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Is Enron back? If it’s a joke, some former employees aren’t laughing
Spending Christmas alone this year? How to make the most of itBrera Holdings Outlines Three-Step Process to Acquire Majority Equity Interest in Juve Stabia, Integrating the Serie B Team into its Multi-Club Model to Promote Value Creation with "The Second Team of Naples"HOUSTON (AP) — The Houston Texans didn’t need to see what Baltimore’s Derrick Henry is doing this season to be reminded of just how dangerous he can be. He ran all over the Texans for years while playing in the AFC South for the Tennessee Titans. Henry and the Ravens (10-5) visit AFC South champion Houston (9-6) on Wednesday, looking for a win to keep their AFC North title chances alive. Baltimore has clinched a playoff berth for a third straight season but needs wins in its last two games and one loss by the Steelers to capture the division. Henry, who ranks second in the NFL with 1,636 yards rushing, has had some of his greatest success against the Texans. Four of the 30-year-old’s six career 200-yard rushing games have been against Houston, including a career-high 250 in the season finale in the 2020 season to surpass 2,000 yards. “You talk about fast, explosive, physical — he’s looking probably the best he’s looked in his career,” Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said. “He’s found that fountain of youth ... he’s a great player. It’s fun to see guys rebound and bounce back the way that he’s done this year.” Dealing with Henry along with all the challenges that quarterback Lamar Jackson presents makes the top-ranked Ravens one of Houston’s more difficult matchups. “You talk about MVP, (Jackson’s) definitely the MVP in my mind just for what he’s doing not only in the run game but also throwing the football,” Ryans said. “The accuracy, the decision-making, like, he’s playing unbelievable ball right now, so it’s going to be a really tough challenge for us this week.” Another challenge for the Texans is moving on after Tank Dell sustained a season-ending knee injury in Saturday’s loss to Kansas City. His injury is another blow to a receiving group that already was without star Stefon Diggs, who tore his ACL in Week 8. “The position we’re in, it’s not a lot of times where you can sulk in your feelings for very long,” quarterback C.J. Stroud said. “You’ve got to just keep rolling. I think that’s a testament to just life in general. Everybody has stuff on their plate. Everybody is going through something. And just because we’re in this position, doesn’t mean you get to feel sorry for yourself.” Houston will rely on Stroud to keep the passing game rolling despite the loss of Dell, who ranks second on the team with 667 yards receiving. Baltimore coach John Harbaugh has been impressed with Stroud’s growth in Year 2 and knows that dealing with him will be difficult for his team, which ranks 31st in the NFL by allowing 254.9 yards passing a game. “He’s just a supertalented guy... he’s surrounded with some good weapons, and he gets the ball out quick,” Harbaugh said. “He handles pressure well, he can move, he’s athletic, scrambles and makes plays.” Jackson is a big fan of Beyoncé, though he didn’t know the title of his favorite song of hers, saying it was “To the left,” which is just the first lines of her hit “Irreplaceable.” And he doesn’t think playing in Wednesday’s game should stop him from seeing her halftime show on Christmas . “I’m going to go out there and watch,” he said. “First time seeing Beyoncé perform, and it’s at our game — that’s dope. I’m going to go out and watch. Sorry Harbaugh, sorry fellas." He later clarified that he was kidding about sneaking out at halftime to get a glimpse of Queen Bey. “I was just thinking about just seeing Beyoncé for the first time,” he said. “Not saying it like that; no disrespect, because I know how people can take things. Next question.” Houston receiver John Metchie could have a chance for a big game with Dell out. Metchie is playing in his second NFL season after missing his entire rookie year while undergoing cancer treatment. He has just 182 yards receiving this season, with his best game coming against Detroit, when he had a career-high 72 yards receiving and his only NFL TD. Stroud is looking for Metchie and fellow reserve Xavier Hutchinson to help make up for Dell’s absence against the Ravens. “Those guys have another opportunity to show who they are and I know that they can do it,” Stroud said. “I see them in practice do it every week. So, I’m excited for them and it’s a good opportunity for them to step up.” Jackson is up to 6,023 yards rushing for his career. The NFL record for a quarterback is 6,109 by Michael Vick, so Jackson could break it with a big game on Wednesday. Jackson also leads the NFL in passer rating and is in the conversation for his third MVP. Although it sounds like that’s a discussion he’d rather not get involved in. “No other choice but to hear it,” Jackson said. “They (are) tagging me in it. You don’t (have) to tag me. You can talk about it all you want, but you want to tag me to get like clickbait because you know sometimes I (will) say something back like, ‘That was stupid.’ It is what it is. I don’t care, though. I really don’t care about the talk.” AP Sports Writer Noah Trister in Owings Mills, Maryland, contributed to this report. AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nflMicrosoft has disabled the OCR functionality in its updated Photos app to "address some issues." A Windows Insider preview of the Photos app was released in October, which introduced super-resolution for Copilot+ PCs – using AI to enlarge an image up to eight times its original size – and adding Optical Character Recognition (OCR) to extract text from photos on Windows 11 and Windows 10 PCs. Microsoft has had OCR functionality in its apps for some time. It's a genuinely helpful feature in OneNote , particularly when lifting printed text from a picture (such as a receipt or business card). The Text Extractor feature in Power Toys is also handy when copying text from a picture or video – hit a simple key combination, draw a capture area, and see what appears in the clipboard. As with all OCR technologies, the text that appears might be utter nonsense, and a quick proofread is always a good idea. Considering that Microsoft (and other vendors) are accustomed to OCR technology, its application in the Photos app was inevitable. Its omission was even a little surprising, considering Microsoft's determination to AI-enable everything in its product line. However, within a month of its preview release, Windows Insider Program head honcho Brandon LeBlanc confirmed the feature had been abruptly disabled while Microsoft addresses some issues, and the original blog post was updated to reflect that. LeBlanc did not elaborate on the problem, although there have been reports of app crashes after installing the preview. Either way, this is the Windows Insider Program, and occasional glitches are to be expected. Getting OCR working properly in images is essential for many of Microsoft's plans. The delayed Windows Recall service depends on being able to correctly parse an image in order to provide a user with a searchable archive. The inability to search a photo library for specific text remains a frustrating limitation in Windows. Yes, there are ways around the problem, but the OCR functionality in the preview of the Photos app pointed to a neat solution. Hopefully, the feature will soon be restored and remain available to Windows 11 and Windows 10 users, rather than being reserved as an incentive to buy a Copilot+ PC. ®
Pure Storage Announces Third Quarter Fiscal 2025 Financial ResultsIce rescues occur in Arlington, ShrewsburyAs a part of developing our network for the Gemini Cooperation, Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd reviewed all ports and terminals in our current network and concluded that London Gateway is the most optimal port to serve our customers importing/exporting cargo to/from the UK. When the Network of the Future launches in February 2025, London Gateway will replace Felixstowe on our Asia – Europe services. This strategic decision aims to enhance reliability, reach, and speed for our customers. Click here for more information. The Network of the Future is officially now open for bookings. Click here for details and scheduling information. Elsewhere, the Chinese New Year period has a significant impact on global shipping due to the sheer volume of factory closures and a sharp decline in production. In 2025, Lunar New Year officially begins on 29th January, however many businesses start their preparations early and reduce production up to three weeks in advance. Normal production levels are expected to return by the second or third week of February. Typically, businesses face a race to get cargo out of China before operations wind down and celebrations begin. Our teams are on hand to assist with your planning, should you need to ship out of China urgently. Next year, however, there remains a question as to how major an impact Chinese New Year will have on shipping due to businesses advancing cargo throughout the year in acts of ‘planned resilience’. Click here for further details on this and other key forecasting questions for supply chain leaders heading into the new year. In the US, the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) and United States Maritime Alliance (USMX) are re-entering negotiations on the Master Contract, which was extended until 15th January 2025 amid recent strike action on the east coast. Talks between the parties recently broke down over automation and semi-automation plans, and we are keeping a close eye on developments with the threat of strike action remaining possible. Should strikes go ahead, our teams will once again draw up contingency plans to minimise the impact on customers. Heading towards Christmas and New Year, customers will see an adjustment in schedules in light of adjusted terminal operating hours and reduced workforce availability in the holiday period. Our teams are working on schedule adjustments to minimise the impact to our customers. Another seasonality we normally see this time of the year is the worsening of weather conditions, with rain, strong wind, and instances of fog typically affecting the continent. In the Adriatic, terminals have already seen strong wind gust – and similar conditions can be expected across the continent at this time of the year. The north of the continent is seeing a mixed performance with terminals in Bremerhaven showing a stable performance and a healthy yard density. At the same time, terminals in Rotterdam, Antwerp, and Hamburg are seeing an increase in yard density and customers are encouraged to please clear their import units at their earliest convenience to avoid possible disruptions. Our teams across the terminals are also working on final preparations for the phase-in of the Gemini network. Maersk has taken delivery of its second Boeing 777 freighter aircraft at its hub at Billund Airport, Denmark. The new addition to the fleet will operate between Europe and China, bringing capacity, speed-to-market, and technology benefits to customers. The uncertainty surrounding new political policies in the United States of America together with Thanksgiving and Christmas peak seasons have increased demand on Europe to US air freight trade. Should tariffs from certain regions into the US come to light, businesses could advance cargo to “rush” it to US shores ahead of the official implementation and bring about capacity constraints and rate increases in early 2025. We encourage customers to reach out to a member of the team to discuss their cargo options and strategies for the new year. Global air freight demand remains strong through Q4 2024, and Europe continues to represent the largest share of import volumes across all regions. According to WorldACD market data based on over 450,000 weekly transactions in mid-November, average global spot rates are up 25% compared to 2023, with the Middle East and South Asia still at significantly high levels (+73%) and rates from Asia-Pacific up by 22%. Please click here to find helpful information about the Maersk air freight network and our services to and from Europe. In November, our teams attended Intermodal Europe in Rotterdam, Netherlands, and connected with customers and partners and discussed key trends and planning for 2025. When it comes to planning ahead for the upcoming year, here are three forecasting questions every business should ask for their supply chain. The upcoming year will also see the phase-in of our Network of the Future ocean network, that is now open for bookings. In our inland teams, preparations for the phase-in of the new network are in full swing. We are working closely with customers to understand the needs of their inland supply chains in the upcoming year, and at the same time evaluating our own network and procuring capacity through our partners. To make sure our customers are set for success in 2025, we encourage them to stay close to their usual contacts and provide their estimates for the upcoming year as soon as possible, so that our teams can secure the needed capacity along specific routes. To make sure our customers are set for success in 2025, we encourage them to stay close to their usual contacts and provide their estimates for the upcoming year as soon as possible, so that our teams can secure the needed capacity along specific routes. The implementation of tariffs around the world has made headlines of late, with some companies looking to relocate operations in order to avoid them. However, when considering this, businesses must ensure the move is economically justified beyond just escaping trade measures. Authorities will likely scrutinise such relocations, emphasising the need for genuine economic reasons to steer clear of legal and financial repercussions. If you are looking to change your duty mitigation strategy, we encourage you to reach out to your local Maersk representative. Our customs experts are on hand to provide the right tools and directives that not only reduce import duties, but also ensure compliance and the meeting of legal requirements. Elsewhere, China has implemented new regulations from 1st December 2024 on the export control of dual-use items. The newly published Export Control List outlines about 700 goods and technologies that could have civilian and military applications. Consolidated with existing export control rules, the new framework simplifies licensing, unifies controls, and tightens high-tech oversight like semiconductors and AI. Proactive compliance measures will minimise penalty risks and ensure smooth operations under the stricter regulatory framework. Effective from 13th December 2024, the EU has updated its General Product Safety Regulation (GPSR) to replace the 2001 General Product Safety Directive. It applies to all consumer goods except specific exclusions like food, medicines, living plants, pesticides, aircraft, and antiques. Importers face stricter obligations, including ensuring product safety, providing detailed labelling, and addressing unsafe goods swiftly. Customs will be key in market surveillance, checking for compliance documentation and authorised representatives. The GPSR applies to Northern Ireland, and UK retailers shipping to the EU must also comply. The sales frenzy of Black Friday has long moved across the Atlantic, and European consumers have become accustomed to sales events throughout November. Combined with Singles Day and Cyber Monday, it is estimated that online shops worldwide generate around 20% of their annual sales in November. In the EU, consumers on the western side of the continent are expected to spend the most on Black Friday sales – German consumers lead the way with an average budget of 317 euros per capita, followed by consumers in Austria and Spain, budgeting 303 and 282 euros, respectively. Delivery person loading parcels into Maersk last mile delivery van. With an increase in sales, businesses can also expect to see an increase in returns during this period – some reports suggest up to half of Black Friday purchases will be sent back. Within the EU, consumers have the right to return products within 14 days and receive a refund, regardless of return reason, provided they order from a European retailer. For businesses, this means offering convenient return options like drop-off points or home pick-ups will enhance the consumer shopping experience and set them apart from the competition. Though returns often seem to overly complicate operations of e-commerce businesses, reverse supply chains can equally be seen as another optimisation opportunity. Cost efficient returns solutions can minimise the extra logistics cost spent on returns, and fast returns lead time will allow restocking of eligible items quickly to maximize resale opportunities during the extended holiday shopping period. Source: Maersk
By JUAN A. LOZANO, Associated Press HOUSTON (AP) — An elaborate parody appears to be behind an effort to resurrect Enron, the Houston-based energy company that exemplified the worst in American corporate fraud and greed after it went bankrupt in 2001. If its return is comedic, some former employees who lost everything in Enron’s collapse aren’t laughing. “It’s a pretty sick joke and it disparages the people that did work there. And why would you want to even bring it back up again?” said former Enron employee Diana Peters, who represented workers in the company’s bankruptcy proceedings. Here’s what to know about the history of Enron and the purported effort to bring it back. Once the nation’s seventh-largest company, Enron filed for bankruptcy protection on Dec. 2, 2001, after years of accounting tricks could no longer hide billions of dollars in debt or make failing ventures appear profitable. The energy company’s collapse put more than 5,000 people out of work, wiped out more than $2 billion in employee pensions and rendered $60 billion in Enron stock worthless. Its aftershocks were felt throughout the energy sector. Twenty-four Enron executives , including former CEO Jeffrey Skilling , were eventually convicted for their roles in the fraud. Enron founder Ken Lay’s convictions were vacated after he died of heart disease following his 2006 trial. On Monday — the 23rd anniversary of the bankruptcy filing — a company representing itself as Enron announced in a news release that it was relaunching as a “company dedicated to solving the global energy crisis.” It also posted a video on social media, advertised on at least one Houston billboard and a took out a full-page ad in the Houston Chronicle In the minute-long video that was full of generic corporate jargon, the company talks about “growth” and “rebirth.” It ends with the words, “We’re back. Can we talk?” Enron’s new website features a company store, where various items featuring the brand’s tilted “E” logo are for sale, including a $118 hoodie. In an email, company spokesperson Will Chabot said the new Enron was not doing any interviews yet, but that “We’ll have more to share soon.” Signs point to the comeback being a joke. In the “terms of use and conditions of sale” on the company’s website, it says “the information on the website about Enron is First Amendment protected parody, represents performance art, and is for entertainment purposes only.” Documents filed with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office show that College Company, an Arkansas-based LLC, owns the Enron trademark. The co-founder of College Company is Connor Gaydos, who helped create a joke conspiracy theory that claims all birds are actually surveillance drones for the government. Peters said that since learning about the “relaunch” of Enron, she has spoken with several other former employees and they are also upset by it. She said the apparent stunt was “in poor taste.” “If it’s a joke, it’s rude, extremely rude. And I hope that they realize it and apologize to all of the Enron employees,” Peters said. Peters, who is 74 years old, said she is still working in information technology because “I lost everything in Enron, and so my Social Security doesn’t always take care of things I need done.” “Enron’s downfall taught us critical lessons about corporate ethics, accountability, and the consequences of unchecked ambition. Enron’s legacy was the employees in the trenches. Leave Enron buried,” she said. Follow Juan A. Lozano on X at https://x.com/juanlozano70World Don't miss out on the headlines from World. Followed categories will be added to My News. Before he fled his palatial palace as rebel forces seized Damascus, Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad appears to have issued one final brutal order to his loyal troops. Retreating troops who guarded the deposed leader’s most notorious prison, dubbed ‘the human slaughterhouse’, destroyed electronic door controls and shut off air ventilation on their way out. It has trapped scores of prisoners, most of them held on trumped up charges, in subterranean cells deep underground at Sednaya Prison. “These cells are referred to as the ‘red ward’ or ‘death ward’,” activist Maher Akraa wrote on X, formerly Twitter. Rebels descend deep into Sednaya' Prison's subterranean wings. Rebels and protesters work to open cells within the notorious 'human slaughterhouse' prison in Damascus. Islamist rebels took Syria’s capital on Sunday in a lightning offensive that forced Assad to flee and brought to an end more than five decades of his family’s iron-fist rule. There were jubilant scenes throughout the city as word spread, with statues and posters of Assad torn down and his palatial mansion stormed. Many of those who took to the streets then turned their focus to swarming the city’s prisons. Thousands of prisoners across Syria are being freed from notorious facilities. Chilling vision shows dazed inmates being freed, including a toddler. Scores of people who were arrested and held indefinitely by the Assad regime at Sednaya Prison in Damascus have been freed so far. Many of them are women and youths, with one video posted to social media even showing a toddler held inside a cell. The enormous multi-wing facility, several storeys tall with a number of underground levels, is known in Syria as the ‘human slaughterhouse’. Activists on the ground say countless prisoners held in the worst conditions remain trapped. A graphic recreation of the enormous Sednaya Prison facility by Amnesty International. An aerial view of Sednaya Prison, known as the 'human slaughterhouse' One human rights advocate, Maher Akraa, shared vision on X, formerly Twitter, saying that underground cells had been sealed by Assad forces before they fled. Electronic doors and gates have been disabled, along with ventilation systems, Akraa wrote. “These cells are referred to as the ‘red ward’ or ‘death ward’.” Freed prisoners celebrate outside after enduring years of captivity. The news outlet Middle East Eye reported on one video featuring local activist Omar Saoud, who said three subterranean floors of the prison were inaccessible. “They are not being able to open it because it requires a certain mechanism, and the soldiers and officers who used to be here have left.” Hundreds, if not thousands of prisoners run from Sednaya Prison. Countless women were freed from crammed cells. Footage circulating across social media shows rebels working alongside civilians to open cells, smashing locks with sledgehammers and crowbars, or by shooting them off. Vision from outside shows hundreds, if not thousands of freed prisoners – many of them women and youths – screaming and crying. In one, as activist Hussam Hammoud describes on X, a prisoner “has lost his memory and is unable to speak, shattered by the horrors he endured”. A video from inside the prison shows cells, each crammed with at least a dozen women, many of them visibly frail. The women appear confused and terrified as a man tells them: “You are free now, everyone go home.” This traumatised prisoner couldn't remember his identity. A report in 2021 from UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights estimated some 30,000 prisoners had been executed at Sednaya Prison over the course of the Assad regime. And an Amnesty International investigation in 2017 described Sednaya as a site of “murder, torture, enforced disappearances and extermination” as part of a “widespread ... systemic attack against the civilian population” authorised by Assad. In total, the Syrian Network for Human Rights estimates more than 136,000 people are held as prisoners – the vast majority on trumped up charges. Human Rights Watch has previously said prisoners who aren’t murdered are routinely subjected to torture, starvation and beatings. Prisons elsewhere in Syria, including a notorious facility in Aleppo, have also been emptied of their inmates. A person watches as a fire burns following explosions at a security compound that houses the Syrian Military Intelligence Interrogation Division. Picture: Getty A man sits in an armchair outside of the Tishrin residential palace of Syria's ousted dictator Bashar al-Assad in Damascus. Picture: AFP As well as storming prisons, key government buildings were also ransacked and set ablaze, including a security compound housing the Military Intelligence Interrogation Division. Assad’s palatial palace was also overtaken, with furniture and artwork carried out. Assad ‘safe’ in Russia After the dictator and his entourage fled Damascus, wild rumours circulated online indicating he might be dead. But Russian state media later reported that his plane had arrived safely in Moscow. And the Kremlin sensationally claims it helped facilitate aspects the coup, the RIA Novosti news agency reports, to ensure a “peaceful” transfer of power. It claimed Russia had been in negotiations with rebels to allow Assad and an entourage, including his family, to flee. President Vladimir Putin met with Bashar al-Assad at the Kremlin in July. Picture: AFP America launches dozens of air strikes The United States has conducted more than 75 “precision air strikes” on key Islamic State camps and holdouts in Syria, the military’s Central Command announced. General Michael Erik Kurilla said the targets were destroyed in a bid to cripple the terrorist group’s capabilities and prevent it taking advantage of the fall of the Assad regime. A range of US Air Force assets, including B-52s, F-15s and A-10s, were used, General Kurilla said. “There should be no doubt – we will not allow ISIS to reconstitute and take advantage of the current situation in central Syria,” he said. Other groups in the region should take the offensive as a clear sign that America will act “if they partner with or support ISIS in any way”. Smoke rises in the aftermath of suspected IDF strikes near Mezzeh Air Base. Picture: Getty Smoke billows following an Israeli air strike on the outskirts of Damascus. Picture: AFP Israel also carried out a series of strikes in Syria, with Reuters reporting the Mezzeh district of Damascus was hit. Israeli Defence Force jets also bombed Khalkhala Air Base in the country’s south, which had reportedly been evacuated hours earlier. However, the facility contained a massive stockpile of rockets, missiles and other weapons, the wire service reported, citing security officials in Syria and Lebanon. Smoke rises after an IDF strike reportedly targeted ammunition depots near Mezzeh Air Base. Picture: Getty The strikes came as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordering his forces to seize Golan Heights, a so-called “buffer zone” between the two countries. “Together with the Defence Minister, and with full backing from the Cabinet, I directed the IDF yesterday to take control of the buffer zone and the dominant positions near it,” Netanyahu said. “We will not allow any hostile force to establish itself on our border.” It marks the first since in five decades that Israeli forces have occupied the buffer zone, after its demilitarised declaration in 1974. Assad plane ‘disappeared from radar’ Wild speculation spread on social media and the messaging service Telegram in the hours after Assad’s escape that the dictator could in fact be dead. There were several conflicting reports about how Assad and his family fled, with one indicating a private plane had departed Damascus Airport bound for the United Arab Emirates and another claiming a second aircraft was bound for Moscow. And curiously, Reuters reported that a Syria Air commercial aircraft took off around the time Damascus was seized by rebels. That plane could be seen on radar heading towards the country’s coast, which had been a stronghold for Assad’s forces. It then made a sudden U-turn and flew in the opposite direction for several minutes before vanishing from radar. A grab from Flight Radar showing an aircraft just before it disappeared from radar. That sparked feverish speculation that Assad could be dead. The Times of India quoted “two Syrian sources” as saying the plane could have been shot down, with one saying: “It disappeared off the radar, possibly the transponder was switched off, but I believe the bigger possibility is the aircraft was taken down”. There have been no reports of a crash in the region where that aircraft was last seen on radar. Hours after those rumours erupted, Russian state media reported Assad and his family were safe in Moscow. ‘Start of a new era’ for Syria Assad’s dramatic exit comes less than two weeks after the Islamist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) rebel group launched an audacious campaign challenging his regime. “After 50 years of oppression under Baath rule, and 13 years of crimes and tyranny and (forced) displacement ... we announce today the end of this dark period and the start of a new era for Syria,” the HTS said on Telegram. Syria’s Prime Minister Mohammed al-Jalali said he was ready to co-operate with “any leadership chosen by the Syrian people”. The head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, Rami Abdel Rahman, told AFP “Assad left Syria via Damascus international airport before the army security forces left the facility”. Abu Mohammed al-Golani , leader of the HTS rebel group, arrived at the Omayyad Mosque in Damascus on Sunday afternoon to address the gathered cheering crowd. The former al-Qaeda commander, who left the group several years ago, is set to play a major role in the new era of leadership of Syria. “A new history, my brothers, is being written in the entire region after this great victory,” he said. The leader of Syria's Islamist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) group, Abu Mohammed al-Golani. Picture: AFP After describing Assad’s fall as “a victory to the Islamic nation”, al-Golani warned it would be a long and difficult task to rebuild the devastated country. He spoke of the enormous human toll of the decades of brutal Baath rule, including the more recent tyranny of Assad. Abu Mohammed al-Golani addressed a crowd at the capital's landmark Omayyad Mosque. Picture: AFP Referring to the countless refugees who’ve fled the country, he said: “How many people were displaced across the world? How many people lived in tents? How many drowned in the seas?” However, he vowed Syria would become “a beacon” for the Middle East. Hope for American journalist’s release The fall of the Assad regime has ignited hopes that an American journalist kidnapped more than 12 years ago could be brought home. US President Joe Biden held a press conference at the White House on Sunday and commented on the long-running plight of Austin Tice. Tice was kidnapped by Syrian forces while reporting on the early years of the civil war. Photojournalist Austin Tice was kidnapped in Syria in 2012. US President Joe Biden speaks about the situation in Syria in the Roosevelt Room at the White House. Picture: AFP Mr Biden has met with his family multiple times throughout his presidency and advocated for his release. “We are mindful that there are Americans in Syria, including those who reside there, as well as Austin Tice, who was taken captive more than 12 years ago,” Mr Biden said. “We remain committed to returning him to his family.” Reporters immediately asked the president to elaborate on whether there was a plan in place. “We think we can get him back, but we have no direct evidence of that yet,” he replied. From terrorist to freedom fighter As the commander of al-Qaeda’s franchise in the Syrian civil war, Abu Mohammed al-Golani was a shadowy figure who kept out of the public eye. Even when the notorious terrorist organisation became the most powerful faction fighting to topple Bashar al-Assad, Golani took a back seat. On Sunday, he became the global face of Syria’s triumphant rebels, having gradually stepped into the limelight since severing ties to al-Qaeda in 2016 and rebranding his group. Those ‘freedom fighters’ declared victory yesterday, seizing control of Damascus and sending Assad fleeing, bringing an end to 13 years of devastating civil war. A man treads on a picture of Syria's ousted president Bashar al-Assad as people enter his palace in Damascus. Picture: AFP Crowds wave Syrian opposition flags to celebrate the fall of long-time ruler Bashar al-Assad. Picture: AFP Within hours, a statement from Golani was read out on Syrian state television, including the declaration: “The future is ours.” Signalling his efforts to secure an orderly transition, he declared Syrian state institutions would remain under the supervision of the Assad-appointed prime minister until a handover. A fortnight ago, as rebels kicked off their offensive, Golani issued a statement aimed at the country’s minorities, who largely fear jihadist rule, promising their protection. Joshua Landis, a Syria expert and head of the Centre for Middle East Studies at the University of Oklahoma, told Reuters that Golani’s approach was “smart”. “He’s retooled, he’s refashioned, made new allies, and come out with his charm offensive,” he said. An aerial photo shows the Syrian presidential palace in Damascus after Islamist-led rebels seized the capital. Picture: AFP A mix of hope and uncertainty At his press conference, Mr Biden expressed a mixed sense of hope and uncertainty about Syria’s future. But the US president lauded the long and bloody end of the Assad family rule. “At long last, the Assad regime has fallen,” he said. “It’s a moment of historic opportunity for the long-suffering people of Syria to build a better future for their proud country. “It’s also a moment of risk and uncertainty as we all turn to the question of what comes next.” The US will “engage” with groups within Syria, as well as the United Nations, with the goal of transitioning towards “independent and sovereign” rule. “This process will be determined by the Syrian people themselves. The United States will do whatever we can to support them, including through humanitarian relief to help restore Syria,” Mr Biden said. More Coverage Al-Assad’s palaces looted after tyrant flees Staff writers and AFP ‘Stop the madness’: Trump’s demand to Putin Natalie Brown and AFP Originally published as Bashar al-Assad’s brutal final act at notorious Syrian prison dubbed ‘the human slaughterhouse’ Join the conversation Add your comment to this story To join the conversation, please log in. Don't have an account? Register Join the conversation, you are commenting as Logout More related stories News Trump’s aggressive day one agenda revealed Donald Trump has vowed to free the January 6 rioters and called for those who investigated the Capitol attack to be sent to jail instead, in his first interview since his election victory. Read more World ‘Absolutely shocking’: Brits react to synagogue firebombing Tens of thousands of people who rallied against anti-Semitism in London voiced their disgust at the firebombing of a Melbourne synagogue. Read more5 Of The Best Non-Samsung Android Phones You Can Buy
Will New Year's Eve be loud or quiet? What are the top 2025 resolutions? AP-NORC poll has answers
Former Boise State coach Chris Petersen still gets asked about the Fiesta Bowl victory over Oklahoma on the first day of 2007. That game had everything. Underdog Boise State took a 28-10 lead over one of college football's blue bloods that was followed by a 25-point Sooners run capped by what could have been a back-breaking interception return for a touchdown with 1:02 left. Then the Broncos used three trick plays that remain sensations to not only force overtime but win 43-42. And then there was the marriage proposal by Boise State running back Ian Johnson — shortly after scoring the winning two-point play — to cheerleader Chrissy Popadics that was accepted on national TV. That game put Broncos football on the national map for most fans, but looking back 18 years later, Petersen sees it differently. “Everybody wants to talk about that Oklahoma Fiesta Bowl game, which is great how it all worked out and all those things,” Petersen said. “But we go back to play TCU (three years later) again on the big stage. It's not as flashy a game, but to me, that was an even better win.” Going back to the Fiesta Bowl and winning, Petersen reasoned, showed the Broncos weren't a splash soon to fade away, that there was something longer lasting and more substantive happening on the famed blue turf. The winning has continued with few interruptions. No. 8 and third-seeded Boise State is preparing for another trip to the Fiesta Bowl, this time in a playoff quarterfinal against No. 5 and sixth-seeded Penn State on New Year's Eve. That success has continued through a series of coaches, though with a lot more of a common thread than readily apparent. Dirk Koetter was hired from Oregon, where Petersen was the wide receivers coach. Not only did Koetter bring Petersen with him to Oregon, Petersen introduced him to Dan Hawkins, who also was hired for the staff. So the transition from Koetter to Hawkins to Petersen ensured at least some level of consistency. Koetter and Hawkins engineered double-digit victory seasons five times over a six-year span that led to power-conference jobs. Koetter went to Arizona State after three seasons and Hawkins to Colorado after five. Then when Petersen became the coach after the 2005 season, he led Boise State to double-digit wins his first seven seasons and made bowls all eight years. He resisted the temptation to leave for a power-conference program until Washington lured him away toward the end of the 2013 season. Then former Boise State quarterback and offensive coordinator Bryan Harsin took over and posted five double-digit victory seasons over his first six years. After going 5-2 during the COVID-shortened 2020 season, he left for Auburn. “They just needed consistency of leadership,” said Koetter, who is back as Boise State's offensive coordinator. “This program had always won at the junior-college level, the Division II level, the I-AA (now FCS) level.” But Koetter referred to “an unfortunate chain of events” that made Boise State a reclamation project when he took over in 1998. Coach Pokey Allen led Boise State to the Division I-AA national championship game in 1994, but was diagnosed with cancer two days later. He died on Dec. 30, 1996, at 53. Allen coached the final two games that season, Boise State's first in Division I-A (now FBS). Houston Nutt became the coach in 1997, went 4-7 and headed to Arkansas. Then Koetter took over. “One coach dies and the other wasn't the right fit for this program,” Koetter said. “Was a really good coach, did a lot of good things, but just wasn't a good fit for here.” But because of Boise State's success at the lower levels, Koetter said the program was set up for success. “As Boise State has risen up the conference food chain, they’ve pretty much always been at the top from a player talent standpoint,” Koetter said. “So it was fairly clear if we got things headed in the right direction and did a good job recruiting, we would be able to win within our conference for sure.” Success didn't take long. He went 6-5 in 1998 and then won 10 games each of the following two seasons. Hawkins built on that winning and Petersen took it to another level. But there is one season, really one game, no really one half that still bugs Petersen. He thought his best team was in 2010, one that entered that late-November game at Nevada ranked No. 3 and had a legitimate chance to play for the national championship. The Colin Kaepernick-led Wolf Pack won 34-31. “I think the best team that I might've been a part of as the head coach was the team that lost one game to Nevada,” Petersen said. "That team, to me, played one poor half of football on offense the entire season. We were winning by a bunch at half (24-7) and we came out and did nothing on offense in the second half and still had a chance to win. “That team would've done some damage.” There aren't any what-ifs with this season's Boise State team. The Broncos are in the field of the first 12-team playoff, representing the Group of Five as its highest-ranked conference champion. That got Boise State a bye into the quarterfinals. Spencer Danielson has restored the championship-level play after taking over as the interim coach late last season during a rare downturn that led to Andy Avalos' dismissal . Danielson received the job full time after leading Boise State to the Mountain West championship . Now the Broncos are 12-1 with their only defeat to top-ranked and No. 1 seed Oregon on a last-second field goal . Running back Ashton Jeanty also was the runner-up to the Heisman Trophy . “Boise State has been built on the backs of years and years of success way before I got here,” Danielson said. "So even this season is not because of me. It’s because the group of young men wanted to leave a legacy, be different. We haven’t been to the Fiesta Bowl in a decade. They said in January, ‘We’re going to get that done.’ They went to work.” As was the case with Danielson, Petersen and Koetter said attracting top talent is the primary reason Boise State has succeeded all these years. Winning, obviously, is the driving force, and with more entry points to the playoffs, the Broncos could make opportunities to keep returning to the postseason a selling point. But there's also something about the blue carpet. Petersen said he didn't get what it was about when he arrived as an assistant coach, and there was some talk about replacing it with more conventional green grass. A poll in the Idaho Statesman was completely against that idea, and Petersen has come to appreciate what that field means to the program. “It's a cumulative period of time where young kids see big-time games when they're in seventh and eighth and ninth and 10th grade and go, ‘Oh, I know that blue turf. I want to go there,’” Petersen said. Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here . AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-footballGreg Byrne, the University of Alabama's athletic director, received backlash on the internet after a misleading social media post. He outlined what he believed was the Crimson Tide's case to make the College Football Playoff, highlighting how the school needed to assess the difficulty of its non-conference schedule as its strength of schedule seemed to not reflect well in the CFP. The users of X hit Byrne with a to correct the record. Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Thanks for the feedback.
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READER POLL: Do you think Maryland’s budget shortfall could be reduced by cutting government waste and fraud?There is more NBA Cup action taking place on Friday, Nov. 22 and among the eight games taking place, there is one involving the New Orleans Pelicans welcoming the Golden State Warriors to Smoothie King Center in New Orleans. The game is scheduled to start at 7:30 p.m. EST and will be broadcast on ESPN and ESPN Deportes . Fans looking to watch this NBA game can do so for free by using FuboTV and DirecTV Stream, which both offer a free trial or with SlingTV, which doesn’t offer a free trial but has promotional offers available . The Pelicans are 1-1 in NBA Cup games so far and only 4-11 overall. However, three of those wins have come at home, including their win over the Denver Nuggets last week in an NBA Cup matchup. The Warriors are 11-3 on the season and 2-0 and at the top of the group for the NBA Cup. Who: Golden State Warriors vs. New Orleans Pelicans When: Friday, Nov. 22 at 7:30 p.m. EST Where: Smoothie King Center in New Orleans Stream: FuboTV (free trial) ; Sling ; DirecTV Stream (free trial) Betting: Check out our MA sports betting guide , where you can learn basic terminology, definitions and how to read odds for those interested in learning how to bet in Massachusetts. More College Football What is FuboTV? FuboTV is an internet television service that offers more than 200 channels across sports and entertainment including Paramount+ with SHOWTIME . From the UEFA Champions League to the WNBA to international tournaments ranging across sports, there’s plenty of options available on FuboTV, which offers a free trial, and $20 off the first month for new costumers. What is DirecTV Stream? DirecTV Stream offers practically everything DirecTV provides, except for a remote and a streaming device to connect to your television. Sign up now and get three free months of premium channels including MAX , Paramount+ with SHOWTIME and Starz. What is SlingTV? SlingTV offers a variety of live programing ranging from news and sports and starting as low as $20 a month for your first month. Subscribers also get a month of DVR Plus free if they sign up now. Choose from a variety of sports packages without long-term contracts and with easy cancelation. RELATED CONTENT: Analysis: Some NBA teams know it’s time to shake out of early-season slides — or else By TIM REYNOLDS AP Basketball Writer MIAMI (AP) — Postgame interviews in the NBA typically start about 10 minutes after the final buzzer. Coaches usually speak first, followed by a few players. When a team wins, most people are in a great mood. When a team loses, not so much. That’s the normal routine. Things are not normal for Philadelphia right now. Philadelphia lost in Miami on Monday night, the 76ers wasting an early 19-point lead and falling 106-89. The game ended at 9:51 p.m. It took more than an hour for coach Nick Nurse to emerge for his postgame media session. The reason — a team meeting, because the 76ers had a lot to talk about after falling to 2-11 on the season. “Sorry for the delay,” Nurse said to the half-dozen or so reporters who waited out his arrival. He took questions like normal, then the locker room opened and a few players talked as well. There’s a lot of the season left. The first quarter of the 82-game marathon isn’t even over. It’s not time to start panicking. But some teams, quite frankly, know it’s time for things to get better — Philly atop that list. Since the NBA went to the current 16-team playoff format in 1984, there have been only four teams with losing records after 15 games that made it to the NBA Finals: San Antonio in 1998-99, Detroit in 2004-05, Boston in 2021-22 and Miami in 2022-23. They were all 7-8. That’s bad news for Milwaukee, Philadelphia and Miami — three teams that just haven’t hit anything close to their best stride yet. Injuries are a huge part of that; Khris Middleton hasn’t played yet for Milwaukee, Joel Embiid played Monday night for only the third time this season for the 76ers, and the Heat got Jimmy Butler back after more than a week Monday but were without Terry Rozier and Jaime Jaquez Jr. But the Heat are 6-7, the Bucks are 5-9 and 76ers are 2-11. And that’s not anywhere near what those clubs expected coming into the year, injuries or no. “There’s urgency there, for sure,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “If you look at in both conferences, there’s urgency throughout the conferences. And I think there’s parity. It brings out great competition. It brings out all these different emotions. You win a game, you feel like everything is great. You lose a game, you feel like the world is coming down. That’s what competition does, particularly when you’re jostling so competitively in the standings where there’s a lot of teams bunched up.” Philadelphia hasn’t scored 100 points in three of its last four games, hasn’t even reached 90 points in either of its last two games. And here’s a weird stat: the 76ers are 2-0 in overtime games this season, 0-11 in games that end after 48 minutes. “Listen, it’s obviously difficult, right? Don’t like the losing, that’s for sure,” Nurse said. “I mean, it doesn’t matter. The games are coming and we’ve got to figure some things out. We’ve got to play better. Got to get our guys on the floor. There’s a lot of things going on. But we’ve got to go out and play and somehow sustain. A lot of these games, there’s lots of very good moments for long, long stretches.” Cleveland and Boston have obviously separated themselves atop the Eastern Conference; the 15-0 Cavaliers visit the 11-3 Celtics in an NBA Cup game on Tuesday night. From there, the rest of the East — from Orlando at 9-6 to Philly in a group at 2-11 — are separated by just six games, with about a million games left to play. Nobody is out of it, certainly not a 76ers team that has Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, Paul George and an NBA champion point guard in Kyle Lowry. “I mean, 2-11 is pretty bad, of course,” Philly’s Jared McCain said. “But it’s still the beginning of the season. Least minutes played as a team together, so I say it all the time: Give us grace. We’ve got to get better.” To be fair, there was nothing that seemed to be shattered in the 76ers' locker room when the team meeting finally ended. No broken whiteboards, no signs of trouble, and many players were cracking jokes. “We had a meeting? I didn’t know,” Embiid said, which was his way of letting reporters know that he wasn’t going to spill the tea on anything that got said behind closed doors. He did concede, however, that he might need to be more aggressive going forward. The 76ers are figuring out how to make all the pieces fit, but Embiid knows they can’t keep going down this path. “We’ve got that record,” Embiid said, “and something needs to be done about it.” The Associated Press contributed to this article