646jili com Kolkata: Religious leaders from Hindu and Muslim communities in West Bengal on Saturday called for the restoration of peace and amity in trouble-torn Bangladesh and an end to atrocities against the Hindu minority, including women, in the neighbouring country. Prominent leaders of ‘Hindu Sanatani Sangathan’ and ‘All India Imams Organisation’ attended a meet here where they discussed the continuing attacks on minorities and their places of worship in Bangladesh. Voicing concern over the situation, the religious leaders said there was an immediate need for restoration of peace and harmony and the interim government must step in to protect lives and properties in Bangladesh. Faizen Munieer of All India Imams Organisation said, “Every community must enjoy the right to practice its religion without any intimidation. But we are worried and saddened over the situation in Bangladesh from where reports of attacks against minorities continue to pour in. We want an end to these hostilities and stand for the rights of every minority community member everywhere.” Munieer said after another meeting with leaders of different faiths in the country, they will take up with the Bangladesh government the issue of providing safety and security for minority community members there and propose to send a peace delegation if given consent by the governments of both India and Bangladesh. A prominent leader of the Hindu Sanatani Sangathan said religion teaches tolerance, non-violence and peaceful co-existence. “We are alarmed over the continuing attacks on Hindus in Bangladesh. Even women are not being spared by fundamentalists. We wish the interim government puts an end to such attacks before things turn worse,” the Hindu leader said. When contacted, the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), Kolkata vice-president Radharamn Das told PTI that attacks are regularly taking place in Bangladesh. “We are holding prayers for peace and amity and end to hostilities against minorities in Bangladesh. The situation has become such that even women are not being spared from brutal attacks,” he said.Snapchat has claimed that the child safety complaint filed by the state of New Mexico is fundamentally flawed. The social media and messaging platform wants the lawsuit dismissed over the technical procedure adopted to allegedly expose how child predators lurk on Snapchat. Snapchat is a breeding ground for predators, claims New Mexico Snapchat is currently facing legal action by the state of New Mexico . Specifically speaking, the New Mexico Department of Justice has accused Snapchat of harboring child predators on the platform. New Mexico recently concluded an investigation that concluded Snapchat’s features “foster the sharing of Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM) and facilitate child sexual exploitation”. Investigations by the state revealed a “vast network of dark web sites dedicated to sharing stolen, non-consensual sexual images from Snap.” In what could be one of the biggest sensational claims, New Mexico has reportedly alleged that Snapchat is “by far” the biggest source of images and videos on the dark web sites that it has seen. The state even called the app “a breeding ground for predators to collect sexually explicit images of children and to find, groom, and extort them.” Child safety complaint by New Mexico relies on flawed approach, claims Snapchat In the lawsuit, New Mexico claimed that suspicious and concerning accounts sought out young teens. Specifically speaking, the attorney general’s office was using a decoy account supposed to be owned by a 14-year-old girl. A user named Enzo (Nud15Ans) allegedly sought out the account, and then the app allegedly suggested over 91 users. Needless to say, a concerning number of suggested accounts belonged to adults looking for sexual content. Snapchat has reportedly filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit claiming New Mexico’s “ allegations are patently false .” According to Snapchat, it was the decoy account that searched for and added Enzo. Furthermore, it was the attorney general’s operatives who looked for and added accounts with questionable usernames, Snapchat has claimed. Needless to add, Snapchat has vehemently denied storing Child Sexual Abuse Materials (CSAM) on its servers. The company has stated that it hands over such material to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

In a Nov. 26 Sentinel letter to the editor, Jeffrey Piccola, chairman of the Commonwealth Charter Academy (CCA), said Tim Potts’ guest editorial (Nov. 18) “underscores the persistent efforts ... to undermine families’ right to choose the best educational path for their children.” Mr. Piccola missed Mr. Potts’ point, intentionally I thought. Potts itemized tax dollars spent by CCA on a vineyard, catered ceremonies, corporate office signage, advertising, flying lessons, non school-related sports teams, duplicative vo-tech education and millions for buildings and land for this online school. Severe underfunding in our public schools resulted in a 2023 court mandate requiring the commonwealth to find a way to fairly and fully fund them. Meanwhile, $540 million of our tax dollars is projected to go to CCA for the 2024-25 school year, with easily 14 million having been spent on expenses unrelated to helping children achieve a “best educational path.” In fact, as Potts points out, “not one of the 13 cyber charter schools [in Pa.] performed better than the state average on state tests of reading, math or science. Not one had a 6-year graduation rate higher than the state average.” Piccola’s letter shows his reading comprehension needs to be improved. So does public education funding. That’s the point: Make sure our tax dollars are spent on educating children, not on corporate excess. Piccola accuses Potts of criticizing CCA “for investing in the academic, social and emotional growth of students.” Wrong. Potts criticizes CCA for spending millions of our tax dollars on expenses having nothing to do with online education improvements and everything to do with stripping public schools of the resources they lack. Write to Gov. Shapiro and your legislators. Ask them to fully and fairly fund our public schools and insist that cyber charter schools stop wasting our money. Katie Daniels Monroe Township Get opinion pieces, letters and editorials sent directly to your inbox weekly!None

Romania braces for parliamentary vote after far right's poll upset

Veteran media academician and Mentor many, Kiran Thakur, passes away at 77

IBA, Zambales — The provincial government of Zambales has embarked on a four-year pioneering program to promote, expand and sustain the production of the world-renowned carabao mango variety, or "Dinamulag," which is regarded as the "sweetest in the world." Gov. Hermogenes Ebdane Jr. said the province has set aside close to P50 million for the Zambales Mango Green Valley Project to expand the mango production areas, increase yield per hectare, and strengthen the mango value chain to develop further and sustain the mango industry. Register to read this story and more for free . Signing up for an account helps us improve your browsing experience. OR See our subscription options.NoneWhere to Watch Dallas Stars vs. Winnipeg Jets on TV or Streaming Live – December 1Year after year, some people plan to start buying shares – but never actually do so. Maybe they feel they do not know enough, or do not have enough spare money to invest. Meanwhile, potentially lucrative opportunities simply pass them by. In reality, it does not take a lot of money to start investing. In fact, I think beginning on a relatively small scale can offer some benefits: it may allow a quicker start that saving up large amounts first and any beginners’ mistakes will hopefully prove less costly. If someone had a spare £250 and wanted to start buying shares, here are three steps that would put them on their way. Step 1: setting up an ISA or share-dealing account When the time comes to invest that £250 there needs to be a way to do it. Setting up a or could be left until someone finds specific shares to buy. But I think setting it up in advance means that any delay between starting to open it and being able to use it does not necessarily mean lost time in the markets. There are lots of options available. On any budget, but especially a small one, I pay close attention to things like dealing costs and commissions that could eat into my money. Indeed, one reason I was its competitive cost basis. Step two: getting to grips with how to invest and what to invest in Like many things in life, investing can seem easier before you actually start doing it. So it is simply good sense to learn how the stock market works before getting actively involved in it. For example, one common mistake people make when they start buying shares is ignoring the for a company implied by its share price. Let’s use ( ) as an example. At the right price, I think Apple would be a share investors should consider. Indeed, I have owned it myself in the past and a lot of the reasons why still apply. Its market is huge and likely to stay that way or even grow. Apple has competitive advantages such as a strong brand, proprietary operating system and technology, large customer base and service ecosystem. But what about its valuation? One common valuation metric is a . It is not perfect: a company may have a cheap-looking P/E ratio but a lot of debt on its balance sheet, for example. But while Apple’s balance sheet does not bother me as an investor, its P/E ratio does. At 42, it is higher than I like. After all, risks such as growing low-cost phone competition could eat into future earnings. A high P/E ratio can mean overpaying even for a good business. A very profitable business does not necessarily equate to a profitable investment. Step three: making a move Having found shares to invest in that seem to offer an attractive price for a good business, what next? In my case, if I had spare funds, I would start buying those shares. Whether investing £250 or a larger amount, I always spread my portfolio across at least a few different shares to help reduce my risk if one disappoints me.

Watch Colorado Buffaloes vs. BYU Cougars Alamo Bowl game for freeAn Aurora Electoral Board Monday said the failure to file a proper economic interest statement was enough to force Karina Garcia off the ballot for mayor in 2025. The board said Garcia, the CEO of the Aurora Regional Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, failed to file an economic interest statement that said she was specifically filing to run for mayor of Aurora. Instead, her statement listed her current position as CEO of the Aurora Regional Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. “This statute seems strict, but it is strict for a purpose,” said attorney Ross Secler, who serves as advisor to the Electoral Board for Aurora. “We require people to comply with these basic things in order to be considered a candidate.” In two other cases before the Electoral Board, the board overruled objections to nominating petitions for mayoral candidates John Laesch, currently an alderman at-large for Aurora, and Jazmine Garcia. Both will be on the ballot. That means as it stands now, there would be five candidates for Aurora mayor, which means there would be a primary for mayor on Feb. 25, 2025. The general election is April 1, 2025. The candidates are Mayor Richard Irvin, the incumbent; Ald. Ted Mesiacos, 3rd Ward; Judd Lofchie; Laesch; and Jazmine Garcia. While the Electoral Board ruled Karina Garcia off the ballot, she can appeal the ruling to the circuit court. That is the appeal process for any of the Electoral Board rulings. The city Electoral Board is made up of City Clerk Jennifer Stallings; Ald. Michael Saville, 6th Ward, the alderman with the most seniority; and Ald. Juany Garza, 2nd Ward, the alderman with the second most seniority. Normally, the mayor would be the board chair, but because Irvin is a candidate for reelection, he recused himself and Garza served in his stead. In making their rulings Monday, the board dismissed an objection that was common to all three candidates, Laesch, Karina Garcia and Jazmine Garcia. That objection was that they each circulated each other’s petitions. The objector said that was an indication that some of the candidates were “sham candidates,” designed to get on the ballot strictly to force a primary. The objector also said by collecting signatures for each other, they were a “de facto political party,” not allowed in non-partisan elections. The candidates responded that they were independent candidates and that there is nothing in state election law prohibiting independent candidates from circulating each other’s petitions. In the end, Secler agreed with that assessment. “While the Electoral Board may not condone the candidate’s action, it is my opinion and my recommendation that the Electoral Board cannot grant the relief requested by the objector’s petition,” Secler said. The board voted 3-0 to overrule the objection based on the circulation of the petitions in Laesch’s case. Because that was the only objection to Laesch’s petitions, he stayed on the ballot. The board also adopted that same position for Karina and Jazmine Garcia, too, overruling that objection to their petitions. But the other objections to their petitions stayed, and the board did rule Karina Garcia off the ballot, based on the economic interest statement situation. Keri-Lyn Krafthefer, attorney for Karina Garcia, asked to introduce new evidence Monday in support of her position that Karina’s actions kept the spirit of the law. She intended to bring three witnesses that would indicate her original economic interest statement filing would have been enough to satisfy election law. “I don’t believe it’s a legal issue, but a factual issue,” she said. John Fogarty, attorney for the objector, told the board it was a legal issue “that can be decided on the facts that are in your possession.” He called the new evidence irrelevant to the fact that Karina Garcia did not file the correct economic interest statement. The board agreed. “I personally don’t think it negates what the letter of the law says and case law says,” Stallings said. In Jazmine Garcia’s situation, a review of records by the county clerks in Kane and DuPage counties questioned enough signatures to give Jazmine 525 signatures, 17 below the minimum 542 required to get on the ballot. But attorney Kevin Morphew, representing Jazmine Garcia, presented 37 affidavits from voters who swore they did legitimately sign the nominating petitions for her. The board went line by line, comparing the signatures on the petitions, the signatures on the voter registration and the signatures on the affidavits. By the end of the long process, the board “rehabilitated” 24 signatures – meaning they overturned the objection to them – and that gave Jazmine Garcia enough signatures to get on the ballot. slord@tribpub.comMapMyIndia CEO Rohan Verma to step down from his role, to launches B2C venture

Claigan Webinar - Global Tour of PFAS Regulation - The current and near term status of PFAS regulationSyria's Assad Regime May Be Falling as Rebels Reach Damascus Suburbs; Trump Calls for No US Involvement

Update: December 7 with performance details on Apple’s in-house 5G modem shipping in the iPhone SE . Following a near three-year wait, Apple will launch the next generation of iPhone in early 2025. The new iPhone SE will be the fourth of Apple’s mid-range smartphones, and it will be the torch-bearer for several new technologies and approaches that Tim Cook and his team are bringing to the mobile space. Why Apple Needs To Sell The iPhone SE First is the need for an iPhone in the competitive mid-range market. Apple is ceding ground to the likes of the Galaxy A series, Nothing Phones, OnePlus Nords and the Pixel 8a . The iPhone SE needs to be updated for Apple to stay relevant in this space. It will need to do more than match the current competition. Most of these handsets will be updated in the first half of 2025, putting even more pressure on Apple’s iPhone SE brand. Given that it has been 1000 days since the last iPhone SE in March 2022, the new SE will need to stay relevant for a similar three-year window, and the specs will need to leapfrog over the Android-powered competitors by some distance. Thankfully, Apple has no choice but to raise the specifications above and beyond the historical level of the iPhone SE. The launch of the iPhone SE in 2025 is expected to coincide with an update to Apple’s generative AI suite of tools. Apple Intelligence And The iPhone SE The awkwardly-backronymed Apple Intelligence remains a shadow of the capabilities available on Android-based suites such as Gemini AI or Galaxy AI. The iOS update scheduled for the first half of 2025 should allow Apple to offer broad parity with the competition, but that comes with a need for more memory, storage, and the latest Axx processor. The iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus have already benefitted from this and saw their specs lifted higher than you would normally see annually. I very much doubt Apple would launch a new SE without it supporting Apple Intelligence, so the same specs lift will also take place. Finally, Apple looks set to use the iPhone SE as a testbed for new hardware. Since the purchase of Intel’s modem division in for $1 billion in 2019 , Apple has been working hard to reduce its reliance on Qualcomm for its cellular connectivity and introduce its own 5G modem. Currently, the iPhone portfolio is Qualcomm modems, as far as the spec sheet can see. Until the iPhone SE arrives. Details from Apple’s suppliers, alongside industry analysts, point to the iPhone SE shipping with Apple’s first 5G modem. The iPhone SE Modem’s Advantage Update: Saturday December 7 : Writing for Bloomberg , Mark Gurmn has picked out some key details on he new modem that will ship within the iPhone SE. The modem is not going to be as fully functional as the Qualcomm equivalent on the premium iPhone 16 family. 5G connectivity will be limited to using the Sub-6 standard, with mmWave unavailable in the mid-range iPhone. This isn’t an unusual choice at this price point, so the iPhone SE will not be at a disadvantage regarding 5G. Consumers will not feel the lower levels of carrier aggregation—four-carrier bands can be accessed simultaneously compared to six-carrier bands on higher-specced modems. Apple will be hoping that the tighter integration into iOS will offer more tangible benefits, such as reduced battery usage and, therefore increased standby time, better support for satellite connectivity, and a lower SAR rating. The ultimate goal will be for consumers to notice any difference and to an iPhone that ‘just works’. The iPhone SE Tests Apple’s 5G Platform Testing the modem in the iPhone SE allows Apple to gather real-world data without risking the main line by debuting it on the iPhone 17 Pro. If all is well with the SE, then the way is clear for Apple to incorporate the design into later iPhones. It is worth noting that Apple’s agreement with Qualcomm for modems stretches out to 2026, suggesting that the iPhone 18 family will be the main beneficiary. Matching the competition, bringing Apple Intelligence to the broadest possible user base, and acting as a testbed for the larger and more powerful iPhones to come. The iPhone SE will carry the first spark of the iPhone’s future when it arrives next year. Now read the latest news that impacts the iPhone SE in Forbes’ weekly Apple Loop news digest...

California vows to step in if Trump kills US EV tax credit

Summit High School boys basketball team aims for playoffs while navigating new eraHyderabad: Telangana Congress chief B Mahesh Kumar Goud on Saturday set a target of winning 80 per cent of the seats in the upcoming local body elections in the state. "Candidates will be selected based on the survey about their work in the field and contribution in strengthening the party. The caste survey will also help in fielding candidates from various castes who did not get an opportunity earlier, but winnability will be the main criteria," he said. Stating that the cabinet expansion will be taken up only after the winter session of the assembly starting Dec 9, the TPCC chief said those who want to contest the rural and urban local body elections should stop running around Gandhi Bhavan and instead be among the people and work to solve their problems. "We will conduct a survey to select candidates in the local body elections and give tickets only to those who are popular among the people at the field level, and who were effectively countering the opposition onslaught on social media. We will soon appoint a committee acceptable to all in consultation with AICC leaders Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi, KC Venugopal, party state in-charge Deepa Dasmunsi, chief minister A Revanth Reddy, deputy CM Bhatti Vikramarka and senior leaders," he said on his new TPCC team to be constituted. The TPCC president will tour all the parliamentary constituencies and district headquarters to prepare the Congress cadres to ensure victory of the party in 80 per cent of the seats in the local body elections. Training camps from polling booth level to state level leaders after Sankranti will be organised to convey the secular principles of Congress and the development programmes of the Congress govt, which will continue up to Ugadi. Stay updated with the latest news on Times of India . Don't miss daily games like Crossword , Sudoku , and Mini Crossword .