Google names UK executive as president for Europe, Middle East and AfricaA man tears up a photo of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in Serbia (Image: AP/Darko Vojinovic) Bashar al-Assad was secure in power right up until the moment he wasn’t, which it turns out was November 30, when the northern city of Aleppo — or what was left of it after Assad and his Russian and Iranian allies devastated the city and murdered tens of thousands of its inhabitants between 2012 and 2016 — fell to the forces of the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham-led alliance. Few observers picked that a full-scale collapse of the Assad regime was imminent — the fall of Aleppo was merely a “significant threat”, according to the sober-minded Foreign Policy . Then Homs, a city far to the south and more than halfway to Damascus, fell at the end of last week and it became clear an Afghanistan-style collapse was happening to a regime that had appeared immovable. Assad has now reportedly retreated to Moscow, now the guest of another monster. It’s an outcome he could have obtained more than a decade ago with some honour and international credit if he had stepped down in the face of Arab Spring protests against his vicious rule. Don’t let the hard left, the propagandists and apologists for Assad tell you otherwise: the removal of this monster is an unmitigated good. He is responsible for the slaughter of at least half a million people , including more than 160,000 civilians. His regime’s systematic use of torture and sexual violence — against women , men and children — is a matter of record, as is his use of chemical weapons and illegal munitions on his own citizens. The only pity is that he wasn’t dragged from a ditch by his enemies like Muammar Gaddafi, but will instead enjoy the luxury of exile. ‘This is the toughest time since the genocide began’: Famine continues to spread across Gaza Read More But like the welcome overthrow of Gaddafi did for Libya, Assad’s removal only rolls the dice on Syria’s political future rather than guaranteeing any sort of better world. The Libyan example demonstrates the chaos and misery that can follow the removal of a tyrant, as well as the consequences for the broader region (ask Italians about the scourge of mass illegal migration caused by Gaddafi’s removal, and the impact it has had on the nation’s politics). The leader of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, Ahmad al-Sharaa (formerly Abu Mohammed al-Golani), might seek to portray himself as an unusually pluralist kind of Islamist militant, but as yet there is no evidence he can hold Syria together any more than Assad could in the face of multiple factions and a continuing Russian presence — or that he won’t resort to the same brutal measures to hold on to the territory he’s now claimed. At this point, Libya Mark 2 would seem to be the most likely outcome, despite the celebrations in Syrian cities, with the Islamic State poised to try to take advantage. Assad’s deposition is a very late win for the Biden administration, which, like the Obama administration, has continued to fund and arm whichever Syrian rebels it determined were the least worst. It’s also an illustration of the limits of Vladimir Putin’s power. The once mighty Russia now can’t prop up its closest allies even with the support of Iran and major terrorist groups like Hezbollah. All Putin can do is offer a safe haven for the fleeing tyrant. It’s also problematic for Donald Trump, whose famously subtle idea of “diplomacy” will be tested by having to find a way to help prevent Syria from falling into chaos. He could start by ditching Tulsi Gabbard as his pick for director of national intelligence given her enthusiastic support for Assad . You may, if you’re a glutton for punishment, remember Murdoch buffoon Greg Sheridan lauding Trump as having “ greater deterrent credibility ” than Kamala Harris. Sheridan has never explained how appointing a Putin and Assad supporter as director of national intelligence demonstrated “greater deterrent credibility”, but the case, such as it is, took an almighty hit over the weekend. Have something to say about this article? Write to us at letters@crikey.com.au . Please include your full name to be considered for publication in Crikey’s Your Say . We reserve the right to edit for length and clarity.

The effect of quantum entanglement on the emission time of photoelectrons has been calculated by physicists in China and Austria. Their result includes several counter-intuitive predictions that could be testable with improved free-electron lasers. The photoelectric effect involves quantum particles of light (photons) interacting with electrons in atoms, molecules and solids. This can result in the emission of an electron (called a photoelectron), but only if the photon energy is greater than the binding energy of the electron. “Typically when people calculate the photoelectric effect they assume it’s a very weak perturbation on an otherwise inert atom or solid surface and most of the time does not suffer anything from these other atoms or photons coming in,” explains Wei-Chao Jiang of Shenzhen University in China. In very intense radiation fields, however, the atom may simultaneously absorb multiple photons, and these can give rise to multiple emission pathways. Jiang and colleagues have done a theoretical study of the ionization of a helium atom from its ground state by intense pulses of extreme ultraviolet (XUV) light. At sufficient photon intensities, there are two possible pathways by which a photoelectron can be produced. In the first, called direct single ionization, the photon in the ground state simply absorbs an electron and escapes the potential well. The second is a two-photon pathway called excitation ionization, in which both of the helium electrons absorb a photon from the same light pulse. One of them subsequently escapes, while the other remains in a higher energy level in the residual ion. The two photoemission pathways are distinct, so making a measurement of the emitted electron reveals information about the state of the bound electron that was left behind. The light pulse therefore creates an entangled state in which the two electrons are described by the same quantum wavefunction. To better understand the system, the researchers modelled the emission time for an electron undergoing excitation ionization relative to an electron undergoing direct single ionization. “The naïve expectation is that, if I have a process that takes two photons, that process will take longer than one where one photon does the whole thing,” says team member Joachim Burgdörfer of the Vienna University of Technology. What the researchers calculated, however, is that photoelectrons emitted by excitation ionization were most likely to be detected about 200 as earlier than photons detected by direct single ionization. This can be explained semi-classically by assuming that the photoionization event must precede the creation of the helium ion (He + ) for the second excitation step to occur. Excitation ionization therefore requires earlier photoemission. The researchers believe that, in principle, it should be possible to test their model using attosecond streaking or RABBITT (reconstruction of attosecond beating by interference of two-photon transitions). These are special types of pump-probe spectroscopy that can observe interactions at ultrashort timescales. “Naïve thinking would say that, using a 500 as pulse as a pump and a 10 fs pulse as a probe, there is no way you can get time resolution down to say, 10 as,” says Burgdörfer. “This is where recently developed techniques such as streaking or RABBITT come in. You no longer try to keep the pump and probe pulses apart, instead you want overlap between the pump and probe and you extract the time information from the phase information.” The team also did numerical simulations of the expected streaking patterns at one energy and found that they were consistent with an analytical calculation based on their intuitive picture. “Within a theory paper, we can only check for mutual consistency,” says Burgdörfer. How long does the photoelectric effect take? The principal hurdle to actual experiments lies in generating the required XUV pulses. Pulses from high harmonic generation may not be sufficiently strong to excite the two-photon emission. Free electron laser pulses can be extremely high powered, but are prone to phase noise. However, the researchers note that entanglement between a photoelectron and an ion has been achieved recently at the FERMI free electron laser facility in Italy. “Testing these predictions employing experimentally realizable pulse shapes should certainly be the next important step.” Burgdörfer says. Beyond this, the researchers intend to study entanglement in more complex systems such as multi-electron atoms or simple molecules. Paul Corkum at Canada’s University of Ottawa is intrigued by the research. “If all we’re going to do with attosecond science is measure single electron processes, probably we understood them before, and it would be disappointing if we didn’t do something more,” he says. “It would be nice to learn about atoms, and this is beginning to go into an atom or at least its theory thereof.” He cautions, however, that “If you want to do an experiment this way, it is hard.” The research is described in Physical Review Letters . Note: The verification e-mail to complete your account registration should arrive immediately. However, in some cases it takes longer. Don't forget to check your spam folder. If you haven't received the e-mail in 24 hours, please contact customerservices@ioppublishing.org .Fans Call for Shedeur Sanders' Ejection After Hostile Actions Towards Official in Colorado-Kansas Game

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King added six rebounds for the Eagles (4-7). Isaac Parson scored 13 points and added seven assists and three steals. Keishon Porter shot 2 of 7 from the field, including 1 for 3 from 3-point range, and went 3 for 4 from the line to finish with eight points. The Runnin' Bulldogs (4-6) were led in scoring by Anthony Selden, who finished with 25 points. Jamaine Mann added 15 points for Gardner-Webb. Shahar Lazar finished with 10 points and four assists. The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar .

Turkey removes two more pro-Kurdish mayors from office for links to banned groupThe world approved a bitterly negotiated climate deal Sunday committing wealthy historic polluters to $300 billion annually for poor and vulnerable nations that had demanded far more to confront the crisis of global warming. After two exhaustive weeks of chaotic bargaining and sleepless nights, nearly 200 nations banged through the contentious finance pact in the early hours beneath a sports stadium roof in Azerbaijan. Nations had struggled to reconcile long-standing divisions over climate finance. Sleep-deprived diplomats, huddled in anxious groups, were still revising the final phrasing on the plenary floor before the deal passed. At points, the talks appeared on the brink of collapse, with developing nations storming out of meetings and threatening to walk away should rich nations not cough up more cash. In the end -- despite repeating that no deal is better than a bad deal -- they did not stand in the way of an agreement, despite it falling well short of what they want. The final deal commits developed nations to pay at least $300 billion a year by 2035 to help developed countries green their economies and prepare for worse disasters. That is up from $100 billion now provided by wealthy nations under a commitment set to expire -- and from the $250 billion proposed in a draft Friday. That offer was slammed as offensively low by developing countries, which have demanded at least $500 billion to build resilience against climate change and cut emissions. More from this section A number of countries have accused Azerbaijan, an authoritarian oil and gas exporter, of lacking the experience and will to meet the moment, as the planet again sets temperature records and faces rising deadly disasters. Wealthy countries and small island nations have also been concerned by efforts led by Saudi Arabia to water down calls from last year's summit to phase out fossil fuels. The United States and EU have wanted newly wealthy emerging economies like China -- the world's largest emitter -- to chip in. The final draft encouraged developing countries to make contributions on a voluntary basis, reflecting no change for China which already pays climate finance on its own terms. Wealthy nations said it was politically unrealistic to expect more in direct government funding. Donald Trump, a sceptic of both climate change and foreign assistance, returns to the White House in January and a number of other Western countries have seen right-wing backlashes against the green agenda. The deal posits a larger overall target of $1.3 trillion per year to cope with rising temperatures and disasters, but most would come from private sources. bur-np-sct/lth/jjSyrians cheer end of 50 years of Assad rule at first Friday prayers since government fell

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PM Shehbaz constitutes committee to 'resolve issues' with PPP Committee to engage in discussions with members designated by Bilawal-led party to determine future course of action Pakistan Peoples Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari (left) meets Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in this undated image. — APP/File ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has constituted a committee to resolve the issues between Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) days after party chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari expressed dissatisfaction with the incumbent government. According to a statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), the committee comprises Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Ishaq Dar, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, Minister for Law and Justice Azam Nazeer Tarar, and Minister for Economic Affairs Ahmad Khan Cheema. googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1700472799616-0'); }); Other members include Minister of State for Overseas Pakistanis Engineer Amir Muqam, Prime Minister’s Adviser Rana Sanaullah, Speaker of the Punjab Assembly Malik Ahmad Khan, Senior Punjab Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb, Khawaja Saad Rafique, Jaffer Khan Mandokhel, and Bashir Ahmed Memon. The prime minister has tasked the committee with the responsibility of "political cooperation and resolving issues after detailed consultations with the ally." The committee will engage in discussions with the members designated by the Bilawal-led party to determine the future course of action, the statement added. After the February 8 general elections, the PPP formed a government in Sindh and announced its support for PML-N in the formation of the government in Centre and Punjab but refused to accept the ministries. Earlier this month, the PPP chairman expressed dissatisfaction with the federal government’s policies and governance style, alleging that PML-N was violating its agreement with his party. Speaking to journalists, Bilawal voiced concerns over the lack of respect shown to his party and complained about the questionable politics being practised by their federal allies. He also expressed disappointment over the Centre’s persistent discrimination against Sindh, terming it a matter of grave concern for his party. Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari interacts with journalists in Karachi, November 14, 2024. — Screengrab via video He said that as an ally the PPP supported the federal government morally and expected the latter to keep their end of the bargain as per the agreed terms. Though Bilawal's outburst made headlines yet there is no threat to the regime, The News reported. All key PPP leaders know that despite their complaints against the PML-N, the party will not withdraw its support for the Shehbaz-led government, it added. The PPP had recently set up a negotiation committee to resolve its differences with the federal government. The negotiating team includes senior leaders Raja Pervaiz Ashraf, Naveed Qamar, Sherry Rehman, and Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah. Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfaraz Bugti and Punjab Governor Sardar Saleem Haider are also part of the committee, which is tasked with presenting its findings to the CEC next month.

From Maui to the Caribbean, Thanksgiving tournaments a beloved part of college basketballMINNEAPOLIS — After announcing that he was stepping away from broadcasting earlier this month, NFL Hall of Fame wide receiver Randy Moss informed fans Friday that he has been diagnosed with cancer. In an Instagram livestream Friday afternoon, Moss told fans worried about his health that he's a "cancer survivor." He disclosed that he spent six days in the hospital and underwent surgery. He thanked his team of doctors and all those who prayed for him. "I am a cancer survivor," Moss said. "Some trying times, but we made it through." Moss said doctors found cancer in the bile duct "right between the pancreas and the liver." "I didn't think I would ever be in this position, as healthy as I thought I was," he said. Moss, 47, stepped away from his broadcasting role at ESPN earlier this month, with the network citing a "personal health challenge" as the reason. The Minnesota Vikings legend first revealed his health issues to fans on Instagram on Dec. 1, saying he "has been battling something internal" and asking for prayers. Since then, Moss has received an outpouring of support from media colleagues, former players and the Vikings organization . "I just want to, on behalf of the whole Minnesota Vikings organization, just send him our well wishes and support," Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell said. "We love Randy and know our fanbase feels the same way." Moss played 14 seasons in the league with the Vikings, New England Patriots, Oakland Raiders, Tennessee Titans and San Francisco 49ers and is fourth all-time in receiving yards (15,292) and second in receiving touchdowns (156). He retired in 2012, joined ESPN in 2016 and entered the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2018. Anthony Bettin is a web producer at CBS Minnesota. He primarily covers breaking news and sports, with a focus on the Minnesota Vikings.

NEW DELHI: The Nifty IT index traded around 10:19AM(IST)on Tuesday in a weak market. Coforge Ltd.(up 0.82 per cent), Tech Mahindra Ltd.(up 0.59 per cent), Persistent Systems Ltd.(up 0.52 per cent), MphasiS Ltd.(up 0.4 per cent) and LTIMindtree Ltd.(up 0.11 per cent) were among the top gainers. L&T Technology Services Ltd.(down 0.75 per cent), Tata Consultancy Services Ltd.(down 0.74 per cent) and Infosys Ltd.(down 0.09 per cent) were the top losers on the index. The Nifty IT index was 0.02 per cent at 45645.05 at the time of writing this report. Benchmark NSE Nifty50 index was down 155.5 points at 24512.75, while the BSE Sensex was 504.33 points at 81244.24. 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Shares of Vodafone Idea, YES Bank, Suzlon Energy, PC Jeweller and Zomato were among the most traded shares on the NSE. Shares of Rudrabhishek Ent, Dharamsi Morarji, Chaman Lal Setia, Kalyani Steels and Vimta Labs hit their fresh 52-week highs in today's trade, while Odigma Consultancy, Golden Tobacco, Ecos(India)Mobilit, Tata Technologies and Naga Dhunseri Group hit fresh 52-week lows in trade. (You can now subscribe to our ETMarkets WhatsApp channel )DAMASCUS (AP) — Exuberant Syrians observed the first Friday prayers since the ouster of President Bashar Assad , gathering in the capital's historic main mosque, its largest square and around the country to celebrate the end of half a century of authoritarian rule. The newly installed interim prime minister delivered the sermon at the Umayyad Mosque, declaring that a new era of “freedom, dignity and justice” was dawning for Syria. The gatherings illustrated the dramatic changes that have swept over Syria less than a week after insurgents marched into Damascus and toppled Assad. Amid the jubilation, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with allies around the region and called for an “inclusive and non-sectarian” interim government. Blinken arrived in Iraq on a previously unannounced stop after talks in Jordan and Turkey, which backs some of the Syrian insurgent factions. So far, U.S. officials have not talked of direct meetings with Syria's new rulers. The main insurgent force, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, has worked to establish security and start a political transition after seizing Damascus early Sunday. The group has tried to reassure a public both stunned by Assad's fall and concerned about extremist jihadis among the rebels. Insurgent leaders say the group has broken with its extremist past, though HTS is still labeled a terrorist group by the United States and European countries. HTS's leader, Ahmad al-Sharaa, formerly known as Abu Mohammed al-Golani, appeared in a video message Friday congratulating “the great Syrian people for the victory of the blessed revolution.” “I invite them to head to the squares to show their happiness without shooting bullets and scaring people,” he said. “And then after, we will work to build this country, and as I said in the beginning, we will be victorious by the help of God.” Huge crowds, including some insurgents, packed the historic Umayyad Mosque in the capital's old city, many waving the rebel opposition flag — with its three red stars — which has swiftly replaced the Assad-era flag with with its two green stars. Syrian state television reported that the sermon was delivered by Mohammed al-Bashir, the interim prime minister installed by HTS this week. The scene resonated on multiple levels. The mosque, one of the world's oldest dating back some 1,200 years, is a beloved symbol of Syria, and sermons there like all mosque sermons across Syria were tightly controlled under Assad's rule. Also, in the early days of the anti-government uprising in 2011, protesters would leave Friday prayers to march in rallies against Assad before he launched a brutal crackdown that turned the uprising into a long and bloody civil war. “I didn’t step foot in Umayyad Mosque since 2011," because of the tight security controls around it, said one worshipper, Ibrahim al-Araby. “Since 11 or 12 years, I haven’t been this happy.” Another worshipper, Khair Taha, said there was “fear and trepidation for what’s to come. But there is also a lot of hope that now we have a say and we can try to build.” Blocks away in Damascus' biggest roundabout, named Umayyad Square, thousands gathered, including many families with small children — a sign of how, so far at least, the country's transformation has not caused violent instability. “Unified Syria to build Syria,” the crowd chanted. Some shouted slurs against Assad and his late father, calling them pigs, an insult that would have previously led to offenders being hauled off to one of the feared detention centers of Assad’s security forces. One man in the crowd, 51-year-old Khaled Abu Chahine — originally from the southern province of Daraa, where the 2011 uprising first erupted — said he hoped for “freedom and coexistence between all Syrians, Alawites, Sunnis, Shiites and Druze.” The interim prime minister, al-Bashir, had been the head of a de facto administration created by HTS in Idlib, the opposition's enclave in northwest Syria. The rebels were bottled up in Idlib for years before fighters broke out in a shock offensive and marched across Syria in 10 days. Similar scenes of joy unfolded in other major cities, including in Aleppo, Homs, Hama, Latakia and Raqqa. Al-Sharaa, HTS' leader, has promised to bring a pluralistic government to Syria, seeking to dispel fears among many Syrians — especially its many minority communities — that the insurgents will impose a hard-line, extremist rule. Another key factor will be winning international recognition for a new government in a country where multiple foreign powers have their hands in the mix. The Sunni Arab insurgents who overthrew Assad did so with vital help from Turkey, a longtime foe of the U.S.-backed Kurds . Turkey controls a strip of Syrian territory along the shared border and backs an insurgent faction uneasily allied to HTS — and is deeply opposed to any gains by Syria's Kurds. In other developments, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said Turkey’s Embassy in Damascus would reopen Saturday for the first time since 2012, when it closed due to the Syrian civil war. The U.S. has troops in eastern Syria to combat remnants of the Islamic State group and supports Kurdish-led fighters who rule most of the east. Since Assad's fall, Israel has bombed sites all over Syria, saying it is trying to prevent weapons from falling into extremist hands. It has also seized a swath of southern Syria along the border with the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, calling it a buffer zone. After talks with Fidan, Blinken said there was “broad agreement” between Turkey and the U.S. on what they would like to see in Syria. That starts with an "interim government in Syria, one that is inclusive and non-sectarian and one that protects the rights of minorities and women” and does not “pose any kind of threat to any of Syria’s neighbors,” Blinken said. Fidan said the priority was “establishing stability in Syria as soon as possible, preventing terrorism from gaining ground, and ensuring that IS and the PKK aren’t dominant” — referring to the Islamic State group and the Kurdistan Workers Party. Ankara considers the PKK within Turkey's borders a terrorist group, as it does the Kurdish-backed forces in Syria backed by the U.S. A U.S. official said that in Ankara, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Fidan both told Blinken that Kurdish attacks on Turkish positions would require a response. The official spoke to reporters on condition of anonymity to discuss private diplomatic talks. The U.S. has been trying to limit such incidents in recent days and had helped organize an agreement to prevent confrontations around the northern Syrian town of Manbij, which was taken by Turkey-backed opposition fighters from the U.S.-backed Kurdish forces earlier this week. In Baghdad, Blinken met with Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed al-Sudani, saying both countries wanted to ensure the Islamic State group — also known by its Arabic acronym Daesh — doesn't exploit Syria's transition to re-emerge. “Having put Daesh back in its box, we can’t let it out, and we’re determined to make sure that that doesn’t happen," Blinken said. The U.S. official who briefed reporters said that Blinken had impressed upon al-Sudani the importance of Iraq exercising its full sovereignty over its territory and airspace to stop Iran from transporting weapons and equipment to Syria, either for Assad supporters or onward to the militant Hezbollah group in Lebanon. Lee reported from Ankara, Turkey. Associated Press writers Suzan Fraser in Ankara and Sally Abou AlJoud in Beirut contributed to this report.Ravens linebacker Roquan Smith, who suffered a hamstring injury and hasn't practiced all week, is listed as questionable for Monday's game.

Britain’s Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary reiterated their unwavering support for Bermuda and the other British Overseas Territories during talks last week, a statement from the Bermuda Government said today. David Burt travelled to London from November 18 to 22 and met Sir Keir Starmer and David Lammy, respectively, along with other British government officials and leaders of the OTs. The Premier attended the Overseas Territories Joint Ministerial Council and took part in engagements focused on financial services and the banking sector. “Last week’s meetings were invaluable opportunities to meet the new Overseas Territories minister, share the Bermuda story with key UK business sectors and collectively reinforce critical matters of importance,” Mr Burt said. The Premier’s trip began at the UK Overseas Territories Association Political Council, which affords OT leaders an opportunity to convene before the JMC. Mr Burt said: “This was a good precursor for OT leaders. We discussed issues of priorities on behalf of each of our countries and, where possible, found areas of agreement to collectively address. “We also acknowledged the 30th anniversary of UKOTA, during which time Bermuda has held the chairmanship on three occasions through our UK representative, Kimberley Durrant.” The Premier also held a bilateral meeting with Stephen Doughty, the Minister for the Overseas Territories. Mr Burt said he talked about "the process for advancing the constitutional changes related to immigration as outlined in the Government’s Throne Speech“. He added: “Minister Doughty and I also discussed the UK’s support for Bermuda’s international financial services industry as a key part of Bermuda’s economy, which now employs a record number of Bermudians.” Rena Lalgie, the Governor, referenced in the Throne Speech a 2016 court ruling that “overturned longstanding practice that the Department of Immigration was involved in the granting of belonger status in Bermuda”. Ms Lalgie said the courts had allowed “non-Bermudian residents to apply directly to the United Kingdom Government to become naturalised” as BOTCs. She said the Bermuda Government believed the decision should be brought back under its purview. The JMC meetings, the first under the new British government, began midweek and focused on “resetting the relationship” between Britain and the OTs. Talks covered security and irregular migration, climate and the environment, economic diversification and resilience, illicit finance and sanctions, and human development. Mr Burt said: “These key discussions enabled me to have direct dialogue with a range of ministers from across Whitehall departments including the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, the Home Office, the Treasury, the Ministry of Defence, the Department of Energy Security and Net Zero. “I was very encouraged by the discussions and hopeful that our meetings can foster new opportunities to expand our relationship.” The Premier met Sir Keir and Mr Lammy at the JMC, when the Prime Minister confirmed to the OTs an “ ... ironclad commitment to democratic autonomy and your right to self-determination”. A joint communique from Britain and the Overseas Territories that detailed the outcomes of the 2024 JMC is on the British government website . Mr Burt also met John Neal, the chief executive of Lloyd’s of London. The government statement said that during the engagement, CatX Capital and Cactus, Bermudian-based companies that started in the Lloyds Lab, had the opportunity to “showcase their innovative work to the Premier”. The Premier also met Andrew Bailey, the Governor of the Bank of England, alongside Sir Andrew Large, vice-chairman of the Financial Policy Council, Craig Swan, chief executive of the Bermuda Monetary Authority, and Chidozie Ofoego, the Financial Secretary. Mr Burt took part in a fireside chat at the Bermuda Society’s annual dinner. The Premier returned to the island on Friday. The Bermuda delegation on the trip included Jason Hayward, the Minister of Economy and Labour, Marc Telemaque, the Secretary to the Cabinet, and Aideen Ratteray Pryse, the economy and labour ministry’s Permanent Secretary. Ms Durrant, the UK representative at Bermuda’s London Office, and Brandon Sousa, the deputy UK representative, also accompanied Mr Burt.

INEC chair commends Ghana poll, highlights lessons for NigeriaDosunmu and Giddey lead the Bulls past the struggling Hornets 109-95Mid-American Conference football goes all in on November weeknights for the TV viewers