Fixture change confirmed for Freshford's Leinster JHC clash with Avondale
Bayan al-Hinnawi, who spent years behind bars in Bashar al-Assad's Syria, joined crowds in the heartland of the Druze minority on Friday to celebrate the president's fall, "a dream" come true for the former prisoner. Hundreds of people descended on Sweida's main square, singing and clapping in jubilation, just days after Islamist-led rebels took the capital Damascus, sending Assad fleeing. The Druze-majority city in Syria's south has been a focal point of renewed anti-government demonstrations over the past year and a half. On Friday, residents waved Syria's pre-Assad flag of white, green and black with three stars, and raised olive branches in a sign of peace. Some of them have lost family members during the anti-government uprising that began in 2011 and spiralled into civil war. Others, like Hinnawi, had languished in prison under the Assad family's five-decade rule. "It was a dream," said 77-year-old Hinnawi of Assad's ouster. Decades ago, a few years after Hafez al-Assad seized power -- which he later handed over to his son Bashar -- a 23-year-old Hinnawi was jailed. He was released 17 years later. The grey-haired man said he had "dreamed that one day the regime would fall", but did not believe that he would live to see the day. "It's a wonderful sight. Nobody could have imagined that this could happen", he said. - 'Dignity' - But his joy was incomplete, remembering the many who have died in jail. "I wish that those who died when I was imprisoned in Mazzeh or Saydnaya could see this scene," said Hinnawi. Since Assad's fall, rebel forces and residents have broken into both detention centres, freeing political prisoners and searching for long-missing loved ones. Activists and rights groups say the Assad government tortured and abused inmates at both facilities. "I got out when I was 40, I missed out of my whole life," said Hinnawi, who served in the Syrian army before being jailed. Recalling torture behind bars, he said that "no oppressor in history has done what they did to us." Since Sunday, the ousted government's security forces were nowhere to be seen in Sweida, and the office of Assad's Baath party has been abandoned, as have army checkpoints on the road to Damascus. Local armed men are present, but not the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham which spearheaded the rebel offensive against Assad. Siham Zein al-Din, who lost her son in 2014 after he defected from the national army to join rebel fighters, said he had "sacrificed his life... for freedom, for dignity". The family was still searching for Khaldun's remains, said his 60-year-old mother. Like her son, some members of the Druze community took up arms against Assad's forces during the war. - A brother's congratulations - The Druze, who also live in Lebanon, Israel and the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, make up about three percent of Syria's population, around 700,000 people. Beyond defending themselves from attacks in the areas where they live, Syria's Druze largely stayed on the sidelines of the civil war. Many managed to avoid compulsory conscription since 2011. Residents of Sweida have long complained of discrimination and the lack of basic services. Many buildings in the city are constructed from black volcanic stone that can be found in the area, and its roads have fallen into disrepair. Sheikh Marwan Hussein Rizk, a religious leader, said that "Sweida province has been marginalised" for decades, with most of its residents living in poverty. But, surrounded by the joyful protesters, Rizk said better days may be coming. "Today, we look to the future and ask for a helping hand... Our hand is extended to all Syrians." Next to him, resident Hussein Bondok held up a poster of his brother Nasser, a journalist and opposition activist who was last heard from in 2014 when he was arrested. Bondok, 54, said he believes his brother was likely killed under torture in one of Damascus's prisons. Nasser struggled for freedom, Bondok said. "I want to congratulate him now, because the seeds he had planted with his brothers-in-arms has become a tree." lk/ami/it
The sides started the day equal on points and Wolfsburg had won its last five games in the league and cup. But Lukas Kübler scored an opportunist opener three minutes before the break and added a second with his head six minutes into the second half to put Freiburg in the driving seat. Michael Gregoritsch added the third in the 62nd. Jonas Wind came off the bench to score his third goal in two games and Mattias Svanberg cut the deficit seven minutes from time as Wolfsburg desperately looked for a way into the game. But it was too late, and Freiburg moved above Wolfsburg to fifth place on the table and equal on points with Leipzig, which has a game in hand. The match was an important one for two teams vying for a Champions League place next year. Although Bayern Munich have a six-point advantage over second-placed Eintracht Frankfurt, only eight points separate the next nine clubs. AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccerShort Interest in Aditxt, Inc. (NASDAQ:ADTX) Declines By 45.2%Shares of Leonardo DRS, Inc. ( NASDAQ:DRS – Get Free Report ) have received a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the six research firms that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and three have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year target price among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $32.17. Several research firms recently weighed in on DRS. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on Leonardo DRS from $29.00 to $32.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, November 4th. Robert W. Baird raised their price target on shares of Leonardo DRS from $30.00 to $40.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 31st. Finally, Bank of America cut shares of Leonardo DRS from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and upped their price objective for the stock from $26.00 to $30.00 in a research report on Tuesday, September 24th. Read Our Latest Stock Analysis on DRS Leonardo DRS Price Performance Leonardo DRS ( NASDAQ:DRS – Get Free Report ) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 30th. The company reported $0.24 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.20 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $812.00 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $775.44 million. Leonardo DRS had a net margin of 6.23% and a return on equity of 9.71%. The company’s revenue was up 15.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.20 earnings per share. On average, analysts anticipate that Leonardo DRS will post 0.92 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. Insider Activity In other news, COO John Baylouny sold 8,235 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $34.50, for a total transaction of $284,107.50. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 81,863 shares in the company, valued at $2,824,273.50. This represents a 9.14 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website . Also, SVP Pamela Morrow sold 11,100 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, December 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $34.81, for a total transaction of $386,391.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 12,565 shares in the company, valued at approximately $437,387.65. The trade was a 46.90 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here . Insiders sold 94,554 shares of company stock valued at $3,236,679 over the last quarter. 0.12% of the stock is owned by company insiders. Institutional Trading of Leonardo DRS A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Covestor Ltd grew its position in shares of Leonardo DRS by 226.8% during the 3rd quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 1,814 shares of the company’s stock worth $51,000 after buying an additional 1,259 shares during the period. KBC Group NV grew its holdings in Leonardo DRS by 42.5% in the third quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 2,585 shares of the company’s stock worth $73,000 after purchasing an additional 771 shares during the period. Point72 Hong Kong Ltd bought a new stake in Leonardo DRS in the third quarter valued at $109,000. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. bought a new stake in Leonardo DRS in the third quarter valued at $113,000. Finally, New York State Teachers Retirement System raised its holdings in shares of Leonardo DRS by 6.9% during the third quarter. New York State Teachers Retirement System now owns 6,722 shares of the company’s stock valued at $190,000 after purchasing an additional 432 shares during the period. 18.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds. Leonardo DRS Company Profile ( Get Free Report Leonardo DRS, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, provides defense electronic products and systems, and military support services. It operates through Advanced Sensing and Computing (ASC) segment, and Integrated Mission Systems (IMS) segments. The ASC segment designs, develops, and manufacture sensing and network computing technology that enables real-time situational awareness required for enhanced operational decision making and execution; and offers sensing capabilities span applications, such as missions requiring advanced detection, precision targeting and surveillance sensing, long range electro-optic/infrared, signals intelligence, and other intelligence systems including electronic warfare, ground vehicle sensing, active electronically scanned array tactical radars, dismounted soldier, and space sensing. Featured Stories Receive News & Ratings for Leonardo DRS Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Leonardo DRS and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter .Canadian Defensive Stocks to Buy Now for Stability
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones' 21 points helped UC San Diego defeat James Madison 73-67 on Friday night. Tait-Jones also contributed six rebounds for the Tritons (4-2). Hayden Gray scored 16 points and added four steals. Nordin Kapic went 5 of 8 from the field (1 for 4 from 3-point range) to finish with 12 points. Bryce Lindsay led the way for the Dukes (3-3) with 17 points. James Madison also got 13 points and four assists from Xavier Brown. UCSD went into halftime ahead of James Madison 34-28. Tait-Jones scored 14 points in the half. UCSD took the lead for good with 5:46 left in the second half on a free throw from Tait-Jones to make it a 58-57 game. The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar .
By MICHAEL R. SISAK NEW YORK (AP) — Lawyers for Sean “Diddy” Combs tried for a third time Friday to persuade a judge to let him leave jail while he awaits his sex trafficking trial, but a decision won’t come until next week. Judge Arun Subramanian said at a hearing that he will release his decision on Combs’ latest request for bail after Combs’ lawyers and federal prosecutors file letters addressing outstanding issues. Those letters are due at noon on Monday, Subramanian said. Combs’ lawyers pitched having him await trial under around-the-clock surveillance either his mansion on an island near Miami Beach or — after the judge scoffed at that location — an apartment on Manhattan’s Upper East Side. Their plan essentially amounts to putting Combs on house arrest, with strict limits on who he has contact with. But prosecutors argue that Combs has routinely flouted jail rules and can’t be trusted not to interfere with witnesses or the judicial process. “The argument that he’s a lawless person who doesn’t follow instructions isn’t factually accurate,” Combs lawyer Anthony Ricco argued. “The idea that he’s an out-of-control individual who has to be detained isn’t factually accurate.” Combs, 55, has pleaded not guilty to charges that he coerced and abused women for years with help from a network of associates and employees while silencing victims through blackmail and violence, including kidnapping, arson and physical beatings. His trial is slated to begin May 5. The Bad Boy Records founder remains locked up at a Brooklyn federal jail, where he spent his Nov. 4 birthday. Two other judges previously concluded that Combs would be a danger to the community if he is released and an appeals court judge last month denied Combs’ immediate release while a three-judge panel of the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals weighs his bail request. Friday’s hearing was the second time Combs was in court this week. On Tuesday, a judge blocked prosecutors from using as evidence papers that were seized from his cell during jail-wide sweep for contraband and weapons at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn. As he entered through a side door, Combs waved to relatives including his mother and several of his children in the courtroom gallery, tapping his hand to his heart and blowing kisses at them. He then hugged his lead attorney, Marc Agnifilo, before taking a seat at the defense table. He was not handcuffed or shackled and wore a beige jail uniform, occasionally pulling a pair of reading glasses from his pocket as he peered at papers in front of him. Prosecutors maintain that no bail conditions will mitigate the “risk of obstruction and dangerousness to others” of releasing Combs from jail. Prosecutors contend that while locked up the “I’ll Be Missing You” artist has orchestrated social media campaigns aimed at tainting the jury pool. They allege that he has also attempted to publicly leak materials he thinks would be helpful to his case and is contacting potential witnesses via third parties. “Simply put, the defendant cannot be trusted,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Christy Slavik argued. Combs’ lawyer Teny Geragos countered that, given the strict release conditions proposed, “it would be impossible for him not to follow rules.”
Web3Bay’s (3BAY) Is the Crypto Innovation You Can’t-Miss – Arbitrum & Fantom’s Explosive Moves!
European countries put freeze on Syrian asylum claims after Assad's fall, unclear if US will followMusk causes uproar for backing Germany's far-right party ahead of key elections
Croatia’s incumbent President Zoran Milanovic has a sweeping lead in Sunday’s election and could win the five-year presidency in the first round, according to an exit poll released immediately after the voting. The poll by the Ipsos polling agency and released by the state HRT television showed Milanovic winning over 50% of the votes, while his main challenger Dragan Primorac, a candidate of the conservative HDZ ruling party trailed far behind with 19%. Milanovic thanked voters in a post on social networks. The first official results are yet to be published. Pre-election polls predicted that the two would face off in the second round on Jan. 12, as none of all 8 presidential election contenders were projected to get more than 50% of the vote. Left-leaning Milanovic is an outspoken critic of Western military support for Ukraine in its war against Russia. He is often compared to Donald Trump for his combative style of communication with political opponents. The most popular politician in Croatia, 58-year-old Milanović has served as prime minister in the past. Populist in style, he has been a fierce critic of current Prime Minister Andrej Plenković and continuous sparring between the two has lately marked Croatia’s political scene. Plenković, the prime minister, has sought to portray the vote as one about Croatia’s future in the EU and NATO. He has labeled Milanović “pro-Russian” and a threat to Croatia’s international standing. “The difference between him and Milanović is quite simple: Milanović is leading us East, Primorac is leading us West,” he said. Though the presidency is largely ceremonial in Croatia, an elected president holds political authority and acts as the supreme military commander. Milanović has criticized the NATO and European Union support for Ukraine and has often insisted that Croatia should not take sides. He has said Croatia should stay away from global disputes, though it is a member of both NATO and the EU. Milanović has also blocked Croatia’s participation in a NATO-led training mission for Ukraine, declaring that “no Croatian soldier will take part in somebody else’s war.” His main rival in the election, Primorac, has stated that “Croatia’s place is in the West, not the East.” His presidency bid, however, has been marred by a high-level corruption case that landed Croatia’s health minister in jail last month and featured prominently in pre-election debates. During the election campaign, Primorac has sought to portray himself as a unifier and Milanović as divisive. “Today is an extremely important day,” Primorac said after casting his ballot. "Croatia is going forward into the future. Croatia needs unity, Croatia needs its global positioning, and above all Croatia needs peaceful life.” Trailing a distant third in the pre-election polls is Marija Selak Raspudić, a conservative independent candidate. She has focused her election campaign on the economic troubles of ordinary citizens, corruption and issues such as population decline in the country of some 3.8 million. Sunday’s presidential election is Croatia’s third vote this year, following a parliamentary election in April and the European Parliament balloting in June.
My Date with Rural China----VOC.com.cn Unveils Season Two of I Am in Rural ChinaCroatia's president faces conservative rival in election run-offWokeness is in retreat, but Nasdaq’s ‘diversity rules’ show its awful stench will be hard to eliminate
Baker Mayfield, Bucs redeem themselves by embarrassing Panthers in Week 17
5 ways ‘America First’ could transform the world in 2025
The Newport News government has applied for an almost $20 million federal grant that — if received — could help address the coal dust pollution that plagues the Southeast Community. For decades, Newport News residents have urged the city government to address the pollution coming from Dominion Terminal Associates and Kinder Morgan coal terminals. Residents say the coal dust blows into the surrounding community and coats homes and schools. In addition to dirtying the atmosphere, residents also worry it’s causing them respiratory problems. During a council work session last week, Chief Strategy Officer Eoghan Miller discussed ways the city is trying to be environmentally responsible. He noted that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has Community Change Grant funding available for environmental and climate justice activities that benefit disadvantaged communities. The funding is designed to reduce pollution and increase community climate resilience. Miller said the city and a collection of community-based organizations submitted an application in November to address dust issues in the Southeast Community and requested $19.6 million in funding. “We’ve got our fingers crossed,” Miller said. “We hope to hear more.” Mayor Phillip Jones said remediation would take “a lot of money.” While the specific remedy remains to be determined, Jones said some potential solutions could include a coal fence or a dome. “$20 million, I think, will change downtown, especially when it comes to coal mitigation,” he said. The state Department of Environmental Quality is working on a project that deploys monitors to test air quality and assess potential health risks associated with dust from the coal storage and transportation facilities in Newport News and Norfolk. The study, known as the Tidewater Air Monitoring Evaluation project , will measure and analyze toxic metals and particulates in the air in the two communities and use the information to conduct health risk assessments. Miller told the Daily Press that in addition to dust coming from the coal terminals, the grant could also be used to mitigate other environmental factors such as dust coming off the interstate. “Even if we get the funding, there’s probably not a single solution that completely eradicates these fugitive dust issues, and so it’s probably looking at a host of measures to hopefully reduce some of the fugitive dust issues, pollution issues, climate action issues that we have, in the Southeast Community particularly, and citywide,” he said. According to Miller, the city hopes to find out before the end of the year whether it will receive the grant money. Southeast Community resident Yugonda Sample-Jones, a longtime advocate for addressing the coal dust issue, said her organization EmPower All, the Sierra Club, the University of Virginia and numerous other local organizations have been raising awareness about the harm of coal dust in the Southeast Community and she hopes she hopes the city can undergo a holistic effort to create “a truly healthy space.” She said she collaborated with the city on the community change grant application and hopes funding could be used for a dome, fence, or some other barrier to protect residents from dust. “This is the most momentum we’ve had at a local level to do something about environmental justice,” she said. Josh Janney, joshua.janney@virginiamedia.com
RJ Godfrey and Tyrin Lawrence each scored 14 points to help lead Georgia to a 79-72 win over visiting South Carolina State on Sunday in Athens. Asa Newell and Dakota Leffew added 12 apiece for Georgia (12-1) which rallied from a 17-point halftime deficit. Silas Demary Jr. had 11 points followed by De'Shayne Montgomery's 10, as the Bulldogs won their seventh straight game, marking their best start to a season since 1930-31 (13-0). Reserve Jayden Johnson led South Carolina State (6-9) with 16 points, followed by Michael Teal's 13 and Wilson Dubinsky's 12. South Carolina State dropped its third game in four tries entering Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference play on Jan. 4. Trailing 41-24 at halftime, Demary's triple and Montgomery's dunk began a 12-5 scoring run to open the second half, pulling Georgia within 10 at the 16:18 mark. After Teal's layup extended South Carolina State's lead to 50-39, Demary's basket stamped a 7-0 Georgia run, pulling the Bulldogs within four at the 11:17 mark of the second half. Dubinsky answered with a triple on the other end, but Leffew and Demary's layups began a 14-2 Georgia run -- which was capped with Lawrence's personal 8-0 spurt. Trailing 60-55, South Carolina State cut its deficit to one after Drayton Jones' four straight points. From there, Newell's three-point play jump started an 8-0 Georgia run, stamped with Montgomery's free throw with 3:42 left. After Davion Everett split a pair of free throws to pull South Carolina State within four with 1:44 left, Georgia made seven of its eight free-throw attempts to ice the victory. Georgia connected on just one field goal early in the game until Dylan James' layup trimmed its deficit to 7-5 at the 14:44 mark. After Johnson's basket put South Carolina State ahead 13-10, Leffew's 3-pointer followed by Montgomery's free throw gave Georgia its first lead with 10:27 left in the opening half. Godfrey's pair of free throws flipped the lead to Georgia with 5:30 remaining, before Dubinsky's triple gave South Carolina State a 24-22 advantage on the ensuing possession. Georgia was held scoreless until Somto Cyril's free throws snapped a 14-0 South Carolina State run with 50 seconds left. Johnson then capped the first half with consecutive 3-pointers, giving South Carolina State a 41-24 halftime lead. --Field Level Media
In Aleppo, rebels give a sense of what may come in Syria
