Belarus has granted asylum to a former Polish judge who faced espionage charges at home following his defection in May to the Kremlin-allied country. A decree published Friday by Alexander Lukashenko , Belarus’ autocratic president, described Tomasz Szmydt as being “prosecuted for political reasons” in Poland. The country is an EU and NATO member that has lent vocal support to Ukraine in its war against Russian aggression. Szmydt’s defection to Belarus in May trained the focus on Poland as a key target for Russian intelligence activity and ignited a bitter political row over the circumstances of his rapid ascent through the ranks of the Polish justice system. Poland’s prosecutors and special services launched an investigation the same month after Belarus media reported that Szmydt arrived in the country and asked for protection. Warsaw responded days later by putting Szmydt on a wanted list, a step toward an international arrest warrant on spying allegations that would restrict his ability to travel internationally. Polish officials have been working to determine how harmful Szmydt’s knowledge of any classified information might be to the interests of Warsaw and its Western allies. Poland’s Prime Minister Donald Tusk has publicly called him a traitor. Szmydt fled to Belarus after resigning from his post as a judge at the Warsaw Administrative Court, saying in a public statement that he was doing so in protest against Poland’s “harmful and unjust” policy toward Belarus and Russia. A short time later, he appeared at a press conference in Belarus, praising Lukashenko’s regime and presenting himself as a victim of repression. A Polish court later that month lifted Szmydt’s immunity, allowing him to be tried in absentia for spying allegations that he has denied. Szmydt was notorious in Poland for having engaged in a 2019 online smear campaign against other judges that was sponsored by the Justice Ministry under the previous right-wing government. Three years later, he appeared to switch sides, appearing in a TV documentary to expose what he said was unethical behavior by judges close to the ruling party. Szmydt’s defection came as a shock in Poland, which has a history of distrust of Russia. Belarus has been one of the Kremlin’s few close allies since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, and Lukashenko has relied on Moscow's subsidies and support. In return, he has allowed Moscow to use Belarusian territory to send troops and weapons into the neighboring state, and to deploy tactical nuclear weapons on Belarusian soil. Authorities in Minsk have been ratcheting up repressive measures ahead of a presidential election in January in which the strongman leader is seeking a seventh term, including by arresting hundreds of people who have shown solidarity with Kyiv. Authorities responded to massive protests following the widely disputed 2020 election of Lukashenko with a wide-ranging crackdown in which about 65,000 people were arrested. Major opposition figures were either imprisoned or fled the country, and human rights activists say Belarus is holding about 1,300 political prisoners.None
KyKy Tandy scored a season-high 21 points that included a key 3-pointer in a late second-half surge as Florida Atlantic roared back to beat Oklahoma State 86-78 on Thursday in the opening round of the Charleston Classic in Charleston, S.C. Florida Atlantic (4-2) advances to play Drake in the semifinal round on Friday while the Cowboys square off against Miami in the consolation semifinal contest, also Friday. Oklahoma State led by as many as 10 points in the first half before securing a five-point advantage at halftime. The Owls surged back and moved in front with four and a half minutes to play. It was part of an 11-1 run, capped by a 3-pointer from Tandy that made it 75-68 with 2:41 remaining. Ken Evans added 14 points for Florida Atlantic, with Leland Walker hitting for 13 and Tre Carroll scoring 11. The Owls went 35-of-49 from the free throw line as the teams combined for 56 fouls in the game, 33 by Oklahoma State. Khalil Brantley led Oklahoma State (3-1) with 16 points while Robert Jennings added 14 points and 11 rebounds for the Cowboys, who hit one field goal over a 10-minute stretch of the second half while having three players foul out. The Owls were up by as many as seven points in the early minutes and by 13-10 after a layup by Carroll at the 11:32 mark of the first half. Oklahoma State leapfrogged to the front on Abou Ousmane's layup off a Brantley steal, fell behind again on a 3-pointer by Evans and then responded on a 3-pointer by Jennings to take a 17-16 lead. From there, the Cowboys stoked their advantage to double digits when Jamyron Keller canned a shot from beyond the arc with five minutes to play in the half. Florida Atlantic got a layup and a monster dunk from Matas Vokietaitis and a pair of free throws from Walker in a 6-2 run to end the half to pull within 39-34 at the break. Jennings and Ousmane tallied seven points apiece for Oklahoma State over the first 20 minutes, as the Cowboys led despite shooting just 33.3 percent from the floor in the half. Carroll and Vokietaitis scored seven points apiece to pace the Owls, who committed 11 turnovers that translated to seven points for Oklahoma State before halftime. --Field Level Media
Future under threat Pakistan’s 2022 floods deprived at least 3.5M children of access to education, according to a survey Children give hope for a better future; they are the light we desperately need in a dark tunnel. And yet we have failed them: our energies are more focused on the present, and we are least considered about what may happen in the future if we do not change course. Take the latest report by Unicef, released a day before World Children’s Day, which is observed annually on November 20, “to promote international togetherness, awareness among children worldwide, and improving children’s welfare.” In its report, the UN agency says that demographic shifts, worsening climate change and rapid technological transformation risk create a bleak future for children in 2050. These factors are in addition to the conflicts that may erupt anywhere in the world. The most alarming threat that children in 2050 will face is climate change. Unicef says “if current greenhouse gas emission trends continue, by 2050 children could face eight times more heatwaves than in 2000, three times more extreme flooding, and 1.7 times more wildfires.” Climate challenges hit children from the poorest households hardest. If their residential areas are flooded, they risk missing school for quite a long period. Second, if climate-induced floods destroy their houses or deprive their parents of their livelihoods, they have to deliberately drop out of school and help their parents earn some income. Pakistan’s 2022 floods, for example, deprived at least 3.5 million children of access to education, according to a survey conducted by the WHO. Even after months, most of these children could not go back to school. We all know how bleak the future could be, and yet there is no sense of urgency. Developing countries like Pakistan casually mention that their emissions make up a small percentage of the total number, but they also fail to put an end to activities that are harmful to the environment. The Unicef report also points out the demographic issue that children will face in the future. While there will be around 2.3 billion children (similar to their current number), they will represent a much smaller size of the total population. This, per Unicef, raises concerns about their “visibility and rights in societies focused on ageing populations”. This is apparent even today. While we have entertainment options for teens and young adults, there are hardly any spaces where children can grow and develop skills. The last threat that Unicef points out is the deepening digital divide. Approximately 95 per cent of individuals in developed countries have internet access, while only 26 per cent of people in the least developed nations enjoy the same, primarily due to limited access to electricity, connectivity, or devices. Unicef warns failing to address these barriers for children in these regions, particularly those in the poorest households, risks pushing an already disadvantaged generation even further behind. It is high time our leaders took steps to protect the rights of our children.
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Harley-Davidson, Inc. Declares DividendSuspect in the killing of UnitedHealthcare’s CEO struggles, shouts while entering courthouseCayden Primeau has to be feeling the pressure. After a disappointing start to his season, the backup goaltender has seen little ice time lately. He needs to turn it around to secure his spot on the roster and tonight’s game against Columbus his his opportunity. Should he have a solid performance, the Canadiens will undoubtedly give him a little more rope; should he flounder, it’s hard to imagine general manager Kent Hughes remaining patient for much longer. Whether the option is to call up a goaltender from Laval or to acquire a veteran through trade or free agency, if Primeau continues his sub-standard play the Canadiens would need to do something. That is the short term picture. The longer term picture regarding Primeau’s tenure in Montreal looks even more bleak. Jacob Fowler is having a standout season in the NCAA and Jakub Dobeš is off to a strong start with Laval. At 23 years old, Dobeš may be closer to being NHL ready than Fowler but rest assured, they are probably both in Montreal’s long term plans at the moment. The question of whether Montreal should risk losing Primeau to waivers is often asked. It really isn’t something to lose a lot of sleep over, particularly when you have two solid prospects in the organization. And let’s not forget Connor Hughes who was scooped up from the Swiss Leagues where he put up some stellar numbers. And so far this season, Hughes has a better SV% with Laval than Dobeš ... but both have played extremely well. So the heat is on Cayden Primeau and tonight would be a good time for him to turn his game around and secure his spot as an NHL goaltender. He can’t afford many more poor to mediocre performances. This article first appeared on The Sick Podcast and was syndicated with permission.
NoneUS stocks had a strong day on Monday, the first trading day in December, with the Nasdaq and S&P 500 closing at fresh record highs, and the Dow dipping slightly. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was the only major Wall Street index to fall on Monday, dipping 0.3 percent to close at 44,782.00. The S&P 500 rose 0.2 percent to close at a new record of 6,047.15, while the Nasdaq rose 1.0 percent to an all-time high of 19,403.95. "From a technical standpoint, the market is still in very good shape," Jack Ablin from Cresset Capital told AFP. "And December also coincides with... a favourable seasonal trend as well." "We're just getting back to a mega cap growth stocks again," Ablin said. "And it may be because investors don't expect rates to come down as quickly as they originally thought." Ablin said the market was favouring those companies because they have "no debt or very little debt." "And so when they think rates are going to stay high, then they want the companies that aren't borrowing much," he said. Among individual stocks, Super Micro Computer surged 28.7 percent after a probe into an auditor's concerns about governance and transparency issues found "no evidence" of misconduct at the firm. Another firm to rise was chip manufacturing equipment firm Applied Materials, which saw its share price rise by 4.9 percent. (AFP)YourUpdateTV speaks with the Financial Technology Association (FTA): Be Smarter Than Holiday Scammers: Tips for Safe Shopping
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