iwildcasino.com

One of the most widespread nuisances in the modern world is phone scams , targeting everyone, be it a child or an old soul. These fraudsters never stop inventing ways to cheat innocent souls out of their money or personal details. However, there is a new technology that may dramatically change the fate of the victims of phone scams. An AI-granny has become the latest anti-phone scam hero with a weapon called technology to counter them, protecting herself against fraudulent intentions. Phone scams have been rampant in the last few years, especially as people have become much smarter with the advent of technologies. In recent years, fraudsters have been pretending to be government officials or tech companies and even distressed family members or relatives in trouble to steal people's secret information. This is specifically lethal for old people, as they are unaware of all such digital scams. Millions of dollars are lost due to phone scams every year. The target audience is basically the elders. Most scammers depend on emotion, creating a sense of urgency or exploiting common misconceptions. A scammer will claim that your bank account has been compromised and demand swift action. This manipulation can lead people to panic and decide on things that they would otherwise not think of. In response to the increasing numbers of phishing telephone scams, there now comes a genius AI that has turned everything around concerning how people, especially those from the old guard, protect themselves against the scam. Real-time detection analysis and response of suspicious calls is possible through this intelligent technology, allowing AI-based AI Granny to know which are legitimate calls from others that may be fraudulent in nature. The AI Granny works basically on pattern recognition in your phone conversations. It can understand suspicious behaviors, such as forcing the recipient to action quickly, asking for private information, or using language known by common scams. After the detection of a possible scam, the AI springs into action, alerting the user, providing advice, and even taking over the call to guide the scammer in a trap of their very own. One of the interesting features of the AI Granny is that she is able to respond to these scammers with automated, pre-programmed responses that are nearly like natural conversations. The result is that it perplexes the scammer but gives the person receiving the call time to hang up or report the incident. It starts the moment the phone rings. Whenever she receives an incoming call, AI Granny listens to voice calls back, looking out for commonly used scam phrases and manipulative tactics. It responds to suspicious activities, and this is just enough for AI Granny to ask them a set of confusing questions, set them up on a wild goose chase, or even simple harmless ones. In this way, the cybergranny sees that the scammer failed, and the poor soul is not scammed. For instance, if they mention that they are from a company dealing with technology, for example, wanting to access the computer of another person, AI Granny could respond even when facing confusing or frustrating questions. It could call for a reference number, ask for identification , or merely give a series of random questions to consume the scammer's time. The scammer would probably hang up or back off the attempt after being unable to handle the answer of the AI. There is a most important advantage relating to peace of mind and greater control from AI Granny for vulnerable populations. In broader terms, an assurance for the vulnerable user has been made sure that is the safety and security afforded by the fact that any fraudulent caller would be intercepted and prevented before causing havoc. This can be beneficial to those who may not fully understand the potential risks posed by phone scams or who have a tough time spotting them on their own. Another advantage of AI Granny is its availability. The AI granny works 24/7; therefore, it can protect one from scams day and night. Unlike fraud prevention involving traditional mechanisms of family or customer agents, AI Granny provides a permanent, not requiring human action solution to be always available and secure. Additionally, AI Granny can inform people about the tactics used by scammers. From its interaction with fraudsters, the AI can gather information about common tactics that are used by scammers and pass it on to people to increase their awareness and strengthen their defense against telephone fraud. AI Granny fits into a larger trend where artificial intelligence is being utilized to address real-world problems. As these technologies continue to evolve, we can expect more solutions like AI Granny, which aims to keep people safe amid an increasing reliance on technology. The future looks promising for using AI to prevent telephone scams, highlighting how technology can protect individuals from harm. Given the ever-changing nature of phone scams, the AI systems designed to combat them will also need to adapt in order to stay ahead of fraudsters. This innovative approach could potentially mark the end of being victims of phone scams.Benchmark Electronics, Inc. (NYSE:BHE) to Issue $0.17 Quarterly Dividend

Are you tracking your health with a device? Here’s what could happen with the data

Sep 7, 2024; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Spirit forward Ouleymata Sarr (11) is helped after an apparent injury following a play against Portland Thorns FC at Audi Field. Mandatory Credit: Patrick Ruddy-Imagn Images/ File Photo Washington Spirit forward Ouleye Sarr will was placed on the season-ending injury list on Wednesday with a back injury. Sarr suffered the injury in a game against Portland on Sept. 7 and has been rehabbing with the team since. She finishes the season with eight goals and two assists in 19 matches. The France native joined the Spirit during the 2023 season and has 10 goals and four assists with the team. Sarr turned professional in with PSG in 2013 and has nine goals in 28 matches for France. That includes a four-goal performance against Estonia during qualification for last year's Women's World Cup. --Field Level Media REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you. Read 3 articles and stand to win rewards Spin the wheel now

Ange Postecoglou was booed by furious Tottenham fans as the manager confronted the away end after the 1-0 defeat to Bournemouth in the Premier League . Tottenham were outplayed at the Vitality Stadium and fell to 10th in the table - with the 4-0 victory at Manchester City their only win in the last six games in all competitions. Postecoglou went to applaud the away end at full-time but was then involved in an exchange with Spurs supporters. The Australian nodded his head and pointed to his chest, appearing to ask “me?” before raising his thumb. Postecoglou said he received some “pretty direct feedback”, which he said could not repeat, but added that he did not like what he heard. When asked about what happened at full-time, the manager said: “They are disappointed, rightly so. They gave me some direct feedback which I guess is taken on board.” Asked what was said, Postecoglou added: “Probably not for here, mate. He continued: “I’ve got no issue with it. I didn’t like what was being said because I’m a human being. But you’ve got to cop it. I’ve been around long enough to know that if things don’t go well, you’ve got to understand the frustration and disappointment. They’re right to be disappointed tonight because again we’ve let a game of football get away from us. That’s ok, I’m ok with all of that.” Tottenham go to high-flying Chelsea on Sunday and also play Manchester United in the quarter-finals of the Carabao Cup and host Premier League leaders Liverpool before Christmas. Spurs have been hampered by injuries, particularly in defence, with Postecoglou also losing Ben Davies to a hamstring injury during the defeat at Bournemouth. Spurs conceded another goal from a set-piece as Dean Huijsen was left unmarked at the back post to score the only goal of the game. Bournemouth had enough chances to increase their lead as Postecoglou criticised his team for continuing to “make things difficult for ourselves” and “shoot ourselves in the foot”. "It is not good enough,” Postecoglou said. “We again fell into the trap of starting the game really well, we were in control and then we conceded a really poor goal. "Then we kind of lost our way a little bit and allowed Bournemouth to play the game that they wanted to. We had our moments in the second half but we could not get a goal. "I don’t know if they had more urgency but we have this sort of propensity to shoot ourselves in the foot when we should be controlling games. They are hard to beat here and what you should not do is give them a goal that gives them the momentum they need. "We started to play with a bit more conviction at the beginning of the second half and made some good chances. Again we made things difficult for ourselves by allowing the opposition to take the game in the direction that they want. "They are all big games coming up. We have to get ourselves out of the space we are in at the minute where we can’t get a real grip on the season." On Davies’ injury, which could leave Tottenham with one fit centre-back for the trip to Chelsea, Postecoglou said: “It looks like he's done his hamstring. Him and Radu [Dragusin] have played every game. It's the one position we can't rotate. He'll obviously be out for a period of time now, we'll just have to wait and see how long it is. It's a consequence of having the squad we have at the moment.” Postecoglou finished with a message to the Spurs fans and said: “All I can say is I’m really disappointed with tonight and I’m determined to get it right and I’ll keep fighting until we do.”

From here on out, it gets real for the Washington Huskies. That’s not to suggest the first two months of the college basketball season didn’t matter, but the caliber of opponents will exponentially increase for the UW men, who clobbered New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) 90-53 on Sunday afternoon in their nonconference finale. The Highlanders (2-12), who have lost 14 straight road games, were overmatched and undermanned against Washington, which executed a flawless paint-by-numbers performance in front of 6,779 at Alaska Airlines Arena. The largest blowout of the season for UW allowed Sprinkle to rest starters, empty the bench and get a long look at seldom-used reserves. The Huskies also welcomed back senior forward Wilhelm Breidenbach who finished with 10 points and five rebounds in his first outing since sustaining a concussion on Dec. 18. “I was having symptoms right after and I couldn't play in our last game and was just getting back into practice,” said Breidenbach who converted 3 of 4 shots, including two 3-pointers. “But it's been fine. It's a good group of guys, so it's easy to easy to get back into the group.” Washington missed Breidenbach during its previous game when they lost 79-70 to Seattle U and was outrebounded 36-33. “We're totally different and you can see how much we missed him against Seattle U,” Sprinkle said. “Everything flows better with him in the game. We're a more normal team offensively, and then defensively we're way better because he knows coverages. He's played a lot of basketball. He rebounds and his size.” Forward Great Osobor added: “He just changes us in a way, like he's one of our highest IQ players and he’s 6-10. He just makes reads that come natural to him. ... It's stuff you can't teach he does, and he just makes us a better team.” Before his earliest departure of the season, Osobor, who had team-high tying 12 points and six rebounds in 17 minutes, connected on his first three-pointer of the season after missing eight attempts. Osobor also orchestrated the game’s biggest highlight when he pushed the pace on a fast break and delivered a pass through a thicket of defenders to a streaking Tyler Harris who flushed a crowd-pleading two-hand dunk for a 58-30 lead with 15:52 left. “When I got the rebound, my mind says, ‘Just go’,” Osobor said. “It’s just natural for me and I've been doing it my whole life. ... I see Tyler rim running. I’d already had one or two turnovers at that point, and the gap was kind of tight. “Then I thought, ‘Is this a bad pass?’ Maybe and then I just threw anyway and it got to where it needed to go and Tyler did the rest.” Speaking of firsts, backup center KC Ibeweke, who appeared in just four games before Sunday, scored for the first time and finished with nine points on 3-for-5 shooting in 16 minutes. “I thought he played hard,” Sprinkle said. “He did a really good job in ball screen defense. He did a lot of stuff the casual fan, they have no idea because they don't know what we're supposed to do defensively. “He executed all those and I'm proud of him, because we're going to need him. We’re going to need his size and his girth, In Big Ten play, he's got to play meaningful minutes for us.” Following a sporadic start, it took Washington about 10 minutes to seize control. After Osobor spun free for a layup, guard Tyree Ihenacho drove to the rim for a basket and collected a steal for a fastbreak layup that capped a 6-0 run, which put UW up 32-18 with 6:30 left in the first half. Minutes later, freshman guard Jase Butler drained an open 3-pointer off a feed from Butler that gave the Huskies a 42-22 lead just before the break. Washington led 46-26 at halftime and outscored NJIT 44-27 in the second half thanks in large part to freshman guard Zoom Diallo who finished with a career-high five assists and had 10 of his 12 points after the intermission. Sebastian Robinson had 16 points, Tim Moore 14 and Ari Fulton 11 for the Highlanders, which shot 37.3% from the field and converted 3 of 17 three-pointers. Meanwhile, Washington shot 55.7% on field goals, including 10 of 24 on 3-pointers and converted 12 of 14 free throws. The Huskies has more rebounds (33-29), assists (21-5), steals (12-2), bench points (47-4) and fewer turnovers (5-13). “We didn't get sloppy today,” Sprinkle said. “Sometimes in those games, you can get sloppy and guys try to do too much, but I thought we did a great job sharing the basketball and only had five turnovers. ... When we're passing the ball well and making the extra pass, those are the games where we go 10 of 24 from three.” Immediately after the game, the Huskies (9-4, 0-2) began preparing for Thursday’s pivotal matchup at home against Maryland (11-2, 1-1), which starts an 18-game trek through the Big Ten. “As a staff, we’ll get going tonight,” Sprinkle said. “I want our guys to get away, relax, get some treatment and enjoy this win. Like I said, winning at this level is hard. You have to be able to enjoy it. But once midnight hits, we got to, we got to turn our attention to Maryland.” The Terrapins are ranked 10 th in the NET and have rarely been tested while outscoring opponents by 26.2 points, which is tops among Division I teams. Maryland boasts a high-powered offense that ranks 10 th in the country in scoring (87.2 points per game) as well as a resilient defense that’s 13 th nationally in points allowed (61.1). “Obviously, it’s great team coming in,” Osobor said. “We already know they've been killing it all year and it's exciting. It’s why you come to Washington. So, I'm excited. “I feel like our team, we've had ups and downs, but one thing is, we’ve learned each game is who we are. And as long as we can keep establishing our identity and doing things we want to do, then I think we'll take it head on and handle these game one game at a time.” Note: --- UW fifth-year center Franck Kepnang who has played two games this season due to a knee injury is expected to return in 2-3 weeks, Sprinkle said. --- UW freshman forward Dominique Diomonde, who signed last week, is in France and awaiting a visa, which would allow him to travel to Seattle and play for the Huskies. “I wish I knew an exact date,” Sprinkle said. “It could be tomorrow he gets on a plane or it could be in two weeks. It just depends when the embassy over there give him his visa.” BOX SCORENEW YORK (AP) — Angelina Jolie never expected to hit all the notes. But finding the breath of Maria Callas was enough to bring things out of Jolie that she didn’t even know were in her. “All of us, we really don’t realize where things land in our body over a lifetime of different experiences and where we hold it to protect ourselves,” Jolie said in a recent interview. “We hold it in our stomachs. We hold it in our chest. We breathe from a different place when we’re nervous or we’re sad. “The first few weeks were the hardest because my body had to open and I had to breathe again,” she adds. “And that was a discovery of how much I wasn’t.” In Pablo Larraín’s “Maria,” which Netflix released in theaters Wednesday before it begins streaming on Dec. 11, Jolie gives, if not the performance of her career, then certainly of her last decade. Beginning with 2010’s “In the Land of Blood and Honey,” Jolie has spent recent years directing films while prioritizing raising her six children. “So my choices for quite a few years were whatever was smart financially and short. I worked very little the last eight years,” says Jolie. “And I was kind of drained. I couldn’t for a while.” But her youngest kids are now 16. And for the first time in years, Jolie is back in the spotlight, in full movie-star mode. Her commanding performance in “Maria” seems assured of bringing Jolie her third Oscar nomination. (She won supporting actress in 2000 for “Girl, Interrupted.”) For an actress whose filmography might lack a signature movie, “Maria” may be Jolie's defining role. Jolie's oldest children, Maddox and Pax, worked on the set of the film. There, they saw a version of their mother they hadn't seen before. “They had certainly seen me sad in my life. But I don’t cry in front of my children like that,” Jolie says of the emotion Callas dredged up in her. “That was a moment in realizing they were going to be with me, side by side, in this process of really understanding the depth of some of the pain I carry.” Jolie, who met a reporter earlier this fall at the Carlyle Hotel, didn't speak in any detail of that pain. But it was hard not to sense some it had to do with her lengthy and ongoing divorce from Brad Pitt, with whom she had six children. Just prior to meeting, a judge allowed Pitt’s remaining claim against Jolie, over the French winery Château Miraval, to proceed. On Monday, a judge ruled that Pitt must disclose documents Jolie’s legal team have sought that they allege include “communications concerning abuse.” Pitt has denied ever being abusive. The result of the U.S. presidential election was also just days old, though Jolie — special envoy for the United Nations Refugee Agency from 2012 to 2022 – wasn’t inclined to talk politics. Asked about Donald Trump’s win , she responded, “Global storytelling is essential,” before adding: “That’s what I’m focusing on. Listening. Listening to the voices of people in my country and around the world.” Balancing such things — reports concerning her private life, questions that accompany someone of her fame — is a big reason why Jolie is so suited to the part of Callas. The film takes place during the American-born soprano’s final days. (She died of a heart attack at 53 in 1977.) Spending much of her time in her grand Paris apartment, Callas hasn’t sung publicly in years; she’s lost her voice. Imprisoned by the myth she’s created, Callas is redefining herself and her voice. An instructor tells her he wants to hear “Callas, not Maria." The movie, of course, is more concerned with Maria. It’s Larrain’s third portrait of 20th century female icon, following “Jackie” (with Natalie Portman as Jacqueline Kennedy) and “Spencer” (with Kristen Stewart as Princess Diana). As Callas, Jolie is wonderfully regal — a self-possessed diva who deliciously, in lines penned by screenwriter Steven Knight, spouts lines like: “I took liberties all my life and the world took liberties with me.” Asked if she identified with that line, Jolie answered, “Yeah, yeah.” Then she took a long pause. “I’m sure people will read a lot into this and there’s probably a lot I could say but don’t want to feed into,” Jolie eventually continues. “I know she was a public person because she loved her work. And I’m a public person because I love my work, not because I like being public. I think some people are more comfortable with a public life, and I’ve never been fully comfortable with it.” When Larraín first approached Jolie about the role, he screened “Spencer” for her. That film, like “Jackie” and “Maria,” eschews a biopic approach to instead intimately focus on a specific moment of crisis. Larraín was convinced Jolie was meant for the role. “I felt she could have that magnetism,” Larraín says. “The enigmatic diva that’s come to a point in her life where she has to take control of her life again. But the weight of her experience, of her music, of her singing, everything, is on her back. And she carries that. It’s someone who’s already loaded with a life that’s been intense.” “There’s a loneliness that we both share,” Jolie says. “That’s not necessarily a bad thing. I think people can be alone and lonely sometimes, and that can be part of who they are.” Larraín, the Chilean filmmaker, grew up in Santiago going to the opera, and he has long yearned to bring its full power and majesty to a movie. In Callas, he heard something that transfixed him. “I hear something near perfection, but at the same time, it’s something that’s about to be destroyed,” Larraín says. “So it’s as fragile and as strong as possible. It lives in both extremes. That’s why it’s so moving. I hear a voice that’s about to be broken, but it doesn’t.” In Callas’ less perfect moments singing in the film, Larraín fuses archival recordings of Callas with Jolie’s own voice. Some mix of the two runs throughout “Maria.” “Early in the process,” Jolie says, “I discovered that you can’t fake-sing opera.” Jolie has said she never sang before, not even karaoke. But the experience has left her with a newfound appreciation of opera and its healing properties. “I wonder if it’s something you lean into as you get older,” Jolie says. “Maybe your depth of pain is bigger, your depth of loss is bigger, and that sound in opera meets that, the enormity of it.” If Larraín’s approach to “Maria” is predicated on an unknowingness, he's inclined to say something similar about his star. “Because of media and social media, some people might think that they know a lot about Angelina,” he says. “Maria, I read nine biographies of her. I saw everything. I read every interview. I made this movie. But I don’t think I would be capable of telling you who she was us. So if there’s an element in common, it’s that. They carry an enormous amount of mystery. Even if you think that you know them, you don’t.” Whether “Maria” means more acting in the future for Jolie, she's not sure. “There's not a clear map,” she says. Besides, Jolie isn't quite ready to shake Callas. “When you play a real person, you feel at some point that they become your friend,” says Jolie. “Right now, it’s still a little personal. It’s funny, I’ll be at a premiere or I’ll walk into a room and someone will start blaring her music for fun, but I have this crazy internal sense memory of dropping to my knees and crying.” Jake Coyle, The Associated PressTCU's TD barrage breaks open tight game vs. Arizona

Timothée Chalamet ‘Floored’ by Bob Dylan’s Reaction to New BiopicKamloops Mayor Reid Hamer-Jackson, who is a party in three ongoing legal proceedings, says he now plans to represent himself in court. The mayor will no longer be represented by lawyer Daniel Coles in his court battle against Coun. Katie Neustaeter, . Hamer-Jackson told Castanet Kamloops he plans to represent himself next month at a hearing where Neustaeter will . A notice of withdrawal of counsel was filed this week by Coles in B.C. Supreme Court. The document said Coles "has ceased to be the lawyer acting for the plaintiff." Coles refused to comment when contacted by Castanet, but Hamer-Jackson shed some light on what's happening. The mayor said he chose to strike out on his own after the lawyer asked for more money. "I didn't fire them, or they didn't fire me," he said. "At this point, I've got to come up with some more funds for them, but I've had a look at it and right now I'm going to proceed on my own with a little bit of help from others." Hamer-Jackson said he intends to retain Coles in the future for other work, and noted the firm had been representing him on code-of-conduct proceedings at city hall. The mayor has previously said he is selling his home, his boat and the Victoria Street West property on which his business is located — . This is the second lawyer to have represented Hamer-Jackson on the Neustaeter case. Hamer-Jackson’s former lawyer, David McMillan, passed the torch to Coles last year. McMillian is now taking Hamer-Jackson to court, for years of legal work. Hamer-Jackson filed a defamation suit against Neustaeter in the summer of 2023, alleging, among other things, comments she made while reading aloud a joint statement on behalf of council have had damaging effects on him. Neustaeter and her lawyer plan to ask a B.C. Supreme Court judge to dismiss the lawsuit pursuant to the provisions of the Protection of Public Participation Act — commonly known as an anti-SLAPP application. The legislation allows the court to dismiss a claim on the basis that it impinges on a defendant’s ability to speak freely on a matter of public interest. Neustaeter told Castanet Kamloops she isn’t surprised by this latest development. “I’m looking forward to proceeding in court in January,” she said. “I’ll oppose any attempt by him to further prolong this exhausting, damaging and costly distraction,” Neustaeter said. “It’s way past time to end this.” Daniel Reid, Neustaeter's lawyer, said only B.C. and Ontario have forms of anti-SLAPP legislation — B.C.’s laws and as far as he’s aware, this will be the first anti-SLAPP case where both the plaintiff and the defendant are elected officials — but he noted this isn’t surprising. “Municipal politics is an area where you get a lot of defamation cases,” he said. “I think it’s in part because it’s an area where people care very deeply and are directly involved in their community.” Neustarter and Hamer-Jackson are scheduled to be in court for those . In addition to the Neustaeter suit and the McMillan claim, the mayor is also . Hamer-Jackson's claim alleges Knaak defamed him at the Blue Grotto on March 31, 2023.Movies Don't miss out on the headlines from Movies. Followed categories will be added to My News. As the Wicked global publicity tour enters what feels like its eighth month, you could forgive all involved for feeling a little delirious. But a bizarre snippet from one of the film’s stars endless junket encounters is going viral online , as it seems to mark the zenith of all Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo’s touchy, feely, teary joint interviews about the film to date. Unless you’ve been in a coma for the past few weeks, you will have seen the two stars at some point, fielding questions about their film from one journalist or another, usually with the same air of glassy-eyed gratitude about how lucky they are to have experienced Wicked together: Wasn’t alive to see the wizard of oz in theaters but alive to see Wicked in theaters pic.twitter.com/rax0JjtB33 — 💫 (@heyjaeee) November 18, 2024 But this snippet from a new interview, with journalist Tracey E. Gilchrist from Out.com, seems to have broken the brains of those online who were already suffering from overly earnest Wicked press tour exhaustion. Gilchrist asked Erivo about her big showstopping number in the film, Defying Gravity, a song that’s had a dedicated fanbase since the musical premiered on Broadway back in 2003. Tracey: “I’ve seen, this week people are taking the lyrics of Defying Gravity and really holding space with that, and feeling power in that.” Cynthia: “Uh ... I didn’t know that that was happening.” Tracey: “I’ve seen it, yeah.” Cynthia: “That’s ... really powerful.” Tracey: “Mmm-hmm.” Cynthia: “That’s ... what I wanted. I didn’t know that was happening ...?” Tracy: “I’ve seen it on a couple posts, I don’t know how widespread – but you know, I am in queer media, so ...” Ariana and Cynthia play ‘pull my finger’. All three are visibly moved by what they’re discussing – which, upon closer inspection, doesn’t seem to be much of anything at all. Erivo appears to be on the verge of tears that people on “a couple posts” are “really holding space and feeling power” with the lyrics of one of the most famous songs in musical theatre. And Grande watches on, and bizarrely holds a single one of her co-star’s fingers for emotional support. A mournful violin version of Defying Gravity played over the clip just adds the effect, is if to let you know: You are watching something deeply profound. The whole encounter is so strange, one wag on X wondered if there might have been a gas leak in the room. The clip has absolutely caught fire on social media, where the clip itself has been viewed almost 30 million times on X and where “taking space with the lyrics of Defying Gravity ” has now definitely spread beyond “a couple posts”: anyone up taking the lyrics to defying gravity and really holding space with that and feeling power in that? — sarah hagi (@KindaHagi) November 22, 2024 hey guys, just wanted to warn you that this week people are taking the lyrics to defining gravity and holding space with that. ive only seen a couple of posts (I work in queer media) but wanted to give you a heads up. stay safe out there 💚🩷 — sandy (@sandyhonig) November 22, 2024 if i'm holding space with the lyrics of defying gravity, and you're in queer media, then who the hell is holding this finger — bald ann dowd (@ali_sivi) November 22, 2024 https://t.co/aqRoP7myAl pic.twitter.com/DQgRVEncTc — wiLL (@willfulchaos) November 22, 2024 cynthia learning this week people are taking the lyrics of defying gravity and really holding space with that https://t.co/IrZHeQlt0r pic.twitter.com/kM56syogXH — sheriff harry s. truman (@ThisIsConner) November 22, 2024 I can't tell what my favorite part of this video is: the solemnity in announcing people have been "holding space" for the lyrics of a 20 year old song, Cynthia acting like she personally wrote it, Ariana holding onto Cynthia's index finger, or the reveal of "a couple of posts" https://t.co/eDDUNcvaRn — maya 🦇 (@irish_goodbi) November 22, 2024 watching this makes me feel like im huffing gasoline its so surreal like why is ariana holding her singular finger like that. what does holding space for the lyrics mean. “thats exactly what i wanted” you didnt write the damn musical and its been out for years https://t.co/cWP8q6753p — breakfast (@ouchowwie) November 21, 2024 Not now sweetie mommy is taking the lyrics of Defying Gravity and really holding space with that and feeling power in that pic.twitter.com/Srxh9xn4yH — Tom Zohar (@TomZohar) November 22, 2024 The Jon M. Chu-directed blockbuster finally hit cinemas this week, more than 20 years after the musical debuted on Broadway and after years of development and false starts to bring it to the big screen. But those fronting up to watch the movie should be warned : Despite its mammoth runtime (two hours and forty minutes), Wicked actually only depicts the first act of the musical, with a sequel to follow in a year’s time. This film stops at the end of act one, ending on a cliffhanger as Erivo’s character Elphaba makes her transformation into the Wicked Witch of the West. But despite this, the film works as a stand-alone story, and doesn’t leave you feeling like you’ve been thrust out halfway to take the world’s longest theatre loo break. More Coverage Actor confirms speculation about private life Sophia Melissa Caraballo Piñeiro – Page Six Real reason Ellen and Portia quit the US Bronte Coy Originally published as Wicked stars’ bizarre new interview mocked mercilessly Join the conversation Add your comment to this story To join the conversation, please log in. Don't have an account? Register Join the conversation, you are commenting as Logout More related stories Movies Stars’ ‘crazy’ on-set confrontation exposed In a new interview, Josh Brolin has detailed his “crazy” on-set confrontation with all-time acting great Denzel Washington. Read more Upcoming Movies ‘Don’t do it’: Fans fume over star’s new role Anne Hathaway has been cast in the film adaptation of a best-selling book by a controversial author, leaving her fanbase scratching their heads. Read moreFormer congressman says foreign policy tops Carter’s presidential legacy

Sports on TV for Monday, Dec. 9

Direct Line rebuffs ‘highly opportunistic’ approach from Aviva

Director Christopher Nolan is one of the finest directors we have in Hollywood today and for good reason. The British-American director has given us some of the best movies in recent memory including the likes of Interstellar, Inception, Memento , and more recently movies like Tenet and Oppenheimer . So when Universal studios announced an all-new film from the director, we were excited. Also Read: Joaquin Phoenix was offered to play Joker in Christopher Nolan's 'The Dark Knight'; Here's why he rejected it In a post on social media platform X (formerly Twitter), the studio’s official handle shared that the director is all set to make a new movie based on ancient Greek poet Homer’s epic poem ‘Odyssey’. The movie will be shot completely in IMAX and is set for a July 2026 release according to the studio. Christopher Nolan’s next film ‘The Odyssey’ is a mythic action epic shot across the world using brand new IMAX film technology. The film brings Homer’s foundational saga to IMAX film screens for the first time and opens in theaters everywhere on July 17, 2026.— Universal Pictures (@UniversalPics) December 23, 2024 The studio also shared that the movie will be an ‘epic action film’. Safe to say, we are excited. However, what exactly is 'The Odyssey' anyway? Don’t worry, we got you covered. Odyssey is one of two epic poems attributed to ancient Greek poet Homer, the other being Iliad . While Iliad is based on the Trojan War, Odyssey details Greek hero King Odysseus’s journey back home to Ithaca after the ten year Trojan War. The poem recounts the various perils the king faced on his journey. Like Iliad, Odyssey too is divided into 24 books. The poem is regarded as one of the oldest known pieces of literature and has previously been adapted into several works in the media including 1954’s Ulysses with actor Kirk Douglas. There was also a movie called O Brother, Where Art Thou? released in the year 2000. Most recently, Italian director Uberto Pasolini released a film titled The Return (2024) starring actor Ralph Fiennes and Juliette Binoche. The Return is said to be based on the final sections of Homer’s magnum opus. So, what else do we know? According to several reports in the media, Nolan has casted an ensemble of actors for the film including Matt Damon, Robert Pattinson, Lupita Nyong’o, Tom Holland as well as Anne Hathaway, Charlize Theron and even Zendaya. While Robert Pattinson, Matt Damon and Anne Hathaway have all previously worked with the director in projects like Interstellar and Tenet , it’ll be the first time we see Tom Holland and Zendaya work with Nolan. Christopher Nolan’s next film is an adaption of ‘THE ODYSSEY’ • Described as a mythic action epic that follows the tale of Odysseus & his 10-year journey home after the Trojan War • Starring Tom Holland, Zendaya, Anne Hathaway, Matt Damon, Lupita Nyong’o and Robert Pattinson pic.twitter.com/5ugTNJlCxY — DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) December 23, 2024 There's not a lot of other information available about the roles these actors will play or other members of the cast, but it’s safe to assume that we’re getting a movie unlike anything else we’ve seen from Christopher Nolan before. As it is, the director has previously directed movies that dealt with science fiction and/or action, The Odyssey will be Nolan’s maiden voyage into mythological films, and that alone is reason enough to be excited. As far as the shooting goes, reports suggest it’ll begin sometime next year. Nolan is also set to write the movie and will co-produce it alongside producer and wife Emma Thomas under their production house Syncopy Inc. With a stellar cast and epic storyline and the classic Christopher Nolan touch, the movie shows a lot of promise and we are excited, to say the least. For now, we’ll just have to wait and see how it all unfolds. Also Read: Christopher Nolan's next film titled 'The Odyssey'; Here's when it will release

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump on November 27 tapped Keith Kellogg, a retired army lieutenant general who has long served as a top adviser to Trump on defense issues, as his nominee to be special envoy for Ukraine and Russia. "Keith has led a distinguished Military and Business career, including serving in highly sensitive National Security roles in my first Administration," Trump said on social media. Kellogg "was with me right from the beginning," Trump said on Truth Social. "Together, we will secure PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH, and Make America, and the World, SAFE AGAIN!" Kellogg's nomination comes after Trump during his presidential campaign criticized the billions of dollars that the United States has poured into Ukraine since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022. Trump also said he could end the war within 24 hours of retaking the White House, a statement that has been interpreted as meaning that Ukraine would have to surrender territory that Russia now occupies. Kellogg has already put forth a plan for ending the war that involves freezing the battle lines where they are and forcing Kyiv and Moscow to the negotiating table, Reuters reported in June. According to Reuters, Kellogg has advocated telling the Ukrainians that if they don't come to the negotiating table, U.S. support would dry up, while telling Russian President Vladimir Putin that if he doesn't come to the table, the United States would give the Ukrainians "everything they need to kill you in the field." NATO membership for Ukraine would be off the table as part of the incentive for Russia to come along, while putting it back on would be punishment for holding back. Kellogg, 80, earlier this year wrote that "bringing the Russia-Ukraine war to a close will require strong America First leadership to deliver a peace deal and immediately end the hostilities between the two warring parties." He made the statements in a research paper written for the America First Policy Institute, a think tank formed after Trump left office in 2021. "The United States would continue to arm Ukraine and strengthen its defenses to ensure Russia will make no further advances and will not attack again after a cease-fire or peace agreement," the document said. "Future American military aid, however, will require Ukraine to participate in peace talks with Russia." Kellogg served in several positions during Trump's first term, including as chief of staff on Trump's national security council and national-security adviser to then-Vice President Mike Pence. Russian President Vladimir Putin has been warmly received in Kazakhstan, where he and Kazakh President Qasym-Zhomart Toqaev discussed boosting energy and industry ties. Putin arrived in Astana on a state visit on November 27 and was greeted by Toqaev with a handshake, according to images released on social media. Toqaev said he had "carefully read" Putin’s commentary published in state newspaper Kazakhstanskaya Pravda ahead of the visit and said he had published his own commentary on the state of the relationship between Moscow and Astana in the Russian media. "I think that we have very thoroughly, as if in unison, outlined our approaches to the development of cooperation aimed at the future," Toqaev said. He emphasized in his article that Kazakhstan "remains a reliable strategic partner and ally of Russia in this very difficult time," Toqaev's press service quoted Toqaev as saying. Putin thanked Toqaev "for his careful attitude toward the Russian language," a reference to the lower house of parliament's ratification of an agreement to create the International Organization for the Russian Language a few days before Putin's arrival. Kazakhstan has tried to distance itself from Moscow's war in Ukraine but remains highly dependent on Russia for exporting oil to Western markets and for imports of food, electricity, and other products. Underscoring that more than 80 percent of Kazakhstan's oil is exported to foreign markets via Russia, Putin said he and Toqaev always focus on "a specific result" in their talks. "Our countries are...constructively cooperating in the oil and gas sector," Putin wrote in his article, which was also featured in the Kremlin's website. Kremlin foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov told journalists on November 26 that Putin and Toqaev would sign a protocol on extending an agreement on oil supplies to Kazakhstan. He did not give details. The two leaders said after their meeting that they had discussed plans to increase the transit through Kazakhstan of Russian natural gas to Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan, part of Moscow's pivot away from European energy markets. They also said they talked about joint projects in hydroelectric power, car tires, and fertilizers and other areas. Putin said in his article that Russia's state nuclear corporation Rosatom was "ready for new large-scale projects." The company already is involved in some projects in Kazakhstan, which in October voted in favor of constructing its first nuclear power plant. Neither leader mentioned the nuclear project after their talks. Toqaev said he had raised the issue of agricultural trade following a Russian ban on imports of grain, fruit, and other farm products from Kazakhstan in October. Moscow imposed the ban after Kazakhstan barred Russian wheat imports in August to protect its producers. "Our countries should not compete on the Eurasian Economic Union market or foreign markets," Toqaev said, referring to agricultural exports within and outside a Moscow-led post-Soviet trade bloc. Nordic-Baltic countries and Poland have pledged to step up support for Ukraine, including making more ammunition available to strengthen deterrence and defense against hybrid attacks . The leaders of Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Norway, Poland, and Sweden, who met near Stockholm on November 27, also said they were ready to step up sanctions against Russia and backers of its Ukraine invasion and discussed an investigation into the severing of undersea communication cables earlier this month in the Baltic Sea. "Together with our allies, we are committed to strengthening our deterrence, and defense, including resilience, against conventional as well as hybrid attacks, and to expanding sanctions against Russia as well as against those who enable Russia's aggression," the leaders said a statement. The leaders met for talks covering transatlantic relations, regional security cooperation, and a common policy on the war in Ukraine. The meeting was the first of the Nordic-Baltic heads of government since 2017. Poland attended for the first time. Ahead of the meeting Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk proposed joint monitoring of the Baltic Sea by the navies of the Baltic states following damage to two undersea communication cables that is being investigated as a hybrid attack. "Baltic air policing already exists for the airspace over the Baltic Sea," Tusk said. "I will convince our partners of the necessity to immediately create an analogous formula for the control and security of the Baltic Sea waters, a naval surveillance," he added. The underwater cables -- one linking Finland and Germany and the other connecting Sweden to Lithuania -- were damaged on November 17-18, prompting suspicions of sabotage. Sweden, Germany, and Lithuania have all launched investigations, but the cause of the damage is still unknown. Finnish police have said they believe the incident was caused by a Chinese ship dragging its anchor, and Swedish investigators have focused on the Chinese cargo ship Yi Peng 3, which is thought to have passed both locations at the times of the cable breaks. The ship now sits idle in international waters but inside Denmark's exclusive economic zone. Sweden has asked the vessel to return to Swedish waters to help facilitate the investigation, Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said on November 26, but he stressed he was not making any accusations. Kristersson told a press conference he was hopeful China would respond positively to the request to move the ship to Swedish waters. "From the Swedish side we have had contact with the ship and contact with China and said that we want the ship to move towards Swedish waters," Kristersson said. A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman said communications with Sweden and other relevant parties had been "unobstructed." Mao Ning said at a regular news briefing on November 27 that China has shown "consistent support" in working with other countries to maintain the security of international undersea cables and other infrastructure. Yi Peng 3 left the Russian port of Ust-Luga on November 15. Russia last week said suggestions it had anything to do with the breaches were "absurd." The Wall Street Journal reported on November 27 that the ship has been surrounded by European warships in international waters for a week. Investigators suspect the crew of the Yi Peng 3, which is loaded with Russian fertilizer, deliberately severed the cables by dragging its anchor for more than 160 kilometers, the newspaper reported. The probe centers on whether the captain of the ship was induced by Russian intelligence to carry out the sabotage, the report said. Georgia's billionaire political power broker Bidzina Ivanishvili has introduced a Euroskeptic former soccer player as his ruling party's nominee for a disputed presidential vote next month, despite mounting constitutional disagreements and a post-parliamentary election boycott in the Caucasus nation. The nomination of Mikheil Kavelashvili came hours into a new legislative session dominated by the ruling Georgian Dream party -- which Ivanishvili founded -- that the current president, Salome Zurabishvili, contends is unconstitutional because of alleged flaws in last month's parliamentary vote. The fractured opposition disputes the results and sought to nullify the seating of legislators in order to spark a constitutional impasse. The Georgian Dream claimed victory with 88 seats in the 150-seat parliament after voting on October 26, suggesting it will try to steamroll opposition to put the fiery 53-year-old former international footballer and right-wing populist lawmaker Kavelashvili in the presidency. Kavelashvili is one of the founders of a 2-year-old, anti-Western offshoot of the Georgian Dream party called People's Power. His party introduced a draft law on "foreign agents" in 2023 that sparked massive protests before it was withdrawn and replaced earlier this year with a slightly reworded bill to curb "foreign influence" at nongovernment groups. Amid this year's protests against the polarizing so-called Russian law, Kavelashvili invoked Georgia's "civil war started in the '90s" to accuse its opponents -- including current Georgian international soccer great Khvicha Kvaratskhelia -- of stoking violence. The law was eventually enacted when lawmakers overrode Zurabishvili's veto. The looming presidential vote is the country's first under a 2017 change from a direct to an indirect vote by an electoral college for the head of state, a largely ceremonial post that Zurabishvili has used to oppose what Georgian critics decry as a "Russian law." Zurabishvili has called the legislature that emerged from the October elections "unconstitutional" and appealed to the Constitutional Court for their annulment over alleged Russian influence and fraud. The European Union has stalled Tbilisi's bid to join the bloc, while the United States has vowed to "revise" its relations with Georgia over the law and other recent moves by the Georgian Dream-led government. Zurabishvili has accused the ruling party of "capturing" Georgia and diverting it from its pro-EU path, a goal that is enshrined in the constitution and supported by an overwhelming majority of around 80 percent of Georgians, and toward Russia instead. Georgian Dream lawmakers voted on November 26 to hold the presidential election on December 14, a move some experts say is illegal until the courts rule on Zurabishvili's and other postelection challenges. Ivanishvili, who made his fortune in Russia and is the influential honorary chairman of Georgian Dream, called Kavelashvili "the best embodiment of a Georgian man" when he introduced him as the party's presidential choice the same day. In a pointed shot at Zurabishvili, who has fallen out dramatically with Georgian Dream since that party nominated her to the presidency in 2018, Ivanishvili said Kavelashvili would "fully restore the dignity temporarily taken from the institution of the presidency." In accepting the disputed nomination, Kavelashvili accused Zurabishvili of having "insulted and neglected" the Georgian Constitution and that she "continues to violate it today." Detractors have pointed out Kavelashvili's apparent lack of a university degree, or at least the absence of any information about it in his official parliamentary profile. In 2015, Kavelashvili filed a lawsuit seeking to cancel a provision of the national soccer federation's guidelines requiring presidents of that body to have a university degree. A new criminal trial against imprisoned former Moscow municipal deputy Aleksei Gorinov, known for his outspoken criticism of Russia's war against Ukraine, began at a Russian military court on November 27. Before the hearing started, Gorinov displayed a hand-drawn message on piece of paper that said: "Stop killing. Let's stop the war." When court bailiffs attempted to confiscate the makeshift poster, Gorinov refused to hand it over, saying that he was not breaking any regulations and insisting the bailiffs must document the seizure formally. Asked about his health before the session, Gorinov revealed ongoing struggles with illness. "There's no treatment available," he said, adding that he relied on psychotherapy. "I don’t understand why they’re targeting an ordinary person like me." His lawyer, Alyona Savelyeva, said that Gorinov was suffering from bronchitis, which makes his transportation to court and time spent in cold rooms particularly difficult. Gorinov, 63, was sentenced in July 2022 to seven years in prison for spreading "fake news" about the Russian military because of his public opposition to Russia's full-scale invasion of neighboring Ukraine. In October 2023, the authorities opened a new case against him, accusing him of "justifying terrorism" based on alleged conversations with fellow inmates about Ukraine's Azov Regiment. During the hearing, Gorinov firmly denied any ties to terrorism. "I am far from any ideology of terrorism," he said. "I am a committed internationalist and an opponent of war and violence, as I have consistently stated publicly throughout my life." Gorinov's initial conviction stemmed from an anti-war speech he delivered at a city council meeting in Moscow's Krasnoselsky district. He was the first person sentenced under Russia's new law criminalizing "fake news" about the military, introduced after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Earlier this year, Gorinov was transferred from a detention center in Moscow to a prison in the Vladimir region. He complained of harsh conditions, including solitary confinement in a cold cell without a mattress, blanket, or access to hot water. Dmitry Muratov, editor in chief of the Novaya gazeta newspaper and a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, appealed to the International Committee of the Red Cross for an urgent inspection of the conditions Gorinov was being held in. Following this, local officials and prosecutors inspected the facility, resulting in Gorinov's relocation to a slightly improved cell with a window that opens and closes, a functioning toilet, and reportedly no mice. Gorinov has been repeatedly subjected to punitive measures, including spending extended periods in solitary confinement. In spring 2023, he spent 48 consecutive days in a punishment cell, a treatment often reported by other political prisoners in Russia. The Russian state-run Channel One television company in Germany said the government has ordered two of its journalists to leave the country, prompting Moscow to revoke the accreditations of two correspondents from German media group ARD. The affected Channel One journalists, correspondent Ivan Blagoi and cameraman Dmitry Volkov, said they were informed that they must depart Germany by mid-December. The media outlet confirmed the expulsions on social media on November 27. Blagoi said the decision was justified by the German authorities as being "in the interest of the security of the Federal Republic of Germany." Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told a news conference on November 27 that Moscow had revoked the accreditations of two ARD correspondents, saying, "we have to take tit-for-tat measures." She gave no further details. The expulsions mark the latest in a series of escalating tensions between Russia and Western countries over the role of Russian state media. Since Moscow launched the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Russian broadcasters have faced bans, restrictions on access to social media platforms, and accusations of disseminating propaganda. Channel One, a Russian-language broadcaster popular among older audiences in Russia and some other former Soviet republics, has come under scrutiny for its coverage. ARD is an association of German public broadcasters. German authorities reportedly accused the outlet of spreading propaganda and disinformation among the Russian-speaking diaspora in Germany, which numbers in the hundreds of thousands. The accusations include claims the channel justifies the Russian invasion of Ukraine and portrays Ukraine's defenders as "Nazis." The expulsions follows a report aired by Blagoi on November 24 regarding Nikolaj Gajduk, a German citizen detained by Russia's Federal Security Service in October. The report alleged that Western intelligence agencies, including the CIA, were involved in Gajduk's alleged actions ordered by Ukrainian special services. The timing of the decision to expel the journalists, shortly after this broadcast, raises questions about the broader geopolitical dimensions of the incident. Russia has consistently retaliated against measures targeting its state media. Following Germany's 2022 ban on RT, a Kremlin-backed broadcaster, Moscow shut down the Deutsche Welle bureau in Russia and revoked accreditations for German journalists. Similar restrictions have been imposed on other foreign correspondents, reflecting a tit-for-tat approach. The German government has not publicly detailed the reasons behind its decision, but the move underscores the increasing focus on disinformation as a national security threat. Channel One claimed its journalists had complied with German laws and accused the authorities of using vague accusations to stifle alternative narratives. Germany has a large number of residents who have emigrated from the former Soviet Union, who are mostly ethnic Germans from Kazakhstan and Russia. A Russian drone strike on Kyiv early on November 27 wounded two people and damaged a nonresidential building, the mayor of Ukraine's capital, Vitali Klitschko, said on his Telegram channel. Ukraine's air force, meanwhile, said that Russia launched 89 drones at eight regions -- Kyiv, Chernihiv, Sumy, Kharkiv, Poltava, Zhytomyr, Khmelnytskiy, and Mykolayiv. Ukrainian air defenses shot down 36 of the attacking drones, while 48 were lost due to the jamming of their navigation systems by electronic means, the air force said on Telegram. Five other drones left the territory of Ukraine in the direction of Belarus and back to Russia, it said. Russia's Defense Ministry said separately that its air defenses shot down 10 Ukrainian drones over the Rostov region and two off the Black Sea port of Sevastopol. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service, click here . Police arrested nearly 1,000 supporters of Imran Khan as security forces cracked down on a massive protest in Islamabad demanding the release of the jailed former Pakistani prime minister, police said on November 27. Islamabad police chief Syed Ali Nasir Rizvi told a news conference that 19 Afghan citizens were among the 954 protesters arrested by Pakistani security forces over the past three days. The protesters, who had marched for days toward Islamabad from Khan's stronghold of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province in the northwest, were dispersed and the capital cleared during a sweeping midnight raid by Pakistani security forces. Rizvi said police used only nonlethal means during the overnight raid. Khan's Pakistan Tehrik-e Insaf (PTI) party issued a statement on X on November 27 saying the protest, during which at least six people -- four members of the security forces and two protesters -- had been killed, was being suspended "for the time being" and accused the government of brutality. PTI spokesman Sheikh Waqas Akram confirmed the suspension of the protest. Party officials said Khan's wife, Bushra Bibi, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur, a key Khan ally, had returned "safely" to the province from Islamabad following the security forces' crackdown. Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi told journalists in Islamabad at the late-night briefing that the protesters, some of whom were armed with sticks and slingshots, had been successfully dispersed after the Pakistani military deployed to the capital earlier on November 26. He announced that schools would reopen on November 27 and all roads would be cleared. The minister also said that details regarding the involvement of Afghan nationals in the protest would be shared with the media on November 27, adding that "an important decision has been taken about Afghan nationals," which would be announced in the next few days. PTI claimed on X that the police in Islamabad fired directly at protesters. The capital had been locked down since late on November 23 and mobile Internet services were sporadically cut. The Islamabad city administration last week announced a two-month ban on public gatherings, but convoys of Khan supporters traveled from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province on November 25 determined to enter the city. PTI's chief demand is the release of Khan, who served as prime minister from 2018 to 2022. The 72-year-old former cricket superstar-turned-politician has been in jail for more than a year and faces more than 150 criminal cases, although he enjoys huge popularity among Pakistanis. PTI has said the cases are politically motivated. PTI has defied a government crackdown since Khan was barred from running in elections in February with regular demonstrations aiming to seize public spaces in Islamabad and other large cities. Before the raids, security forces fired tear gas and rubber bullets at Khan supporters after thousands defied roadblocks to march some 150 kilometers from the northwest toward Islamabad despite a lockdown and a ban on public gatherings. The party is also protesting alleged tampering in the February polls and a recent government-backed constitutional amendment giving it more power over the courts, where Khan is tangled in dozens of cases. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's government has come under increasing criticism for deploying heavy-handed measures to quash PTI's protests, which have largely cut off Islamabad from the rest of the country, with travel to other parts of Pakistan almost at a standstill. A cease-fire between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah has come into effect in southern Lebanon after almost 14 months of fighting that triggered concerns of a wider conflict in the region. After the cease-fire kicked off at 4 a.m. local time, the Israeli military warned civilians not to return to their homes in south Lebanon yet and not to approach Israeli positions. However, convoys of civilians crossed into southern Lebanon, defying the both the Israeli warning and appeal by the Lebanese Army, which is set to deploy to the area to replace the Israeli forces. Hezbollah is designated a terrorist organization by the United States and its military wing is blacklisted by the European Union. The cease-fire was overwhelmingly approved by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s security cabinet, Netanyahu’s office said on November 26, marking a major development toward peace between Israel and Hezbollah militants. The move was immediately welcomed by U.S. President Joe Biden, who said it represents a fresh start for Lebanon and shows that peace is possible after nearly 14 months of cross-border fighting that forced tens of thousands of Israelis to flee and killed thousands of Lebanese. Netanyahu’s office said the plan was approved by a 10-1 margin. Earlier, Netanyahu defended the cease-fire agreement as he recommended his security cabinet adopt the plan, vowing to strike Hezbollah hard if it violates the deal. In the hours leading up to the meeting, Israel carried out its most intense wave of strikes in Beirut and its southern suburbs and issued a record number of evacuation warnings, while Hezbollah said it launched drones toward Israel amid cross-border fire. In a televised address, Netanyahu did not say how long the truce would last but noted that the length of the cease-fire "depends on what happens in Lebanon." He added: "If Hezbollah violates the agreement and attempts to rearm, we will strike. If they try to renew terror activities near the border, we will strike. If they launch a rocket, dig a tunnel, or bring in a truck with missiles, we will strike." The cease-fire marks the first major step toward ending the violence triggered by the attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, by Hamas, which is designated as a terrorist organization by the United States and the European Union. However, the truce will not apply directly to Israel's ongoing war with Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Shortly after the cease-fire took effect, Hamas said it was also "ready" for a truce. Earlier, Netanyahu said on November 26 that Israel would now focus its efforts on Hamas and releasing the hostages seized by the militants on October 7. "From Day 2 of the war, Hamas was counting on Hezbollah to fight by its side. With Hezbollah out of the picture, Hamas is left on its own," he said. "We will increase our pressure on Hamas and that will help us in our sacred mission of releasing our hostages." Biden said that Israel reserved the right to resume operations in Lebanon if Hezbollah breaks the terms of the truce. "This is designed to be a permanent cessation of hostilities," Biden said at the White House shortly after Netanyahu announced the security cabinet approval of the truce. If any party breaks the terms of the deal, "Israel retains the right to self-defense." He said that over the next 60 days civilians on both sides will be able to safely return to their own communities. The deal requires Israeli troops to withdraw from south Lebanon and Lebanon's army to deploy some 5,000 troops in the region, while Hezbollah would end its armed presence along the border south of the Litani River. Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati welcomed the cease-fire and said it was a "fundamental step towards establishing calm and stability in Lebanon." The war has killed at least 3,799 people in Lebanon since October 2023, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry. On the Israeli side, the hostilities have killed at least 82 soldiers and 47 civilians, authorities say. The war in Lebanon escalated after nearly a year of limited cross-border exchanges of fire initiated by Hezbollah. Separately, Syria's Defense Ministry said six people were killed in Israeli strikes on border crossings with Lebanon just after midnight on November 27, hours before the cease-fire took effect. Protests against the rise of pro-Russian politician Calin Georgescu spread beyond Bucharest to other Romanian cities on November 26 after his surprise victory in the first round of a presidential election over the weekend. Protests opposing Georgescu took place on the evening of November 26 in Bucharest, Timisoara, Iasi, Brasov, and Sibiu. Georgescu faces a runoff against pro-Western center-right candidate Elena Lasconi on December 8 after winning 22.94 percent of the vote in the first round of balloting on November 24 in the EU and NATO member state. About 1,000 people turned out in Bucharest for the second night of protests against Georgescu in the Romanian capital's University Square. Most of those who took to the streets were young people who expressed their concern about Georgescu's radical attitudes and the future of their country. "I came here because at the moment our democracy is in a precarious situation and I strongly believe that we, the young generation, can prevent a future disaster, which could take place in the second round," said a student from Bucharest who declined to be identified by name. Another protester said she was demoralized that people chose not to inform themselves about Georgescu before the election. "I cannot accept that I or my future children...would be led by a fascist," said the protester, who also declined to provide her name. She said that Romanians must go down the path of democracy and there is still a chance for that in parliamentary elections scheduled to take place on December 1 and in the December 8 runoff in the presidential race. "We can go back 35 years and see what our parents and grandparents went through...the mass misinformation they went through when [communist Romanian dictator Nicola] Ceausescu was elected,” she said. “Let's inform ourselves before choosing. We have to go massively to the vote. We young people have a voice and we have to use it.” In Timisoara, young people chanted "Today in Timisoara, tomorrow throughout the country," a reference to the December 1989 revolution, which began in Timisoara. The protesters also displayed posters saying, "Down with the legionaries," a reference to statements made by Georgescu in television appearances in which he affirmed his sympathy for the legionary or religious fascist Iron Guard movement in Romania and its leaders. Similar protests were held on November 26 in Iasi and Brasov, where several dozen young people gathered. The protesters in Iasi said they did not want to be led by a dictator or a sympathizer of anti-Semitic and fascist leaders from Romania in the 1930s and 1940s. Georgescu, 62, has denied that he is an extremist or a fascist and referred to himself as "a Romanian who loves his country." He had been polling in single digits before a viral TikTok campaign calling for an end to aid for Ukraine. The independent candidate insisted "there is no East or West" and stressed that neutrality was "absolutely necessary." Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s security cabinet has overwhelmingly approved a cease-fire deal with Hezbollah, Netanyahu’s office said on November 26, marking a major development toward peace between Israel and Iranian-backed Hezbollah militants. The move was immediately welcomed by U.S. President Joe Biden, who said it represents a fresh start for Lebanon and shows that peace is possible after nearly 14 months of cross-border fighting that forced tens of thousand of Israelis to flee and killed thousands of Lebanese. Netanyahu’s office said the plan was approved by a 10-1 margin. Earlier, Netanyahu defended the cease-fire agreement as he recommended his security cabinet adopt the plan, vowing to strike Hezbollah hard if it violates the expected deal. In the hours leading up to the meeting, Israel carried out its most intense wave of strikes in Beirut and its southern suburbs and issued a record number of evacuation warnings. In a televised address, Netanyahu did not say how long the truce would last but noted that the length of the cease-fire “depends on what happens in Lebanon." He added: "If Hezbollah violates the agreement and attempts to rearm, we will strike. If they try to renew terror activities near the border, we will strike. If they launch a rocket, dig a tunnel, or bring in a truck with missiles, we will strike." A cease-fire would mark the first major step toward ending the violence triggered by the attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, by Hamas, which is designated as a terrorist organization by the United States and the European Union. Biden said that, under the deal reached between Israel and Hezbollah, the cease-fire will take effect at 4 a.m. local time on November 27. He stressed that Israel reserved the right to resume operations in Lebanon if Hezbollah breaks the terms of the truce. “This is designed to be a permanent cessation of hostilities,” Biden said at the White House shortly after Netanyahu announced the security cabinet approval of the truce. If any party breaks the terms of the deal, “Israel retains the right to self-defense.” He said that over the next 60 days civilians on both sides will be able to safely return to their own communities. The deal requires Israeli troops to withdraw from south Lebanon and Lebanon's army to deploy in the region, while Hezbollah would end its armed presence along the border south of the Litani River. Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati welcomed the cease-fire and said it was a "fundamental step towards establishing calm and stability in Lebanon." The cease-fire does not address the war in Gaza, but Biden said it deserves a cease-fire deal as well. Netanyahu said Israel would now focus its efforts on Hamas militants and his top security concern, Iran. "From day two of the war, Hamas was counting on Hezbollah to fight by its side. With Hezbollah out of the picture, Hamas is left on its own," he said. "We will increase our pressure on Hamas and that will help us in our sacred mission of releasing our hostages." U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said earlier that a cease-fire would save lives and livelihoods in Lebanon and in Israel. “It will make a big difference in creating the conditions that will allow people to return to their homes safely in northern Israel and in southern Lebanon,” Blinken said at a briefing at the conclusion of a Group of Seven foreign ministers’ meeting in Fiuggi, Italy. He said he also believed that de-escalating tension could help end the conflict in Gaza by letting Hamas know that it can’t count on other fronts opening up in the war. “In terms of Gaza itself, I also think this can have a significant impact.... Because one of the things that Hamas has sought from day one is to get others in on the fight, to create multiple fronts, to make sure that Israel was having to fight in a whole series of different places,” Blinken said. The war has killed at least 3,799 people in Lebanon since October 2023, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry. On the Israeli side, the hostilities have killed at least 82 soldiers and 47 civilians, authorities say. The war in Lebanon escalated after nearly a year of limited cross-border exchanges of fire initiated by Hezbollah. The Lebanese group said it was acting in support of Hamas after its October 7, 2023, attack on Israel, which sparked the war in Gaza. The foreign ministers of the Group of Seven (G7) leading industrialized countries expressed their support for Ukraine on November 26 in the final statement following their summit in Italy. They also condemned what they described as Russia's "irresponsible and threatening nuclear rhetoric." The G7 ministers’ statement also warned that North Korean support for Russia marked a dangerous expansion of the war, condemning the development and saying Russia’s procurement of North Korean ballistic missiles and munitions was a violation of UN Security Council resolutions. “We stand firm against Russia’s war of aggression. We vehemently condemn the brutal attacks against Ukraine’s cities and critical civilian infrastructure and its unacceptable toll on the civilian population,” the minister said in a joint statement at the conclusion of their two-day meeting. The foreign ministers of Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, and the United States noted Russia’s use of an intermediate range ballistic missile on November 21, saying it is “further evidence of its reckless and escalatory behavior.” They also said their support for Ukraine’s territorial integrity, sovereignty, and independence “will remain unwavering.” The ministers, who were joined by Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha and the EU’s foreign policy chief at their meeting in Fiuggi, a spa town southeast of Rome, added that they hoped to start distributing a $50 billion loan package stemming from frozen Russian assets by the end of the year. They also pledged to act against groups helping Russia to evade sanctions and called on China, a long-standing ally of North Korea, to act against the deployment of North Korean troops to the battlefield. The ministers also tried to raise the pressure on Israel to accept a cease-fire deal with Hezbollah in Lebanon, saying "now is the time to conclude a diplomatic settlement." They called on the Israeli government to facilitate humanitarian assistance to the civilian population in Gaza, the West Bank, and East Jerusalem. "We express our strongest condemnation for the rise in extremist settler violence committed against Palestinians, which undermines security and stability in the West Bank and threatens prospects for a lasting peace," the statement added. Former German Chancellor Angela Merkel has written an autobiography in which she reaffirms her decision to push back against offering Ukraine future membership in NATO at a summit in 2008 despite criticism that such a move may have prevented Russia from invading Ukraine. In the book, Merkel reflects on how that decision and others during her 16 years in office have fared over time and recalls her relationships with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Freedom: Memoirs 1954-2021 was launched in Berlin on November 26 nearly three years to the day after she left office and ahead of a promotional tour of major European cities and the United States. The 70-year-old Merkel, known for her calm and unflappable leadership style, in the book rejects blame for any of the current strain in the West's relations with Russia in a rare commentary on her time in office. Concerning the 2008 Bucharest NATO summit, Merkel noted a pledge that Ukraine and Georgia would eventually join the western military alliance was a "battle cry" to the Russian leader, adding that he later told her: "You won't be Chancellor forever. And then they'll become a member of NATO. And I want to prevent that." Six years later Putin launched the Russian occupation and annexation of Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula, and followed that with the February 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine, which the Russian president has justified in part by citing Kyiv's NATO membership desires. Russia Is 'An Indispensable Geopolitical Factor' Putin was always on guard not to be treated badly and engaged in power games, according to the book. Merkel wrote about his inclination to make others wait and recalls how, despite her fear of dogs, he allowed his black Labrador to be in the room during a meeting in 2007 in Sochi. “You could find all this childish, reprehensible, you could shake your head at it,” she writes. “But that didn’t make Russia disappear from the map. Russia with its nuclear arsenal exists and remains “an indispensable geopolitical factor.” Merkel also details her experience with Trump during his first term as president, saying he “judged everything from the perspective of the real estate developer he had been before entering politics.” She writes that they “talked on two different levels,” in their March 2017 meeting at the White House. “Trump on an emotional level, me on a factual one.” Trump 'Captivated' By 'Dictatorial Tendencies' She added that Trump, who won a second non-consecutive term on November 5, did not share her conviction that cooperation could benefit all but instead believed that all countries were in competition with each other. “He did not believe that prosperity of all could be increased through cooperation,” she writes of the U.S. president, who "was captivated by politicians with autocratic and dictatorial tendencies." Merkel also writes about the difficulties of being the first female candidate for chancellor and her decision to welcome large numbers of migrants and displaced people in 2015 in the 700-plus page memoir, which is being simultaneously published as an audiobook and translated into more than two dozen languages, including French and English. She will make a special presentation in Washington on her book tour to to present it in the United States on December 2 alongside former U.S. President Barack Obama. The book is being published as Germans rethink her legacy, including her policy on migration, which many in Germany believe led to a surge in the far right. The former leader of Germany's center-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU) uses the book to justify the decisions she made regarding Russia, which launched its invasion of Ukraine just five months after Olaf Scholz of the Social Democrats (SPD) was elected to succeed Merkel, who had decided not to seek reelection. Under Scholz the German economy has stagnated. The war in Ukraine prompted Berlin to wean itself off cheap Russia gas. At the same time the country has had to deal with a reduction in exports to China. Scholz now faces a challenging campaign for reelection after the collapse of his coalition government. The flight recorders of a cargo plane belonging to global courier DHL that crashed near Vilnius on November 25 have been found as investigators continue to search for the cause of the deadly accident. The Boeing 737-476 aircraft crashed as it attempted to land at Vilnius International Airport, killing the jet's Spanish pilot and injuring another Spanish crew member, a German, and a Lithuanian. The crash came amid concerns among Western security officials that Russian intelligence is preparing acts of sabotage targeting Western cargo aircraft, though officials have said so far they have no evidence of a link. The plane's flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder, the so-called black boxes, "were found and removed from the wreckage," Lithuania's Justice Ministry said in a statement , adding that investigators are analyzing the data on the two devices. "The goal of a safety investigation is to prevent future accidents," the statement said, adding the probe "does not seek to determine who is at fault or responsible." Lithuanian Chief Prosecutor Arturas Urbelis separately said at least 19 witnesses were interviewed in connection with the incident but so far no indication has been found of "more serious actions." The plane that departed Leipzig, Germany, about 90 minutes before the crash hit several buildings as it skidded hundreds of meters, according to the police and DHL. One of the buildings hit by the plane was a house whose occupants survived, authorities said. Firefighters were not able to determine whether the plane began burning or breaking up while still in the air, and authorities have appealed to the public to hand over possible video recordings of the crash. German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said the crash could have been a "hybrid incident" with outside involvement. "We must now seriously ask ourselves whether this was an accident or whether it was another hybrid incident," Baerbock told reporters at a G7 foreign ministers meeting in Italy. "We have recently seen multiple hybrid attacks in Europe, often targeting individuals and infrastructure, whether underwater or hard infrastructure," she said, alluding to the recent severing of telecom cables in the Baltic Sea that officials have said could have been sabotage. German authorities are working very closely with the Lithuanian authorities to get to the bottom of the crash, she added. Lithuanian authorities have so far stopped short of making the same link. "We cannot reject the possibility of terrorism...but at the moment we can't make attributions or point fingers because we don't have such information," Lithuanian counterintelligence chief Darius Jauniskis told reporters. Many Western intelligence agencies have accused Moscow of involvement in sabotage acts in Europe, which they have said are aimed at destabilizing allies of Ukraine as it relies on Western governments in its war against Russia's full-scale invasion. Lithuanian Commissioner-General of Police Arunas Paulauskas said surviving crew members told investigators there was no smoke, fire, or other emergency situation in the cabin prior to the crash. He also said the probability of an external force impact was very low. The crash came after a series of fires at DHL depots in Britain and Germany during the summer. Western security officials were quoted in a news report earlier this month linking the fires to a test run of an alleged Russian operation aimed at igniting fires on cargo or passenger aircraft bound for North America. The Wall Street Journal quoted security officials as saying devices that ignited in July in DHL depots in Leipzig and the British city of Birmingham were part of the test run. Last month, Polish officials said four people had been detained as a result of the investigation into parcels that caught fire while en route to United States and Canada. The activities of the four people "consisted of sabotage and diversion related to sending parcels containing camouflaged explosives and dangerous materials via courier companies to European Union countries and Great Britain, which spontaneously ignited or detonated during land and air transport," Polish prosecutors said in a statement on October 25. "The group's goal was also to test the transfer channel for such parcels, which were ultimately to be sent to the United States of America and Canada," the statement said, adding that foreign intelligence services were to blame. The statement did not directly accuse Russia of involvement. Canada in early November expressed concern to Russian officials after he arrests were announced. Russia responded by summoning a Canadian diplomat on November 8 to rebut allegations that Russia's secret services had orchestrated the campaign to mail explosive packages. Russia has expelled Edward Prior Wilks, a second secretary in the Political Department of the British Embassy in Moscow, accusing him of espionage under diplomatic cover. The Federal Security Service (FSB) announced the decision on November 26, claiming Wilks was part of an "undeclared intelligence presence" in Russia, deepening tensions between Moscow and London. According to the FSB, Wilks entered Russia with false information and engaged in "intelligence and subversive activities" that posed a threat to national security. The diplomat, reportedly linked to the U.K. Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office’s Directorate for Eastern Europe and Central Asia, has had his accreditation revoked. Russian authorities have given him two weeks to leave the country. The expulsion follows the removal of six British intelligence officers in August amid strained relations between the two nations over issues ranging from the war in Ukraine to alleged interference in domestic affairs. The move comes on the same day Russia’s Foreign Ministry expanded its sanctions list, barring 30 prominent U.K. officials, military personnel, and journalists from entering the country. The list includes Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper, and high-profile figures in the defense and technology sectors. In a statement, Moscow accused Britain of pursuing an "aggressive, Russophobic policy," including support for Ukraine, disinformation about Russia, and direct involvement in the war in Ukraine. The Kremlin warned London to abandon its "futile course" and engage in constructive dialogue. The announcements mark a further escalation in the strained relations, reflecting the deepening crisis in relations between the Kremlin and the West over Moscow's ongoing invasion of Ukraine. Russia’s actions highlight a deliberate strategy to challenge what it perceives as Western interference. By targeting both diplomatic channels and influential figures, Moscow is signaling that it will not tolerate perceived provocations. At the same time, these moves are part of a broader pattern of Russia asserting its geopolitical stance against the West amid ongoing tensions over Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The diplomatic expulsion, coupled with expanded sanctions, reflects the Kremlin’s view of the United Kingdom as a central player in the Western coalition supporting Ukraine, escalating an already hostile dynamic. The so-called Supreme Court in Ukraine's Russian-occupied Donetsk region has sentenced Mamuka Mamulashvili, leader of the Georgian Legion, to 23 years in prison in absentia. The court, operating under Russia’s authority in the illegally annexed region, accused Mamulashvili of recruiting and training foreign mercenaries to fight against Russian forces in Ukraine. According to the Russian Prosecutor General’s Office, the 46-year-old Mamulashvili, who says he has been the focus of several poisoning attempts, was found guilty under several articles of the Russian Criminal Code. While the ruling will likely have no practical impact on Mamulashvili or the Georgian Legion’s operations, it provides valuable propaganda for the Kremlin as it continues its campaign to suppress dissent and isolate Ukraine diplomatically. For Ukraine and its allies, the verdict underscores the ongoing challenges in countering Russia’s narrative both on and off the battlefield. The charges allege that from 2014 to 2024 Mamulashvili recruited ex-military personnel from Georgia and other nations not directly involved in the ongoing war in Ukraine. Prosecutors claimed Mamulashvili provided training, weapons, and logistical support to these recruits, enabling their participation in military operations. The court further stated Mamulashvili received compensation equivalent to over 23 million rubles ($221.500) for his activities. Russian authorities also highlighted an April 2022 interview Mamulashvili gave to the Khodorkovsky-LIVE YouTube channel where he voiced staunchly anti-Russian sentiments and criticized Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine. In addition to Mamulashvili, three other Georgian fighters -- Giorgi Rusitashvili, Nodar Petriashvili, and Vano Nadiradze -- were sentenced in absentia to 14 years in prison each. They were convicted of participating as mercenaries in an armed conflict. The Russian prosecutor’s office stated that all four individuals would serve their sentences in a strict-regime penal colony if captured. The Georgian Legion, founded in 2014, is a volunteer military unit supporting Ukraine in its fight against Russian aggression. Composed primarily of Georgian ex-soldiers, the group has been actively involved in key battles across eastern Ukraine. Russia has labeled the Georgian Legion a terrorist organization, aligning with its broader narrative of framing foreign support for Ukraine as illegitimate and criminal. The in absentia sentencing of Mamulashvili and other Georgian fighters appears to serve several purposes beyond legal action. It reinforces Moscow’s portrayal of foreign volunteers aiding Ukraine as mercenaries and terrorists, undermining their legitimacy. By focusing on Mamulashvili’s recruitment efforts and financial rewards, Russian authorities aim to discredit the broader network of international support for Ukraine’s resistance. The verdict also underscores Russia’s effort to project authority over Donetsk, a region it annexed in violation of international law. Issuing high-profile verdicts from a “Supreme Court” in the occupied territory serves to normalize its judicial and political structures in the eyes of its domestic audience, despite their lack of international recognition. Russia's Investigative Committee announced on November 26 that it had opened a criminal case against James Scott Rhys Anderson, a British citizen accused of committing terrorism and mercenary activities. Anderson, who is alleged to have fought for Ukraine's International Legion, was detained in Russia's Kursk region after crossing the border in mid-November. His case underscores the growing complexities of international involvement in the Russia-Ukraine war and the heightened risks faced by foreign volunteers. According to the Investigative Committee , Anderson, alongside other members of Ukrainian forces and foreign mercenaries, illegally entered Kursk with weapons, military equipment, and drones armed with explosive devices. Russian authorities claim the group carried out actions intended to intimidate the local population, cause "significant" property damage, and destabilize government operations. A statement from the Investigative Committee said Anderson and his associates were armed with automatic firearms, missile systems, and drones, underscoring the technological capabilities of Ukraine's forces and their international allies. The authorities allege these actions constitute terrorism under Russian law. A video circulated on pro-Russian Telegram channels and by the state news agency TASS over the weekend showed a man identifying himself as James Scott Rhys Anderson, a 22-year-old former British Army signalman who joined Ukraine's International Legion after leaving military service in 2023. Speaking with a clear British accent, Anderson confirmed his identity and discussed his role in the ongoing war. However, the footage has not been independently verified, raising questions about the circumstances surrounding its recording. Anderson's situation highlights the dangers faced by foreign volunteers in Ukraine's resistance, as well as the propaganda value such incidents hold for Russia. The Kremlin has consistently sought to portray foreign fighters as illegitimate actors, using their presence to bolster its narrative that Ukraine's defense is dependent on mercenaries and extremists. Since Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's 2022 call for international recruits, thousands of foreign volunteers have joined Ukraine’s International Legion. The elite unit, integrated into Ukraine’s military, has attracted fighters from across the globe, including Western nations. For many, the war represents a fight against Russian aggression and a defense of democratic values, but their participation also exposes them to legal and physical risks. Anderson's case is not the first instance of a foreign fighter being captured or accused by Russia. Moscow has consistently sought to criminalize foreign involvement, labeling such fighters as mercenaries -- a status not protected under international law -- and often accusing them of terrorism. This tactic not only targets individual fighters but also aims to deter further international participation in Ukraine's defense. The announcement of Anderson's detainment comes amid shifting dynamics in the border regions, including Kursk. Ukraine's recent cross-border operations signal an escalation in tactics, challenging Russian defenses within its own territory. These incursions, while symbolic of Ukraine's bold resistance, also amplify Moscow's narrative of external aggression threatening its sovereignty. At the same time, reports of Russia employing North Korean soldiers and pushing to reclaim territory lost during Ukraine's August counteroffensive suggest a deepening of the conflict. Russia's efforts to portray foreign fighters like Anderson as central to these operations serve as both a legal and propaganda tool, distracting from its own controversial use of international personnel and tactics. A court in the Siberian city of Chita has sentenced journalist Nika Novak, a former RFE/RL contributor, to four years in prison. Sources close to the investigation told RFE/RL on November 26 that Novak was found guilty of "collaboration with a foreign organization on a confidential basis." Novak was arrested in Moscow last year and transferred to Siberia. Her case was marked as classified, and the details were not publicized. Novak had worked for ChitaMedia and was editor in chief of the Zab.ru website. She contributed to programs by RFE/RL's Siberia.Realities in 2022. RFE/RL President and CEO Stephen Capus condemned Novak's conviction, saying the charges against her were politically motivated and "intended to silence individual reporters and cause a chilling effect." He also called for her immediate release. The law criminalizing collaboration with foreign organizations on a confidential basis allows prosecution for sharing nonclassified information with foreign organizations. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Siberia.Realities, click here . Russia overnight launched 188 drones and four cruise missiles at targets in Ukraine -- a record number of projectiles in a single attack, Kyiv's air force said, as NATO and Ukrainian envoys prepared to gather in Brussels to assess Moscow's launching last week of an experimental missile at a Ukrainian city. Ukrainian air-defense systems "tracked 192 air targets -- four Iskander ballistic missiles and 188 enemy drones," the air force said in a message on Telegram. It added that 76 Russian drones were shot down over 17 Ukrainian regions, while another 95 drones "were lost in location" after their navigation systems had been jammed by Ukrainian electronic warfare systems. Five more drones changed course and flew toward Belarus, it said. No casualties were immediately reported in any of the 17 regions targeted, but critical infrastructure facilities such as the country's power grid and high-rise apartment buildings were damaged in several regions, officials said. During the attack, the western Ukrainian city of Ternopil was temporarily left without electricity. For the past several months, Russia has been battering Ukrainian cities with increasingly heavy drone, missile, and glide bomb strikes, causing casualties and damaging energy infrastructure as the cold season settles in. In Brussels, a meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Council (NUC) is to discuss on November 26 Russia's launching of an experimental hypersonic intermediate-range missile at Ukraine last week. The NUC was established at a NATO summit in Vilnius last year to step up the alliance's collaboration with Kyiv and support Ukraine's aspirations for NATO membership. The NUC meeting of envoys from Ukraine and the 32 member states of the alliance was called by Kyiv after Russia on November 21 struck the Ukrainian city of Dnipro with what President Vladimir Putin said was a new missile called Oreshnik. Putin said the move was part of Moscow's response to Ukrainian attacks on Russian soil with U.S.-supplied ATACMS and British-supplied Storm Shadow missiles. Putin said the Oreshnik is new and not an upgrade of previous Soviet-designed weaponry. The United States said the new missile is "experimental" and based on Russia’s RS-26 Rubezh intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). Ukraine initially accused Russia of having used an ICBM in the Dnipro attack. An ICBM has never been used in a war. Pakistani police and security forces launched a massive crackdown on thousands of supporters of jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan in Islamabad on November 26 after they refused to call off a protest march demanding his release. The protesters were dispersed and the capital cleared after security forces conducted a sweeping late-night raid, said Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi at a briefing. A security official told RFE/RL that around 500 people had been arrested. It was unclear whether the leaders of the march were among those arrested or whether they managed to escape to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province, where Khan's Pakistan Tehrik-e Insaf (PTI) party holds power. The Pakistani military deployed troops earlier on November 26 following the deaths of at least three army rangers. Dozens of security forces were wounded in clashes between them and the protesters, some seriously. Naqvi told journalists in Islamabad at the late night briefing that the protesters had been successfully dispersed. He announced that schools would reopen on November 27 and all roads would be cleared. The minister also said that details regarding the involvement of Afghan nationals in the protest would be shared with the media on November 27, adding that "an important decision has been taken about Afghan nationals," which would be announced in the next few days. The Interior Ministry issued a statement during the day strongly condemning the killing of security forces by supporters of PTI. The ministry said on X that a policeman and four rangers were killed in the violence, but according to an RFE/RL correspondent at the scene, the number of rangers killed was three and their deaths were the result of an accident. Before the raids security forces fired tear gas and rubber bullets at Khan supporters after thousands defied roadblocks to march some 150 kilometers from the northwest toward Islamabad despite a lockdown and a ban on public gatherings. PTI claimed on X that the police in Islamabad fired directly at protestors and published a video in which a top Karachi official said that in the history of Pakistan there has not been an injustice equal to what he says is going on in Islamabad. The city has been locked down since late on November 23 and mobile Internet services have been sporadically cut. The Islamabad city administration last week announced a two-month ban on public gatherings, but convoys of Khan supporters traveled from the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province on November 25 determined to enter the city. The leadership of PTI went ahead with their plans to travel to the capital even as Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka arrived for a three-day visit. He was received at an airport near the capital by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif late on November 25. PTI's chief demand is the release of Khan, who served as prime minister from 2018 to 2022. The 72-year-old former cricket superstar turned politician, has been in jail for more than a year and faces more than 150 criminal cases, although he enjoys huge popularity among Pakistanis. PTI has said the cases are politically motivated. PTI has defied a government crackdown since Khan was barred from running in elections in February with regular demonstrations aiming to seize public spaces in Islamabad and other large cities. The party is also protesting alleged tampering in the February polls and a recent government-backed constitutional amendment giving it more power over the courts, where Khan is tangled in dozens of cases. Sharif's government has come under increasing criticism for deploying heavy-handed measures to quash PTI's protests, which have largely cut off Islamabad from the rest of the country, with travel to other parts of Pakistan almost at a standstill. The key Grand Trunk Road highway in Punjab Province has been blocked by authorities with shipping containers, prompting protesters to use heavy machinery to remove the containers. The ongoing clashes also have affected Afghan refugees living in Islamabad or nearby cities who say they cannot leave their homes and are afraid of getting arrested. One of them, Fazel Saber, who lives in a guesthouse in Islamabad, told RFE/RL by phone on November 26 that the security situation has disrupted his life. “We have been banned from going out for three or four days, not even to the park near the guesthouse. Children and women also cannot go out," Saber said. "This is a deprivation of freedom, even though we are not illegal immigrants.” Thousands of protesters calling for the release of former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan defied roadblocks and tear gas on November 25 to march toward Islamabad despite a lockdown and a ban on public gatherings. Protesters clashed early on November 26 with police firing tear gas and rubber bullets at Khan supporters to stop them from entering the capital. The government said one police officer had been killed and dozens were critically wounded in clashes with demonstrators as they closed in on Islamabad. Islamabad has been locked down since late on November 23 and mobile Internet services have been sporadically cut. The Islamabad city administration last week announced a two-month ban on public gatherings, but convoys of Khan supporters traveled from the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province determined to enter the city. Security officials say they expected between 9,000 and 11,000 demonstrators, while Khan's party, Pakistan Tehrik-e Insaf (PTI), said the number would be much higher. Video on social media showed Khan supporters donning gas masks and protective goggles. The leadership of Khan's party went ahead with their plans to travel to the capital even as Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka arrived for a three-day visit. He was received at an airport near the capital by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif late on November 25. Meanwhile, the government was in talks with Khan's party to avoid any further violence, officials said. Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi told reporters that the government was willing to allow Khan supporters to rally on the outskirts of Islamabad, but he threatened extreme measures if they entered the city to protest. Khan, who has been in jail for over a year and faces more than 150 criminal cases, remains popular. PTI has said the cases are politically motivated. PTI has defied a government crackdown since Khan was barred from running in elections in February with regular demonstrations aiming to seize public spaces in Islamabad and other large cities. PTI's chief demand is the release of Khan, the charismatic, 72-year-old former cricket star who served as prime minister from 2018 to 2022. The party is also protesting alleged tampering in the February polls and a recent government-backed constitutional amendment giving it more power over the courts, where Khan is tangled in dozens of cases. Sharif's government has come under increasing criticism for deploying heavy-handed measures to quash PTI's protests. German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said the deadly crash of a cargo plane in Lithuania on November 25 could have been a " hybrid incident " with outside involvement. "We must now seriously ask ourselves whether this was an accident or whether it was another hybrid incident," Baerbock told reporters at a G7 foreign ministers meeting in Italy. "We have recently seen multiple hybrid attacks in Europe, often targeting individuals and infrastructure, whether underwater or hard infrastructure," she said, alluding to the recent severing of telecom cables in the Baltic Sea that officials have said could have been sabotage. German authorities are working very closely with the Lithuanian authorities to get to the bottom of the crash, she added. Lithuanian authorities have so far stopped short of making the same link. "We cannot reject the possibility of terrorism.... But at the moment we can't make attributions or point fingers because we don't have such information," Lithuanian counterintelligence chief Darius Jauniskis told reporters. Marius Baranauskas, head of the Lithuanian National Aviation Authority, said the communications between the pilots and the control tower indicated nothing extraordinary, adding that investigators need to examine the black-box recordings to know what was happening in the aircraft. Many Western intelligence agencies have accused Moscow of involvement in sabotage acts in Europe, which they have said are aimed at destabilizing allies of Ukraine as it relies on Western governments in its war against Russia's full-scale invasion. The cargo plane, which belonged to global courier DHL, crashed as it attempted to land at Vilnius airport, killing the jet's Spanish pilot and injuring another Spanish crew member, a German, and a Lithuanian, according to airport and police officials cited by Reuters. At least one of the injured was in critical condition. The plane, a Boeing 737-400 jet that had departed Leipzig, Germany, about 90 minutes before the crash, hit several buildings as it skidded hundreds meters, according to the police and DHL. A spokesperson for the governmental National Crisis Management Center said one of the buildings hit was a house whose occupants survived. Firefighters were not able to determine whether the plane began burning or breaking up while still in the air, and authorities were still looking for the black boxes that record flight data. A DHL statement said the plane "made a forced landing" about 1 kilometer from the Vilnius airport and the cause of the crash was still unknown. Lithuanian Commissioner-General of Police Arunas Paulauskas said surviving crew members told investigators there was no smoke, fire, or other emergency situation in the cabin prior to the crash. He also said the probability of an external force impact was very low. The crash came after a series of fires at DHL depots in Britain and Germany during the summer. Western security officials were quoted in a news report earlier this month linking the fires to a test run of an alleged Russian operation aimed at igniting fires on cargo or passenger aircraft bound for North America. The Wall Street Journal quoted security officials as saying that devices that ignited in July in DHL depots in Leipzig and the British city of Birmingham were part of the test run. Last month, Polish officials said four people had been detained as a result of the investigation into parcels that caught fire while en route to United States and Canada. The activities of the four people "consisted of sabotage and diversion related to sending parcels containing camouflaged explosives and dangerous materials via courier companies to European Union countries and Great Britain, which spontaneously ignited or detonated during land and air transport," Polish prosecutors said in a statement on October 25. "The group's goal was also to test the transfer channel for such parcels, which were ultimately to be sent to the United States of America and Canada," the statement said, adding that foreign intelligence services were to blame. The statement did not directly accuse Russia of involvement. Canada in early November expressed concern to Russian officials after he arrests were announced. Russia responded by summoning a Canadian diplomat on November 8 to rebut allegations that Russia's secret services had orchestrated the campaign to mail explosive packages . Serbian lawmakers scuffled in parliament on November 25 after opposition members accused the ruling coalition of failing to address the deadly collapse of a concrete canopy at the railway station in Serbia's second-largest city earlier this month. A scuffle broke out after Radomir Lazovic, a member of the opposition Green-Left Front party, placed a poster showing a red hand imprint with the words "You have blood on your hands" on the speaker's platform. After Health Minister Zatibor Loncar approached Lazovic and started arguing, other deputies rushed in shouting, pulling, and hitting one another. Lazovic told N1 television that he was "attacked" by Loncar, and after a fight with him, there was a "general fight" in the assembly hall. Lazovic said several deputies were injured. The audio of the parliament's internal broadcast was turned off, so it was not possible to hear what the deputies were saying to each other. They were separated by security guards. While the government accused the opposition of trying to "seize power by force," opposition members said they were also attacked by government representatives in the hall of the parliament building and accused them of starting the fight. The collapse of the concrete canopy on November 1 at the station in Novi Sad has turned into a political headache for President Aleksandar Vucic and his ruling party. The Higher Public Prosecutor's Office in Novi Sad announced on November 21 that 11 people had been arrested. The huge canopy collapsed on November 1, killing 15 people and seriously injuring another two. The accident occurred after the railway station, built in 1964, had been renovated twice in recent years by the consortium China Railway International and China Communications Construction Company. The most recent renovation was included in a project involving several companies that were in charge of the expert supervision of the reconstruction of the railway line from Novi Sad to the border with Hungary. The main contractor for the project was the company Project Biro Utiber of Novi Sad. The opposition has called on Prime Minister Milos Vucevic, who was mayor of Novi Sad when construction started, to resign. The ruling coalition denies the allegations and accuses the opposition of triggering clashes with police in protests at the station. The parliament was due to debate the 2025 budget on November 25, but the opposition demanded a debate on the collapse of the canopy. They also filed a no-confidence motion against the government, but speaker Ana Brnabic said it would not be on the agenda. The session was interrupted for almost two hours before resuming, but opposition deputies continued disrupting the session as Brnabic spoke surrounded by security guards who prevented opposition legislators from approaching her. "This is what freedom of speech looks like in their interpretation," Brnabic said as opposition deputies blew whistles in the hall. Brnabic accused the opposition of an "attempt to seize power by force." She told reporters at a news conference that opposition deputies damaged a microphone and a monitor in the hall after the session was adjourned. The session began with a minute of silence for those killed in at the railway station and with Brnabic asking that the session be dignified. "Unfortunately, this is anything but a dignified tribute to the deceased and their families," Brnabic said at the news conference. Nikita Zhuravel, a Russian political prisoner who was beaten by the teenage son of Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov while in pretrial detention, has been sentenced to 13 1/2 years in prison for high treason. The Volgograd regional court sentenced the 20-year-old Zhuravel on November 25 after finding him guilty of sending a video to a representative of Ukraine's Security Service (SBU) that allegedly contained footage of military equipment being transported by train, images of military aircraft, and details of a service vehicle's movements. Zhuravel is already serving a 3 1/2-year prison sentence handed down by a court in Chechnya in February after being convicted of hooliganism for publicly burning a Koran in his hometown of Volgograd. He was also sentenced to 300 hours of community service for insulting religious believers. It was not immediately clear whether the sentences would be served concurrently or consecutively. During the trial, Zhuravel apologized to the Muslim community, acknowledging his actions but claiming he had no intention of offending anyone. The case drew widespread attention when it was revealed that while Zhuravel was in custody in Chechnya, he was attacked by Adam Kadyrov, the then-15-year-old son of Ramzan Kadyrov. A video of the assault in a jail was shared on social media by the elder Kadyrov, sparking public outrage. Despite this, law enforcement in Chechnya declined to pursue a criminal investigation, citing a lack of evidence. Kadyrov defended his son's actions, publicly stating that it would have been better if his son had killed Zhuravel. Adam Kadyrov was later awarded the title of "Hero of the Republic of Chechnya," the highest honor in the region, and received further accolades from several Russian regions. The human rights group Memorial has recognized Zhuravel as a political prisoner, raising doubts about the Koran-burning accusations and criticizing his transfer from Volgograd to mostly Muslim-populated Chechnya for investigation and trial. The organization has also condemned the violence Zhuravel endured in detention as a serious legal violation. RFE/RL journalist Andrey Kuznechyk marked his third year in prison on November 25 on charges , he, his employer, and human rights organizations call politically motivated. Kuznechyk, a father of two, was arrested on November 25, 2021, and initially sentenced to 10 days in jail on hooliganism charges that he rejected. After serving that penalty, Kuznechyk was not released but charged with creating an extremist group, a move that officials didn't reveal to Kuznechyk's relatives and colleagues for months. On June 8, 2022, the Mahilyou regional court in the country's east found Kuznechyk guilty and sentenced him to six years in prison. The trial lasted just one day. Human rights groups in Belarus have recognized Kuznechyk, who works for RFE/RL's Belarus Service , known locally as Radio Svaboda, as a political prisoner. Kuznechyk, who has maintained his innocence, and some 150 other Belarusian political prisoners, including another RFE/RL journalist, Ihar Losik, and former would-be presidential candidate Viktar Babaryka, are serving sentences at the same prison in the northern city of Navapolatsk. The facility is known as one of the most restrictive penitentiaries in the country. Initially, the site was occupied by a number of temporary houses built for workers at a then-newly built oil refinery in 1958. The territory was later turned into a prison where mostly members of organized criminal groups, noted crime kingpins, and so-called thieves-in-law served their terms. Belarusian authorities started sending political prisoners there in 2010. Since a disputed August 2020 presidential election sparked mass protests over authoritarian ruler Alyaksandr Lukashenka's victory, tens of thousands of Belarusians have been arrested for voicing any dissent against the regime. The crackdown has pushed most opposition politicians, who say the vote was rigged, to leave the country fearing for their safety and freedom. Many Western governments have refused to recognize the results of the election and do not consider Lukashenka to be the country's legitimate leader. Many countries have imposed several rounds of sanctions against his regime in response to the suppression of dissent in the country. Kuznechyk is one of three RFE/RL journalists -- Losik and Vladyslav Yesypenko are the other two -- currently imprisoned on charges related to their work. Rights groups and RFE/RL have called repeatedly for the release of all three, saying they have been wrongly detained. Losik is a blogger and contributor for RFE/RL’s Belarus Service who was convicted in December 2021 on several charges including the "organization and preparation of actions that grossly violate public order" and sentenced to 15 years in prison. Yesypenko, a dual Ukrainian-Russian citizen who contributed to Crimea.Realities, a regional news outlet of RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service, was sentenced in February 2022 to six years in prison by a Russian judge in occupied Crimea after a closed-door trial. He was convicted of “possession and transport of explosives,” a charge he steadfastly denies.

Maple Leafs' Goaltending Depth Takes a Big Hit Over the Weekend1 person rescued from water in ScottsdaleA year is too short a time to assess a government’s performance, but it is still long enough to ascertain its commitment to fulfil its promises. The first Congress government in Telangana led by Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy rode on the back of six guarantees , with a focus on widespread corruption allegations against Mr. Reddy’s predecessor, K. Chandrashekar Rao, who was perceived as being inaccessible and lording over a family-run fiefdom. The guarantees were directed at women, farmers, youth, and the elderly, aiming to enhance disposable incomes, social securities, and to provide employment. They range from providing ₹2,500 a month for women who are heads of below-poverty-line families, to doubling retirement pension for the disabled, and the poor among the elderly. A year on, some of these measures implemented include free public transport for women and increased medical insurance cover per family of up to ₹10 lakh, as well as fiscally expensive decisions such as 200 units of free power per household and writing off farmers’ loans up to ₹2 lakh. Some of the unfulfilled measures include raising input support for farmers from ₹10,000 annually — provided by the predecessor Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) government — to ₹15,000, and filling two lakh government job vacancies. The government has cited a fiscal crisis caused by the Chandrashekar Rao government as the reason for this. Days after Mr. Reddy was sworn in on December 7, 2023, his government released a “white paper on the State’s finances” , which detailed a “more than ten times” jump in Telangana’s debt from ₹72,658 crore to over ₹6.71 lakh crore under the 10 year-long reign of the BRS, and that debt servicing alone constituted more than a third of the State’s budget, leaving “very little fiscal space” to implement the Congress guaranteed welfare measures. Since Mr. Reddy rode to power on the popular sentiment of familial corruption, judicial commissions have been set up to probe financial malfeasance in projects ranging from the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Scheme to the power purchase agreement with Chhattisgarh. Mr. Reddy has also accused the Bharatiya Janata Party-led Union government of giving the State short-shrift in tax devolutions and the implementation of centrally funded projects. One promise that Mr. Reddy has worked on is the conduct of a caste census. While it has run into controversy, with complaints of a duplication of information provided to the earlier government, the outcome of the survey and the changes to reservations in government jobs and employment are being keenly watched. Mr. Reddy’s hurdles are daunting, but what appears to be lacking is a transparent plan and a candid admission on what to expect, given the situation, over the next four years. Published - December 09, 2024 12:10 am IST Copy link Email Facebook Twitter Telegram LinkedIn WhatsApp Reddit politics / political parties / Telangana / Indian National Congress / gender / agriculture / senior citizens / personal income / social security / employment / retirement / pension and welfare / public transport / electricity production and distribution / loans / economy (general) / Bharat Rashtra Samithi / government debt / corruption & bribery / budgets and budgeting / Caste / Socio Economic And Caste Census / water / welfare / government / Chhattisgarh

The Transportation Security Administration has some reminders for those heading to airports during the holidays. “People seem to forget some of the more common and routine steps that they need to take when packing for a flight or when they are going through a checkpoint, perhaps because they’re focused on being at their destination and not focusing on what needs to happen before getting there,” said TSA officer Christopher Kirchein of John F. Kennedy International Airport. “Travelers sometimes ignore the advice that we give them,” said TeaNeisha Barker, a TSA uniformed adviser. “We are providing guidance so that they get through the checkpoint as simply and conveniently as possible. Not every airport has the same technology, so listen to the guidance we are offering.” “Passengers forget that knives and other weapons are not allowed through our checkpoints. It’s shocking to see so many people with knives,” said TSA officer Aisha Hicks of Philadelphia International Airport. “Weapons of any kind are prohibited through a TSA checkpoint.” TSA officers shared this list of the common things that travelers forget and should remember when coming to a security checkpoint. Ten things that travelers need to remember when preparing to go through the security screening process: • Remember that you cannot bring bottles of water, energy drinks, juice, coffee, soda or any filled insulated reusable container through a security checkpoint. However, they can finish their beverage and bring the empty bottle or container with them. • Remember to bring your ID to the checkpoint. • Remember when TSA officers remind you to remove everything from your pockets that it does not only mean metallic items such as keys and mobile phones, but it means everything, including non-metallic items such as tissues, lip balm, breath mints, etc. • Remember that you cannot bring a firearm through a checkpoint. Instead, pack your unloaded firearm in a locked hard-sided case and declare it at your airline check-in counter and the airline will ensure it is transported in the belly of the plane where nobody has access to it. • Remember that you need to remove your shoes when getting screened and then end up barefoot on the floor. It’s probably a good idea to wear socks. • Remember that children 12 and under are allowed to travel through a TSA PreCheck screening lane with a parent who has TSA PreCheck on their boarding pass. In addition, don’t forget that children up to the age of 18 can also come into the TSA PreCheck lane with their parent if they are on the same airline reservation as their parent. • Remember that passengers that appear 12 and under or 75 and older do not need to remove their shoes and light jacket. • Remember, if you are putting a lock on your luggage, make sure it is a TSA compatible lock so that if TSA officers need to open your luggage, they can unlock it and relock it. If the lock is not TSA compliant, TSA officers who need to open your luggage will cut off the lock, rendering it useless. • Remember that you can bring medications through a security checkpoint, even liquid medication. Just let the TSA officer know that you have liquid medication with you so it can be screened separately. • Remember to get a REAL ID-compliant driver’s license sooner rather than later because REAL ID goes into effect on May 7. Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Click to share on X (Opens in new window) Most Popular Trump chooses Pam Bondi for attorney general pick after Gaetz withdraws Trump chooses Pam Bondi for attorney general pick after Gaetz withdraws Meet the Fort Monroe Authority’s new CEO Meet the Fort Monroe Authority’s new CEO Court documents: 3-year-old grabbed dad’s gun off kitchen counter and accidentally shot himself Court documents: 3-year-old grabbed dad’s gun off kitchen counter and accidentally shot himself Army-Navy 2024: Navy specialty uniforms to honor Jolly Rogers aviation squadron Army-Navy 2024: Navy specialty uniforms to honor Jolly Rogers aviation squadron Here’s what development around the Virginia Beach Convention Center could look like Here’s what development around the Virginia Beach Convention Center could look like 2 injured after vehicle failed to stop at Suffolk railroad crossing, police say 2 injured after vehicle failed to stop at Suffolk railroad crossing, police say Newport News’ first Saladworks combines former doctor’s passions for health and business Newport News’ first Saladworks combines former doctor’s passions for health and business Bike shop in Midtown Row rebrands, coffee shops celebrate and more business news from the Historic Triangle Bike shop in Midtown Row rebrands, coffee shops celebrate and more business news from the Historic Triangle Virginia live election results Virginia live election results Entertainment venue Uptown Alley no longer coming to Williamsburg Entertainment venue Uptown Alley no longer coming to Williamsburg Trending Nationally Castle Rock school bus driver who left 40 kids at busy intersection “didn’t know what to do” A ‘horrific accident’: 2 deputies who died, 1 injured in Palm Beach County crash identified Illinois high court overturns Jussie Smollett’s convictions in allegedly staged hate crime San Diego toddler’s backyard snake bite bills totaled more than a quarter-million dollars Trump chooses Pam Bondi for attorney general pick after Gaetz withdraws

Cameroun: Election présidentielle de 2025 - Près de 40 observateurs de la région de l'Ouest formésOppo Reno 13 Series: Launch in India Confirmed – Colors, Features, and Design Revealed