Aleksandr Darchiyev is slated soon to be appointed as Russia's ambassador to Washington, the Kommersant newspaper reported on November 24, citing three unidentified sources. Darchiyev, head of the Russian Foreign Ministry's North American section, was ambassador to Canada from October 2014 to January 2021. He would succeed Anatoly Antonov, who concluded his term in October. The move would come at a time of high tensions between Washington and Moscow and just ahead of the return of Donald Trump to the presidency on January 20. The United States, under President Joe Biden, has been the top foreign supporter of Ukraine in its battle against Russia's full-scale invasion, while Trump has suggested aid could be curtailed. The Financial Times reports that Russia has recruited hundreds of Yemeni men to fight in Ukraine, lured by the promise of high salaries and potential Russian citizenship. The November 23 report said they were helped by a Huthi-linked company to travel to Russia, then forcibly inducted into the Russian Army and sent to the front lines in Ukraine. The report said the action illustrates how the Kremlin is desperately trying to avoid a full mobilization of its society by using foreign fighters following reports that North Korea has sent thousands of soldiers to train and fight alongside Russian forces. Iran on November 24 confirmed it will hold talks regarding its disputed nuclear program with officials from Britain, France, and Germany on November 30, saying they will also focus on “bilateral, regional, and international issues.” In a news conference, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei spokesman did not specific the location of the talks. Earlier, Japan's Kyodo news agency reported that Iran was arranging nuclear talks with Britain and the European Union starting on November 30 in Geneva. Kyodo quoted several diplomatic sources as saying the Iranian administration is seeking a solution to Iran's nuclear impasse ahead of the inauguration of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump on January 20. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Radio Farda, click here . The Pakistani government on November 24 said its mediation team had reached agreement on a seven-day cease-fire among warring sectarian groups in the northwest of the country, looking to end clashes that have killed more than 80 people. Mohammad Ali Saif, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa information minister and government spokesman, told news agencies that Shi'ite and Sunni leaders had agreed to halt attacks for at least a seven-day period as a longer-lasting solution was sought. The violence between Sunni and Shi'ite groups in the Kurram district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province began on November 21 after gunmen opened fire on a convoy of vehicles carrying Shi'ite Muslims, killing at least 38 people. No group claimed responsibility for the attack, the latest in a series of deadly confrontations in Kurram. Police said armed men torched shops, houses, and government property before a government delegation arrived in the area seeking to defuse the crisis. "The clashes and convoy attacks on November 21, 22, and 23 have resulted in 82 fatalities and 156 injuries," a local administration official told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity. He added that among the dead were 16 were Sunni and 66 Shi’ite members of the community. Prior to announcement of the truce agreement, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Law Minister Aftab Alam Afridi said that "our priority today is to broker a cease-fire between both sides. Once that is achieved, we can begin addressing the underlying issues." The delegation arrived on November 23 and met with Shi’ite leaders, then held talks with Sunni leaders on November 24, an official said. Sunnis and Shi'a living in Kurram have clashed over land, forests, and other property as well as religion over the years, despite government and law enforcement efforts to build peace. Minority Shi'ite Muslims have long complained of discrimination and violence in Sunni-majority Pakistan. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on November 24 his country "needs more air-defense systems" to protect its people as Russia continues to target Ukraine with aerial bombs, combat drones, and missiles. "Strengthening the protection of our skies is absolutely critical," Zelenskiy wrote on social media, adding that Kyiv was "actively working" with its partners on improving the country’s air defenses. Russia has launched more than 800 guided aerial bombs, around 460 strike drones, and over 20 missiles of various types against Ukraine over the past week, according to Zelenskiy. Both Ukraine and Russia on November 24 reported repelling dozens of drones from the other side overnight. Ukrainian military said early in the morning that its air defenses shot down 50 of 73 Russian drones, with more than 10 of the intercepted drones targeting the capital, Kyiv. The Ukrainian Air Force added that it lost track of 19 drones and four more were still in the air. There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries. Serhiy Popko, head of Kyiv's military administration, said the air-raid alert lasted for more than three hours as the drones "were flying from different directions" toward the city. Russia's Defense Ministry reported its air-defense systems destroyed 34 drones overnight, including 27 over the Kursk region bordering Ukraine. The ministry did not provide information about any damage or casualties caused by the strikes. Ukrainian forces swept into the Kursk region in a surprise offensive in August, seizing nearly 1,400 square kilometers of Russian territory. But Kyiv has since lost about 40 percent of the territory it captured in Kursk, according to a source in Ukraine’s General Staff. "At most, we controlled about 1,376 square kilometers, now of course this territory is smaller. The enemy is increasing its counterattacks," the source was quoted by news agencies as saying. The source said Kyiv now controls approximately 800 square kilometer in Kursk and "will hold this territory for as long as is militarily appropriate." The United States and the United Kingdom reportedly gave permission to Ukraine recently to strike inside Russia with ATACMS and Storm Shadow missiles, respectively. The missiles are precision tactical weapons designed to hit command-and-control centers, logistics, and arms depots near the front. Ukraine has already used the missiles to strike in Kursk and the neighboring region of Belgorod. France also joined the United States and Britain in signaling to Ukraine that it is allowed use long-range weapons against targets on Russian territory. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said in an interview with the BBC that Ukraine could fire French long-range missiles into Russia "in the logics of self-defense.” But he would not confirm if French weapons had already been used. Pakistani authorities have locked down Islamabad and partially suspended mobile phone and Internet services as supporters of imprisoned former Prime Minister Imran Khan geared up for a protest in the capital, calling for his release. The government announced late on November 23 that Internet and cellphone services would be temporarily unavailable "in areas with security concerns" while "continuing to operate as usual in the rest of the country." It did not specify the areas, nor did it explain when the suspension would be lifted. The announcement was posted on X, which is banned in Pakistan. Highways leading to Islamabad through which the protesters are expected to enter the city and gather near the parliament have been blocked by the government. Most major roads in the city have also been sealed off with shipping containers, while large contingents of police and paramilitary personnel could be seen deployed in riot gear. Islamabad police issued a statement, saying gatherings of any sort have been banned under legal provisions. Khan has been in prison since August 2023 and has over 150 criminal cases against him, ranging from corruption to inciting violence. Khan and his party, Pakistan Tehrik-e Insaf or PTI, deny all the charges as politically motivated. Khan’s supporters rely heavily on social media to demand his release and use messaging platforms like WhatsApp to share information, including details of protest rallies. Ali Amin Gandapur, the chief minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province and a key Khan ally, called on protesters to gather near the entrance of Islamabad's red zone, known as D Chowk. The red zone houses the country's parliament building and important government offices, as well as embassies and foreign institutions' offices. "Khan has called on us to remain there till all our demands are met," Gandapur said in a video message on November 23. He is expected to lead the largest convoy into Islamabad. Last month, a PTI protest in Islamabad turned violent with one policeman killed, dozens of security personnel injured, and protesters arrested. Both protesters and authorities accused one another of instigating the clashes. The shutdown of Internet and cellphone services during that protest disrupted communications and affected everyday services such as banking, ride-hailing, and food delivery. BUCHAREST -- Romanians are voting on November 24 in the likely first of two rounds in a presidential election that will have a key impact on foreign policy, particularly on Bucharest's current support for embattled Ukraine, with which it shares a 613-kilometer border. Romanian Prime Minister and Social Democratic Party leader Marcel Ciolacu is favored to receive the most votes among the 13 candidates, but if no one garners more than 50 percent, a second round will be held on December 8 featuring the two leaders. According to pre-vote polls, five candidates have a shot at advancing to the runoff to succeed the outgoing center-right incumbent, Klaus Iohannis, who is ending his second term and a decade in office. A possible second-round challenger for Ciolacu is George Simion , leader of the far-right, ultranationalist Alliance for the Unity of Romanians (AUR). Fourteen candidates are officially registered in the race, but Ludovic Orban announced he was withdrawing from the contest. Romania also has parliamentary elections set for December 1. As of 3 p.m., Romanian election officials said turnout was 32 percent, up from 29.2 percent at the same time in the 2019 vote, with long lines at polling stations reported in the capital, Bucharest. At three polling stations, turnout was reported at more than 150 percent. It was not immediately clear if the figure was the result of irregularities or due to supplemental lists holding more names than the permanent lists. Romania has become a key ally of Ukraine , not only providing training and military equipment but playing a key role in transporting Ukrainian grain and other agricultural goods to global markets. Much of the credit for Bucharest's pro-Ukraine stance goes to the incumbent, Iohannis. Romania's president has significant decision-making powers , including on matters of national security and foreign policy. Elected for a five-year term, the president can also reject party nominees for prime minister and government nominees for judicial appointments. Diaspora voting began on November 23, with initial figures indicating a lower turnout than in 2019 among those abroad, with about 222,000 of such votes cast by the morning of November 24. Oana Popescu-Zamfir, director of the Bucharest-based think tank GlobalFocus Center, told RFE/RL that this is a high-stakes election for the NATO and EU nation of 19 million people. "Romania is faced with two important realities next year: the threat of further instability and conflict in the region and globally, especially in the context of a [President-elect Donald] Trump White House," she said. Also, "the risks of deepening economic and financial crisis, given that [Romania is] currently running one of the highest twin budget deficits and inflation rates in the EU and the cost of commodities has continued to increase while government expenditure has stayed high (largely because of the bloated state apparatus)," she added. Foreign policy is also of concern to voters, namely Russia's ongoing war against Ukraine and how that conflict could change with a switch in Washington from U.S. President Joe Biden, who has steadily backed Kyiv, to Trump, who has suggested support could be curtailed. "The threat of regional instability and war is also a source of concern. Voters care about candidates' positions on Ukraine, Russia, Trump, the extent of their Euro-Atlantic orientation," Popescu-Zamfir said, adding that voters were also focused on the presidential candidates' "ability to lead the country in case of escalating tensions with Russia." In an interesting sidelight, election officials say that at least 50 Romanians over the age of 100 are expected to vote in the presidential election. The oldest is a man aged 113, while the oldest woman is aged 108, officials said. Developing nations staged a walkout at the United Nations climate talks in Baku, demanding wealthy emitter nations step up financial aid to combat the effects of global warming. Host nation Azerbaijan urged delegates to seek consensus as COP29, already extended into an extra day, verged on the brink of failure. “I know that none of us wants to leave Baku without a good outcome,” COP President Mukhtar Babayev told climate officials from around the world on November 23, urging them to “bridge the remaining divide.” Small island states and the least developed nations walked out of negotiations on a funding package for poor countries to curb and adapt to climate change, saying their climate finance interests were being ignored. “[The] current deal is unacceptable for us. We need to speak to other developing countries and decide what to do,” said Evans Njewa, chair of the Least Developed Countries group. Developing countries have been pushing rich countries for years to finance their attempts to battle the impact of climate change, saying that the extreme weather and rising seas hurting them is the result of greenhouse gas emitted by the wealthy nations decades ago. In 2009, rich countries pledged $100 billion a year in annual climate aid by the early 2020s but some have been struggling to meet their commitments. The last official draft on November 22 pledged $250 billion annually by 2035, more than double the previous goal, but far short of the annual $1 trillion-plus that experts say is needed. Experts said that rich countries like the United States and Europe are facing budget constraints due to the coronavirus pandemic and now wars in Ukraine and the Middle East. The United States has allocated $174 billion to Ukraine and billions more to Israel to help bolster their defenses. European nations have also allocated well north of $100 billion for Ukraine. In a bid to save COP29, representatives from the European Union, the United States, and other wealthy countries met directly with those of developing nations to work out an agreement. “If we don’t get a deal I think it will be a fatal wound to this process, to the planet, to people,” Panama’s special representative for climate change, Juan Carlos Monterrey Gomez said. Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoev has fired several top officials in the State Security Service (SSS) and Interior Ministry in a sweeping reshuffle following an assassination attempt last month on a close ally of his eldest daughter. Abdusalom Azizov, the head of the State Security Service (SSS) and Alijon Ashurov, the head of the Presidential Personal Security Department, were among those dismissed by Mirziyoev on November 22, several law enforcement sources told RFE/RL’s Uzbek Service. Meanwhile, Otabek Umarov, the deputy head of the SSS and the husband of Mirziyoev’s youngest daughter, left the country on November 23, the sources said. It is unclear whether he fled or intends to come back, they added said. The upheaval is the biggest in the security services since the authoritarian Mirziyoev took office eight years ago. It comes amid a back-door power struggle among Uzbekistan's political elite that was thrust into the spotlight following an assassination attempt on Komiljon Allamjonov, a former high-ranking official in the presidential administration. Alisher Ilkhamov, an analyst at U.K.-based political risk firm Central Asia Due Diligence, said Mirziyoev needed to take action to show that no one was above the law and demonstrate his control over the country. "Impunity for such actions is a sign that the group that committed this is given carte blanche. And this will create a certain mood in society - an atmosphere of fear," he said. Allamjonov was traveling in a car on October 26, one day before parliamentary elections, when it was sprayed with bullets. Allamjonov survived, but the incident -- the first assassination attempt on a current or former member of Mirziyoev’s administration -- sent shockwaves through the country. Earlier this month, South Korean authorities detained Uzbek citizen Javlon Yunusov on suspicion of involvement in the attempted murder of Allamjonov. An RFE/RL investigation also linked another man, Shokhrukh Ahmedov, along with Yunusov and other suspects to organized crime, prior assassination attempts in Turkey, and high-level officials within Uzbekistan’s administration, including Umarov. The 40-year-old Allamjonov left his government post in September allegedly to focus on a private business venture. Meanwhile, Umarov had been accused of allegedly establishing a "deep state," controlling the country's security services and major businesses through his proxies. Sources close to the investigation have suggested that the organizers of the attack may have sought to curb Allamjonov’s growing influence and connections within the administration. Prior to the assassination attempt, Allamjonov received the personal backing of 39-year-old Saida Mirziyoeva, the president’s eldest daughter who is widely seen as his potential successor. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said that Russia is seeking to drive his forces out of the Kursk region before U.S. President-elect Donald Trump takes office next year but added that the military situation in the Donetsk region is the most critical for his country. “I am certain that [Russian President Vladimir Putin] wants to push us out before January 20,” Zelenskiy told reporters, referring to the day of Trump’s inauguration. “It is very important for him to show that he controls the situation” in Kursk. Ukraine stunned the Kremlin by sweeping into the Kursk region in August, seizing nearly 1,400 square kilometers of Russian territory. With Trump promising to end the war upon entering office, Moscow could be forced to exchange land it seized in Ukraine for Kursk territory should it fail to push Ukrainian forces out in time. Putin has sent tens of thousands of Russian troops to Kursk who are mounting wave after wave of counterattacks, a source on Ukraine's General Staff said. Russia has regained about 800 square kilometers in Kursk or about 40 percent of the territory Ukraine seized, the source said. Zelenskiy said that Ukrainian troops are inflicting large-scale losses on Russian forces in Kursk. Russia has recently been losing as many as 1,500 troops a day to injury and death across the entire theater of the war, the most since the invasion began in February 2022, Ukrainian and Western officials said. “Russia hasn’t suffered such losses as it is now suffering in Kursk,” Zelenskiy said. Russia has recruited more than 11,000 North Korean troops to help it take back Kursk territory. The North Korean troops reportedly arrived last month though it is unclear if they have taken part in fighting yet. The United States and the United Kingdom reportedly gave permission this week to Ukraine to strike inside Russia with ATACMS and Storm Shadow missiles respectively. The missiles are precision, tactical weapons designed to hit command-and-control centers, logistics and arms depots near the front. Ukraine has already used the missiles to strike in Kursk and the neighboring region of Belgorod. Russian Advances Meanwhile, Russian ground forces continue to make incremental advances in eastern Ukraine, including near the town of Velyka Novosilka, according to Deep State, an open-source organization with ties to the Ukrainian Army, and confirmed by other analysts. Ukraine has been struggling to hold back the Russian advances due to a lack of manpower, raising concern about a possible breakthrough. While Russia is losing forces at a greater rate, the Kremlin is able to quickly replace them thanks to lucrative wages and incentives. Putin on November 23 widened those incentives, signing a law permitting the cancellation of debt for new army recruits volunteering to fight in Ukraine. The new law allows the state to forgive up to 10 million rubles ($95,835) of debt for those signing contracts with the Defense Ministry to fight in Ukraine for at least a year, beginning on December 1. The law applies to all potential recruits who have had debt collection proceedings opened against them before December 1. The maximum debt forgiveness is several times the average annual salary in Russia’s provinces. Valeriy Zaluzhniy, the former commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian armed forces, said in an interview published on November 23 that new technological advances will prevent a “serious breakthrough” at the front. Ukraine and Russia have been rapidly developing reconnaissance and strike drones as well as electronic warfare weapons. The technology advancements have helped Ukraine partially compensate for its lack of manpower. In the interview, Zaluzhniy said that Russia will struggle to expand the front line and break through because it would require huge resources "which the Russians no longer have." Trump Presidency U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken will meet his counterparts from the Group of Seven (G7) leading industrialized nations outside Rome on November 25-26 to discuss the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East. It will be the last G7 meeting for the Biden administration, which is seeking to ensure that support for Ukraine is sustained when Trump enters office in January. Trump has criticized aid to Ukraine, raising questions whether he will continue support should a peace deal not be reached. The president-elect met with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte in Florida on November 22 to discuss Ukraine and other issues facing the alliance. Meanwhile, Trump is reportedly considering Richard Grenell, his former intelligence chief, for the new post of special envoy for the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Zelenskiy told reporters that the war could end next year if Ukraine continues to get strong Western support. Zelenskiy spoke with media following the Grain From Ukraine Summit in Kyiv. Ukraine is one of the largest exporters of grains to world markets. Prior to the conference, Zelenskiy visited a memorial to the victims of the Holodomor, the man-made famine orchestrated by the Soviet government in the 1930s that led to the deaths of millions of Ukrainians. In a clear reference to Putin’s war against Ukraine, Zelenskiy said: "There is something we know for certain. They wanted to destroy us. To kill us. To subjugate us. They failed." The violent detentions of brawling foreign university students, including from Iran, in Tatarstan has led to a protest by Iran’s consul general to the Russian region. “Iranian citizens studying abroad have the right to respect and fair treatment,” Consul General Davud Mirzakhani said on November 23. “We will ensure that the rights of our students are fully protected." "The Russian police confuse the Iranian people with those of other nations," Mirzakhani added. "We will never allow anyone to treat our people abroad inhumanely and illegally." The comments came after a brawl broke out among foreign students at Kazan Federal University on the morning of November 22 as they stood in line for documentation needed to renew their student visas. Video of the incident can be seen here: According to the Russian news agency TASS, two students who instigated the brawl were detained. Iranian students involved in the incident were later released. However, Tatarstan’s Investigative Committee announced that it has opened a criminal case against one student who “used violence against a police officer.” It is not clear if the student being investigated was among those released. Local media reported that the brawl may have started when someone cut into a large line of students who had been waiting to register their documents for hours. Foreign students were reportedly transferred from their dormitories at the university to make room for attendees of the BRICS summit held in Kazan on October 22-24. Students affected by the move launched a petition to protest the decision at the time, and were reportedly among those attempting to get their documentation in order on November 22. Local media reported that the foreign students lining up for documents were there trying to extend their student visas needed to study in Kazan. Following the brawl, the university reportedly opened additional service stations for the foreign students to submit their documents. Local authorities have reported that at least 25 people, most of them Shi’a, were killed on November 22 in fresh sectarian violence in a tribal region of northwest Pakistan long known as a hotspot of Shi’ite-Sunni conflict. The deaths in the Kurram district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province came just two days after dozens of people were killed when gunmen opened fire on a convoy of vehicles in the Sunni-majority district. Speaking to RFE/RL’s Radio Mashaal on November 23, Kurram district administrative head Javedullah Mehsud said the renewed clashes erupted unexpectedly and the authorities could not respond in sufficient numbers to control them. Other news agencies, citing local officials, reported that at least 32 people had died and 47 were wounded in the violence on November 22. Locals in the Bagan area of the district told Radio Mashaal that an angry mob of hundreds of Shi’a set several shops and homes on fire. Locals in the predominantly Sunni area claimed that some inhabitants were unaccounted for. Local Shi'ite leader Malik Dildar Hussain told Radio Mashaal that Shi’a have frequently come under attack in the area. On November 21, at least 50 people, including several women and children, were killed and more than 40 wounded when gunmen opened fire on November 21 on a police-escorted convoy of 200 vehicles carrying Shi'ite Muslims. The convoy was traveling from the provincial capital, Peshawar, to Parachinar, the capital city of the Kurram district. The threat of additional violence led local authorities to impose a curfew on November 22 and to suspend mobile telecommunications services in the remote mountainous district. Local leaders told RFE/RL that most of those killed in the renewed violence on November 22 were Shi'a, but at least four Sunnis were also among the dead. No group has taken responsibility for the attack. RFE/RL correspondents on the ground reported on November 22 that heavily armed people set fire to a military checkpoint in the area overnight. In Parachinar, witnesses reported seeing dozens of angry people armed with automatic weapons gathering amid reports that several other facilities of the Pakistani Army and the paramilitary Frontier Constabulary had been attacked and destroyed. RFE/RL correspondents reported hearing heavy gunfire. Jamshed Shirazi, a social activist in Parachinar, told RFE/RL that several government installations were damaged by the mob. "People are expressing their anger by attacking government offices," Shirazi said. Jalal Hussain Bangash, a local Shi'ite leader, voiced dismay at the violence during a Friday Prayers sermon on November 22 and said that Shi'a had nothing to do with the ensuing violence, RFE/RL correspondents on the ground reported. Hamid Hussain, a lawmaker from Kurram in the national parliament, was adamant that the violence was the work of provocateurs. "We are helpless. Neither Shi'a nor Sunnis are involved in this. This is [the result of] some other invisible forces who do not want to see peace in the area," Hussain told RFE/RL. Sectarian tensions have risen over the past several months in the Kurram district, which was formerly semiautonomous. Seventeen people were killed in an attack on a convoy on October 12, and there have been a handful of deadly attacks since then. Sunnis and Shi'a living in Kurram have clashed over land, forests, and other property as well as religion over the years, despite government and law enforcement efforts to build peace. Minority Shi'ite Muslims have long suffered discrimination and violence in Sunni-majority Pakistan. Russia has included the territories it occupies in Ukraine in its recent greenhouse gas inventory report to the United Nations, drawing protests from Ukrainian officials and activists at the COP29 climate summit in Baku. The move by Moscow comes as Russian President Vladimir Putin eyes potential peace deal negotiations with incoming U.S. President Donald Trump that could decide the fate of vast swaths of territory. "We see that Russia is using international platforms to legalize their actions, to legalize their occupation of our territory," Ukraine's Deputy Environmental Minister Olha Yukhymchuk told Reuters. She said Ukraine is in touch with officials from the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the UN's main climate body, to ask it to resolve the dispute. Russia had already included emissions from Ukraine's Crimea region, annexed in 2014, in its last few reporting submissions to the UNFCCC. The Moscow-friendly Georgian Dream party, fresh off a contested victory in parliamentary elections last month that ignited calls for fresh polls and pro-EU demonstrations in Tbilisi, is preparing to hold its first parliamentary session on November 25. In comments to RFE/RL, Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili said that foreign diplomats would not be invited to attend the opening session, saying it “should only be celebrated by the Georgian people." EU and other Western officials have expressed serious doubts about the October 26 elections in which Georgian Dream officially won 53.9 percent of the vote. Opposition leaders this week called on foreign diplomats not to legitimize the new parliament by attending the first session of parliament. Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili has refused to recognize the result validated by the country’s Central Election Committee (CEC), and protests demanding new elections continue to be held in the country’s capital. Protesters have alleged that there was widespread fraud during the campaign and vote, and that Russia heavily influenced the outcome favoring Georgian Dream, which has been in power since 2012. In recent days, Georgian police have shut down the demonstrations, including through the use of violence on November 19. Video footage by RFE/RL correspondents in Tbilisi showed police dragging people to the ground, including women, and beating them before taking them away. The same day, Zurabishvili filed a lawsuit in the Constitutional Court "requesting annulment of the election results as unconstitutional.” The first item on the agenda for the opening session, which will be attended by the head of the CEC, will be recognizing the authority of all 150 parliament members. Georgia has been a candidate for EU membership since last year, but a "foreign influence" law and anti-LGBT measures enacted under Georgian Dream’s leadership have stalled that effort. The United States in July announced that it would pause more than $95 million in assistance to the Georgian government, warning it that it was backsliding on democracy. U.S. President-elect Donald Trump is considering tapping Richard Grenell, his former intelligence chief, to be a special envoy for the Russia-Ukraine conflict, according to four sources familiar with the transition plans. Grenell, who served as Trump's ambassador to Germany, as special envoy to Serbia-Kosovo talks, and was acting director of national intelligence during Trump's 2017-2021 term, would play a key role in Trump's efforts to halt the war if he is ultimately selected for the post. While there is currently no special envoy dedicated solely to resolving the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Trump is considering creating the role, according to the four sources. Grenell has advocated for the creation of "autonomous zones" as a means of settling the conflict. He also suggested he would not be in favor of Ukraine joining the North Atlantic Treaty Organization in the immediate future. EU Parliament President Roberta Metsola supports the use of long-range missiles by Ukraine in its defense against Russia's full-scale invasion and said Germany should quickly deliver its long-range Taurus system to the embattled country. Metsola, in an interview published on November 23 by the Funke Mediengruppe newspapers, said "yes," when asked whether countries providing long-range missiles to Ukraine should allow it to use them against targets in Russia -- and whether Germany should deliver its Taurus weapons system to Ukraine. Chancellor Olaf Scholz, a Social Democrat, has been staunchly opposed to sending Taurus missiles to Ukraine. His coalition partners, the pro-business Free Democrats and the Greens, however, are in favor of sending Kyiv the missiles. Austria has dropped its long-standing veto to Bulgaria and Romania joining the passport free Schengen zone, opening the door to their accession next year. The breakthrough development was announced on November 22 by the Hungarian presidency of the EU Council, which hosted a meeting in Budapest with the interior ministers of Romania, Bulgaria, and Austria. The EU will meet with the two candidate countries to finalize a joint security package at a meeting on December 11-12. The two countries could become Schengen members in January. “Bulgaria and Romania belong fully to the Schengen area. I welcome the positive outcome of informal discussions in Budapest today.” Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, said in a tweet following the announcement. The addition of Bulgaria and Romania will expand the Schengen zone to 28 states, including 24 EU members. Ireland and Cyprus will remain the only EU members not part of the Schengen Area. Bulgarians and Romanians currently are not permitted to travel freely into other Schengen member states over land borders. Early this year, they received the right to travel freely by air and sea in the first concession by Vienna. After the meeting in Budapest, Hungarian Interior Minister Sandor Pinter told media that the agreement to be signed next month includes the establishment of a special contingent of at least 100 border police officers on the Turkish-Bulgarian border. Hungary will contribute to the full deployment of the officers and provide the necessary technical equipment to ensure effective protection of the border, he said. Pinter expressed confidence that the issue could be resolved by December 31. EU Commissioner for Home Affairs Ylva Johansson said a January accession date is a realistic goal. Yekaterina Neroznikova, a journalist and member of the Marem human rights group, is facing administrative charges in Russia for her alleged involvement with an "undesirable organization." The charges stem from Neroznikova's participation in an interview with RFE/RL earlier this year, where she discussed the high-profile abduction of Seda Suleimanova, a native of Chechnya. The administrative protocol was filed with the Zhukovsky City Court in Moscow Oblast on November 15, with a hearing scheduled for November 26. Neroznikova, who left Russia following the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, disclosed the development to the OVD-Info human rights group, a prominent watchdog monitoring political persecution in Russia. The case against Neroznikova is linked to her April 2024 appearance on RFE/RL’s program Human Rights Are A Right. During the program, she discussed the abduction of Suleimanova, who was forcibly taken from St. Petersburg in August 2023 by local police and Chechen operatives. Suleimanova, who fled Chechnya in 2022 because of pressure being put on her to agree to a forced marriage, has been missing since September last year. The charges against Neroznikova are seen as part of Russia’s broader crackdown on dissent and press freedom. Suleimanova's case has prompted global protests and solidarity campaigns highlighting ongoing human rights concerns in Chechnya and Russia in general. According to Neroznikova, a man identifying himself as an officer of the Interior Ministry contacted her relatives last week before reaching out to her directly. He informed her of the administrative charges, citing her commentary on RFE/RL as the reason. RFE/RL's Russian Service and its multiple projects in the Russian language were designated as "undesirable organizations" in Russia in February 2024, making any association with them punishable under Russian law. Participation in the activities of an “undesirable organization” in Russia can result in fines of up to 15,000 rubles for individuals. Repeat offenses within a year can escalate to criminal charges, carrying penalties of up to four years in prison. Suleimanova's case has drawn international attention. In 2022, she fled her family in Chechnya to avoid an arranged marriage and persistent conflicts. In August 2023, she was abducted in St. Petersburg by individuals including local police and plainclothes Chechen security officers. She was taken to her family in Chechnya, and no information about her whereabouts has been available since September 2023. An investigation into Suleimanova’s disappearance was launched in March 2024 following thousands of public appeals. Despite the family's claims that she left home again in February, observers remain skeptical, citing conflicting statements made by her relatives. Russian President Vladimir Putin said the country's new intermediate-range ballistic missile, a nuclear-capable weapon, will continue to be tested, including in combat conditions, as Moscow struck several Ukrainian regions with other, less powerful weapons. "We will continue these tests, including in combat conditions, depending on the situation and the nature of the security threats that are created for Russia," Putin said on November 22 at a meeting with Defense Ministry officials and military-industrial complex officials. The Kremlin leader also called for serial production of the large missile to begin. Russia launched the so-called Oreshnik ballistic missile against Ukraine on November 21 in a strike targeting the city of Dnipro. Putin said at the time it was part of Moscow's response to Ukrainian attacks on Russian soil with U.S.-supplied ATACMS and British-supplied Storm Shadow missiles. The use of the Oreshnik "is first and foremost a messaging and saber rattling kind of weapon. This is the sort of delivery system that's not cheap. It's not a battlefield sort of weapon," Tom Karako, a missile defense expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, told RFE/RL. Putin added on November 22 that the Oreshnik is new and not an upgrade of previous Soviet-designed weaponry. The United States said the new missile is “experimental” and based on Russia’s RS-26 Rubezh intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). Ukraine initially accused Russia of having used an ICBM in the Dnipro attack. An ICBM has never been used in a war. Strategic Weapons Russia has been striking Ukraine with Iskanders, ground-launched, short-range ballistic missiles, and Kinzhals, air-launched, intermediate-range ballistic missiles, as well as various cruise missiles. Russia probably only has several units of the Oreshnik in stock, a U.S. official told media following the November 21 strike. Ukraine's military intelligence put the figure at up to 10 units. If Russia were to move forward with serial production of the Oreshnik, it would be for its nuclear force posture and not for use in a conventional war like the one with Ukraine, Karako said. "This is not an alternative to a cruise missile. It's probably designed for strategic weapons," he said. Zelenskiy's Response In his November 21 address to the nation announcing the use of the Oreshnik, Putin said that the missile traveled at a speed of Mach 10, or 2.5-3 kilometers per second, claiming that "there are currently no ways of counteracting this weapon." Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on November 22 that Ukraine was working on developing new types of air defenses to counter "new risks," a reference to missiles like the Oreshnik. In his nightly video address, Zelenskiy said testing a new weapon for the purposes of terror in another country was an "international crime" and called for a worldwide "serious response" to keep Russia from expanding the war. "When someone starts using other countries not only for terror, but also for testing their new missiles through acts of terror, then this is clearly an international crime." A lack of air defenses has been one of Ukraine's major weak spots in the 33-month war with Ukraine. Zelenskiy has called on the West to deliver more air defense systems since the first days of the invasion. He had also called on the West to ease restrictions preventing Ukraine from striking inside Russia with powerful long-range weapons. Zelenskiy said the deep strikes were necessary to target airfields critical for Russia's daily aerial attacks. The United States and the United Kingdom reportedly lifted the restrictions on November 17 with Ukraine using their long-range weapons -- ATACMS and Storm Shadow respectively -- to hit targets in Russia's regions of Belgorod and Kursk. Putin launched the Oreshnik into Ukraine to warn the West against arming Ukraine. Parliament Session Canceled Russia did not use the Oreshnik to strike Ukraine during another deadly air attack on November 22. Two people were killed and 12 wounded in Russian strikes on Sumy, Artem Kobzar, the mayor of the northeastern Ukrainian city, reported in a video statement on Telegram. The Ukrainian Air Force said Russian drone attacks were under way in four regions -- Sumy, Kyiv, Chernihiv, and Zhytomyr. In the capital, which has been on edge for several days amid intense Russian attacks on Ukraine, lawmakers were advised to avoid the government district on November 22 and parliament canceled a scheduled session due to warnings of a potential missile strike. "We were informed about the risk of a missile strike on the Verkhovna Rada in Kyiv in the coming days. Putin has significantly raised the stakes . Tomorrow's parliamentary session is canceled," lawmaker Taras Batenko said. Oleksiy Honcharenko, another lawmaker, said on Telegram that the next session was now planned for December, although parliament leaders have not officially commented on the warnings. Zelenskiy's office assured the public that the presidential administration would continue operating "as usual" on November 22. The Russian Supreme Court has declared the international organization Post-Russia Free Nations Forum a terrorist group, the latest move in the Kremlin's clampdown on any sign of dissent. The organization, founded in Poland in 2022, has been accused of promoting separatism and aiming to disband the Russian Federation into independent states under foreign influence. Russia is a multiethnic state comprised of more than 80 regions, many of which have large indigenous populations, such as Chechnya and Tatarstan. Since coming to power in 1999, Russian President Vladimir Putin has centralized authority, curtailing the autonomy that some ethnic regions enjoyed. Russia's invasion of Ukraine and its attempt to wipe out Ukrainian identity has shone a bright light on the Kremlin's historical mistreatment of its own indigenous populations and triggered a "decolonization" movement that seeks to give more prominence to ethnic groups within Russian historical and cultural studies. The case against the Post-Russia Free Nations Forum was launched in late October by the Prosecutor-General’s Office, which cited its activities as a threat to Russia’s territorial integrity and national security. In its statement, the Prosecutor General’s Office alleged that the forum operates through 172 regional and national entities, including the Baltic Republican Party, the Ingria Movement, the Congress of Peoples of the North Caucasus, the Free Yakutia Foundation, and the Far Eastern Confederation. The office claims these groups are directed by exiled leaders of separatist movements. “These leaders aim to divide the Russian Federation into independent states that would fall under the influence of hostile foreign countries,” the Prosecutor-General’s Office stated on its official website. The Post-Russia Free Nations Forum is registered in Poland and describes itself as a civic movement advocating for greater regional autonomy within Russia, with some members supporting full independence for regions. On its website and social media platforms, the organization also uses variations of its name, such as the Post-Russia Free States Forum. Ukrainian businessman Oleh Mahaletskiy positions himself as one of the founders of the group and is believed to be a major sponsor. The group’s activities have included discussions on decentralization and independence, with notable speakers such as the noted Tatar activist Nafis Kashapov, Bashkir activist Ruslan Gabbasov, Russian opposition politician Ilya Ponomaryov, U.S. political analyst Janusz Bugajski, and others. Following the November 22 terrorist designation by the Supreme Court, all activities of the Post-Russia Free Nations Forum are now banned in Russia. Membership or association with the group is subject to criminal prosecution under Russian anti-terrorism laws. Critics of the ruling argue that the designation reflects a broader crackdown on dissent and regional autonomy movements in Russia. They note that the Forum primarily operates abroad and online, raising questions about the ruling’s effectiveness outside Russian borders. The Forum has not yet responded to the court’s decision. Observers suggest that this ruling may escalate tensions between Russia and countries hosting members of the organization, particularly Poland, where it is registered. The authoritarian ruler of Belarus, Alyaksandr Lukashenka, has threatened to shut down the Internet in the event of mass protests during or after the upcoming presidential election, after the previous vote in 2020 erupted in unprecedented unrest amid opposition allegations it was rigged. Speaking to students at Minsk State Linguistic University on November 22, Lukashenka defended past Internet restrictions and warned of future measures to throttle dissent. "If this happens again, we will shut it down entirely. Do you think I will sit idly and pray you don't send a message when the fate of the country is at stake?" state news agency BelTA quoted him as saying. Lukashenka admitted that Internet disruptions during the 2020 protests were conducted with his approval, citing the need to "protect the country." Following the August 9, 2020, election, which many Western governments have said was not free and fair, Internet access across Belarus was disrupted for several days and intermittently blocked. The disputed election that extended Lukashenka's decades of rule -- he has held power since 1994 -- for another term was widely condemned as fraudulent by the United States, the European Union, and other international actors. The protests, which demanded Lukashenka’s resignation, were met with mass arrests, alleged torture, and violent crackdowns that left several people dead. Many opposition leaders remain imprisoned or in exile, while Lukashenka refuses dialogue with his critics. The next presidential election in Belarus is scheduled for January 26. Alsu Kurmasheva, a journalist for RFE/RL's Tatar-Bashkir Service, was honored with the International Press Freedom Award by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) in a ceremony held in New York on November 21. Kurmasheva, who was recently released from detention in Russia after spending 288 days in custody, thanked the CPJ for its efforts toward gaining her freedom. "Journalism is not a crime," she said , noting that more than 20 journalists are currently imprisoned in Russia. Kurmasheva added that she was dedicating the award to her colleagues still imprisoned , including RFE/RL journalists Ihar Losik and Andrey Kuznechyk in Belarus, Vladislav Yesypenko in Crimea, and Farid Mehralizada in Azerbaijan. "My colleagues are not just statistics; like me they are real human beings with families who miss and love them. There are dozens of other journalists in Russian prisons. They should be released at once," Kurmasheva stressed . Other recipients of the award this year included Palestinian journalist Shorouq al-Aila, Guatemalan journalist Kimi de Leon, and Nigerien investigative journalist Samira Sabou, all recognized for their courage in the face of persecution. Detained by authorities in June 2023 as she was visiting relatives in the central Russian city of Kazan, Kurmasheva was initially charged with not declaring her U.S. passport. She was released but barred from leaving the country. That October, however, she was arrested, jailed, and charged with being an undeclared "foreign agent" -- under a draconian law targeting journalists, civil society activists, and others. She was later hit with an additional charge: distributing what the government claims is false information about the Russian military, a charge stemming from her work editing a book about Russians opposed to the ongoing invasion of Ukraine. RFE/RL, as well as the U.S. government, called the charges absurd. The prisoner exchange that came to fruition on August 1 included 24 people in all -- including Kurmasheva, Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gerskovich, and Russian political activist Vladimir Kara-Murza -- in a complex, seven-country deal. Religious tensions are on the rise in northwestern Pakistan following a deadly attack on a police-escorted convoy of Shi'ite Muslims that threatened to reignite sectarian violence in a strife-plagued region of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province. In the aftermath of the attack on the 200-vehicle convoy traveling from Peshawar to Parachinar, the capital city of the Kurram district, authorities on November 22 imposed a curfew and suspended mobile service in the remote mountainous district. RFE/RL correspondents on the ground reported on November 22 that heavily armed people set fire to a military checkpoint in the area overnight. In Parachinar, dozens of angry people carrying automatic weapons were gathering, amid reports that several other facilities of the Pakistani Army and the paramilitary Frontier Constabulary were attacked and destroyed, with RFE/RL correspondents reporting sounds of constant heavy gunfire. Jamshed Shirazi, a social activist in Parachinar, told RFE/RL that several government installations had been damaged by the angry protesters. "People are expressing their anger by attacking the government offices," Shirazi said. But Jalal Hussain Bangash, a local Shi'ite leader, voiced dismay at the violence during a Friday Prayer sermon on November 22 and said that Shi'a had nothing to do with the ensuing violence, RFE/RL correspondents on the ground report . Hamid Hussain, a lawmaker from Kurram in the national parliament, was adamant that the violence was the work of provocateurs. "We are helpless. Neither Shi'a nor Sunnis are involved in this. This is some other invisible forces who do not want to see peace in the area," Hussain told RFE/RL. At least 48 people, including several women and children, were killed and more than 40 wounded when gunmen opened fire on November 21 on the convoy of vehicles in the Kurram district of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province near the Afghan border. Local leaders told RFE/RL that most of those killed were Shi'a, but at least four Sunnis were also among the dead. No one has taken responsibility for the attack, the latest in a series of deadly confrontations in Kurram, long known as a hotspot of Shi'ite-Sunni sectarian conflict. Local tribal leader Malik Dildar Hussain told RFE/RL that there were about 700 people in the convoy. Tensions in Kurram began to heat up in the past several months, where clashes again erupted between Sunni and Shi'ite Muslim tribes in the area, which was formerly semiautonomous. On October 12, 17 people were killed in an attack on a convoy, and there have been a handful of deadly attacks since then. Sunnis and Shi'a live together in Kurram and have clashed violently over land, forests, and other property as well as religion over the years, despite government and law enforcement efforts to build peace. Minority Shi'ite Muslims have long suffered discrimination and violence in Sunni-majority Pakistan. Moscow launched another deadly attack on Ukraine on November 22, a day after firing what it said was a new intermediate-range missile that the Kremlin boasted was a " warning " for the West, after Kyiv reportedly obtained permission from President Joe Biden to strike into Russia with U.S. long-range missiles. Two people were killed and 12 wounded in Russian strikes on Sumy, Artem Kobzar, the mayor of the northeastern Ukrainian city, reported in a video statement on Telegram. Ukraine's air force said Russian drone attacks were under way in four regions -- Sumy, Kyiv, Chernihiv, and Zhytomyr. In the capital, which has been on edge for several days amid intense Russian attacks on Ukraine, lawmakers were advised to avoid the government district on November 22 and parliament canceled a scheduled session due to warnings of a potential missile strike. "We were informed about the risk of a missile strike on the Verkhovna Rada in Kyiv in the coming days. Putin has significantly raised the stakes . Tomorrow's parliamentary session is canceled," lawmaker Taras Batenko said, while lawmaker Oleksiy Honcharenko said on Telegram that the next session was now planned for December, although parliament leaders have not officially commented on the warnings. The office of President Volodymyr Zelenskiy assured the public that it would continue operating "as usual" on November 22. On November 20, the U.S. Embassy in Ukraine warned of a significant Russian air attack, prompting the temporary closure of its operations. The embassies of Spain, Italy, and Greece also suspended services for the day. On November 21, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the "successful combat testing" of a new Oreshnik (Hazel Tree) intermediate-range ballistic missile amid the Kremlin's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Putin claimed the missile was used in a strike on Ukraine's eastern city of Dnipro, asserting it was a response to NATO’s "aggressive actions" and Ukraine’s use of Western-supplied missiles to target Russian territory. On November 22, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov reiterated that the test was a message to the West that Moscow will respond harshly to any "reckless" Western moves in support of Ukraine. "The main message is that the reckless decisions and actions of Western countries that produce missiles, supply them to Ukraine, and subsequently participate in strikes on Russian territory cannot remain without a reaction from the Russian side," Peskov told reporters. "The Russian side has clearly demonstrated its capabilities, and the contours of further retaliatory actions in the event that our concerns are not taken into account have been quite clearly outlined," he said. Ukraine's military intelligence said on November 22 that Russia may have up to 10 units of the new missile. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has invited his Israeli counterpart to visit Hungary, defying an arrest warrant for issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for Benjamin Netanyahu that other European states say they will honor. Orban, speaking during his regular weekly interview with Hungarian state radio, said on November 22 that the ICC's decision a day earlier to issue the warrant accusing Netanyahu of "crimes against humanity and war crimes" committed during the war in Gaza was "outrageously brazen" and "cynical." The ICC issued similar arrest warrants for former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and a Hamas military leader who Israel claims to have killed but whose death the U.S.- and EU-designated terrorist group has not officially acknowledged. The ICC said Netanyahu and Gallant were suspected of using "starvation as a method of warfare" by restricting humanitarian aid while targeting civilians in Israel's war in Gaza -- charges Israeli officials deny. Orban said the ICC move against Netanyahu "intervenes in an ongoing conflict...dressed up as a legal decision, but in fact for political purposes." "Later today, I will invite the Israeli prime minister, Mr. Netanyahu, to visit Hungary, where I will guarantee him, if he comes, that the judgment of the ICC will have no effect in Hungary, and that we will not follow its terms," he added. "There is no choice here, we have to defy this decision," Orban said. Shortly after the ICC decision was announced, the European Union's top diplomat, Josep Borrell, said ICC decisions "are binding on all states party to the Rome Statute, which includes all EU member states." However, the EU's most powerful members, Germany and France, on November 22 reacted with restraint to the ICC warrants. A spokesman said the German government will refrain from any moves until a visit to Germany by Netanyahu is planned. "I find it hard to imagine that we would make arrests on this basis," Steffen Hebestreit said on November 22, adding that legal questions had to be clarified about the warrant. In Paris, Foreign Ministry spokesman Christophe Lemoine only said that France acknowledged the ICC's move and voiced its support for the ICC's independence. "France takes note of this decision. True to its long-standing commitment to supporting international justice, it reiterates its attachment to the independent work of the court, in accordance with the Rome Statute," Lemoine said. Hungary, a NATO and European Union member state, has signed and ratified the 1999 document. However, it has not published the statute's associated convention and therefore argues that it is not bound to comply with ICC decisions. Netanyahu on November 22 thanked Orban for his show of "moral clarity." "Faced with the shameful weakness of those who stood by the outrageous decision against the right of the State of Israel to defend itself, Hungary" is "standing by the side of justice and truth," Netanyahu said in a statement. A right-wing nationalist in power since 2010, Orban has maintained close relations with Russian President Vladimir Putin and has voiced opposition to the EU's sanctions imposed on Moscow after its unprovoked invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Orban has previously said that Hungary would not arrest Putin either, despite the ICC arrest warrant issued on the Russian leader's name for war crimes for his role in deporting Ukrainian children. Furthermore, he flew to Moscow in July immediately after Hungary took over the EU's rotating six-month presidency to meet with Putin, in defiance of the fellow members of the bloc.Scientists pinpoint just how fast Santa would have to travel to visit every child on the planet... and reveal why, at this speed, Rudolf's nose wouldn't be red READ MORE: Follow the 2024 NORAD Santa Tracker LIVE By WILIAM HUNTER Published: 16:27 GMT, 24 December 2024 | Updated: 16:30 GMT, 24 December 2024 e-mail 4 View comments As Christmas approaches, children around the world will be eagerly awaiting a visit from Santa and his reindeer. But with around two billion children on the planet, Santa really has his work cut out for him tonight. Scientists have calculated that Santa would need to travel 89 million miles (144 million kilometres) to deliver presents to all the good girls and boys around the world. That is the equivalent of flying his sleigh all the way from Earth to the sun in a single night. In order to leave some time for delivering presents, this means Santa would need to travel at 5.1 million miles per hour (8.2 million kmph), or 0.8 per cent of the speed of light. That incredible speed might also explain why Joly Saint Nick is able to fit his belly down a narrow chimney. According to Albert Einstein's theory of special relativity, objects travelling with Santa's sleigh will become compressed in size as they near the speed of light. But most strange of all, scientists say that, at this speed, Rudolf's famous nose wouldn't appear red at all. Scientists have calculated that Santa would need to cover 89 million miles (144 million kilometres) to deliver presents to all the children who celebrate Christmas. This is the equivalent of travelling almost all the way to the sun in a single night (stock image) Dr Laura Nicole Driessen, a radio astronomer from the University of Sydney, made these festive calculations based on a formula created by particle physicists from Fermilab in the 1980s. First Dr Driessen estimated the number of children that Santa would need to deliver presents to. There are approximately two billion children on Earth, but Christmas is only celebrated in some way in 93 per cent of countries we can assume that seven per cent of children don’t need presents. But, of course, even among those who celebrate Christmas not every child is good enough to warrant a visit from the man himself. Writing for the Conversation, Dr Driessen says: 'We know Father Christmas only delivers presents to those who truly believe. 'If we assume the same percentage of believers by age as found in the United States, that leaves us with approximately 690 million children.' And with about 2.3 children per household worldwide, Santa will need to stop at a minimum of 300 million homes tonight. 'Spreading those households evenly across 69 million square kilometres of habitable land area on Earth,' says Dr Driessen. In order to make that journey, Santa would need to travel at a minimum speed of 5.1 million miles per hour (8.2 million kmph), or 0.8 per cent of the speed of light. Pictured: The NORAD Santa Tracker 'Father Christmas has to travel 144 million kilometres on Christmas Eve. That’s nearly the same as the distance from Earth to the Sun.' That would be a very tall order if Father Christmas only had the 10 hours between 20:00 and 06:00 the next day when children in the UK are sleeping. Thankfully, he gets a few extra hours thanks to Earth’s rotation. If the children are evenly distributed around the globe, then Sata has at least 24 hours to travel from the make his way all around the planet. And, with the 11-hour difference in time zones between one side of the world and the other, Santa has a total of 35 hours from the first child falling asleep to the last waking up. Dr Driessen says: 'Let’s say Father Christmas uses half his time to zip in and out of each household, which gives him 17.5 hours total or 0.2 milliseconds per household. He uses the other 17.5 hours for travelling between households. 'My hypothesis is that he needs to travel at a whopping 8.2 million kilometres per hour, or 0.8 per cent of the speed of light, to drop off all the presents.' But if Santa wants some time to eat a mince pie and put his feet up and the end of the evening, Dr Driessen suggests he might have to travel significantly faster. Some of the strangest effects would occur when looking at the bright nose of Rudolf the reindeer. At this speed, scientists say it might not appear red at all (stock image) To deliver everything nice and fast, Santa could travel 10 per cent of the speed of light - or 66.5 million miles per hour (107 million kmph). However, at these speeds, things would start to get very weird for Father Christmas. Thanks to the theory of special relativity, from our perspective Santa and anything travelling with him would appear to be much skinnier than usual. Even though Einstein predicts that Santa would gain more mass as he gets faster, as he nears the speed of light he would get compressed in the direction he’s travelling – letting him slip down a chimney with ease. Dr Katy Sheen, a physicist in the geography department at the University of Exeter, has previously suggested this could also be why Santa always looks the same age. As objects near the speed of light, time moves slower from their frame of reference than in ours which means that Santa would age slower while travelling. Yet, thanks to something called the Dopler Effect, the strangest effects would occur if we were to look out for the bright light of Rudolf's nose. This is the same effect which means that an oncoming ambulance’s siren sounds higher pitched than it does once it has passed. The Dopler effect means that motion changes the frequency of the sound wave based on the direction of motion of its source. This is why ambulance sirens sound lower after they've passed us Due to the Dopler Effect, Rudolf would appear to have a bright orange nose as he flies towards you and a dark black nose as he flies away As the object races towards us, the waves are compressed making the pitch higher and as it moves away the waves stretch out to produce a lower tone. The faster something is moving the more pronounced this effect becomes which means that Rudolf’s breakneck flight will create an extraordinarily strong Dopler effect. Red-coloured light has a wavelength, the distance between one peak to the next, of 694.3 nanometres when its source is at rest. Flying at 10 per cent of the speed of light, we would see this light shift radically in either direction. Read More How to spot 'Santa' in the sky tomorrow as the International Space Station passes over the UK Dr Driessen says: 'At this speed, Rudolph’s nose would be blueshifted to bright orange (624 nanometres) as he was flying towards your home. 'And it would be redshifted to a very dark red (763 nanometres) as he was moving away. 'The darkest red human eyes can see is around 780 nanometres. At these speeds, Rudolph’s nose would be almost black.' That means no one on Earth would ever really get to see Rudolf's famous red nose. WHAT IS THE DOPPLER EFFECT? The Doppler Effect is a well-understood physical phenomenon which is also seen in astrophysics as the universe expands and creates 'redshifting' but is more commonly seen in sirens. For example, when a blaring ambulance or police car shoots past with its sirens on, they seem high-pitched as they approach you and then lower-pitched as they speed past. This is due to the compression of sound waves as they come closer, and they then stretch out as they grow more distant. A stretched-out sound wave has a greater wavelength, and therefore a lower frequency, resulting in an increasingly lower pitch. In astronomy, scientists use this effect to measure the speed of distant stars and planets. When light sources in space move away from us, their wavelengths are stretched out into the red end of the spectrum. Likewise, when something is moving towards us the light wave is compressed and the light shifts towards the blue part of the spectrum. By looking at this red and blue shift, we are able to work out how something is moving relative to Earth. For example, by measuring the red-shift of distant supernovae the Hubble Space Telescope and James Webb Space Telescope have helped to calculate how fast the universe is expanding. Astronomers have also used this effect to work out whether a star is orbiting another. The Doppler effect, or Doppler shift, describes the changes in frequency of any kind of sound or light wave produced by a moving source with respect to an observer Christmas Earth Share or comment on this article: Scientists pinpoint just how fast Santa would have to travel to visit every child on the planet... and reveal why, at this speed, Rudolf's nose wouldn't be red e-mail Add comment
Sacramento region gained people but flubbed economic opportunities over 50 years | Dan Walters
AP Trending SummaryBrief at 5:42 p.m. ESTOne of Macomb County’s major medical facilities will continue to push for placement of a powerline development in Clinton Township despite the opposition of some residents and township officials in the area. Henry Ford Hospital Macomb officials will go before the township’s Board of Trustees on Monday evening to further discuss a plan to build a series of utility poles carrying power transmission lines down 19 Mile Road, east of Hayes Road, to provide extra electricity to the hospital as well as area businesses and residents. The move follows completion of the Janet & Jim Riehl Patient Tower, a five-story, 225,000-square-foot addition featuring 160 private patient rooms. The $300 million project is the largest healthcare investment in Macomb County history, according to Henry Ford Health’s website. Much of the electricity from the new line will go to powering the new patient tower for and empowering the area’s future power needs, officials said “Our vision for the campus doesn’t stop there,” the hospital said in a statement Thursday. “We’ve always known our plans would require expanded utility capacity. Currently the powerlines to the hospital are close to capacity. The additional power lines will provide the long-term stability patients deserve and ensure we can serve our growing community now and in the future.” Monday’s meeting marks the latest effort by hospital representatives to convince township board members to approve the plans, which include a special land use application and site development for International Transmission Company (ITC). But the Clinton Township board has experienced personnel changes since the Nov. 5 election. Former township Supervisor Bob Cannon did not seek reelection and was replaced by Paul Gieleghem, and trustees Mike Keys and Tammy Patton lost their respective races. The board includes new members in Shannon King, Bruce Wade and Mike Aiello. Hospital officials said they hope to educate the new board members on the electrification project. “The transmission line project will provide our organization with the long-term ability to meet the needs of our community without any unnecessary risks along with dangerous outages,” Shana Johnson, hospital president, said at the board’s Nov. 6 meeting. According to Johnson, the hospital’s investment into the Riehl Patient Tower is approximately $300 million. Mike Markel, vice president of operations and chief nursing officer for Henry Ford Macomb, said the tower is designed to be a critical care facility in the future. If the power line project isn’t approved, additional work on the conversion will have to stop, he said. According to Markel, the power lines that run to the hospital are close to operating at capacity levels. “Critical care technology creates high demand on the power lines,” he said. “If the power lines are overloaded, we lose power and must rely on generators. If we find ourselves in a situation where we are at constant risk of overloading the powerlines, we won’t be able to fully activate the tower for critical care.” But township officials have been critical of ITC and the hospital, saying the power lines should have been already addressed. Trustee Dan Kress said the process now seems “rushed.” “A lack of planning on your part doesn’t constitute a crisis on our end,” he said. “This is a monumental decision that is going to last forever.” Kress made a motion to table the item to give board members time to review a 171-page document that was put in the board packet prior to the meeting. He said he would like the planning department and residents to weigh in on the development. The matter was tabled on a 4-3 board vote, with Kress, Keys Gieleghem and Trustee Julie Matuzak voting for the delay. Cannon, Patton and Clerk Kim Meltzer opposed the measure. Another issue centers on what route the power lines will take and whether they will be visible or buried underground. The proposed 80-acre path would cut through the Westchester Village Condominiums near the intersection of 19 Mile and Hayes Road. ITC Area Manager Gary Kirsh said all of the routes considered for the line presented their own challenges. Kirsh, a former elected official in Washington Township, said ITC’s preferred route is “the most direct route and avoids many of the challenges.” He conceded the path has “residential impacts.” “By the numbers, this route has the lowest residential impacts. But for those residents along 19 Mile, we acknowledge the impact they are feeling and their position that any impact is too much,” Kirsh said. Some township trustees suggested studying different routes, while others say they backed running the lines in a route that would cut through Macomb Community College’s Clinton Township campus. Plans call for landscaping and a decorative wall to be added to the mix to soften the visual impact of the power lines. Heather Puzan, who who lives in Westchester condos, is skeptical of those efforts. “All of the units on the second floor, every one of us, are going to have those power lines right in our line of view,” she said. “Those lines are going to be 40 to 50 feet from my livings room, from people’s bedrooms.” ITC and Henry Ford Health officials prefer a plan that would run the lines above ground. Kirsh said burying the lines present another issue. If the lines were buried, the construction area would be about 50 feet wide and 20 feet deep. He said all roads the line is crossing would be impacted and, if there’s a future disruption, the process to fix it would be difficult as the lines would have to be dug up in order to provide access to them. Officials said placing the lines underground would “significantly extend” the construction timeline, delaying the additional electrical capacity required by the hospital and township by three years or more. The underground option is also the most expensive alternative, representatives said. “Burying the lines underground is great until it isn’t great,” said Mark Corriveau, Henry Ford’s vice president and chief government relations officer. Finally, there is compensation to be paid to the Westchester residents by ITC. Therese Lenzini, whose daughter daughter lives in the condos said she has questions about the compensation. “I’d like to know, because this is obviously going to make you a lot of money, what they’re going to do for the residents of Westchester Village, whose condo complex is going to be greatly affected by this,” she said. Kirsh said the condo association’s bylaws require them to go through the state’s condemnation process. The process requires ITC to compensate residents impacted by the development in a particular way. In order to move the condemnation process forward, ITC needed to enter into individual lawsuits with affected residents. An attorney for ITC, Geoffrey Denstaedt, said the organization has deposited into escrow funds ITC deems to be the estimated just compensation. He said residents may present evidence to show whether they disagree and they believe the correct compensation should be. Heather Puzan, another resident who lives in Westerchester condos, expressed concern over how long it would take the landscaping ITC proposes to install to mature. She also said the lines likely will decrease the value of her unit and create an eyesore. “My home is now going to be somewhere I want to leave,” she said. The Clinton Township Board of Trustees meets at 6:30 p.m. Monday at Civic Center, 40700 Romeo Plank Road.
Pittsburgh quarterback Eli Holstein was carted off the field with 5:32 left in the first quarter with an apparent left ankle injury during Saturday's Atlantic Coast Conference game against host Louisville. The freshman was sacked at the Panthers' 49-yard line by Louisville's Ashton Gillotte, who rolled on the quarterback's ankle. Holstein was in a walking boot as he was helped to the cart. Holstein missed last week's game against Clemson after suffering a head injury in the loss to Virginia two weeks ago. Holstein was 3-for-5 passing for 51 yards and an interception before exiting. Nate Yarnell, who threw for 350 yards in the loss to Clemson, replaced Holstein. --Field Level MediaWhether you spell it Hannukah, Hanukkah or Channukah, it’s a holiday celebrated by the Jewish community around the world. Also known as the Festival of Lights, it commemorates when Jews had to leave their temple after it was occupied by the Syrian-Greek empire. When they returned, they found only had enough oil to light the candelabras (now called the menorah) for one night. Miraculously, the oil lasted for eight days. Today, Jews light the menorah for eight nights. They play games, sing songs and exchange gifts to joyfully celebrate the high holidays. Of course, the festive party cooking and eating a menu of delicious food is involved, too. The party spreads involve foods that are fried—like potato latkes and jelly doughnuts—as reminders of the oil in the Hanukkah story. Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Thanks for the feedback.
Donegal Deputy Pearse Doherty is calling on Fianna Fáil to further expand on their proposed taxation plans in their General Election manifesto. The Sinn Fein Finance Spokesperson made the call after a national radio debate today, where he challenged his Fianna Fail counterpart, Minister for Finance Jack Chambers, on a proposed €1.57 billion increase in tax revenues. Deputy Doherty says that Fianna Fáil haven’t done enough to explain exactly where this money will be raised. In a statement, Doherty said that “...Fianna Fáil have presented a €1.57 billion tax package, and with six days to go before the election, they still haven’t explained to voters, who are being hammered by the cost of living crisis, which taxes they are going to increase to raise this money.” He challenged Minister Chambers to demonstrate where these increases would come from. “Today, I challenged Jack Chambers on this. He initially and ludicrously attempted to claim that he would do this through raising tax on cigarettes. This is nonsense,” Deputy Doherty claimed. “I explained to the Minister that to raise such an amount through taxes on cigarettes, he would have to raise the price of a packet of cigarettes by another €20 on top of what they already cost now. That could mean a pack of cigarettes costing up to €36.” “Jack Chambers then quickly changed tack and said it would be raised through carbon taxes. However, an increase in carbon taxes has already been legislated for up to 2030.” “That will not bring in additional money that the government can spend. It’s already factored into the budgetary package. You can’t spend that money twice – unless Jack Chambers is planning to double the tax increase – from 12 cent on a litre of diesel to 24 cent a litre.” “Fianna Fáil needs to come clean now. They need to be honest with the public on what additional taxes they are planning to increase over the next number of years to raise the €1.5bn of taxes included in their manifesto.” “The fact of the matter is that Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael in government will impose punitive tax measures on hard-working people who are already at the pin of their collar trying to make ends meet. That is not good enough and it’s not what people want.”Coleen Rooney reveals remark Trump made about her at White House meeting
Hezbollah fires about 250 rockets and other projectiles into Israel in heaviest barrage in weeks BEIRUT (AP) — Hezbollah has fired about 250 rockets and other projectiles into Israel, wounding seven people in one of the militant group’s heaviest barrages in months. Sunday's attacks in northern and central Israel came in response to deadly Israeli strikes in central Beirut on Saturday. Israel struck southern Beirut on Sunday. Meanwhile, negotiators press on with cease-fire efforts to halt the all-out war. And Lebanon's military says an Israeli strike on a Lebanese army center in the southwest killed one soldier and wounded 18 others. Israel's military has expressed regret and said its operations are directed solely against the militants. Israel cracks down on Palestinian citizens who speak out against the war in Gaza UMM AL-FAHM, Israel (AP) — In the year since the war in Gaza broke out, Israel's government has been cracking down on dissent among its Palestinian citizens. Authorities have charged Palestinians with “supporting terrorism” because of posts online or for demonstrating against the war. Activists and rights watchdogs say Palestinians have also lost jobs, been suspended from schools and faced police interrogations. Palestinians make up about 20% of Israel's population. Many feel forced to self-censor out of fear of being jailed and further marginalized in society. Others still find ways to dissent, but carefully. Israel's National Security Ministry counters that, “Freedom of speech is not the freedom to incite.” Israel says rabbi who went missing in the UAE was killed. The government arrests 3 TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Israel says the body of an Israeli-Moldovan rabbi who went missing in the United Arab Emirates has been found, citing Emirati authorities. The UAE’s Interior Ministry said authorities arrested three perpetrators involved in the killing of Zvi Kogan. The statement from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office on Sunday said Kogan was killed, calling it a “heinous antisemitic terror incident.” It said: “The state of Israel will act with all means to seek justice with the criminals responsible for his death." Kogan went missing on Thursday, and there were suspicions he had been kidnapped. His disappearance comes as Iran has been threatening to retaliate against Israel after the two countries traded fire in October. Somalia says 24 people have died after 2 boats capsized in the Indian Ocean MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) — Somalia's government says 24 people died after two boats capsized off the Madagascar coast in the Indian Ocean. Somalia’s Foreign Minister Ahmed Moalim Fiqi said 46 people were rescued. Most of the passengers were young Somalis, and their intended destination remains unclear. Many young Somalis embark every year on dangerous journeys in search of better opportunities abroad. A delegation led by the Somali ambassador to Ethiopia is scheduled to travel to Madagascar on Monday to investigate the incident and coordinate efforts to help survivors. The rising price of paying the national debt is a risk for Trump's promises on growth and inflation WASHINGTON (AP) — Donald Trump has big plans for the economy. He also has big debt problem that'll be a hurdle to delivering on those plan. Trump has bold ambitions on tax cuts, tariffs and other programs. But high interest rates and the price of repaying the federal government’s existing debt could limit what he’s able to do. The federal debt stands at roughly $36 trillion, and the spike in inflation after the pandemic has pushed up the government’s borrowing costs such that debt service next year will easily exceed spending on national security. Moscow offers debt forgiveness to new recruits and AP sees wreckage of a new Russian missile KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a law granting debt forgiveness to new army recruits who enlist to fight in Ukraine. The measure, whose final version appeared on a government website Saturday, underscores Russia’s needs for military personnel in the nearly 3-year-old war, even as it fired last week a new intermediate-range ballistic missile. Russia has ramped up military recruitment by offering increasing financial incentives to those willing to fight in Ukraine. Ukraine’s Security Service on Sunday showed The Associated Press wreckage of the new intermediate-range ballistic missile that struck a factory in the central Ukrainian city of Dnipro on Thursday. Forecasts warn of possible winter storms across US during Thanksgiving week WINDSOR, Calif. (AP) — Forecasters in the U.S. have warned of another round of winter weather that could complicate travel leading up to Thanksgiving. California is bracing for more snow and rain while still grappling with some flooding and small landslides from a previous storm. The National Weather Service has issued a winter storm warning for California's Sierra Nevada through Tuesday, with heavy snow expected at high elevations. Thousands remained without power in the Seattle area on Sunday after a “bomb cyclone” storm system hit the West Coast last week, killing two people. After Trump's win, Black women are rethinking their role as America's reliable political organizers ATLANTA (AP) — Donald Trump's victory has dismayed many politically engaged Black women, and they're reassessing their enthusiasm for politics and organizing. Black women often carry much of the work of getting out the vote, and they had vigorously supported the historic candidacy of Kamala Harris. AP VoteCast, a survey of more than 120,000 voters, found that 6 in 10 Black women said the future of democracy was the single most important factor for their vote this year, a higher share than for other demographic groups. But now, some Black women are renewing calls to emphasize rest, focus on mental health and become more selective about what fight they lend their organizing power to. Pakistani police arrest thousands of Imran Khan supporters ahead of rally in the capital ISLAMABAD (AP) — A Pakistani security officer says police have arrested thousands of Imran Khan supporters ahead of a rally in Islamabad to demand the ex-premier’s release from prison. Khan has been behind bars for more than a year. But he remains popular and his party says the cases against him are politically motivated. Police Sunday arrested more than 4,000 Khan supporters in eastern Punjab province, a Khan stronghold. They include five parliamentarians. Pakistan has sealed off the capital with shipping containers. It also suspended mobile and internet services “in areas with security concerns.” Uruguay's once-dull election has become a dead heat in the presidential runoff MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay (AP) — Uruguayans are heading to the polls to choose their next president. In Sunday's election, the candidates of the conservative governing party and the left-leaning coalition are locked in a close runoff after failing to win an outright majority in last month’s vote. It's a hard-fought race between Álvaro Delgado, the incumbent party’s candidate, and Yamandú Orsi from the Broad Front, a coalition of leftist and center-left parties that governed for 15 years until the 2019 victory of center-right President Luis Lacalle Pou — overseeing the legalization of abortion, same-sex marriage and the sale of marijuana in the small South American nation.
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (AP) — Makai Richards had 17 points in Chattanooga's 84-76 victory against Bryant on Wednesday. Richards added five rebounds for the Mocs (5-3). Trey Bonham shot 4 of 11 from the field, including 2 for 8 from 3-point range, and went 5 for 7 from the line to add 15 points. Sean Cusano went 5 of 7 from the field (3 for 4 from 3-point range) to finish with 13 points. Earl Timberlake led the Bulldogs (4-4) in scoring, finishing with 18 points, six rebounds and six assists. Bryant also got 16 points from Rafael Pinzon. Jakai Robinson finished with 12 points, six rebounds and two blocks. The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar .No. 1 South Carolina Upset by No. 5 UCLA; Snaps Gamecocks' 43-Game Winning Streak
Falcons drafting Penix no longer a head-scratcher with rookie QB shining in place of benched Cousins
Pathstone Holdings LLC grew its holdings in shares of iShares 7-10 Year Treasury Bond ETF ( NASDAQ:IEF – Free Report ) by 581.1% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 50,898 shares of the exchange traded fund’s stock after acquiring an additional 43,425 shares during the period. Pathstone Holdings LLC’s holdings in iShares 7-10 Year Treasury Bond ETF were worth $4,994,000 as of its most recent SEC filing. A number of other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the business. Capital Investment Counsel Inc bought a new stake in shares of iShares 7-10 Year Treasury Bond ETF in the 2nd quarter valued at $25,000. Innealta Capital LLC bought a new stake in iShares 7-10 Year Treasury Bond ETF during the second quarter valued at $28,000. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. acquired a new stake in iShares 7-10 Year Treasury Bond ETF during the 3rd quarter worth about $34,000. Van ECK Associates Corp bought a new position in shares of iShares 7-10 Year Treasury Bond ETF in the 3rd quarter worth about $35,000. Finally, Riggs Asset Managment Co. Inc. acquired a new position in shares of iShares 7-10 Year Treasury Bond ETF in the 2nd quarter valued at about $36,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.48% of the company’s stock. iShares 7-10 Year Treasury Bond ETF Stock Performance Shares of IEF stock opened at $93.60 on Friday. iShares 7-10 Year Treasury Bond ETF has a fifty-two week low of $91.02 and a fifty-two week high of $99.18. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $95.81 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $95.29. The company has a market cap of $33.25 billion, a P/E ratio of -21.67 and a beta of 0.05. iShares 7-10 Year Treasury Bond ETF Increases Dividend iShares 7-10 Year Treasury Bond ETF Company Profile ( Free Report ) iShares 7-10 Year Treasury Bond ETF (the Fund) is an is an exchange-traded fund. The Fund seeks to track the investment results of an index composed of the United States Treasury bonds with remaining maturities between seven and ten years. The Fund seeks to track the investment results of the Barclays U.S. See Also Want to see what other hedge funds are holding IEF? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for iShares 7-10 Year Treasury Bond ETF ( NASDAQ:IEF – Free Report ). Receive News & Ratings for iShares 7-10 Year Treasury Bond ETF Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for iShares 7-10 Year Treasury Bond ETF and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter .
No. 1 South Carolina women stunned by fifth-ranked UCLA 77-62, ending Gamecocks' 43-game win streak
I'm aiming for a million buying unexciting shares!The world's most climate-imperilled nations stormed out of consultations in protest at the deadlocked UN COP29 conference Saturday, as simmering tensions over a hard-fought finance deal erupted into the open. Diplomats from small island nations threatened by rising seas and impoverished African states angrily filed out of a meeting with summit hosts Azerbaijan over a final deal being thrashed out in a Baku sports stadium. "We've just walked out. We came here to this COP for a fair deal. We feel that we haven't been heard," said Cedric Schuster, the Samoan chairman of the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS). An unpublished version of the final text circulating in Baku, and seen by AFP, proposes that rich nations raise to $300 billion a year by 2035 their commitment to poorer countries to fight climate change. COP29 hosts Azerbaijan intended to put a final draft before 198 nations for adoption or rejection on Saturday evening, a full day after the marathon summit officially ended. But, in a statement, AOSIS said it had "removed" itself from the climate finance discussions, demanding an "inclusive" process. "If this cannot be the case, it becomes very difficult for us to continue our involvement here at COP29," it said. Sierra Leone's climate minister Jiwoh Abdulai, whose country is among the world's poorest, said the draft was "effectively a suicide pact for the rest of the world". An earlier offer from rich nations of $250 billion was slammed as offensively low by developing countries, who have demanded much higher sums to build resilience against climate change and cut emissions. UK Energy Secretary Ed Miliband said the revised offer of $300 billion was "a significant scaling up" of the existing pledge by developed nations, which also count the United States, European Union and Japan among their ranks. At sunset, a final text still proved elusive, as harried diplomats ran to-and-fro in the stadium near the Caspian Sea searching for common ground. "Hopefully this is the storm before the calm," said US climate envoy John Podesta in the corridors as somebody shouted "shame" in his direction. Earlier, the EU's climate commissioner Wopke Hoekstra said negotiators were not out of the woods yet. "We're doing everything we can on each of the axes to build bridges and to make this into a success. But it is iffy whether we will succeed," he said. Ali Mohamed, the Kenyan chair of the African Group of Negotiators, told AFP: "No deal is better than a bad deal." South African environment minister Dion George, however, said: "I think being ambitious at this point is not going to be very useful." "What we are not up for is going backwards or standing still," he said. "We might as well just have stayed at home then." The revised offer from rich countries came with conditions in other parts of the broader climate deal under discussion in Azerbaijan. The EU in particular wants an annual review on global efforts to phase out fossil fuels, which are the main drivers of global warming. This has run into opposition from Saudi Arabia, which has sought to water down a landmark pledge to transition away from oil, gas and coal made at COP28 last year. "We will not allow the most vulnerable, especially the small island states, to be ripped off by the new, few rich fossil fuel emitters," said German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock. Wealthy nations counter that it is politically unrealistic to expect more in direct government funding. The US earlier this month elected former president Donald Trump, a sceptic of both climate change and foreign assistance, and a number of other Western countries have seen right-wing backlashes against the green agenda. A coalition of more than 300 activist groups accused historic polluters most responsible for climate change of skirting their obligation, and urged developing nations to stand firm. The draft deal posits a larger overall target of $1.3 trillion per year to cope with rising temperatures and disasters, but most would come from private sources. Even $300 billion would be a step up from the $100 billion now provided by wealthy nations under a commitment set to expire. A group of developing countries had demanded at least $500 billion, with some saying that increases were less than met the eye due to inflation. Experts commissioned by the United Nations to assess the needs of developing countries said $250 billion was "too low" and by 2035 rich nations should be providing at least $390 billion. The US and EU have wanted newly wealthy emerging economies like China -- the world's largest emitter -- to chip in. China, which remains classified as a developing nation under the UN framework, provides climate assistance but wants to keep doing so on its own voluntary terms. bur-np-sct/lth/giv
Thrivent Financial for Lutherans reduced its position in Iron Mountain Incorporated ( NYSE:IRM – Free Report ) by 39.0% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 68,685 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 43,857 shares during the quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans’ holdings in Iron Mountain were worth $8,161,000 at the end of the most recent quarter. A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Legal & General Group Plc boosted its position in shares of Iron Mountain by 49.2% during the 2nd quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 3,899,276 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $349,453,000 after acquiring an additional 1,286,694 shares in the last quarter. AGF Management Ltd. boosted its holdings in Iron Mountain by 76.3% during the second quarter. AGF Management Ltd. now owns 2,245,393 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $201,232,000 after purchasing an additional 972,101 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its stake in shares of Iron Mountain by 0.3% in the 2nd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 2,126,237 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $190,553,000 after purchasing an additional 6,562 shares during the period. Duff & Phelps Investment Management Co. raised its holdings in shares of Iron Mountain by 45.0% in the 2nd quarter. Duff & Phelps Investment Management Co. now owns 1,298,330 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $116,356,000 after buying an additional 402,625 shares in the last quarter. Finally, DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale lifted its position in shares of Iron Mountain by 5.0% during the 2nd quarter. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale now owns 1,182,515 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $105,348,000 after buying an additional 56,503 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.13% of the company’s stock. Insiders Place Their Bets In related news, CEO William L. Meaney sold 15,875 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $117.36, for a total transaction of $1,863,090.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 295,650 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $34,697,484. The trade was a 5.10 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link . Also, Director Wendy J. Murdock sold 8,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $116.38, for a total transaction of $989,230.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 14,829 shares in the company, valued at $1,725,799.02. This represents a 36.44 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here . In the last quarter, insiders have sold 56,125 shares of company stock valued at $6,613,584. 2.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders. Iron Mountain Trading Up 0.3 % Iron Mountain Announces Dividend The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, January 7th. Investors of record on Monday, December 16th will be given a $0.715 dividend. This represents a $2.86 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.40%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 16th. Iron Mountain’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 794.47%. Analysts Set New Price Targets Several research firms have issued reports on IRM. Barclays dropped their price objective on Iron Mountain from $133.00 to $131.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, November 18th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Iron Mountain from $82.00 to $121.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, August 2nd. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price objective on shares of Iron Mountain from $106.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of Iron Mountain from $120.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus increased their price target on Iron Mountain from $117.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, September 23rd. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $129.40. Check Out Our Latest Stock Report on IRM Iron Mountain Company Profile ( Free Report ) Iron Mountain Incorporated (NYSE: IRM) is a global leader in information management services. Founded in 1951 and trusted by more than 240,000 customers worldwide, Iron Mountain serves to protect and elevate the power of our customers’ work. Through a range of offerings including digital transformation, data centers, secure records storage, information management, asset lifecycle management, secure destruction and art storage and logistics, Iron Mountain helps businesses bring light to their dark data, enabling customers to unlock value and intelligence from their stored digital and physical assets at speed and with security, while helping them meet their environmental goals. Further Reading Want to see what other hedge funds are holding IRM? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Iron Mountain Incorporated ( NYSE:IRM – Free Report ). Receive News & Ratings for Iron Mountain Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Iron Mountain and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter .
At the 46th All India Public Relations Conference held in Raipur from December 20-22, 2024, Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL) was honored with eight prestigious national awards by the Public Relations Society of India (PRSI). The awards were presented in recognition of SAIL's excellence in communication and its various PR initiatives. SAIL received accolades across multiple categories, showcasing the company's commitment to effective communication, digital engagement, and fostering stakeholder relationships. The categories in which SAIL was awarded include: E-Newsletter for SAIL Track Corporate Film (English) Best Communication Campaigns (Internal Publics) for SAIL Gaurav Diwas celebration House Journal (English) for SAIL News Best PR Programme for Promoting Science & Technology for its steel plant technologies Best Use of Social Media in a Corporate Campaign for promoting green steel Corporate Website Annual Report SAIL's Commitment to Effective Communication Speaking about the recognition, Shri Amarendu Prakash, Chairman of SAIL, expressed his pride in the company's achievements. He stated, “These awards underscore the various efforts of our communication initiatives in enhancing SAIL's image and outreach. SAIL has always given due emphasis on effective communication, which plays a crucial role in shaping the company's image and forging better stakeholder relationships. This recognition is a testimony to SAIL's dedication to excellence in communication. All employees of SAIL have appreciated this achievement. As we move forward, we will continue to innovate and uphold the highest standards in all our communication endeavors.” The Role of PR in SAIL's Growth The PRSI National Awards 2024 highlight the importance of corporate communications in advancing SAIL's strategic vision. The company's emphasis on internal communication through initiatives like SAIL Gaurav Diwas and its focus on science and technology through steel plant technologies showcase its innovative approaches to stakeholder engagement. The recognition for digital platforms, such as the corporate website, social media campaigns, and the SAIL Track e-newsletter, reflects SAIL's adaptability to digital communication channels and its commitment to promoting green steel and sustainable practices. This acknowledgment further reinforces SAIL's position as a leader in both the steel industry and corporate communication, paving the way for continued growth and engagement with its stakeholders, customers, and employees.StockNews.com began coverage on shares of VolitionRx ( NYSE:VNRX – Free Report ) in a research report released on Wednesday morning. The brokerage issued a sell rating on the stock. Separately, Benchmark reissued a “hold” rating on shares of VolitionRx in a research note on Friday, August 16th. View Our Latest Stock Report on VolitionRx VolitionRx Stock Down 0.8 % Institutional Trading of VolitionRx An institutional investor recently raised its position in VolitionRx stock. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in VolitionRx Limited ( NYSE:VNRX – Free Report ) by 15.1% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 730,448 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 95,900 shares during the quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC owned about 0.79% of VolitionRx worth $439,000 as of its most recent SEC filing. 8.09% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors. VolitionRx Company Profile ( Get Free Report ) VolitionRx Limited, a multi-national epigenetics company, engages in the development of blood tests to help diagnose and monitor a range of cancers, and sepsis and COVID-19 in the United States and internationally. The company offers Nu.Q Vet, a cancer screening test for dogs and other animals; Nu.Q Nets for monitoring the immune system; Nu.Q Cancer for monitoring disease progression, response to treatment and minimal residual disease; Capture-PCR, an isolating and capturing circulating tumor derived DNA from plasma samples for early cancer detection; and Nu.Q Discover, a solution to profiling nucleosomes. Featured Articles Receive News & Ratings for VolitionRx Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for VolitionRx and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter .
NoneJESSICA O'Mahony quipped 'everyone's got a job' as it was all hands on deck getting preparations under way for Christmas dinner. This included family members of varying ages making up a 'spud conveyor belt' as they got ready for tomorrow's scrum-ptious main course. Unfortunately, while her and Peter's Instagram accounts provide a regular supply of gardening snaps , there was no image of the Munster legend donning an apron or holding back tears while chopping up onions. But there was at least a cute pic of them and son Theo after the whole family's work was done for the day and they were able to put their feet up. Peter likely won't be able to put his feet up on Friday though as Munster will take on Leinster in a sold-out Thomond Park affair in the URC. That is assuming the 35-year-old will be deemed fit enough to feature having been absent since hobbling off with a knee problem against Castres in the Champions Cup on December 13 . On Monday, defence coach Denis Leamy outlined his confidence that O'Mahony, Conor Murray and Diarmuid Barron will be fit to face the table toppers having come through training without any issues. And the province could do with a boost on the injury front with Thaakir Abrahams (shoulder), Craig Casey (knee) and Jean Kleyn (thigh) all ruled out for the next four months having undergone surgery. That crocked list could get longer as the impressive centre Alex Nankivell is undergoing a scan on a hamstring injury picked up against Ulster, which saw tighthead Tom O’Toole sent off . Hooker Seán Buckley (calf) and Ireland loosehead Dave Kilcoyne, just back after being out for a year with shoulder and ankle injuries, are heading for scans and possibly facing more time on the sidelines too. Leamy said: “It’s cruel. That’s the nature of the game, unfortunately. "Dave’s put in a huge amount of work to get back on the field and then suddenly you’re faced with that again. "It’s really, really disappointing, but we just try to keep the morale levels of the boys up. “They deal with their disappointment. They get their heads down. They start working again. “It’s not ideal but, look, that’s the hand we’ve been dealt. "And there’s a lot of work being done in the background to try and prevent these sorts of things happening again.” Leamy, a veteran of 145 Munster games, has a unique insight into the country’s biggest inter-pro rivalry having spent a couple of seasons with Leinster. He started initially as an elite player development officer and then as skills coach in 2021. Looking ahead to the big derby, the ex-Ireland No 8 added: “I’m not going to sit here and say I didn’t learn an awful lot in Leinster. "It was a brilliant environment. “They’ve got this power-based game now that is really, really strong, and how you deny them access to that is the key thing.”
