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Middle East latest: Israeli strikes kill a hospital director in Lebanon and wound 6 medics in GazaBy LOLITA C. BALDOR WASHINGTON (AP) — Reported sexual assaults at the U.S. military service academies dropped in 2024 for the second year in a row, according to new Pentagon data, marking a sharp turnaround from an alarming surge two years ago that triggered sweeping reviews and an overhaul in leadership . The decline in reports was mirrored by a similar decrease in the total number of students who said in an anonymous survey that they experienced some type of unwanted sexual contact during the school year that ended in the spring. Defense officials, however, warned on Thursday that the numbers are still high, and there is still a lot of work to be done. According to the survey, which is done every other year, about 13% of female students said they experienced unwanted sexual contact in the 2024 school year, compared with more than 21% in 2022. For men, the rate decreased from 4.4% to 3.6%. The reported assaults reflect familiar trends. Most of the alleged offenders are also academy students and are often known to the victim. They often happen after duty hours or on weekends and holidays. Drinking has long been a consistent factor. Beth Foster, executive director of the Pentagon’s force resiliency office, called the new numbers encouraging. But she added, “the prevalence of sexual assault and harassment is still far too high. What this data tells us is that this is a difficult problem for all, but it is not an impossible problem to solve.” A vast majority of students — 88% — responded to the survey. Defense officials said they are still concerned that, based on the survey, an estimated 783 students experienced unwanted sexual contact but just a small percentage reported it. The U.S. military and defense leaders have pushed improvements in programs, leadership training and staffing to encourage more victims to report so they can receive help and perpetrators can be punished. Defense officials released preliminary data much earlier than usual this year, and said the full report will go out in February. They said the early release was done to provide better information to school leaders who are implementing changes. However, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin will leave in January when President-elect Donald Trump takes office, and new leadership will take over the Pentagon. Trump and his pick to lead the Pentagon, Pete Hegseth , have vowed to eliminate “woke” policies fostering diversity and equity, and it’s not clear how any of that may impact sexual assault prevention efforts. Hegseth himself has been accused of sexual assault , which he denies, although he acknowledges making a settlement payment to the woman. Foster and others said Austin’s pressure on academy leaders to confront the problem led to a number of changes in how the schools foster better leaders and focus more stridently on sexual assault prevention. Related Articles Nation | How to protect your communications through encryption Nation | Companies tighten security after a health care CEO’s killing leads to a surge of threats Nation | Unidentified drones spotted flying at locations across NYC, including LaGuardia Airport Nation | About 2.6 million Stanley cups recalled after malfunctions caused burns. Is your mug included? Nation | Woman who falsely accused Duke lacrosse players of rape in 2006 publicly admits she lied The total number of reported sexual assaults at the academies is divided in an often complex and confusing way. Academy and defense officials focus on the number of assaults reported by cadets and midshipmen during their school year. But students sometimes file reports after they leave the academies, describing incidents that happened when they were in school. The total is 106 for the 2024 school year, a sharp drop from 137 last year and 170 in 2022. The totals also decreased at each individual academy. Students at the U.S. Naval Academy reported 47 assaults, a slight dip from 49 the previous year. The other two saw significant decreases: Students at the Air Force Academy in Colorado reported 34, compared with 45 last year, and those at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point in New York reported 25, compared with 43. In addition, eight students reported assaults last year that happened to them before they became students. The military services and the academies have struggled for years to combat sexual assault and harassment, with myriad prevention, education and treatment programs. But despite reams of research, and expanded programs, the numbers have grown. A renewed emphasis on it in the past several years has led to improvements and staff increases, although service members still complain that the videos and other programs are often outdated and don’t resonate as well with young troops.
Jammu, Dec 13: Drone activities from Pakistan has dropped to almost zero after the deployment of an anti-drone system along the Jammu border, a senior BSF officer said on Friday, asserting that the Indian forces are much ahead over its adversary as far as technological upgradation is concerned. Inspector General of Border Security Force (BSF), Jammu frontier, D K Boora, said India is not the same when the country had old-fashioned weapons. It evolved to adopt new technology and advanced weapons, he added. Besides the heavy deployment of manpower, the technical surveillance is present on the entire border across Jammu region and it is being further expanded to other places in the country, he said. Talking to reporters in connection with the 60th Raising Day celebrations of the force and to highlight the achievements registered by his troops in Jammu this year, Boora said the sector has a sensitive border which is being monitored round-the-clock by boots-on-ground (manpower) and technological advancement with focus to ensure no infiltration from across the border. “The (drone) activities from across the border have come down and the exact reason for it is known to them (Pakistan) only. However, since we have upgraded our (anti-drone) systems on the borders, this problem (drone incursions) has dropped to almost zero in Jammu which proves that our technology is successful,” the BSF officer said. He said technology is evolving in every field all across the world. “It is obvious that the terror groups will use it and so our agencies like police, Army and BSF will try it as well. So this is a general process that the type of technology that is available, it is available for everyone and everyone uses it. And the technology that is available, its counter is also available at the same time,” the BSF officer said, referring to drone and counter-drone gadgets. He said if there is any upgradation of technology in Pakistan, the Indian forces are also getting a new version. In fact, India is ahead of its opponents, he added. “It happens everywhere... there is no need to worry about it because this upgrade is a normal process. If any new thing is available, then it is available for us too. So we use it. “And I assure you that our government and the forces do not leave any such shortage in upgradation that we are left behind of those who work against us,” Boora said, responding to a question on the steps taken to counter terrorists using advanced weapons. He said the Jammu border comes under the most sensitive border in the country and “our soldiers and officers do a very difficult duty here”. “And in doing this work, the BSF has also achieved great success. For this, I would like to congratulate all the people working under my command,” Boora said. Asked about the threat posed by the use of US-made M4 carbines by terrorists, the senior police officer said there is no specific threat as all weapons are the same. “There is hype about the foreign-made carbine even though it does not do anything different. It has the same system as other weapons... magazines, bullets and a trigger. “Today, India is not the same as it was when we had old-fashioned weapons. Now we have new technology, new India-made weapons which are very good,” he said. About the new technology and weapons inducted by BSF in the recent past, Boora said it is not right to divulge the details in the public domain. “I can assure you that the BSF has the latest technology and latest weapons. And whatever technology is upgraded, we immediately invest in it. And we get full support and money from the government. So we are much ahead in that,” he said.Colorado hands No. 2 UConn second straight loss in Maui
Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc . WBA stock is trading higher on Friday following a report from Sky News indicating that Sycamore Partners has approached various potential lenders to fund a possible acquisition of the company . The Details: If a potential acquisition goes through, Sycamore would acquire and take private one of the largest providers of retail pharmacy services in the United States and Britain. A source in the industry told Sky News that Sycamore is likely to sell both Boots and VillageMD. The private-equity firm is in discussions with financial institutions like Bank of America, Wells Fargo, and JP Morgan to fund the deal which is valued at approximately $10 billion. Walgreens Boots Alliance has previously turned down multiple acquisition bids, including one from Apollo Global Management. In 2019, the company also received a takeover bid from KKR. How To Buy Walgreens Stock By now you're likely curious about how to participate in the market for Walgreens Boots Alliance – be it to purchase shares, or even attempt to bet against the company. Buying shares is typically done through a brokerage account. You can find a list of possible trading platforms here. Many will allow you to buy ‘fractional shares,' which allows you to own portions of stock without buying an entire share. For example, some stock, like Berkshire Hathaway, can cost thousands of dollars to own just one share. However, if you only want to invest a fraction of that, brokerages will allow you to do so. In the the case of Walgreens Boots Alliance, which is trading at $10.29 as of publishing time, $100 would buy you 9.72 shares of stock. If you're looking to bet against a company, the process is more complex. You'll need access to an options trading platform, or a broker who will allow you to ‘go short' a share of stock by lending you the shares to sell. The process of shorting a stock can be found at this resource. Otherwise, if your broker allows you to trade options, you can either buy a put option, or sell a call option at a strike price above where shares are currently trading – either way it allows you to profit off of the share price decline. Related Link: Broadcom Hits $1 Trillion Milestone: The Next Magnificent Tech Giant? WBA Price Action: At the time of publication, Walgreens Boots shares are trading 3.75% higher at $10.10, according to data from Benzinga Pro . Image: Image via Shutterstock © 2024 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.Arsenal make Mikel Arteta proud after smashing Sporting Lisbon
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