magical ocean moments
Thousands of people have descended on the site where former Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah was killed by an Israeli air strike, after the group allowed access to the area for the first time for a public memorial. The massive crater left by the Beirut strike was lit up in red and festooned with Hezbollah flags. At its centre, torches projected light beams into the night sky. Men, women and children wept at the sight of the crater, while the crowd chanted “At your service, Nasrallah” – a common rallying cry among Hezbollah supporters. Nasrallah led Hezbollah for more than 30 years as it became a formidable force in Lebanon, turning him into one of the most influential figures in the Middle East. A ceasefire deal agreed between Hezbollah and Israel on Wednesday paved the way for the southern suburb where Nasrallah was killed, on 27 September, to be opened to journalists and the public. The militant and political group had previously closely guarded access to the suburb, known as the Dahieh, particularly the place where Nasrallah was assassinated, which was entirely closed off. The Israeli strike that killed the Hezbollah leader was reportedly made up of as many as 80 bunker busting bombs, and it destroyed several residential buildings in Harek Hreik – the neighbourhood that forms the centre of Hezbollah’s operations in Beirut. When the crowd was granted access to the site for the first time on Saturday night, people surged into the open area left by the destroyed buildings and climbed up around the edges of the crater. Many held aloft candles and pictures of Nasrallah, who was 64, while a speech by the former leader played from a sound system. “For these two and half months we have refused to believe that he is really gone,” said Narjis Khshaish, 31, who wept and clutched a candle. “We have all just been waiting to reach this place to receive his blessings,” she said. Moussa Dirani, 57, brought his teenage son to the memorial event. “It is very sad and painful to see this site,” he said. “But the resistance does not stop with Nasrallah, his death gives us power to continue along his path.” The hundreds of Hezbollah flags at the event would “continue to fly high”, said Fida Nasreddine, 34. “We are with Hassan Nasrallah until the last breath,” she said. Nasrallah’s assassination shocked Lebanon and the wider world when the news broke in September. He had rarely been seen in public since Hezbollah’s 2006 war with Israel, and was protected by tight security at all times. He was one of a number of senior Hezbollah figures killed by Israel in air strikes between September and the ceasefire agreement struck on Wednesday. The group had been badly damaged by the assassinations, but the sense of celebration in the Hezbollah-dominated areas of Beirut "cannot be dismissed as insincere", said David Wood, a Lebanon analyst with Crisis Group. "The achievements that Hezbollah has promoted - maintaining its ground operations against Israel, ensuring that tens of thousands of Israelis couldn't return to their homes, and having a severe impact on Israel's economy, I don't think those achievements are nothing, and I think lots of its supporters will see an element of victory in that." Additional reporting by Joanna Mazjoub.
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One of the top qualifiers from the second edition of the “FinTech Got Talent” competition, organized by “FinTech Egypt”—an initiative by the Central Bank of Egypt (CBE)—has secured first place at the “Arab FinTech Challenge” for the second consecutive year. The competition took place in Dubai as part of the “GITEX North Star 2024” exhibition. This remarkable achievement reflects the CBE’s unwavering dedication to empowering and supporting youth in the FinTech sector. The winners and runners-up of “FinTech Got Talent” received comprehensive backing to represent Egypt in the “Arab FinTech Challenge.” This year, a team from the Faculty of Economics and Political Science at Cairo University won first place with their innovative project, “EZRAALI.” The digital platform connects suppliers, farmers, and traders in a streamlined ecosystem, emerging victorious in a fierce contest among Arab universities. Ayman Hussein, First Sub-Governor for the Information Technology Sector at the CBE, commented on the victory: “The Egyptian team’s consecutive triumph in the ‘Arab FinTech Challenge’ highlights the CBE’s continuous efforts to nurture and develop young talent through the ‘FinYology’ initiative. This success underscores the richness of the Egyptian market with promising FinTech innovators and reinforces our commitment to equipping university students with the skills and resources to drive innovation, aligned with the FinTech and Innovation Strategy launched in 2019.” The second edition of the “FinTech Got Talent” competition kicked off this month, in collaboration with the Egyptian Banking Institute (EBI), alongside several universities and banks operating in Egypt. The competition’s finale saw exceptional projects presented by teams from 10 public, private, and national universities. First Place: Nile University’s business administration students. Second Place: Cairo University’s Faculty of Economics and Political Science team. Third Place: Zewail City of Science, Technology, and Innovation’s business administration students. To further support innovation, the “MINT Incubator” will provide all 10 finalist teams with a comprehensive three-month technical support program. This initiative aims to transform their ideas into viable, practical applications. The “FinTech Got Talent” competition, launched under the umbrella of the CBE’s “FinYology” initiative, debuted last year and continues to empower university students to create cutting-edge digital solutions addressing the financial and banking sector’s evolving needs. Since its inception in February 2020, the “FinYology” initiative, in partnership with the EBI and various financial institutions, has achieved significant milestones: Collaboration with 30 public, private, and national universities; engagement of over 7,400 students; and implementation of more than 600 FinTech projects. This initiative cements Egypt’s position as a hub for FinTech innovation, fostering a new generation of talented leaders in the financial technology landscape.Lukas Kübler scored a brace, but Freiburg had to endure late pressure on their way to a 3-2 win against VfL Wolfsburg in the Bundesliga. Freiburg built a comfortable lead thanks to Kübler's brace and Michael Gregoritsch's effort, but Jonas Wind and Mattias Svanberg scored late goals for Wolfsburg on Friday. The match came down to some thrilling final minutes, with Freiburg having a goal ruled out in stoppage time, but still holding on to the three points and ending Wolfsburg's run of four consecutive league wins. Freiburg moved up to fifth in the standings, while Wolfsburg dropped to sixth. There were good chances at each end, with Kamil Grabara saving Ritsu Doan's effort for Freiburg in the 17th minute and Noah Atubolu diving to stop Konstantinos Koulierakis's header and deny Wolfsburg the opener in the 23rd. It was Freiburg, however, who found the net first. Vincenzo Grifo swung in a corner that Lucas Höler stylishly flicked to Kübler, who drove it home from close range in the 42nd. Kübler was on target again in the 51st heading in Gregoritsch's assist also from close range. Grifo almost got the third immediately after, but that eventually came in the 60th as Gregoritsch played a one-two with Doan before completing a delightful finish into the net. Freiburg thought the game was practically won, but were caught off guard when Wind pulled one back for Wolfsburg in the 75th and Svanberg added a second in the 83rd. The game was pretty much open in the final minutes and Freiburg even found the net again in stoppage time but Höler's effort was ruled out because he handled the ball as he slid to take it away from the goalkeeper before poking it into the goal.
LOS ANGELES — It wasn’t going to last forever. It had to end sometime, and in the grand scheme of the season, two embers glowed in the aftermath of the inferno South Carolina traveled into on Nov. 24. One: Better now while there are still games to play. Two: Teams don’t have to be undefeated to win the national championship. The Gamecocks just made that a thing last year. All goals are still in mind and very reachable, despite USC losing for the first time in 605 days on Sunday. Fifth-ranked UCLA on its home floor was far too much to overcome, 77-62, especially when the Bruins (5-0) gave the Gamecocks (5-1) a taste of what they’ve dished out to the rest of the country over the past 10 years. Whether it was Alaina Coates or A’ja Wilson or Aliyah Boston or Kamilla Cardoso, the Gamecocks almost always had a dominant center to score, rebound, intimidate. This year, they do not. UCLA had plenty of height and used every bit of it. The Gamecocks became tentative to try to get the ball in the lane due to so many shots being sent back or never getting out of their hands against the Bruins’ land of giants, and starting 0 for 9 from the floor was a continuation of the same poor offense that’s been evident through USC’s first five games. The Gamecocks could not hit a shot in the first quarter and would not move the ball when they were down big. It forced Dawn Staley to call a timeout instead of waiting for a stoppage in play, an event that happens nearly as often as a politician keeps a campaign promise. Once the Bruins began sniping 3-pointers (they made 10), it was over. The Bruins shot well over 50 percent from the field for most of the game. No. 1 Gamecocks hammer Clemson for series-record 14th straight time Only Tessa Johnson showed signs of offensive life for the Gamecocks, draining her first four shots and finishing with 14 points. Te-Hina Paopao, playing in front of 100 family and friends from her nearby Oceanside, Calif., home, had a team-high 18. It was the first time USC had lost since the 2023 Final Four. It was the first regular-season loss in 1,060 days. USC on Monday will begin just its second week of not being the country’s No. 1 team over the past four seasons when the new Associated Press Top 25 is released. The Gamecocks’ school-record 43-game winning streak was snapped as well as a 33-game road winning streak, the third-longest stretch in Division I history. The Gamecocks begin the Fort Myers Tip-Off against No. 8 Iowa State at 1:30 p.m. on Thursday.
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