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Red Sox need help at catcher after Danny Jansen reportedly signs with RaysSyrian President Bashar al-Assad oversaw a merciless crackdown on a pro-democracy revolt that morphed into one of the bloodiest wars of the century. After facing down nationwide protests demanding his ouster and an armed rebellion that he all but crushed, he had until this month taken back control of much of Syria in the civil war that began in 2011. Quiet in his demeanour, Assad is a political survivor who for years excelled in his alliance-building with Russia and Iran, and who knew just how to present himself as Syria's only viable leader in the face of the Islamist threat. But since November 27, an Islamist-led rebel offensive has wrested from Assad's control city after city, including Aleppo and Hama for the first time since 2011, leaving his grip on power severely under threat. Assad has cast himself as the protector of Syria's minorities, a bulwark against extremism and the sole possible purveyor of stability for the war-ravaged country. In multiple votes held over the years, conducted solely on government-held territory, he has taken the vast majority of the ballots, amid accusations from Western countries that the wartime elections were neither free nor fair. In appearance, whether in person or in the many portraits of him in the capital Damascus, Assad has typically eschewed military garb, opting instead for a sharp-cut business suit and sober tie. In official meetings, during interviews and even on the frontlines, the 59-year-old ophthalmologist by training conducts himself calmly and can almost appear timid. Behind the facade, however, is an astonishing ability to hold onto power amid multiple waves of violence and transformative change in Syria and the wider region. One journalist, who met with Assad on several occasions before and after war broke out in 2011, told AFP the president is a "unique and complex figure". "Each time I met him he was calm... even during the most difficult moments of the war," said the journalist, who declined to be named. Assad has "the same qualities" as his father, Hafez al-Assad, who ruled Syria for nearly three decades until his death in 2000, the journalist said. "In politics, it's important to know how to shuffle cards, not just how to arrange them," he added. "Assad has mastered the shuffling game." Hafez al-Assad, head of the Syrian Baath Party, imposed in the country a secretive, paranoid regime where even the slightest suspicion of dissent could land one in jail or worse. Bashar al-Assad was never meant to become president, but his life changed radically when his older brother Bassel, who was being groomed to inherit power, was killed in a road accident in 1994. Bashar quit his studies in ophthalmology and left London, where he had met his wife, Asma, a British-Syrian and Sunni Muslim who worked for financial services firm JP Morgan. Back home, he took a course in military studies and was tutored in politics by his father. When the latter died, Bashar became president by referendum, running unopposed, then winning a second term in 2007. Sworn in at the age of 34, Assad was widely seen by Syrians pining for freedoms as a reformer, who could do away with years of repression and introduce economic liberalisation. In the early days, Assad would be seen driving his own car or having dinner at restaurants with his wife. He relaxed some of the heavy restrictions that existed under his father. But his initial image as a reformer quickly evaporated as authorities arrested and jailed academics, intellectuals and other members of what was then known as the Damascus Spring movement. When the Arab Spring reached Syria in March 2011, peaceful demonstrations broke out calling for change. Assad, who is also commander-in-chief of the armed forces, responded by ordering a brutal crackdown on the protesters and civil war swiftly ensued. Throughout the war, which has killed more than 500,000 people and displaced half the population, Assad's position has not changed. He has been the subject of countless cartoons by dissident artists depicting him as a killer, not least in the aftermath of the 2013 chemical attacks on rebel bastions around Damascus. A Syrian researcher in Damascus, who asked to speak anonymously over security concerns, said: "Assad's personality played an undeniable role in his survival." His "persistence and rigour" were especially important in helping him "consolidate decision-making powers, and secure the army's full support", he added. Throughout the war, Assad has enjoyed military backing from staunch allies Iran and Russia, who helped him score a string of military victories. Since the start of the Islamist-led rebel offensive on November 27, Assad has echoed his long-held stance that the conflict in Syria is machinated from abroad. "The terrorist escalation reflects the far-reaching goals of dividing the region and fragmenting the countries in it and redraw the map in line with the objectives of the United States and the West," Assad said on Monday. He is the father of three children. His wife, Asma, was dubbed a "rose in the desert" by Vogue magazine before the revolt. bur/ser/jhbNone

VANCOUVER, BC , Dec. 2, 2024 /PRNewswire/ - Lumina Gold Corp. LUM LMGDF (the "Company" or "Lumina") is pleased to announce that under the previously announced US$300 million precious metals purchase agreement (the "PMPA") with Wheaton Precious Metals International Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary of Wheaton Precious Metals Corp., the Company has drawn an additional installment of US$6.0 million . The Company has now drawn US$44.9 million and can draw up to an additional US$3.1 million for specific pre-construction capital items. Investor Relations The Company is also pleased to announce that it has retained Oak Hill Financial Inc. ("Oak Hill") to provide investor relations services at a rate of C$10,000 per month for an initial three-month term beginning in January 2025 , then continuing month to month at the Company's election. Oak Hill will help Lumina to effectively communicate its latest corporate milestones with potential new investors, and further engage with the investment community on behalf of the Company. Oak Hill is an arms-length party to the Company and does not currently hold any interest in the securities of the Company (either directly or indirectly) nor does it hold any rights or options to acquire such an interest. Oak Hill is a leading Canadian investor marketing and distribution and corporate advisory firm, based in Ontario , focused on IIROC retail brokerage networks, servicing both asset managers and public companies. Oak Hill's experienced team of former asset management wholesalers, research analysts and capital market professionals specialize in building credibility for their clients to a network of over 10,000 Canadian IIROC retail brokers and over 300 North American funds. About Lumina Gold Lumina Gold Corp. LUM is a Vancouver, Canada based precious and base metals development company focused on the Cangrejos Gold-Copper Project located in El Oro Province, southwest Ecuador . In 2023, the Company completed a Pre-Feasibility Study for Cangrejos, which is the largest primary gold deposit in Ecuador . Lumina has an experienced management team with a successful track record of advancing and monetizing exploration projects. Follow us on: Twitter , Linkedin or Facebook . Further details are available on the Company's website at https://luminagold.com/ . To receive future news releases please sign up at https://luminagold.com/contact . LUMINA GOLD CORP. Signed: "Marshall Koval" Marshall Koval , President & CEO, Director Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release. Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Information Certain statements and information herein, including all statements that are not historical facts, contain forward-looking statements and forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Such forward-looking statements or information include but are not limited to statements or information with respect to: the Company's ability to draw up to an additional US$3.1 million for specific pre-construction capital items, the Company's engagement of Oak Hill and the services to be provided . Often, but not always, forward-looking statements or information can be identified by the use of words such as "will" or "projected" or variations of those words or statements that certain actions, events or results "will", "could", "are proposed to", "are planned to", "are expected to" or "are anticipated to" be taken, occur or be achieved. With respect to forward-looking statements and information contained herein, the Company has made numerous assumptions including among other things, assumptions about: the Company's ability to meet its obligations under the PMPA; general business and economic conditions; the prices of gold and copper; and anticipated costs and expenditures. The foregoing list of assumptions is not exhaustive. Although management of the Company believes that the assumptions made and the expectations represented by such statements or information are reasonable, there can be no assurance that a forward-looking statement or information herein will prove to be accurate. Forward-looking statements and information by their nature are based on assumptions and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the Company's actual results, performance or achievements, or industry results, to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements or information. These factors include, but are not limited to: risks associated with the business of the Company; business and economic conditions in the mining industry generally; the supply and demand for labour and other project inputs; changes in commodity prices; changes in interest and currency exchange rates; risks relating to inaccurate geological and engineering assumptions (including with respect to the tonnage, grade and recoverability of reserves and resources); risks relating to unanticipated operational difficulties (including failure of equipment or processes to operate in accordance with specifications or expectations, cost escalation, unavailability of materials and equipment, government action or delays in the receipt of government approvals, industrial disturbances or other job action, and unanticipated events related to health, safety and environmental matters); risks relating to adverse weather conditions; political risk and social unrest; changes in general economic conditions or conditions in the financial markets; and other risk factors as detailed from time to time in the Company's continuous disclosure documents filed with Canadian securities administrators. The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking information, except in accordance with applicable securities laws. View original content to download multimedia: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/lumina-gold-announces-us6-0-million-wheaton-precious-draw-302319984.html SOURCE Lumina Gold Corp. © 2024 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.

Three long days of counting in the General Election finished late on Monday night when the final two seats were declared in the constituency of Cavan-Monaghan. Fianna Fail was the clear winner of the election, securing 48 of the Dail parliament’s 174 seats. Sinn Fein took 39 and Fine Gael 38. Labour and the Social Democrats both won 11 seats; People Before Profit-Solidarity took three; Aontu secured two; and the Green Party retained only one of its 12 seats. Independents and others accounted for 21 seats. The return of a Fianna Fail/Fine Gael-led coalition is now highly likely. However, their combined seat total of 86 leaves them just short of the 88 needed for a majority in the Dail. While the two centrist parties that have dominated Irish politics for a century could look to strike a deal with one of the Dail’s smaller centre-left parties, such as the Social Democrats or Labour, a more straightforward route to a majority could be achieved by securing the support of several independent TDs. For Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin and current taoiseach and Fine Gael leader Simon Harris, wooing like-minded independents would be likely to involve fewer policy concessions, and financial commitments, than would be required to convince another party to join the government benches. Longford-Westmeath independent TD Kevin “Boxer” Moran, who served in a Fine Gael-led minority government between 2017 and 2020, expressed his willingness to listen to offers to join the new coalition in Dublin. “Look, my door’s open,” he told RTE. “Someone knocks, I’m always there to open it.” Marian Harkin, an independent TD for Sligo-Leitrim, expressed her desire to participate in government as she noted that Fianna Fail and Fine Gael were within “shouting distance” of an overall majority. “That means they will be looking for support, and I certainly will be one of those people who will be speaking to them and talking to them and negotiating with them, and I’m looking forward to doing that, because that was the reason that I ran in the first place,” she said. Meanwhile, the Social Democrats and Irish Labour Party both appear cautious about the prospect of an alliance with Fianna Fail and Fine Gael. They will no doubt be mindful of the experience of the Green Party, the junior partner in the last mandate. The Greens experienced near wipeout in the election, retaining only one of their 12 seats. Sinn Fein appears to currently have no realistic route to government, given Fianna Fail and Fine Gael’s ongoing refusal to share power with the party. Despite the odds being stacked against her party, Sinn Fein president Mary Lou McDonald contacted the leaders of the Social Democrats and Labour on Monday to discuss options. Earlier, Fianna Fail deputy leader and outgoing Finance Minister Jack Chambers predicted that a new coalition government would not be in place before Christmas. Mr Chambers said planned talks about forming an administration required “time and space” to ensure that any new government will be “coherent and stable”. After an inconclusive outcome to the 2020 election, it took five months for Fianna Fail, Fine Gael and the Greens to strike the last coalition deal. Mr Chambers said he did not believe it would take that long this time, as he noted the Covid-19 pandemic was a factor in 2020, but he also made clear it would not be a swift process. He said he agreed with analysis that there was no prospect of a deal before Christmas. “I don’t expect a government to be formed in mid-December, when the Dail is due to meet on December 18, probably a Ceann Comhairle (speaker) can be elected, and there’ll have to be time and space taken to make sure we can form a coherent, stable government,” he told RTE. “I don’t think it should take five months like it did the last time – Covid obviously complicated that. But I think all political parties need to take the time to see what’s possible and try and form a stable government for the Irish people.” Fine Gael minister of state Peter Burke said members of his parliamentary party would have to meet to consider their options before giving Mr Harris a mandate to negotiate a new programme for government with Fianna Fail. “It’s important that we have a strong, stable, viable government, whatever form that may be, to ensure that we can meet the challenges of our society, meet the challenges in terms of the economic changes that are potentially going to happen,” he told RTE. Despite being set to emerge with the most seats, it has not been all good news for Fianna Fail. The party’s outgoing Health Minister Stephen Donnelly became one of the biggest casualties of the election when he lost his seat in Wicklow in the early hours of Monday morning. Mr Donnelly was always predicted to face a fight in the constituency after boundary changes saw it reduced from five to four seats. If it is to be a reprise of the Fianna Fail/Fine Gael governing partnership of the last mandate, one of the major questions is around the position of taoiseach and whether the parties will once again take turns to hold the Irish premiership during the lifetime of the new government. The outcome in 2020 saw the parties enter a coalition on the basis that the holder of the premier position would be exchanged midway through the term. Fianna Fail leader Mr Martin took the role for the first half of the mandate, with Leo Varadkar taking over in December 2022. Current Fine Gael leader Mr Harris succeeded Mr Varadkar as taoiseach when he resigned from the role earlier this year. However, this time Fianna Fail has significantly increased its seat lead over Fine Gael, compared with the last election when there were only three seats between the parties. The size of the disparity in party numbers is likely to draw focus on the rotating taoiseach arrangement, raising questions as to whether it will be re-run in the next coalition and, if it is, on what terms. On Sunday, Simon Coveney, a former deputy leader of Fine Gael, said a coalition that did not repeat the rotating taoiseach arrangement in some fashion would be a “difficult proposition” for his party. Meanwhile, Fine Gael minister Paschal Donohoe said he would be making the case for Mr Harris to have another opportunity to serve as taoiseach. On Monday, Mr Chambers said while his party would expect to lead the government it would approach the issue of rotating the taoiseach’s role on the basis of “mutual respect” with Fine Gael. “I think the context of discussions and negotiations will be driven by mutual respect, and that’s the glue that will drive a programme for government and that’s the context in which we’ll engage,” he said. On Monday, Labour leader Ivana Bacik reiterated her party’s determination to forge an alliance with fellow centre-left parties with the intention of having a unified approach to the prospect of entering government. Asked if Labour was prepared to go into government with Fianna Fail and Fine Gael on its own, she told RTE: “No, not at this stage. We are absolutely not willing to do that. “We want to ensure there’s the largest number of TDs who share our vision and our values who want to deliver change on the same basis that we do.” The Social Democrats have been non-committal about any potential arrangement with Fianna Fail and Fine Gael, and have restated a series of red lines they would need to achieve before considering taking a place in government. Leader Holly Cairns, who gave birth to a daughter on polling day on Friday, said in a statement: “The party is in a very strong position to play an important role in the next Dail. In what position, government or opposition, remains to be seen.” Fianna Fail secured the most first preference votes in Friday’s proportional representation election, taking 21.9% to Fine Gael’s 20.8%. Sinn Fein came in third on 19%. While Sinn Fein’s vote share represented a marked improvement on its disappointing showing in June’s local elections in Ireland, it is still significantly down on the 24.5% poll-topping share it secured in the 2020 general election. The final breakdown of first preferences also flipped the result of Friday night’s exit poll, which suggested Sinn Fein was in front on 21.1%, with Fine Gael on 21% and Fianna Fail on 19.5%.Opinion editor’s note: Strib Voices publishes a mix of commentary online and in print each day. To contribute, click here . ••• The long lines on election days across countries and continents suggest dynamic democracies. But despite the calendar aligning for a record-setting number of people worldwide eligible to vote this year, democracy itself is actually imperiled. That’s the clear conclusion from Freedom House, which said in its annual “ Freedom in the World ” report that “flawed elections and armed conflicts contributed to the 18th year of democratic decline.” The “breadth and depth of the deterioration was extensive,” the think tank reported, adding that “political rights and civil liberties were diminished in 52 countries, while only 21 countries saw improvements.” That analysis was amplified in a similarly grim report from the Economist Intelligence Unit, which starkly stated that “conflict and polarization drive a new low for global democracy.” This dire data corresponds with, and may have been caused by, a commensurate retreat in media freedom, as evidenced by Reporters Without Borders’ annual World Press Freedom Index , which warned that “press freedom around the world is being threatened by the very people who should be its guarantors — political authorities.” Indeed, if democracy were a stock, “it would have suffered something of a price correction over the last 20 years,” said Richard Haass , the president emeritus of the Council on Foreign Relations. Haass, a veteran envoy who served Republican and Democratic administrations, was speaking via video on Tuesday night at a Minnesota Peace Initiative forum called “The World Votes: Global Democracy at a Crossroads.” The event, held in Minneapolis at Norway House (fitting, considering Norway held the top spot in the World Press Freedom Index and along with fellow Scandinavian nations is ranked as the world’s most free by Freedom House), drew a capacity crowd with many more online to hear from Haass, me and three other panelists: Chad Vickery , vice president of global strategy and technical leadership at the International Foundation for Electoral Systems; Aram Gavoor , a former Justice Department official and current professor at the George Washington University Law School; and Thomas Hanson , diplomat-in-residence at the University of Minnesota Duluth. Haass cited several factors for his clear-eyed diagnosis of democracy, including technological transformations that have ushered in an unsettled media landscape. “We live in one of the odd moments in history where there’s never been greater access to information and never been greater access to disinformation,” Haass said, adding that citizens don’t know if information is “accurate, fully accurate, partially accurate or essentially inaccurate.” That’s to autocrats’ advantage, asserted Gavoor, who said that this country’s competitors “have sought to exploit the U.S. democratic system for quite some time.” The “age of technology, especially with social media,” he said, has “taken on a dramatically different dimension.” Mentioned as additional direct democratic threats were distributed denial-of-service attacks and “strategic foreign mis- and disinformation campaigns that oftentimes are quite opportunistic and play on various doubts in the minds of Americans.” Gavoor gave this good news, however: “The federal government has actually gotten quite adept and capable with regard to identifying foreign mis- and disinformation to the extent that there are significant bodies that exist to combat these things,” like the National Security Council and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. But the threat to democracy from domestic disinformation is an even greater challenge, Gavoor said. And, he added, wherever the disinformation originates, the objective is similar. “Keep in mind that the end goal is not just to disrupt an American election or to cause a particular candidate to be advantaged or not. The end goal is to undermine the entire system of American governance and the faith in American democracy and perhaps greater softening of the resolve to maintain a democracy.” Disinformation is just one component corroding democratic norms within some countries, said Vickery. “We’ve learned how autocracy works: First, you have to win an election by popular vote, usually running against the elites in your country.” Next, he said, “you change the election laws, you game the system to make sure you can win again and not be challenged again.” “But then the third thing is you need to harass civil society in many places” — places like Norway House, he said. “After that, you need to pack the courts with judges who are going to support you, and then you want to enrich your cronies with corruption and then you buy up newspapers and television and make this propaganda machine.” If the democracy-tending attendees at Norway House were any indication, that’s not about to happen here. Indeed, the citizen engagement on display was considered a model by moderator Janet Dolan, who co-created the Minnesota Peace Initiative with her husband, William Moore. The other panelists concurred on Dolan’s admiration, and that along with a free press, such civic involvement should be inviolate in this country and the others it tries to inspire toward a democratic form of government. But the beacon that former Foreign Service officers like Hanson projected and protected on behalf of this country may not shine as bright in recent years. “I think many people in the world perceive that the American model of democracy is less compelling than it was, and that makes our work globally much more challenging,” said Hanson, who added, “and we’re beginning to see other narratives of contestation on democracy and on elections.” Hanson, who will hold his highly anticipated and attended Global Minnesota “ 2025 U.S. Foreign Policy Update ” on Jan. 23, began by saying he was “struck by the dichotomy between an agreed ‘recession of democracy’ and an unprecedented number of elections” this year. “I think that shows how elections nowadays are being used to legitimize variants of democracy.” Many “managed democracies around the world hold elections if they predetermine who can participate. This is the case in Russia. This is the case in Pakistan.” And, he added, “I hate to say it, but at the local level in our own country our two parties go to great lengths to prevent any third-party candidate from participating, which is a minor example of what I’m describing.” According to Vickery, those democracies, however managed or free and fair, have had results that can be categorized as “change-of-status elections” like in the U.S., U.K., South Africa, North Macedonia, Botswana, Senegal and others. Next are elections “solidifying power,” such as in Indonesia and Mexico. And more hopefully, there are examples of “bounce-back” democracies that through elections or civic action have gone “in the right direction,” including Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. While not as many will queue to choose their leaders next year, Vickery noted that there will be 102 elections in 68 nations affecting 1.2 billion citizens worldwide. So for many, 2025 will truly be an election year, even if globally it isn’t quite a year of elections like 2024. But democracy “is about more than voting,” said Haass. “We the citizens, we the people, have the obligation, and I would argue the self-interest, to exercise our democratic rights, to stay informed, to stay involved, and to make sure that those who are entrusted with outsized political power comport themselves and act consistent with the law, and act consistent with the norms that make our democracy what it is.” What it is can be credited in no small part to the kind of civil, civic engagement from groups like the Minnesota Peace Initiative and the involved, inspiring citizens attending Tuesday’s event.

AP News Summary at 4:03 p.m. EST

WASHINGTON (AP) — Three lawmakers are asking Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin to consider re-grounding the military’s fleet of V-22 Ospreys until solutions can be put in place to address safety and design issues identified by The Associated Press in its recent in-depth investigation of the aircraft’s accident record. In a letter sent to the Pentagon on Monday, Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey, and Rep. Richard Neal, all Democrats from Massachusetts, wrote to Austin that “given the current concerns about the safety of the V-22, the aircraft should be grounded, and should not be deployed again until the platform’s significant deficiencies are fully addressed." The Osprey, which flies like both a helicopter and an airplane, has been in more than 21 major accidents, many of which can be tied back to choices made in its design , the AP found. The whole fleet was grounded for three months this year following a deadly crash in Japan in November 2023 that killed eight service members, including one from Massachusetts. Ospreys, which are operated by the Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps and used in the presidential fleet, have now returned to flight operations, with some restrictions. Osprey pilots have told the AP they do not want to see the aircraft grounded, despite safety concerns, because of its unique capabilities. Program officials have said they are working on fixes to improve the V-22s safety and reliability. The Pentagon did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the letter. The lawmakers also cited the AP's reporting that pilots are having to push the V-22's “interim power” feature to be able to land safely — but are advised against it because it can wear down parts. Interim power was a factor in the most recent accident in October when a Japanese self-defense forces Osprey violently tilted and struck the ground on takeoff. An investigation determined the pilots were to blame for not turning on the interim power during takeoff. “The reality for pilots is that they have to push the aircraft to its limits to stay safe,” the lawmakers wrote. Copyright 2024 The Associated Press . All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. READ:None

No, UnitedHealthcare didn’t post a job listing for a new CEO the day after Brian Thompson’s death