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Bowser scores 16, Furman takes down South Carolina State 68-64Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi met with Borge Brende, President of the World Economic Forum (WEF), and his accompanying delegation on Saturday to discuss regional developments and economic issues. The meeting was attended by Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly, Minister of Planning, Economic Development, and International Cooperation Rania Al-Mashat, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Immigration, and Egyptian Expatriates Affairs Badr Abdelatty, and Minister of Investment and Foreign Trade Hassan El-Khatib. According to the official spokesperson for the Presidency of the Republic, President Al-Sisi highlighted Egypt’s development efforts, including significant projects in infrastructure, industry, and agriculture, which offer substantial investment opportunities. Brende commended Egypt’s significant strides in economic reform and investment attraction. He emphasized the World Economic Forum’s interest in showcasing Egypt’s successful experience in these areas. President Al-Sisi also shared his perspective on achieving peace and stability in the Middle East. He addressed the ongoing conflicts in Gaza and Lebanon, highlighting their negative repercussions on the global economy and the aspirations of regional populations for development and prosperity. Both parties underscored the urgency of an immediate ceasefire and the initiation of a political process leading to the establishment of an independent Palestinian state. They agreed this is essential for restoring stability in the region and advancing development. The spokesperson further noted that President Al-Sisi stressed the importance of joint cooperation and the need to encourage foreign private sector investments in priority sectors in Egypt. These include industry, sustainable energy, communications, digital transformation, artificial intelligence, and transportation.PESHAWAR, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 23rd Nov, 2024) A delegation led by global head of Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO) International Joyce Laker visited here to strengthen partnerships and overview ongoing programs in . The delegation’s members interacted with children, champions, community elders as well as officials and experts about the key successes, challenges and problems being faced by the children of , said a press release issued here Saturday. They also met with the Secretary Elementary & Secondary , Masood Ahmad where Joyce Laker reassured the VSO’s commitment to supporting the provincial sector, particularly in the marginalized areas. The Secretary said that is a global issue; we cannot ignore the rights of the children. Access to basic is the right of every child and we need to work together to contribute towards the global cause of . Secretary told the participants that teacher’s deficiency is the major issue we are facing and with the support of VSO and other partner organizations; we need to engage volunteer teachers for various subjects to overcome the issue of lack of teachers in schools. He also acknowledged the contribution of VSO and PRDS for ongoing projects, especially support in enrollment campaign. The participants were told that PRDS aims to provide access to comprehensive, equitable and quality for and other children affected by various crises in the country. Under the program, PRDS distributed 1596 computer tablets among the teachers, similarly bags and other materials were also provided to the enrolled students. The delegation also visited various project sites, including early childhood centers, community learning centers, and formal schools being supported by VSO-ECW funded program, to witness the successful models and ongoing and completed initiatives. The delegation included country representative VSO , Seher Afsheen, CEO Participatory Rural Development Society, Arjumand Shah, program manager MYRP, Tariq Hayat Yousafzai and others. During a to University, chairman department of Social Work, Ahmad said that youth are enthusiastic to work as volunteers, but they need opportunities to polish their capabilities and skills. VSO head appreciated the efforts of the social work department and said that VSO’s work in focuses on improving access to quality , particularly for marginalized children and youth. She said that through a range of programs, VSO supports the development of early childhood , community-based learning, and teacher training. Meanwhile during to , Deputy Regional Directress Nafeesa Bibi briefed the participants about the joint venture of the university, VSO and PRDS and said that under the project they awarded scholarship to more than 1200 girls including madaris students, who couldn’t complete their matriculation due to various reasons including lack of access to school, financial and cultural barriers. While sharing her views, Joyce said that this has reinforced our commitment to and the transformative power of . “We are inspired by the dedication of our local partners and the resilience of the communities we serve. By working together, we can create a brighter future for all”, she added. At the end, souvenirs and shields were also presented to the head of VSO and other guests. APP/adiGames: The Quad City Storm (5-10-1-1, 12 points) return home to host the Pensacola Ice Flyers (4-12-1-0, 9 points) in a meeting of the two teams at the bottom of the SPHL standings. Puck drop both evenings at Vibrant Arena at The Mark is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. Promotions: There are events scheduled for both nights this weekend. Friday is Scouts Night with the Storm wearing Mossy Oak Camo jerseys. Proceeds from the jersey auction benefit Illowa Scout Council. Special scout ticket offers and patches are available through Fintan (fintan@quadcitystorm.com). There is also a Scout Sleepover on the ice available with select ticket packages. Saturday, the team will recognize Mascot Mania and Radar’s Glow in the Dark Birthday, which features mascots from the entire region at Vibrant Arena to celebrate and entertain. The first 1,000 kids ages 12 and younger receive a replica jersey, courtesy of Tyson. The action on the ice starts with a laser show and, for the first time ever, the team will be wearing glow in the dark jerseys that will be auctioned postgame. History: This is the first meeting this season between the two clubs. Last season, QC was 4-1-0-0 against the Ice Flyers and the Storm are 8-2-2-1 over Pensacola the last five years. Familiar faces, different places: In a unique twist, QC and Pensacola were partners in a pair of trades this week. QC sent LW Alex Laplante (2 goals, 2 assists, 4 points in 15 games with a -7 plus/minus) and the rights to centerman Matt Ustaski (0 goals, 2 assists, 2 points in 5 games with a -2 rating) to the Ice Flyers in return for future considerations. Ustaski subsequently took a call-up to the ECHL Orlando Solar Bears and is not on the Pensacola active roster. Former QC netminder Kevin Resop is also on Pensacola’s roster, that numbered 17 as of Thursday. Game notes: Both of these teams continue to re-work their rosters. Pensacola has made 10 moves already this month, including losing centermen Greg Smith (1 goal, 9 assists, 10 points in 17 games with a -4 rating) and Cameron Cook (6-5-11, -11 plus/minus) to ECHL call-ups. Smith went to Adirondack and Cook to Reading. ... Pensacola is 0-2 this month having lost at Birmingham and to Macon last weekend. ... QC has not won a game in its last five starts. The Storm are coming in off a three-game weekend in Fayetteville in which they lost all three games by 4-3 scores. The opener was a shootout loss in which QC gained a point in the standings. ... Pensacola’s top scorer is former Peoria Riverman Cayden Cahill (4-6-10). ... QC has a pair of 20-point scorers in Leif Mattson (11-11-22) and Weiland Parrish (4-16-20). ... Pensacola is being outscored 66-41 this season and QC is being outscored 68-47. Those are the top two goals-against numbers in the league and the only ones over 60. ... Pensacola’s 41 goals are tied with Macon for the fewest in the league. — compiled by Tom Johnston
When I told my mother I was going to my first Buddhist service that Sunday, she stopped what she was doing and slammed the kitchen counter with her hand. “On Easter?” she said while turning eerily still. This was in the late 1990s. I had stopped being Catholic a few years before, at age 18, so I no longer paid attention to the Christian calendar. The choice of the date wasn’t symbolic, but my mother’s raised voice demonstrated that she thought so. A year or so later, I overheard her on the phone with a friend expressing concern for my eternal soul. My mother was a devout Catholic, and her youngest daughter’s abandonment of her religious upbringing was unthinkable — even though I had not rejected religious inquiry altogether. I sat down and wrote my mother a letter and left it on her bed. My words were forceful, but I wasn’t smug or sneering, which was unusual restraint for a college-age kid. I didn’t question her faith. I just asked her to respect my need to figure out my own contemplative path. We never discussed the letter. When my mother followed my dad in death in 2019 and my sisters and I had to clean out the house, I found my letter in her bedroom tucked between important cards she’d saved. I pulled it out and sat on the floor holding it like it was a vital link between the two of us across vastly different planes of existence. It mattered to me that she’d kept it. I know it wasn’t easy for her to read because it declared in clear terms my apostasy. But she took my words seriously, it seemed. The way she affirmed my decision-making over the years showed me that she ultimately trusted that a desire to be kind and a clear sense of right and wrong were guiding my actions. It’s so tempting to glorify someone you love after they’ve gone, to the point of leaving their flaws unspoken when you tell stories about them. I firmly believe that presenting a full picture of who someone was is very important to honoring their memory and reminding ourselves that we humans are always a work in progress. I hope people do that for me after I’m gone. But I am not overstating things by saying my gentle mother inspired me in the way a religious icon would. I like to say I have the heart I do because of her. She helped me grow that heart by hugging me, kissing me, telling me she loved me and teaching me through word and action that treating people with compassion is to be taken as seriously as earning a college degree and building a career. She donated to the local food pantry. She contributed to coat drives. She quietly embodied the words, “Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.” She didn’t turn away from other people’s suffering. I understood that to be a moral imperative that transcends creed and affiliation.
A clean sweep: Trinamool Congress wins all 6 Assembly seats in Bengal bypolls
President-elect Donald Trump invited Chinese President Xi Jinping to attend his inauguration next month, according to a report. The invitation came in early November after Trump’s election victory, CBS News reported Thursday. The revelation comes a month after Trump promised to impose hefty tariffs on China. Transition spokesperson Karoline Leavitt confirmed that the Chinese leader had been invited during an appearance on Fox & Friends Thursday morning. This invitation was an example of Trump “creating an open dialogue with leaders of countries that are not just our allies but our adversaries and our competitors too,” she said. When asked if he had accepted or declined the invitation, Leavitt said: “To be determined.” She didn’t name other world leaders who were invited or planned to attend. But, she added: “Foreign leaders are lining up to talk to Donald Trump right now.” Trump recently spoke with Justin Trudeau at Mar-a-Lago , had a “great call” with the president of Mexico , and got the “full presidential celebration” when visiting France for the reopening Notre Dame in Paris , and met with Italy’s prime minister, she said. Last month Trump threatened to impose 25 percent tariffs on imported goods from Mexico and Canada as well as an additional 10 percent tariffs on goods from China. These three countries represent the U.S.’s top trading partners. “Drugs are pouring into our Country, mostly through Mexico, at levels never seen before,” Trump wrote on Truth Social last month. “Until such time as they stop, we will be charging China an additional 10% Tariff, above any additional Tariffs, on all of their many products coming into the United States of America.” In response, a spokesperson for China’s embassy in the U.S. wrote on X: “China-US economic and trade cooperation is mutually beneficial in nature. No one will win a trade war or a tariff war.” In the aftermath of Trump’s election victory, some experts have been warning about how tariffs could impact consumers and could lead to inflation. Over the summer, a group of Nobel prize winners wrote a letter warning about Trump’s economic plans, saying his policies could have a “ destabilizing effect .” An analysis into how Trump’s proposed tariffs could impact US consumers and businesses, conducted by the think tank Peterson Institute for International Economics, concluded: “The only certainty is that new tariffs will be costly for the United States.” The president-elect said Sunday on NBC News that he can’t promise that tariffs won’t hurt Americans’ wallets. “I can’t guarantee anything,” Trump said. “I can’t guarantee tomorrow.” He added that he doesn’t “believe” experts’ warnings about the risk of tariffs and instead insisted that they will “make us rich.”