Arkansas DE Landon Jackson carted off field and taken to hospital with neck injury

In a closed-door trial Tuesday, a Russian court sentenced a journalist to four years in prison for her work with foreign media outlets. Nika Novak was arrested in December 2023 on accusations of “preparing inaccurate materials” to discredit the Russian armed forces. The FSB security service said that Novak’s work was "aimed at causing reputational damage” to Russia and an attempt to destabilize the country and its war in Ukraine, according to the Interfax news agency. The court, which is in the Siberian region of Zabaykalsky Krai, did not say which foreign media outlet Novak is accused of working for. Novak worked previously for the Russian news websites Chita and Zab.ru, and had been a freelance reporter at Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty or RFE/RL. A sister network to VOA, RFE/RL is an independent U.S.-funded media outlet. Moscow designates RFE/RL a so-called foreign agent. RFE/RL President Stephen Capus on Tuesday condemned the sentence handed to Novak. “These politically motivated charges are intended to silence individual reporters and cause a chilling effect. We call for Nika's immediate release to her family,” Capus said in a statement shared with VOA. Russia has ramped up its arrests and harassment of independent journalists since its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Shortly after, the government issued directives on how media could report the war, and legislators enacted a law to penalize anyone authorities deemed to be spreading false news or information that could discredit the military. Russian authorities have also issued several arrest warrants in absentia. In October, authorities ordered the arrest in absentia of a CNN correspondent who had reported from Russia’s Kursk region as Ukraine forces made advances. The Memorial human rights group described Novak as a "political prisoner." It added that the journalist appeared to “hold anti-Ukrainian views," based on social media posts, but had criticized local authorities for supporting the offensive, according to AFP. The Coalition for Women in Journalism has also condemned Novak’s detention. In a statement at the time of her arrest, the group said, “The Kremlin is continuously abusing legislation to target journalists and activists. This must stop.” “The serious charges and lengthy prison term facing Novak are deeply worrying,” the statement said, adding that the coalition called on Russia to drop the charges and release the journalist. This report contains information from Agence France-Presse.

Bob Casey concedes Pa. Senate race, congratulates Dave McCormick on winNoneNew Jersey’s Task Force has concluded its work by issuing a report to the governor, with recommendations in four specific areas to support the state’s continuing AI work. Gov. Phil Murphy established the AI Task Force in with Executive Order 346 (EO 346). The state has made continual advancements in this area before and after the group’s conception, including , , , and the release of the . The AI Task Force’s November report to the governor was called for as part of EO 346. It includes a landscape and risk assessment and offers recommendations in four key areas: 1) safety, security, technology and privacy; 2) workforce training, jobs of the future and training public professionals; 3) AI, equity and literacy; and 4) making New Jersey a hub for AI innovation. “Everything that’s proposed in here is something that we’re doing, or going to do, or planning to do,” New Jersey’s Chief AI Strategist said of the report. Noveck co-chaired the AI Task Force with state Chief Technology Officer . The report will inform both policy and strategy to support AI implementation, including data governance. As Rein explained, officials have already created an acceptable use policy to guide AI implementation across the state government, and will be augmenting data governance within the Office of Information Technology and other agencies. “No AI solution that we offer is ever going to be better than the data that it is trained on,” Rein said, arguing that the data powering AI technologies is “mission critical” to their success. The process for informing the state’s AI assessment and recommendations entailed surveying New Jersey’s workforce, residents, institutions and businesses in the public and private sectors. A notable outcome from the AI Task Force’s work is that in the AI space. Both Murphy’s commitment and the report’s findings contributed to the state’s prioritization of this work. So far, 10,000 public-sector workers and counting have been using AI tools, Noveck said. Part of the purpose, she said, is to ensure that people developing AI policy for the state have the necessary understanding of the technologies being governed. The state’s workforce training is expanding, too. Noveck pointed to a series of grant programs that will support AI curriculum development for students, who she underlined will be “the workers of tomorrow.” While there is no formal or legal timeline for implementing the recommendations outlined in the report, Noveck said that they are already underway or forthcoming. She emphasized that the state’s AI work has been ongoing. For example, the NJ AI Assistant was created to offer workers a safe environment in which they could practice using AI technology without the risk of state information being put into a private vendor’s website. Another AI implementation in the early days of the task force’s work involved the use of AI-assisted tools for call center employees. When agencies implement new technologies, there has long been a systems architecture review process. This process, according to Rein, has now been augmented to include a series of questions related to AI as part of the state’s change review process. Officially, the task force’s work has concluded. However, Noveck said the task force is comprised of members of state leadership who regularly communicate and collaborate with or without the formal existence of the task force, including in frequent AI-focused discussions. Rein said the relationships built through this task force — including those in government and in the education and private sectors — are the most rewarding part of the work. Noveck highlighted the importance of the governor supporting responsible AI use, from investing in upskilling to forming the task force. The governor has the power to recreate this or a similar task force as needed, but even without doing so, Noveck said “the conversations are continuing, even without the need for a formal extension of the task force.”

The Prime Minister has welcomed the announcement of a ceasefire in Lebanon, calling for the deal to be turned into a “lasting political solution” to the crisis in the region. The deal, announced on Tuesday night, will see hostilities between Israel and Iran-backed militants Hezbollah suspended for 60 days, with both sides withdrawing from southern Lebanon. Brokered by the US and France, the agreement is designed to provide a permanent end to the conflict, US President Joe Biden said following the announcement. In a televised address, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he was recommending his cabinet accept a ceasefire deal with Hezbollah (Israeli Government Press Office via AP) In a statement, Sir Keir Starmer described the deal as “long overdue”, saying it would “provide some measure of relief to the civilian populations of Lebanon and northern Israel, who have suffered unimaginable consequences during the last few months of devastating conflict and bloodshed”. He said: “Now, this deal must be turned into a lasting political solution in Lebanon, based on Security Council Resolution 1701, that will allow civilians to return permanently to their homes and for communities on both sides of the border to rebuild. “The UK and its allies will continue to be at the forefront of efforts to break the ongoing cycle of violence in pursuit of a long-term, sustainable peace in the Middle East. “We must see immediate progress towards a ceasefire deal in Gaza, the release of all hostages and the removal of restrictions on desperately needed humanitarian aid.” The announcement of the deal follows a day of intense Israeli air strikes in Beirut, with local authorities saying at least 24 people were killed in the bombardment while Hezbollah continued to fire rockets into northern Israel. Recommending the ceasefire to his cabinet, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the deal would isolate Hamas in Gaza and allow Israel to focus more on Iran, which supports both Hamas and Hezbollah and has staged attacks on Israel in recent months. While aid organisations have welcomed the ceasefire, they have also called for it to be made permanent and extended to the conflict in Gaza. She said: “It is essential that all parties respect this ceasefire so that vital humanitarian aid can be delivered to the children and families that desperately need it.” Ms Whitworth added: “Today’s agreement must act as a vital step towards a sustained, permanent ceasefire – both in Lebanon and across Gaza and the wider Middle East region. “The horror must stop immediately, all children deserve to enjoy their childhood free from the threat of violence.” Paras Tamang, global humanitarian director at ActionAid, echoed her comments, saying the ceasefire would provide “temporary relief” for civilians but was “not an acceptable long-term solution to the crisis”. Mr Tamang said: “Whilst air strikes may stop for a while, the fallout from these attacks will continue to be felt for years to come. “More humanitarian aid is needed to help the hundreds of thousands of people who have lost everything.” According to the UN, more than 3,700 people, including 240 children, have been killed in Lebanon since the latest round of fighting began in October 2023, while around 900,000 have been displaced.Donald Trump Jr’s friends worried about ‘social climbing’ new girlfriend: report

After entering Aleppo, Syrian insurgents advance to a nearby province in a major setback for Assad

As I sat at my son's high school concert last night, bursting with pride , I also felt a huge relief . Year 11, happy, well, thriving. Alive . But then I thought about the parents in the audience: Who will be next? Who's about to have their lives ripped apart when their child takes their own life thanks to online bullying? That may seem dire, but as a Parenting editor, I've been living and breathing the stories of the children whose lives have been lost in the most heartbreaking way - so many , in just a few months. Too many. This is parenting in 2024. Want to join the family? Sign up to our Kidspot newsletter for more stories like this. RELATED: Tweens are crowdfunding parties from online predators "Desperate efforts from social media giants" You know what else I've seen a lot of recently? Increasingly piss-weak, desperate efforts from the social media giants - Snapchat, Meta, Instagram - about parenting controls. Talk about victim-blaming. Taking no responsibility whatsoever, akin to the "guns don't kill people, people kill people" argument. They won't act on the blatant evidence until they're forced to - but the head in the sand approach about social media is not working . Which is why yesterday's news about the Albanese government's age-limits on social media (no one under 16), and enforcing a Duty of Care on the companies (which they've technically always had) is very welcome news. Image: Nama Winston That's an understatement: it's a revolution. The reforms are hopefully the first of a wave of steps that will make those exposing children to inappropriate content, and allowing them to weaponise their platforms, accountable. I'm hoping this is the beginning of the end of an era, just like when cigarettes were finally acknowledged for what they are: poison, responsible for deaths. As the Barefoot Investor quoted recently , "Social Media is the new smoking." Important viewing: RELATED: The kids are not ok: Schools begin mobile phone ban There's a difference between phone and internet access, and social media I've been a long-term advocate of allowing kids access to phones - for communication and information. Expert advice is that educating parents on how to talk to their kids about the content they create and consume is a much more practical and pragmatic approach. But social media is an entirely different beast; one that's killing our children. Destroying families. From the insidious fatal TikTok trends , to the cruelty of the verbal assaults, the spread of fake photos, sextortion , and outright threats, we owe the next generation escalated protection. Many of us - myself included - are the first generation of parents dealing with the nuclear fallout of social media. A decade ago, I would never have imagined we'd lose children on the scale that we have. But here we are. Let's not be the generation of parents that allowed more kids to die. More Coverage My son tried to take his life after bullying. The school’s response shocked me Anonymous Heartbreaking details after Sydney schoolgirl's suicide Heath Parkes-Hupton Originally published as 'Social media is the new smoking': Thanks for finally calling time on it Parenting Don't miss out on the headlines from Parenting. Followed categories will be added to My News. More related stories Parenting I’m a mum living where violence against Jewish people has escalated – in Sydney "When I saw the news, I had to think: Can I send my kids to school today? Should I?" Read more Lifestyle Red flags with Roblox’s new rule for under 13s Many are rejoicing over the change coming to the popular kid's game. But they're missing some important points. Read moreBreaking down Packers’ final injury report of Week 12 vs. 49ers - Packers Wire

Article content Joe Ortona, the chair of the English Montreal School Board (EMSB), is calling for the removal of a stretch of the contested Terrebonne St. bike lanes for the winter. The request came in a Nov. 22 letter to the Côte-des-Neiges—Notre-Dame-de-Grâce borough council. The letter says the new layout of the street was responsible for a school bus striking a parked car — a claim that neither Ortona nor the board could substantiate. That letter “surprised” Despina Sourias, the Projet Montréal city councillor for the Loyola district of the borough. She told The Gazette that the bike lanes have slowed traffic and made Terrebonne St. safer for all users. Ortona’s letter began with a reference to an incident in which a car and bus “sustained considerable damage” in front of St. Monica’s Elementary School. “We firmly believe that the accident was a direct result of the borough’s redesign of Terrebonne Ave., which included narrowing the roadway to accommodate bike paths on both sides,” the letter read in part. Ortona told The Gazette the incident involved a school bus striking a parked car, but he didn’t provide details showing how the bike lanes were to blame. “A car was parked and I’m not sure if it was far off the curb or what. I wasn’t there, so I don’t have the exact circumstances,” Ortona said. EMSB spokesperson Mike Cohen confirmed to The Gazette that the board hadn’t been in touch with anyone involved in the incident. He said the bus struck the open door of the car. But both him and Ortona said the narrowing of the street to accommodate bike lanes is causing problems for drivers coming to the school. Ortona called for the closure of the bike lanes during the winter between Madison Ave. and Cavendish Blvd., a stretch that includes three EMSB schools: the Mackay Centre and Philip E. Layton schools, which serve students with special needs, and St. Monica’s Elementary School. The Terrebonne St. bike lane also neighbours the junior campus of Willingdon Elementary School. He also asked for a joint committee of “EMSB specialists and borough traffic officials” to redesign the street in time for the spring. Sourias called Ortona’s assertion that the bike lanes were to blame for the incident “reductionist.” She said that she, like Ortona, didn’t have the whole picture of the incident. “It’s his interpretation,” she said, but if it were her, she said she would want to understand every factor at play before making a judgment. “Was the bus driver paying attention? ... Was the car parked too far out?” Far worse incidents took place on Terrebonne St. before the bike lanes were installed, she added, including a 2019 incident that saw an 84-year-old woman struck and killed by a dump truck while crossing at an intersection. She rejected Ortona’s argument that the bike lanes should be removed to widen the street over the winter, saying a narrow lane is a good thing. “The idea is that by narrowing the street it makes the cars go slow,” Sourias said. The Terrebonne St. bike lanes aren’t just intended to serve cyclists, she said, but are “a way to appease the cohabitation of the street for all users.” Ortona said that, ultimately, he wasn’t opposed to bike lanes on Terrebonne St. “There are benefits to the bike path. I don’t want to turn this into an issue of leaving the bike path as it is and taking it out completely. Because that’s just polarizing the debate,” he said. He said his objection is with “the borough administration imposing its will without any regard for any legitimate concerns that have come forward.” But Sourias said she hadn’t heard complaints from schools since the school year started. School principals wouldn’t talk to The Gazette or other media about the bike lanes, Cohen said. He said that Ortona represents their concerns and is the spokesperson on the issue. Sourias said she often talks to parents of students “who were (initially) not sure about (the bike lanes) who tell me that they’re happy.” People are noticing that Terrebonne St. is calmer, she said, adding that the bike paths now allow kids to bike to school, either alongside their parents or alone. Ortona’s position is “a very surprising stance from a person who’s supposed to be thinking about encouraging active mobility, supposed to be thinking about security,” Sourias said. She said that police officers who have visited the area since the bike lanes opened haven’t reported any safety concerns. In February before the bike lanes were installed, Ortona sent a first letter to the borough. It asked the borough to engage in a more thorough consultation process and to reconsider the project. Sourias said that she and Ortona haven’t spoken since the letter was released but that she was sure the two of them would soon. “I would rather him talk to me directly,” she said. jawilson@postmedia.com x.com/jackdlwilson Recommended from Editorial Allison Hanes: Yet another family grieving a pedestrian killed in Montreal Terrebonne St. residents say bike path blocks access to church, schools, businesses Group plans to take city of Montreal to court over bike paths N.D.G. church calls on borough to remove Terrebonne St. bike lanes for the winterMore than 30 crew members of Thai fishing boats were detained in Myanmar waters on Saturday after three Myanmar patrol vessels opened fire on them, leaving one person dead and two injured, a navy commander said. Vice Admiral Suwat Donsakul, a commander in the 3rd Naval Area, said that one Thai fisherman drowned and “31 people were taken into Myanmar”, without specifying who had detained them. Some media reports said there were two fatalities but this could not be confirmed. Vice Adm Suwat said several Thai fishing boats were operating in Myanmar waters off Ranong province at the time of the incident. The man who is thought to have drowned “jumped into the water during the attack,” he said. Vice Adm Suwat said he had instructed local authorities to negotiate with their Myanmar counterparts to secure the release of the fishermen. He added the 31 crew — four Thais and 27 Burmese — were believed to have been taken to Yan Cheuk Island in Myanmar. Thai fishing boats have often defied warnings from Myanmar and continued to operate in Myanmar waters, which have more fish stocks than Thai waters, he said. The Thai Maritime Enforcement Command Centre said that about 50 Thai boats were fishing around 20 kilometres west of Koh Phayam when they were approached by three Myanmar patrol vessels, which opened fire on them. The attack prompted the fishermen to escape by cutting their nets and revving their engines, heading towards Koh Phayam where they were rescued by a Thai patrol boat stationed near the island. However, two Thai fishing boats were taken by the Myanmar vessels and subsequently towed into Myanmar waters. Crew members abandoned their vessels, jumping into the sea, and one of them drowned. The others were rescued by other Thai fishing vessels. Two crew members from another Thai fishing boat sustained injuries — one from gunfire from the Myanmar vessels and the other from an electric shock. The injured were taken to a hospital in Ranong. Nikorndej Balankura, a spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said the navy is trying to contact its Myanmar counterpart to hold talks to secure the release of the fishermen. The Thai-Myanmar Maritime Border Fisheries Coordination Centre is also working with the Thai-Myanmar Local Border Committee to resolve the situation. Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra has also instructed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Thai embassy in Myanmar to work with Myanmar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs to assist the detained crew members, said Mr Nikorndej. Ms Paetongtarn has also told state agencies to investigate whether international laws were broken during the incident, and whether overly heavy-handed action was taken against the fishermen on the Thai boats. Adm Jirapol Wongwit, the navy commander, said it was exploring every possible channel to help the detained Thai crew members. The Department of Fisheries also issued a warning urging all operators and vessel owners to be cautious when navigating near the maritime border. Thailand and Myanmar share approximately 2,400 kilometres of land and maritime borders, including in the Andaman Sea. According to a notice on the department’s website, some Thai fishing boats have been illegally operating in Myanmar waters, raising tensions between the neighbours.

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Dominic Zvada kicked a 21-yard field goal with 45 seconds left and Michigan stunned No. 2 Ohio State 13-10 on Saturday, likely ending the Buckeyes ’ hopes of returning to the Big Ten title game. Kalel Mullings broke away for a 27-yard run, setting up the Wolverines (7-5, 5-4) at Ohio State's 17-yard line with two minutes remaining in the game. The drive stalled at the 3, and Zvada came on for the chip shot. Ohio State (10-2, 7-2, No. 2 CFP) got the ball back but couldn't move it, with Will Howard throwing incomplete on fourth down to seal the Wolverines' fourth straight win over their bitter rival. “You come to Michigan to play this game,” Zvada said. “So, it's the biggest one of the year. It's the one that everyone looks forward to, and to be able to come in here and take the win, it's amazing.” This Ohio State loss in the “The Game” might have been the toughest of the past four because Michigan was unranked and wrapping up a disappointing season. The Wolverines were also playing without a couple of top players: tight end Colston Loveland and cornerback Will Johnson. The Buckeyes were favored by 21 points, the widest point spread for this rivalry since 1978, according to ESPN Stats and Info. Records — and point spreads, for that matter — rarely mean much when these two teams meet. “Our defense played outstanding," Michigan coach Sherrone Moore said. "We held a high-powered offense to 10 points, 77 rushing yards.” The Buckeyes were off all afternoon. Howard was 19 for 33 for 175 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions and Jayden Fielding missed two field-goal attempts. The run game was hardly there. “It's hard, man,” an emotional Howard said. “I really don’t have much right now. I do know we're a two-loss team. We're going to get into the playoffs and make a run. But, I mean, this one hurts.” Mullings was Michigan's primary weapon. He rushed for 116 yards and the Wolverines only touchdown of the game in the first half as neither team could get much going offensively on the frigid afternoon. “They made plays, we made plays, so as the game wore on you could definitely, slowly feel them starting to lose confidence, lose that energy and lose that faith,” Mullings said. Howard was clunky all day. In the first half he threw an interception from deep in his own territory that led to Michigan's touchdown. He went out for a play in the second quarter to be checked for a head injury. After the game, he said he was fine. “We're very disappointed, and never thought this would happen right here,” Ohio State coach Ryan Day said. “We expected to win this game and go play in the Big Ten championship game.” After the game, Michigan players attempted to plant their flag at midfield and were confronted by Ohio State players. A skirmish ensued as both teams pushed and shoved before being separated. Michigan: Did just enough and caught Ohio State on an off day. Ohio State: It's inexplicable how badly the Buckeyes played in their biggest game of the season. They would need No. 4 Penn State and No. 10 Indiana to lose later Saturday in order to make it into the Big Ten title game next week. There has been talk all season about how many of the Ohio State team leaders, including receiver Emeka Egbuka, running back TreVeyon Henderson and defensive end Jack Sawyer, chose to return for another year instead of entering the NFL draft because they wanted to beat Michigan at least once. Those players were inconsolable after the game. One of them, linebacker Cody Simon, was asked how he felt. “I just can't speak that right now,” Simon said. “I feel like we let the whole Buckeye nation down.” Michigan will wait for a minor bowl game. Ohio State, assuming either Penn State or Indiana wins on Saturday, will see how the final College Football Playoff rankings shakeout on Dec. 8. AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football . Sign up for the AP’s college football newsletter: https://apnews.com/cfbtop25Israel hides its Lebanon failure with sudden ‘ceasefire’