
Politicians could face fines as deadline for election posters to be taken down passesLetter writers support Virginia's membership in RGGI, discuss foreign conflicts, oppose Trump's nominees and disagree with describing the United States as a Christian nation.
Democrats under fire for ‘excusing’ murder of UnitedHealthcare CEOCriminologist says Canada should better track foreign student departuresImphal (Manipur) [India], December 14 (AN): Assam Rifles continued its determined fight against the menace of poppy cultivation along the Indo-Myanmar border by successfully identifying and destroying 354 acres of illicit poppy fields in 2024. These operations took place primarily in the districts of Ukhrul, Churachandpur, and Chandel, officials said on Saturday. According to a release, in the year 2024, Assam Rifles, operating under the aegis of HQ IGAR (South), continued its determined fight against the menace of poppy cultivation along the Indo-Myanmar border. Also Read | Manipur: 2 Migrant Workers From Bihar Shot Dead by Gunmen in Kakching District. By eliminating poppy fields and striking at the roots of narco-trade, Assam Rifles has reaffirmed its commitment towards ensuring stability and security in Manipur and beyond. The battle against poppy cultivation has been a consistent priority for Assam Rifles, as reflected in its sustained efforts over the years. In 2020 the force identified a staggering 8057 acres of poppy fields, of which 1695 acres were destroyed. Also Read | Maharashtra Cabinet Expansion: BJP To Keep Home Ministry, Shiv Sena May Get Housing Ministry; NCP To Retain Previous Portfolios. This trend of rigorous action continued in subsequent years with 5610 acres identified and 1976 acres destroyed in 2021. The force intensified its operations in 2022 identifying 494 acres and destroying 715 acres, including previously undiscovered patches. In 2023, 1735 acres were identified and 1488 acres were eradicated. By 2024 the area of identified poppy fields had declined significantly, reflecting the success of the State and Central Government's and Security Forces' multi-pronged strategy, the press release noted. Assam Rifles actively coordinated with state and central agencies, including the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), Manipur Police and other CAPFs deployed in the area. The NCB, as the nodal agency for drug enforcement under the Ministry of Home Affairs, ensured synergy among all stakeholders during operations, especially during the opium harvesting seasons. Joint operations have focused on curbing cultivation, disrupting supply chains and dismantling the networks sustaining the illicit drug trade, as per the press release. Assam Rifles deftly incorporated advanced technology, such as drone surveillance in identifying poppy fields in inaccessible terrains. These high-tech measures are complemented by actionable intelligence from local communities and inputs from civil society organizations (CSOs). The Leveraging of Technology and Community Support has significantly enhanced the effectiveness of operations, ensuring a swift and targeted approach. Beyond destruction campaigns, Assam Rifles has also prioritised addressing the socio-economic factors driving poppy cultivation. Under its "Drug-Free Manipur" initiative, the Force has conducted extensive awareness drives to educate communities about the perils of drug addiction and the risks associated with illegal farming. Through regular interactions with villagers and local leaders, the force has actively promoted sustainable livelihood options, encouraging a shift toward legitimate and long-term economic activities, the press release said. Assam Rifles' zero-tolerance policy against narcotics-related activities has led to legal actions against defaulters, including cultivators and financiers. These measures, combined with efforts to restrict cross-border narcotics trafficking, have disrupted the infrastructure supporting poppy cultivation. "As 2024 concludes, Assam Rifles reaffirms its dedication to combating narco-trade and ensuring stability in the region. Through unwavering resolve and continued collaboration with State and Central Agencies, the Force remains committed towards creating a safer, prosperous, and drug-free future for Manipur and its people", the release added. (ANI) (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Middle East latest: UN General Assembly demands a ceasefire in GazaBy MICHELLE L. PRICE WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — An online spat between factions of Donald Trump’s supporters over immigration and the tech industry has thrown internal divisions in his political movement into public display, previewing the fissures and contradictory views his coalition could bring to the White House. The rift laid bare the tensions between the newest flank of Trump’s movement — wealthy members of the tech world including billionaire Elon Musk and fellow entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy and their call for more highly skilled workers in their industry — and people in Trump’s Make America Great Again base who championed his hardline immigration policies. The debate touched off this week when Laura Loomer , a right-wing provocateur with a history of racist and conspiratorial comments, criticized Trump’s selection of Sriram Krishnan as an adviser on artificial intelligence policy in his coming administration. Krishnan favors the ability to bring more skilled immigrants into the U.S. Loomer declared the stance to be “not America First policy” and said the tech executives who have aligned themselves with Trump were doing so to enrich themselves. Much of the debate played out on the social media network X, which Musk owns. Loomer’s comments sparked a back-and-forth with venture capitalist and former PayPal executive David Sacks , whom Trump has tapped to be the “White House A.I. & Crypto Czar.” Musk and Ramaswamy, whom Trump has tasked with finding ways to cut the federal government , weighed in, defending the tech industry’s need to bring in foreign workers. It bloomed into a larger debate with more figures from the hard-right weighing in about the need to hire U.S. workers, whether values in American culture can produce the best engineers, free speech on the internet, the newfound influence tech figures have in Trump’s world and what his political movement stands for. Trump has not yet weighed in on the rift, and his presidential transition team did not respond to a message seeking comment. Musk, the world’s richest man who has grown remarkably close to the president-elect , was a central figure in the debate, not only for his stature in Trump’s movement but his stance on the tech industry’s hiring of foreign workers. Technology companies say H-1B visas for skilled workers, used by software engineers and others in the tech industry, are critical for hard-to-fill positions. But critics have said they undercut U.S. citizens who could take those jobs. Some on the right have called for the program to be eliminated, not expanded. Born in South Africa, Musk was once on an a H-1B visa himself and defended the industry’s need to bring in foreign workers. “There is a permanent shortage of excellent engineering talent,” he said in a post. “It is the fundamental limiting factor in Silicon Valley.” Related Articles National Politics | Should the U.S. increase immigration levels for highly skilled workers? National Politics | Trump threat to immigrant health care tempered by economic hopes National Politics | In states that ban abortion, social safety net programs often fail families National Politics | Court rules Georgia lawmakers can subpoena Fani Willis for information related to her Trump case National Politics | New 2025 laws hit hot topics from AI in movies to rapid-fire guns Trump’s own positions over the years have reflected the divide in his movement. His tough immigration policies, including his pledge for a mass deportation, were central to his winning presidential campaign. He has focused on immigrants who come into the U.S. illegally but he has also sought curbs on legal immigration , including family-based visas. As a presidential candidate in 2016, Trump called the H-1B visa program “very bad” and “unfair” for U.S. workers. After he became president, Trump in 2017 issued a “Buy American and Hire American” executive order , which directed Cabinet members to suggest changes to ensure H-1B visas were awarded to the highest-paid or most-skilled applicants to protect American workers. Trump’s businesses, however, have hired foreign workers, including waiters and cooks at his Mar-a-Lago club , and his social media company behind his Truth Social app has used the the H-1B program for highly skilled workers. During his 2024 campaign for president, as he made immigration his signature issue, Trump said immigrants in the country illegally are “poisoning the blood of our country” and promised to carry out the largest deportation operation in U.S. history. But in a sharp departure from his usual alarmist message around immigration generally, Trump told a podcast this year that he wants to give automatic green cards to foreign students who graduate from U.S. colleges. “I think you should get automatically, as part of your diploma, a green card to be able to stay in this country,” he told the “All-In” podcast with people from the venture capital and technology world. Those comments came on the cusp of Trump’s budding alliance with tech industry figures, but he did not make the idea a regular part of his campaign message or detail any plans to pursue such changes.
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China on Friday unveiled a new amphibious assault ship equipped to launch fighter jets, aiming to enhance the navy's combat capabilities in distant waters. The Sichuan, the first ship of the 076 type, is China's largest such ship yet, displacing 40,000 tons and equipped with an electromagnetic catapult that will allow fighter jets to launch directly off its deck, according to the official Xinhua news agency. The ship is designed to launch ground troops in landing crafts and provide them with air support. Developed by Chinese researchers, it's also equipped with an "arrestor technology” that allows fighter jets to land on its deck. China's first amphibious assault ship, the type 075, was launched in 2019. China’s People’s Liberation Army Navy, or PLAN, has been working on modernizing its forces for more than a decade, with the aim of being able to operate globally rather than being restricted to waters near the Chinese mainland. China first managed to launch fighter jets with the new electromagnetic technology on its indigenously made aircraft carrier, the Fujian, which launched two years ago. Chinese military expert Song Zhongping compared the Sichuan to a "light aircraft carrier,” according to the Global Times. The ship will undergo further testing, including sea trials. China has the largest navy in the world and is consistently trying to upgrade its fleet. Recently, researchers found that the country is working on designing a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, which would allow it to deploy its ships in distant waters without needing a base to refuel. The U.S. currently has 11 aircraft carriers, all nuclear-powered, allowing it to keep multiple strike groups deployed around the world at all times, including in the Asia-Pacific.Spurs travel to Premier League champions Manchester City on Saturday reeling from a disappointing home loss to Ipswich before the international break. The club’s problems have multiplied during the past fortnight with midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur handed a seven-match domestic ban on Monday and Cristian Romero (toe) joining a lengthy list of absentees. However, Postecoglou remains bullish about Tottenham’s progress and acutely aware of the scrutiny set to come his way if they stay 10th. “Christmas is a joyous occasion, irrespective, and I think it should be celebrated. If we’re still 10th then people won’t be happy, I won’t be happy, but we might not be 10th,” Postecoglou pointed out before nine games in 30 days. “Certainly for us I think it’s a significant period because you look at those games and we’ve got the league where we’ve got to improve our position and a couple of important European fixtures that can set us up for the back half of the year, also a Carabao Cup quarter-final. “At the end of that period we could be in a decent position for a strong second half of the year, so for us it is an important period. “You know there’s no more international breaks, so the full focus is here. You can build some momentum through that, or if things don’t go well you could get yourself into a bit of a grind. Ready for #MCITOT 👊 Go behind the scenes of training ahead of our trip to Manchester 🎥⤵️ pic.twitter.com/4jFZTCIwSz — Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) November 22, 2024 “Of course if we had beaten Ipswich, we’d be third and I reckon this press conference would be much different wouldn’t it? “I’m not going to let my life be dictated by one result, I’m sorry. I take a wider perspective on these things because I know how fickle it can be, but we need to address our position for sure. “And if we’re 10th at Christmas, yeah it won’t be great. There’d be a lot of scrutiny and probably a lot of scrutiny around me, which is fair enough, but that’s not where I plan for us to be.” Tottenham’s immediate efforts to move up the table will require them ending City’s two-year unbeaten home run in the Premier League. The champions have lost their last four matches in all competitions, but have some key personnel back for Saturday’s clash and will aim to toast Pep Guardiola’s new contract with a victory. Postecoglou was pleased to see Guardiola commit to a further two seasons in England, adding: “I love the fact that there’s a massive target out there that can seem insurmountable. “I look at it the other way. I go, ‘imagine if you knock him off, that’d be something’. “I’m at the stage of my life where I’d rather have the chance of knocking him off than missing that opportunity. “When greatness is around, you want to be around it. And hopefully it challenges you to be like that as well.” Saturday’s fixture will be Postecoglou’s 50th league game in charge of Spurs and he knows what is required to bring up three figures. A post shared by Premier League (@premierleague) “No European football, significant player turnover, change of playing style. Where did I think we’d be after 50 games? God knows. “It could have been a whole lot worse, but when you look at it in the current prism of we’re 10th, you’re going ‘it doesn’t look good’ and I understand that and we have to improve that. “But over the 50 games, I think there’s enough there that shows we are progressing as a team and we are developing into the team we want. “The key is the next 50 games, if they can be in totality better than the first 50? First, that means I’m here but second, I think we’ll be in a good space.”A South Korean legislative push to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol over his short-lived imposition of martial law fell through on Saturday after most lawmakers from his conservative governing party boycotted the vote. The defeat of the motion is expected to intensify public protests calling for Yoon's ouster and deepen political chaos in South Korea, with a survey suggesting a majority of South Koreans support the president's impeachment. Yoon's martial law declaration drew criticism from his own ruling conservative party, but it is also determined to oppose Yoon's impeachment apparently because it fears losing the presidency to liberals. Impeaching Yoon required support from two-thirds of the National Assembly, or 200 of its 300 members. The opposition parties who brought the impeachment motion had 192 seats, but only three lawmakers from PPP participated in the vote. The motion was scrapped without ballot counting because the number of votes didn't reach 200. National Assembly Speaker Woo Won Shik called the result "very regrettable" and an embarrassing moment for the country's democracy that has been closely watched by the world. "The failure to hold a qualified vote on this matter means we were not even able to exercise the democratic procedure of deciding on a critical national issue," he said. People take part in a protest calling for the ouster of the South Korean president outside the National Assembly in Seoul on Saturday. Nearly 150,000 people attended the rally, demanding Yoon Suk Yeol step down. (Anthony Wallace/AFP/Getty Images) Opposition parties could submit a new impeachment motion after a new parliamentary session opens next Wednesday. South Korea's main opposition Democratic Party said it would not give up its attempt to impeach Yoon. But Yoon's People Power Party said it would find a "more orderly, responsible" way to resolve the crisis than impeachment of the president. There are worries that Yoon won't be able to serve out his remaining 21⁄2 years in office because his leadership took a huge hit. Many experts say some ruling party lawmakers could eventually join opposition parties' efforts to impeach Yoon if public demands for it grow further. If Yoon is impeached, his powers will be suspended until the Constitutional Court decides whether to remove him from office. If he is removed, an election to replace him must take place within 60 days. Members repeatedly called to vote Woo repeatedly urged ruling party members to return to the chamber to participate in the vote, waiting several hours for them to come. At one point, Democratic Party leaders visited a hall on the floor below the main chamber where PPP lawmakers were gathered, attempting to persuade them to vote. After being blocked from entering, they angrily accused the conservatives' leadership of preventing its lawmakers from voting freely. Earlier Saturday, Yoon issued a public apology over the martial law decree, saying he won't shirk legal or political responsibility for the declaration and promising not to make another attempt to impose martial law. He said would leave it to his party to chart a course through the country's political turmoil, "including matters related to my term in office." South Korea's president apologizes to nation for declaring martial law South Korea ruling party opposes impeachment despite its leader's stunning comments about president "The declaration of this martial law was made out of my desperation. But in the course of its implementation, it caused anxiety and inconveniences to the public. I feel very sorry over that and truly apologize to the people who must have been shocked a lot," Yoon said. Since taking office in 2022, Yoon has struggled to push his agenda through an opposition-controlled parliament and grappled with low approval ratings amid scandals involving himself and his wife. In his martial law announcement on Tuesday night, Yoon called parliament a "den of criminals" bogging down state affairs and vowed to eliminate "shameless North Korea followers and anti-state forces." The turmoil resulting from Yoon's bizarre and poorly-thought-out stunt has paralyzed South Korean politics and sparked alarm among key diplomatic partners like the U.S. and Japan. Troops had encircled parliament building Tuesday night saw special forces troops encircling the parliament building and army helicopters hovering over it, but the military withdrew after the National Assembly unanimously voted to overturn the decree, forcing Yoon to lift it before daybreak Wednesday. The declaration of martial law was the first of its kind in more than 40 years in South Korea. Eighteen lawmakers from the ruling party voted to reject Yoon's martial law decree along with opposition lawmakers. Yoon's speech fuelled speculation that he and his party may push for a constitutional amendment to shorten his term, instead of accepting impeachment, as a way to ease public anger over the marital law and facilitate Yoon's early exit from office. WATCH | An end to Yoon's presidency? Aborted martial law in South Korea 'probably heralds the end of Yoon's presidency': analyst 4 days ago Duration 5:02 Jeremy Chan, senior analyst for China and Northeast Asia at Eurasia Group, says South Korean President's Yoon Suk Yeol's tenure is likely at risk after lawmakers including members of his own party unanimously rejected his declaration of martial law. Yoon's term was set to end in 2027, but he is likely to face direct impeachment articles in the coming weeks, Chan says. Lee Jae-myung, the leader of the main liberal opposition Democratic Party, told reporters that Yoon's speech was "greatly disappointing" and that the only way forward is his immediate resignation or impeachment. His party called Yoon's martial law "unconstitutional, illegal rebellion or coup." The passage of Yoon's impeachment motion appeared more likely Friday when the chair of Yoon's party called for his removal on Friday, but the party remained formally opposed to impeachment. On Saturday, tens of thousands of people densely packed several blocks of roads leading up to the National Assembly, waving banners, shouting slogans and dancing and singing along to K-pop songs with lyrics changed to call for Yoon's ouster. Protesters also gathered in front of PPP's headquarters near the Assembly, angrily shouting for its lawmakers to vote to impeach Yoon. Protesters take part in a demonstration against the president late Saturday in Seoul. President Yoon Suk Yeol has been under fire following his controversial declaration of martial law, which sparked widespread public outrage and political turmoil. (Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images) A smaller crowd of Yoon's supporters, which still seemed to be in the thousands, rallied in separate streets in Seoul, decrying the impeachment attempt they saw as unconstitutional. Lawmakers on Saturday first voted on a bill appointing a special prosecutor to investigate stock price manipulation allegations surrounding Yoon's wife. Some lawmakers from Yoon's party were seen leaving the hall after that vote, triggering angry shouts from opposition lawmakers. On Friday, PPP chair Han Dong-hun, who criticized Yoon's martial law declaration, said he had received intelligence that during the brief period of martial law Yoon ordered the country's defence counterintelligence commander to arrest and detain unspecified key politicians based on accusations of "anti-state activities." South Korean opposition parties submit motion to impeach president over martial law order South Korea's defence minister resigns after failed martial law push Hong Jang-won, first deputy director of South Korea's National Intelligence Service, told lawmakers in a closed-door briefing Friday that Yoon had ordered him to help the defence counterintelligence unit to detain key politicians. The targeted politicians included Han, Lee and Woo, according to Kim Byung-kee, one of the lawmakers who attended the meeting. People at a railway station in Seoul gather to watch a live television address from South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol on Saturday. The president apologized for causing a public stir by declaring martial law and promised there will not be a second martial law declaration. (Kim Soo-hyeon/Reuters) The Defence Ministry said Friday it suspended three military commanders including the head of the defence counterintelligence unit over their involvement in enforcing martial law. Vice-Defence Minister Kim Seon Ho has told parliament that Defence Minister Kim Yong Hyun ordered the deployment of troops to the National Assembly after Yoon imposed martial law. Opposition parties accused Kim of recommending to Yoon to enforce martial law. Kim resigned Thursday, and prosecutors imposed an overseas travel ban on him.
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