Pope Francis kicks off a yearlong Jubilee that will test his stamina and Rome's patience VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis has opened the great Holy Door of St. Peter's Basilica. The ceremony kicks off the 2025 Holy Year. It's a celebration of the Catholic Church that is expected to draw some 32 million pilgrims to Rome. And it will test the pope’s stamina and the ability of the Eternal City to welcome them. This begins the Christmas Eve Mass. The ceremony inaugurates the once-every-25-year tradition of a Jubilee. Francis has dedicated the 2025 Jubilee to the theme of hope. Bethlehem marks a second subdued Christmas Eve during the war in Gaza BETHLEHEM, West Bank (AP) — Bethlehem is marking another somber Christmas Eve under the shadow of war in Gaza. Manger Square lacked its usual festive lights and crowds of tourists on Tuesday. Instead, the area outside the Nativity Church was quiet. The church was built atop the spot where Jesus is believed to have been born. The war, the violence in the occupied West Bank it has spurred and the lack of festivities has deeply hurt Bethlehem's economy. The town relies heavily on Christmas tourism. The economy in the West Bank was already reeling because of restrictions placed on laborers preventing them from entering Israel during the war. Heavy travel day starts with brief grounding of all American Airlines flights WASHINGTON (AP) — American Airlines briefly grounded flights nationwide due to a technical problem just as the Christmas travel season kicked into overdrive and winter weather threatened more potential problems for those planning to fly or drive. Government regulators cleared American flights to get airborne Tuesday about one hour after the Federal Aviation Administration ordered a national ground stop, which prevented planes from taking off. American said in an email that the problem was caused by an issue with a vendor technology that maintains its flight operating system. Aviation analytics company Cirium said flights were delayed across American’s major hubs, with only 37% leaving on time. Nineteen flights were cancelled. Middle East latest: Israel expels patients from a hospital in Gaza TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — The Palestinian Health Ministry says Israeli soldiers raided a hospital in isolated northern Gaza after forcing all the patients and most of the doctors to leave. The Israeli military confirmed its troops had entered the Indonesian Hospital in the town of Jabaliya on Tuesday, as part of an operation searching for Hamas fighters. Winter is hitting the Gaza Strip and many of the nearly 2 million Palestinians displaced by the devastating 15-month war are struggling to protect themselves from the wind, cold and rain. In the occupied West Bank, the Palestinian city of Bethlehem was marking a somber Christmas Eve under the shadow of war in Gaza, with most festivities cancelled and crowds of tourists absent. Caitlin Clark honored as AP Female Athlete of the Year following her impact on women's sports Caitlin Clark has been named the AP Female Athlete of the Year after raising the profile of women’s basketball to unprecedented levels in both college and the WNBA. She led Iowa to the national championship game, was the top pick in the WNBA draft and captured rookie of the year honors in the league. Fans packed sold-out arenas and millions of television viewers followed her journey on and off the court. Clark's exploits also put other women's sports leagues in the spotlight. A group of 74 sports journalists from AP and its members voted on the award. Other athletes who received votes included Olympic gold medalist Simone Biles and boxer Imane Khelif. Clark’s only the fourth women’s basketball player to win the award since it was first given in 1931. Major storm pounds California's central coast, blamed for man's death and partially collapsing pier SANTA CRUZ, Calif. (AP) — A major storm has pounded California’s central coast bringing flooding and high surf that was blamed for fatally trapping a man beneath debris on a beach and later partially collapsing a pier, tossing three people into the Pacific Ocean. The storm was expected to bring hurricane-force winds and waves up to 60 feet Monday as it gained strength from California to the Pacific Northwest. Some California cities have ordered beachfront homes and hotels to evacuate early Monday afternoon. Forecasters have warned that storm swells would continue to increase throughout the day. Medellin Cartel victims demand truth and justice as cartel boss Fabio Ochoa walks free in Colombia BOGOTÁ, Colombia (AP) — The return of the notorious drug trafficker Fabio Ochoa to Colombia, following his deportation from the United States, has reopened old wounds among the victims of the Medellin cartel, with some expressing their dismay at the decision of Colombian authorities to let the former mafia boss walk free.Some of the cartel victims said on Tuesday that they are hoping the former drug lord will at least cooperate with ongoing efforts by human rights groups to investigate one of the most violent periods of Colombia’s history, and demanded that Colombian prosecutors also take Ochoa in for questioning. Man arraigned on murder charges in NYC subway death fanned flames with a shirt, prosecutors say NEW YORK (AP) — Prosecutors say a man accused of burning a woman to death inside a New York City subway train used a shirt to fan the flames, causing her to become engulfed. The suspect, identified by police as Sebastian Zapeta, was arraigned in Brooklyn criminal court on Tuesday. He faces murder charges that could put him in prison for life. Federal immigration officials say 33-year-old Zapeta is a Guatemalan citizen who entered the U.S. illegally after being deported in 2018. The apparently random attack occurred Sunday morning on a stationary F train at the Coney Island station in Brooklyn. Amsterdam court sentences 5 men over violence linked to Ajax-Maccabi soccer game THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — An Amsterdam District Court has issued sentences of up to six months in jail against 5 men who were involved in violent disorder after a soccer match between the Dutch club Ajax and Israel’s Maccabi Tel Aviv in November. The riots caused an international outcry and accusations of deliberate anti-Semitic attacks. The violence following a UEFA Europa League match left 5 people in hospital. More than 60 suspects were detained. The court on Tuesday sentenced one man to 6 months in prison, another to 2 1/2 months, two to 1 month and one to 100 hours of community service.Thousands of Syrians gathered in Damascus’ main square and a historic mosque for the first Muslim Friday prayers since former President Bashar Assad was overthrown , a major symbolic moment for the country’s dramatic change of power. The rebels are now working to establish security and start a political transition after seizing the capital on Sunday. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken made an unannounced visit to Iraq on Friday, pressing ahead with efforts to unify Middle East nations in support of a peaceful political transition in Syria. It’s part of Blinken’s 12th trip to the Mideast since the Israel-Hamas war erupted last year in Gaza but his first after Assad was ousted. The U.S. is also making a renewed push for an ceasefire in Gaza, where the war has plunged more than 2 million Palestinians into a severe humanitarian crisis. Israel’s war against Hamas has killed over 44,800 Palestinians in Gaza, more than half of them women and children, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which does not say how many were combatants. The Israeli military says it has killed over 17,000 militants, without providing evidence. The October 2023 attack by Hamas in southern Israel that sparked the war killed some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, were killed and around 250 others were taken hostage. Some 100 hostages are still inside Gaza, at least a third of whom are believed to be dead. Here's the latest: An American who was released from a Syrian prison is flown out of the country, a US official says WASHINGTON — The U.S. military has transported out of Syria an American who disappeared seven months ago into former President Bashar Assad’s notorious prison system and was among the thousands released this week by rebels, a U.S. official said Friday. Travis Timmerman was flown out of Syria on a U.S. military helicopter, according to a U.S. official who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss an ongoing operation. Timmerman, 29, told The Associated Press he had gone to Syria on a Christian pilgrimage and was not ill-treated while in Palestine Branch, a notorious detention facility operated by Syrian intelligence. He said he was freed by “the liberators who came into the prison and knocked the door down (of his cell) with a hammer.” Timmerman said he was released Monday morning alongside a young Syrian man and 70 female prisoners, some of whom had their children with them. He had been held separately from Syrian and other Arab prisoners and said he didn’t know of any other Americans held in the facility. — By Lolita C. Baldor Dutch court rejects lawsuit from rights groups seeking to halt arms sales to Israel THE HAGUE, Netherlands — A Dutch court on Friday rejected a bid from human rights groups to block weapons exports to Israel and trading with the occupied territories, after finding there were sufficient checks already in place to comply with international law. The ten organizations told The Hague District Court last month that they thought the Netherlands was in violation of the 1948 Genocide Convention, drawn up following World War II, by continuing to sell weapons to Israel more than a year into the conflict in Gaza. “The government uses my own tax money, that I pay, to kill my own family. I’ve lost 18 members of my own family,” Ahmed Abofoul, a legal adviser for the pro-Palestinian organization Al-Haq, one of the groups involved in the lawsuit, told the court during a hearing in November . The court ruling said that “it is not up to the interim relief judge to order the state to reconsider government policy. That is primarily a political responsibility.” Lawyers for the government argued it wasn’t up to a judge to decide foreign policy for the Netherlands. The activist groups pointed to several emergency orders from another court, the International Court of Justice, as confirming the obligation to stop weapons sales. In January, the top U.N. court said it was plausible Palestinians were being deprived of some rights protected under the Genocide Convention. The coalition said it will review the court’s ruling and is considering an appeal. Israel attacks a hospital in northern Gaza, wounding 3 medical staff amid a night of ‘relentless’ bombardment CAIRO — Israeli attacks in and around a hospital in northern Gaza wounded three medical staff overnight into Friday and caused damage to the isolated medical facility, according to its director. Dr. Hossam Abu Safiya said Israeli quadcopter drones carrying explosives deliberately targeted the emergency and reception area of Kamal Adwan Hospital, where one doctor was wounded for a third time. Abu Safiya said “relentless” drone and artillery strikes throughout the night exploded “alarmingly close” to the hospital, heavily damaging nearby buildings and destroying most of the water tanks on the hospital’s roof and blowing out doors and windows. Kamal Adwan Hospital in the town of Beit Lahiya has been hit multiple times over the past two months since Israel launched a fierce military operation against Hamas in northern Gaza. The Israeli military did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the strikes. “We demand international protection for the hospital and its staff,” Abu Safiya said in a statement released via the U.K.-based aid group Medical Aid for Palestinians, “as well as the entry of delegations with surgical expertise, medical supplies, and essential medications to ensure we can adequately serve the people we are treating.” Abu Safiya said there were 72 wounded patients at the hospital, one of the few medical facilities left in northern Gaza. He said he expected Israeli forces would allow a World Health Organization aid convoy to bring supplies to the hospital on Friday or Saturday, as well as a team of doctors from Indonesia. Israel has allowed almost no humanitarian or medical aid to enter the three besieged communities in northern Gaza — Beit Lahiya, Beit Hanoun and the urban Jabaliya refugee camp — and ordered tens of thousands to flee to nearby Gaza City. Israeli officials have said the three communities are mostly deserted, but the United Nations humanitarian office said Tuesday it believes around 65,000 to 75,000 people are still there, with little access to food, water, electricity or health care. Experts have warned that the north may be experiencing famine . Blinken makes unannounced stop in Iraq amid push to stabilize post-Assad Syria BAGHDAD — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken made an unannounced stop in Iraq on Friday on his latest visit to the Middle East aimed at stabilizing the situation in Syria to prevent further regional turmoil. Blinken met in Baghdad with Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed al-Sudani as part of the hastily arranged trip, his 12th to the region since the Israel-Hamas war erupted last year but his first since the weekend ouster of Syrian strongman Bashar Assad. Blinken has already been to Jordan and Turkey on his current tour and will return to Jordan for urgent meetings on Saturday with Arab foreign ministers to try to unify support for an inclusive post-Assad transition that does not allow the Islamic State group to take advantage of the political vacuum in Syria and secures suspected chemical weapons stocks. In Baghdad, Blinken “will underscore U.S. commitment to the U.S.-Iraq strategic partnership and to Iraq’s security, stability, and sovereignty,” the State Department said. “He will also discuss regional security opportunities and challenges, as well as enduring U.S. support for engagement with all communities in Syria to establish an inclusive transition,” it said in a statement. His trip comes as the Biden administration winds down with just over a month left before President-elect Donald Trump takes office. Trump has been highly critical of Biden’s approach to the Middle East and skeptical of the U.S. military presence in both Iraq and Syria. The U.S. and Iraq agreed in September to wrap up U.S.-led military operations against the Islamic State in Iraq next year, although Assad’s ouster and the potential for the group taking advantage of a political vacuum in Syria could complicate the timing of the withdrawal, according to American officials. Bahrain says it is willing to provide support for Syria in international organizations DAMASCUS — The kingdom of Bahrain sent a message Friday to Ahmad al-Sharaa, formerly known as Abu Mohammed al-Golani, the leader of the insurgency that toppled Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. It said Bahrain is “fully prepared to consult with you continuously and to provide support in regional and international organizations to achieve what is in the interest of the brotherly Syrian people.” It added, “We look forward to Syria regaining its authentic role in the Arab League.” Bahrain is the current head of the Arab summit. Syria was readmitted to the Arab League last year after 12 years of ostracization. It is still unclear how the international community will deal officially with the new interim government in Syria. Israel’s defense minister asks troops to prepare to remain through the winter on Syria's Mount Hermon JERUSALEM - Israel’s defense minister told troops to prepare to remain through the winter months on the peak of Mount Hermon, Syria’s highest point, located in a swath of southern Syria that Israeli troops moved into after the fall of Damascus to insurgents. The comments by Defense Minister Israel Katz signaled that the military will extend its occupation of the zone along the border, which Israel says it seized to create a buffer zone. In a statement Friday, Katz said that holding the peak was of major importance for Israel’s security and that it would be necessary to build facilities there to sustain troops through the winter. The summit of Mount Hermon, the highest peak on the eastern Mediterranean coast at 2,814 meters (9,232 feet), gives a commanding view over the plains of southern Syria. It also positions Israeli troops about 40 kilometers (25 miles) from the center of Damascus. The mount is divided between the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, Lebanon and Syria. Only the United States recognizes Israel’s control of the Golan Heights. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday that Israeli troops would remain in the zone until another force across the border in Syria could guarantee security. Israeli troops moved into the zone -– set as a demilitarized area inside Syrian territory under truce deals that ended the 1973 Mideast war -- after the regime of Bashar al-Assad fell last weekend. Blinken says there's ‘broad agreement’ between US and Turkey on Syria's future ANKARA, Turkey -- U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Friday there was “broad agreement” between Turkey and the United States on what they would like to see in Syria following the ouster of President Bashar Assad. “There’s broad agreement on what we would like to see going forward, starting with the interim government in Syria, one that is inclusive and non-sectarian and one that protects the rights of minorities and women” and does not “pose any kind of threat to any of Syria’s neighbors,” Blinken said in joint statements with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan. The insurgent groups that toppled Assad in Syria have not made clear their policy or stance on Israel, whose military in recent days has bombed sites all over the country, saying it is trying to prevent weapons from falling into extremist hands. Blinken also said it was crucial to keep the Islamic State group under control. “We also discussed the imperative of continuing the efforts to keep ISIS down. Our countries worked very hard and gave a lot over many years to ensure the elimination of the territorial caliphate of ISIS to ensure that that threat doesn’t rear its head again,” Blinken said. The Turkish foreign minister said the two discussed ways of establishing prosperity in Syria and ending terrorism in the country. “Our priority is establishing stability in Syria as soon as possible, preventing terrorism from gaining ground, and ensuring that IS and the PKK aren’t dominant,” Fidan said, in a reference to the banned Kurdistan Workers Party. Blinken said: “We’re very focused on Syria, very focused on the opportunity that now is before us and before the Syrian people to move from out from under the shackles of Bashar al-Assad to a different and better future for the Syrian people, one that the Syrian people decide for themselves.” Blinken and Fidan said they had also discussed a ceasefire for Gaza. “We’ve seen in the last couple of weeks more encouraging signs that (a ceasefire) is possible,” Blinken said. Blinken, who is making his 12th trip to the Mideast since the Israel-Hamas war erupted last year but first since the weekend ouster of Assad, met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan late Thursday. The outgoing Biden administration is particularly concerned that a power vacuum in Syria could exacerbate already heightened tensions in the region, which is already wracked by multiple conflicts, and create conditions for the Islamic State group to regain territory and influence. Later Friday, Blinken is to return to Jordan for meetings on Saturday with Arab foreign ministers and senior officials from the European Union, the Arab League and the United Nations. Turkey to reopen its embassy in Syria ANKARA, Turkey -- Turkey has appointed a temporary charge d’affaires to reopen its embassy in Syria, Turkey’s state-run news agency reported. The Turkish Embassy in Damascus had suspended operations in 2012 due to the escalating security problems during the Syrian civil war and embassy staff and their families were recalled to Turkey. The Anadolu Agency said late Thursday that Turkey appointed Burhan Koroglu, its ambassador in Mauritania, to the post. 2 UN aid convoys violently attacked in Gaza, US food agency says UNITED NATIONS- – Two U.N. aid convoys were violently attacked in Gaza, making it virtually impossible for humanitarian agencies to operate without putting staff and civilians at risk, the U.N. food agency says. On Wednesday, a 70-truck convoy from Kerem Shalom was waiting for personnel to safeguard the food and other aid destined for central Gaza when there were reported attacks by Israeli forces in the nearby humanitarian zone, the U.N. World Food Program said Thursday. More than 50 people are now estimated to have died in the attacks, including civilians and local security personnel who had been expected to ensure the convoy’s safety, WFP said. The Rome-based agency said the convoy was forced to proceed from Kerem Shalom to central Gaza without any security arrangements, using the Philadelphi corridor, an Israeli-controlled route that had been recently approved and successfully utilized twice. On the way, WFP said, conflict and insecurity led to a loss of communication with the convoy for more than 12 hours. ”Eventually, the trucks were found but all food and aid supplies were looted,” the U.N. agency said. In a second incident, Israeli soldiers approached a WFP convoy moving out of the Kissufim crossing into central Gaza, fired warning shots, conducted extensive security checks, and temporarily detained drivers and staff, the agency said. “As the trucks were delayed, four out of the five trucks were lost to violent armed looting,” WFP said. UN chief urges Israel to stop attacks on Syria UNITED NATIONS – The United Nations chief has a message for Israel: Stop the attacks on Syria. Secretary-General António Guterres is particularly concerned about several hundred Israeli airstrikes on several Syrian locations and stresses “the urgent need to de-escalate violence on all fronts throughout the country," U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters Thursday. The Israeli military said Tuesday it carried out more than 350 strikes in Syria over the previous 48 hours, hitting “most of the strategic weapons stockpiles” in the country to stop them from falling into the hands of extremists. Israel also acknowledged pushing into a buffer zone inside Syria following last week’s overthrow of President Bashar Assad. The buffer zone was established after Israel seized the Golan Heights from Syria in the 1973 war. Dujarric said Guterres condemns all actions violating the 1974 ceasefire agreement between the two countries that remain in force. And the U.N. chief calls on the parties to uphold the agreement and end “all unauthorized presence in the area of separation” and refrain from any action undermining the ceasefire and stability in the Golan Heights, the spokesman said.Article content The Alberta government plans to increase the auto insurance premium cap on good drivers from the current 3.7 per cent to 7.5 per cent in the new year and plans to create a new privately delivered auto insurance system that aims to limit legal action in certain instances. The reforms are said to help with affordability by providing services faster to Albertans while still penalizing bad drivers. Once fully implemented, the province estimates drivers will save up to $400 per year. Premier Danielle Smith said the process for compensation is “long and unwieldy” for Albertans who are in collisions and said the reforms will move Alberta away from a “court-focused system” to a “care-first model.” “The proof will be when the model comes forward, people will either get the rebate cheque in January or they won’t. But I can tell you, we’ve told the insurers this is kind of the end of the line,” Smith said. The province said the increase to the premium cap is due to high legal costs, increasing vehicle damage repair costs, and natural disaster costs. The 7.5 per cent increase will include 2.5 per cent for catastrophic losses such as the Jasper wildfire and the Calgary hail storm. That increase will be re-evaluated for 2026. In 2023, the average auto insurance premium in Alberta was $1,670 — the second highest in Canada behind Ontario which saw an average of $1,800. Alberta NDP Leader Naheed Nenshi said the new auto insurance system will be “worse” than what is currently in place right now. “This government talks a game on affordability, while Alberta becomes harder and harder and harder to live in and more and more unaffordable,” Nenshi said. He said Alberta has the highest insurance premiums in Canada, in some cases, double, triple, quadruple, what motorists are paying in British Columbia or Saskatchewan. New auto insurance system will be a “care-first model” In January 2027, the province plans to fully implement its new privately operated auto insurance system which will be a “care-first model.” Officials said the new system is not a no-fault system but rather a no-sue system where bad drivers will be held accountable through higher premiums. The new system would remove the need to sue and, in most circumstances, motorists will not be able to sue at-fault drivers. Under the new system, all injured parties who were involved in auto accidents, including those at fault, cyclists and pedestrians will have access to the necessary medical and rehabilitation benefits they need. The new model will also feature improvements to income replacement benefits up to a gross income threshold of $120,000 payable up to the age of 65. In the current system, Alberta offers disability support benefits of $600 per week which is payable for a maximum of two years after a collision. A one-time permanent impairment benefit will also be available for those who are injured either catastrophically or non-catastrophically. The amount ranges depending on the severity. Litigation available in some cases Court access will still be available in limited circumstances. People injured in collisions will be able to sue at-fault drivers for pain and suffering damages where the at-fault driver is convicted of Criminal Code offences and select major offences under Alberta’s Traffic Safety Act. The changes mirror Saskatchewan’s insurance model which has similar clauses. Those who have to pay out of pocket beyond what the listed maximums are will also be able to sue the at-fault driver for those expenses. However, the province said since the benefits under the policy are substantial, they anticipate the volume of those claims will be low. Finance Minister Nate Horner said the reforms were not meant to take away the right to sue but reduce the need to sue. “When we started looking at reforming Alberta’s auto insurance system, all our stakeholders agreed to the guiding principles of accountability, affordability, care-focused simplicity and stability,” Horner said. The province plans to establish an independent dispute resolution body to allow those who were injured in a collision to appeal the decisions of insurers.
Attorneys want the US Supreme Court to say Mississippi’s felony voting ban is cruel and unusual
QuantumScape Co. ( NYSE:QS – Get Free Report ) insider Mohit Singh sold 97,305 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $6.24, for a total value of $607,183.20. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 1,092,020 shares in the company, valued at $6,814,204.80. This trade represents a 8.18 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink . QuantumScape Trading Down 3.1 % QS opened at $5.95 on Friday. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $5.18 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $5.64. QuantumScape Co. has a 1-year low of $4.65 and a 1-year high of $10.03. The company has a market cap of $3.05 billion, a P/E ratio of -6.26 and a beta of 4.50. The company has a current ratio of 14.07, a quick ratio of 14.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.03. QuantumScape ( NYSE:QS – Get Free Report ) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The company reported ($0.23) EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.21) by ($0.02). During the same quarter last year, the company earned ($0.23) earnings per share. Analysts predict that QuantumScape Co. will post -0.99 EPS for the current fiscal year. Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades View Our Latest Research Report on QuantumScape Hedge Funds Weigh In On QuantumScape Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC increased its stake in QuantumScape by 6,650.0% during the 3rd quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 135,000 shares of the company’s stock valued at $776,000 after purchasing an additional 133,000 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of QuantumScape by 3.9% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 5,853,958 shares of the company’s stock valued at $33,671,000 after buying an additional 218,743 shares during the last quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board bought a new stake in shares of QuantumScape during the second quarter worth about $1,950,000. Weiss Asset Management LP acquired a new stake in shares of QuantumScape in the 3rd quarter worth about $828,000. Finally, Sanctuary Advisors LLC bought a new position in QuantumScape in the 2nd quarter valued at about $680,000. 29.87% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds. About QuantumScape ( Get Free Report ) QuantumScape Corporation, a research and development stage company, focuses on the development and commercialization of solid-state lithium-metal batteries for electric vehicles and other applications. The company was founded in 2010 and is headquartered in San Jose, California. Read More Receive News & Ratings for QuantumScape Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for QuantumScape and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter .AP News Summary at 3:03 p.m. EST
Closing the year with Ayaz Melo: Part - I There were dozens of sessions that attracted thousands of participants who remained engaged with discussions Participants enjoying music at Ayaz Melo Hyderabad. — Facebook@AyazMelo/File November and December appear to be favourite months for cultural and literary festivals in the various cities of Pakistan: Islamabad Literary Festival (ILF), Multan Literary Festival (MLF) that the organisers had to postpone at the last moment due to smog, Faisalabad Literary Festival (FLF), International Cultural Festival and Aalami Urdu Conference in Karachi, and finally Ayaz Melo in Hyderabad from December 20 to 22. It was the 10th Ayaz Melo that has become a hallmark of Hyderabad , the second largest city of Sindh. The moving forces behind this Melo are four women: Amar Sindhu, Arfana Mallah, Haseen Musarrat, and Zakia Aijaz. Men such as Imdad Chandio, Majeed Chandio, and Taj Joyo provide ample support to the team helping them navigate through the arrangements. Speakers come from across Pakistan, making this festival truly cosmopolitan. This year too, there were dozens of sessions and book launches that attracted thousands of participants who remained engaged with the discussions. googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1700472799616-0'); }); For the 10th Ayaz Melo, the organisers extended the invitation to this columnist to be the keynote speaker at the inaugural session. I gladly accepted the invitation and delivered the keynote address discussing the increasing extremism in Sindh and in the rest of the country. I also outlined some avenues to build a pathway towards a more tolerant society. I began by giving some background to extremist tendencies in Sindh citing examples from history and then moved on to define and delineate the concepts of extremism and toleration. Here I present a summary of what I said in my keynote address at the Ayaz Melo. Traditionally, Sindh and other provinces of Pakistan – and the rest of the Indian subcontinent – have remained overall tolerant societies for ages. Nearly all areas of Pakistan have experienced influxes of people coming from other countries located on eastern and western borders. The intermingling of cultures and genes inculcated a sense of diversity among the local people who mostly welcomed people from outside, especially when they came to seek refuge from atrocities in their own lands. Sindh, perhaps, was the most tolerant of the areas that now constitute Pakistan. So if the local people have been tolerant and welcoming, how come this region is witnessing the worst kind of extremism and intolerance now? It appears that some myopic rulers and sectarian leaders at various times in history have tried to impose some strict codes of conduct that led to extremism. For example, the reign of Jam Nizamuddin II – commonly known as Jam Nindo – in Sindh was a fairly tolerant period in the 15th and 16th centuries. But after the end of the Samma dynasty in the early 1500s, Sindh came under the rule of the Arghuns and the Tarkhans in quick succession. That was followed by nearly a century of Mughal rule starting in the 1590s when Sindh became a province of the Mughal empire known as Thatta Suba. The Mughals appointed subedars (provincial administrators) who were not always tolerant rulers. Ultimately when Kalhoro subedars declared independence and formed their own dynasty of rulers in the 18th century, an intolerant course became the official policy in Sindh. GM Syed in his book ‘Peghaam-e-Lateef’ has reproduced orders by Kalhoro rulers announcing strict imposition of religious codes of conduct across his domain. That was the time when Makhdoom Bilawal, Inaayat Shah Sufi, and Shah Lateef emerged as sane voices of tolerance promoting harmony in society. Shah Lateef delivered messages of diversity and did not confine himself to any one religion or sect. He followed the path of Shah Inaayat and Makhdoom Bilawal who believed in the supremacy of common people over some exalted castes and creeds. The universality of Shah Lateef’s message resonates throughout his Risalo (poetry collection) which contains over 30 surs. Reading and comprehending the poetry of Shah Lateef can play an essential role in trying to counter extremism and promoting tolerance in Sindh. With this background, we may try to identify and understand several types of extremism prevalent in our society such as cultural, ethnic, gender-based, political, religious and social extremisms. Cultural extremism can be defined as a form of extremism that promotes one particular culture but does not tolerate any other culture. Cultural extremism promotes hatred against cultural diversity and the expression of different ideas. The organisers of Ayaz Melo have faced such extremism from the beginning but this year there was outright onslaught criticising the Melo for its content, funding, and presentations. The main thrust of this criticism was against the partial funding that the Melo receives from the culture department of Sindh. Some claimed that the Melo had become a mouthpiece of the PPP government – I for one can vouch that there has been no soft corner for the PPP government in the discussions and speeches at the Melo. Most speakers pointed out the shortcomings of the provincial government, but this was not enough for the critics of the Melo. Cultural extremism was also evident when the songs and dances at the Melo also came under close scrutiny and some people objected to the festive mood of a literary festival that according to them should have been more serious. This cultural extremism also reflected itself in gender-based extremism as the main organisers of the Ayaz Melo are overwhelmingly women. Amar Sindhu, Arfana Mallah, Haseen Musarrat, Zakia Aijaz and others were all at the receiving end of this gender-based extremism. There were social media campaigns against them, but these courageous women continued their marvellous work and once again proved that no cultural or gender-based extremism could halt their progress or dampen their spirits. This was tantamount to gender-based violence that may not be physical but was verbal. Ethnic extremism often takes the form of narrow nationalism in which one ethnic group claims superiority or exclusive rights to a city, province, or territory. This ethnic extremism tries to exclude other ethnic or linguistic groups from their sphere of influence to impose a uniform ethnic code with a single identity. Such extremism is not new in countries such as Pakistan where ethnicity has played a crucial role in recent history. The organised profiling and targeting of various groups such as students studying in a province other than their own is an example of ethnic extremism. Political extremism in Pakistan manifests itself when one or more political groups do not allow other political entities to function freely and consistently target them as enemies. Altaf Hussain and his politics in Sindh is an example of political extremism as he promoted the use of arms against his opponents and organised gangs that tortured and maimed activists belonging to other ethnic groups and political parties. Imran Khan and his fascist tendencies are another example of this political extremism, which has been an integral part of PTI politics since its inception. Religious extremism is perhaps the most devastating type of intolerance as it encourages common people to follow a certain interpretation of a particular religion or sect. From younger to older people in Pakistan, all segments of society appear to have taken a lead from various extremist groups that use slogans promoting violence. Lynching and targeted killings have been on the rise in the country. From Dr Shahnawaz Kunbhar in Sindh to Priyantha Kumara in Punjab to Mishal Khan in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, there are thousands of victims of this religious extremism that has even affected security personnel who at times violate the law to target the accused. Social extremism promotes an ideology that is based on intolerance, hatred or violence aiming to deny or destroy the fundamental rights and freedoms of others. This type of extremism is interconnected with other types as we notice increasing incidents in which all types of extremism come together to make this society a hellish place for those who dare to differ in any cultural, political, religious or social ways. To be continued The writer holds a PhD from the University of Birmingham, UK. He tweets/posts @NaazirMahmood and can be reached at: mnazir1964@yahoo.co.ukGreater Manchester Police accused of 'heavy-handed' dispersal response - BBC
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden on Monday vetoed a once-bipartisan effort to add 66 federal district judgeships, saying “hurried action” by the House left important questions unanswered about the life-tenured positions. The legislation would have spread the establishment of the new trial court judgeships over more than a decade to give three presidential administrations and six Congresses the chance to appoint the new judges. The bipartisan effort was carefully designed so that lawmakers would not knowingly give an advantage to either political party in shaping the federal judiciary. The Democratic-controlled Senate passed the measure unanimously in August. But the Republican-led House brought it to the floor only after Republican Donald Trump was reelected to a second term in November, adding the veneer of political gamesmanship to the process. The White House had said at the time that Biden would veto the bill. “The House of Representative’s hurried action fails to resolve key questions in the legislation, especially regarding how the new judgeships are allocated, and neither the House of Representatives nor the Senate explored fully how the work of senior status judges and magistrate judges affects the need for new judgeships,” the president said in a statement. “The efficient and effective administration of justice requires that these questions about need and allocation be further studied and answered before we create permanent judgeships for life-tenured judges,” Biden said. He said the bill would also have created new judgeships in states where senators have not filled existing judicial vacancies and that those efforts “suggest that concerns about judicial economy and caseload are not the true motivating force behind passage of this bill now. “Therefore, I am vetoing this bill,” Biden said, essentially dooming the legislation for the current Congress. Overturning Biden’s veto would require a two-thirds majority in both the House and Senate, and the House vote fell well short of that margin. Organizations representing judges and attorneys had urged Congress to vote for the bill. They argued that the lack of new federal judgeships had contributed to profound delays in the resolution of cases and serious concerns about access to justice. Sen. Todd Young, R-Ind., reacted swiftly, calling the veto a “misguided decision” and “another example of why Americans are counting down the days until President Biden leaves the White House.” He alluded to a full pardon that Biden recently granted his son Hunter on federal gun and tax charges. “The President is more enthusiastic about using his office to provide relief to his family members who received due process than he is about giving relief to the millions of regular Americans who are waiting years for their due process,” Young said. “Biden’s legacy will be ‘pardons for me, no justice for thee.’ ”Laced Bakes Launches the Dank Decadence Cookie Cake: The Ultimate Luxury Treat That Delivers
Published 4:40 pm Thursday, November 21, 2024 By Data Skrive There are four games on the college basketball schedule on Friday that feature a ranked team. That includes the Oklahoma Sooners versus the UNLV Rebels. Watch women’s college basketball, other live sports and more on Fubo. What is Fubo? Fubo is a streaming service that gives you access to your favorite live sports and shows on demand. Use our link to sign up for a free trial. Catch tons of live women’s college basketball , plus original programming, with ESPN+ or the Disney Bundle.
