It's easy to feel nostalgic for the past, and looking back on your childhood, you probably remember a simpler, more wholesome time. Well, Redditor innocentxmelody asked, "What's that one thing you miss the most from the 2000s generation?" Here's what people seriously miss about the '90s, 2000s, and the good ol' days. 3. "Video games being finished releases. I’m so tired of developers releasing broken games with the 'we’ll fix it with updates later' mindset." — ActuallAlbatross 6. "I honestly miss the internet from the '90s. I spent so many hours exploring, and reading things. Every webpage felt like I was visiting someone's house; They were so personal as web design standards did not yet exist. I enjoyed my Netscape navigator. And I LOVED my IRC chat rooms. Keep in mind I was like nine or ten, so I mostly spent time in Pokemon chat rooms that had bots. Discord today is not the same as it was in the IRC days." — UnusualSoup 9. "In the 2000s, politics was a boring thing to talk about. Now, it’s the only thing people talk about these days, at least in the US." — Willtip98 11. "In a weird way, monoculture. Sure, it’s great that nowadays, everyone can have a different movie, show, music, and style they like, but try to remember the blissful ignorance of everything but what was on mainstream TV or magazines. Everyone got hyped for the same music, shows, and movies, and that brought people together. Remember Lost , Survivor , Blink182, and how everyone wore similar styles. Now there’s just so much out there it’s hard to find a community sometimes." — Ramses3 14. "The point where technology started to be more integrated into our lives but not so much that we can’t last ten minutes without instinctually reaching for our devices." — Stock-Wolf 17. "Business was still being done in brick-and-mortar stores. I still think this is underrated. Yes, now we have a much wider selection of stuff available instantly, but it used to be extremely fun to go out on a Sunday, go to a record store or video rental store with your friends, discuss options, and settle on one. Scrolling on Netflix never produces the same enjoyable experience for me, but maybe I remember those trips with rose-colored glasses, and today's youth will remember this too." — Humble_Shoulder Do you have something to add? What do you miss most or what was the best thing about the decade in which you grew up? Tell us in the comments or in this anonymous form .Cornelious Brown IV throws 5 TD passes to lead Alabama A&M past Mississippi Valley State 49-35
In the ever-evolving world of consumer electronics, has firmly established itself as a leading retailer known for its vast selection of products, exceptional customer service, and competitive pricing. From cutting-edge tech gadgets to home appliances and expert advice, Best Buy has become a trusted name for millions of consumers seeking quality and value. In this article, we will explore what makes Best Buy a premier destination for tech enthusiasts, shoppers, and families alike, as well as how the company continues to innovate and maintain its dominant position in the retail industry. Founded in 1966 as Sound of Music by Richard M. Schulze, small audio electronics store in St. Paul, Minnesota. Over the years, the company rebranded as in 1983 and expanded its product offerings to include home appliances, computers, mobile devices, and entertainment electronics. With a focus on customer service and a wide selection of products, Best Buy quickly grew to become one of the largest electronics retailers in the US. Today, Best Buy operates over 1,000 retail locations across North America and offers online shopping with free shipping and flexible return policies. The retailer is known for carrying a wide variety of brands, from premium labels like Apple and Sony to affordable options from other manufacturers. Best Buy’s dedication to providing quality products and personalized service has earned it a loyal customer base. As technology continues to advance, Best Buy is adapting to meet the needs of modern consumers. Here are a few ways the company is shaping the future of retail: While Best Buy remains one of the top electronics retailers, it faces strong competition from several other players in the industry. Here’s a look at how Best Buy compares to its competitors: has solidified its position as the leading retailer in the consumer electronics space due to its comprehensive product selection, excellent customer service, competitive pricing, and commitment to innovation. With a focus on providing expert advice, tech solutions, and an integrated shopping experience, Best Buy continues to be a top destination for anyone in search of the latest gadgets, appliances, and tech services. Whether you’re upgrading your home entertainment system or looking for a new laptop, Best Buy remains a trusted source for all your electronics needs.We will get statehood, special status: Deputy CMDonald Hand Jr. scores 29 with 10 rebounds, Boston College beats Fairleigh Dickinson 78-70
Skip Bayless is at it again, criticizing LeBron James's response to social media skeptics. The controversial sports personality recently unleashed a tirade on T he Skip Bayless Show about James' reaction to fans questioning his claims about watching Dalton Knecht in college. "LeBron James has done it again. He's given me yet another reason for why he's just not the GOAT!" Bayless began, before launching into his critique of James's mental toughness. "He can just be so fragile, so vulnerable, so mentally weak, such a thin skinned diva, ultimately, such a baby!" Stephen Lew-Imagn Images The source of his criticism? LeBron's postgame comments about social media users doubting that he watched Knecht play at Tennessee. "Come on LeBron, you're so much better than this—a player of your magnitude, of your caliber, acting like this about social media? Are you kidding me?" Bayless then broke down the specific incident: "So I'm watching the postgame live out here... and LeBron's pissy about Dalton Knecht. Why LeBron? He says people on the internet are calling him a liar for saying that he closely watched a lot of Dalton Knecht's games at Tennessee and that he loved him and that people don't believe that he actually watched a lot of Dalton Knecht at Tennessee." The sports commentator pointed out the irony of James's massive social media following: "I've closely watched LeBron, I study his every move, I'm fascinated in him... You're it, LeBron, but you're not the GOAT. He's got 159 million IG followers. He's got 52.9 million followers on X. Man that is social media impact, LeBron... I will bet you that he might have seen [only] two or three people say 'oh, come on, LeBron.'" Bayless concluded with a final jab: "He's actually said, I'm off social media, I'm going to take my ball and I'm going to go home because you people called me a liar. What a baby!" Related: Skip Bayless Admits He was Wrong About Bronny JamesDrop in Boxing Day footfall ‘signals return to declining pre-pandemic levels’( MENAFN - Newsfile Corp) Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - December 20, 2024) - WISR AI SYSTEMS Inc. (formerly 1329310 B.C. Ltd.) (the " Company ") is pleased to announce that, further to its news releases dated December 10, 2024, and May 9, 2024, the closing of its previously announced amalgamation transaction with Wisr AI Solutions Inc. (" WisrAI ") by way of a three-cornered amalgamation pursuant to Section 269 of the Business Corporations Act (British Columbia) (the " Transaction "). The Transaction The Transaction was carried out by way of an amalgamation under the laws of the Province of British Columbia pursuant to the terms of an amalgamation agreement dated December 6, 2024 between the Company, 1514910 B.C. Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company, and WisrAI. As a condition to the closing of the Transaction, on December 20, 2024 the Company changed its name from 1329310 B.C. Ltd. to Wisr AI Systems Inc. and consolidated its common shares on a 9.1584 to one basis (the " Consolidation "). The former holders of WisrAI common shares have received post-Consolidation common shares in the capital of the Company (the " Common Shares "), resulting in the Company issuing an aggregate of 46,164,404 Common Shares to the former WisrAI shareholders. In addition, an aggregate of 6,599,517 common share purchase warrants of WisrAI have been exchanged for economically equivalent securities of the Company. In connection with the Transaction the Company settled $180,000 of debt with certain creditors through the issuance of 1,200,000 Common Shares at a price of $0.15 per Common Share (the " Debt Conversion "). The Transaction resulted in the Common Shares being held as follows: (i) 46,164,404 Common Shares (approximately 92.6%) held by former WisrAI shareholders; and (ii) 3,666,664 Common Shares (approximately 7.4%) held by existing Company shareholders following the completion of the Debt Conversion. Management and Board Following completion of the Transaction, management of the Company is now comprised of Robert Goehring (CEO and Director), Cameron Shippit (CFO and Corporate Secretary), Trumbull Fisher (Director), Charles Abel (Director), Richard Paolone (Director) and Riccardo Forno (Director). Below is a brief biography of the members of the board of directors and management of the Company: Robert Goehring - Chief Executive Officer and Director Robert Goehring is a serial entrepreneur with over 20 years of experience founding and running private and public software and hardware companies in telecom, marketing tech, SaaS and financial services. Prior to becoming the CEO of WisrAI, he acted as the CEO of RewardStream Solutions Inc., a leader in referral and loyalty marketing (acquired by Buyapowa Ltd.). He also previously acted as the Chief Marketing Officer of TIO Networks Corp. (acquired by PayPal Holdings, Inc.) and was the co-founder of Contigo Systems Inc., an award-winning telematics company (acquired by Vecima Networks Inc.). Mr. Goehring is an advisor to several technology and AI companies, and sits on the Board of Directors of Railtown AI Technologies Inc. (CSE: RAIL). Mr. Goehring obtained his MBA from Simon Fraser University in Marketing and Management Information Systems, is also the founding director of the AI Chief Executive Council for the BC Technology Industry Association, and is the Executive Director of the AI Network of British Columbia. Cameron Shippit - Chief Financial Officer and Corporate Secretary Cameron Shippit is a senior finance professional and capital markets leader with 35 years of experience as a Financial Advisor, Chief Financial Officer and Director of public companies. Mr. Shippit was a co-founder and CFO of ReSaaS Services Inc. (TSXV: RSS), where he helped raise $50M+ in capital markets funding. Trumbell Fisher - Director Trumbull Fisher has approximately 20 years of capital markets expertise in various capacities. In the past he served as a co-founder of the Canadian Sales and Trading operation of Casimir Capital, a former IIROC dealer. Upon leaving Casimir he co-founded Sui Generis, an offshore hedge fund, that was eventually sold to a Canadian asset manager where he acted as head of trading. Mr. Fisher served as the President of CSE-listed New Wave Esports Corp., an Esports investment company, and the CEO of Green Shift Commodities Ltd., as well as a Partner and Director of Oak Street Partners, a real estate investment company. He has extensive experience in raising capital, advising businesses and managing successful teams in the capital markets industry. Charles Abel - Director: Charles Abel is a seasoned operator who has held senior finance and CFO positions for private and public companies, guiding them through many rounds of financing and multiple sales and M&A transactions. He also has significant experience with corporate governance and public filing requirements. Mr. Abel is currently the VP Finance at BinaryStream, a leader in enterprise class Microsoft Dynamics solutions. His prior roles include CFO at RewardStream Solutions Inc. and 3TL Technologies Corp., both public companies, and CFO at Equicare Health and Sophiros Biro (NASDAQ: SPHS). Richard Paolone - Director Richard Paolone is a Toronto-based securities lawyer with extensive experience in corporate finance, securities law, and mergers and acquisitions. Mr. Paolone has represented numerous companies in both private and public offerings of debt and equity securities, showcasing his comprehensive understanding of capital markets and regulatory environments. His legal counsel has been pivotal to a number of successful M&A and go-public transactions, spanning diverse industries including mining, cannabis, carbon credits, oil and gas, technology, and plant-based food sectors. In addition to his transactional work, Mr. Paolone has built a reputation as a trusted advisor to management teams and boards, ensuring legal and regulatory compliance while facilitating business growth. His broad experience also includes serving as a director or officer for several private and publicly traded companies, where he provide strategic insights and governance expertise to help guide their success in competitive markets. Riccardo Forno - Director Riccardo Forno has a general corporate/commercial and securities law practice with an emphasis on corporate finance, private equity, stock exchange listings, initial public offerings, capital pool company formations, qualifying transactions, and mergers and acquisitions. Mr. Forno has been a securities lawyer since 2009 actively assisting private and public issuers with their corporate finance and securities matters and has regularly assisted his public company clients with their continuous disclosure obligations and financial statement filings. Mr. Forno received his Bachelor of Laws in 2008 from the University of Ottawa and a Bachelor of Business Administration in International Business and Finance from The George Washington University in 2003 (Magna Cum Laude). About WisrAI WisrAI is privately-owned software development company, based in Vancouver, British Columbia, that is at the forefront of AI-driven risk assessment with its cutting-edge platform and proprietary models that harness global, custom, and enterprise data to accurately predict enterprise risk. By integrating a sophisticated data ingestion system and innovative Agent AI technology, WisrAI generates real-time, bespoke risk models and scores for enterprises and their vendor networks. This advanced capability ensures that organizations can efficiently meet the expanding demands of governance, risk, and compliance, securing a competitive advantage in managing enterprise risks effectively. For further information, please contact: Robert Goehring Chief Executive Officer Email: ... This news release does not constitute an offer of securities for sale in the United States. The securities being offered have not been, nor will they be, registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and such securities may not be offered or sold within the United States absent U.S. registration or an applicable exemption from U.S. registration requirements. This news release contains statements which constitute "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities laws, including statements regarding the plans, intentions, beliefs and current expectations of the Company with respect to future business activities and operating performance. Forward-looking information is often identified by the words "may", "would", "could", "should", "will", "intend", "plan", "anticipate", "believe", "estimate", "expect" or similar expressions and includes information regarding, among other things, expectations for other economic, business, and/or competitive factors. Investors are cautioned that forward-looking information is not based on historical facts but instead reflect the Company's management's expectations, estimates or projections concerning future results or events based on the opinions, assumptions and estimates of management considered reasonable at the date the statements are made. Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking information are reasonable, such information involves risks and uncertainties, and undue reliance should not be placed on such information, as unknown or unpredictable factors could have material adverse effects on future results, performance or achievements of the Company. Among the key factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking information are the following: changes in general economic, business and political conditions, including changes in the financial markets; changes in applicable laws; and compliance with extensive government regulation. This forward- looking information may be affected by risks and uncertainties in the business of the Company and market conditions. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should assumptions underlying the forward- looking information prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described herein as intended, planned, anticipated, believed, estimated or expected. Although the Company has attempted to identify important risks, uncertainties and factors which could cause actual results to differ materially, there may be others that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. The Company does not intend, and does not assume any obligation, to update this forward-looking information except as otherwise required by applicable law. Not for distribution to United States newswire services or for release publication, distribution or dissemination directly, or indirectly, in whole or in part, in or into the United States. To view the source version of this press release, please visit SOURCE: Wisr AI Systems Inc. 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Health In Tech, Inc. Announces Pricing of Initial Public OfferingDavid Hilzenrath, Jodie Fleischer, Cox Media Group | (TNS) KFF Health News In March, newly installed Social Security chief Martin O’Malley criticized agency “injustices” that “shock our shared sense of equity and good conscience as Americans.” He promised to overhaul the Social Security Administration’s often heavy-handed efforts to claw back money that millions of recipients — including people who are living in poverty, are elderly, or have disabilities — were allegedly overpaid, as described by a KFF Health News and Cox Media Group investigation last year. “Innocent people can be badly hurt,” O’Malley said at the time. Nearly eight months since he appeared before Congress and announced a series of policy changes, and with two months left in his term, O’Malley’s effort to fix the system has made inroads but remains a work in progress. For instance, one change, moving away from withholding 100% of people’s monthly Social Security benefits to recover alleged overpayments, has been a major improvement, say advocates for beneficiaries. “It is a tremendous change,” said Kate Lang of Justice in Aging, who called it “life-changing for many people.” The number of people from whom the Social Security Administration was withholding full monthly benefits to recoup money declined sharply — from about 46,000 in January to about 7,000 in September, the agency said. Asked to clarify whether those numbers and others provided for this article covered all programs administered by the agency, the SSA press office did not respond. Another potentially significant change — relieving beneficiaries of having to prove that an overpayment was not their fault — has not been implemented. The agency said it is working on that. Meanwhile, the agency seems to be looking to Congress to take the lead on a change some observers see as crucial: limiting how far back the government can reach to recover an alleged overpayment. Barbara Hubbell of Watkins Glen, New York, called the absence of a statute of limitations “despicable.” Hubbell said her mother was held liable for $43,000 because of an SSA error going back 19 years. “In what universe is that even legal?” Hubbell said. Paying down the overpayment balance left her mother “essentially penniless,” she added. In response to questions for this article, Social Security spokesperson Mark Hinkle said legislation is “the best and fastest way” to set a time limit. Establishing a statute of limitations was not among the policy changes O’Malley announced in his March congressional testimony. In an interview at the time, he said he expected an announcement on it “within the next couple few months.” It could probably be done by regulation, without an act of Congress, he said. Speaking generally, Hinkle said the agency has “made substantial progress on overpayments,” reducing the hardship they cause, and “continues to work diligently” to update policies. The agency is underfunded, he added, is at a near 50-year low in staffing, and could do better with more employees. The SSA did not respond to requests for an interview with O’Malley. O’Malley announced the policy changes after KFF Health News and Cox Media Group jointly published and broadcast investigative reporting on the damage overpayments and clawbacks have done to millions of beneficiaries. When O’Malley, a former Democratic governor of Maryland, presented his plans to three congressional committees in March, lawmakers greeted him with rare bipartisan praise. But the past several months have shown how hard it can be to turn around a federal bureaucracy that is massive, complex, deeply dysfunctional, and, as it says, understaffed. Now O’Malley’s time may be running out. Lang of Justice in Aging, among the advocacy groups that have been meeting with O’Malley and other Social Security officials, said she appreciates how much the commissioner has achieved in a short time. But she added that O’Malley has “not been interested in hearing about our feelings that things have fallen short.” One long-standing policy O’Malley set out to change involves the burden of proof. When the Social Security Administration alleges someone has been overpaid and demands the money back, the burden is on the beneficiary to prove they were not at fault. Cecilia Malone, 24, a beneficiary in Lithonia, Georgia, said she and her parents spent hundreds of hours trying to get errors corrected. “Why is the burden on us to ‘prove’ we weren’t overpaid?” Malone said. It can be exceedingly difficult for beneficiaries to appeal a decision. The alleged overpayments, which can reach tens of thousands of dollars or more, often span years. And people struggling just to survive may have extra difficulty producing financial records from long ago. What’s more, in letters demanding repayment, the government does not typically spell out its case against the beneficiary — making it hard to mount a defense. Testifying before House and Senate committees in March, O’Malley promised to shift the burden of proof. “That should be on the agency,” he said. The agency expects to finalize “guidance” on the subject “in the coming months,” Hinkle said. The agency points to reduced wait times and other improvements in a phone system known to leave beneficiaries on hold. “In September, we answered calls to our national 800 number in an average of 11 minutes — a tremendous improvement from 42 minutes one year ago,” Hinkle said. Still, in response to a nonrepresentative survey by KFF Health News and Cox Media Group focused on overpayments, about half of respondents who said they contacted the agency by phone since April rated that experience as “poor,” and few rated it “good” or “excellent.” The survey was sent to about 600 people who had contacted KFF Health News to share their overpayment stories since September 2023. Almost 200 people answered the survey in September and October of this year. Most of those who said they contacted the agency by mail since April rated their experience as “poor.” Jennifer Campbell, 60, a beneficiary in Nelsonville, Ohio, said in late October that she was still waiting for someone at the agency to follow up as described during a phone call in May. “VERY POOR customer service!!!!!” Campbell wrote. “Nearly impossible to get a hold of someone,” wrote Kathryn Duff of Colorado Springs, Colorado, who has been helping a disabled family member. Letters from SSA have left Duff mystified. One was postmarked July 9, 2024, but dated more than two years earlier. Another, dated Aug. 18, 2024, said her family member was overpaid $31,635.80 in benefits from the Supplemental Security Income program, which provides money to people with little or no income or other resources who are disabled, blind, or at least 65. But Duff said her relative never received SSI benefits. What’s more, for the dates in question, payments listed in the letter to back up the agency’s math didn’t come close to $31,635.80; they totaled about a quarter of that amount. Regarding the 100% clawbacks, O’Malley in March said it’s “unconscionable that someone would find themselves facing homelessness or unable to pay bills, because Social Security withheld their entire payment for recovery of an overpayment.” He said that, starting March 25, if a beneficiary doesn’t respond to a new overpayment notice, the agency would default to withholding 10%. The agency warned of “a short transition period.” That change wasn’t automated until June 25, Hinkle said. The number of people newly placed in full withholding plummeted from 6,771 in February to 51 in September, according to data the agency provided. SSA said it would notify recipients they could request reduced withholding if it was already clawing back more than 10% of their monthly checks. Nonetheless, dozens of beneficiaries or their family members told KFF Health News and Cox Media Group they hadn’t heard they could request reduced withholding. Among those who did ask, roughly half said their requests were approved. According to the SSA, there has been almost a 20% decline in the number of people facing clawbacks of more than 10% but less than 100% of their monthly checks — from 141,316 as of March 8 to 114,950 as of Oct. 25, agency spokesperson Nicole Tiggemann said. Meanwhile, the number of people from whom the agency was withholding exactly 10% soared more than fortyfold — from just over 5,000 to well over 200,000. And the number of beneficiaries having any partial benefits withheld to recover an overpayment increased from almost 600,000 to almost 785,000, according to data Tiggemann provided. Lorraine Anne Davis, 72, of Houston, said she hasn’t received her monthly Social Security payment since June due to an alleged overpayment. Her Medicare premium was being deducted from her monthly benefit, so she’s been left to pay that out-of-pocket. Davis said she’s going to need a kidney transplant and had been trying to save money for when she’d be unable to work. Related Articles National News | California case is the first confirmed bird flu infection in a US child National News | Colorado funeral home owners accused of letting 190 bodies decay plead guilty to corpse abuse National News | Another E. coli recall: falafel bites from Florida, California and 16 other states National News | US budget airlines are struggling. Will pursuing premium passengers solve their problems? National News | Hyundai, Kia recall over 208,000 electric vehicles to fix problem that can cause loss of power A letter from the SSA dated April 8, 2024, two weeks after the new 10% withholding policy was slated to take effect, said it had overpaid her $13,538 and demanded she pay it back within 30 days. Apparently, the SSA hadn’t accounted for a pension Davis receives from overseas; Davis said she disclosed it when she filed for benefits. In a letter to her dated June 29, the agency said that, under its new policy, it would change the withholding to only 10% if she asked. Davis said she asked by phone repeatedly, and to no avail. “Nobody seems to know what’s going on” and “no one seems to be able to help you,” Davis said. “You’re just held captive.” In October, the agency said she’d receive a payment — in March 2025. Marley Presiado, a research assistant on the Public Opinion and Survey Research team at KFF, contributed to this report. ©2024 KFF Health News. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
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Title: "The Release of the Theme Song 'Ethereal' Sets the Tone for the Film 'Xiao Qian' – Xiao Qian and Ning Sheng's Fateful Encounter"An Israeli airstrike flattened a multistory building in central Gaza, killing at least 25 people and wounding dozens more, according to Palestinian medical officials, after strikes Thursday across the Gaza Strip killed at least 28 others. The latest deadly strike hit the urban Nuseirat refugee camp just hours after U.S. President Joe Biden’s national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, told reporters in Jerusalem that the recent ceasefire in Lebanon has helped clear the way for a potential deal to end the war in Gaza between Israel and Hamas. The Israeli military did not immediately comment on the deadly strike in Nuseirat. Israel says it is trying to eliminate Hamas, which led the attack on southern Israel in October 2023 that sparked the war in Gaza . The Israeli military says Hamas militants hide among Gaza’s civilian population. The fighting has plunged Gaza into a severe humanitarian crisis, with experts warning of famine in some of the hardest-hit parts of the territory. Israel’s offensive has killed over 44,800 Palestinians in Gaza, more than half of them women and children, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which does not say how many were combatants. The Israeli military says it has killed over 17,000 militants, without providing evidence. The Oct. 7, 2023 attack by Hamas killed some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and around 250 others were taken hostage. Some 100 hostages are still inside Gaza, at least a third of whom are believed to be dead. Here's the latest: DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — An Israeli airstrike hit the central Gaza Strip on Thursday, killing at least 25 Palestinians and wounding dozens more, Palestinian medics said, just hours after President Joe Biden’s national security adviser raised hopes about a ceasefire deal to end the war in Gaza. Photos from the scene of the blast that circulated on social media showed a completely collapsed building with people walking through its mangled and charred remains, smoke rising from piles of belongings strewn over the rubble. Officials at two hospitals in the Gaza Strip, al-Awda Hospital in the north and al-Aqsa Hospital in central Gaza, reported they received a combined total of 25 bodies from an Israeli strike on a multistory residential building in the urban Nuseirat refugee camp. Palestinian medics also reported that over 40 people, most of them children, were receiving treatment at the two hospitals. The al-Aqsa Hospital said that the Israeli attack also damaged several nearby houses in Nuseirat. There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military on the deadly strike. Israel is trying to eliminate Hamas, which led the attack on southern Israel in October 2023 that sparked the war in Gaza . The Israeli military says Hamas militants hide among Gaza’s civilian population. Israel’s war against Hamas has killed over 44,800 Palestinians in Gaza, more than half of them women and children, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which does not say how many were combatants. The Israeli military says it has killed over 17,000 militants, without providing evidence. The fighting has plunged Gaza into a severe humanitarian crisis, with experts warning of famine. Israel says it allows enough aid to enter and blames U.N. agencies for not distributing it. The U.N. says Israeli restrictions, and the breakdown of law and order after Israel repeatedly targeted the Hamas-run police force, make it extremely difficult to operate in the territory. UNITED NATIONS – The U.N. food agency is trying to deal with massive needs in Syria not only from escalating war-related food insecurity and an upsurge in displaced people fleeing Lebanon but also the dramatically new environment following the ouster of Bashar Assad, a senior U.N. official says. “It’s a triple crisis and the needs are going to be massive,” said Carl Skau, deputy executive director of the World Food Program, in an interview with The Associated Press late Wednesday. The WFP estimated that 3 million people in Syria were “acutely food insecure” and very hungry. However, that estimate was made before the Israel-Hezbollah war in Lebanon pushed many Syrian refugees back to their home country, plus the instability caused by the overthrow of Assad. Due to funding cuts, the WFP had been targeting only 2 million of those people, he said. Because WFP has been working in Syria during the 13-year civil war, he said, it has pre-positioned food in the country. It has 500 staff in seven offices nationwide and has operated across conflict lines, across borders, and with all different parties, he said. Skau said Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, the main rebel group now in control of Syria, has promised to provide security for WFP warehouses. Humanitarian aid supplies had been looted at U.N. warehouses in the disorder after Assad fell. “We’re not really up and running in Damascus because of the continued kind of uncertainty there,” he said. WFP initially thought of relocating non-essential staff but the situation in Aleppo, Syria’s largest city, has been “quite calm and orderly," he said. In the short term, Skau said, “what we’re seeing is that markets are disrupted, the value of the currency dropped dramatically, food prices are going up, transport lines don’t work,” and it’s unclear who will stamp required papers for imports and exports. This means that a bigger humanitarian response is needed initially, he said, but in the next phase, the U,N. will be looking at contributing to Syria’s recovery, and ultimately the country will need reconstruction. Skau said he expects a new funding appeal for Syria and urged donors to be generous. JERUSALEM — President Joe Biden’s national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, told reporters in Jerusalem on Thursday that Israel’s ceasefire in Lebanon has helped clear the way for another deal to end the war in Gaza. He plans to travel next to Qatar and Egypt — key mediators in the ceasefire talks — as the Biden administration makes a final push on negotiations before Donald Trump is inaugurated. Sullivan said “Hamas’ posture at the negotiating table did adapt” after Israel decimated the leadership of its ally Hezbollah in Lebanon and reached a ceasefire there. “We believe it puts us in a position to close this negotiation,” he said. Sullivan dismissed speculation that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was waiting for Trump to take office to finalize a deal. He the U.S. believes there are three American hostages still alive in Gaza, but it’s hard to know for sure. He also said “the balance of power in the Middle East has changed significantly” since Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel, especially with the overthrow of former Syrian President Bashar Assad, a key ally of Hezbollah and Iran. “We are now faced with a dramatically reshaped Middle East in which Israel is stronger, Iran is weaker, its proxies decimated, and a ceasefire that is new and will be lasting in Lebanon that ensures Israel’s security over the long term,” he said. KHIAM, Lebanon — An Israeli strike killed at least one person Thursday in the Lebanese border town of Khiam, the Health Ministry said, less than a day after Israeli troops handed the hilltop village back to the Lebanese army in coordination with U.N. peacekeepers, Khiam is the first Lebanese town Israel has pull out of since a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah militants began two weeks ago, and marks an important test of the fragile truce . Lebanon's Health Ministry and state news agency did not provide details on who was killed, and did not report airstrikes elsewhere on Thursday. The Israeli military said an airstrike targeted Hezbollah fighters in southern Lebanon, without saying if the strike was in Khiam. Lebanese troops deployed in the northern section of the town on Thursday morning and were coordinating with U.N. peacekeepers to finalize Israel’s withdrawal before fully entering into other neighborhoods. An Associated Press reporter who visited Khiam on Thursday observed widespread destruction, with most houses reduced to rubble. Entire neighborhoods were flattened, with collapsed walls and debris scattered across the streets. Lebanon’s caretaker prime minister, Najib Mikati, sharply criticized Israel for striking the town less than 24 hours after the Lebanese army returned, saying it was “a violation of the pledges made by the parties that sponsored the ceasefire agreement, who must act to curb Israeli aggression.” The truce was brokered by the U.S. and France. Israel has previously said the ceasefire deal allows it to use military force against perceived violations. Near-daily attacks by Israel during the ceasefire, mostly in southern Lebanon, have killed at least 29 people and wounded 27 others. Khiam, which sits on a ridge less than 3 miles (5 kilometers) from the border with Israel, saw some of the most intense fighting during the war. The Lebanese army was clearing debris and reopening roads in the northern section of the town. Civilian access to other areas remained challenging as the army clears roads and works alongside the U.N. peacekeepers to ensure the area is free of unexploded ordnance. AQABA, Jordan -- U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is urging the many players in Syria to avoid taking any steps that could lead to further violence. Blinken spoke to reporters in Jordan on Thursday shortly after meeting King Abdullah II as he opened a trip in the region to discuss Syria's future after former President Bashar Assad's ouster. Blinken will next visit Turkey, a NATO ally and a main backer of Syrian rebel groups. Blinken called this “a time of both real promise but also peril for Syria and for its neighbors.” He said he was focused on coordinating efforts in the region “to support the Syrian people as they transition away from Assad’s brutal dictatorship” and establish a government that isn’t dominated by one religion or ethnic group or outside power. Blinken was asked about Israel’s incursion into a buffer zone that had been demilitarized for the past half century. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says the move is temporary and defensive, but also indicated Israel will remain in the area for a long time. Blinken declined to say whether the U.S. supports the move, but said the U.S. would be speaking to Israel and other partners in the region. “I think, across the board, when it comes to any actors who have real interests in Syria, it’s also really important at this time that, we all try to make sure that we’re not sparking any additional conflicts,” he said. ANKARA, Turkey — Turkey’s intelligence chief, Ibrahim Kalin, arrived in Damascus on Thursday, according to Turkish media reports. Kalin was seen arriving at the Umayyad Mosque to pray, surrounded by a large crowd, according to video shown on Turkish television. The visit is highly symbolic. Turkish officials, who supported the opposition against Syria’s government, had predicted at the start of the civil war in 2011 that President Bashar Assad’s government would fall, allowing them to pray at the Umayyad Mosque. JERUSALEM — Paraguay reopened its embassy in Jerusalem Thursday, becoming one of a small handful of nations to recognize the city as Israel’s capital and marking a diplomatic victory for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Israel’s international isolation has increased as the war in Gaza drags on, and Paraguay was the first country to move its embassy to Jerusalem since the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attack that kickstarted the war. The United States, Honduras, Guatemala, Kosovo, and Papua New Guinea are among the few countries with Jerusalem embassies. Israel annexed east Jerusalem in 1967 but it wasn’t recognized by the international community, and most countries run their embassies out of Tel Aviv. Spirits were high at the ceremony marking the embassy’s inauguration Thursday, with Netanyahu and Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Saar lavishing praise on Paraguayan President Santiago Pena. “My good friend Santiago,” said Netanyahu, addressing Pena. “We’re a small nation. You’re a small nation. We suffered horrible things but we overcame the odds of history...we can win and we are winning.” Paraguay had an embassy in Jerusalem in 2018, under Former President Horacio Cartes. That embassy was moved back to Tel Aviv by Cartes’ successor, Mario Abdo Benitez, prompting Israel to close its embassy in Asuncion. Saar said Israel and Paraguay shared a “friendship based not only on interests but also values and principles.” He and the Paraguayan foreign minister, Rubén Ramírez Lezcano, signed a series of bilateral agreements and Saar said he would soon visit Asunción with a delegation from the Israeli private sector. “Israel is going to win and the countries we are standing next to Israel, we are going to win," Pena said. AQABA, Jordan — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is renewing calls for Syria’s new leadership to respect women and minority rights, prevent extremists from gaining new footholds in the country and keeping suspected chemical weapons stocks secure as he makes his first visit to the Mideast since the weekend ouster of Syrian President Bashar Assad . Making his 12th trip to the Middle East since the Israel-Hamas war erupted lasted year but amid fresh concerns about security following the upheaval in Syria, Blinken emphasized Thursday to Jordan’s King Abdullah II U.S. “support for an inclusive transition that can lead to an accountable and representative Syrian government chosen by the Syrian people,” the State Department said. Blinken also repeated the importance the outgoing Biden administration puts on respect for human rights and international law, the protection of civilians and stopping terrorist groups from reconstituting. Blinken met with the monarch and Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi in Aqaba before traveling to Turkey for talks with Turkish officials on the situation in Syria and the urgency of securing a long-elusive deal to release hostages and end the fighting in Gaza that has devastated the Palestinian territory since October 2023. Abdullah told Blinken that “the first step to reach comprehensive regional calm is to end the Israeli war on Gaza." GENEVA — The U.N. envoy for Syria is calling on authorities to save evidence from detention centers that were a hub of “unimaginable barbarity” that Syrians have faced for many years and cooperate with international investigators looking into such crimes. Geir Pederson referred to new images from the notorious Saydnaya military prison north of the capital, Damascus, after President Bashar Assad fled Syria as armed groups stormed in to overthrow his government over the weekend. “The images from Saydnaya and other detention facilities starkly underscore the unimaginable barbarity Syrians have endured and reported for years,” Pedersen said in a statement. Documentation and testimonies “only scratch the surface of the carceral system’s horrors,” he added. Pedersen urged authorities to cooperate with U.N. bodies like an independent Commission of Inquiry on Syria, which was created in 2011, and an independent group known as the IIIM that was set up five years later to also compile evidence of crimes. ROME — Leaders of the Group of 7 industrialized nations offered their full support for an inclusive political transition in Syria and invited all parties to preserve the country’s territorial integrity. In a message released by Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni’s office, the leaders said they were ready to support a transition that “leads to a credible government, inclusive and not sectarian, that guarantees respect for the state of law, universal human rights, including rights for women, (and) the protection of all Syrians, including religious and ethnic minorities.” The leaders also underlined the importance that ousted President Bashar Assad’s government is held responsible for crimes, citing “decades of atrocities.” They said they would also cooperate with groups working to prohibit chemical weapons “to secure, declare and destroy” remaining chemical arms in Syria. Italy currently holds the rotating presidency of the G-7, which also includes Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Japan and the United States. JERUSALEM — The Israeli military says it struck Hamas militants in two locations in the southern Gaza Strip who planned to hijack aid convoys. Palestinian Health officials had earlier said that the two strikes killed 15 men who were part of local committees established to secure aid deliveries. The committees have been organized in cooperation with the Hamas-run Interior Ministry in Gaza. It was not possible to independently confirm either account of the strikes, which occurred overnight into Thursday. Israel has long accused Hamas of hijacking humanitarian aid deliveries, while U.N. officials have said there is no systemic diversion of aid . U.N. agencies and aid groups say deliveries are held up by Israeli restrictions on the entry of aid and movement within Gaza, as well as the breakdown of law and order more than 14 months into the war between Israel and Hamas. Israel has repeatedly targeted the Hamas-run police force, which maintained internal security before the war. The United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees, the main aid provider in Gaza, said a U.N. convoy of 70 trucks carrying humanitarian aid in southern Gaza “was involved in a serious incident,” resulting in just one of the trucks reaching its destination. It did not provide further details on the incident but said the same route had been used successfully two days earlier. Israel’s offensive, launched after Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack, has caused vast destruction and displaced around 90% of Gaza’s population of 2.3 million, leaving the territory heavily reliant on international food aid. DAMASCUS, Syria — An American who turned up in Syria on Thursday says he was detained after crossing into the country by foot on a Christian pilgrimage seven months ago. Travis Timmerman appears to have been among thousands of people released from the country’s notorious prisons after rebels reached Damascus over the weekend, overthrowing President Bashar Assad and ending his family’s 54-year rule. As video emerged online of Timmerman on Thursday, he was initially mistaken by some for Austin Tice, an American journalist who went missing in Syria 12 years ago. In the video, Timmerman could be seen lying on a mattress under a blanket in what appeared to be a private house. A group of men in the video said he was being treated well and would be safely returned home. The Biden administration is working to bring Timmerman home, Secretary of State Antony Blinken told reporters in Aqaba, Jordan, without offering details, citing privacy. Timmerman later gave an interview with the Al-Arabiya TV network, saying he had illegally crossed into Syria on foot from the eastern Lebanese town of Zahle seven months ago, before being detained. He said he was treated well in detention but could hear other men being tortured. AQABA, Jordan — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has arrived in Jordan on his 12th visit to the Mideast since the Israel-Hamas war erupted last year and his first since the weekend ouster of Syrian President Bashar Assad that has sparked new fears of instability in a region wracked by three conflicts despite a ceasefire agreement in Lebanon. Blinken was meeting in Aqaba with Jordan’s King Abdullah II and Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi on Thursday before traveling to Turkey for talks with Turkish officials on Friday. The meetings will focus largely on Syria but also touch on long-elusive hopes for a deal to end the fighting in Gaza that has devastated the Palestinian territory since October 2023. Blinken is the latest senior U.S. official to visit the Middle East in the five days since Assad was deposed as the Biden administration navigates more volatility in the region in its last few weeks in office and as President-elect Donald Trump has said the U.S. should stay out of the Syrian conflict. Other include national security adviser Jake Sullivan and a top military commander who traveled there as the U.S. and Israel have launched airstrikes to prevent the Islamic State militant group from reconstituting and prevent materiel and suspected chemical weapons stocks from falling into militant hands. Blinken “will discuss the need for the transition process and new government in Syria to respect the rights of minorities, facilitate the flow of humanitarian assistance, prevent Syria from being used as a base of terrorism or posing a threat to its neighbors, and ensure that chemical weapons stockpiles are secured and safely destroyed,” the State Department said. The U.S. would be willing to recognize and fully support a new Syrian government that met those criteria. U.S. officials say they are not actively reviewing the foreign terrorist organization designation of the main Syrian rebel group, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, known as HTS, which was once an al-Qaida affiliate, but stressed they are not barred from speaking to its members. JERUSALEM — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Israeli forces will remain in a Syrian buffer zone until a new force on the other side of the border can guarantee security. After the overthrow of Syrian President Bashar Assad, Israeli forces pushed into a buffer zone that had been established after the 1973 Mideast war. The military says it has seized additional strategic points nearby. Israeli officials have said the move is temporary, but Netanyahu’s conditions could take months or even years to fulfill as Syria charts its post-Assad future, raising the prospect of an open-ended Israeli presence in the country. Netanyahu’s office said in a statement Thursday that Assad’s overthrow by jihadi rebels created a vacuum on the border. “Israel will not permit jihadi groups to fill that vacuum and threaten Israeli communities on the Golan Heights with October 7th style attacks,” it said, referring to Hamas’ 2023 attack out of Gaza, which ignited the war there. “That is why Israeli forces entered the buffer zone and took control of strategic sites near Israel’s border.” The statement added that “this deployment is temporary until a force that is committed to the 1974 agreement can be established and security on our border can be guaranteed.” The buffer zone is adjacent to the Golan Heights, which Israel captured from Syria in the 1967 Mideast war and later annexed. The international community, except for the United States, views the Golan as occupied Syrian territory. JERUSALEM — Israel’s military said Thursday that the attacker who fatally shot a 12-year-old Israeli boy in the occupied West Bank overnight turned himself in to authorities. The attacker opened fire on a bus near the Israeli settlement of Beitar Illit, critically wounding the boy, who hospital authorities pronounced dead in the early morning. Three others were wounded in the attack, paramedics said. The shooting took place just outside Jerusalem in an area near major Israeli settlements. JAKARTA, Indonesia — The Indonesian government has evacuated 37 citizens from Syria following the fall of the Bashar al-Assad government, officials said Thursday. The evacuees were taken by land from Damascus to Beirut, where they boarded three commercial flights to Jakarta, said Judha Nugraha, director of citizen protection at the Foreign Affairs Ministry. The Indonesian Embassy in Damascus said all 1,162 Indonesian citizens in Syria were safe. Indonesian Ambassador to Syria Wajid Fauzi said the situation in Syria has gradually returned to normal. “I can say that 98% of people’s lives are back to normal, shops are open, public transportation has started running,” Fauzi said, adding that most Indonesian nationals living in Syria had chosen to stay. DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — Palestinian medical officials say Israeli airstrikes have killed at least 28 people in the Gaza Strip, including seven children and a woman. One of the strikes overnight and into Thursday flattened a house in the built-up Nuseirat refugee camp, according to the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in the nearby city of Deir al-Balah, where the casualties were taken. An Associated Press reporter saw the bodies at the hospital’s morgue. Two other strikes killed 15 men who were part of local committees established to secure aid convoys . The committees were set up by displaced Palestinians in coordination with the Hamas-run Interior Ministry. The Nasser Hospital in the southern city of Khan Younis received the bodies and an AP reporter counted them. The hospital said eight were killed in a strike near the southern border town of Rafah and seven others in a strike 30 minutes later near Khan Younis. The war in Gaza began when Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting around 250 people. Some 100 hostages are still inside Gaza, at least a third of whom are believed to be dead. Israel’s offensive has killed over 44,800 Palestinians in Gaza, more than half of them women and children, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which does not say how many were combatants. The Israeli military says it has killed over 17,000 militants, without providing evidence. The fighting has plunged Gaza into a severe humanitarian crisis, with experts warning of famine. Israel says it allows enough aid to enter and blames U.N. agencies for not distributing it. The U.N. says Israeli restrictions, and the breakdown of law and order after Israel repeatedly targeted the Hamas-run police force, make it extremely difficult to operate in the territory. UNITED NATIONS — The U.N. General Assembly overwhelmingly approved resolutions Wednesday demanding an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and backing the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees that Israel has moved to ban . The votes in the 193-nation world body were 158-9 with 13 abstentions to demand a ceasefire now and 159-9 with 11 abstentions to support the agency known as UNRWA. The votes culminated two days of speeches overwhelmingly calling for an end to the 14-month war between Israel and the militant Hamas group . General Assembly resolutions are not legally binding, though they reflect world opinion. There are no vetoes in the assembly. Israel and its close ally, the United States, were in a tiny minority speaking and voting against the resolutions.
Title: Acquittal of White Veteran in Choking Death of African American Sparks OutrageEXCLUSIVE Cruz Beckham's bizarre response to jibes that his fledgling music career is all down to his parents By DOLLY BUSBY Published: 22:01, 28 December 2024 | Updated: 22:19, 28 December 2024 e-mail 29 View comments As the son of David and Victoria Beckham , he’s long had to battle accusations that he’s used his famous parents to advance his fledgling music career. But Cruz Beckham appears to have been particularly riled by the latest claims of nepotism levelled at him – responding with the bizarre declaration that ‘Jesus is also a nepo baby ’. The outburst came after he released a teaser video of his new Beatles-inspired song For Ya Love on social media on Christmas Day. ‘Not bad,’ wrote one critic. ‘Bet he had mega money and training.’ The 19-year-old quickly hit back, replying: ‘Not at all. Just a guitar.’ When the jibes continued, Beckham came out with his Jesus comment. Less than 12 hours later, early yesterday morning, he deleted the post. Cruz spent Christmas at his parents’ new £60million waterfront mansion in Miami, with his Brazilian-German songwriter girlfriend Jackie Apostel, 29. In May, Cruz switched his music management from TaP, who work with the likes of Dua Lipa and Ellie Goulding , to guitar-led outfit C3, which is based in Los Angeles . Having worked with bands such as The Strokes, C3 is a key signing for the young singer and guitarist. Cruz Beckham appears to have been particularly riled by the latest claims of nepotism levelled at him – responding with the bizarre declaration that ‘Jesus is also a nepo baby’ Singer Cruz Beckham and his Brazilian singer girlfriend, Jackie Apostel, pictured in October in Beverly Hills This year, the teenager worked with songwriter Ed Drewett, who has four number one hits to his name including Little Mix ’s song Black Magic and The Wanted ’s All Time Low. Cruz has also worked with producer Fred Ball, known for his success with big names such as Beyonce, Rihanna, Mariah Carey and Ed Sheeran. Accusations of privilege have dogged his brothers too, throughout their various endeavours. Eldest Beckham son Brooklyn, 25, has attempted a number of high-profile careers, including a widely ridiculed attempt to be a photographer. Brooklyn now lives in Los Angeles with wife Nicola Peltz, the daughter of a billionaire businessman, and makes money by promoting products to his 16 million social media followers. He also recently released his own brand of hot sauce. Next eldest son Romeo, 22, recently gave up his bid to become a professional footballer after a year with Brentford and a spell training with his father’s US club, Inter Miami. In September it was announced that Romeo, who is dating 23-year-old DJ Kim Turnbull, would now be following his mother into a career in fashion. Fortunately for Cruz, the response to his attempt to compare himself with Christ has not turned as ugly as the fallout from John Lennon’s declaration that The Beatles (pictured) were ‘more popular than Jesus’ in 1966 Victoria, who runs the high-end fashion house bearing her name, is supporting her son. He has already signed with a top agent, Safe Management, and has modelled for Yves Saint Laurent. Fortunately for Cruz, the response to his attempt to compare himself with Christ has not turned as ugly as the fallout from John Lennon’s declaration that The Beatles were ‘more popular than Jesus’ in 1966. That remark prompted howls of protest among Christian communities in the US and led to death threats, American radio stations banning The Beatles’ music and public bonfires of the band’s records across the country. Share or comment on this article: Cruz Beckham's bizarre response to jibes that his fledgling music career is all down to his parents e-mail Add commentDoorDash will require its drivers to verify their identities more often as part of a larger effort to crack down on unauthorized account sharing. DoorDash has been under pressure to ensure its drivers are operating legally. Over the summer, for example, it pledged to do a better job identifying and removing dangerous drivers after a flood of complaints of dangerous driving from cities. Officials in Boston, New York and other cities have said that in many cases, people with multiple traffic violations continue to make deliveries using accounts registered to others. The San Francisco delivery company said Thursday it was requiring some drivers to complete real-time identity checks immediately after they complete a delivery. Previously, drivers were occasionally asked to re-verify their identities before or after a shift. DoorDash has introduced the new system in Los Angeles, Denver, Seattle and other cities, and said it planned a wider rollout next year. DoorDash said it also has developed an advanced machine learning system that can flag potential unauthorized account access, including login anomalies and suspicious activity. If the company detects a problem, it will require drivers to re-verify their identity before they can make more deliveries . U.S. drivers must verify their identities with a driver’s license or other government-issued identification, and upload a selfie that matches their identification photo before they can do work for DoorDash. They also must submit to background checks, which require a Social Security number. The company said it found that some drivers were getting around the requirements by sharing accounts with authorized users. In some cases, drivers who were not authorized to drive for DoorDash paid authorized users for access to their accounts. Some federal lawmakers have demanded that DoorDash and other delivery apps do a better job of keeping people who are in the U.S. illegally off the platforms. Republican U.S. Sens. Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee, Mike Braun of Indiana and Ted Budd of North Carolina sent letters to delivery companies in April asking them to crack down on account sharing. “These illegal immigrants are delivering food directly to consumers’ doors without ever having undergone a background check and often without even using their real names,” the letter said. It added that working illegally can also be dangerous for migrants, creating the potential for exploitation and abuse. The Associated Press left messages seeking comment Thursday with Gig Workers Rising and Justice for App Workers, which both represent delivery drivers. DoorDash won’t estimate how many drivers are using shared accounts, but said its safeguards are effective. Last year, it began asking drivers to re-verify their identities monthly by submitting a selfie. The company said it is now asking more than 150,000 drivers to complete selfie checks each week, and it’s removing them from the platform if they don’t comply.
Unlike scores of people who scrambled for the blockbuster drugs Ozempic and Wegovy to lose weight in recent years, Danielle Griffin had no trouble getting them. The 38-year-old information technology worker from New Mexico had a prescription. Her pharmacy had the drugs in stock. And her health insurance covered all but $25 to $50 of the monthly cost. For Griffin, the hardest part of using the new drugs wasn’t access. It was finding out that the much-hyped medications didn’t really work for her. “I have been on Wegovy for a year and a half and have only lost 13 pounds,” said Griffin, who watches her diet, drinks plenty of water and exercises regularly. “I’ve done everything right with no success. It’s discouraging.” In clinical trials, most participants taking Wegovy or Mounjaro to treat obesity lost an average of 15% to 22% of their body weight — up to 50 pounds or more in many cases. But roughly 10% to 15% of patients in those trials were “nonresponders” who lost less than 5% of their body weight. Now that millions of people have used the drugs, several obesity experts told The Associated Press that perhaps 20% of patients — as many as 1 in 5 — may not respond well to the medications. It's a little-known consequence of the obesity drug boom, according to doctors who caution eager patients not to expect one-size-fits-all results. “It's all about explaining that different people have different responses,” said Dr. Fatima Cody Stanford, an obesity expert at Massachusetts General Hospital The drugs are known as GLP-1 receptor agonists because they mimic a hormone in the body known as glucagon-like peptide 1. Genetics, hormones and variability in how the brain regulates energy can all influence weight — and a person's response to the drugs, Stanford said. Medical conditions such as sleep apnea can prevent weight loss, as can certain common medications, such as antidepressants, steroids and contraceptives. “This is a disease that stems from the brain,” said Stanford. “The dysfunction may not be the same” from patient to patient. Despite such cautions, patients are often upset when they start getting the weekly injections but the numbers on the scale barely budge. “It can be devastating,” said Dr. Katherine Saunders, an obesity expert at Weill Cornell Medicine and co-founder of the obesity treatment company FlyteHealth. “With such high expectations, there’s so much room for disappointment.” That was the case for Griffin, who has battled obesity since childhood and hoped to shed 70 pounds using Wegovy. The drug helped reduce her appetite and lowered her risk of diabetes, but she saw little change in weight. “It’s an emotional roller coaster,” she said. “You want it to work like it does for everybody else.” The medications are typically prescribed along with eating behavior and lifestyle changes. It’s usually clear within weeks whether someone will respond to the drugs, said Dr. Jody Dushay, an endocrine specialist at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. Weight loss typically begins right away and continues as the dosage increases. For some patients, that just doesn't happen. For others, side effects such as nausea, vomiting and diarrhea force them to halt the medications, Dushay said. In such situations, patients who were counting on the new drugs to pare pounds may think they’re out of options. “I tell them: It's not game over,” Dushay said. Trying a different version of the new class of drugs may help. Griffin, who didn't respond well to Wegovy, has started using Zepbound, which targets an additional hormone pathway in the body. After three months of using the drug, she has lost 7 pounds. “I'm hoping it's slow and steady,” she said. Other people respond well to older drugs, the experts said. Changing diet, exercise, sleep and stress habits can also have profound effects. Figuring out what works typically requires a doctor trained to treat obesity, Saunders noted. “Obesity is such a complex disease that really needs to be treated very comprehensively,” she said. “If what we’re prescribing doesn’t work, we always have a backup plan.” The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Educational Media Group. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
ST. PAUL — Former Minnesota Senate Majority Leader Kari Dziedzic died Friday following a battle with cancer. She was 62. Her family said she died surrounded by loved ones. “She had a heart of gold, willing to go to any measure to help those she loved,” they said in a statement. ADVERTISEMENT Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party Chair Ken Martin the Minneapolis Democrat was committed to working for Minnesotans. She served in the Minnesota Senate for more than a decade. “It is impossible to overstate the positive impact that Senator Dziedzic’s leadership has had on our state,” Martin said in a statement. “She devoted her life to making her fellow Minnesotans’ lives better, and she refused to allow cancer to get in her way. Minnesota has lost a giant, but her extraordinary legacy will outlast us all.” Dziedzic was instrumental in holding together the Senate DFL caucus in 2023 as they passed, with a one-vote majority, a variety of Democratic priorities like funding universal school meals for students, approving a paid family and medical leave program, cementing legal protections for abortion and gender-affirming care and legalizing cannabis for recreational use. She was respected on both sides of the political aisle and her demeanor was always steady, even amid tense times in the Senate. Dziedzic’s laid-back style made her a surprising pick for majority leader after the 2022 election. Leaders from both major political parties said they were heartbroken by her death. “Senator Kari Dziedzic was a passionate legislator, a respected leader, and a trusted colleague and friend. She will be remembered for her integrity and her compassion for Minnesotans, something that we all saw as she continued to serve even as she battled cancer,” said Senate Minority Leader Mark Johnson, an East Grand Forks Republican. “I’m deeply saddened at her passing and am praying for her family and friends as we all mourn this loss.” House Speaker Melissa Hortman, DFL-Brooklyn Park, said she was “one of the most skilled diplomats ever to serve in elected office.” ADVERTISEMENT “Her legacy includes significant achievements in policy and investment in Minnesota, but more importantly she will be remembered for treating people with dignity and respect and never giving up on finding workable compromises,” Hortman said. “She had an incredible ability to work diligently through the most arcane and difficult policy issues to find resolution.” Senate Majority Leader Erin Murphy, DFL-St. Paul, agreed, saying she was “an uncommon leader.” “Her talents as a consequential and thoughtful leader made us all better legislators, and her examples of kindness humor, and selflessness made us all better people,” Murphy said. Former Senate DFL Leader Melisa López Franzen praised Dziedzic as a hard worker. “The last time I spoke to Kari a few weeks ago she was still serving her constituents,” she wrote on social media. “That’s Senator Dziedzic, the hardest working legislator I have ever had the honor to serve with. Rest in peace my friend.” Dziedzic was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2023 and underwent emergency surgery to limit its spread. She stepped down from her leadership position in February after her cancer recurred. The Senate will now stand in a 33-33 tie between Democrats and Republicans heading into the 2025 legislative session. Gov. Tim Walz has not yet said when he might call for a special election in the Minneapolis district. ADVERTISEMENT Dziedzic had a degree in engineering but couldn’t resist the family pull into public service. Her father, Walt, was a colorful Minneapolis city council member who later served on the park board. Dziedzic told MPR News that she felt drawn into politics after watching her father’s example. “I knew the long hours. I knew the phone calls at home. I knew what I was walking into,” she said. “But I also knew the opportunity that you have to help other people. And it’s about helping people and making your community better.” Dziedzic began a career in public service as a campaign volunteer and later moved on to become a scheduling aide for former U.S. Sen. Paul Wellstone. After a stint working for a Hennepin County commissioner, she was nudged to run for a state Senate seat when longtime lawmaker Larry Pogemiller stepped down to take another government job. Gov. Tim Walz called Dziedzic a “one-of-a-kind leader.” He added, “Her legacy should inspire all of us in elected office to be better public servants.” Details for a memorial service have not yet been announced. ______________________________________________________ This story was written by one of our partner news agencies. Forum Communications Company uses content from agencies such as Reuters, Kaiser Health News, Tribune News Service and others to provide a wider range of news to our readers. Learn more about the news services FCC uses here .
WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, W.Va. (AP) — Jaland Lowe scored 19 of his career-high 22 points in the second half and collected eight rebounds and six assists in leading Pittsburgh to a 74-63 win over LSU at the Greenbrier Tip-Off on Friday. Pitt (6-0) will play the Wisconsin-UCF winner on Sunday for the tournament title. The Tigers (4-1) will take on the loser. This is Pitt's best start since 2018-19. Lowe made four 3-pointers while Ishmael Leggett added 21 points, six rebounds and five steals. Cameron Corhen scored 14 points and Zack Austin 10. The Panthers shot 64% in the second half after a 31% showing in the first. Jalen Reed had 14 points and seven rebounds, Vyctorius Miller came off the bench to score 14 points and Cam Carter added 11 for the Tigers, who shot 37%. LSU, which had trailed by as many as 12 in the second half, got within four on a four-point play by Miller with six minutes left but Lowe scored eight points, found Corhen for a pair of dunks and Leggett added seven points to help the Panthers pull away. Pitt stumbled at the end of the first half in surrendering the lead but came out in the second hot, hitting its first five shots and scoring the first 13 points. The Tigers missed their first 12 shots before finally getting a bucket and their first points from Carter nearly seven minutes into the second half. LSU had its only lead after Lowe was called for a technical foul with 4.9 seconds remaining in the first half and Carter hit a free throw to finish an 8-2 run to send the Tigers into the break ahead 28-27. ___ Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here . AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketballMiddle East latest: Israeli strikes in Gaza kill more than 50 people, including kids
BOSTON – Before media approached Julius Randle following Timberwolves practice Saturday, Randle shouted out an icebreaker, sensing the line of questioning that was to come. “I didn’t pass him the ... ball,” Randle said in a joking manner. “What else you got to ask?” Randle was referencing the moment that has marked the current nadir of this 8-7 season. It was a sequence that came in the fourth quarter of their 110-105 loss in Toronto on Thursday , when Randle didn’t throw Rudy Gobert the ball in the post after Gobert had posted up Scottie Barnes. Gobert, upset Randle didn’t throw him the ball, took his time getting out of the lane and drew a three-second violation as a result. The next trip down the floor, Gobert committed a silly foul on Barnes, Anthony Edwards started yelling at Gobert and Toronto took control of a close game as the Wolves lost control of their emotions. This prompted a frank discussion among the team after the game, and those discussions carried into the pre-practice talks Saturday. “I feel like we had a great practice. We had a great couple discussions,” Randle said, laughing. “I feel like today we came out with an attention to detail, the right mindset, and I think we’re gonna come out and perform great [Sunday].” Both Randle and Gobert addressed what happened in their interviews Saturday, with Gobert taking responsibility and apologizing for escalating his frustration. It’s not the first time that has happened with Gobert in his Wolves tenure. On the last day of the regular season in 2023, Gobert took a swing at Kyle Anderson during a timeout, and the team suspended him for its subsequent play-in game against the Lakers. Gobert and Anderson were fine moving forward. ”Like I told the guys, as someone who really is big on leading by example, my reaction was a bad example,” Gobert said. “I let my emotions, my frustration get the best of me and that’s not who I am. I was sorry for that. I know these guys know me, know who I am, they know everything I do is for my teammates, everything I do is to win, so when I have one of those moments, we know that it’s just a moment.” For his part, Randle said there was no “beef” between him and Gobert. “Rudy’s been great. I’ve had no problem with Rudy,” Randle said. “He’s been great communicating. I feel like Rudy is a great teammate and he brings a lot to our team and we need Rudy. I’ve been to Rudy’s house, there is no beef or any animosity. It’s basketball. Things happen. “Name a perfect family. I have never seen one. There’s always gonna be something. Things happen. You move forward with it. Me and Rudy are great. I’ve got no issue with him.” Edwards, who didn’t speak to the media Saturday, played a big part in the discussion after Thursday’s game, with Randle saying Edwards isn’t afraid to “speak his mind.” But he has the weight to do that because he is a positive presence in so many other moments. “He’s super unselfish and he lifts everybody up,” Randle said. “He really genuinely wants the best for everybody. You notice like after I hit the game-winning shot [against Phoenix], he was the first person to run up to me. When you lead with that type of pure heartedness, you have that right to be honest and call guys out, hold people accountable because you’re backing it up with your actions.” Coach Chris Finch said the team needed to regain its “spirit,” and Saturday’s was a good start at doing that. He said he has noticed multiple players on the team, not just Gobert, letting their individual performances affect their overall attitude. “I don’t think it’s a selfish thing in that regard,” Finch said. “... I think it’s more they’ve been a little disappointed and had a hard time hiding their emotions, and there’s a maturity and a toughness that comes with that.” He then added: “Mistakes are going to be made, people are going to miss you, coverages are going to be blown, shots are not going to go in, decisions might be right, might be wrong, it’s the reaction to all that stuff that you can control and we have to be better at.” Gobert was the most glaring example of that Thursday. He and Randle expressed confidence they will be able to move on from what happened, that this sort of thing pops up in the course of a long season. They’ll have a chance to move on from it Sunday against the defending champion Celtics. “People think great teams are the teams where the sky is always blue, everything is pretty and everyone is happy all the time,” Gobert said. “No, great teams, they know each other, care about one another and when somebody makes a mistake, mistakes happen, but when somebody drifts out a little bit, we talk and we get back on track.” Wolves at Celtics 2:30 p.m. Sunday, FanDuel Sports Network, iHeart app. Wolves update: Mike Conley is listed as out for the second game in a row after also sitting out Thursday’s game because of a left great toe sprain. Nickeil Alexander-Walker has started in his place twice this season when he has sat. Naz Reid, who appeared to get hurt late in Thursday’s game against Toronto, was not listed on the injury report. The Wolves will be seeking their first victory in Boston since 2005. That road losing streak is topped only by their streak in Toronto, which extends to 2004. Celtics update: Defending NBA champion Boston has made waves across the league this season for averaging 50.2 three-point attempts per game. The Celtics are hitting 37% of those and have the third-best offensive efficiency in the league. Jayson Tatum is averaging 29.1 points, 8.2 rebounds and a career high 6.1 assists per game. Derrick White is averaging a career-high 18.4 points per game while shooting 40% from three-point range.MTAR bags 226cr orders in clean energy, aerospaceApple's new BFF, Broadcom, reveals three hyperscalers want to deploy 1,000,000 GPUs or XPUs by 2027; something that will make Nvidia wince
Dive into the Semiconductor Showdown In the world of artificial intelligence (AI) investments, two giants, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) and Nvidia, are championing their niches with considerable success. But if you’re looking to invest, which provides the better opportunity? Unpacking TSMC’s Triumph TSMC, the semiconductor manufacturing powerhouse, has quietly reaped substantial benefits from the AI surge. While its operations may lack the flashy appeal of some tech firms, TSMC’s numbers speak volumes. In the recent quarter, its sales surged by 36% to $23.5 billion, and earnings jumped 54%, driven largely by tech giants ramping up their AI chip production. The company’s prowess in crafting 3-nanometer chips, with plans for 2nm chips by 2025, solidifies its dominance. This advanced manufacturing capability gives TSMC a remarkable 90% share of the premium processors market, ushering unprecedented growth fueled by global AI investments. Nvidia’s Design Dominance Meanwhile, Nvidia maintains its edge as a leading chip designer, focusing on GPUs crucial for AI computing. The company has witnessed an explosive demand, with sales climbing 94% in its last quarter to $35.1 billion. Nvidia’s data center segment, responsible for a 112% revenue surge, has been pivotal. As companies invest heavily in enhancing their AI infrastructure, Nvidia’s CEO envisions a $2 trillion expenditure wave in the coming years, positioning Nvidia as the preeminent beneficiary with its substantial presence in AI data centers. The Investment Choice Both TSMC and Nvidia stand as titans in the AI landscape, yet for investors seeking value, TSMC emerges as a more attractive option with its lower price-to-earnings ratio. While both companies are primed for future growth, TSMC’s stock might offer a more economical entry into this evolving market. The AI Investment Showdown: TSMC vs. Nvidia In the rapidly evolving world of artificial intelligence, two leaders emerge in the semiconductor industry: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) and Nvidia. This in-depth analysis explores new insights and emerging trends, identifying how each company navigates the AI boom and where investment opportunities might lie. AI technology continues to expand, with expected exponential growth over the next decade, driving vast opportunities in the semiconductor industry. Analysts predict an AI market boom, influenced by innovations in chip manufacturing and design. TSMC’s stronghold on the premium processor market and Nvidia’s dominance in AI-driven GPUs suggest continued expansion aligned with global tech trends. TSMC leads with advanced chip technologies, notably its cutting-edge 3-nanometer chips, and plans to achieve 2-nanometer production by 2025. These innovations position TSMC at the forefront of semiconductor evolution. Nvidia excels with its GPUs, which are crucial for AI, providing unmatched performance that attracts tech giants seeking to bolster data processing capabilities. TSMC’s chips are essential for high-performance computing, including mobile devices, gaming consoles, and sophisticated AI applications. However, geopolitical tensions and supply chain vulnerabilities could challenge its growth trajectory. Nvidia’s GPUs dominate in training AI models and running data-intensive applications across sectors from healthcare to finance. A key limitation is Nvidia’s heavy reliance on AI data centers, which could be affected by market saturation or fluctuating demand. In terms of pricing, TSMC offers more economical entry points with a lower price-to-earnings ratio, appealing to value-focused investors. On the other hand, Nvidia commands a higher valuation, aligned with its rapid revenue growth and market demand. Both TSMC and Nvidia are committed to incorporating sustainable practices and enhancing security measures in their operations. TSMC focuses on reducing environmental impact through energy-efficient manufacturing processes, while Nvidia prioritizes robust security features within its chips, maintaining trust in an increasingly connected world. For more information on TSMC and Nvidia, explore their official websites here and here .The YU7 is not just a vehicle; it's a statement of Xiaomi's commitment to pushing boundaries and exploring new horizons. The sleek and modern design of the SUV reflects Xiaomi's design philosophy, blending functionality with aesthetics seamlessly.ECRL seeks stronger relations with municipalities
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