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In the midst of the ongoing infighting within the Republican Party’s MAGA base, tech mogul Elon Musk has called for the expulsion of “contemptible fools” from the party. What Happened : Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy , named by President-elect Donald Trump as co-leaders of the newly created Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), have found themselves at odds with the GOP’s hard right and MAGA base. The disagreement stems from their support of H-1B visas, which are used to bring high-skilled migrant workers to the U.S. Ramaswamy previously stirred up controversy by stating that the U.S. needs to import high-skilled workers, a standpoint that was met with backlash from several MAGA influencers. Musk responded to the criticism on X, saying, “Yes. And those contemptible fools must be removed from the Republican Party, root and stem.” Also Read: EXCLUSIVE: Eric Trump Calls Elon Musk ‘Albert Einstein Of Our Time,’ Says Tesla CEO Will Help Build ‘A Stronger America’ Yes. And those contemptible fools must be removed from the Republican Party, root and stem. Responding to Musk’s post, Gab CEO Andrew Torba said that Musk is declaring war on them. He's declaring war on us btw. Should go over well for him as it has for everyone else who has tried. pic.twitter.com/zGnFIDyFRT The infighting within the MAGA base has reportedly escalated into a virtual right-wing civil war over issues such as race, class, and immigration. Musk’s position has increasingly put him at odds with Trump’s base, with figures like Steve Bannon and Laura Loomer expressing their disapproval, as reported by Axios. The report also suggests that this divide may force Trump to choose sides between his original white, working-class supporters and the techno-libertarian billionaires like Musk who are central to his new administration. Why It Matters : The ongoing infighting within the MAGA base and the Republican Party at large could have significant implications for the future of the party and its political strategies. The schism between the traditional white, working-class supporters and the techno-libertarian billionaires like Musk could force a reevaluation of the party’s stance on key issues such as immigration and labor. This could, in turn, influence the party’s appeal to different voter demographics and its prospects in future elections. Read Next Here's How Trump's Policies Might Shape The Market's Future This content was partially produced with the help of Benzinga Neuro and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors. © 2024 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.'The View' co-host Joy Behar lamented that the U.S. has gone from trusting broadcast news host Walter Cronkite in the past to podcaster Joe Rogan today. Podcast host Joe Rogan mocked "The View" by changing his description on social media after they claimed he believes in dragons. "The View" co-host Whoopi Goldberg opened a segment on Thursday by discussing a recent poll showing many young Americans get their news from social media influencers who skew towards the political-right. Co-host Sara Haines responded with a "PSA" urging viewers to be skeptical, particularly in this era of misinformation and AI, and that "when you see something that really pisses you off, you should triple-check that one." "I think that’s why people like our show," co-host Joy Behar replied. "Because they know that we are checked by ABC News." "The View" co-host Joy Behar lamented that modern young people listen to podcasters like Joe Rogan. VANCE TELLS ROGAN HE INITIALLY THOUGHT TRUMP HAD BEEN KILLED IN JULY ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT: 'I WAS SO PISSED' "We’re checked by everybody," Goldberg agreed. "Yeah. If we’re wrong, we have, you know, the legal note here," Behar added, referring to co-host Sunny Hostin’s legal background. Behar went on to lament that as a country, "we went from Walter Cronkite, basically, to this guy Joe Rogan who believes in dragons. I checked it." "Did you triple source that?" Haines asked. "Yes I did," Behar responded. "And he also thinks that they— dragons-like, I guess, dinosaur-y type of animals — roamed the Earth when people did. So this is a type of really, really bad information that’s going out there. But it’s possible Donald Trump did roam the Earth when dinosaurs were here." The podcaster responded by sharing a clip of the conversation and wrote, "That’s my new official X description." His bio/description on the X platform, at the time this article was written, reads, "Dragon Believer." Podcaster Joe Rogan changed his description on X to "Dragon believer" to poke fun at "The View" host Joy Behar. (Getty) JOE ROGAN ENDORSES DONALD TRUMP ON THE EVE OF THE ELECTION Rogan, who talks with a wide variety of guests about hot-button issues and esoteric theories, has talked about dragons on his podcast numerous times. Noting that stories about dragons are something found in multiple cultures around the world, he has spoken with some guests about whether they were based on some large, reptilian creature or a late-surviving pterodactyl that didn’t necessarily breathe fire like the dragons of myth. In one episode, Rogan recalled when a past guest, adventurer Forrest Galante, mentioned a theory that the creature dragons were based on had hollow bones like modern birds do, and therefore "if there were lizards big enough to fly around and eat people, they didn’t have bones that could fossilize." "It’s so possible that something that flew like a pterodactyl, like we think of pterodactyls as being like bat wings, maybe they had feathers, maybe that was a gigant [sic] predatory bird and maybe some of those things looked like dragons," he said to a later guest, later adding, "Think of all these different cultures, ancient, medieval Europe, China, Japan, all of them had dragons, there’s so many dragons, it might have been a real thing, and I think most of them didn’t have dragons that could spit fire either, I think that was like Hollywood movie Godzilla type deal." Alexander Hall is an associate editor for Fox News Digital. Story tips can be sent to Alexander.hall@fox.com.AP PHOTOS: The iconic and unconventional sides of Christmas in New YorkGov. Kathy Hochul (D-NY) celebrated efforts to combat crime in New York City's subway system on the same weekend several "barbaric" crimes occurred there. Two people were stabbed at a transit station in Queens , with one of them dying, and a woman was set on fire and died on a subway car in Brooklyn. On the same day, Hochul posted on social media about how "crime is going down" on the subway. In March, I took action to make our subways safer for the millions of people who take the trains each day. Since deploying the @NationalGuardNY to support @NYPDnews and @MTA safety efforts and adding cameras to all subway cars, crime is going down, and ridership is going up. pic.twitter.com/T7uRxx9nIO — Governor Kathy Hochul (@GovKathyHochul) "In March, I took action to make our subways safer for the millions of people who take the trains each day. Since deploying the @NationalGuardNY to support @NYPDnews and @MTA safety efforts and adding cameras to all subway cars, crime is going down, and ridership is going up," Hochul said in a post on X. Hochul's post, which was still up as of Monday afternoon, was blasted by multiple New York City officials. Democratic New York City Councilman Robert Holden said the governor's "incompetence is costing lives" in a scathing rebuke of Hochul. Unbelievable timing: just hours after a woman was senselessly burned alive, and two people were stabbed, one fatally. Kathy Hochul’s incompetence is costing lives—she needs to leave public office immediately before more New Yorkers suffer. https://t.co/P9LPIT9C0c — Robert Holden (@BobHoldenNYC) "Unbelievable timing: just hours after a woman was senselessly burned alive, and two people were stabbed, one fatally. Kathy Hochul’s incompetence is costing lives—she needs to leave public office immediately before more New Yorkers suffer," Holden said in a post on X. Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-NY) also slammed Hochul over her post for being "tone-deaf" and that she "took a victory lap" despite the crime on the transit system that day. Two hours ago, Kathy Hochul took a victory lap for making subways “safer.” She congratulates herself on the same day two subway riders were stabbed in Queens (one in the face and one in the chest) and another was barbarically burned alive. Has there ever been a more tone-deaf... pic.twitter.com/KIPujqpKa3 — Ritchie Torres (@RitchieTorres) CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER "Two hours ago, Kathy Hochul took a victory lap for making subways 'safer.' She congratulates herself on the same day two subway riders were stabbed in Queens (one in the face and one in the chest) and another was barbarically burned alive. Has there ever been a more tone-deaf Governor in the history of New York?" Torres said in a post on X. Torres has been consistently critical of Hochul and has not ruled out a gubernatorial primary challenge to her in 2026.big fish casino wiki 。

Tom Brady may have traded the NFL gridiron for the broadcasting booth, but the 47-year-old still looks to be in peak football shape . On Monday, Brady shared a series of photos from his post-Thanksgiving getaway during which he fished and golfed alongside the caption "A little warmer than it looked in Buffalo last night" - though it was a shirtless snap of the former quarterback that caught the attention of most. Taking to the comment section, droves of fans expressed their shock regarding Brady’s retirement physique. “You look in better shape than your last year with the Bucs man,” one Instagram user wrote, with another adding: “First glance - thought this was one of my 20 year old rugby buddies...” Terrell Owens given food for thought after Deebo Samuel criticism as Jerry Jeudy hits back Trent Williams' newborn son dies as San Francisco 49ers star's wife shares heartbreaking message A third added: “Someone’s been lifting real weights again!” Over a decorated 23-season career in the NFL, Brady rarely shied away from divulging his secrets to staying fit. During his playing days with the New England Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, reports suggested that the three-time MVP drank 25 glasses of water every day, indulged in avocado ice cream and created his own “Brady Juice.” Following his retirement last February, Brady has since taken to the pool to stay in shape. In an Instagram post from September, he shared his rigorous workout routine with his 15 million followers. Follow us on X for the best and latest in sports news “Color analysts have to stay in shape too! Added some swimming into the workout regimen this year,” he wrote. “Great muscle resistance and some aerobic cardio all at once. This mornings circuit below. “4x100 free, 4x25 fast, 25 recovery, 2x200 free, 20x Weighted step up, 20x Heavy resistance band pushup, 10x Box Jump, Repeat x4.” While Brady did have to follow a strict diet and routine in order to play at a high level into the twilight of his career, he admitted that several of his habits were "blown out of proportion" by fans and pundits alike. "I think so much of that got blown out of proportion, because like with everything they want to make it to the extreme,” he said during an appearance on the ‘Pivot Podcast’ back in May. “And I would say, when I started in 2000, I was like everyone else, going 2001, 2002, 2003. Well then I was like, well my elbow was killing me. How do I start getting my elbow to feel better? OK, I got to get more muscle work on it. OK, great. Now, why do I not feel good after I traveled and I drank alcohol? Well, I got super dehydrated. OK, how do I improve that. All right. How do I get to be more fit? OK, I got to change my diet a little bit. So it wasn't like it all happened like I was some robot. Like this was 23 years that I had to refine all these things." Want to watch more live sports? Peacock has your favorite sports, shows, and more all in one place. Peacock offers plans starting at $7.99 so you can stream live sports like NFL, Premier League, and Big Ten Football.

Advisors Asset Management Inc. grew its holdings in Credo Technology Group Holding Ltd ( NASDAQ:CRDO – Free Report ) by 11.3% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 4,722 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 478 shares during the period. Advisors Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Credo Technology Group were worth $145,000 as of its most recent SEC filing. Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise grew its position in Credo Technology Group by 239.5% in the third quarter. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise now owns 14,247 shares of the company’s stock valued at $439,000 after acquiring an additional 10,051 shares during the last quarter. Swiss National Bank boosted its stake in shares of Credo Technology Group by 0.4% in the 3rd quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 274,116 shares of the company’s stock valued at $8,443,000 after purchasing an additional 1,100 shares in the last quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Credo Technology Group by 3.3% during the 3rd quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 28,833 shares of the company’s stock valued at $888,000 after purchasing an additional 934 shares during the last quarter. CloudAlpha Capital Management Limited Hong Kong grew its holdings in shares of Credo Technology Group by 58.2% during the 3rd quarter. CloudAlpha Capital Management Limited Hong Kong now owns 180,940 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,573,000 after purchasing an additional 66,546 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Aigen Investment Management LP acquired a new position in Credo Technology Group during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $271,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.46% of the company’s stock. Insiders Place Their Bets In other news, CTO Chi Fung Cheng sold 55,000 shares of Credo Technology Group stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $32.06, for a total value of $1,763,300.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief technology officer now owns 9,113,602 shares in the company, valued at $292,182,080.12. The trade was a 0.60 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link . Also, insider James Laufman sold 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, September 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $31.36, for a total transaction of $627,200.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 302,466 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,485,333.76. This represents a 6.20 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here . In the last ninety days, insiders sold 1,324,817 shares of company stock worth $43,552,936. Company insiders own 16.04% of the company’s stock. Wall Street Analyst Weigh In Read Our Latest Stock Report on Credo Technology Group Credo Technology Group Price Performance Shares of CRDO stock opened at $48.96 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $8.13 billion, a PE ratio of -306.00 and a beta of 2.19. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $39.24 and its 200 day simple moving average is $31.97. Credo Technology Group Holding Ltd has a one year low of $16.82 and a one year high of $51.40. Credo Technology Group ( NASDAQ:CRDO – Get Free Report ) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, September 4th. The company reported ($0.06) EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.03) by ($0.03). Credo Technology Group had a negative net margin of 12.05% and a negative return on equity of 3.74%. The firm had revenue of $59.71 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $59.50 million. As a group, research analysts expect that Credo Technology Group Holding Ltd will post -0.02 earnings per share for the current year. About Credo Technology Group ( Free Report ) Credo Technology Group Holding Ltd provides various high-speed connectivity Credo Technology Group Holding Ltd provides various high-speed connectivity solutions for optical and electrical Ethernet applications in the United States, Taiwan, Mainland China, Hong Kong, and internationally. Its products include HiWire active electrical cables, optical digital signal processors, low-power line card PHY, serializer/deserializer (SerDes) chiplets, and SerDes IP, as well as integrated circuits, active electrical cables. Featured Stories Five stocks we like better than Credo Technology Group What is Short Interest? How to Use It The Latest 13F Filings Are In: See Where Big Money Is Flowing How to Use High Beta Stocks to Maximize Your Investing Profits 3 Penny Stocks Ready to Break Out in 2025 How the NYSE and NASDAQ are Different, Why That Matters to Investors FMC, Mosaic, Nutrien: Top Agricultural Stocks With Big Potential Want to see what other hedge funds are holding CRDO? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Credo Technology Group Holding Ltd ( NASDAQ:CRDO – Free Report ). Receive News & Ratings for Credo Technology Group Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Credo Technology Group and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter .

For the past 15 years I have been studying the work of Sister Helen Prejean, the social justice activist best known for her book “Dead Man Walking” and her fight against execution in the U.S. Because she has donated her papers to DePaul University, I have been able to read scores of communications in person. All are fascinating. Some are to potentates — presidents and governors, popes and bishops. Others are to celebrities and influencers. But most are to and from persons she accompanied as they waited for the justice system to decide their future. Seen in their original, each card and each letter shows not only the respect with which they were infused but the degree to which they were prized. Cards, letters, clippings saved by those behind bars bear signs of having been read repeatedly — words underlined, corners bent, paper worn thin from repeated touch. I write of this today because several Illinois legislators are suggesting that Illinois intervene between our incarcerated citizens and their loved ones. “Mail scanning,” the concept being proposed, would have the Department of Corrections hire a for-profit company to seize correspondence sent to a correctional center, scan it onto copy paper or digitize it onto a screen, then destroy the original. Ironically, this draconian approach is intended to address a problem only tangentially related — an influx of contraband into prisons. Recent studies, being explained by other legislators, reveal that contraband is more often introduced by individuals who come and go, including staff, than by mail. Disrupting mail is not the solution . Indeed, scanning would contravene one of IDOC’s most important roles: preparing persons to return to society. As James Swansey, policy manager at Restore Justice in Chicago, wrote of the supportive communication he received, “I would read and reread these letters from my grandmother, who passed away in the early years of my incarceration. She showed me nothing but support and encouragement in these letters, and I used them as motivation for years.” The reflection affirms research that argues that those who experience humane care and retain connection with family throughout their incarceration are more likely to return home as caring citizens, not persons to be feared . Susanne Dumbleton, Ph.D., professor emeritus, DePaul University; board member, Restore Justice Upset by Biden? Wait for Trump’s pardons If you are outraged by Biden’s pardoning of his son, just wait until it is President-elect Donald Trump’s turn. Melanie Wojtulewicz, West Lawn Biden did right thing To those wringing hands and gnashing teeth over the Hunter Biden pardon: Imagine for one minute what crimes Trump would excuse if any of his children were involved. The younger Biden’s conviction and pending sentence were part of a clear political persecution and the elder did the right thing. John Hankes, Streeterville Shame on Biden Despite stating that he would not interfere and pardon his son, President Joe Biden did. Biden said the cases were a “miscarriage of justice.” Biden is blaming politics for his son being charged. Forget the fact that his son pleaded guilty. Hunter Biden was convicted of three felonies, one for buying a gun illegally. Democrats are always blaming illegal guns as being the cause of violence, which they are. Hunter was convicted of buying a gun illegally and now he has been pardoned. How many similar cases will be up for review now that Biden has pardoned his son? He’s pardoned because he is the president’s son, not because he is innocent. Any wonder why so many voted Republican in the last election? People are tired of the lies. Janice Montgomery, Gage Park Hunter is the ‘nobody’ who is ‘above the law’ Many pundits and pols proclaimed that “nobody is above the law” in reference to Trump’s legal battles. Their mantra was underscored by President Biden’s public pledges not to pardon Hunter Biden’s crime convictions. Well, either the president lied, or Hunter is a “nobody” and above the law. Mike Cook, Bourbonnais ‘Horrified’ by Netanyahu I am repeatedly horrified by Benjamin Netanyahu and how he has abandoned the Jewish values I, and I’m sure he, grew up with. The recent car bombing is just his latest attack on the wonderful World Central Kitchen. Even if it is true that one person in the car took part in the horrendous Oct. 7 attacks, why not just arrest him? Why kill five people? It seems to me that Netanyahu is once again killing members of this organization to make it impossible for them to get personnel to feed the civilians in Gaza he seems to be determined to starve to death. Why are we continuing to support and supply him when he has ignored our warnings and deadlines? Most Israelis do not support him, so why should we? Joyce Porter, Oak Park Pro teams go too far with the flag I heartily agree with letter writer Bob Chimis (“ Enough with giant U.S. flags at NFL games ”) that what he aptly calls “forced patriotism” devalues our genuine love of country. Whether it’s a military flyover or the unfurling of a ridiculously large flag at an NFL game, people should realize that it’s first and foremost a slick marketing move by professional sports teams and their owners to draw a direct connection between sports and patriotism. Tom Conway, Forest Park A Trump ‘hoax’? OK, MAGA. All the grocery prices will be very low. Gas prices will be like $2 a gallon. No more people in the country illegally. I can’t wait. Or, is it all a hoax? We will see. Jake Getter, HuntleyI know I've still got it, says 'slow' HamiltonHochul touts New York subway safety same day as ‘barbaric’ crimes occur

Kagro in the Morning podcast (AUDIO): Monday, December 23, 2024

Organisations under the aegis of Civil Society on HIV/AIDS in Nigeria (CiSHAN) have emphasized that addressing the lack of youth-friendly HIV treatment facilities and the scarcity of HIV test kits is essential to eradicating HIV as a public health concern by 2030. They noted that stigma prevents individuals, particularly young people, from accessing HIV testing and treatment services due to concerns about confidentiality. The Oyo State CiSHAN Coordinator, Seun Onifade, during a press conference to mark World AIDS Day 2024, stated that social and economic determinants of health—such as poverty, stigma, and discrimination—aggravate the HIV epidemic. Onifade, alongside CiSHAN’s assistant secretary, Joseph Ujokere, and other members, including Mrs. Abimbola Elizabeth and Mrs. Olufunmilayo Owolabi, highlighted that promoting human rights and gender equality is vital to ending the AIDS epidemic. He called for the provision of HIV testing kits for civil society organizations (CSOs), the release of funds for HIV-related activities, the scaling up of testing and treatment services in rural and hard-to-reach areas, and the enforcement of antistigma laws. “We are equally mindful of the gaps in our response. We urge the Oyo State government to take immediate action to address the social and economic barriers to health, including poverty, stigma, and discrimination. “In about two private universities in Oyo State, students were denied accommodation due to their HIV status. We are disappointed that the Oyo State government has remained very quiet and inactive in its response to this issue. ALSO READ: World AIDS Day: Know your status, avoid risky behaviour, AHF cautions Nigerians “This case has discouraged many individuals from seeking treatment because they value confidentiality, especially young people who fear that stigma could ruin their families’ reputations. “This challenge is significant because most of the HIV-positive cases we have today are not seeking treatment due to stigma. Stigma is fighting back. “In the last three years, there have been no targeted programs for adolescents and young people. Adolescents are reluctant to visit healthcare facilities for HIV testing and prefer to approach NGOs for services. However, these NGOs lack the test kits necessary for intervention. “We call on the Oyo State government to support and release funds for HIV-related activities. Over the past four years, funding has been inadequate, with no substantial allocation for HIV programs in the state. “The high cost of HIV test kits remains a critical challenge for civil society organizations. These kits are no longer as readily available as before, posing a significant barrier to our efforts.” NIGERIAN TRIBUNE Get real-time news updates from Tribune Online! Follow us on WhatsApp for breaking news, exclusive stories and interviews, and much more. Join our WhatsApp Channel nowJamiya Neal scores 21, No. 21 Creighton beats Notre Dame 80-76

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NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov 22, 2024-- Today, the Board of Directors (the “Board”) of BlackRock Enhanced Capital and Income Fund, Inc. (NYSE: CII) (the "Fund") approved changing the name of the Fund to “BlackRock Enhanced Large Cap Core Fund, Inc.” In connection with the name change, the Board has approved the adoption of a non-fundamental investment policy to invest at least 80% of the Fund’s net assets plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes, in large cap equity securities and derivatives that provide investment exposure to such securities or to one or more market risk factors associated with such securities (the “80% Policy”). For purposes of the 80% Policy, large cap equity securities are equity securities that at the time of purchase have a market capitalization within the range of companies included in the Russell 1000® Index. The name change and adoption of the 80% Policy are expected to be effective as of December 31, 2024. After careful review of the Fund’s current investment strategies and portfolio holdings, the Fund’s investment adviser, BlackRock Advisors, LLC (“BlackRock”), recommended that the Board approve the name change and adoption of the 80% Policy in order to comply with recent amendments to Rule 35d-1 under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (often referred to as the “Names Rule”) that will go into effect in 2025 and expand the scope of the Names Rule. There will be no changes to the Fund’s investment objective, NYSE ticker symbol or CUSIP as a result of the name change or adoption of the 80% Policy. About BlackRock BlackRock’s purpose is to help more and more people experience financial well-being. As a fiduciary to investors and a leading provider of financial technology, we help millions of people build savings that serve them throughout their lives by making investing easier and more affordable. For additional information on BlackRock, please visit www.blackrock.com/corporate Availability of Fund Updates BlackRock will update performance and certain other data for the Fund on a monthly basis on its website in the “Closed-end Funds” section of www.blackrock.com as well as certain other material information as necessary from time to time. Investors and others are advised to check the website for updated performance information and the release of other material information about the Fund. This reference to BlackRock’s website is intended to allow investors public access to information regarding the Fund and does not, and is not intended to, incorporate BlackRock’s website in this release. Forward-Looking Statements This press release, and other statements that BlackRock or the Fund may make, may contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act, with respect to the Fund’s or BlackRock’s future financial or business performance, strategies or expectations. Forward-looking statements are typically identified by words or phrases such as “trend,” “potential,” “opportunity,” “pipeline,” “believe,” “comfortable,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “current,” “intention,” “estimate,” “position,” “assume,” “outlook,” “continue,” “remain,” “maintain,” “sustain,” “seek,” “achieve,” and similar expressions, or future or conditional verbs such as “will,” “would,” “should,” “could,” “may” or similar expressions. BlackRock cautions that forward-looking statements are subject to numerous assumptions, risks and uncertainties, which change over time. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made, and BlackRock assumes no duty to and does not undertake to update forward-looking statements. Actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in forward-looking statements and future results could differ materially from historical performance. With respect to the Fund, the following factors, among others, could cause actual events to differ materially from forward-looking statements or historical performance: (1) changes and volatility in political, economic or industry conditions, the interest rate environment, foreign exchange rates or financial and capital markets, which could result in changes in demand for the Fund or in the Fund’s net asset value; (2) the relative and absolute investment performance of the Fund and its investments; (3) the impact of increased competition; (4) the unfavorable resolution of any legal proceedings; (5) the extent and timing of any distributions or share repurchases; (6) the impact, extent and timing of technological changes; (7) the impact of legislative and regulatory actions and reforms, and regulatory, supervisory or enforcement actions of government agencies relating to the Fund or BlackRock, as applicable; (8) terrorist activities, international hostilities, health epidemics and/or pandemics and natural disasters, which may adversely affect the general economy, domestic and local financial and capital markets, specific industries or BlackRock; (9) BlackRock’s ability to attract and retain highly talented professionals; (10) the impact of BlackRock electing to provide support to its products from time to time; and (11) the impact of problems at other financial institutions or the failure or negative performance of products at other financial institutions. Annual and Semi-Annual Reports and other regulatory filings of the Fund with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) are accessible on the SEC's website at www.sec.gov and on BlackRock’s website at www.blackrock.com , and may discuss these or other factors that affect the Fund. The information contained on BlackRock’s website is not a part of this press release. View source version on businesswire.com : https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241122388285/en/ 1-800-882-0052 KEYWORD: NEW YORK UNITED STATES NORTH AMERICA INDUSTRY KEYWORD: ASSET MANAGEMENT PROFESSIONAL SERVICES FINANCE SOURCE: BlackRock Closed-End Funds Copyright Business Wire 2024. PUB: 11/22/2024 05:00 PM/DISC: 11/22/2024 05:02 PM http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241122388285/en

Open defecation practice among traders in Ebute-Ero and four other major markets in Lagos has become a public health threat to the residents as they have raised the alarm over looming disease outbreaks. CHIJIOKE IREMEKA reports The scorching sun blazed down that Tuesday afternoon, overpowering the usually cool breeze wafting through the Ebute-Ero waterside community. Though the breeze offered a momentary reprieve from the heat, it carried a stench enough to make one lose one’s lunch. Ebute-Ero, an ancient community on Lagos Island, is known for its bustling Ebute-Ero market. Ebute Ero market which is lined with open stalls and lockup shops is one of the oldest and largest markets in Nigeria. It is located in the Lagos Island Local Government Area. Currently, the market has become infamous for the unchecked dumping of human waste directly into its surrounding water bodies (lagoon). The cause of the stench, PUNCH Healthwise discovered during visits to the market, was the indiscriminate passing of human waste into the water bodies. Our correspondent during the visits saw some of the traders squatting down on the concrete barriers to defecate inside the water bodies. Also, along the CMS-Ebute-Ero route, others were spotted relieving themselves on patches of green vegetation. Further observation of the area revealed a frequent influx of individuals, traders, artisans, drivers, and visitors to water bodies to relieve themselves. It is common to see them rushing to the concrete barriers with one or two sachets of water or a plastic bottle of water to clean up after defecating. Women, it was observed, often sought more private areas, which was why some squat between closely parked vehicles, defecate in nylon bags, and toss them into the water. Pretending to be pressed, our correspondent squatted down on the concrete barriers to observe. A few minutes later, a young man joined the throng of men mounting the concrete barriers and relieved himself into the water. Striking up a friendly conversation with the newcomer to the scene, 26-year-old Basiru Olateru, a wholesaler in beverages, our correspondent confirmed that many visitors and workers alike answered nature’s call in the water body. The Osun State indigene noted that many of the public toilets meant to serve their needs were often in a filthy state, creating an easy excuse to pass their waste into the Lagoon. Olateru said the public toilets in Oke-Arin and Apongbon markets close to Ebute-Ero market were notorious for their lack of cleanliness, maintenance, and the absence of basic hygiene supplies. He said, “The public toilet is usually dirty and lacks maintenance. In some cases, you will go there to defecate but the state of the toilet will push you away. The place lacks maintenance, and there is no soap or disinfectant. “Apart from the smell that comes from there, in some cases, people use the toilet and leave them in a terrible position until the operators come and clean it up. You will see stains and patches of excreta in the toilet bowl that would make you uncomfortable. “They would want you to sit down to defecate, but that is the part I don’t like because it brings my body in close contact with the bacteria that can cause infections.” He claimed to have treated an infection he got from a public toilet and would not want a repeat of the situation, hence his decision to defecate outside of the public toilets. Available but dirty toilets A middle-aged driver at the Ebute-Ero park, Jide Adesola, waited his turn to call passengers into his vehicle. He told PUNCH Healthwise that he paid N100 each time he used the toilet. Uncomfortable with the charges, Adesola chose to defecate directly into the lagoon, undeterred by the presence of law enforcement officers. However, that seemed not to be his only alibi. He mentioned that despite the N100 charge, the toilets were dirty. The driver said, “In most cases, the toilets are dirty and overcrowded. I feel uncomfortable and unsafe using them. Even the smell will not allow you to breathe, and that is why I use the one in the water each time I visit. At least our wastes go into the water and do not smell.” Water from Lagoon However, this practice poses serious environmental and health risks for some residents who depend on this water for fishing and other domestic purposes. Online maps show that Makoko, a community known for its fishing and living on the Lagoon, is situated south of Ebute-Ero. This implies that the excreta deposited at the Ebute-Ero end of the lagoon would be carried towards the fishing town, polluting the water body. Our correspondent further learnt that the Ebute-Ero community relied on water from the lagoon for daily activities, such as cooking, cleaning, and fishing. Residents who spoke with PUNCH Healthwise said this practice had exposed the entire community to waterborne diseases including cholera, diarrhoea, and even incurable hepatitis B and C, among other infections. They raised concerns about the lack of sanitation facilities in the markets, saying that existing ones were often in poor condition, dirty, and overcrowded, thereby pushing people to practice the outlawed open defecation by using the lagoon. The residents lamented that efforts to address the situation have been hindered by a lack of government oversight and willpower to restore sanity, thereby creating a public nuisance. Street boys built toilets in water While the state is grappling with this unwholesome practice, louts defied the environmental and sanitation laws and built a toilet directly in the water for people to use at a fee. However, the legality of the toilet built in the Marine Water at Ebute-Ero, opposite the Oke-Arin Market, was yet to be unravelled. This unwholesome practice is happening at a time when the state was battling cholera and other infectious diseases. Findings revealed that the Lagos State Ministry of Environment had at a point dismantled the toilet but was rebuilt by the boys, and since then, no government official, not even the local government council, had raised an eyebrow at this menace. Over 3.9 million toilets needed According to the Joint Monitoring Programme, Open Defecation, popularly known as OD, refers to the practice of defecating in fields, forests, bushes, bodies of water, or other open spaces. “Defecating in the open is an affront to dignity and a risk to children’s nutrition and community health,” it added. Recently, the United Nations Children’s Fund said Nigeria will need to build no fewer than 3.9 million toilets annually to meet the 2025 target for ending open defecation practices. UNICEF chief, Jane Bevan, disclosed this at the opening of a two-day Maiden Toilet Business Owners Conference in Abuja, saying, “About 1.3 per cent of Gross Domestic Product, or N455 billion, is lost annually due to poor access to sanitation—health, health care savings, and productivity.” She stated that current toilet construction in the country stood between 180,000 and 200,000 toilets annually, describing it as inadequate. More so, Nigeria presently occupies the topmost level on the ladder of OD and in order to combat the menace, former President Muhammadu Buhari declared a state of emergency on OD as contained in Executive Order 009 titled: The Open Defecation Free Nigeria by 2025 and Other Related Matters. The declaration was expected to be followed by actions from each state to domesticate the Order and plan towards its application and sustenance to achieve Open DefecationFree status by 2025. Sequel to this, the Lagos State Governor, Mr Babajide Sanwo–Olu, took the lead role and set the pace for others to emulate by signing an Executive Order titled: Enforcement of Law and Order in Respect of Traffic and Sanitation Matters. This Order was to restore stability and accountability to all citizens to become active stakeholders in bringing necessary changes to transform Lagos into the desired state. However, these have not achieved the desired goal as over 46 million Nigerians still practise OD, according to UNICEF’s report. Bridge turned toilet To further examine the extent of open defecation and the neglect of public toilets in other markets in the state, our correspondent visited Oke-Arin, Apongbon, Oshodi, and Iyana-Iba markets. At Iyana-Iba, street urchins, popularly called Omo-Ita, traders, and their visitors turned a newly constructed bridge adjoining Ojo General Hospital’s site into an open defecation destination. Traversing the bridge from the Expressway to the back of the hospital is a difficult and unpleasant journey, as one is forced to hold one’s breath to avoid the overpowering stench of faecal matter scattered across the bridge. PUNCH Healthwise noticed an inscription written in red ink on the sidewalls of the bridge, “No Toilet. N5,000.” This warning, perhaps intended to discourage people from using the bridge as a latrine, yielded no success as our correspondent observed several individuals defecating there without restraint or fear of punishment. A 23-year-old petty trader, Juliet Obor, explained that there were three major toilets used by people in the market, emphasising that many, particularly the ‘area boys,’ still preferred using the bridge as a toilet. Obor, who sells grains, noted that while the privately owned toilet was well-maintained and disinfected, the government-run toilets were often neglected and dirty. When asked why the government toilets were not as clean as the privately owned ones, she responded, “Can the government toilet ever be neater than the private one? Who cleans it? But here, the operator cleans it immediately after someone uses it.” Obor explained that although she used the private toilet whenever she needed to urinate, she preferred to go to her house nearby to defecate. The state of the bridge, she added, was an embarrassment to the environment and government, expressing concern about how the construction company would continue work at the site amid such extensive faecal contamination. Related News Lagos residents decry incessant crashes in Badagry N5m donation tears Celestial church apart, founder’s son disrupts service Sanwo-Olu swears in eight new perm secs, tutors-general Similar situation in Apongbon A trader, Chizoba Ndilika, said the scarcity of clean public toilets pushed him to urinate in the open. He said, “If the toilets are well maintained, I will be using the public toilet. But with the experience I had with the public toilet, I don’t like using it anymore. It is hard for you to see clean public toilets. “I can urinate there but can’t sit on that bowl to defecate. Like I said, the least I can do is to be there.” Deplorable toilet walls At Oshodi, the story is similar, as our correspondent spotted some individuals defecating on the railway towards Mushin. One of the perpetrators, identified as Taju, and suspected to be one of the louts on the street of Oshodi, said he had no time for public toilets. Some of the toilets visited at Oshodi were in extremely poor condition. One was dilapidated to the extent that the exposed blocks on the walls were visible through the crumbling plaster. Fear of contracting disease Some traders who spoke with PUNCH Healthwise at the market said the fear of infection was the reason they did not patronise certain toilets in the market. One of the traders who deals in baby wear, Hayatu Ishola, said it was a common practice to see women covering themselves with wrappers while urinating on the streets rather than going into the public toilets. She said that squatting down to urinate in a dirty toilet could make women contract infection. But when she was heavily pressed, she would manage the toilet but would get antibiotics immediately after to prevent infections. “Ordinarily, I don’t enter those public toilets because they are dirty. The only one I manage to use is the one at the BRT plaza. But each time I use it, I must take antibiotics to protect myself against infections. “Women’s bodies are open, and you don’t urinate or defecate anywhere you see else you will carry infections. It pays me to go to the nearby bush to ease myself rather than to go to a public toilet unless that toilet is clean. “There is always water on the floor of the toilet, and the water is not free from bacteria, and there are many sicknesses in the country now. The best is for you to avoid this market toilet unless the toilets are well disinfected. I pity the women who use public toilets regularly,” Ishola said. Totally against our sanitation laws –Lagos Speaking on the development, the Director of Public Affairs, Lagos State Ministry of Environment and Water Resources, Kunle Adeshina, said constructing such toilets on the water bodies was strange. He said, “Some of these are managed by local governments while some are managed by private owners with whom we have a very robust relationship. What is however strange, is the fact that this toilet you are talking about has been built on the water body which is totally against our sanitation laws. “The relevant department in the Ministry will investigate this and apply necessary sanctions where necessary. For the umpteenth time, open defecation has no place in this state. We will continue to enforce the provisions of the law against them. “The problem of open defecation is a major social issue that the present administration is tackling headlong. We are combining enforcement with moral suasion because the state believes that if advocacy is stepped up as it is being done now, people will come to realise the health hazards of open defecation and refrain from it.” The Lagos State Government on Tuesday reiterated its commitment to eliminate open defecation and prioritise good sanitation practices across the state. The Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, made this known at the Year 2024 World Toilet Day celebrations held at Adeyemi Bero Auditorium, Alausa, Ikeja, saying the government would continue to proffer solutions to all sanitation challenges across the state. He said every World Toilet Day celebrates the importance of toilets, raising awareness of the 4.2 billion people living without access to safely managed sanitation. He added that the day was also about taking action to tackle the global sanitation crisis and achieve Sustainable Development Goal 6: Water and Sanitation for all by 2030. Wahab stated that the national theme, “Use the Toilet and Have Peace,” was very apt as it focused on the fact that for billions of people, sanitation was under threat arising from conflict, climate change, disaster and neglect. He said, “When sanitation services are destroyed, damaged or disrupted, untreated human waste spreads in the environment, unleashing deadly diseases such as cholera and diarrhoea which affect community health and the well-being of citizens.” Wahab explained that in addressing the menace of open defecation in the state, the government had developed four cardinal roadmaps which are advocacy/sensitisation; bridging the infrastructure gap; standardisation and regularisation of existing facilities as well as ensuring adequate monitoring and enforcement. In 2022, UNICEF stressed that the impact of open defecation in Nigeria was huge, indicating that more than 100,000 children under five years of age die each year due to diarrhoea; of which 90 per cent was directly attributable to unsafe water and sanitation. It noted that one in four children under five years of age exhibit severe stunting, while one in 10 is wasted, due to frequent episodes of diarrhoea and other Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene-related diseases. UNICEF also launched a national campaign tagged ‘Clean Nigeria: Use the Toilet’ to jump-start the country’s journey towards becoming open defecation-free by 2025. 90% households consume faeces-contaminated water – NBS Also, the Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey carried out in 2017 by the National Bureau of Statistics in collaboration with UNICEF, said 90 per cent of households in Nigeria consume faeces-contaminated water and other impure substances. According to UNIC’s Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist, Mrs Maureen Zubie-Okolo, the water and sanitation situation in the country is worrisome; water-borne diseases, such as diarrhoea have been the leading cause of hospital admissions, especially among under-five children. The World Health Organisation ranked Nigeria as fifth among countries practising open defecation, while India topped the chart with 626 million people. We’ve warned them Reacting to the situation, one of the market leaders, Rassaq Azeez, said that the market leadership had warned them to stop using the place as a toilet but they refused to listen. “We have written a warning on almost all the pavements there to stop them, but they paid a deaf ear. You can see the heap of faeces on the bridge and how the company would handle it is what I don’t know. “We have several toilets here, not as if we don’t have toilets in this place, but the majority of them will not want to pay N100 or N50 to use the toilet. The money paid is to keep the toilet clean,” he said. Also, an operator of a privately owned toilet, who simply identified herself as Sola, said that some people make use of the toilet, while others don’t. “My toilet is the most used because I keep it clean. We disinfect it immediately after someone finishes using it,” said the operator of a privately owned toilet. We have enough toilets – Market leader Reacting to the condition of the public toilets, one of the market leaders working with the Iyaloja, Ade Olakunle, said, “We have enough toilets in this place. Each new building comes with toilet facilities.” On the reason people preferred open defecation to public toilets, he said, “Don’t mind those people going there to defecate. The practice has mastered them. It is a decision they have taken over a long period. “As for this Oke-Arin market, we have enough toilets to take care of the traders and visitors to the market. The one over there was provided by the area boys where they defecate. They collect N100 for others to use.” Asked why Lagos State allowed such environmental and aquatic degradation, he said, “It used to be bigger than this but the Ministry of Environment came and scattered it, but the area boys put it back. “When the local government came back, they couldn’t do anything about it. And the structure has been there for a long time. The area boys resisted the government. “So, we have enough toilets, but if you are talking about other markets, I don’t know. There are several markets here. They are also called the Ebute-Ero market.” The leader of Methodist Plaza, Emeka Onubogu, affirmed that some of the toilets were dirty, saying that he only used toilets in Methodist Plaza and another at the Post Office side along Oshodi Road for fear of infections. He, however, said that most of the people who practice open defecation in Oshodi were the street boys who were not ready to part with a dime even if the toilet was at their doorstep. Onubogu said, “We have enough toilets here but not all are clean and infections can be gotten from such dirty places. I use only the toilets in my plaza and one at the Post Office. Outside these two, I do not use anyone again.” Re-orientation way out – Experts Reacting to the spate of open defecation in the state, an environmentalist and a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Environmental Health Sciences, University of Ibadan, Dr Oladapo Okareh, said Nigerians should be given proper re-orientation on the dangers of OD, saying that the practice could lead to an outbreak of diseases like cholera and diarrhoea. “Open defecation constitutes a major public health problem. It’s a public menace because it easily leads to outbreaks of communicable diseases like cholera, typhoid, diarrhoea, intestinal infections, and respiratory diseases,” he added. Also, a public health expert at the Nnamdi Azikwe University Teaching Hospital, Nnewi, Anambra State, Mrs Joy Anichebe, said water-borne diseases like cholera and diarrhoea were deadly diseases that could kill a child within one hour of the ailment. She noted, “Diseases like urinary tract infections, gastroenteritis, skin infections such as cellulitis, and even Hepatitis B and C, could be prevented if our public toilets are well taken care of and the people stop contaminating the water bodies and the land with faeces of infected persons.” We’re partnering with locals, transport unions – MOE&WR The MOE&WR Director of Public Affairs, who earlier spoke with PUNCH Healthwise, said the state government was constructing 100 new public toilets. “These new eco-friendly toilets will complement the existing toilets, which will be available for use at minimal charges. We will continue to enlighten residents on the dangers. “For Iyana-Iba market and similar locations where we have rampant cases of open defecation, the state is partnering with locals and transport unions to have people monitor the areas and apprehend people who try to defecate there. “Most of them use the cover of darkness to perpetrate this act. A success of this template has been recorded at Ojodu Berger which used to be a scene of unprecedented open defecation but is being policed round the clock by volunteers now,” Adeshina said.

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Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk in a visit to his country's border with the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad, called the development of military fortifications there and along the frontier with Kremlin ally Belarus "an investment in peace." "Everything we are doing here is meant to deter and discourage any potential aggressor, which is why this is truly an investment in peace," Tusk told a news conference on November 30. "We will spend billions of zlotys on this -- but right now all of Europe is watching with great satisfaction and will support these investments and our actions if necessary." The project -- called East Shield -- is designed to eventually protect 800 kilometers along the NATO nation’s borders with Russia and Belarus. Russian warplanes reportedly joined Syrian air forces to bomb rebels who had taken much of the northwestern city of Aleppo in the biggest challenge to President Bashar al-Assad’s rule in the battle-torn Middle East nation in several years. Iran, meanwhile, said on November 30 that the rebels had attacked its consulate in Aleppo, calling it "aggression by terrorist elements," although it said there were no injuries and provided few details about the incident. The Russian and Iranian foreign ministers expressed support for longtime ally Syria, according to Iranian state media, which quoted Iran's Abbas Araqchi as telling Russia's Sergei Lavrov in a call that the attacks were part of an Israeli-U.S. plan to destabilize the region. The reported air strikes came a day after Islamists and their Turkish-backed allies breached Syria's Aleppo in a surprise offensive against forces of the Assad government. Reports on the ground said the rebels had captured much of the city, although details remained sketchy. The Syrian military confirmed that rebels had entered Aleppo, but there was no confirmation of the air attacks or the participation of Russian warplanes. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on November 29 that Russia regarded the rebels’ actions as a violation of Syria's sovereignty. "We are in favor of the Syrian authorities bringing order to the area and restoring constitutional order as soon as possible," he said. Reuters quoted two Syrian military sources as saying that Russian and Syrian warplanes had targeted rebel sites in an Aleppo suburb on November 30. The sources said the Kremlin has promised Syria extra military aid, expected to arrive within two to three days. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a war monitor, said the fighters, led by the Islamist extremist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) movement, took control of "half of the city of Aleppo," forcing government forces to pull back. HTS in the past has had links to the Al-Qaeda and Islamic State (IS) extremist groups, although many leaders reportedly split from those organizations. It was formerly known as Jabhat al-Nusra and the Al-Nusra Front, which was Al-Qaeda's affiliate in Syria and has been deemed a terrorist organization by the UN and the United States. The rebels’ offensive began on November 27, prompting the Syrian military to close all main roads in and out of the city. Rami Abdel Rahman, director of the Syrian Observatory, told RFE/RL's Radio Farda that the armed rebels had been preparing for the operation since September, but Turkey had so far prevented it from taking place. The Aleppo violence breaks a pause in the Syrian civil war, which has been mainly quiet over the past four years. The conflict involved the Assad government backed by Moscow and Tehran against Syrian-Kurdish rebels supported by the United States, while Turkey aided separate rebel groups. The U.S. military still has a number of troops deployed in Kurdish-held areas of Syria. Terror organizations, including Islamic State, also were involved in fighting. Russia, Turkey, and Iran signed an agreement in 2019 to freeze the conflict at then current positions. The Syrian Observatory said at least 16 civilians were killed on November 30 when an air strike, likely carried out by Russian warplanes, hit Aleppo. It said the attack "targeted civilian vehicles" at an intersection, leaving an additional 20 people wounded. This incident brings the total number of fatalities in the city over the past four days to 327. The British-based observatory compiles its information from battlefield sources and has been influential throughout the Syrian civil war. Syria’s army command acknowledged that rebels had entered Aleppo. Rebels had previously controlled the city before being driven out by Russia-backed forces eight years ago. "The large numbers of terrorists and the multiplicity of battlefronts prompted our armed forces to carry out a redeployment operation aimed at strengthening the defense lines in order to absorb the attack, preserve the lives of civilians and soldiers, and prepare for a counterattack," the Syrian Army said. The fighting comes amid fears of a wider war in the Middle East. Israeli forces in Gaza are battling extremists from Hamas – deemed a terrorist organization by the United States and the EU – and a cease-fire hangs in the balance in Lebanon, where Israel has struck the leadership of Hezbollah, also designated a terrorist group by Washington. The EU blacklists Hezbollah’s military arm but not its political wing. Israeli attacks have also taken place against Iran-backed Huthi rebels in Yemen. U.S. President-elect Donald Trump has held multiple phone conversations with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban since winning the November 5 presidential election, according to sources who spoke to RFE/RL’s Hungarian Service. Hungarian government sources said Trump has sought Orban’s opinion on ending the Ukraine war, which has continued to drag on since Russia’s full-scale invasion of its neighbor in February 2022. On the campaign trail, Trump criticized the billions of dollars that the United States has poured into Ukraine since Russia launched its invasion. He has also said he could end the war within 24 hours of retaking the White House, a statement that has been interpreted as meaning that Ukraine would have to surrender territory that Russia now occupies. Orban, who has maintained friendly ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Trump, has been critical of EU aid for Ukraine and has obstructed the bloc’s sanctions regime against Moscow. Preparations are reportedly under way for Orban to take a second crack at a peace mission in December to bookend Hungary’s rotating EU presidency after his first attempt in July when Budapest’s tenure started. In a move criticized by several EU leaders, Orban traveled to Moscow to meet Putin in July after a trip to Kyiv with a mystery cease-fire proposal for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy. He then traveled to China and finally the United States to meet Trump, who was then on the presidential campaign trail. Details of a potential peace mission in December are not clear, but sources suggested to RFE/RL’s Hungarian Service that it may involve delivering Trump’s messages to Zelenskiy, Putin, and Chinese President Xi Jinping. More than 100 people were detained in a massive pro-EU rally in Tbilisi on November 29 as Georgian police used water cannons and tear gas to disperse protesters. The Interior Ministry said in a statement on November 30 that 107 demonstrators were detained for alleged “hooliganism” and failing to follow police orders. The ministry said protesters had “verbally and physically” assaulted police officers and had thrown various objects at security forces. Various videos from the rally showed police officers beating protesters. Protesters have hit the streets since November 28 after Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze said his government was suspending EU accession talks and would reject budgetary grants from Brussels "until the end of 2028." Reacting to the crackdown, Kobakhidze suggested on November 30 that there were "isolated" incidents of police brutality but "systemic violence" against security forces by protesters. "On one side, there was violence, on the other side there were incidents," he said in a press conference. On the first night of protests, some 43 demonstrators were detained "as a result of illegal and violent actions,” according to the Interior Ministry. Georgia has been thrown into turmoil since parliamentary elections in October -- in which the ruling Georgian Dream party secured 54 percent of the vote -- with the opposition and Western governments arguing that the poll was marred by violations and Russian influence. Kobakhidze on November 30 said the a "difficult" few months lay ahead of Georgia but added that he expects relations with the West to "reset." President Salome Zurabishvili, an ardent critic of Georgian Dream, condemned the "brutal and disproportionate attacks on the Georgian people and media", likening the crackdown on November 29 to "Russian-style repression." The next day, she urged the Georgian diaspora to “wake up” and help protesters by speaking to the media and appealing to the authorities where they live. “[You] can no longer be silent and pretend nothing is happening in the homeland,” she wrote on Facebook. On November 28, the European Parliament passed a resolution calling for new legislative elections in Georgia and sanctions on senior members of the Georgian Dream party. In its resolution, the European Parliament said the election result election did "not serve as a reliable representation of the will of the Georgian people." It also called on the European Union, which froze Georgia's EU membership application last month, to place sanctions on key officials within the ruling party, including Kobakhidze, Georgian Dream Chairman Irakli Gharibashvili, billionaire power broker and party founder Bidzina Ivanishvili, and Tbilisi Mayor Kakha Kaladze. Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic denied as "baseless accusations" by Kosovo that it was behind an explosion which damaged the Iber-Lepenc water canal supplying Kosovo’s two main coal power plants. "Such unfounded claims are designed to tarnish Serbia's reputation, as well as to undermine efforts to ensure the region's peace and stability," Vucic said. Kosovar Prime Minister Albin Kurti had called the November 29 blast a “criminal and terrorist attack” by northern neighbor and bitter rival Serbia. He said the attack aimed to “damage perhaps the most important infrastructure” in the country. The attack did not cause any casualties. Authorities say some regions may have no electricity on November 30 while the capital, Pristina, may be short on drinking water while the damage is fixed. To read the original story by RFE/RL’s Kosovo Service, click here . Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy says being admitted into NATO could end what he described as the “hot phase of the war” waged by Russia. In an interview with Sky News aired on November 29, Zelenskiy suggested that he would be willing to consider a cease-fire if Ukraine’s unoccupied territories fell under NATO’s protection, as long as the invitation to join the alliance recognized Ukraine’s international borders. Russia annexed Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula in 2014 and has been occupying 20 percent of Ukrainian territory since launching its full-scale invasion in February 2022. "If we want to stop the hot phase of the war, we need to take under the NATO umbrella the territory of Ukraine that we have under our control," Zelenskiy said , adding that the occupied eastern parts of the country could then be taken back “in a diplomatic way.” This comes as U.S. President Donald Trump has criticized the billions of dollars that the United States has poured into Ukraine since Russia launched its invasion. Trump has also said he could end the war within 24 hours of retaking the White House, a statement that has been interpreted as meaning that Ukraine would have to surrender territory that Russia now occupies. Earlier this week, Trump named Keith Kellogg, a retired army lieutenant general who has long served as a top adviser to Trump on defense issues, as his nominee to be special envoy for Ukraine and Russia. Kellogg has advocated telling the Ukrainians that if they don't come to the negotiating table, U.S. support would dry up, while telling Russian President Vladimir Putin that if he doesn't come to the table, the United States would give the Ukrainians "everything they need to kill you in the field." For the past several months, Russia has been battering Ukrainian cities with increasingly heavy drone, missile, and glide-bomb strikes, causing casualties and damaging energy infrastructure as the cold season settles in. Earlier this month, a senior UN official, Rosemary DiCarlo, warned that Moscow's targeting of Ukraine's energy infrastructure could make this winter the "harshest since the start of the war" nearly three years ago. Ukraine has launched several counterattacks since the administration of U.S. President Joe Biden, the top foreign supporter of Ukraine in its battle against Russia's full-scale invasion, and Kyiv's European allies authorized the use of long-range missiles against targets inside Russia. The leader of Hezbollah has claimed that its cease-fire deal with Israel is a "divine victory" for the Lebanese political party and militant group. In his first address since the cease-fire took effect on November 27, Naim Qassem said on November 29 that the Iran-backed group had "won because we prevented the enemy from destroying Hezbollah" and weakening the Lebanese "resistance." Hezbollah, which controls much of southern Lebanon and has representatives in parliament, is designated in its entirety by the U.S. as a terrorist organization but the EU has blacklisted only its military wing. The cease-fire ended nearly 14 months of fighting between Israel and Hezbollah. Israel ramped up the pressure by launching a ground offensive in southern Lebanon in October and carrying out massive aerial bombardments of Hezbollah strongholds in Beirut and elsewhere. The truce ends the presence of Hezbollah in southern Lebanon. Israel, too, must withdraw its ground forces from Lebanon within 60 days of the deal going into force. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on November 26 warned Hezbollah that Israel would take action if it suspected that Hezbollah had violated the agreement. On November 29, hours before Qassem made his speech, Israel said it had struck a Hezbollah rocket launcher in southern Lebanon after detecting militant activity. The United States and France are overseeing the implementation of the truce, which includes provisions for thousands of Lebanese soldiers moving into southern Lebanon to work with UN peacekeepers and keep Hezbollah away from the Israeli border. Hezbollah had been launching rockets at northern Israel since the start of the Gaza war in October 2023. It said it would stop its attacks only after Israel ended its war in Gaza. Over the past 14 months, Israel killed nearly the entirety of Hezbollah's leadership, including Qassem's predecessor, Hassan Nasrallah , and decimated the group's military arsenal. Israel has vowed to ensure Iran cannot continue to fund and arm the group, and has warned Syrian President Bashar al-Assad against facilitating Iranian aid for Hezbollah. Imprisoned former Moscow municipal deputy Aleksei Gorinov, known for his outspoken criticism of Russia's war against Ukraine, has been handed a new three-year prison sentence for "justifying terrorism." After a three-day trial, a Russian military court on November 29 handed down the sentence to the 63-year-old, who is in poor health. In his closing statement , Gorinov, one of the most prominent jailed dissidents left in the country after a major prisoner swap with the West earlier this year, accused Russia of committing a "bloody slaughter" in Ukraine. Earlier this week, Gorinov revealed ongoing struggles with illness, saying there was "no treatment available," for his ailment, which his lawyer said was bronchitis. Gorinov was first sentenced in July 2022 to seven years in prison for spreading "fake news" about the Russian military because of his public opposition to Russia's full-scale invasion of neighboring Ukraine. In October 2023, the authorities opened a new case against him, accusing him of "justifying terrorism" based on alleged conversations with fellow inmates about Ukraine's Azov Regiment. During the hearing, Gorinov firmly denied any ties to terrorism. "I am far from any ideology of terrorism," he said. "I am a committed internationalist and an opponent of war and violence, as I have consistently stated publicly throughout my life." Gorinov's initial conviction stemmed from an anti-war speech he delivered at a city council meeting in Moscow's Krasnoselsky district. He was the first person sentenced under Russia's new law criminalizing "fake news" about the military, introduced after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Earlier this year, Gorinov was transferred from a detention center in Moscow to a prison in the Vladimir region. He complained of harsh conditions, including solitary confinement in a cold cell without a mattress, blanket, or access to hot water. Dmitry Muratov, editor in chief of the Novaya gazeta newspaper and a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, appealed to the International Committee of the Red Cross for an urgent inspection of the conditions Gorinov was being held in. Following this, local officials and prosecutors inspected the facility, resulting in Gorinov's relocation to a slightly improved cell with a window that opens and closes, a functioning toilet, and reportedly no mice. Gorinov has been repeatedly subjected to punitive measures, including spending extended periods in solitary confinement. In spring 2023, he spent 48 consecutive days in a punishment cell, a treatment often reported by other political prisoners in Russia. Iran and three European powers agreed to continue their dialogue "in the near future" after a meeting in Geneva as intelligence officials warned Tehran's nuclear proliferation poses a "critical threat" in the coming months. Negotiators from Iran and the so-called E3 (Britain, France, and Germany) met in Switzerland to discuss a range of issues, including Iran's expanding nuclear program, its military support for Russia, and conflicts in the Middle East. Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi wrote on X on November 29 that the talks in the Swiss city focused on the latest bilateral, regional, and international developments, "especially the nuclear issue and the lifting of sanctions." "We are firmly committed to pursuing the interests of our people, and our preference is the path of dialogue and engagement," Gharibabadi said. Ahead of the meeting, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said it would be a “brainstorming session” to see “if there really is a way out” of the current nuclear impasse, among other issues. Separately, the spy chiefs of Britain and France raised the alarm about Iran’s growing relationship with Russia and its accelerating nuclear program. The meeting in Geneva came a week after the 35-member board of governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) passed a censure resolution against Iran. It also tasked the UN nuclear watchdog to prepare a “comprehensive and updated assessment” on the state of Iran’s expanding nuclear program, including past and present attempts to develop a bomb. The report could pave the way for referring Iran’s case to the UN Security Council to trigger the so-called “snapback” mechanism to reimpose UN sanctions lifted under the terms of the 2015 agreement with world powers. In response to the resolution, Iran said it would begin enriching uranium with thousands of advanced centrifuges at its key nuclear facilities in Fordo and Natanz, the IAEA announced on November 29. The agency noted, however, that Iran would be enriching uranium to 5 percent purity -- even though it is enriching uranium with less advanced machines at 60 percent. Richard Moore, head of Britain's Secret Intelligence Service, known as MI6, said on November 29 that if Russia were to meet its Ukraine war objectives, “China would weigh the implications, North Korea would be emboldened, and Iran would become still more dangerous.” He added that Iran’s nuclear ambitions were “a continued threat” -- a sentiment shared by Nicolas Lerner, head of France's foreign intelligence service. "Our services are working side by side to face what is undoubtedly one of the threats, if not to say the most critical threat, in the coming months -- the possible atomic proliferation in Iran," Lerner said in Geneva. A Bulgarian accused of spying for Russia in Britain discussed in text messages the possibility of kidnapping or murdering investigative journalist Christo Grozev , British prosecutors said during the trial of members of an alleged spy ring. Prosecutor Alison Morgan said a group of Bulgarians, accused of spying for Russia, followed Grozev, with one member, Orlin Rusev, exchanging messages with the alleged head of the network, Austrian citizen Jan Marsalek, in which they discussed kidnapping or killing Grozev. Grozev has worked for the investigative outlet Bellingcat. He led an investigation by the media network on the 2018 poisoning of the Russian double agent Sergei Skripal in Salisbury, England. Rusev and another Bulgarian national, Biser Dzhambazov, have pleaded guilty to espionage charges, while three others -- Katrin Ivanova, Vanya Gaberova, and Tihomir Ivanchev -- are currently on trial at London's Central Criminal Court for being part of the spy ring. The three defendants have denied the charge of conspiracy to spy between August 2020 and February 2023. Prosecutors told the court Rusev lead the Bulgarians and directed them after receiving instructions from Marsalek. Marsalek -- who is said to have connections to Russian intelligence dating back to at least 2014 -- is now believed to be in Russia. Ukraine said it struck an oil depot and an air-defense radar inside Russia early on November 29 amid an escalation of attacks by both Moscow and Kyiv ahead U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's return to the White House. Ukraine's military General Staff said a strike on the Atlas oil depot in Russia's Rostov region sparked a fire at the facility, which was previously hit by a similar attack earlier this year. "Atlas is part of the Russian military-industrial complex, which provides the supply of petroleum products for the army of the Russian Federation," it said in a statement on social media. It added that a radar station housing a Russian Buk-M3 antiaircraft missile system was destroyed in a separate attack in a Russian-controlled area of Ukraine's southeastern Zaporizhzhya region. Yury Slyusar, the acting governor of the Rostov region, acknowledged the blaze at an "industrial complex" in the area where the refinery is located, saying more than 100 responders were battling to extinguish the fire. For the past several months, Russia has been battering Ukrainian cities with increasingly heavy drone, missile, and glide-bomb strikes, causing casualties and damaging energy infrastructure as the cold season settles in. Ukraine has launched several counterattacks since the administration of U.S. President Joe Biden, the top foreign supporter of Ukraine in its battle against Russia's full-scale invasion, and Kyiv's European allies authorized the use of long-range missiles against targets inside Russia. During the 2024 presidential campaign, Trump was critical of Biden for pouring billions of dollars into Ukraine to help it fight. Trump also said he could end the war within 24 hours of retaking the White House, a statement that has been interpreted as meaning that Ukraine would have to surrender territory that Russia now occupies. That possibility appears to have prompted both Moscow and Kyiv to try and solidify geographical positions before Trump takes office in January. Later on November 29, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy appointed Mykhaylo Drapatiy as the new commander of Ukraine's ground forces and named Oleh Apostol as a deputy commander in chief of the country's armed forces. Writing on Telegram, Zelenskiy said the Ukrainian Army needed "internal changes to achieve our state's goals in full." Meanwhile, Russia's stepped-up attacks have targeted energy infrastructure, leading to the introduction of emergency power outages in the regions including Kyiv, Odesa, Dnipropetrovsk, and Donetsk. Kyiv had also reportedly been forced to disconnect several nuclear power units from the network during attacks. Ukraine gets more than half of its electricity from nuclear plants. Russia's offensive comes as temperatures across Ukraine dropped to around zero degrees Celsius. Earlier this month, a senior UN official, Rosemary DiCarlo, warned that Moscow's targeting of Ukraine's energy infrastructure could make this winter the "harshest since the start of the war" nearly three years ago. Romania's Central Election Bureau has begun a court-ordered recount of all ballots cast in the first round of the presidential election as accusations swirled that surprise winner Calin Georgescu illegally used TikTok to boost his campaign. The Constitutional Court ordered the recount on November 28 after officials from the Supreme Council of National Defense demanded the authorities take "urgent" steps, saying Georgescu was granted "preferential treatment" by the social media platform. TikTok has denied any wrongdoing. Georgescu, a pro-Russian far-right independent candidate, scored a surprise victory in the first round of the election on November 24, garnering nearly 23 percent of the vote. He is set to face off against center-right Elena Lasconi, a staunch Euro-Atlanticist, in the December 8 runoff after both pushed ahead of favored leftist Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu. Sources have told RFE/RL's Romanian Service that the Constitutional Court, which was originally set to validate the results of the first round of the election on November 29, will do so on December 2 after the recount is finished. Without the backing of a party, Georgescu's campaign relied heavily on TikTok, where his account had 1.6 million likes and where he posted videos of himself attending church, doing judo, running on a track, and speaking on podcasts. The Supreme Defense Council said it had found evidence suggesting that "cyberattacks" had been used to influence the outcome of the election. Georgescu alleged that state institutions were attempting to deny the will of the people. Protesters have rallied in Bucharest for several days against Georgescu, with many accusing Russian President Vladimir Putin of interfering in Romania's internal affairs. Romania's president has significant decision-making powers, including on matters of national security and foreign policy. Elected for a five-year term, the president can also reject party nominees for prime minister and government nominees for judicial appointments. Georgian police have used water cannons to disperse thousands of demonstrators gathered near the parliament in Tbilisi to protest the government's decision to suspend talks to join the European Union. Reports say police also used tear gas to break up the rallies in the late hours of November 29. President Salome Zurabishvili, a staunch critic of the ruling Georgian Dream party, condemned the "brutal and disproportionate attacks on the Georgian people and media", likening the crackdown to "Russian-style repression." "These actions will not be forgiven! Those responsible for the use of force should be held responsible," she wrote on Twitter. Protesters have hit the streets for the second day running after Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze said his government was suspending EU accession talks and would reject budgetary grants from Brussels "until the end of 2028." More than 100 Georgian diplomats have slammed the government's halting of EU membership talks after security forces violently dispersed protesters and journalists at a rally in Tbilisi over the move. More than 30 people were hospitalized early on November 29 after police used tear gas, water cannons, and beat some of the thousands gathered to vent their anger over Kobakhidze's announcement. The Interior Ministry said 43 people were arrested "as a result of the illegal and violent actions" during the first night of protests on November 28, while parliament raised its security level to the maximum -- code red . Security forces violently dispersed protesters and journalists at the November 28 rally in Tbilisi. In response, more than 100 serving Georgian diplomats signed an open letter criticizing the policy change, saying it violated the constitution, which commits to the pursuit of EU membership. "The stalling of the accession negotiation process will lead to the isolation of the country," they wrote. "Without the support of the Western partners, Georgia remains face to face with threats that are especially intensified in the background of the ongoing processes in the international and security environment." More than 100 people working at the Public Services Development Agency, which operates under the Interior Ministry, also issued a statement warning that suspending EU accession talks will only serve to hurt national interests. Even Tbilisi's biggest clubs opted to close their doors on November 29 to bolster the protests, saying in a joint statement that the "energy on the dance floor should be taken to the streets." Georgia has been thrown into turmoil since the October parliamentary elections -- in which Georgian Dream secured 54 percent of the vote -- with the opposition and Western governments arguing the vote was marred by violations and Russian influence. Early on November 29, riot police moved to clear out the peaceful demonstrators, with masked police firing rubber bullets and brutally beating protesters and journalists. RFE/RL Georgian Service journalist Davit Tsagareli was punched and thrown to the ground by a riot police officer as he reported live from the scene, while earlier RFE/RL captured footage of a police officer repeatedly hitting TV Formula journalist Guram Rogava on the head. After Rogava fell to the ground, the officer fled the scene. The journalist was hospitalized with injuries to his face and head. "His condition is satisfactory. He has facial bone fractures, as well as a fracture in his neck. At this stage, it does not require surgical intervention," the doctor who treated Rogava at the hospital told journalists. Kobakhidze blamed the protesters for the violence, saying that if it were not for their actions, "there would be no need to break up the gathering." Zurabishvili joined the protest in Tbilisi on November 28 in a show of solidarity with the demonstrators. "I am with these people. The resistance has started and will not end until we have new elections," she told reporters. She also confronted a row of riot police, telling them that it was their "duty to protect" Georgia's sovereignty and asking them whether they "serve Russia or Georgia." Demonstrators in Zugdidi told RFE/RL's Georgian Service that the ruling Georgian Dream party was moving away from the EU and pushing the country toward Russia. "Georgian authorities cut off all relations with the European Union and also refuse to receive funding. This will certainly lead to an economic collapse," Manana Mikawa, a teacher, told RFE/RL. Earlier in the day, the European Parliament passed a resolution calling for new legislative elections in Georgia and sanctions on senior members of the Georgian Dream party. In its resolution, the European Parliament said the result of the election did "not serve as a reliable representation of the will of the Georgian people." It also called on the European Union, which froze Georgia's EU membership application last month, to place sanctions on key officials within the ruling party, including Kobakhidze, Georgian Dream Chairman Irakli Gharibashvili, billionaire power broker and party founder Bidzina Ivanishvili, and Tbilisi Mayor Kakha Kaladze. Speaking at the Georgian Dream headquarters, Kobakhidze said Tbilisi was suspending accession talks while also rejecting all budgetary grants from the EU until 2028. "We are not going to join the European Union by begging and standing on one leg, but in a dignified manner with a sound democratic system and a strong economy," the prime minister told reporters without taking any questions. Earlier, during a parliamentary session to approve his government, Kobakhidze said his government's goal was for Georgia to join the EU by 2030. "We are ready to observe and take into account all conditions [set by the EU] that do not go against our national interests," he said to applause from Georgian Dream lawmakers. Georgia received EU candidate status in December 2023 but relations with Brussels have soured in recent months, beginning with the adoption of the controversial "foreign agent" law that critics say threatens to publicly discredit thousands of media outlets and civil society groups as "serving" outside powers. The United States in July announced it would pause more than $95 million in assistance to the Georgian government, warning that it was backsliding on democracy. Several rights organizations have demanded the release of veteran journalist Matiullah Jan, who was detained by Pakistani authorities on November 27 and held on terrorism-related charges. Jan had been covering protests by the supporters of jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan. In a statement on November 28, Amnesty International condemned Jan's "arbitrary" arrest on "trumped-up charges," describing it as "an affront on the right to freedom of expression and media freedom." The Committee to Protect Journalists urged the authorities to "ensure Jan's safety" and called for his release. To read the full story by RFE/RL’s Radio Mashaal, click here . Protesters gathered outside the Georgian parliament in Tbilisi after Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze on November 28 said his government was suspending EU accession talks until 2028 and would not accept budgetary grants from Brussels. Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili, a staunch critic of the ruling Georgian Dream party, joined the protest in Tbilisi to a rousing welcome from demonstrators, who shouted her name. "I am with these people. The resistance has started and will not end until we have new elections," she told reporters. She also confronted a row of riot police, telling them that it was their "duty to protect" Georgia's sovereignty and asking them whether they "serve Russia or Georgia." Western governments have questioned the October parliamentary elections in Georgia -- in which Georgian Dream secured 54 percent of the vote -- arguing that the elections were marred by violations and Russian influence. Smaller pro-EU protests were also being held in Batumi, Gori, Kutaisi, and Zugdidi. Photos and videos of the rallies in Tbilisi and elsewhere showed protesters carrying Georgian and EU flags. Demonstrators in Zugdidi told RFE/RL's Georgian Service that the ruling Georgian Dream party was moving away from the EU and pushing the country toward Russia. "Georgian authorities cut off all relations with the European Union and also refuse to receive funding. This will certainly lead to an economic collapse," Manana Mikawa, a teacher, told RFE/RL. Earlier in the day, the European Parliament passed a resolution calling for new legislative elections in Georgia and sanctions on senior members of the Georgian Dream party. In its resolution, the European Parliament said the result of the election did "not serve as a reliable representation of the will of the Georgian people." It also called on the European Union, which froze Georgia's EU membership application last month, to place sanctions on key officials within the ruling party, including Kobakhidze, Georgian Dream Chairman Irakli Gharibashvili, billionaire power broker and party founder Bidzina Ivanishvili, and Tbilisi Mayor Kakha Kaladze. Speaking at the Georgian Dream headquarters, Kobakhidze said Tbilisi was suspending accession talks while also rejecting all budgetary grants from the EU until 2028. "We are not going to join the European Union by begging and standing on one leg, but in a dignified manner with a sound democratic system and a strong economy," the prime minister told reporters without taking any questions. Earlier, during a parliamentary session to approve his government, Kobakhidze said his government's goal was for Georgia to join the EU by 2030. "We are ready to observe and take into account all conditions [set by the EU] that do not go against our national interests," he said to applause from Georgian Dream lawmakers. Georgia received EU candidate status in December 2023 but relations with Brussels have soured in recent months, beginning with the adoption of the controversial "foreign agent" law that critics say threatens to publicly discredit thousands of media outlets and civil society groups as "serving" outside powers. The United States in July announced it would pause more than $95 million in assistance to the Georgian government, warning that it was backsliding on democracy. Romania's Central Election Bureau says it will recount all ballots cast in the first round of the presidential election by December 1, following an order on November 28 by the Constitutional Court. Calin Georgescu, the pro-Russian far-right independent candidate scored a surprise victory in the first round of the election on November 24, garnering nearly 23 percent of the vote. Georgescu is set to face off against center-right Elena Lasconi, a staunch Euro-Atlanticist, in the December 8 runoff after both pushed ahead of favored leftist Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu. An official from Lasconi's Save Romania Union party said the Central Election Bureau had rejected a request by the party to film the recounting of the ballots. Without the backing of a party, Georgescu's campaign relied heavily on the social media platform TikTok, where his account had 1.6 million likes and where he posted videos of himself attending church, doing judo, running on a track, and speaking on podcasts. Separately, Romania's Supreme Defense Council said after the court ruling that it had found evidence suggesting that "cyberattacks" had been used to influence the outcome of the election. Without naming Georgescu, the council also charged that TikTok had "given preferential treatment" to a particular candidate. Georgescu alleged that state institutions were attempting to deny the will of the people. Meanwhile, around 2,000 protesters rallied in Bucharest for the fourth consecutive day against Georgescu on November 28, carrying a banner telling Russian President Vladimir Putin to "get off Romania." Romania's president has significant decision-making powers, including on matters of national security and foreign policy. Elected for a five-year term, the president can also reject party nominees for prime minister and government nominees for judicial appointments. A former British soldier, whose prison escape sparked a massive manhunt in 2023, has been found guilty of passing on sensitive information to the Iranian intelligence service. Prosecutors said that Daniel Abed Khalife, 23, played a "cynical game" by claiming he wanted to be a double agent for Britain after he had delivered a large amount of restricted and classified material to Iran, including the names of special forces officers. The verdict was delivered at London's Woolwich Crown Court on November 28. Prosecutor Mark Heywood told jurors at the start of the trial that Khalife collected sensitive information between May 2019 and January 2022. Khalife stood trial charged with gathering information that might be useful to an enemy, namely Iran, obtaining information likely to be useful for terrorism. Khalife, who was expelled from the army after he was charged, was also accused of planting fake bombs in his military barracks. But the court cleared him of a charge of carrying out a bomb hoax. Khalife snuck out of a London prison in September 2023 while awaiting trial and spent three days on the run. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi says his country may change its nuclear doctrine and develop a bomb if UN sanctions are reimposed on Tehran. Speaking to reporters on November 28 in Lisbon, Portugal, Araqchi said Iran had long had the technical know-how to build a bomb but doing so "is not part of Tehran’s security strategy," according to Iranian media. His comments come as negotiators from Iran and the E3 (Britain, France, and Germany) are scheduled to meet in Geneva to discuss a range of issues, including Iran’s nuclear program and conflicts in the Middle East. Araqchi described the meeting on November 29 as a “brainstorming session” to see “if there really is a way out” of the current nuclear impasse. The Geneva meeting is not billed as nuclear talks by any party but Iran’s atomic program is expected to be a central topic. Talks between Iran and world powers to restore the 2015 nuclear deal have stalled since September 2022. Last week, the 35-member board of governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) passed a censure resolution against Iran and tasked the UN nuclear watchdog to prepare a “comprehensive and updated assessment” on the state of Iran’s expanding nuclear program, including past and present attempts to develop a bomb. The report could pave the way for referring Iran’s case to the UN Security Council in a bid to trigger the so-called “snapback” mechanism to reimpose UN sanctions that had been lifted under the terms of the 2015 agreement with world powers. In response to the resolution, Iran activated several “new and advanced” centrifuges to enrich uranium. Araqchi said he was “not optimistic” about the Geneva talks because he was unsure whether Tehran was “speaking to the right party.” The 2015 nuclear agreement began to unravel after President-elect Donald Trump withdrew the U.S. from the accord during his first term in office in 2018 and reimposed sanctions on Iran. Tehran responded by expanding its nuclear program, limiting inspections of its nuclear sites, and enriching uranium to as high as 60 percent. A new truce agreement has been reached between feuding Sunni and Shi'ite communities in Pakistan's northwestern region of Kurram, where more than 100 people were killed and dozens more injured in a new bout of sectarian violence, local officials said. Authorities said late on November 27 that government troops will be deployed in key locations in Kurram, a remote tribal district in the volatile Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Province, to ensure the cease-fire. "Negotiations will continue to ensure lasting peace," the provincial minister's office said in a statement. It also pledged to pay compensations to the victims' families. The violence erupted on November 21 when unidentified gunmen opened fire on a convoy of some 200 passenger vehicles carrying Shi'a traveling through Kurram's Parachinar area. Dozens of people, including women and children, were killed in the attack, which triggered a week of clashes between the two communities. Regional officials brokered a seven-day truce on November 24, but it did not hold. Most of Pakistan's some 250 million people are Sunni Muslims. But Kurram has a large Shi'ite population, and the two communities have clashed for decades. More than 200 people have been killed since July, alone. Sectarian violence in the region is often linked to land disputes. Russia unleashed a "massive" attack on Ukraine’s infrastructure on November 28, leaving more than 1 million people without power in freezing temperatures across the country. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy accused Russia of a "despicable escalation," as the Interior Ministry recorded damage to infrastructure in nine regions. Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed that the latest attack was Moscow's "response" to Ukrainian strikes on Russian territory with U.S. medium-range ATACMS missiles. Speaking during a trip to Kazakhstan, Putin warned that Russia's future targets could include "decision-making centers" in Kyiv. Putin said Russia launched more than 90 missiles and 100 drones in the "comprehensive strike" on November 28 and that 17 targets had been hit -- the type of detail that the president rarely gives. Ukraine's air force said it had shot down 79 missiles and 35 drones, while 62 drones were "lost," meaning they had likely been disrupted by electronic warfare. All missiles or drones aimed at the capital, Kyiv were downed, officials said. The attack forced national power-grid operator Ukrenerho to "urgently introduce emergency power cuts," Energy Minister Herman Halushchenko said early on November 28. "Once again, the energy sector is under massive enemy attack. Attacks on energy facilities are taking place across Ukraine," Halushchenko wrote on social media. Energy provider DTEK said early in the day that emergency power outages were being introduced in the regions of Kyiv, Odesa, Dnipropetrovsk, and Donetsk. Kyiv had also reportedly disconnected several nuclear power units from the network during the attack. Ukraine gets more than half of its electricity from nuclear plants. It comes as the temperatures across Ukraine dropped to around zero degrees Celsius. Earlier this month, a senior UN official, Rosemary DiCarlo, warned that Moscow's targeting of Ukraine's energy infrastructure may make this winter the "harshest since the start of the war" nearly three years ago. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Defense Minister Rustem Umerov's talks in South Korea on November 27 focused on cooperation on the security of both Ukraine and South Korea in light of the deployment of North Korean forces in Russia’s war against Ukraine. Zelenskiy said Umerov went to Seoul at his instruction to discuss all aspects of North Korea’s involvement in the war “and the things we can do together to defend our nations and to secure our regions together.” Umerov said earlier that he had discussed joint steps to strengthen security and stability with South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol while in Seoul. Umerov also met with South Korea’s defense minister and national-security adviser. "We believe that our arguments about the need to increase cooperation between Ukraine and the Republic of Korea will lead to a tangible strengthening of security for our peoples and regions," Umerov said on Telegram. Umerov said he raised the presence of the North Korean troops and the North Korean military's "active" support for energy infrastructure attacks on Ukraine. For South Korea, the deployment of the North Korean troops poses a serious threat because they are gaining combat experience, which could create additional security challenges, he said. A statement issued by Yoon’s office does not say whether the parties discussed the possibility of Seoul supplying weapons to Ukraine. Ukraine has previously asked Seoul for weapons, and South Korea has said it could consider such aid, depending on what Russia and North Korea do. Zelenskiy also said in his nightly address that decisions made in July at the NATO summit in Washington on air defense and other supplies to the front line “have not yet been fully implemented...and this, of course, has had a significant impact on our people’s motivation and morale.” The recent authorization of long-range strikes on military targets in Russia “has been helpful, but the pressure on Russia must be maintained and increased at various levels to make Russia feel what war really is,” Zelenskiy said. Russian forces have been making steady gains along the front line as Kyiv's troops battle a larger and better equipped enemy. Zelenskiy did not mention a news report that President Joe Biden's administration is urging Ukraine to quickly increase the size of its military by drafting more troops. A senior Biden administration official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, was quoted earlier on November 27 by the Associated Press as saying that the outgoing administration wants Ukraine to lower the mobilization age to 18 from 25 to help expand the pool of fighting-age men. The official said “the pure math” of Ukraine's situation now is that it needs more troops in the fight, according to the AP. The official said the Ukrainians believe they need about 160,000 additional troops, but the U.S. administration believes they probably will need more than that. Calin Georgescu, the pro-Russian far-right independent candidate who scored a shock victory in the first round of Romania's presidential election, has denied that he wants the country out of NATO and the European Union. Georgescu, who garnered nearly 23 percent of the vote in the November 24 poll, will face off against center-right Elena Lasconi, a staunch Euro-Atlanticist, in the December 8 runoff after both pushed ahead of favorite leftist Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu. Without the backing of a party, Georgescu's campaign relied heavily on social media platform TikTok, where his account had 1.6 million likes and where he posted videos of himself attending church, doing judo, running on a track, and speaking on podcasts. He has described NATO as "the world's weakest alliance" and the alliance's ballistic missile-defense shield in Deveselu, southern Romania, as a "shame of diplomacy," claiming the military alliance would not defend any of its members in case of a Russian attack. Instead, he recommended "Russian wisdom" as Romania's best path forward and launched a TikTok campaign calling for an end to Romanian aid for Ukraine. Under incumbent Klaus Iohannis, Romania has been one of Kyiv's staunchest allies. But facing a public backlash as hundreds of mostly young people took to the streets of Bucharest and other big Romanian cities chanting, "No Putin, no fear, Europe is our mother," and "Young people ask you not to vote for a dictator," Georgescu denied in a YouTube video on November 26 that he wanted Romania out of the Euro-Atlantic structures. "I do not want out of NATO, I do not want out of the European Union," Georgescu said, standing side-by-side with his wife, adding, "but I do want us to stand firm, not to kneel there, not to accept everything, to do everything in our national interest." He went on to say that he wanted peace, adding, "We cannot get into other peoples' wars for their interests that cause us prejudice," again alluding to Romania's support for Ukraine. For the December 8 runoff, Georgescu has rallied the support of far-right pro-Russia AUR party of which he used to be a member until 2022 and whose leader, George Simion, garnered almost 14 percent in the first round, while the center-right liberals threw their weight behind Lasconi, a former TV reporter and mayor of the small southern Romanian city of Campulung Muscel. But first, Romanians will elect a new parliament on December 1, with Ciolacu's Social Democratic Party, the centrist National Liberal Party, and Lasconi's Save Romania Union favorite to win most of the 332 seats in the lower Deputy Chamber and 137 mandates in the upper chamber, the Senate. U.S. President-elect Donald Trump on November 27 tapped Keith Kellogg, a retired army lieutenant general who has long served as a top adviser to Trump on defense issues, as his nominee to be special envoy for Ukraine and Russia. "Keith has led a distinguished Military and Business career, including serving in highly sensitive National Security roles in my first Administration," Trump said on social media. Kellogg "was with me right from the beginning," Trump said on Truth Social. "Together, we will secure PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH, and Make America, and the World, SAFE AGAIN!" Kellogg's nomination comes after Trump's criticism during the 2024 presidential campaign of the billions of dollars that the United States has poured into Ukraine since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022. Trump also said he could end the war within 24 hours of retaking the White House, a statement that has been interpreted as meaning that Ukraine would have to surrender territory that Russia now occupies. Kellogg has already put forth a plan for ending the war that involves freezing the battle lines where they are and forcing Kyiv and Moscow to the negotiating table, Reuters reported in June. According to Reuters, Kellogg has advocated telling the Ukrainians that if they don't come to the negotiating table, U.S. support would dry up, while telling Russian President Vladimir Putin that if he doesn't come to the table, the United States would give the Ukrainians "everything they need to kill you in the field." NATO membership for Ukraine would be off the table as part of the incentive for Russia to come along, while putting it back on would be punishment for holding back. Kellogg, 80, earlier this year wrote that "bringing the Russia-Ukraine war to a close will require strong America First leadership to deliver a peace deal and immediately end the hostilities between the two warring parties." He made the statements in a research paper written for the America First Policy Institute, a think tank formed after Trump left office in 2021. "The United States would continue to arm Ukraine and strengthen its defenses to ensure Russia will make no further advances and will not attack again after a cease-fire or peace agreement," the document said. "Future American military aid, however, will require Ukraine to participate in peace talks with Russia." Kellogg served in several positions during Trump's first term, including as chief of staff on Trump's national security council and national-security adviser to then-Vice President Mike Pence. Mikhail Alexseev, a professor of political science at San Diego State University whose research focuses on Russia, Ukraine, and Eurasia, told RFE/RL that the appointment signals "the intent to enforce some kind of cease-fire and conflict settlement which Trump said he would try to achieve within 24 hours." Alexseev said Kellogg seems to be a straight shooter who would "detect very quickly whether a peace proposal would be unrealistic" and would be able to see through "Putin’s repeated record of breaking agreements.” Alexseev doesn't believe the proposal to get the parties to negotiate is going to work but said Kellogg "would be among the first to see why and how it wouldn’t work." Mark Cancian, a military analyst at the Center for Strategic and International Relations, told RFE/RL that negotiations will be "difficult," because the "two sides are so far apart. Russia thinks its winning. Ukraine wants all its territory back, including Crimea, reparations, war crimes. [The Trump team] has indicated that they'll use U.S. aid as a tool against both sides. Maybe that will work." Cancian adds that he also expects to see "personal diplomacy." He expects that Trump "will meet personally with both Putin and [Ukrainian President Volodymyr] Zelenskiy. That is his style. I mean, he's a New York real estate developer, and to get something done, you threaten, you bluster, but then in the end, you sit down face to face, and you make a deal, because if you don't make a deal, you don't make any money." Russian Deputy Ambassador Dmitry Polyansky told a UN Security Council meeting that any decision by Trump's incoming administration to cut support for Ukraine would be a "death sentence" for the Ukrainian Army. "Even if we're to lay to one side the prediction that Donald Trump will cut assistance to Ukraine, which for the Ukrainian Army would essentially be a death sentence, it is becoming clearer that he and his team will, in any case, conduct an audit of the assistance provided to Kyiv," Polyansky said. Polyansky said Russia had repeatedly offered to negotiate, but Ukraine and its Western backers have favored escalation. Ukraine has consistently rejected Russian offers to negotiate because Moscow's conditions, including accepting Russia's occupation of Ukrainian territory, have been unacceptable to Kyiv. The Russian diplomat also accused the Biden administration of trying through its increased support to Ukraine to create a "mess, both in Russia and with the new team in the White House." He warned the decision by the Biden administration and its European allies to authorize the Ukrainian military to use long-range missiles against targets inside Russia had "placed the world on the brink of a global nuclear conflict" and said Russia would respond decisively. "I will be frank, we believe that it is our right to use our weapons against the military facilities of those countries who allow the use of weapons against our facilities." Speaking earlier at the same Security Council session, UN Assistant Secretary-General Miroslav Jenca highlighted recent Russian long-range missile strikes on Ukraine and called the use of ballistic missiles and related threats against Ukraine "a very dangerous, escalatory development." U.S. Deputy Ambassador Robert Wood told the session Washington would "continue to surge security assistance to Ukraine to strengthen its capabilities, including air defense, and put Ukraine in the best possible position on the battlefield." Russian President Vladimir Putin has been warmly received in Kazakhstan, where he and Kazakh President Qasym-Zhomart Toqaev discussed boosting energy and industry ties. Putin arrived in Astana on a state visit on November 27 and was greeted by Toqaev with a handshake, according to images released on social media. Toqaev said he had "carefully read" Putin’s commentary published in state newspaper Kazakhstanskaya Pravda ahead of the visit and said he had published his own commentary on the state of the relationship between Moscow and Astana in the Russian media. "I think that we have very thoroughly, as if in unison, outlined our approaches to the development of cooperation aimed at the future," Toqaev said. He emphasized in his article that Kazakhstan "remains a reliable strategic partner and ally of Russia in this very difficult time," Toqaev's press service quoted Toqaev as saying. Putin thanked Toqaev "for his careful attitude toward the Russian language," a reference to the lower house of parliament's ratification of an agreement to create the International Organization for the Russian Language a few days before Putin's arrival. Kazakhstan has tried to distance itself from Moscow's war in Ukraine but remains highly dependent on Russia for exporting oil to Western markets and for imports of food, electricity, and other products. Underscoring that more than 80 percent of Kazakhstan's oil is exported to foreign markets via Russia, Putin said he and Toqaev always focus on "a specific result" in their talks. "Our countries are...constructively cooperating in the oil and gas sector," Putin wrote in his article, which was also featured in the Kremlin's website. Kremlin foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov told journalists on November 26 that Putin and Toqaev would sign a protocol on extending an agreement on oil supplies to Kazakhstan. He did not give details. The two leaders said after their meeting that they had discussed plans to increase the transit through Kazakhstan of Russian natural gas to Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan, part of Moscow's pivot away from European energy markets. They also said they talked about joint projects in hydroelectric power, car tires, and fertilizers and other areas. Putin said in his article that Russia's state nuclear corporation Rosatom was "ready for new large-scale projects." The company already is involved in some projects in Kazakhstan, which in October voted in favor of constructing its first nuclear power plant. Neither leader mentioned the nuclear project after their talks. Toqaev said he had raised the issue of agricultural trade following a Russian ban on imports of grain, fruit, and other farm products from Kazakhstan in October. Moscow imposed the ban after Kazakhstan barred Russian wheat imports in August to protect its producers. "Our countries should not compete on the Eurasian Economic Union market or foreign markets," Toqaev said, referring to agricultural exports within and outside a Moscow-led post-Soviet trade bloc. Nordic-Baltic countries and Poland have pledged to step up support for Ukraine, including making more ammunition available to strengthen deterrence and defense against hybrid attacks . The leaders of Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Norway, Poland, and Sweden, who met near Stockholm on November 27, also said they were ready to step up sanctions against Russia and backers of its Ukraine invasion and discussed an investigation into the severing of undersea communication cables earlier this month in the Baltic Sea. "Together with our allies, we are committed to strengthening our deterrence, and defense, including resilience, against conventional as well as hybrid attacks, and to expanding sanctions against Russia as well as against those who enable Russia's aggression," the leaders said a statement. The leaders met for talks covering transatlantic relations, regional security cooperation, and a common policy on the war in Ukraine. The meeting was the first of the Nordic-Baltic heads of government since 2017. Poland attended for the first time. Ahead of the meeting Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk proposed joint monitoring of the Baltic Sea by the navies of the Baltic states following damage to two undersea communication cables that is being investigated as a hybrid attack. "Baltic air policing already exists for the airspace over the Baltic Sea," Tusk said. "I will convince our partners of the necessity to immediately create an analogous formula for the control and security of the Baltic Sea waters, a naval surveillance," he added. The underwater cables -- one linking Finland and Germany and the other connecting Sweden to Lithuania -- were damaged on November 17-18, prompting suspicions of sabotage. Sweden, Germany, and Lithuania have all launched investigations, but the cause of the damage is still unknown. Finnish police have said they believe the incident was caused by a Chinese ship dragging its anchor, and Swedish investigators have focused on the Chinese cargo ship Yi Peng 3, which is thought to have passed both locations at the times of the cable breaks. The ship now sits idle in international waters but inside Denmark's exclusive economic zone. Sweden has asked the vessel to return to Swedish waters to help facilitate the investigation, Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said on November 26, but he stressed he was not making any accusations. Kristersson told a press conference he was hopeful China would respond positively to the request to move the ship to Swedish waters. "From the Swedish side we have had contact with the ship and contact with China and said that we want the ship to move towards Swedish waters," Kristersson said. A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman said communications with Sweden and other relevant parties had been "unobstructed." Mao Ning said at a regular news briefing on November 27 that China has shown "consistent support" in working with other countries to maintain the security of international undersea cables and other infrastructure. Yi Peng 3 left the Russian port of Ust-Luga on November 15. Russia last week said suggestions it had anything to do with the breaches were "absurd." The Wall Street Journal reported on November 27 that the ship has been surrounded by European warships in international waters for a week. Investigators suspect the crew of the Yi Peng 3, which is loaded with Russian fertilizer, deliberately severed the cables by dragging its anchor for more than 160 kilometers, the newspaper reported. The probe centers on whether the captain of the ship was induced by Russian intelligence to carry out the sabotage, the report said.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — keep proving that for every step forward, they always find ways to take two back. The Titans (3-9) clinched a third straight losing record to mark first-year coach Brian Callahan's debut season in an to Washington. Yet another slow start, more turnovers, sacks, penalties ruined their chance at stringing together consecutive wins for the first time in more than two years. Callahan said Monday they're trying to build consistency. “In the NFL, a lot of it is about not losing the game first, and we do right now with the amount of penalties and turnovers we’ve had,” Callahan said. "We put ourselves in position to lose games and not win them. And so, yes, there is a there is an element of learning how to win.” Tennessee had 11 of 12 penalties before halftime, trailing 28-7. The Titans also were the at halftime in Week 17 of 2005 against the Jaguars. Only Baltimore has been penalized more than Tennessee this season. Two-time Pro Bowl defensive lineman Jeffery Simmons said after the loss that the Titans need to learn how to deal with winning better coming off a Simmons said they were "hungover from our own success." Callahan said Monday he didn't see any hangover issues. “You have a performance like that and you're sort of grasping for an explanation on why and there really wasn't one other than we made too many errors early in the game and put ourselves in a hole,” Callahan said. Quarterback Will Levis' development over the four games since his return from a sprained, right throwing shoulder at least gives the Titans promise for the future. The made some nice throws and limited yards lost on two sacks Sunday. He threw two TD passes for 212 yards. Since his return, he is completing 61.7% of his passes for 960 yards with seven touchdown passes and only two interceptions with a 101.3 passer rating in that span. Now the defense is struggling after going into Washington second in the NFL in yards allowed, ninth against the run and first defending the pass. They gave up a season-high 267 yards rushing after giving up just 40 a week ago. The Titans also gave up 28 points within the first 20 minutes, becoming only the . The Titans also did that in Week 8 earlier this season after being routed by the Lions in Detroit. Washington did it against Dallas in Week 16 of 2021. WR Nick Westbrook-Ikhine. Originally undrafted out of Indiana, Westbrook-Ikhine is tied for fourth in the NFL with eight TD catches entering Monday. That's despite starting only five games this season and not having a pass thrown to him the first month of the season. He has earned a multi-year deal with his performance. He had three receptions for 61 yards against Washington and was targeted a season-high eight times. Rookie Jha'Quan Jackson. A sixth-round pick out of Tulane and nephew of Pro Football Hall of Fame defensive back Ed Reed has fumbled five times as the punt returner recovering only two of those. That got him benched against Washington. His fumbles have come in the past six games, including one in each of the past two. His fumble against Washington led to an early touchdown. LT JC Latham hurt a quadriceps muscle but finished the game. Callahan said they will see how CB Roger McCreary (shoulder) and LB Kenneth Murray Jr. (strained hamstring) recover during the week. 36 — The number of games since the Titans have had consecutive victories. The Titans at least are home with their best focus trying to improve their standing inside the AFC South with four divisional games down the stretch. They have two games remaining against Jacksonville (2-10) starting Sunday with But their biggest question now is how high does this franchise draft in April. AP NFL: