By Suleiman Al-Khalidi and Timour Azhari AMMAN/BEIRUT/CAIRO (Reuters) -Syrian rebels declared they had ousted President Bashar al-Assadafter seizing control of Damascus on Sunday, forcing him to flee and ending his family's decades of autocratic rule after more than 13 years of civil war in a seismic moment for the Middle East. The Islamist rebels also dealt a major blow to the influence of Russia and Iran in Syria in the heart of the region - allies who had propped up Assad during critical periods in the conflict. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Assad's fall was a direct result of blows dealt by Israel to Iran and its ally Hezbollah. The rebels said they had entered the capital with no sign of army deployments. Thousands of people in cars and on foot congregated at a main square in Damascus waving and chanting "Freedom" from a half century of Assad family rule, witnesses said. People were seen walking inside the Al-Rawda Presidential Palace, with some leaving carrying furniture from inside. The rebels said prisoners had been freed from a large jail on the outskirts of Damascus where the Syrian government detained thousands. "We celebrate with the Syrian people the news of freeing our prisoners and releasing their chains," the rebels said. Leading rebel commander Abu Mohammed al-Golani said there was no room for turning back and the group was determined to continue the path they started in 2011 during the Arab Spring uprisings. "The future is ours," he said in a statement read on Syria's state TV after his forces took over Damascus. French President Emmanuel Macron said "the barbaric state has fallen" and paid tribute to the Syrian people. DAUNTING TASK AHEAD When the celebrations fade, Syria's new leaders will face the daunting task of trying to deliver stability to a diverse country with competing factions that will need billions of dollars in aid and investments to rebuild. One possible challenge could be a resurgence of Islamic State militants. During its prime, the group imposed a reign of terror in large swathes of Syria and Iraq and directed external operations before it was defeated by a U.S.-led coalition. Underscoring the lightning changes, Iran's embassy was stormed by Syrian rebels, Iran's English-language Press TV reported. Lebanese-based Hezbollah, which provided crucial support to Assad for years, withdrew all of its forces from Syria on Saturday as rebel factions approached Damascus, two Lebanese security sources told Reuters on Sunday. Assad, who had not spoken in public since the sudden rebel advance a week ago, flew out of Damascus for an unknown destination earlier on Sunday, two senior army officers told Reuters. His whereabouts now - and those of his wife Asma and their two children - were unknown. The Russian Foreign Ministry said Assad had left office and departed the country after giving orders there be a peaceful handover of power. The Syrian rebel coalition said it was continuing work to complete the transfer of power in the country to a transitional governing body with full executive powers. "The great Syrian revolution has moved from the stage of struggle to overthrow the Assad regime to the struggle to build a Syria together that befits the sacrifices of its people," it added in a statement. As Syrians expressed joy, Prime Minister Mohammad Ghazi al-Jalali called for free elections. Jalali also said he had been in contact with Golani to discuss managing the transitional period, marking a notable development in efforts to shape Syria's political future. The collapse of Assad's rule followed a shift in the balance of power in the Middle East after many leaders of Hezbollah, a lynchpin of Assad's battlefield force, were killed by Israel over the past two months. Russia, a staunch Assad ally, intervened decisively in 2015 to help Assad during Syria's civil war. But it has been tied down by the Ukraine war. US TO MAINTAIN PRESENCE Syria's civil war, which erupted in 2011 as an uprising against Assad's rule, dragged in a string of outside powers, created space for jihadist militants to plot attacks around the world and sent millions of refugees into neighbouring states. The frontlines were dormant for years. Then Islamists who had once been affiliated with Al Qaeda suddenly burst into action in late November. The pace of events stunned Arab capitals and raised concerns about a new wave of instability in a region already in turmoil following the eruption after the Hamas-led attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, and the ensuing Gaza war. It marks a turning point for Syria, shattered by years of war which has turned cities to rubble and killed hundreds of thousands of people. Western governments, which have shunned the Assad-led state for years, must decide how to deal with a new administration in which a globally designated terrorist group - Golani's Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) - looks set to have influence. The United States will continue to maintain its presence in eastern Syria and will take measures necessary to prevent a resurgence of the Islamic State, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for the Middle East Daniel Shapiro said at a conference in Manama on Sunday. Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said "terrorist organisations" must not be allowed to take advantage of the situation in Syria and called for caution. HTS, which spearheaded the rebel advances across western Syria, was formerly an al Qaeda affiliate until its leader Golani severed ties with the global jihadist movement in 2016. "The real question is how orderly will this transition be, and it seems quite clear that Golani is very eager for it to be an orderly one," said Joshua Landis, a Syria expert and Director of the Center for Middle East Studies at the University of Oklahoma. "They are going to have to rebuild ... they will need Europe and the U.S. to lift sanctions," Landis added. HTS is Syria's strongest rebel group and some Syrians remain fearful it will impose draconian Islamist rule or instigate reprisals. Countries like the United Arab Emirates and Egypt, both close U.S. allies, see Islamist militant groups as an existential threat, so HTS may face resistance from the regional heavyweights. In the Manama conference, Anwar Gargash, the diplomatic advisor to the United Arab Emirates president, said a main concern for that country is "extremism and terrorism." Israel, which is likely to celebrate the fall of its enemy Assad after it severely weakened its other main foes Hezbollah and Hamas in over a year of fighting, said it had deployed forces in the U.N.-monitored buffer zone with Syria and at a number of points necessary for defence. Suspected Israeli strikes hit Mazzeh district of Damascus, one Lebanese and one Syrian security source said on Sunday. Jets believed to be Israeli bombed the Khalkhala air base in southern Syria that was evacuated by the Syrian army overnight, two regional security sources told Reuters. The Israeli government had no immediate comment on the reported strikes, which one of the sources said appeared to be aimed at preventing weapons falling into the hands of radical Islamist groups. (Reporting by Suleiman al-Khalidi in Damascus, Timour Azhari and Tom Perry and Maya Gebeily and Laila Bassam in Beirut, Jaidaa Taha and Adam Makary in Cairo, Clauda Tanios, Nadine Awadallah and Tala Ramadan in Dubai; Phil Stewart, Idrees Ali, Trevor Hunnicutt in Washington and Alex Cornwell in Manama and Dominique Vidalon in ParisWriting by Angus McDowall, Matt Spetalnick, Michael Perry and Michael GeorgyEditing by Cynthia Osterman, William Mallard, Philippa Fletcher and Frances Kerry)
Pressing issues will only be resolved when Imran, Army Chief sit together: Abbasi
BY D.B.T. Kappagoda Dr. Ananda Kentish Coomaaswamy was not an Indian by birth but in his writings he showed more than any scholar of his time that he had a wider understanding of the cultural heritage of India than most. He was the only child of Sir Muthu Coomaraswamy and English mother Elizabeth Clay Beeby, and he was born at Rhineland Place in Kollupitiya, on August 22, 1871. His father Sir Muthu Coomaraswamy was the first non-Christian to be called to the English Bar and the first Asian Knighted by Queen Victoria, was a popular figure among the socialites in London and he also enjoyed the company of Lord Palmerston, Lord Tennyson and Benjamin Disraeli who portrayed him as Kusinara in one of his novels. In Sri Lanka he was a leading member of the Legislative Council and he was responsible for the establishment of the Colombo Museum in 1871. He was well versed in Western classics as well as Pali, Sanskrit, Sinhala and Tamil. He translated Dhatavamsa (History of the Sacred Tooth relic of the Buddha) from Pali into English. When his son Ananda was almost two years old, Sir Muthu Coomaraswamy died. And his son was brought up by his mother in England and sent to school, Wycliff College Stonehouse in Gloucestershire and later he entered University of London and graduated in Natural Sciences, Botany and Geology. In 1903 he was appointed as the Director of Mineralogical Survey in Sri Lanka and served till 1907. His contribution to geology in Sri Lanka won him the Degree of Science of the London University, and later he was elected a Fellow. During his official duties, he travelled widely across the country in search of minerals and in 1903 he discovered two minerals Serendibite and Thorianite at Gangapitiya in Gampola. The first discovery Serendibite was a new borosilicate which he described, “It was a beautiful blue colour discovered in narrow contact zones between acid moonstone bearing granulite and limestone which occur in alternating bonds at Gangapitiya.” Thoriamite, the second mineral he discovered is a cubic mineral of high specific gravity which analysis proved to be a side of Thoriam and Uranium. The cubes were small (2/3 inch) and the colour is dark brown. The importance of this mineral is derived from its radio active properties. During his travels around Kandy in search of minerals, he had the opportunity of visiting villages known for traditional arts and crafts. The age old arts and crafts practiced by the artisans threw new light on different aspects of Sinhalese culture. The information he gathered went into his monumental book Medieval Sinhalese Art which he published in England in 1908. He compiled the manuscript with the help of his German wife Ethel Mary and published it at his expense under his supervision at the Essex House Press, Broad Campden Chapel in Gloucestershire. The first impression of this compendium with 425 copies hand bound began its printing in September and was completed in 1908.The publication of his magnum opus has been hailed by scholars as a landmark for the revival of arts and culture of the Sinhalese. The success of his maiden effort was due to his ability as a scholar to delve into the source to gather information objectively. Explaining the reason for him to write his book said, “It is a memorial of a period which the Sinhalese people were not willing to understand their cultural heritage.” And, he added, “It is only to realize the ideals of the past, the possibility of a time recognition and revitalizing the national heritage of the Sinhalese.” According to his assessment the art of the Sinhalese medieval period was religious art and essentially the art of the people whose kings were one with religion and people. He opined that the Sinhalese art is Indian in Character, hence there is a close affinity between Sri Lankan and Indian art. The studies he made revealed that Sri Lanka as “a perfect window through which to gaze on India’s past than any can find in India itself.” Ananda Coomaraswamy, two years prior to his writing the Medieval Sinhalese Art said that he had a special interest in Sinhalese art and culture and he found in them a survival of the Aryan past and early Persian artistic traditions. Therefore for the preservation of art lost elsewhere, we owe our artisans much, for otherwise the world would be vastly poor in interest and ideals. The first essay he wrote ‘Dance of Shiva’ displayed his artistic sensibility and sense of sublime, whereas Rabindranath Tagore pioneered the cultural experiment of Manipuri dancing at Shantiniketan. His creative writings include: History of Indian and Indonesian Painting and Rajput Painting are important for those who study art. His earlier book, Indian Dancing Mirror of Gestures, he wrote with the assistance of D. Gopala Krishnamacharia and his other notable book was Myths of Hindus and Buddhists he wrote in collaboration with Sister Nandita. Dr. Ananda Kentish Coomaaswamy In 1943 he published ‘Why exhibit Works of Art’ showing his profound scholarship interpreting the Indian thought on art. Writing on Indian leaders he said, “Our leaders are already degenerated as Macauly could have been, wished them to be a class of persons Indian in blood and colour, morals and intellect because they have yet to discover India....” The discriminate imposition of western civilization disturbed him and he wrote. “A single generation of English education succeeded in breaking the thread of tradition and caused nondescript and superficial beings depraved of roots....” The close affinity of Indian and Sri Lankan cultures he found, “the curved boundary of leaf or stem or scroll has always a peculiar character of life and crispness not often sinking into more roundness or softness.” He also added, “Every stem and leaf of the liya vela ornaments of Ceylon and in details of South Indian architectural decoration is never realistic but based on observations or ideal forms.” These curved forms of ornamentation were used by the Sinhalese craftsmen to depict energy and growth. According to Ananda Coomaraswamy, Sinhalese art is essentially Indian in outlook and Hindu in character. He found Kandyan art as a branch of Indian and the Kandyan architecture is similar to that of Kerala. The folk art of the Sinhalese especially practiced by women is related to the motif and ritual of the embroidered Kantha of Bengal and this affinity helped to assess the Indian culture in true perspective. He urged the Indian students studying overseas not to lose their culture, tradition and also identity and wrote on the political thought on spiritual power in theory of government. He also actively associated with a number of learned bodies in the East and West. He knew English, French, German, Latin, Greek Sanskrit, Pali, Sinhalese and Tamil. He then abandoned his scientific research and devoted himself to the study of the arts and cultures of India and Sri Lanka, and published two monographs: The aims of Indian art, and Bronzes from Ceylon. In 1905, he formed the Ceylon Reform Society to stress the great social and national traditions of the Sinhalese people and gave lectures and also wrote articles in the Ceylon National Review, of which he was its first Editor. He was the first to urge the use of National languages Sinhala and Tamil in education, and the preservation of indigenous arts and culture for posterity and modes of living. He actively supported the agitation of his cousin Sir Ponnambalam Ramanathan for the establishment of a Ceylon University. He finally resigned from the post of Director of Mineralogical Survey in 1907 and settled down in England but time and again visited India and Sri Lanka and had a close relationship with Rabindranath Tagore. In 1910, he founded the Indian Society in London to provide a better appreciation of Greater India in the West. He wanted to have a museum built in Varanasi and donate his collection of artifacts to the government and people. Since there was no such prospects from the Indian government, he left for the USA in 1915 where he was appointed as Research Fellow at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts and later he became its curator of the Indian and Eastern section of the museum. Under his guidance and supervision the Boston Museum acquired some of the finest collection of exhibits and he held this post until his retirement three months prior to his demise on September 9, 1947. He lived to witness the dawn of Indian independence in 1947. During the last 15 years of the illustrious life he led from 1931 to 1947, he worked unceasingly devoting his time to writings. His publications were voluminous – more than 500 monographs including translations, critical evaluations on art and culture of India. The other writing of his cover a wide range of aspects of historical, sociological, philosophical and in the field of metaphysics. In spite of his fame and recognition among the literati he remained modest about writing about himself saying “anything personal must not intrude in my work. It would be Aswargya to allow such things.....not I the I that I am but he is the part in me that should interest you.” After his demise his wife Dona Luisa who edited some of his books he had almost finished, visited India in 1964, like a true Ardhanagi (partner) with his ashes to fulfill his last wish. (DBT Kappagoda, No.221/3, Pallegunnepana, Polgolla)
By Uditha Devapriya Donald Trump will spend the next three months finalising his Cabinet. He will assume office on January 20, and, if we are to believe what he says, will start implementing his America First policy by imposing some of the most extensive tariffs ever enforced by the United States. He has promised to impose them not just on China, but also Mexico and Canada – unless the latter two do something about illegal immigration to America. While Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has his own problems to worry about, and has yet to respond to Trump, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has, in a letter to the president-elect, warned of “dire consequences” should Washington go ahead with such measures. Meanwhile, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning has stated China will prioritise its relations with Mexico. This should not come as a surprise. For Beijing, a second Trump presidency was always on the table. All it needs to do now is capitalise on the contradictions that Trump 2.0 will bring about over the next five years. All this doubtless makes Donald Trump the most consequential person out there right now. But there is as yet no consensus on what kind of person he is. There are two schools of thought regarding him. The first frames him as an aberration, a quirk in an otherwise well-oiled system of world order. It portrays him as illiberal, in contrast to the rules-based order that the US is supposed to represent. American liberals will go out of their way to convince you that he does not stand for their values. They will ask you not to judge American or Western society based on what Trump and his Cabinet does, be it about migrants, borders, the economy, or DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion) and critical race theory. The second reading of Trump, on the other hand, frames him as an inevitable though not unavoidable consequence of Western politics over the last half-century, the result of a deterioration in the West-led rules-based order. As US liberals themselves will confirm, the bipartisan consensus which existed between Democrats and Republicans is no longer as strong as it was. The Republican Party has moved so far to the right that the Democratic Party, which has been moving to the right since the Clinton presidency, has more or less lost track. This has had serious repercussions on American foreign policy. If the recent presidential election proved anything, it is that fact-checking, moderation, and centrism no longer determines outcomes in US elections. Since 1993, the Democratic Party has shown itself to be willing in accepting moderate elements from other political groups: during this election cycle, for instance, it co-opted sections of the Republican Party opposed to Trump, including those who held high security and intelligence positions during his first presidency. Yet the end-result was a resounding, though not landslide, defeat for Harris, and a consequent denunciation of her campaign by her own colleagues, including Senator Bernie Sanders, who accused her managers of not concentrating on the working class. It also proved that Trump values loyalty over almost everything else. I use the qualifier “almost” with some trepidation, because we have yet to see to what extent his need for loyalty will shape his second presidency. Some of his Cabinet picks and other appointments, including Elon Musk, Vivek Ramasamy, and even Vice-President J. D. Vance, are known to have been critics of Trump in the past. He appears to be quite willing to overlook their past affiliations. However, in side-lining Nikki Haley and Mike Pompeo – and making a song and dance about it on X – shows how much he values loyalty now. As a US political analyst told me, it is difficult to predict Trump – as his appointment of Marco Rubio, a critic of Trump during his first presidency, shows. One can justify Rubio’s appointment, though, on the grounds that while being critical of Trump, he did not go out of his way, as Haley and Pompeo, and Mike Pence did, in displaying his opposition. All of this confirms that, as far as foreign policy goes, there will be perceptible shifts in the years to come. The liberal view of things is that the policies of Trump 2.0, in particular the tariffs on China and even US allies, will impact the US economy badly. Some countries will be affected more than others. Europe, for instance, is already reeling from Ukraine, and it has turned into an “adjustment variable” – as Joseph Borrell bluntly put it recently – for US foreign policy. The European Union was already becoming wary of Joe Biden’s side-lining of their concerns. In Trump, they will likely encounter someone even more willing to throw them to the side in pursuit of US foreign policy objectives. America First, Trump’s preferred policy, is a morass of contradictions. Liberals who advocate for an interventionist foreign policy will argue that it will lead to the US absconding from its responsibilities on the world stage. But will America First necessarily mean an abandonment of its interventionist foreign policy? Interventionism has been a hallmark of the US for at least the last century and a half: it is what has defined and secured its superpower status. The Trump presidency will accommodate a different vision of interventionism: determined less by a concern for rights and values than by a concern for immediate interests. Lindsey Graham’s denunciation of the International Criminal Court warrant on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his threat to US allies that comply with it is a case in point. My prediction is that the foreign policy of the second Trump presidency will play out over four specific areas or battlegrounds: border and migrant issues vis-à-vis Mexico and the rest of Latin America; trade and tariffs vis-à-vis China; greater engagement in the Indo-Pacific vis-à-vis allies like India; a deepening of ties with Israel, regardless of consequences for stability in West Asia; and a policy of confrontation with Ukraine vis-à-vis Russia. In all this, the world is likely to confront a major contradiction: a US president who says he prioritises “peace through strength”, but has little regard for the concerns of US allies. Trump’s attitude to Taiwan is a classic example: he reiterates his support for the country vis-à-vis China, but also lambastes it for having stolen from the US chip industry. One can justify these turnarounds by framing Trump as an exception. Yet in terms of the shifts in US foreign policy over the last 30 years, he is all too characteristic of that country and the fecklessness with which it handles relations with its own allies. Uditha Devapriya is the Chief International Relations Analyst at Factum, an Asia-Pacific focused foreign policy think-tank based in Colombo and accessible via www.factum.lk. He can be reached at uditha@factum.lk.Insurgents reach gates of Syria’s capital, threatening to upend decades of Assad rule BEIRUT (AP) — A Syrian opposition war monitor and a pro-government media outlet say government forces have withdrawn from much of the central city of Homs. The pro-government Sham FM reported that government forces took positions outside Syria’s third-largest city, without elaborating. Rami Abdurrahman who heads the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said Syrian troops and members of different security agencies have withdrawn from the city, adding that rebels have entered parts of it. Losing Homs is a potentially crippling blow for Syria’s embattled leader, Bashar Assad. An archbishop's knock formally restores Notre Dame to life as winds howl and heads of state look on PARIS (AP) — France’s iconic Notre Dame Cathedral has formally reopened its doors for the first time since a devastating fire nearly destroyed the 861-year-old landmark in 2019. The five-year restoration is widely seen as a boost for French President Emmanuel Macron, who championed the ambitious timeline, and brings a welcome respite from his domestic political woes. World leaders, dignitaries, and worshippers gathered on Saturday evening for the celebrations under the cathedral's soaring arches. The celebration was attended by 1,500 dignitaries, including President-elect Donald Trump, Britain’s Prince William, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. For Catholics, Notre Dame’s rector said the cathedral “carries the enveloping presence of the Virgin Mary, a maternal and embracing presence.′′ Trump is welcomed by Macron to Paris with presidential pomp and joined by Zelenskyy for their talks PARIS (AP) — French President Emmanuel Macron has welcomed Donald Trump to Paris with a full dose of presidential pomp. And they held a hastily arranged meeting with Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy on a day that's mixing pageantry with attention to pressing global problems. The president-elect's visit to France is part of a global a celebration of the reopening of Notre Dame Cathedral five years after a devastating fire. Macron and other European leaders are trying to win Trump’s favor and persuade him to maintain support for Ukraine in its defense against Russia’s invasion. Trump isn't back in office but he's already pushing his agenda and negotiating with world leaders NEW YORK (AP) — Donald Trump is making threats, traveling abroad, and negotiating with world leaders. He has more than a month-and-a-half to go before he’s sworn in for a second term. But the president-elect is already moving aggressively to not only fill his Cabinet and outline policy goals, but also to try to achieve his priorities. In recent days, Trump has threatened to impose a 25% tariff on goods from Canada and Mexico, two of the country’s largest trading partners. That led to emergency calls and a visit. And he's warned of “ALL HELL TO PAY” if Hamas doesn't release the hostages still being held captive in Gaza. South Korea's president avoids an impeachment attempt over short-lived martial law SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea’s embattled President Yoon Suk Yeol has avoided an opposition-led attempt to impeach him over his short-lived imposition of martial law. Most of Yoon's ruling party lawmakers boycotted a parliamentary vote Saturday to deny a two-thirds majority needed to suspend his presidential powers. The scrapping of the motion is expected to intensify protests calling for Yoon’s ouster and deepen political chaos in South Korea. A survey suggests a majority of South Koreans support the president’s impeachment. Yoon’s martial law declaration drew criticism from his own ruling conservative People Power Party. But the party also apparently fears losing the presidency to liberals. Days after gunman killed UnitedHealthcare's CEO, police push to ID him and FBI offers reward NEW YORK (AP) — Nearly four days after the shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, police still do not know the gunman’s name or whereabouts or have a motive for the killing. But they have made some progress in their investigation into Wednesday's killing of the leader of the largest U.S. health insurer, including that the gunman likely left New York City on a bus soon after fleeing the scene. The also found that the gunman left something behind: a backpack that was discovered in Central Park. Police are working with the FBI, which on Friday night announced a $50,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction. UnitedHealthcare CEO's shooting opens a door for many to vent frustrations over insurance The fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare's CEO has opened the door for many people to vent their frustrations and anger over the insurance industry. The feelings of exasperation, anger, resentment, and helplessness toward insurers aren’t new. But the shooting and the headlines around it have unleashed a new wave of patients sharing such sentiments and personal stories of interactions with insurance companies. Conversations at dinner tables, office water coolers, social gatherings and on social media have pivoted to the topic. Many say they hope the new amplified voices can bring about change for companies often accused of valuing profits over people. 2 Pearl Harbor survivors, ages 104 and 102, return to Hawaii to honor those killed in 1941 attack PEARL HARBOR, Hawaii (AP) — The bombing of Pearl Harbor 83 years ago launched the United States into World War II. Two survivors have returned to the Hawaii military base for a remembrance ceremony on the attack's anniversary. Both are over 100 years old. They joined active-duty troops, veterans and members of the public for an observance hosted by the Navy and the National Park Service. A third survivor was planning to join them but had to cancel due to health issues. The bombing killed more than 2,300 U.S. servicemen. An explosion destroys an apartment block in a Dutch city, killing at least 3 and injuring others THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — An explosion and fire has rocked a neighborhood in the Dutch city of The Hague, killing three people and injuring other people and destroying several apartments. The cause of the disaster is unclear. Emergency authorities said four people were rescued from the rubble and taken to the hospital. The mayor said rescuers were no longer looking for survivors but for eventual bodies, but could not specify how many people might still be unaccounted for. Residents of the northeastern neighborhood of Mariahoeve in The Hague heard a huge bang and screams before dawn. Dutch authorities have deployed a specialized urban search and rescue team to find victims. How 'Mufasa' rose with Aaron Pierre and Blue Ivy's voices along with new Lin-Manuel Miranda music SAN DIEGO (AP) — When Aaron Pierre was cast as Mufasa, the weight of following in the late James Earl Jones’ legendary footsteps was enough to rattle any actor. But instead of letting the pressure roar too loudly, he harnessed his nerves to breathe fresh life into his young lion character. Pierre found parallels between himself and his character while filming his leading role in “Mufasa: The Lion King,” which opens in theaters Dec. 20. He took the reigns as the new voice of Mufasa after Jones played the iconic King Mufasa in both the 1994 and 2019 versions of Disney’s “The Lion King.” The prequel offers a fresh exploration into Mufasa’s origin story.
Patrick Gunning of King & Wood Mallesons reports that on November 29, 2024, the Australian Parliament passed more than 30 bills on the final sitting day for the calendar year. Among the flurry of legislative activity were the Privacy and Other Legislation Amendment Act 2024 and the Online Safety Amendment (Social Media Minimum Age) Act 2024. Privacy Amendment Act The Privacy Amendment Act represents the initial stage of the Australian government’s response to a long-running reform process, with the government indicating that if it is re-elected in 2025, a second tranche of amendments will be proposed. We highlight some of the 2024 amendments. Broader Enforcement Powers for the Australian Information Commissioner This includes changes to: Clarify when “serious” contraventions (which can result in fines of A$50 million or more) occur. Enable the regulator to bring civil penalty proceedings for contraventions that do not meet the “serious” threshold, but are deserving of court action to deter others (with a maximum fine of up to A$3.3 million). Enable the regulator to issue an “infringement notice” for breaches of certain less serious requirements of Australian privacy law. If a regulated entity chooses to pay the penalty set out in the infringement notice (up to A$330,000 per specified contravention), the regulator cannot commence court proceedings in respect of those contraventions unless the regulator withdraws the infringement notice and returns the fine. Alternatively the regulated entity can choose to not pay the fine, in which case the regulator has the discretion to take a different form of enforcement action (such as commencing civil penalty proceedings in a court, where the maximum fine is ten times greater than available under the infringement notice regime). The current Privacy Commissioner, Carly Kind, was appointed in 2024. She has signalled an intention to more actively enforce the law than her predecessors. The new enforcement powers in the 2024 amendments will give her tools to achieve that objective. New Statutory Tort of Invasion of Privacy The Privacy Amendment Act introduces a new statutory tort for serious invasions of privacy involving intrusion upon seclusion and/or misuse of information, where: the plaintiff has a reasonable expectation of privacy; the conduct by the defendant is intentional or reckless; the invasion of privacy is serious; and the public interest in the plaintiff’s privacy outweighs any countervailing public interest. While it remains to be seen how widely the statutory tort of invasion of privacy will be litigated, expectations are that most cases will be brought against media defendants by well-resourced high-profile individuals. While the regulator will have the right to make submissions in such a case, the regulator will not have standing to bring a statutory tort claim on behalf of any individual. Class actions are, however, a possibility if a single event affects multiple individuals. However, a typical cyber incident is not likely to qualify as a serious invasion of privacy, because the conduct of a defendant organization that has been hacked by a malicious third party is rarely intentional or reckless, even if it may involve negligence. Automated Decisionmaking In addition to the changes related to enforcement, the Act also provides greater transparency for individuals when regulated entities use personal information for automated decisionmaking. Regulated entities will now be required to include in their privacy notices details about what information is involved and what types of decisions are made using automated decisionmaking technology. Children’s Online Privacy Code The Act also directs the Commissioner to develop a Children’s Online Privacy Code, as discussed further below. The Act includes minimal parameters for the Code, however, beyond applicability and consultation provisions. Social Media Minimum Age Act The Australian Parliament enacted the Social Media Minimum Age Act only eight days after its introduction. The Act amends the Online Safety Act 2021 by requiring providers of an “age-restricted social media platform” to take reasonable steps to prevent Australian children under the age of 16 from having an account. Providers who fail to do so will be subject to civil penalties of up to A$49.5 million. The eSafety Commissioner will be responsible for administering the new requirements to be imposed on age-restricted social media platforms. The Act defines an ”age-restricted social media platform” is as a platform that: allows users to post material; allows users to interact with other end-users; and enables social interactions between two or more end-users (as the platform’s sole or significant purpose). Some forms of messaging services will be covered by this definition, in addition to platforms that would generally be considered social media platforms. Providers of age-restricted social media platforms will have 12 months to implement age assurance techniques. The Act is not prescriptive about the techniques that may be implemented, but does impose limits on a provider’s right to collect government-issued identifiers and digital IDs for the purpose of enforcing the minimum age requirement. It is possible that by the time that these age-restriction requirements take effect, the Privacy Commissioner will have developed an enforceable Children’s Online Privacy Code, which also will apply to providers of age-restricted social media platforms, as well as to others that deal with children online (such as e-commerce businesses). The age-restriction requirements do not apply to platforms where ”none of the material on the service is accessible to, or delivered to, one or more end-users in Australia”. However, given the global nature of most social media platforms, it seems inevitable that some platform providers will regard this law as a legislative overreach by the Australian Parliament. For example, X Corp recently resisted the Australian eSafety Commissioner’s order to remove video footage of a violent attack in an Australian church from the platform. X Corp argued successfully in the Federal Court of Australia that it had taken all reasonable steps to remove the content from its platform by geo-blocking users with Australian IP addresses. As the initial injunction expired, the Australian eSafety Commissioner dropped the court case to pursue administrative action, having lost her argument that X Corp should have removed the content from its platform entirely because Australians using VPNs could circumvent the geo-blocking measures. Similar enforcement difficulties are likely to arise under the Social Media Minimum Age, as Australian children under the age of 16 may also use VPN services that allow them to circumvent whatever measures are put in place to restrict their ability to have an account on an age-restricted platform. For further detail on these Australian reforms, visit KWM’s insights on data and privacy developments .
A few days after losing re-election in 1980, President Jimmy Carter attended a tribute to Aaron Copeland that included his Fanfare for the Common Man . If any president embodied that work, it was Carter. Citizen, veteran, farmer, governor, president, Sunday school teacher, peace promoter, home builder for those without shelter. Carter was the antidote to the disgraced president Richard Nixon and all the damage he inflicted on America’s democracy. Carter projected honesty, compassion, religious rectitude, morality, racial justice and public service. Rosalynn, his life partner in marriage and governance, his wife of 77 years and First Lady, was as devoted to public service as her husband. President Jimmy Carter waves to the crowd while walking with wife Rosalynn and their daughter Amy to the White House following his inauguration on January 20, 1977. Credit: AP//Suzanne Vlamis Carter’s virtues embroidered his presidency. He worked so hard. His ambitions were noble. Carter’s approval rating was 75 per cent in his first months in office in 1977. But a series of events overtook him. Carter’s highest priority, a national energy plan, took 18 months to enact and was only a marginal success. In 1979, the US was hit with an oil shock spurred by Iran and OPEC that cut supplies and drove up prices. There were petrol lines everywhere. That summer, the country was gripped by a sense of profound drift. For 10 days, Carter retreated to Camp David for meetings and consultations with experts and citizens to help him find answers to the country’s deepening malaise. Carter came down from the mountain and delivered a sermon to the country on what was wrong: “It is a crisis of confidence. It is a crisis that strikes at the very heart and soul and spirit of our national will. We can see this crisis in the growing doubt about the meaning of our own lives and in the loss of a unity of purpose for our nation. The erosion of our confidence in the future is threatening to destroy the social and the political fabric of America.” Loading A few days later, Carter fired five members of his cabinet. His approval rating sank to 30 per cent. The American people’s loss of confidence was in the president and his ability to govern. In November 1979, following the return of Ayatollah Khomeini and the overthrow of the Shah, who was aligned with the West, the US Embassy in Tehran was seized and 52 American diplomats were taken hostage. A rescue mission failed spectacularly in April 1980, with American service members lost when their helicopters crashed in the desert. The Iranians, intent on further humiliating America and its leader, did not release the hostages until moments after Carter ceased being president. Those were the depths of Carter’s presidency. The fights over his policy agenda were agonising. It got to a point where many Democrats in Congress took more relish in attacking and criticising the White House than in attacking and beating the Republicans. Inflation would hit an all-time high of 14.6 per cent in the election year of 1980, accompanied by even higher interest rates.NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO UNITED STATES NEWS WIRE SERVICES OR DISSEMINATION IN UNITED STATES CALGARY, Alberta, Dec. 05, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Pieridae Energy Limited (“Pieridae” or the “Company”) (TSX: PEA) is pleased to provide 2025 guidance including scope of the 2025 capital program along with production and Net Operating Income 1 (“NOI”) projections. Pieridae’s specific priorities for 2025 are: Sustain a safe and regulatory compliant business Minimize facility outages to maximize sales and processing revenue. Further grow the third-party gathering and processing business at our operated facilities. Meaningfully reduce operating expenses to improve corporate netback. Deliver attractive ROI on value adding optimization projects included in the 2025 capital program. Reduce long term debt to improve financial flexibility. The 2025 production guidance of 23,000 to 25,000 boe/d assumes that approximately 9,400 boe/d of previously announced voluntary production shut-ins in Central AB, Northern AB, and Northeast BC persist throughout 2025. These dry gas, low margin properties produce to third-party facilities and were shut-in during the second and third quarters of 2024 due to low AECO natural gas prices and high processing costs. These shut-ins represent approximately 25% of the Company’s production capability. Material production upside is possible if these properties are reactivated; management’s decision to reactivate production from any of these areas is subject to supportive long-term economics. The shut-in production can be restored within one to two weeks and subsequent well and reservoir performance is not expected to be negatively impacted. Pieridae has hedged 110,000 GJ/d of its 2025 natural gas production at a weighted average fixed price of $3.32/GJ, and 1,679 bbl/d of its 2025 condensate production with a weighted average floor price of CAD$84.41/bbl and a weighted average ceiling price of CAD$92.32/bbl. The Company’s aggregate hedge position for 2025 totals 19,055 boe/d or approximately 80% of the above production guidance range. The unrealized gain on the Company’s hedge portfolio, which extends to mid-2028, is approximately $87 million using the forward strip as of November 30, 2024. Pieridae’s legacy fixed price sulphur contract, which was entered into in 2019, expires on December 31, 2025. Under this contract, the Company receives a net fixed price of approximately $6/tonne for the majority of its sulphur production of approximately 1,400 tonnes per day. Beginning January 1, 2026, the Company will receive market price for all sulphur production, less normal deductions for transportation, handling, and marketing representing a significant potential revenue opportunity. As of November 30, 2024, the spot west coast sulphur price is approximately US$143/tonne, prior to transportation and marketing costs. The $25-$30 million capital budget in 2025 includes approximately $14 million directed towards a high-impact well and facility optimization program funded with the equity raised during Q3 and Q4 2024. These high return, short payout capital projects are expected to increase sales revenue, improve facility efficiency, reduce operating cost and fuel gas consumption, and lower GHG compliance costs. Spending on this program commenced in Q4 2024 and will continue throughout 2025. The remainder of the 2025 capital is focused on routine capital maintenance, field operating technology upgrades, and site closure / decommissioning expenditures in Alberta and BC. Notably, Pieridae has not scheduled a major maintenance turnaround planned at any of the Company’s deep-cut, sour gas processing facilities during 2025 given the successful completion of gas plant turnarounds and other maintenance projects in 2023 and 2024. The next major maintenance turnaround is scheduled for 2026. Due to the current outlook for North American natural gas prices, Pieridae is not planning to resume drilling operations during 2025. Pieridae will only exploit its portfolio of high impact conventional Foothills drilling opportunities once natural gas prices sustainably recover and the Company has achieved its deleveraging target. ABOUT PIERIDAE Pieridae is a Canadian energy company headquartered in Calgary, Alberta. The Company is a significant upstream producer and midstream custom processor of natural gas, NGLs, condensate, and sulphur from the Canadian Foothills and adjacent areas in Alberta and in northeast British Columbia. Pieridae’s vision is to provide responsible, affordable natural gas and derived products to meet society’s energy security needs. Pieridae’s common shares trade on the TSX under the symbol “PEA”. For further information, visit www.pieridaeenergy.com , or please contact: Forward-Looking Statements Certain of the statements contained herein including, without limitation, management plans and assessments of future plans and operations, Pieridae’s outlook, strategy and vision, intentions with respect to future acquisitions, dispositions and other opportunities, including exploration and development activities, Pieridae’s ability to market its assets, plans and timing for development of undeveloped and probable resources, Pieridae’s goals with respect to the environment, relations with Indigenous people and promoting equity, diversity and inclusion, estimated abandonment and reclamation costs, plans regarding hedging, plans regarding the payment of dividends, wells to be drilled, the weighting of commodity expenses, expected production and performance of oil and natural gas properties, results and timing of projects, access to adequate pipeline capacity and third-party infrastructure, growth expectations, supply and demand for oil, natural gas liquids and natural gas, industry conditions, government regulations and regimes, capital expenditures and the nature of capital expenditures and the timing and method of financing thereof, may constitute “forward-looking statements” or “forward-looking information” within the meaning of applicable securities laws (collectively “ forward-looking statements ”). Words such as “may”, “will”, “should”, “could”, “anticipate”, “believe”, “expect”, “intend”, “plan”, “continue”, “focus”, “endeavor”, “commit”, “shall”, “propose”, “might”, “project”, “predict”, “vision”, “opportunity”, “strategy”, “objective”, “potential”, “forecast”, “estimate”, “goal”, “target”, “growth”, “future”, and similar expressions may be used to identify these forward-looking statements. These statements reflect management's current beliefs and are based on information currently available to management. Forward-looking statements involve significant risk and uncertainties. A number of factors could cause actual results to differ materially from the results discussed in the forward-looking statements including, but not limited to, the risks associated with oil and gas exploration, development, exploitation, production, processing, marketing and transportation, loss of markets, volatility of commodity prices, currency fluctuations, imprecision of resources estimates, environmental risks, competition from other producers, incorrect assessment of the value of acquisitions, failure to realize the anticipated benefits of acquisitions, delays resulting from or inability to obtain required regulatory approvals, ability to access sufficient capital from internal and external sources and the risk factors outlined under “Risk Factors” and elsewhere herein. The recovery and resources estimate of Pieridae's reserves provided herein are estimates only and there is no guarantee that the estimated resources will be recovered. As a consequence, actual results may differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based on a number of factors and assumptions which have been used to develop such forward-looking statements, but which may prove to be incorrect. Although Pieridae believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on forward-looking statements because Pieridae can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. In addition to other factors and assumptions which may be identified in this document, assumptions have been made regarding, among other things: the impact of increasing competition; the general stability of the economic and political environment in which Pieridae operates; the timely receipt of any required regulatory approvals; the ability of Pieridae to obtain and retain qualified staff, equipment and services in a timely and cost efficient manner; the ability of the operator of the projects which Pieridae has an interest in to operate the field in a safe, efficient and effective manner; the ability of Pieridae to obtain financing on acceptable terms; the ability to replace and expand oil and natural gas resources through acquisition, development and exploration; the timing and costs of pipeline, storage and facility construction and expansion and the ability of Pieridae to secure adequate product transportation; future oil and natural gas prices; currency, exchange and interest rates; the regulatory framework regarding royalties, taxes and environmental matters in the jurisdictions in which Pieridae operates; timing and amount of capital expenditures; future sources of funding; production levels; weather conditions; success of exploration and development activities; access to gathering, processing and pipeline systems; advancing technologies; and the ability of Pieridae to successfully market its oil and natural gas products. Readers are cautioned that the foregoing list of factors is not exhaustive. Additional information on these and other factors that could affect Pieridae's operations and financial results are included in reports on file with Canadian securities regulatory authorities and may be accessed through the SEDAR+ website (www.sedarplus.ca), and at Pieridae's website (www.pieridaeenergy.com). Although the forward-looking statements contained herein are based upon what management believes to be reasonable assumptions, management cannot assure that actual results will be consistent with these forward-looking statements. Investors should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date hereof and Pieridae assumes no obligation to update or review them to reflect new events or circumstances except as required by applicable securities laws. Forward-looking statements contained herein concerning the oil and gas industry and Pieridae's general expectations concerning this industry are based on estimates prepared by management using data from publicly available industry sources as well as from reserve reports, market research and industry analysis and on assumptions based on data and knowledge of this industry which Pieridae believes to be reasonable. However, this data is inherently imprecise, although generally indicative of relative market positions, market shares and performance characteristics. While Pieridae is not aware of any misstatements regarding any industry data presented herein, the industry involves risks and uncertainties and is subject to change based on various factors. Additional Reader Advisories Barrels of oil equivalent (“boe”) may be misleading, particularly if used in isolation. A boe conversion ratio of 6 Mcf: 1 boe is based on an energy equivalency conversion method primarily applicable at the burner tip and does not represent a value equivalency at the wellhead. Abbreviations Neither TSX nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.Israeli drone strikes hit Kamal Adwan Hospital on Tuesday, wounding three medical staff at one of the few hospitals still partially operating in the northernmost part of Gaza , the facility’s director said. Dr. Hossam Abu Safiya said the drones were dropping bombs, spraying shrapnel at the hospital. There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military. In Lebanon, a tenuous ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah has held despite Israeli forces carrying out several new drone and artillery strikes on Tuesday, killing a shepherd in the country's south. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed keep striking “with an iron fist” against perceived Hezbollah violations of the ceasefire. Hezbollah began launching rockets, drones and missiles into Israel last year in solidarity with Hamas militants who are fighting in the Gaza Strip. The war in Gaza began when Hamas-led militants stormed into southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking around 250 people hostage . Israel’s blistering retaliatory offensive has killed at least 44,500 Palestinians , more than half of them women and children, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which does not say how many of the dead were combatants. Israel says it has killed over 17,000 militants, without providing evidence. The war in Gaza has destroyed vast areas of the coastal enclave and displaced 90% of the population of 2.3 million, often multiple times . Here's the Latest: WASHINGTON — U.S. forces conducted a self-defense strike Tuesday in the vicinity of Mission Support Site Euphrates, a U.S. base in eastern Syria, against three truck-mounted multiple rocket launchers, a T-64 tank and mortars that Pentagon press secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder said presented “a clear and imminent threat” to U.S. troops. The self-defense strike occurred after rockets and mortars were fired that landed in the vicinity of the base, Ryder said. The Pentagon is still assessing who was responsible for the attacks — that there are both Iranian-backed militias and Syrian military forces that operate in the area. Ryder said the attack was not connected to the offensive that is ongoing in Aleppo, where Syrian jihadi-led rebels taken over the country’s largest city. The U.S. has about 900 troops in Syria to conduct missions to counter the Islamic Stage group. CAIRO — Israeli drone strikes hit the Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza on Tuesday, wounding three medical personnel, the facility’s director said. Dr. Hossam Abu Safiya said the drones were dropping bombs, spraying shrapnel at the hospital, located in the town of Beit Lahiya. There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military. In comments released by Gaza’s Health Ministry, Abu Safiya said one of the injured was in critical condition and was undergoing a complex surgery. “The situation has become extremely dangerous,” he said. “We are exhausted by the ongoing violence and atrocities.” Kamal Adwan Hospital has been struck multiple times over the past two months as Israeli forces have waged a fierce offensive in the area, saying they are rooting out Hamas militants who regrouped there. In October, Israeli forces raided the hospital, saying that militants were sheltering inside and arrested a number of people, including some staff. Hospital officials denied the claim. Abu Safiya was wounded in his thigh and back by an Israeli drone strike on the hospital last month. TEL AVIV, Israel — An Israeli court has ordered Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to take the stand next week in his long-running corruption trial, ending a long series of delays. Netanyahu’s lawyers had filed multiple requests to put off the testimony, arguing first that the war in Gaza prevented him from properly preparing for his testimony, and later that his security could not be guaranteed in the court chamber. In Tuesday’s decision, judges in the Jerusalem district court said that following a security assessment, his testimony will be moved to the Tel Aviv district court. Israeli media said the session would take place in an underground chamber. His testimony in the trial, which began in 2020, is expected to begin on Dec. 10 and to last at least several weeks. Netanyahu is charged with fraud, breach of trust and accepting bribes in three separate scandals involving powerful media moguls and wealthy associates. He denies wrongdoing. NABATIYEH, Lebanon — In destroyed areas of southern Lebanon, residents clearing away rubble on Tuesday said they didn’t trust Israel to abide by the week-old ceasefire with Hezbollah. “The Israelis are breaching the ceasefire whenever they can because they are not committed,” said Hussein Badreddin, a vegetable seller in the southern city of Nabatiyeh, which was pummeled by Israeli airstrikes over several weeks. “This means that they (can) breach any resolution at any time.” Since it began last Wednesday, the U.S.- and French-brokered 60-day ceasefire has been rattled by near daily Israeli strikes, although Israel has been vague about the purported Hezbollah violations that prompted them. Imad Yassin, a trader who owns a clothing shop in Nabatiyeh, said Israel was constantly breaching the ceasefire because Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wants to continue the displacement of residents of southern Lebanon. “The Israeli enemy was defeated and the truth is that he is trying to get revenge. Netanyahu is trying to displace us as citizens of southern Lebanon,” Yassin said. They spoke as bulldozers cleared streets strewn with rubble and debris from destroyed buildings. Electricians worked to fix power lines in an effort to restore electricity to the city. Both men were displaced by the war and returned to Nabatiyeh on Wednesday, the day the ceasefire went into effect. Yassin found his clothing shop had been destroyed. He said he would wait to see if the state will dispense compensation funds so that he can repair and reopen his business. GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — Two separate Israeli airstrikes killed at least nine people in Gaza City on Tuesday, Palestinian medical authorities said. Six people, including two children, who were killed when an Israeli strike hit a school sheltering displaced people Tuesday afternoon in the Zaytoun neighborhood, according to the Health Ministry’s emergency services. A second strike hit a residential building in the Sabra neighborhood, killing at least three people, the services said. Israeli forces have almost completely isolated northernmost Gaza since early October, saying they’re fighting regrouped Hamas militants there. That has pushed some families south to Gaza City, while hundreds of thousands more live in the territory's center and south in squalid tent camps, where they rely on international aid. JERUSALEM — Israel's military confirmed it killed a senior member of Hezbollah responsible for coordinating with Syria's army on rearming and resupplying the Lebanese militant group. Syrian state media said a drone strike on Tuesday hit a car in a suburb of the capital Damascus, killing one person, without saying who was killed. Israel's military said he was Salman Nemer Jomaa, describing him as “Hezbollah’s representative to the Syrian military,” and that killing him “degrades both Hezbollah’s presence in Syria and Hezbollah’s ongoing force-building efforts.” Israel has carried out hundreds of strikes on targets inside government-controlled parts of war-torn Syria in recent years. Israel rarely acknowledges its actions in Syria, but it has said that it targets bases of Iran-allied militant groups. Iran supports both Hezbollah and the Syrian government of President Bashar Assad, which is currently fighting to push back jihadi-led insurgents who seized the country’s largest city of Aleppo . TUBAS, West Bank — Israeli soldiers opened fire inside a hospital in the occupied West Bank on Tuesday during a raid to seize the bodies of alleged militants targeted in earlier airstrikes, a Palestinian doctor working at the hospital told The Associated Press. Soldiers entered the Turkish Hospital complex in Tubas after the bodies of two Palestinians killed and one wounded in airstrikes in the northern West Bank on Tuesday were brought there, said Dr. Mahmoud Ghanam, who works in the hospital’s emergency department. The troops briefly handcuffed and arrested Ghanam and another doctor. “The army entered in a brutal way, and they were shooting inside the emergency department,” said Ghanam. “They handcuffed us and took me and my colleague.” The military confirmed that its troops were operating around the hospital searching for those targeted in the airstrikes, which they said had hit a militant cell near the Palestinian town of Al-Aqaba in the Jordan Valley. It denied that troops had entered the hospital building or fired gunshots inside. The soldiers left after learning that the wounded man had been transferred to another hospital, Ghanam said. The soldiers wanted to take the bodies of the two men killed in the strike, but the hospital’s manager refused to hand over the bodies, Ghanam said. Israeli raids on hospitals in the West Bank are rare but have grown more common since the start of the Israel-Hamas war. In Gaza, Israeli troops have systematically besieged, raided and damaged many hospitals. About 800 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire in the West Bank since Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023 attack out of Gaza ignited the war there. Israel has carried out near-daily military raids in the West Bank that it says are aimed at preventing attacks on Israelis — attacks which have also been on the rise. Israel captured the West Bank, the Gaza Strip and east Jerusalem in the 1967 Mideast war. The Palestinians seek all three territories for an independent state. CAIRO — Palestinian officials say Fatah and Hamas are closing in on an agreement to appoint a committee of politically independent technocrats to administer the Gaza Strip after the war . It would effectively end Hamas’ rule and could help advance ceasefire talks with Israel. The rival factions have made several failed attempts to reconcile since Hamas seized power in Gaza in 2007. Israel has meanwhile ruled out any postwar role in Gaza for either Hamas or Fatah, which dominates the Western-backed Palestinian Authority . A Palestinian Authority official on Tuesday confirmed that a preliminary agreement had been reached following weeks of negotiations in Cairo. The official said the committee would have 12-15 members, most of them from Gaza. It would report to the Palestinian Authority, which is headquartered in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, and work with local and international parties to facilitate humanitarian assistance and reconstruction. A Hamas official said that Hamas and Fatah had agreed on the general terms but were still negotiating over some details and the individuals who would serve on the committee. The official said an agreement would be announced after a meeting of all Palestinian factions in Cairo, without providing a timeline. Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief media on the talks. There was no immediate comment from Israel. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to continue the war until Hamas is dismantled and scores of hostages are returned. He says Israel will maintain open-ended security control over Gaza , with civilian affairs administered by local Palestinians unaffiliated with the Palestinian Authority or Hamas. No Palestinians have publicly volunteered for such a role, and Hamas has threatened anyone who cooperates with the Israeli military. The United States has called for a revitalized Palestinian Authority to govern both the West Bank and Gaza ahead of eventual statehood. The Israeli government is opposed to Palestinian statehood. Associated Press writers Samy Magdy in Cairo and Josef Federman in Jerusalem contributed. NUSEIRAT REFUGEE CAMP, Gaza Strip — Palestinians lined up for bags of flour distributed by the U.N. in central Gaza on Tuesday morning, some of them for the first time in months amid a drop in food aid entering the territory. The U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees, known as UNRWA, gave out one 25-kilogram flour bag (55 pounds) to each family of 10 at a warehouse in the Nuseirat refugee camp, as well as further south in the city of Khan Younis. Jalal al-Shaer, among the dozens receiving flour at the Nuseirat warehouse, said the bag would last his family of 12 for only two or three days. “The situation for us is very difficult,” said another man in line, Hammad Moawad. “There is no flour, there is no food, prices are high ... We eat bread crumbs.” He said his family hadn’t received a flour allotment in five or six months. COGAT, the Israeli army body in charge of humanitarian affairs, said it facilitated entry of a shipment of 600 tons of flour on Sunday for the World Food Program. Still, the amount of aid Israel has allowed into Gaza since the beginning of October has been at nearly the lowest levels of the 15-month-old war. UNRWA’s senior emergency officer Louise Wateridge told The Associated Press that the flour bags being distributed Tuesday were not enough. “People are getting one bag of flour between an entire family and there is no certainty when they’ll receive the next food,” she said. Wateridge added that UNRWA has been struggling like other humanitarian agencies to provide much needed supplies across the Gaza Strip. The agency this week announced it was stopping delivering aid entering through the main crossing from Israel, Kerem Shalom, because its convoys were being robbed by gangs. UNRWA has blamed Israel in large part for the spread of lawlessness in Gaza. The International Criminal Court is seeking to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defense minister over accusations of using “starvation as a method of warfare” by restricting humanitarian aid into Gaza. Israel rejects the allegations and says it has been working hard to improve entry of aid. JERUSALEM — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says the war isn't over against Hezbollah and vowed to use "an iron fist" against the Lebanese militant group for any perceived violations of a week-old ceasefire. “At the moment we are in a ceasefire, I note — a ceasefire, not the end of the war," Netanyahu said at the start of the government meeting Tuesday. He said the military would retaliate for “any violation — minor or major.” Netanyahu also thanked U.S. President-elect Donald Trump for his recent demands for Hamas to release the remaining Israeli hostages in Gaza. Trump posted on social media Monday that if the hostages are not freed before he takes office in January there would be “HELL TO PAY.” Netanyahu convened Tuesday's meeting in northern Israel, where around 45,000 Israelis had been displaced by the war as of last week, according to the prime minister’s office. Netanyahu said the government was focused on getting them back in their homes and rehabilitating the area. BERLIN — German authorities have arrested a Lebanese man accused of being a member of Hezbollah and working for groups controlled by the militant organization in Germany. Federal prosecutors said the suspect, identified only as Fadel R. in line with German privacy rules, was arrested in the Hannover region on Tuesday. The man is suspected of membership in a foreign terrorist organization and is not accused of direct involvement in any violence. Prosecutors said he joined Hezbollah in the summer of 2008 or earlier and took part in leadership training courses in Lebanon. From 2009, he allegedly had leadership duties in two groups controlled by Hezbollah in the Hannover area, organizing appearances by preachers close to the militants. According to prosecutors, he was briefly a correspondent for a Hezbollah media outlet in 2017 and was tasked with coordinating building work at a mosque. Germany is a staunch ally of Israel. It is also home to a Lebanese immigrant community of more than 100,000. BEIRUT — The Lebanese army is looking for more recruits as it beefs up its presence in southern Lebanon after the Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire. Lebanon’s army is a respected national institution that kept to the sidelines during the nearly 14-month conflict. During an initial 60-day truce, thousands of Lebanese troops are supposed to deploy in southern Lebanon, where U.N. peacekeepers also have a presence. Hezbollah militants are to pull back from areas near the border as Israel withdraws its ground forces. The army said those interested in joining up have a one-month period to apply, starting Tuesday. The Lebanese army has about 80,000 troops, with around 5,000 of them deployed in the south. DAMASCUS, Syria — Syria’s state news agency says a drone strike hit a car in a suburb of the capital, Damascus, killing one person. The agency did not give further details or say who was killed. It said the attack occurred Tuesday on the road leading to the Damascus International Airport south of the city. The area is known to be home to members of Iran-backed militant groups. Israel is believed to have carried out a number of strikes in the area in recent months as it has battled Iran-backed Hezbollah in neighboring Lebanon. Israeli officials rarely acknowledge such strikes. JERUSALEM — Israel’s defense minister warned that if the shaky ceasefire with Hezbollah collapses, Israel will widen its strikes and target the Lebanese state itself. He spoke the day after Israel carried out a wave of airstrikes that killed nearly a dozen people. Those strikes came after the Lebanese militant group fired a volley of projectiles as a warning over what it said were previous Israeli violations. Speaking to troops on the northern border Tuesday, Defense Minister Israel Katz said any violations of the agreement would be met with “a maximum response and zero tolerance.” He said if the war resumes, Israel will widen its strikes beyond the areas where Hezbollah’s activities are concentrated, and “there will no longer be an exemption for the state of Lebanon.” During the 14-month conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, which came to an end last week with a ceasefire brokered by the United States and France, Israel largely refrained from striking critical infrastructure or the Lebanese armed forces, who kept to the sidelines . When Israeli strikes killed or wounded Lebanese soldiers, the Israeli military said it was accidental . The ceasefire agreement that took effect last week gives 60 days for Israel to withdraw its forces from Lebanon and for Hezbollah militants to relocate north of the Litani River. The buffer zone is to be patrolled by Lebanese armed forces and U.N. peacekeepers. Israel has carried out multiple strikes in recent days in response to what it says are violations by Hezbollah. Lebanon’s parliament speaker, Nabih Berri, accused Israel of violating the truce more than 50 times in recent days by launching airstrikes, demolishing homes near the border and violating Lebanon’s airspace. Berri, a Hezbollah ally, had helped mediate the ceasefire. JERUSALEM — Palestinian officials say an Israeli airstrike in the northern West Bank has killed two Palestinians. Israel’s military said it struck a militant cell near the town of Al-Aqaba, in the Jordan Valley. It did not immediately give more details. The Palestinian Health Ministry confirmed the two deaths and said a third person was moderately wounded. About 800 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire in the West Bank since Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023 attack out of Gaza ignited the war there. Israel has carried out near-daily military raids in the West Bank that it says are aimed at preventing attacks on Israelis, which have also been on the rise. Israel captured the West Bank, the Gaza Strip and east Jerusalem in the 1967 Mideast war. The Palestinians want all three territories for an independent state. BEIRUT — Iran’s ambassador to Lebanon made his first public appearance in Beirut since he was wounded in an attack involving exploding pagers in mid-September. Mojtaba Amani, who returned to Lebanon over the weekend after undergoing treatment in Iran, visited on Tuesday the scene south of Beirut where Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah was killed in an Israeli airstrike on Sept. 27. Speaking about the airstrike that destroyed six buildings and killed Nasrallah and others, Amani said Israel should get for its act “the highest medal for sabotage, terrorism, blood and killing civilians.” Amani suffered serious injuries in his face and hands when a pager he was holding exploded in mid-September. The device was one of about 3,000 pagers that exploded simultaneously, killing and wounding many Hezbollah members. A day after the pager attack, a similar attack struck walkie-talkies. In total, the explosions killed at least 37 people and wounded more than 3,000, many of them civilians. Last month, a spokesperson for the office of Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the pager attack was approved by Netanyahu.
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ATHENS, Ohio (AP) — Jackson Paveletzke scored 23 points as Ohio beat Morehead State 88-76 on Saturday night. Paveletzke also contributed eight rebounds for the Bobcats (4-5). Elmore James scored 16 points, shooting 6 for 8, including 2 for 4 from beyond the arc. AJ Clayton went 5 of 10 from the field (2 for 7 from 3-point range) to finish with 14 points. The Eagles (3-6) were led in scoring by Tyler Brelsford, who finished with 16 points, six rebounds and five assists. Jalen Breazeale added 13 points for Morehead State. Kade Ruegsegger also had 12 points, six rebounds and three steals. The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar .The NFL suspended Tennessee Titans safety Julius Wood six games on Tuesday for violating the policy on performing-enhancing substances. There are five games remaining this season for the Titans (3-9), so Wood's suspension will bleed into Week 1 of 2025. Wood, 23, went undrafted this spring and signed with the Dallas Cowboys as a free agent. They waived him in August, and he caught on with the Titans, who claimed him off waivers. Wood appeared in nine games, almost exclusively on special teams, and has recorded two tackles. --Field Level Media
