and public representatives were receiving frequent queries from eligible persons about the scheme and eligibility for it. Officials said eligible people can apply for the pension by filling up a form on the e-district portal of Delhi govt. While the application system will go live on Nov 24, it will remain functional only until 80,000 applications are received or for a maximum period of three weeks. Maharashtra Jharkhand Maharashtra Alliance View i Party View Seats: 288 Results Majority: 145 BJP+ 229 MVA 47 OTH 12 Results : 288 / 288 BJP+ WON Jharkhand Alliance View i Party View Seats: 81 Results Majority: 41 INDIA 56 NDA 24 OTH 1 Results : 81 / 81 INDIA WON Source: PValue "Any person aged 60 and above, who has been living in Delhi for at least five years and has an Aadhaar card with a local address, can apply for the pension. The annual family income of the applicant from all sources combined should not be more than Rs 1 lakh per month, and he or she must have their own singly-operated bank account," said an official, adding that the applicant must not be receiving any other pension or financial assistance from central or any other state govt. Old age pension has always been a huge political issue. BJP earlier this year alleged that despite having the scope to add nearly one lakh eligible persons to the scheme, Delhi govt had not made any effort in this direction since 2018. While alleging that central govt withheld its contribution to the monthly pension of over a lakh beneficiaries since March this year, AAP govt in Aug claimed that it managed to get it restored after pursuing it with the Centre relentlessly. The social welfare department later decided to make a separate provision in its own budget to arresting Arvind Kejriwal. "Now that he is out of jail, the work has resumed and the employees will soon receive their pending salaries," AAP said in a statement.A phone with the model number “OnePlus CPH2645” has been listed on Geekbench. This smartphone is expected to debut as the OnePlus 13R. This phone is expected to be launched in the market soon. The motherboard named “pineapple”, suggests the OnePlus 13R will be equipped with Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset. According to Geekbench, OnePlus 13R is likely to be equipped with 12GB of RAM. Just like the OnePlus 13, it is expected to run on Android 15. The OnePlus 13 that was recently launched in China has Hasselblad-branded three 50MP cameras on a round camera island at the rear. The cameras are primary, ultrawide (120 degree) and periscope telephoto (3x optical). The 32MP front camera is present in the punch hole of the display. This phone is expected to have the same features. Similarly the the OnePlus 13R is expected to have the OnePlus 13’s massive 6,000mAh battery (as compared to the 5,400mAh capacity on the OnePlus 12) with support for 100W fast charging and 50W wireless fast charging. On Geekbench test, the OnePlus 13R phone scored 2,238 points in single-core test and 6,761 points in multi-core test. The scores are a little higher than that of OnePlus 12. At this moment this is all that we know about the expected phone. Further details awaited
Could it be true that the antics of giant mud crabs once undermined attempts to build a permanent road for farmers at Bobs Farm, in Port Stephens? Login or signup to continue reading Well, yes. So, in 2024, for his fifth and latest local history book, fishing guru John 'Stinker' Clarke writes about a most unusual subject - building a humble road beside a tidal creek and the pioneering families who lived nearby. This Marsh Road, often now bypassed by travellers, was actually once the main route to Nelson Bay when finally completed through swamp land about 100 years ago. Today, the 10-kilometre stretch of still often bumpy bitumen runs beside mangroves and Tilligerry Creek. It leaves Nelson Bay Road at Salt Ash to go through Bobs Farm, then re-joins the road going towards Anna Bay. However, since the start of World War II, a modern highway has cut through sandhills to the immediate west and bypasses the historic, original road. Many motorists may be familiar with it, saying: "it's the route to old Rose Farm (later barramundi farm) up there". The intriguing history of this first road to Port Stephens is now told in Clarke's 160-page book, Marsh Road - Mangroves, Mud Crabs, Roses and Tomatoes ($45 ). The initial "goat track" through the mangrove forest from Salt Ash to Bobs Farm was put down in 1913. Marsh Road was then finally constructed (with difficulty) by road-builder Robert McCrae between 1924 and 1926. "McRae's Contract Road" has had five names, with many more unprintable, over the decades. Despite ongoing maintenance on the road, most motorists still regard parts of its patched-up surface as a shocker. It harks back to the 1920s when the road, with a boggy, unstable base affected by tides, often got worse because of the damage caused by mud crabs. As author John Clarke explains: "The mangroves, which thrive in the rich mud that fringes the Tilligerry waterway, provide the perfect habitat for the crabs and the population of 'muddies' boomed". Unbelievably, early on, no one caught or ate mud crabs, or had any appetite for squid or octopus, either. That came much later with migrant arrivals. In the 1920s, the crabs were regarded as a huge nuisance, a pest, especially by fishermen, he said. Hundreds, probably thousands, of mud crabs, with their big pincers, cut into the peat, soil and decaying vegetation beneath the early road, forever undermining it. Mud crabs also continued to burrow under the racks of local oyster farmers, their jetties and work sheds "causing the structures to destabilise or collapse into the mud". It was an alarming problem. The crabs would also tangle and tear the nets of Tilligerry Creek fishermen. Their response was to simply crush this future prize delicacy with a "stomper" and toss their remains into the nearby bush or back into the water for the fish to eat. The skyrocketing mud crab population then also impeded the construction and ongoing maintenance of Marsh Road. "Muddies, growing to an impressive 3kg, built their homes by burrowing into the footings of Marsh Road causing the road to slump and form dips in the surface," Clarke said. "Efforts have been made over the years to prevent the burrowing of the crabs, to little avail, as they continue to dig away, albeit in less numbers." Clarke recalls coming across Marsh Road when he first arrived in Port Stephens in 1974 with a memory of hitting his head on the roof of his Mini Minor as he travelled too fast along the road dodging potholes. He said older residents could also still recall when logs were placed over sand in the swamp, and how graders working to upgrade Marsh Road, even in the 1960s, had difficulties because of its soft base and the changing tides. But he never thought he'd write a book about it. Three years later, his interviews with older residents are in print. Clarke said he was spurred on by the road itself, which was a character. He was also captivated by the rugged individuals he found in Bobs Farm who had endured such a tough life. "Writing Marsh Road has been a step back in time. A wonderful era in our history when communities were tightly bonded and there was a real pride in saying, 'I come from Bobs Farm'," he writes. Clarke's book pays homage to about 50 pioneering families, from the Uptons, to the Blanches, the Cromarty, Dalton and West families. Other names include Holliday, Kafer, Maslen, Bright, Anderson, Kerslake, George, Thompson and Sheppard. At first glance, much of Clarke's book seems to be simply memories of hardy settlers around Bobs Farm battling floods, heartbreak, wartime loss, depression, poverty and sadness, but it is more than that. He writes admiringly of how early families ingeniously turned back the tide literally by digging canals, drains and levee banks to create fertile farmland in rich, alluvial soil. At one stage, there were 50-60 dairy farms and market gardens in the district. It was the food bowl for the region. Then there was Marsh Road's once impressive Rose Farm (1971-1989), which was a major Hunter tourist attraction with a restaurant seating around 300. In 1985, the venture attracted 250,000 visitors. The brainchild of Peter Holliday, the farm had about 80,000 roses and, at the height of the growing season, up to 1000 bunches would be picked daily, processed and transported to Sydney. But the 45-hectare farm was famous for something else. As Newcastle Herald business editor John Lewis wrote in 1985: "Bulgaria and Bobs Farm are the only two places in the world where the avid jam-eater can buy rose petal jam". This popular product was later exported to Hong Kong. In 1981, the site became the first major commercial flower farm in Australia to cater for tourists. One innovation was a two-hectare glasshouse from the Netherlands, which contained 220,000 rose bushes growing in a computer-controlled environment. In 1991, it was sold to a Melbourne company, which dismantled it and relocated the entire structure to Victoria. Then there's the story of the wreck of the coastal trader S.S. Uralla, stranded on the beach at nearby Morna Point in 1928 in a wild storm. No lives were lost, but the wreck provided much-needed salvage work for local men who had lost their crops in bad weather. Finally, there's the most extraordinary - and unknown - story of them all from wartime Bobs Farm. Clarke writes of Bobs Farm resident Des Holliday recalling hearing of the landing of Japanese enemy soldiers at a time when Australia, Newcastle especially, feared an invasion. "In 1942, five Japanese soldiers came ashore somewhere in Anna Bay, most likely on Stockton beach, having been dropped by an offshore submarine" Holliday recounted. "First detected by the 41st Battalion Guards, two of the Japanese were shot and dragged away by the other three. The Japanese were later sighted at Salt Ash heading towards Newcastle. "Although the enemy soldiers could not be found, a stash of their equipment, including bayonets, rifles and helmets was found under a bush at the back of the Salt Ash School." There were no further sightings or reports of the Japanese soldiers. However, Clarke said a strange event occurred in the 1960s when four Australian military men arrived unannounced at Gordon Holliday's house on Marsh Road. "We need to know where these Japanese soldiers are buried so that we can repatriate their remains," was the request. Gordon took the officers around Bobs Farm to meet all the old locals. No one knew where the soldiers were buried, but all agreed they had seen them. Clarke adds that the war years were exciting in a strange way. A bomb once fell from an aircraft and landed on tennis courts at Bobs Farm. In those days, it wasn't uncommon for bombs to accidentally drop out of the sky. DAILY Today's top stories curated by our news team. Also includes evening update. WEEKDAYS Grab a quick bite of today's latest news from around the region and the nation. WEEKLY The latest news, results & expert analysis. WEEKDAYS Catch up on the news of the day and unwind with great reading for your evening. WEEKLY Get the editor's insights: what's happening & why it matters. WEEKLY Love footy? We've got all the action covered. 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Fresh daily!The cost of Storm Bert will run to millions of euro as a massive clean-up operation is underway nationwide. On Sunday, forecasters issued low-level wind warnings for 13 counties across the island. A status yellow wind warning is in place for Leitrim, Mayo and Sligo until 2am on Monday while a yellow wind alert is in place for Donegal until 8am on Monday. A status yellow wind warning is also in place for Clare, Kerry and Galway until 7pm on Sunday. Forecasters at Met Éireann said gusty winds will create a risk of fallen trees and difficult travelling conditions in these counties. In Northern Ireland, a yellow alert warning has been issued by the Met Office for all counties from 11am until 6pm on Sunday, with possible disruption to travel and utilities. While the Atlantic storm wasn't as damaging as initially feared with Status Red warnings in place for both Galway and Cork on Saturday, torrential rainfall caused havoc across many rural communities with homes flooded, infrastructure damaged, roads left impassable, festive attractions closed and Christmas shopping interrupted. At its peak, over 60,000 homes and businesses were left without power as Storm Bert battered Ireland with torrential rainfall and high winds. The River Blackwater bursts its banks and floods Mallow Racecourse in Mallow, County Cork Storm Bert: Footage shows heavy flooding as rivers burst their banks More than 100 roads, mostly rural, were left impassable on Saturday due to the combination of flooding, fallen trees and storm debris. The ESB said almost 50,000 people were successfully reconnected on Saturday evening as repair crews began operations once it was safe to do so. All businesses and householders are expected to be reconnected by Sunday evening. At one point, repair crews were battling to deal with storm related issues in 14 counties. Donegal, Limerick, Cork, Kerry and Galway witnessed the worst of the damage. However, while major flooding fears had focused on Bantry and Midleton in Cork, both were spared the worst of the damage on Saturday. Rising water levels as the rainfall from Storm Bert feeds down from mountains and hills - combined with melt from the snow and ice of last week's Arctic snap - will ensure all flood-prone towns will remain on high alert for days to come. Met Éireann warned that the winds in the aftermath of Storm Bert will vary from strong gusts to gale force with the risk of fallen trees, flying debris and difficulty travelling conditions. Flood barriers were erected in Mallow and Fermoy - with Fermoy's Kent Bridge over the River Blackwater having to be closed to both vehicle and pedestrian traffic on Sunday because of rising water levels. It reopened on Sunday morning. Significant flooding hit a number of communities nationwide with Killybegs in Donegal, Abbeyfeale in Limerick and Listowel in Kerry hardest hit. All three suffered what has been described as the worst flooding in living memory. Assessments are now underway in all three towns to determine the scale of the flood-repair costs. However, the combination of damage to property and infrastructure, allied to the disruption of critical Christmas trade, is expected to see losses run to millions of Euro. At its peak, a river was running through the centre of Killybegs - while Abbeyfeale's soccer pitch was left resembling a waterpark as flood water turned a local road into a river. Listowel's town centre flooded as locals admitted it was the worst flooding seen for over half a century. Some traders fear they have suffered flood-related damage to much of their critical Christmas stock. Maam Cross in Galway su ffered a major landslide as hillsides were unable to cope with the sheer volume of rainfall dumped by Storm Bert. Maam Road in Leenane had to be closed due to the massive landslide with Galway Co Council experts now conducting a safety and repair assessment. At its peak, some parts of Ireland received 60mm-plus of rainfall in a matter of hours. Fears had focused on both Midleton and Bantry in Cork but they escaped any major flood damage. Midleton was hit by severe flooding in October 2023 after Storm Babet. Bantry suffered damaging flooding just last month with a culvert under the town's main street unable to cope with the huge volume of rainfall washing down from the mountains which ring the coastal town. The west Cork town has been waiting for almost two decades for a flood protection scheme. Storm Bert also played havoc with public transport across Ireland with dozens of Iarnród Éireann and Bus Éireann services either delayed or cancelled because of the conditions. A number of flights were also either delayed or diverted at the height of the storm. Fears were that Storm Bert rainfall could reach from 50mm to possibly even 80mm across Galway and Cork in a matter of hours. The average rainfall for the entire month of December is 123mm. Storm conditions forced a number of festive events to be postponed - with the Christmas lights ceremony being hit in Fermoy firstly by Storm Bert on Saturday and then on Sunday by the town effectively being cut in two by the flood-related bridge closure. However, a number of cities and towns proceeded on Sunday with Christmas festivals and events which had to be cancelled on Saturday due to Storm Bert. Both the Gardaí and Road Safety Authority (RSA) repeated their plea to people to be careful when travelling near flooded roads over the coming days. A large number of roads are expected to be flooded for days to come and motorists were warned never to attempt to drive into flood waters because of uncertainty over the depth and possible current. Drivers were also urged to drive with care, to slow down, allow extra braking distance to the vehicle in front and to be conscious of vulnerable road users. Gardaí repeated their plea to motorists to check that their vehicles were winter-ready with tyres, windscreen wipers and headlights all in good condition. Water Safety Ireland urged people to avoid waterways given that many streams and rivers have been transformed into raging torrents. The public have also been urged to stay away from exposed coastal areas due to hazardous gusts.
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (AP) — Oklahoma co-defensive coordinator Zac Alley is being reunited with Rich Rodriguez at West Virginia. Rodriguez, who was hired for his second stint as West Virginia's coach on Dec. 12, announced Sunday that he hired the 31-year-old Alley as defensive coordinator and linebackers coach. “Zac is one of the top young defensive coordinators in the country and has proven his ability to lead and be an innovator at different stops during his career,” Rodriguez said in a statement. “I have worked with him several seasons, and he constantly impresses me with his ability to blend schemes with his personnel and develop winning results.” Under Rodriguez, Alley spent the 2022 and 2023 seasons as defensive coordinator and linebackers coach at Jacksonville State. Alley was the youngest defensive coordinator in the Bowl Subdivision at Louisiana-Monroe in 2021 when Rodriguez was the Warhawks’ offensive coordinator. In Alley’s lone season at Oklahoma, the Sooners ranked fifth in the Southeastern Conference in total defense, allowing 318 yards per game. “I have tremendous respect for Coach Rod, as I’ve seen how he develops players and builds a program,” Alley said. “I look forward to working with the players and doing my part to help WVU be one of the top teams in the Big 12 Conference and the nation.” Alley worked under Oklahoma coach Brent Venables as a graduate assistant at Clemson from 2015 to 2018 when Venables was defensive coordinator and linebackers coach there. Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here . AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-footballWASHINGTON (AP) — Donald Trump’s personnel choices for his new Cabinet and White House reflect his signature positions on immigration and trade but also a range of viewpoints and backgrounds that raise questions about what ideological anchors might guide his Oval Office encore. With a rapid assembly of his second administration — faster than his effort eight years ago — the former and incoming president has combined television personalities , former Democrats, a wrestling executive and traditional elected Republicans into a mix that makes clear his intentions to impose tariffs on imported goods and crack down on illegal immigration but leaves open a range of possibilities on other policy pursuits. “The president has his two big priorities and doesn’t feel as strongly about anything else — so it’s going to be a real jump ball and zigzag,” predicted Marc Short, chief of staff to Vice President Mike Pence during Trump’s 2017-21 term. “In the first administration, he surrounded himself with more conservative thinkers, and the results showed we were mostly rowing in the same direction. This is more eclectic.” Indeed, Secretary of State-designee Marco Rubio , the Florida senator who has pilloried authoritarian regimes around the world, is in line to serve as top diplomat to a president who praises autocratic leaders like Russia’s Vladimir Putin and Hungary’s Viktor Orban. Republican Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer of Oregon has been tapped to sit at the Cabinet table as a pro-union labor secretary alongside multiple billionaires, former governors and others who oppose making it easier for workers to organize themselves. The prospective treasury secretary, Scott Bessent , wants to cut deficits for a president who promised more tax cuts, better veterans services and no rollbacks of the largest federal outlays: Social Security, Medicare and national defense. Abortion-rights supporter Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is Trump's choice to lead the Health and Human Services Department, which Trump’s conservative Christian base has long targeted as an agency where the anti-abortion movement must wield more influence. Former Republican House Speaker Newt Gingrich allowed that members of Trump’s slate will not always agree with the president and certainly not with one another. But he minimized the potential for irreconcilable differences: “A strong Cabinet, by definition, means you’re going to have people with different opinions and different skills.” That kind of unpredictability is at the core of Trump’s political identity. He is the erstwhile reality TV star who already upended Washington once and is returning to power with sweeping, sometimes contradictory promises that convinced voters, especially those in the working class, that he will do it all again. “What Donald Trump has done is reorient political leadership and activism to a more entrepreneurial spirit,” Gingrich said. There's also plenty of room for conflict, given the breadth of Trump's 2024 campaign promises and his pattern of cycling through Cabinet members and national security personnel during his first term. This time, Trump has pledged to impose tariffs on foreign goods, end illegal immigration and launch a mass deportation force, goose U.S. energy production and exact retribution on people who opposed — and prosecuted — him. He's added promises to cut taxes, raise wages, end wars in Israel and Ukraine , streamline government, protect Social Security and Medicare, help veterans and squelch cultural progressivism. Trump alluded to some of those promises in recent weeks as he completed his proposed roster of federal department heads and named top White House staff members. But his announcements skimmed over any policy paradoxes or potential complications. Bessent has crusaded as a deficit hawk, warning that the ballooning national debt , paired with higher interest rates, drives consumer inflation. But he also supports extending Trump’s 2017 tax cuts that added to the overall debt and annual debt service payments to investors who buy Treasury notes. A hedge-fund billionaire, Bessent built his wealth in world markets. Yet, generally speaking, he’s endorsed Trump's tariffs. He rejects the idea that they feed inflation and instead frames tariffs as one-time price adjustments and leverage to achieve U.S. foreign policy and domestic economic aims. Trump, for his part, declared that Bessent would “help me usher in a new Golden Age for the United States.” Chavez-DeRemer, Trump promised, “will achieve historic cooperation between Business and Labor that will restore the American Dream for Working Families.” Trump did not address the Oregon congresswoman’s staunch support for the PRO-Act, a Democratic-backed measure that would make it easier for workers to unionize, among other provisions. That proposal passed the House when Democrats held a majority. But it’s never had measurable Republican support in either chamber on Capitol Hill, and Trump has never made it part of his agenda. When Trump named Kennedy as his pick for health secretary, he did not mention the former Democrat’s support for abortion rights. Instead, Trump put the focus on Kennedy’s intention to take on the U.S. agriculture, food processing and drug manufacturing sectors. The vagaries of Trump’s foreign policy stand out, as well. Trump's choice for national security adviser , Florida Rep. Mike Waltz, offered mixed messages Sunday when discussing the Russia-Ukraine war, which Trump claims never would have started had he been president, because he would have prevailed on Putin not to invade his neighboring country. Speaking on “Fox News Sunday,” Waltz repeated Trump’s concerns over recent escalations, which include President Joe Biden approving sending antipersonnel mines to Ukrainian forces. “We need to restore deterrence, restore peace and get ahead of this escalation ladder, rather than responding to it,” Waltz said. But in the same interview, Waltz declared the mines necessary to help Ukraine “stop Russian gains” and said he’s working “hand in glove” with Biden’s team during the transition. Meanwhile, Tulsi Gabbard, Trump’s pick for director of national intelligence , the top intelligence post in government, is an outspoken defender of Putin and Syrian President Bashar al Assad, a close ally of Russia and Iran. Perhaps the biggest wildcards of Trump’s governing constellation are budget-and-spending advisers Russell Vought, Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy. Vought led Trump’s Office of Management and Budget in his first term and is in line for the same post again. Musk, the world’s wealthiest man, and Ramaswamy, a mega-millionaire venture capitalist, are leading an outside advisory panel known as the “Department of Government Efficiency.” The latter effort is a quasi-official exercise to identify waste. It carries no statutory authority, but Trump can route Musk’s and Ramaswamy’s recommendations to official government pathways, including via Vought. A leading author of Project 2025 , the conservative movement’s blueprint for a hard-right turn in U.S. government and society, Vought envisions OMB not just as an influential office to shape Trump’s budget proposals for Congress but a power center of the executive branch, “powerful enough to override implementing agencies’ bureaucracies.” As for how Trump might navigate differences across his administration, Gingrich pointed to Chavez-DeRemer. “He might not agree with her on union issues, but he might not stop her from pushing it herself,” Gingrich said of the PRO-Act. “And he will listen to anybody. If you convince him, he absolutely will spend presidential capital.” Short said other factors are more likely to influence Trump: personalities and, of course, loyalty . Vought “brought him potential spending cuts” in the first administration, Short said, “that Trump wouldn’t go along with.” This time, Short continued, “maybe Elon and Vivek provide backup,” giving Vought the imprimatur of two wealthy businessmen. “He will always calculate who has been good to him,” Short said. “You already see that: The unions got the labor secretary they wanted, and Putin and Assad got the DNI (intelligence chief) they wanted. ... This is not so much a team-of-rivals situation. I think it’s going to look a lot like a reality TV show.”( MENAFN - Jordan Times) The government is projected to have revenue of JD7.88 billion. An estimated JD7.30 billion of that revenue is generated domestically, while the remainder comes in the form of foreign aid and assistance (Mainly from The United States). This means that Jordanians are expected to pay 92.6 per cent of the total budget revenues. The budget deficit is expected to increase in 2021 by JD2.05 billion. This will be financed primarily through loans from domestic and foreign sources. In other words, the Jordanian public will have to service and cover these debts in the years to follow. The Jordanian state's expenditures are projected to be JD9.39 billion, 65 per cent of which will go to salaries for various jobs in government, and result in a grand total of JD6.10 billion. Coupled with the JD940 million in other expenses that the government accrues, the actual amount that government is paying for its own employment is closer to JD6.95 billion. This means that capital expenditure does not exceed JD 1.3 billion, which will not be all spent. In addition, the private sector in Jordan pays the government in two other forms. First, the government is paid through dividends for its investments in addition to voluntary contributions to certain causes. Second, there are the government's unpaid bills, which are estimated to be at least JD350 million. The 2021 budget indicates that the government plans to pay about JD74 million of that debt. In a nutshell, the private sector's payments to the government are more than sufficient to cover the government's expenditures, minus debt service payments, of course. This technical, and statistical outlay is meant to challenge the fact that Jordan depend on foreign aid in executing its budgetary duties, but that it generates most of its cost from Jordanians in the form of taxes, duties, fees, fines, dividends and through withholding payment on overdue loans. The crux of the matter is that the role of the private sector is marginalised, and that the government takes the entire private sector for granted. The government stifles the private sector's boom, it also marginalises the latter's importance, and it takes liberties in over-monitoring and penalising private institutions and individuals. These defects have all reached intolerable levels, yet the reactions on social media and on official media are pervasive in their antagonism of the private sector. The current economic climate is not making this dynamic any easier: The cost of energy is very high, the social security monthly salaries are being chipped away at, there are unreasonably high tariff and sales tax rates, and not to mention the very high interest rates, all of which, are amalgamating in a manner that defeats the purpose of economic recovery. According to the Central Bank's data, there are too many bank accounts in difficulty, and who have outstanding debts that amount to JD2.5 billion. If this modus operandi continues for a few months more, S&P Global Ratings ominously warns that the economic problems in Jordan will become very serious. The current structure of the Cabinet is heavily skewed against the private sector. This does not match the messaging the government tries to put out when they say that there should be an active partnership between the two wings of our economy. His Majesty King Abdullah sent the nation a clear message a few days ago, wherein he called for political, administrative, economic and social reform. The election law should be seriously revamped. His Majesty's call was echoed by Upper House Speaker Faisal Al Fayez. In the coming days, we need to stretch our resilience as wide as we possibly can, in order to avoid a crucial tear in the fabric of our society and economy. MENAFN30112024000028011005ID1108942271 Legal Disclaimer: MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. 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GOP congressman urges Republicans to back Mike Johnson ahead of House speaker vote
FRISCO, Texas (AP) — The Dallas Cowboys are shutting down CeeDee Lamb with two games remaining after their 2023 All-Pro receiver spent the second half of the season dealing with a sprained right shoulder. The team said Thursday that additional exams revealed enough damage to keep Lamb off the field Sunday at Philadelphia and in the final game at home against Washington. The team said surgery was not expected to be required. Dallas was eliminated from playoff contention a few hours before last weekend's . The decision on Lamb means the Cowboys will finish the regular season with at least five former Pro Bowlers on injured reserve. Among the others are quarterback Dak Prescott, who was limited to eight games before a season-ending hamstring tear, and right guard Zack Martin. The seven-time All-Pro made it through 10 games before deciding on season-ending ankle surgery. Defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence didn't playing after Week 4 because of a foot injury, and cornerback Trevon Diggs battled a variety of injuries while playing 11 games before a knee injury ended his season. Lamb initially injured his right shoulder when it hit the turf hard twice in a 27-21 loss at Atlanta on Nov. 3. He kept playing and had at least 100 yards in each of his last two games — both victories — before getting shut down. The 25-year-old Lamb sat out the entire offseason and preseason in a contract dispute after getting career highs in catches (an NFL-best 135), yards receiving (club-record 1,749) and touchdowns (12) in 2023. The holdout finally ended with a $136 million, four-year extension in late August, but neither the Cowboys nor their star receiver could get that production going again this season. Dallas (7-8) is missing the playoffs for the first time since 2020, Lamb's rookie year. Lamb finishes the season with 101 catches for 1,194 yards and six TDs. ___ AP NFL: The Associated Press
The 15th playing of the RSM Classic has officially come and gone, and the field of local pros fell short of getting the honors of winning in front of the home course faithful. Entering the weekend with a successful 10 of 14 local golfers making the cut, the optimism was high that someone who calls Sea Islands' Seaside and Plantation courses home would have a chance to walk down the 18th green with an opportunity to win. Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Please enable it in your browser settings.