India News | Gujarat CM Launches New Citizen-focused Initiatives on Good Governance Day
Germ Cell Tumors Market to Register Significant Growth at a CAGR of 5.5% by 2034 | DelveInsight
by Chula Goonasekera Rev. Dato’ (Sir) Sumana Siri We, the citizens of Sri Lanka, have already witnessed significant reforms in governance under AKD’s leadership. This personally led process must continue consistently, free of bias, and within the framework of the law to ensure sustainable governance by the State, not the individual. Such efforts will help minimise the waste of public funds and lay a strong foundation for the nation’s development in the long term. We often look to Lee Kuan Yew (LKY), Singapore’s founding father, as an example of transformative leadership. He united three diverse ethnic groups—Chinese, Malay, and Indian—under the principle of honesty. Today, Sri Lanka faces profound challenges from past political corruption, economic instability, and social divisions. LKY’s leadership serves as a reminder that integrity, accountability, and a commitment to the greater good can redefine a nation’s destiny, regardless of its size or resources, similar to Singapore. When Singapore gained independence in 1965, it was a small, resource-scarce nation facing political unrest and ethnic divisions. Yet, within one generation, it became a global financial hub and a first-world country. LKY’s leadership was pivotal, centred on three core principles: meritocracy, integrity, and pragmatic governance. He prioritised national security, social cohesion, and economic growth. His efforts to foster ethnic harmony included implementing bilingual education policies and enforcing anti-discrimination laws. Similarly, AKD should consider enacting legislation to prevent racially motivated demands, i.e. anti-discrimination laws, to safeguard the government from evil, selfish minds trying to destabilise the government’s commitment to equality. Such legislation will stop this burden falling on the leadership case by case. LKY’s policies, though sometimes harsh, were rooted in practicality and long-term thinking. The Internal Security Act ensured peace and stability during critical years. Likewise, his investments in education and infrastructure established a foundation for sustained growth. His focus on political stability, a robust legal system, and zero tolerance for corruption inspired investor confidence. Singapore’s Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) was empowered to tackle corruption at all levels. Sri Lanka must adopt a similar mindset to revitalise the Bribery and Corruption Commission, moving away from populism and short-term fixes in favour of strategic, future-oriented policies. AKD’s primary election theme was anti-corruption, reflecting a key aspect of LKY’s leadership. His unwavering stance against corruption defined LKY’s pragmatic governance. He held public officials to the highest accountability standards, ensuring that anyone guilty of corruption faced severe consequences, including dismissal, public exposure, and prosecution. By rooting out corruption, Singapore built domestic credibility and attracted global investment. We in Sri Lanka need such legislation at the earliest opportunity to deal with various kinds of corruption that are appearing again and involving many public officials. In Sri Lanka, corruption has long undermined public trust in institutions and stifled economic growth. With overwhelming public support, AKD is well-positioned to deliver on his promise to combat corruption. However, this needs to be done early before the government gets entangled with controversy over its own ‘tiered’ standards. Through comprehensive legislative measures, Sri Lanka can rebuild its institutions, restore public confidence, and chart a course toward sustainable development. LKY was considered “cruel” by some because he treated all races equally without favouring any. AKD shares a similar stance. One of the hallmarks of LKY’s leadership was his unwavering commitment to meritocracy. This created a culture of excellence where the best and brightest minds were responsible for leading the country. In Singapore, recruitment and promotions across all sectors were strictly based on merit—capabilities, skill sets, and abilities—not on connections, nepotism, racial considerations, or personal favouritism. Although challenging to implement, meritocracy can be implemented with the open advertisement of qualifications needed, a transparent appointment process, strict job plans with annual reviews linked to customer feedback, and personal development strategies that are considered a necessity to continue. This approach will foster a culture of excellence and innovation, like Singapore, ensuring that the most capable individuals propel the country forward. Sri Lanka must break free from the grip of favouritism and focus on nurturing talent through equal opportunities for all citizens, regardless of ethnicity or social background. Early signs of this approach are visible under AKD’s leadership. LKY understood that for a nation to progress, its institutions must be led by those who are truly capable, irrespective of their background. By adopting meritocracy, Sri Lanka could break the cycle of favouritism, nepotism, and ethnic division that has often hindered its development. Establishing a system where opportunities are based on ability and performance could unlock the full potential of Sri Lanka’s people, fostering a culture of innovation, growth, and national unity. After gaining independence in 1965, during Singapore’s formative years, LKY focused on eliminating corruption, gang activities, and communist threats to create a peaceful and secure nation. The Internal Security Act (ISA) granted his administration discretionary powers to arrest and detain individuals without trial, when necessary, to prevent actions deemed harmful to Singapore’s security, public order, or essential services. The ISA allowed preventive detention, suppression of subversion, and countering of organised violence against persons and property. Sri Lanka urgently needs a similar act to ensure that politicians and public officials comply with legally binding measures. With its Parliament still in its formative stages, we hope Sri Lanka will soon establish a comparable Internal Security Act. By eliminating corruption at all levels, as LKY did, Sri Lanka can inspire public trust and attract international investors who view stability and a corruption-free environment as prerequisites for investment. This approach could transform Sri Lanka into a manufacturing, business, and financial hub for the Indian Ocean region. Under LKY’s leadership—often described as strict—Singapore transformed from a third-world nation into a first-world country. Sri Lanka has the potential to achieve even more, given its abundant natural resources, strategic location, and educated population that can be developed into a skilled workforce. With its prime position in the Indian Ocean, Sri Lanka could become a regional economic powerhouse—provided it fosters a stable and investor-friendly environment. Like Singapore, Sri Lanka should adhere to a non-aligned foreign policy to emerge as a crucial node in global trade and finance, maintaining friendly ties with Eastern, Western, and Asian powers while leveraging its strategic location. While some label LKY’s methods as “cruel,” his leadership was not about oppression but discipline and fairness. Whether these policies were “cruel” or benevolent is debatable, but their results speak for themselves. He treated all races equally, fostering harmony in a diverse society by ensuring everyone felt they had a stake in Singapore’s future. Moreover, LKY’s economic policies were marked by simplicity and foresight. Low personal income taxes, the absence of capital gains and inheritance taxes, and a business-friendly environment encouraged reinvestment and entrepreneurship. By positioning Singapore as a global trade and financial hub, LKY ensured its economic resilience. Sri Lanka, too, must prioritise national unity. Divisive politics and ethnic biases must be curtailed to build a shared vision of prosperity and peace, as AKD is striving to do. LKY’s leadership was built on three core tenets relevant to Sri Lanka today: meritocracy, integrity, and pragmatism. Encouragingly, AKD appears to be moving in a similar direction. One of LKY’s greatest strengths was his pragmatic, long-term approach to governance. He maintained tight control over domestic finances, preventing the internationalisation of the Singapore dollar and limiting the operations of foreign banks. This created an environment that attracted international firms eager to establish themselves in Singapore. Sound financial policies, a corruption-free environment, and a focus on technological advancement helped Singapore become a hub for multinational companies like General Electric. State-owned enterprises like Temasek Holdings and Singapore Airlines were run with business efficiency, often outperforming private sector competitors. Sri Lanka could adopt a similar model to enhance the performance of its state-owned enterprises and boost economic growth. Singapore adopted a two-pronged financial strategy: becoming an international financial hub while ensuring its financial sector supported key domestic industries like manufacturing and shipping. Additionally, integrating foreign and local talent fuelled decades of sustained economic growth. LKY’s focus on economic development, making Singapore an attractive investment destination, and drawing world-class manpower offer valuable lessons for Sri Lanka. To replicate such success, Sri Lanka must invest in state-of-the-art infrastructure, establish excellent air and sea linkages, and maintain a low and transparent tax regime. Clean and efficient bureaucracy, a strong regulatory and legal framework, and a neutral diplomatic policy—balancing relations with global powers like the US and China—are critical. Developing clean, green cities powered by sustainable energy will also be key to achieving remarkable economic success akin to Singapore’s.FuriosaAI Ends 2024 on a High Note: Llama 3.1 Performance, SDK Release, Leadership Expansion
Check out a full Iowa scouting report that examines the Hawkeyes' offensive and defensive statistics and more ahead of their game against Nebraska. * * * Record: 7-4 Offensive yards per play: 5.7 (73rd nationally) Defensive yards per play: 5.0 (34th) Turnover margin: +11 (T-8th) Penalty yards per game: 29.7 (3rd) New Big Ten, same Iowa. The Hawkeyes have continued to play solid football in Kirk Ferentz's 26th season at the helm, hanging their hat on playing defense and running the football. They lost to the two currently ranked teams they've played and had a couple unexpected road shortcomings, but remain 5-1 at home with a number of decisive victories in conference play. Type: Run-heavy Coordinator: Tim Lester Letting go of Brian Ferentz and bringing in Lester in the offseason has paid dividends for the Hawkeyes already. The Iowa offense has returned to being a respectable unit, its 29.4 points per game ranking 55th nationally. Even with inconsistent health and quality at quarterback, an outstanding ground game has helped lead the team to some blowout wins. Type: 4-2-5 Coordinator: Phil Parker After fielding top-five units the past two years, Parker's defense has seen a slight drop. The Hawkeyes allow 17.7 points per game, fifth in the Big Ten and 12th nationally. Of course, that's still a pretty good number from the accomplished Iowa coordinator, but Michigan State and UCLA were able to break through enough for wins despite not having inspiring offensive attacks. Kaleb Johnson, running back: The nation's second-leading rusher behind Boise State's Ashton Jeanty, no Big Ten back has been in the same realm of total production as Johnson has in 2024. He's already broken Iowa's single-season rushing touchdown record and is third on the program's list for yards on the ground in a season. Jay Higgins, linebacker: Leads Iowa in total tackles (106), interceptions (4) and forced fumbles (2), while ranking third on the team in pass breakups (5). The fifth-year linebacker has done a bit of everything for the Hawkeyes. "Their players are waving at our guys — ‘Hey, have a good Christmas!’ — that was painful. That was really painful. So I don’t doubt that our guys will be ready. But their guys will be ready. It really just comes down to football." — Nebraska coach Matt Rhule on the team's loss to Iowa in 2023 "This back is fantastic, he makes people miss, and he can burst and go the distance... [Iowa's] doing a really good job, and they’ve run some people off the field just by running the football down their throat." — Nebraska coach Matt Rhule on Iowa's run game "First start as our quarterback... He played with a lot of poise, good awareness out there, made the plays we were hoping we'd make and made good decisions most importantly and protected the football." — Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz on quarterback Jackson Stratton's performance against Maryland 227: Pass attempts by Iowa this year, the least in the Big Ten. Michigan is next with 50 more. 14: Iowa's increase in points per game from last season to this one — from 15.4 to 29.4. 24: Punts downed inside the opponent's 20-yard line by Iowa, the most in the Big Ten. Aug. 31 Illinois State, W 40-0 Sept. 7 Iowa State, L 20-19 Sept. 14 Troy, W 38-21 Sept. 21 at Minnesota, W 31-14 Oct. 5 at Ohio State, L 35-7 Oct. 12 Washington, W 40-16 Oct. 19 at Michigan State, L 32-20 Oct. 26 Northwestern, W 40-14 Nov. 2 Wisconsin, W 42-10 Nov. 8 at UCLA, L 20-17 Nov. 23 at Maryland, W 29-13 Nov. 29 Nebraska Get local news delivered to your inbox!Interact Marketing Expands AI Marketing Offerings for 2025
HENDERSON, Nev. — Aidan O'Connell might not be Mr. Right for the Raiders, but he is Mr. Right Now. He did enough in Friday's 19-17 loss at Kansas City to show that Las Vegas' quarterback job will be his for the rest of the season — barring, that is, another injury. O'Connell didn't look like a quarterback who hadn't played in nearly six weeks because of a broken thumb. Plus, the Raiders had a short week to prepare for the Chiefs, meaning O'Connell only went through a series of walk-through practices. Even so, he completed 23 of 35 passes for 340 yards, including touchdown passes of 33 yards to tight end Brock Bowers and 58 yards to wide receiver Tre Tucker. He didn't throw any interceptions. “Thought he competed,” coach Antonio Pierce said Saturday morning. “I thought for what we knew we were getting with Spags (Kansas City defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo) and that defense, that he stood in the pocket, made some tough throws, took some hits, took the shots down the field like we wanted. We had some opportunities to take shots down the field, he threw them. And I thought our skill guys did a hell of a job competing and making some really good plays for us.” O'Connell's performance would've shined even more if not for the Raiders' final offensive play. He led the Raiders from their 8-yard line to the Chiefs 32 with 15 seconds left. The plan was for O'Connell to take the snap and throw the ball away to run off a few more seconds, then send Daniel Carlson out for the potential winning field goal without giving Patrick Mahomes enough time to mount one of his signature comebacks. Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Aidan O'Connell (12) leaves the field following an NFL football game against the Kansas City Chiefs in Kansas City, Mo., Friday, Nov. 29, 2024. Credit: AP/Charlie Riedel But rookie center Jackson Powers-Johnson snapped the ball before O'Connell was expecting it, and the Chiefs recovered to secure another close, last-minute victory. The Raiders were called for illegal shift, which Kansas City declined. But there was some question about whether officials intended to call a false start instead. Though that infraction would have cost Las Vegas 5 yards, the pre-snap penalty still would've given Carlson a shot at the field goal. Pierce said his team heard an official's whistle before the snap, and that will be included in the Raiders' report to the NFL. “We do that every game,” Pierce said. “Typically, anywhere from three to five questions, and then we’ll get a letter within 24 to 36 hours, and we’ll read it and learn from it.” Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Aidan O'Connell speaks during a news conference following an NFL football game against the Kansas City Chiefs in Kansas City, Mo., Friday, Nov. 29, 2024. Credit: AP/Ed Zurga What’s working Bowers had another sensational game. He was targeted 14 times, catching 10 passes for 140 yards. For the season, he has 84 receptions for 884 yards and four TDs, making him a strong contender for Offensive Rookie of the Year. “We’re seeing double-teams and them really shifting their zone to him, and I don’t really think it matters,” Pierce said. “I think we've got a really special player on our hand.” What needs help The Raiders need to do better on first and second downs to set up more favorable third-down conversions. They have faced 47 third downs from 7 to 10 yards, tied with the Dallas Cowboys for fifth most. Las Vegas' conversion rate on those plays is 36.2%, which actually is favorable compared to the rest of the league, but the Raiders are still creating too many of those situations. Stock up Las Vegas made life difficult for Mahomes, sacking him five times. And it wasn't just Maxx Crosby bringing the heat. Four players had at least one-half sack, including K’Lavon Chaisson, who had 1 1/2. It was a season-high total for the Raiders, and they have taken down the opposing quarterback in 30 consecutive games, the third-longest active streak. Stock down Carlson is usually money, but he missed field goals from 56, 55 and 58 yards. Hardly chip shots, but he is capable of converting from those distances. He had made 30 of 38 field goals from 50-plus yards entering the game, with a career long of 57 yards. Injuries WR DJ Turner injured his knee in the second half. Key number 12 — The Raiders are one of three teams to fall behind double digits in each of their first 12 games of a season. The others were the 1986 Indianapolis Colts and 1972 New England Patriots. Next steps The Raiders visit Tampa Bay on Dec. 8.MANILA, Philippines – The first impeachment complaint filed against Vice President Sara Duterte with the House of Representatives on Monday, December 2, listed a total of 16 signatories. The group is composed of former elective and appointive officials, members of the academe and the Catholic Church, and civil society leaders. They are: Gary Alejano, former lawmaker who represented party-list group Magdalo in the House from 2013 to 2019, and seeking a congressional comeback in 2025 Rowena Amon Filomena Cinco, who served as barangay chairperson in Manila Sylvia Estrada Claudio, doctor of medicine, and professor emerita of the University of the Philippines, Diliman, representing civil society organization Every Woman Sister Mary Grace de Guzman, SFIC Francis “Kiko” Dee, political science lecturer who is the grandson of late democracy icons Ninoy and Corazon Aquino Ging Deles, presidential peace adviser during the Gloria Arroyo and the Noynoy Aquino administrations Sister Susan Santos Esmile, SFIC Eugene Louie Gonzalez, second nominee of party-list group Magdalo for the 2025 polls Yvonne Christina Jereza, third nominee of party-list group Magdalo for the 2025 polls Teodoro Lopez Alicia Murphy, urban poor advocate Leah Navarro, singer and activist Father Roberto Reyes, activist-priest popularly known as the “running priest” Randy delos Santos, uncle of slain teenager Kian delos Santos, and field coordinator of Project Paghilom, which helps families of other drug war victims Father Flavie Villanueva, activist-priest who heads Project Paghilom Former senator Leila de Lima is not a signatory in the complaint , but said she is the designated spokesperson of the group. The complaint filed by the group was endorsed, in accordance with the Constitution, by neophyte lawmaker Perci Cendaña of party-list group Akbayan. – Rappler.comPorter, Middle Tennessee knock off Ohio 83-81 in OT
Who are the complainants trying to have Vice President Sara Duterte impeached?What’s Happening: Week of Dec. 2, 2024
Cybersecurity researchers have discovered several security flaws in the cloud management platform developed by Ruijie Networks that could permit an attacker to take control of the network appliances. "These vulnerabilities affect both the Reyee platform, as well as Reyee OS network devices," Claroty researchers Noam Moshe and Tomer Goldschmidt said in a recent analysis. "The vulnerabilities, if exploited, could allow a malicious attacker to execute code on any cloud-enabled device, giving them the ability to control tens of thousands of devices." The operational technology (OT) security company, which carried out in-depth research of the Internet of Things (IoT) vendor, said it not only identified 10 flaws but also devised an attack called "Open Sesame" that can be used to hack into an access point in close physical proximity over the cloud and gain unauthorized access to its network. Of the 10 vulnerabilities , three of them are rated Critical in severity - Claroty's research also found that it's easy to break MQTT authentication by simply knowing the device's serial number (CVE-2024-45722, CVSS score: 7.5), subsequently exploiting the access to Ruijie's MQTT broker in order to receive a full list of all cloud-connected devices' serial numbers. "Using the leaked serial numbers, we could generate valid authentication credentials for all cloud-connected devices," the researchers said. "This meant that we could perform a wide range of denial-of-service attacks, including disconnecting devices by authenticating on their behalf, and even sending fabricated messages and events to the cloud; sending false data to users of these devices." The knowledge of the device serial number could further be weaponized to access all MQTT message queues and issue malicious commands that would then get executed on all cloud connected devices (CVE-2024-52324). That's not all. An attacker who is physically adjacent to a Wi-Fi network that uses Ruijie access points could also extract the device's serial number by intercepting the raw Wi-Fi beacons, and then leverage the other vulnerabilities in MQTT communication to achieve remote code execution. The Open Sesame attack has been assigned the CVE identifier CVE-2024-47146 (CVSS score: 7.5). Following responsible disclosure, all the identified shortcomings have been fixed by the Chinese company in the cloud and no user action is required. About 50,000 cloud connected devices are estimated to have been potentially impacted by these bugs. "This is another example of weaknesses in so-called internet-of-things devices such as wireless access points, routers, and other connected things that have a fairly low barrier to entry on to the device, yet enable much deeper network attacks," the researchers said. The disclosure comes as security form PCAutomotive flagged 12 vulnerabilities in the MIB3 infotainment unit used in certain Skoda cars that malicious actors could chain together to achieve code execution, track the cars' location in real-time, record conversations via the in-car microphone, take screenshots of the infotainment display, and even exfiltrate contact information. The flaws (from CVE-2023-28902 through CVE-2023-29113) permit attackers to "gain code execution on the MIB3 infotainment unit over Bluetooth, elevate privileges to root, bypass secure boot to gain persistent code execution, and control infotainment unit via DNS channel every time the car starts," PCAutomotive researchers said . The discovery adds to nine other flaws (from CVE-2023-28895 through CVE-2023-28901) identified in the MIB3 infotainment unit in late 2022 that could allow attackers to trigger a denial-of-service, bypass UDS authentication, and obtain vehicle data -- namely, mileage, recent trip duration, and average and max.=imum speed of the trip -- by knowing only VIN number of a vehicle.
Suro capital's CFO Allison Green buys $49,868 in common stockSpire Inc director Paul Koonce buys $73,610 in common stockFalcons feeling the pressure at .500 as Cousins' interceptions put spotlight on downturn for offense
Letter: Enough with the mudslinging
