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betfred youtube Pittsburgh’s much-discussed “purple parking spots” are here to stay. City Council gave final approval on Monday to continue the city’s smart loading zone program indefinitely. The program created special loading-zone parking spots intended for short-term pickups as well as loading and unloading, with a different pricing structure than regular parking spaces. A pilot of the program began in 2022, and there are currently 55 purple-marked spots around the city. Most are located at curbs where regular, unpaid loading zones previously existed. The spots use cameras from Los Angeles-based tech startup Automotus that automatically record drivers’ license plates and send bills or tickets in the mail. The program’s goal has been to incentivize parking turnover and create easy access to curb space for delivery drivers. Initially, the program was funded through grant money, some of which came from the federal Department of Energy. It will now be funded through an agreement between the city and the Pittsburgh Parking Authority, under which the program’s incoming revenue will fund its continued operation. What's been the progress so far? Rylan Seifert, curbside program manager with the Department of Mobility and Infrastructure, said the program has proved successful. “This has been a great pilot for us,” he said, adding that officials had been “taking to heart the feedback that we've gotten from the businesses, adjusting things as they go. “This is a program that we're really proud of, and now [it’s] kind of in a good policy place to make [it] be permanent,” he added. “We're excited to see how it continues to grow.” Drivers can park for 15 minutes for free in a purple spot. Any longer than that, and their vehicle must be registered online to pay fees for the additional time. If a driver’s vehicle isn’t registered, they may receive a $40 ticket, the same as for unpaid parking in a regular parking spot. Registered drivers are limited to parking one hour in the same spot — a timeframe reduced from the two-hour limit used during the pilot period. According to Seifert, between 75% and 85% of people parking in purple spaces stay for less than 15 minutes. An additional 10% of motorists park for over 15 minutes, and pay through the automated program. Approximately 10% are people who haven’t registered online and who receive a ticket. Tickets may also be issued if someone parks for longer than the maximum, or obstructs the road by “double parking” in the roadway near the spot. Seifert said the program has so far reduced double parking by 95% near the purple spots. Councilor Barb Warwick is no stranger to the sort of risky road behavior the program is intended to combat. Double parking, she said, can be particularly dangerous, as it clogs up traffic and presents a hassle for other people trying to get through. “People were parking using the loading zones as regular parking spots. And we don't necessarily have the capacity to enforce and ticket those cars all day, all the time,” she said. “So the result was that the businesses that needed those spots in order for large deliveries, or people just running in to pick up food, or delivery drivers coming to pick up orders did not have access to those spots." The reduction in double parking improves traffic safety too, she added. “Having big delivery trucks stop in the middle of Murray Avenue or Forbes Avenue or somewhere downtown so that they can do their deliveries is unsafe,” she said. “It also clogs up traffic. So these loading zones have been very successful in mitigating that.” Future of the program Not everyone has been a fan of the purple parking spots. While some businesses have asked for the spots, some other local businesses have complained that they make entering or loading at their building more difficult. Others have asked for better communication around the spots’ installation. Seifert says DOMI has met with business owners near the spots, and held community meetings about the program. The change to a 15-minute grace period starting earlier this year was a result of feedback from these interactions. Before a purple parking spot is installed, he said, the city talks with the business owners nearby, and will “take it to heart” if a business says it doesn’t want a spot there. “We've been listening to the feedback that we've been getting from the businesses and we’re happy to have those conversations as the program goes on,” he said. The city plans to examine potentially removing some of the spots based on “performance indicators,” Seifert said. The program may also add more spots as the city receives requests from businesses. More education also may be needed to make sure Pittsburghers know how the program works, Seifert said. “I think we need to get people used to the idea that if they are just dropping off some dry cleaning or if they’re just picking up some dinner, that's also a loading activity,” he said. “And if they're doing that quickly and they're in and out in 15 minutes, that's a proper use of that curb space. What we don't want to see is people using that as a free parking space and parking there for eight hours.” The program has also given the city a dry-run for its upcoming automated red light enforcement program, which will also use license plate reading technology and mail billing. “We were able to use this program to kind of test out working out ticket-by-mail, work through some of the technological kinks in those things, before we scale up,” Seifert said.Local authorities have reported that at least 25 people, most of them Shi’a, were killed on November 22 in fresh sectarian violence in a tribal region of northwest Pakistan long known as a hotspot of Shi’ite-Sunni conflict. The deaths in the Kurram district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province came just two days after dozens of people were killed when gunmen opened fire on a convoy of vehicles in the Sunni-majority district. Speaking to RFE/RL’s Radio Mashaal on November 23, Kurram district administrative head Javedullah Mehsud said the renewed clashes erupted unexpectedly and the authorities could not respond in sufficient numbers to control them. Other news agencies, citing local officials, reported that at least 32 people had died and 47 were wounded in the violence on November 22. Locals in the Bagan area of the district told Radio Mashaal that an angry mob of hundreds of Shi’a set several shops and homes on fire. Locals in the predominantly Sunni area claimed that some inhabitants were unaccounted for. Local Shi'ite leader Malik Dildar Hussain told Radio Mashaal that Shi’a have frequently come under attack in the area. On November 21, at least 50 people, including several women and children, were killed and more than 40 wounded when gunmen opened fire on November 21 on a police-escorted convoy of 200 vehicles carrying Shi'ite Muslims. The convoy was traveling from the provincial capital, Peshawar, to Parachinar, the capital city of the Kurram district. The threat of additional violence led local authorities to impose a curfew on November 22 and to suspend mobile telecommunications services in the remote mountainous district. Local leaders told RFE/RL that most of those killed in the renewed violence on November 22 were Shi'a, but at least four Sunnis were also among the dead. No group has taken responsibility for the attack. RFE/RL correspondents on the ground reported on November 22 that heavily armed people set fire to a military checkpoint in the area overnight. In Parachinar, witnesses reported seeing dozens of angry people armed with automatic weapons gathering amid reports that several other facilities of the Pakistani Army and the paramilitary Frontier Constabulary had been attacked and destroyed. RFE/RL correspondents reported hearing heavy gunfire. Jamshed Shirazi, a social activist in Parachinar, told RFE/RL that several government installations were damaged by the mob. "People are expressing their anger by attacking government offices," Shirazi said. Jalal Hussain Bangash, a local Shi'ite leader, voiced dismay at the violence during a Friday Prayers sermon on November 22 and said that Shi'a had nothing to do with the ensuing violence, RFE/RL correspondents on the ground reported. Hamid Hussain, a lawmaker from Kurram in the national parliament, was adamant that the violence was the work of provocateurs. "We are helpless. Neither Shi'a nor Sunnis are involved in this. This is [the result of] some other invisible forces who do not want to see peace in the area," Hussain told RFE/RL. Sectarian tensions have risen over the past several months in the Kurram district, which was formerly semiautonomous. Seventeen people were killed in an attack on a convoy on October 12, and there have been a handful of deadly attacks since then. Sunnis and Shi'a living in Kurram have clashed over land, forests, and other property as well as religion over the years, despite government and law enforcement efforts to build peace. Minority Shi'ite Muslims have long suffered discrimination and violence in Sunni-majority Pakistan. Russia has included the territories it occupies in Ukraine in its recent greenhouse gas inventory report to the United Nations, drawing protests from Ukrainian officials and activists at the COP29 climate summit in Baku. The move by Moscow comes as Russian President Vladimir Putin eyes potential peace deal negotiations with incoming U.S. President Donald Trump that could decide the fate of vast swaths of territory. "We see that Russia is using international platforms to legalize their actions, to legalize their occupation of our territory," Ukraine's Deputy Environmental Minister Olha Yukhymchuk told Reuters. She said Ukraine is in touch with officials from the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the UN's main climate body, to ask it to resolve the dispute. Russia had already included emissions from Ukraine's Crimea region, annexed in 2014, in its last few reporting submissions to the UNFCCC. The Moscow-friendly Georgian Dream party, fresh off a contested victory in parliamentary elections last month that ignited calls for fresh polls and pro-EU demonstrations in Tbilisi, is preparing to hold its first parliamentary session on November 25. In comments to RFE/RL, Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili said that foreign diplomats would not be invited to attend the opening session, saying it “should only be celebrated by the Georgian people." EU and other Western officials have expressed serious doubts about the October 26 elections in which Georgian Dream officially won 53.9 percent of the vote. Opposition leaders this week called on foreign diplomats not to legitimize the new parliament by attending the first session of parliament. Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili has refused to recognize the result validated by the country’s Central Election Committee (CEC), and protests demanding new elections continue to be held in the country’s capital. Protesters have alleged that there was widespread fraud during the campaign and vote, and that Russia heavily influenced the outcome favoring Georgian Dream, which has been in power since 2012. In recent days, Georgian police have shut down the demonstrations, including through the use of violence on November 19. Video footage by RFE/RL correspondents in Tbilisi showed police dragging people to the ground, including women, and beating them before taking them away. The same day, Zurabishvili filed a lawsuit in the Constitutional Court "requesting annulment of the election results as unconstitutional.” The first item on the agenda for the opening session, which will be attended by the head of the CEC, will be recognizing the authority of all 150 parliament members. Georgia has been a candidate for EU membership since last year, but a "foreign influence" law and anti-LGBT measures enacted under Georgian Dream’s leadership have stalled that effort. The United States in July announced that it would pause more than $95 million in assistance to the Georgian government, warning it that it was backsliding on democracy. U.S. President-elect Donald Trump is considering tapping Richard Grenell, his former intelligence chief, to be a special envoy for the Russia-Ukraine conflict, according to four sources familiar with the transition plans. Grenell, who served as Trump's ambassador to Germany, as special envoy to Serbia-Kosovo talks, and was acting director of national intelligence during Trump's 2017-2021 term, would play a key role in Trump's efforts to halt the war if he is ultimately selected for the post. While there is currently no special envoy dedicated solely to resolving the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Trump is considering creating the role, according to the four sources. Grenell has advocated for the creation of "autonomous zones" as a means of settling the conflict. He also suggested he would not be in favor of Ukraine joining the North Atlantic Treaty Organization in the immediate future. EU Parliament President Roberta Metsola supports the use of long-range missiles by Ukraine in its defense against Russia's full-scale invasion and said Germany should quickly deliver its long-range Taurus system to the embattled country. Metsola, in an interview published on November 23 by the Funke Mediengruppe newspapers, said "yes," when asked whether countries providing long-range missiles to Ukraine should allow it to use them against targets in Russia -- and whether Germany should deliver its Taurus weapons system to Ukraine. Chancellor Olaf Scholz, a Social Democrat, has been staunchly opposed to sending Taurus missiles to Ukraine. His coalition partners, the pro-business Free Democrats and the Greens, however, are in favor of sending Kyiv the missiles. Austria has dropped its long-standing veto to Bulgaria and Romania joining the passport free Schengen zone, opening the door to their accession next year. The breakthrough development was announced on November 22 by the Hungarian presidency of the EU Council, which hosted a meeting in Budapest with the interior ministers of Romania, Bulgaria, and Austria. The EU will meet with the two candidate countries to finalize a joint security package at a meeting on December 11-12. The two countries could become Schengen members in January. “Bulgaria and Romania belong fully to the Schengen area. I welcome the positive outcome of informal discussions in Budapest today.” Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, said in a tweet following the announcement. The addition of Bulgaria and Romania will expand the Schengen zone to 28 states, including 24 EU members. Ireland and Cyprus will remain the only EU members not part of the Schengen Area. Bulgarians and Romanians currently are not permitted to travel freely into other Schengen member states over land borders. Early this year, they received the right to travel freely by air and sea in the first concession by Vienna. After the meeting in Budapest, Hungarian Interior Minister Sandor Pinter told media that the agreement to be signed next month includes the establishment of a special contingent of at least 100 border police officers on the Turkish-Bulgarian border. Hungary will contribute to the full deployment of the officers and provide the necessary technical equipment to ensure effective protection of the border, he said. Pinter expressed confidence that the issue could be resolved by December 31. EU Commissioner for Home Affairs Ylva Johansson said a January accession date is a realistic goal. Yekaterina Neroznikova, a journalist and member of the Marem human rights group, is facing administrative charges in Russia for her alleged involvement with an "undesirable organization." The charges stem from Neroznikova's participation in an interview with RFE/RL earlier this year, where she discussed the high-profile abduction of Seda Suleimanova, a native of Chechnya. The administrative protocol was filed with the Zhukovsky City Court in Moscow Oblast on November 15, with a hearing scheduled for November 26. Neroznikova, who left Russia following the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, disclosed the development to the OVD-Info human rights group, a prominent watchdog monitoring political persecution in Russia. The case against Neroznikova is linked to her April 2024 appearance on RFE/RL’s program Human Rights Are A Right. During the program, she discussed the abduction of Suleimanova, who was forcibly taken from St. Petersburg in August 2023 by local police and Chechen operatives. Suleimanova, who fled Chechnya in 2022 because of pressure being put on her to agree to a forced marriage, has been missing since September last year. The charges against Neroznikova are seen as part of Russia’s broader crackdown on dissent and press freedom. Suleimanova's case has prompted global protests and solidarity campaigns highlighting ongoing human rights concerns in Chechnya and Russia in general. According to Neroznikova, a man identifying himself as an officer of the Interior Ministry contacted her relatives last week before reaching out to her directly. He informed her of the administrative charges, citing her commentary on RFE/RL as the reason. RFE/RL's Russian Service and its multiple projects in the Russian language were designated as "undesirable organizations" in Russia in February 2024, making any association with them punishable under Russian law. Participation in the activities of an “undesirable organization” in Russia can result in fines of up to 15,000 rubles for individuals. Repeat offenses within a year can escalate to criminal charges, carrying penalties of up to four years in prison. Suleimanova's case has drawn international attention. In 2022, she fled her family in Chechnya to avoid an arranged marriage and persistent conflicts. In August 2023, she was abducted in St. Petersburg by individuals including local police and plainclothes Chechen security officers. She was taken to her family in Chechnya, and no information about her whereabouts has been available since September 2023. An investigation into Suleimanova’s disappearance was launched in March 2024 following thousands of public appeals. Despite the family's claims that she left home again in February, observers remain skeptical, citing conflicting statements made by her relatives. Russian President Vladimir Putin said the country's new intermediate-range ballistic missile, a nuclear-capable weapon, will continue to be tested, including in combat conditions, as Moscow struck several Ukrainian regions with other, less powerful weapons. "We will continue these tests, including in combat conditions, depending on the situation and the nature of the security threats that are created for Russia," Putin said on November 22 at a meeting with Defense Ministry officials and military-industrial complex officials. The Kremlin leader also called for serial production of the large missile to begin. Russia launched the so-called Oreshnik ballistic missile against Ukraine on November 21 in a strike targeting the city of Dnipro. Putin said at the time it was part of Moscow's response to Ukrainian attacks on Russian soil with U.S.-supplied ATACMS and British-supplied Storm Shadow missiles. The use of the Oreshnik "is first and foremost a messaging and saber rattling kind of weapon. This is the sort of delivery system that's not cheap. It's not a battlefield sort of weapon," Tom Karako, a missile defense expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, told RFE/RL. Putin added on November 22 that the Oreshnik is new and not an upgrade of previous Soviet-designed weaponry. The United States said the new missile is “experimental” and based on Russia’s RS-26 Rubezh intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). Ukraine initially accused Russia of having used an ICBM in the Dnipro attack. An ICBM has never been used in a war. Strategic Weapons Russia has been striking Ukraine with Iskanders, ground-launched, short-range ballistic missiles, and Kinzhals, air-launched, intermediate-range ballistic missiles, as well as various cruise missiles. Russia probably only has several units of the Oreshnik in stock, a U.S. official told media following the November 21 strike. Ukraine's military intelligence put the figure at up to 10 units. If Russia were to move forward with serial production of the Oreshnik, it would be for its nuclear force posture and not for use in a conventional war like the one with Ukraine, Karako said. "This is not an alternative to a cruise missile. It's probably designed for strategic weapons," he said. Zelenskiy's Response In his November 21 address to the nation announcing the use of the Oreshnik, Putin said that the missile traveled at a speed of Mach 10, or 2.5-3 kilometers per second, claiming that "there are currently no ways of counteracting this weapon." Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on November 22 that Ukraine was working on developing new types of air defenses to counter "new risks," a reference to missiles like the Oreshnik. In his nightly video address, Zelenskiy said testing a new weapon for the purposes of terror in another country was an "international crime" and called for a worldwide "serious response" to keep Russia from expanding the war. "When someone starts using other countries not only for terror, but also for testing their new missiles through acts of terror, then this is clearly an international crime." A lack of air defenses has been one of Ukraine's major weak spots in the 33-month war with Ukraine. Zelenskiy has called on the West to deliver more air defense systems since the first days of the invasion. He had also called on the West to ease restrictions preventing Ukraine from striking inside Russia with powerful long-range weapons. Zelenskiy said the deep strikes were necessary to target airfields critical for Russia's daily aerial attacks. The United States and the United Kingdom reportedly lifted the restrictions on November 17 with Ukraine using their long-range weapons -- ATACMS and Storm Shadow respectively -- to hit targets in Russia's regions of Belgorod and Kursk. Putin launched the Oreshnik into Ukraine to warn the West against arming Ukraine. Parliament Session Canceled Russia did not use the Oreshnik to strike Ukraine during another deadly air attack on November 22. Two people were killed and 12 wounded in Russian strikes on Sumy, Artem Kobzar, the mayor of the northeastern Ukrainian city, reported in a video statement on Telegram. The Ukrainian Air Force said Russian drone attacks were under way in four regions -- Sumy, Kyiv, Chernihiv, and Zhytomyr. In the capital, which has been on edge for several days amid intense Russian attacks on Ukraine, lawmakers were advised to avoid the government district on November 22 and parliament canceled a scheduled session due to warnings of a potential missile strike. "We were informed about the risk of a missile strike on the Verkhovna Rada in Kyiv in the coming days. Putin has significantly raised the stakes . Tomorrow's parliamentary session is canceled," lawmaker Taras Batenko said. Oleksiy Honcharenko, another lawmaker, said on Telegram that the next session was now planned for December, although parliament leaders have not officially commented on the warnings. Zelenskiy's office assured the public that the presidential administration would continue operating "as usual" on November 22. The Russian Supreme Court has declared the international organization Post-Russia Free Nations Forum a terrorist group, the latest move in the Kremlin's clampdown on any sign of dissent. The organization, founded in Poland in 2022, has been accused of promoting separatism and aiming to disband the Russian Federation into independent states under foreign influence. Russia is a multiethnic state comprised of more than 80 regions, many of which have large indigenous populations, such as Chechnya and Tatarstan. Since coming to power in 1999, Russian President Vladimir Putin has centralized authority, curtailing the autonomy that some ethnic regions enjoyed. Russia's invasion of Ukraine and its attempt to wipe out Ukrainian identity has shone a bright light on the Kremlin's historical mistreatment of its own indigenous populations and triggered a "decolonization" movement that seeks to give more prominence to ethnic groups within Russian historical and cultural studies. The case against the Post-Russia Free Nations Forum was launched in late October by the Prosecutor-General’s Office, which cited its activities as a threat to Russia’s territorial integrity and national security. In its statement, the Prosecutor General’s Office alleged that the forum operates through 172 regional and national entities, including the Baltic Republican Party, the Ingria Movement, the Congress of Peoples of the North Caucasus, the Free Yakutia Foundation, and the Far Eastern Confederation. The office claims these groups are directed by exiled leaders of separatist movements. “These leaders aim to divide the Russian Federation into independent states that would fall under the influence of hostile foreign countries,” the Prosecutor-General’s Office stated on its official website. The Post-Russia Free Nations Forum is registered in Poland and describes itself as a civic movement advocating for greater regional autonomy within Russia, with some members supporting full independence for regions. On its website and social media platforms, the organization also uses variations of its name, such as the Post-Russia Free States Forum. Ukrainian businessman Oleh Mahaletskiy positions himself as one of the founders of the group and is believed to be a major sponsor. The group’s activities have included discussions on decentralization and independence, with notable speakers such as the noted Tatar activist Nafis Kashapov, Bashkir activist Ruslan Gabbasov, Russian opposition politician Ilya Ponomaryov, U.S. political analyst Janusz Bugajski, and others. Following the November 22 terrorist designation by the Supreme Court, all activities of the Post-Russia Free Nations Forum are now banned in Russia. Membership or association with the group is subject to criminal prosecution under Russian anti-terrorism laws. Critics of the ruling argue that the designation reflects a broader crackdown on dissent and regional autonomy movements in Russia. They note that the Forum primarily operates abroad and online, raising questions about the ruling’s effectiveness outside Russian borders. The Forum has not yet responded to the court’s decision. Observers suggest that this ruling may escalate tensions between Russia and countries hosting members of the organization, particularly Poland, where it is registered. The authoritarian ruler of Belarus, Alyaksandr Lukashenka, has threatened to shut down the Internet in the event of mass protests during or after the upcoming presidential election, after the previous vote in 2020 erupted in unprecedented unrest amid opposition allegations it was rigged. Speaking to students at Minsk State Linguistic University on November 22, Lukashenka defended past Internet restrictions and warned of future measures to throttle dissent. "If this happens again, we will shut it down entirely. Do you think I will sit idly and pray you don't send a message when the fate of the country is at stake?" state news agency BelTA quoted him as saying. Lukashenka admitted that Internet disruptions during the 2020 protests were conducted with his approval, citing the need to "protect the country." Following the August 9, 2020, election, which many Western governments have said was not free and fair, Internet access across Belarus was disrupted for several days and intermittently blocked. The disputed election that extended Lukashenka's decades of rule -- he has held power since 1994 -- for another term was widely condemned as fraudulent by the United States, the European Union, and other international actors. The protests, which demanded Lukashenka’s resignation, were met with mass arrests, alleged torture, and violent crackdowns that left several people dead. Many opposition leaders remain imprisoned or in exile, while Lukashenka refuses dialogue with his critics. The next presidential election in Belarus is scheduled for January 26. Alsu Kurmasheva, a journalist for RFE/RL's Tatar-Bashkir Service, was honored with the International Press Freedom Award by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) in a ceremony held in New York on November 21. Kurmasheva, who was recently released from detention in Russia after spending 288 days in custody, thanked the CPJ for its efforts toward gaining her freedom. "Journalism is not a crime," she said , noting that more than 20 journalists are currently imprisoned in Russia. Kurmasheva added that she was dedicating the award to her colleagues still imprisoned , including RFE/RL journalists Ihar Losik and Andrey Kuznechyk in Belarus, Vladislav Yesypenko in Crimea, and Farid Mehralizada in Azerbaijan. "My colleagues are not just statistics; like me they are real human beings with families who miss and love them. There are dozens of other journalists in Russian prisons. They should be released at once," Kurmasheva stressed . Other recipients of the award this year included Palestinian journalist Shorouq al-Aila, Guatemalan journalist Kimi de Leon, and Nigerien investigative journalist Samira Sabou, all recognized for their courage in the face of persecution. Detained by authorities in June 2023 as she was visiting relatives in the central Russian city of Kazan, Kurmasheva was initially charged with not declaring her U.S. passport. She was released but barred from leaving the country. That October, however, she was arrested, jailed, and charged with being an undeclared "foreign agent" -- under a draconian law targeting journalists, civil society activists, and others. She was later hit with an additional charge: distributing what the government claims is false information about the Russian military, a charge stemming from her work editing a book about Russians opposed to the ongoing invasion of Ukraine. RFE/RL, as well as the U.S. government, called the charges absurd. The prisoner exchange that came to fruition on August 1 included 24 people in all -- including Kurmasheva, Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gerskovich, and Russian political activist Vladimir Kara-Murza -- in a complex, seven-country deal. Religious tensions are on the rise in northwestern Pakistan following a deadly attack on a police-escorted convoy of Shi'ite Muslims that threatened to reignite sectarian violence in a strife-plagued region of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province. In the aftermath of the attack on the 200-vehicle convoy traveling from Peshawar to Parachinar, the capital city of the Kurram district, authorities on November 22 imposed a curfew and suspended mobile service in the remote mountainous district. RFE/RL correspondents on the ground reported on November 22 that heavily armed people set fire to a military checkpoint in the area overnight. In Parachinar, dozens of angry people carrying automatic weapons were gathering, amid reports that several other facilities of the Pakistani Army and the paramilitary Frontier Constabulary were attacked and destroyed, with RFE/RL correspondents reporting sounds of constant heavy gunfire. Jamshed Shirazi, a social activist in Parachinar, told RFE/RL that several government installations had been damaged by the angry protesters. "People are expressing their anger by attacking the government offices," Shirazi said. But Jalal Hussain Bangash, a local Shi'ite leader, voiced dismay at the violence during a Friday Prayer sermon on November 22 and said that Shi'a had nothing to do with the ensuing violence, RFE/RL correspondents on the ground report . Hamid Hussain, a lawmaker from Kurram in the national parliament, was adamant that the violence was the work of provocateurs. "We are helpless. Neither Shi'a nor Sunnis are involved in this. This is some other invisible forces who do not want to see peace in the area," Hussain told RFE/RL. At least 48 people, including several women and children, were killed and more than 40 wounded when gunmen opened fire on November 21 on the convoy of vehicles in the Kurram district of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province near the Afghan border. Local leaders told RFE/RL that most of those killed were Shi'a, but at least four Sunnis were also among the dead. No one has taken responsibility for the attack, the latest in a series of deadly confrontations in Kurram, long known as a hotspot of Shi'ite-Sunni sectarian conflict. Local tribal leader Malik Dildar Hussain told RFE/RL that there were about 700 people in the convoy. Tensions in Kurram began to heat up in the past several months, where clashes again erupted between Sunni and Shi'ite Muslim tribes in the area, which was formerly semiautonomous. On October 12, 17 people were killed in an attack on a convoy, and there have been a handful of deadly attacks since then. Sunnis and Shi'a live together in Kurram and have clashed violently over land, forests, and other property as well as religion over the years, despite government and law enforcement efforts to build peace. Minority Shi'ite Muslims have long suffered discrimination and violence in Sunni-majority Pakistan. Moscow launched another deadly attack on Ukraine on November 22, a day after firing what it said was a new intermediate-range missile that the Kremlin boasted was a " warning " for the West, after Kyiv reportedly obtained permission from President Joe Biden to strike into Russia with U.S. long-range missiles. Two people were killed and 12 wounded in Russian strikes on Sumy, Artem Kobzar, the mayor of the northeastern Ukrainian city, reported in a video statement on Telegram. Ukraine's air force said Russian drone attacks were under way in four regions -- Sumy, Kyiv, Chernihiv, and Zhytomyr. In the capital, which has been on edge for several days amid intense Russian attacks on Ukraine, lawmakers were advised to avoid the government district on November 22 and parliament canceled a scheduled session due to warnings of a potential missile strike. "We were informed about the risk of a missile strike on the Verkhovna Rada in Kyiv in the coming days. Putin has significantly raised the stakes . Tomorrow's parliamentary session is canceled," lawmaker Taras Batenko said, while lawmaker Oleksiy Honcharenko said on Telegram that the next session was now planned for December, although parliament leaders have not officially commented on the warnings. The office of President Volodymyr Zelenskiy assured the public that it would continue operating "as usual" on November 22. On November 20, the U.S. Embassy in Ukraine warned of a significant Russian air attack, prompting the temporary closure of its operations. The embassies of Spain, Italy, and Greece also suspended services for the day. On November 21, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the "successful combat testing" of a new Oreshnik (Hazel Tree) intermediate-range ballistic missile amid the Kremlin's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Putin claimed the missile was used in a strike on Ukraine's eastern city of Dnipro, asserting it was a response to NATO’s "aggressive actions" and Ukraine’s use of Western-supplied missiles to target Russian territory. On November 22, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov reiterated that the test was a message to the West that Moscow will respond harshly to any "reckless" Western moves in support of Ukraine. "The main message is that the reckless decisions and actions of Western countries that produce missiles, supply them to Ukraine, and subsequently participate in strikes on Russian territory cannot remain without a reaction from the Russian side," Peskov told reporters. "The Russian side has clearly demonstrated its capabilities, and the contours of further retaliatory actions in the event that our concerns are not taken into account have been quite clearly outlined," he said. Ukraine's military intelligence said on November 22 that Russia may have up to 10 units of the new missile. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has invited his Israeli counterpart to visit Hungary, defying an arrest warrant for issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for Benjamin Netanyahu that other European states say they will honor. Orban, speaking during his regular weekly interview with Hungarian state radio, said on November 22 that the ICC's decision a day earlier to issue the warrant accusing Netanyahu of "crimes against humanity and war crimes" committed during the war in Gaza was "outrageously brazen" and "cynical." The ICC issued similar arrest warrants for former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and a Hamas military leader who Israel claims to have killed but whose death the U.S.- and EU-designated terrorist group has not officially acknowledged. The ICC said Netanyahu and Gallant were suspected of using "starvation as a method of warfare" by restricting humanitarian aid while targeting civilians in Israel's war in Gaza -- charges Israeli officials deny. Orban said the ICC move against Netanyahu "intervenes in an ongoing conflict...dressed up as a legal decision, but in fact for political purposes." "Later today, I will invite the Israeli prime minister, Mr. Netanyahu, to visit Hungary, where I will guarantee him, if he comes, that the judgment of the ICC will have no effect in Hungary, and that we will not follow its terms," he added. "There is no choice here, we have to defy this decision," Orban said. Shortly after the ICC decision was announced, the European Union's top diplomat, Josep Borrell, said ICC decisions "are binding on all states party to the Rome Statute, which includes all EU member states." However, the EU's most powerful members, Germany and France, on November 22 reacted with restraint to the ICC warrants. A spokesman said the German government will refrain from any moves until a visit to Germany by Netanyahu is planned. "I find it hard to imagine that we would make arrests on this basis," Steffen Hebestreit said on November 22, adding that legal questions had to be clarified about the warrant. In Paris, Foreign Ministry spokesman Christophe Lemoine only said that France acknowledged the ICC's move and voiced its support for the ICC's independence. "France takes note of this decision. True to its long-standing commitment to supporting international justice, it reiterates its attachment to the independent work of the court, in accordance with the Rome Statute," Lemoine said. Hungary, a NATO and European Union member state, has signed and ratified the 1999 document. However, it has not published the statute's associated convention and therefore argues that it is not bound to comply with ICC decisions. Netanyahu on November 22 thanked Orban for his show of "moral clarity." "Faced with the shameful weakness of those who stood by the outrageous decision against the right of the State of Israel to defend itself, Hungary" is "standing by the side of justice and truth," Netanyahu said in a statement. A right-wing nationalist in power since 2010, Orban has maintained close relations with Russian President Vladimir Putin and has voiced opposition to the EU's sanctions imposed on Moscow after its unprovoked invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Orban has previously said that Hungary would not arrest Putin either, despite the ICC arrest warrant issued on the Russian leader's name for war crimes for his role in deporting Ukrainian children. Furthermore, he flew to Moscow in July immediately after Hungary took over the EU's rotating six-month presidency to meet with Putin, in defiance of the fellow members of the bloc. Soltan Achilova, a veteran journalist and former RFE/RL correspondent in Turkmenistan, was forcibly hospitalized in Ashgabat on November 20 in what appears to be a move by the government to prevent her from flying to Geneva to receive an international award. According to the Chronicle of Turkmenistan website, four men in medical gowns arrived at the 75-year-old's apartment early that morning, claiming she was suspected of carrying an infectious disease and needed an "urgent" examination. Achilova, who showed no signs of illness, was forcibly taken to the Center for the Prevention and Treatment of Infectious Diseases in Ashgabat's Choganly district. Her family was not allowed to accompany her and her apartment keys were confiscated. One family member said one of the men told Achilova, "Why do you need keys in the afterlife?" Doctors have not disclosed when she will be released. Turkmenistan is consistently ranked by media watchdogs, such as Reporters Without Borders (RSF), among the worst countries in the world for press freedom. Independent media are nonexistent in the authoritarian Central Asian state, where journalism "amounts only to praise for the regime," according to RSF. The government continues a relentless clampdown on dissent -- with critics being harassed, beaten, tortured, jailed, and even killed. Many others have been forced abroad into exile. Human rights groups, including the Turkmen Initiative for Human Rights and the International Partnership for Human Rights, immediately condemned Achilova's forced detention, calling it a stark escalation in Turkmenistan's crackdown on free speech. They demanded her immediate release and an end to the persecution of journalists. Achilova, the only journalist in Turkmenistan who openly criticizes the authoritarian government, has faced repeated harassment, threats, and attacks. In November 2023, border guards at the Ashgabat airport destroyed her passport to prevent her from traveling to Switzerland, where she was scheduled to attend the Martin Ennals Award human rights ceremony. Achilova has faced verbal threats and physical attacks, which the journalist and her supporters describe as government retaliation for her work. Many of her relatives have also been threatened. Ashgabat doesn't tolerate any dissent, and the government has stifled independent media, forced opposition activists into exile, and blocked access to all major social media and messaging apps to virtually cut its citizens off from the rest of the world. The Teatro San Carlo in Naples, Italy, has canceled appearances by opera singer Ildar Abdrazakov over his support for Russian President Vladimir Putin. Pina Picierno, a vice president in the European Parliament, announced the cancellation on the social network X on November 21, emphasizing that Abdrazakov's ties to the Kremlin made him unfit for a leading cultural institution in Europe. She had led a campaign to keep Abdrazakov from performing in productions of Verdi’s Don Carlos and Attila operas. The Anti-Corruption Foundation of Aleksei Navalny had previously named Abdrazakov, who comes from the Bashkortostan region, as a regime supporter, citing his performances at events tied to Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and a lucrative appearance on Red Square in 2022. This marks the latest in a series of international cancellations for Abdrazakov, whose scheduled performances in the United States and Germany were also recently cancelled. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Idel.Realities, click here . Iran has vowed to respond to a resolution adopted by the United Nations' nuclear watchdog that criticizes the Islamic republic for what it says is poor cooperation by installing a number of "new and advanced" centrifuges. The resolution, which comes shortly after the return of International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) chief Rafael Grossi from a trip to Iran , reportedly says it is "essential and urgent" for Tehran to "act to fulfill its legal obligations." A joint statement by Iran's Foreign Ministry and Atomic Energy Organization said on November 22 that the country's nuclear chief, Mohammad Eslami, "issued an order to take effective measures, including launching a significant series of new and advanced centrifuges of various types." The Iranian announcement came after the IAEA's board on November 21 issued a second resolution condemning Tehran's cooperation with the agency after a similar warning in June. Some analysts say the resolution may be a step toward making a political decision to trigger a "snapback" of UN Security Council (UNSC) sanctions against Iran. The "snapback" mechanism is outlined in UNSC Resolution 2231, which enshrined a 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and world powers. However, the option to reimpose the sanctions expires in October 2025. The IAEA resolution, put forward by France, Germany, and Britain and supported by the United States, comes at a critical time as President-elect Donald Trump prepares to return at the White House in January. Trump during his first term embarked on a "maximum pressure" campaign of intensified sanctions on Iran and unilaterally withdrew the United States in 2018 from a landmark 2015 agreement that lifted some sanctions on Iran in exchange of curbs to its nuclear program, which the West suspects is aimed at obtaining a nuclear weapon. Iran claims its nuclear program is peaceful. The resolution passed on November 21 also urged Iran to cooperate with an investigation launched after uranium particles were found at two sites that Iranian authorities had not declared as nuclear locations. Nineteen of the 35 members of the IAEA board voted in favor of the resolution. Russia, China, and Burkina Faso opposed it, 12 members abstained, while one did not vote, diplomats who spoke on condition of anonymity told the AP. It also calls on the IAEA to come up with a "comprehensive report" on Iran's nuclear activities by spring. During Grossi's visit, Iran agreed with an IAEA demand to limit its stock of uranium enriched at 60 percent purity, which is still under the 90 percent threshold needed for a nuclear weapon, but it is much higher than the 3.67 percent limit it agreed to in the 2015 deal. However, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi, who was Tehran's chief negotiator for the 2015 agreement, warned that Iran would not negotiate "under pressure." Tehran has responded to previous similar resolutions by moves such as removing IAEA cameras and monitoring equipment from several nuclear sites, and increasing uranium enrichment to 60 percent purity at a second site, the Fordow plant. Two people were killed and 12 wounded in Russian strikes on Sumy early on November 22, Artem Kobzar, the mayor of the northeastern Ukrainian city, reported in a video statement on Telegram. "Several powerful explosions were heard in Sumy," he said in the video, adding that rescue teams, police, and ambulances were working at the site of the explosions. Kobzar urged residents to take shelter, saying that air defenses were still engaging incoming drones in the morning. Ukraine's air force said Russian drone attacks were under way in four regions -- Sumy, Kyiv, Chernihiv, and Zhytomyr. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service, click here . A senior North Korean general has been wounded in Russia’s Kursk region, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing Western officials. More than 10,000 North Korean troops are supporting Russian forces in Kursk. Russian President Vladimir Putin is hoping to recover the swath of the Kursk region that Ukraine seized in August before President Donald Trump takes office early next year. The United States this week gave Ukraine the green light to use its long-range ATACMS missiles to strike Russian assets in Kursk and said North Korean troops would be fair game. It is unclear how the North Korean general was wounded, the WSJ reported . The United States has imposed sanctions on Gazprombank, Russia’s third-largest lender, and dozens of other financial institutions as President Joe Biden seeks to further curtail the Kremlin’s ability to finance its war in Ukraine before he leaves office in two months. Gazprombank, which plays an important role in facilitating Russian energy exports, was the only remaining large Russian lender not under U.S. sanctions. Washington and Brussels had avoided sanctioning Gazprombank amid concern over possible energy export interruptions. Along with Gazprombank, the United States also announced sanctions on more than 50 other Russian banks conducting international operations, more than 40 Russian securities registrars and 15 Russian finance officials. The United States also warned financial institutions against joining Russia’s version of the international messaging system for banks known as SWIFT. Russia is seeking to attract international banks to its messaging platform to get around U.S. financial sanctions. “Today’s action reaffirms the U.S. commitment to curtail Russia’s ability to use the international financial system to conduct its war against Ukraine and disrupts Russia’s attempts to make cross-border payments for dual-use goods and military materiel,” State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said in a November 21 statement. Ukraine backers had been calling on the Biden administration for months to tighten sanctions on Russia’s banking sector, saying the Kremlin was finding ways around existing sanctions to pay for technology imports and other dual-use items. In addition to facilitating energy payments, Gazprombank had been acting as a conduit for the purchase of military goods. The Kremlin also uses Gazprombank to pay Russian soldiers and compensate families for war deaths. “I am grateful to @POTUS and his administration for today’s strong package of financial and banking sanctions targeting Russia’s economy and war chest,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said in a tweet . Eddie Fishman, a former State Department official and sanctions expert, called the latest announcement a “strong step” toward closing loopholes around Russia’s energy sector, which generates about half of federal budget revenues. Biden will leave office on January 20 to make way for President-elect Donald Trump, who has promised to end the war in Ukraine by getting Zelenskiy and Russian President Vladimir Putin to sit down at the negotiating table, something that experts say will be harder done than said. The financial sanctions come at a critical time for Russia’s economy as Putin’s record spending on the war effort drives up inflation and interest rates. The Russian Central Bank last month raised interest rates to 21 percent, the highest in decades, and could continue to ratchet them up with no end in sight to the war. Russian President Vladimir Putin said his military fired a new intermediate-range missile into Ukraine following accusations by Kyiv that it was an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). In a November 21 video statement to the nation, Putin said the use of the new weapon was a response to the United States and the United Kingdom giving permission to Kyiv to fire their long-range missiles into Russia. "In combat conditions, one of the newest Russian medium-range missile systems was tested," Putin said, adding that it was a hypersonic, ballistic missile capable of carrying a nuclear warhead. Earlier in the day, Kyiv accused Russia of striking Ukraine with what it said appeared to be an ICBM. The new weapon was part of a larger missile attack on Dnipropetrovsk, home to important military-industrial plants. ICBMs, which are designed to deliver long-distance nuclear strikes, have never been used in war before. "On the morning of November 21, 2024...Russian troops attacked the city of Dnipro (facilities and critical infrastructure) with missiles of various types. In particular, an intercontinental ballistic missile was launched from the Astrakhan region of the Russian Federation," the Ukrainian Air Force said in its statement on Telegram. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Telegram later that the new Russian weapon had "all characteristics -- speed, altitude -- [of an] intercontinental ballistic missile." Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh said Russia struck Ukraine with an "experimental" intermediate-range ballistic missile that was based on its RS-26 Rubezh ICBM. She said Russia had informed the United States it would be launching the experimental missile shortly beforehand through "nuclear risk reduction channels." She said the new weapon had a smaller warhead that some other missiles Russia has launched into Ukraine. A U.S. official who asked not to be identified told media that Putin was seeking to intimidate Ukraine but added that Moscow only had a few of the "experimental" missiles. The Russian attack comes just days after reports that Ukraine used British-supplied Storm Shadow missiles and U.S.-made ATACMS systems to strike military targets deeper inside Russia following the long-sought approval by President Joe Biden. The RS-26 Rubezh is a solid-fueled, road-mobile ICBM currently in development that has been tested with heavier payloads at intermediate ranges. Military analysts said ICBM missiles can be classified as intermediate-range weapons when their payloads are increased and ranges decreased. The main target of the Russian attack was the southeastern region of Dnipropetrovsk, Ukraine's most important industrial region, and its capital, the city of Dnipro. Ukraine's air force said that besides the ICBM, Russian aircraft also launched a hypersonic Kh-47M2 Kinzhal missile and seven subsonic Kh-101 cruise missiles. Ukrainian air defenses shot down six Kh-101 missiles, the air force reported. Dnipropetrovsk Governor Serhiy Lysak said his region bore the brunt of the Russian attack. "Since early in the morning, the aggressor massively attacked our region," Lysak reported on Telegram, adding that preliminary information showed that an industrial facility was damaged in the regional capital, Dnipro, where two fires were started by the attack. Explosions were also reported in Kremenchuk, in the central Poltava region. Moscow's use of a large number of sophisticated missiles as opposed to the usual drone attacks appears to be in response to Ukraine's gaining approval to use some Western-donated long-range missile systems to strike deeper into Russia. On November 20, Russian military bloggers and a source cited by Reuters reported that Ukraine had fired up to 12 Franco-British Storm Shadow missiles into Russia's Kursk region, part of which has been under Ukrainian control following a surprise incursion by Ukrainian troops in August. A spokesman for British Prime Minister Keir Starmer declined to confirm whether the missiles had been used. Previously, London had given permission to use the Storm Shadows, which have a 250-kilometer range, within Ukraine's territory. Earlier this week, Ukraine reportedly used ATACMS to strike a military facility in Russia's Bryansk region after Biden was reported as giving his OK. The White House has not officially confirmed the approval and Ukraine hasn't directly acknowledged the use of ATACMS on Russian targets. Russia has long warned that Ukraine's use Western-supplied long-range weapons to strike inside its territory would mark a serious escalation of the conflict. On November 21, Moscow said a new U.S. missile defence base in the Polish town of Redzikowo near the Baltic coast, which was opened on November 13 as part of a broader NATO missile shield, will lead to an increase in the overall level of nuclear danger. "This is another frankly provocative step in a series of deeply destabilising actions by the Americans and their allies in the North Atlantic alliance in the strategic sphere," Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said. "This leads to undermining strategic stability, increasing strategic risks and, as a result, to an increase in the overall level of nuclear danger," Zakharova said. Poland rejected the claim, saying there were no nuclear missiles at the base. "It is a base that serves the purpose of defense, not attack," Foreign Ministry spokesman Pawel Wronski said on November 21. At least 38 people were killed and more than 40 wounded after gunmen opened fire on a convoy of cars carrying Shi'ite Muslims in northwest Pakistan as religious tension in the region rises. Three women and a child were among those killed in the November 21 attack, police told RFE/RL's Radio Mashaal. The convoy of 200 cars was heading from Peshawar to Parachinar in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province near the border with Afghanistan when the unknown gunmen attacked. No one has taken responsibility for the attack, the latest in a series of deadly confrontations in the Kurram region. Police, who were escorting the cars, said the death toll could climb. There were about 700 people in the convoy, according to law enforcement. Tension in Kurram began to heat up after 17 people were killed in an attack on a convoy on October 12. There have been about a handful of deadly attacks since then. Sunnis and Shi'a live together in Kurram and have clashed violently over land, forests, and other property as well as religion over the years, despite government and law enforcement efforts to build peace. Influential Ukrainian tycoon Dmytro Firtash is among eight people targeted by fresh British sanctions that accuse the group, which includes his wife, Lada, of large-scale, international corruption. Angolan-Russian billionaire Isabel dos Santos and Latvian politician and businessman Aivars Lembergs are also among those hit by the new sanctions announced on November 21. The British government accuses Firtash of bribing officials to secure mining licenses for his companies and profiting illegally from Ukraine's gas-transportation system. Firtash is also linked to financier Denys Horbunenko, a resident of the United Kingdom who was added to the sanctions list on November 21 for his association with Firtash. Firtash has faced legal scrutiny in Ukraine over embezzlement and money-laundering accusations involving fraudulent gas-trading schemes. The United States has been seeking his extradition from Austria on charges of bribing Indian officials. Firtash, who gained prominence in the 2000s through his joint venture RosUkrEnergo with Russian energy giant Gazprom, has denied allegations of working in Russia's interests. Dos Santos, daughter of former Angolan President Jose Eduardo dos Santos, is Africa's first female billionaire. She is accused of corruption in Angola, where she allegedly exploited her political connections for personal gain. Dos Santos claims she has held Russian citizenship since birth, as she was born in Baku, Azerbaijan, in 1973 under the former Soviet Union. Lembergs, a former populist mayor of the Latvian city of Ventspils, has been convicted in Latvia of corruption and sentenced to five years in prison. He claims the charges against him are politically motivated. The sanctions are part of a British efforts to combat international corruption and disrupt the financial networks of individuals accused of abusing their power for personal enrichment. The measures include asset freezes, travel bans, and restricting these individuals from accessing the U.K.'s financial system or entering the country. The International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued arrest warrants for Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, and Muhammad Deif, a military commander in the Iran-backed group Hamas, alleging they committed crimes against humanity in the ongoing Gaza war. All three are accused of committing war crimes connected to the October 7, 2023, attack on Israel by Hamas, an EU- and U.S-designated terrorist organization that is part of Tehran's network of proxies in the Middle East, and Israel's subsequent military intervention in the Gaza Strip. Iran's backing of Hamas and Hezbollah, another Iran-supported militant group and political party that controls much of the southern part of Israel's neighbor, Lebanon, has sparked fears that the war in the Gaza Strip will engulf the Middle East. Hezbollah is designated as a terrorist organization by the United States, while the European Union blacklists its armed wing but not its political party. Hezbollah’s political party has seats in the Lebanese parliament. The court said the warrants had been classified as "secret" to protect witnesses and to safeguard the conduct of the investigations. Israel, which claims it killed Deif in July, blasted the move as "a dark moment for the ICC." Hamas, which has never officially acknowledged Deif's death, called the warrants against Netanyahu and Gallant an "important step toward justice." The ICC said it had issued the arrest warrant for Deif as the prosecutor had not been able to determine whether he was dead. His warrant shows charges of mass killings during the October 7 attack on Israel that left some 1,200 dead, as well as charges of rape and the taking of around 240 hostages in the attack. "The Chamber considered that there are reasonable grounds to believe that both [Israeli] individuals intentionally and knowingly deprived the civilian population in Gaza of objects indispensable to their survival, including food, water, and medicine and medical supplies, as well as fuel and electricity, from at least 8 October 2023 to 20 May 2024," the ICC said in a statement . "This finding is based on the role of Mr. Netanyahu and Mr. Gallant in impeding humanitarian aid in violation of international humanitarian law and their failure to facilitate relief by all means at its disposal," it said. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar called the move against Netanyahu and Gallant "absurd" in a post on X, saying it was an attack of Israel's right to self-defense. "A dark moment for the ICC in The Hague, in which it lost all legitimacy for its existence and activity," Sa'ar said. Tehran has yet to comment publicly on the warrants. Neither the United States nor Israel have recognized the ICC's jurisdiction. A U.S. National Security Council spokesperson said Washington "fundamentally rejects" the issuance of the arrest warrants and "the troubling process errors that led to this decision. Meanwhile, the EU's top diplomat, Josep Borrell, said in a post on X that ICC decisions "are binding on all states party to the Rome Statute, which includes all EU Member States." The court said Israel's acceptance of the court's jurisdiction was not required. However, the court itself has no law enforcement levers to enforce warrants and relies on cooperation from its member states. Russian police have conducted searches at the PERMM Museum of Contemporary Art in the city of Perm, as well as at the home of its current director, in connection with a case against former director Marat Gelman , REN-TV reported, citing anonymous sources. The PERMM Museum announced on social media that it would remain closed until 3 p.m. local time due to "technical reasons." Gelman, a well-known art dealer who currently lives in Montenegro, where he owns an art gallery, was placed on Russia’s federal wanted list in December 2022 under a criminal charge, though details of the accusation remain unclear. In an interview with Current Time, Gelman suggested that the charges might be in connection with him "discrediting" the Russian military, a common pretext used against critics of Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine. Gelman has been a vocal member of the Anti-War Committee and a member of the Permanent Committee of the Free Russia Forum. He has repeatedly expressed his support for Ukraine and his opposition to Russia's war efforts. The raid in Perm is part of a broader pattern of increasing pressure on Gelman. In the past week, he was added to Russia's list of "terrorists and extremists," with a designation indicating an ongoing criminal case against him. Critics argue this move is part of a crackdown on anti-war activists and dissenting voices within and beyond Russia.

NoneSuns expect Kevin Durant, Bradley Beal to play vs. LakersLuigi Mangione’s arrest thrust his family into the spotlight. Who are the Mangiones of Baltimore?The ceremony celebrating the 104th anniversary of National Victory Day 2024 was held at 8:30 am yesterday at the meeting hall of Office 13, the Ministry of Education, Nay Pyi Taw. The ceremony was attended by Union Minister for Education Dr Nyunt Pe, Union Minister for Science and Technology Dr Myo Thein Kyaw, Union Minister for Health Dr Thet Khaing Win, deputy ministers, Nay Pyi Taw Council members, permanent secretaries and officials, district and township education officials, headmasters, teachers, students, and other officials. Students from No 6 Basic Education High School Nay Pyi Taw first performed the ‘Zarti Marn’ song (a patriotic song). Union Minister Dr Nyunt Pe then read a message from State Administration Council Chairman Prime Minister Senior General Thadoe Maha Thray Sithu Thadoe Thiri Thudhamma Min Aung Hlaing to commemorate the 104th National Victory Day. Students from No 11 Basic Education High School in Nay Pyi Taw also sang the ‘Myanma School’ song. Then, the ceremony was successfully concluded. — MNA/TRKM

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Formula 1 on Monday at last said it will expand its grid in 2026 to make room for an American team that is partnered with General Motors. “As the pinnacle of motorsports, F1 demands boundary-pushing innovation and excellence. It’s an honor for General Motors and Cadillac to join the world’s premier racing series, and we’re committed to competing with passion and integrity to elevate the sport for race fans around the world," GM President Mark Reuss said. "This is a global stage for us to demonstrate GM’s engineering expertise and technology leadership at an entirely new level.” The approval ends years of wrangling that launched a U.S. Justice Department investigation into why Colorado-based Liberty Media, the commercial rights holder of F1, would not approve the team initially started by Michael Andretti. Andretti in September stepped aside from leading his namesake organization, so the 11th team will be called Cadillac F1 and be run by new Andretti Global majority owners Dan Towriss and Mark Walter. The team will use Ferrari engines its first two years until GM has a Cadillac engine built for competition in time for the 2028 season. Towriss is the the CEO and president of Group 1001 and entered motorsports via Andretti's IndyCar team when he signed on financial savings platform Gainbridge as a sponsor. Towriss is now a major part of the motorsports scene with ownership stakes in both Spire Motorsports' NASCAR team and Wayne Taylor Racing's sports car team. Walter is the chief executive of financial services firm Guggenheim Partners and the controlling owner of both the World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers and Premier League club Chelsea. “We’re excited to partner with General Motors in bringing a dynamic presence to Formula 1," Towriss said. "Together, we’re assembling a world-class team that will embody American innovation and deliver unforgettable moments to race fans around the world.’’ Mario Andretti, the 1978 F1 world champion, will have an ambassador role with Cadillac F1. But his son, Michael, will have no official position with the organization now that he has scaled back his involvement with Andretti Global. The approval has been in works for weeks but was held until after last weekend's Las Vegas Grand Prix to not overshadow the showcase event of the Liberty Media portfolio. Max Verstappen won his fourth consecutive championship in Saturday night's race, the third and final stop in the United States for the top motorsports series in the world. Grid expansion in F1 is both infrequent and often unsuccessful. Four teams were granted entries in 2010 that should have pushed the grid to 13 teams and 26 cars for the first time since 1995. One team never made it to the grid and the other three had vanished by 2017. There is only one American team on the current F1 grid — owned by California businessman Gene Haas — but it is not particularly competitive and does not field American drivers. Andretti’s dream was to field a truly American team with American drivers. The fight to add this team has been going on for three-plus years and F1 initially denied the application despite approval from F1 sanctioning body FIA . The existing 10 teams, who have no voice in the matter, also largely opposed expansion because of the dilution in prize money and the billions of dollars they’ve already invested in the series. Andretti in 2020 tried and failed to buy the existing Sauber team. From there, he applied for grid expansion and partnered with GM, the top-selling manufacturer in the United States. The inclusion of GM was championed by the FIA and president Mohammed Ben Sulayem, who said Michael Andretti’s application was the only one of seven applicants to meet all required criteria to expand F1’s current grid. “General Motors is a huge global brand and powerhouse in the OEM world and is working with impressive partners," Ben Sulayem said Monday. "I am fully supportive of the efforts made by the FIA, Formula 1, GM and the team to maintain dialogue and work towards this outcome of an agreement in principle to progress this application." Despite the FIA's acceptance of Andretti and General Motors from the start, F1 wasn't interested in Andretti — but did want GM. At one point, F1 asked GM to find another team to partner with besides Andretti. GM refused and F1 said it would revisit the Andretti application if and when Cadillac had an engine ready to compete. “Formula 1 has maintained a dialogue with General Motors, and its partners at TWG Global, regarding the viability of an entry following the commercial assessment and decision made by Formula 1 in January 2024,” F1 said in a statement. “Over the course of this year, they have achieved operational milestones and made clear their commitment to brand the 11th team GM/Cadillac, and that GM will enter as an engine supplier at a later time. Formula 1 is therefore pleased to move forward with this application process." Yet another major shift in the debate over grid expansion occurred earlier this month with the announced resignation of Liberty Media CEO Greg Maffei, who was largely believed to be one of the biggest opponents of the Andretti entry. “With Formula 1’s continued growth plans in the US, we have always believed that welcoming an impressive US brand like GM/Cadillac to the grid and GM as a future power unit supplier could bring additional value and interest to the sport," Maffei said. "We credit the leadership of General Motors and their partners with significant progress in their readiness to enter Formula 1." ___ AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing Jenna Fryer, The Associated Press

Conservationists eager for plan to save rare eastern wolf in Quebec, Ontario

AP Business SummaryBrief at 4:17 p.m. EST

Maharashtra Election 2024 Live Updates: Is Ashish Shelar's stronghold in Bandra West at risk?New Delhi: Ventive Hospitality Limited is set to make its much-anticipated debut on the stock market today, December 30, 2024, following an overwhelmingly positive response to its Rs 1,600 crore initial public offering (IPO). The company’s shares will be listed on both the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) and the National Stock Exchange (NSE). The IPO, which was open for subscription from December 20 to 24, witnessed strong demand from investors, with an overall subscription of 9.82 times. The allotment of shares was finalized on December 26, and Ventive Hospitality is gearing up for its first day of trading today. Ventive Hospitality Limited IPO: Listing TimeVentive Hospitality shares will be available for trading under the ‘B’ Group of Securities on the BSE and NSE. As per the BSE notice, the shares will participate in the Special Pre-Open Session (SPOS) and be open for trading from 10:00 AM. Ventive Hospitality Limited IPO: Latest GMPThe grey market premium (GMP) for Ventive Hospitality shares indicates a strong debut. As of today, the GMP is Rs 70 per share, suggesting that shares are trading at Rs 713 apiece in the unofficial market—an 11 per cent premium over the IPO issue price of Rs 643 per share. Ventive Hospitality Limited IPO: What Analysts Expect?Analysts predict a premium listing, estimating the shares to debut at around 10% above the IPO price, reflecting robust investor interest and confidence in the company’s prospects. Ventive Hospitality Limited IPO: Price BandThe IPO price band was set at Rs 610 to Rs 643 per share, and the issue comprised a complete fresh issue of 2.49 crore equity shares. Ventive Hospitality Limited IPO: Subscription StatusIt attracted significant interest from various categories of investors: Retail Investors: Subscribed 5.94 times. Non-Institutional Investors (NIIs): Subscribed 13.87 times. Qualified Institutional Buyers (QIBs): Subscribed 9.08 times. Overall, the IPO garnered bids for 14.17 crore shares, far exceeding the IPO size of 1.44 crore shares. About Ventive HospitalityVentive Hospitality is making its debut with the backing of prominent book-running lead managers, including JM Financial, Axis Capital, HSBC Securities, ICICI Securities, IIFL Securities, Kotak Mahindra Capital, and SBI Capital Markets. KFin Technologies served as the IPO registrar, handling the allotment process. (Disclaimer: The above article is meant for informational purposes only, and should not be considered as any investment advice. Times Now Digital suggests its readers/audience to consult their financial advisors before making any money-related decisions.) Get Latest News Live on Times Now along with Breaking News and Top Headlines from Companies, Business Economy and around the world.

Giving thanks for America, overtime, the ‘Piano Man’

Trista Reynolds, photographed Friday in Portland, says she believes there will be some justice in the disappearance of her daughter Ayla. She has been missing since December 2011. Ben McCanna/Portland Press Herald Trista Reynolds says she feels a little bit of closure since a civil case against the father of her missing child, Ayla Bell Reynolds, and his mother and sister, was settled earlier this year. Ayla Reynolds in the photograph that was distributed after she disappeared from a Waterville house in December 2011. She was 20 months old at the time and was declared legally dead in 2017. She would have been 14 years old today. Courtesy photo But she won’t find peace until she knows exactly what happened to her daughter, who was just a toddler in December 2011 when she disappeared. On Dec. 17, eight days before Christmas, Trista Reynolds learned that her 20-month-old, blonde-haired, blue-eyed daughter had been reported missing by Ayla’s father, Justin DiPietro, from his mother’s home at 29 Violette Ave. in Waterville. The case launched one of the largest and most costly Maine State Police investigations in the state’s history, although Ayla has never been found and no one has been charged criminally in the case. A judge in 2017 officially declared Ayla dead . She would be 14 today. Though the civil lawsuit alleging wrongful death by DiPietro, his mother and sister, Phoebe and Elisha DiPietro, respectively, has been settled, Maine State Police continue with the criminal investigation which would be prosecuted by the state Attorney General’s Office if and when adequate evidence is presented to that office proceed. “I do believe they’re trying really hard,” Trista Reynolds, now 37, said Thursday of police. “I do believe that Ayla’s going to get her justice. It’s just a matter of when.” The settlement in the civil case enabled Trista Reynolds to buy a house for her and her sons, Raymond, now 13, and Anthony, 11, and the signing will be two days before Christmas, she said. That has helped to raise her spirits, but still, it doesn’t feel right that Ayla is not with them to experience it, she said. “It bothers me that I don’t get to share that with her,” she said. “I know she’s with me. I just wish I could share all this excitement with her. I don’t have Christmas spirit this year. I don’t know why. I’m coming up to 13 years and it makes 14 years without a Christmas with Ayla.” Her attorney, William H. Childs of Portland, also said he couldn’t disclose information about the wrongful death suit but he continues to assist in the state’s case. “The civil case has been resolved and the criminal investigation continues,” Childs said Thursday. “We are hoping to obtain indictments.” Trista Reynolds continues working in her job as a general manager for the restaurant, Five Guys. Her young boys also keep her busy, she said, and are growing fast. They look forward to moving from their home near Portland to their new house about an hour away, according to their mother. “They’re doing great in school,” she said. “They’re excited for the move.” Trista says she continues to grieve for Ayla, but is in a different spot since the civil case was settled. “I believe that she’s guided me through all of this,” she said. Trista Reynolds filed the wrongful death suit in 2018 against Justin DiPietro and in 2022, a judge approved Trista Reynolds’ request to include his mother and sister in the suit. They faced civil counts of wrongful death, conscious pain and suffering and wrongful interference with the body of a deceased person. Justin DiPietro also faced a count of breach of parent’s duty of care to a minor child. Justin DiPietro enters a courtroom Sept. 25, 2013, with his mother, Phoebe DiPietro, to appear before the judge on an assault charge unrelated to his missing daughter, Ayla Reynolds. Gordon Chibroski/Portland Press Herald file The civil lawsuit alleged there was sufficient evidence that Justin DiPietro’s mother and sister, individually or together with him, had the opportunity and means to participate in causing severe injury to Ayla that led to her death. The lawsuit also alleged that all three participated in an unsuccessful attempt to clean up and conceal blood stains found in multiple locations before authorities arrived at the house, which Phoebe owns. Trista Reynolds said there is a lot she can’t disclose about the settlement which provided a little relief, emotionally. “I feel I proved a lot about what happened that night,” she said. DiPietro has for years denied he had anything to do with Ayla’s disappearance and has long maintained that someone must have abducted her from the house. DiPietro, his then-girlfriend, and sister, Elisha, were the only adults at the home the night Ayla reportedly disappeared. Phoebe DiPietro reportedly was not in the house Dec. 16, 2011, the night before Ayla was reported missing, according to court records. A state police spokesman said after Ayla’s disappearance that Justin DiPietro’s explanation that she must have been abducted didn’t pass the “straight-face test” and officials found no evidence to support she was taken during the night. Police have long maintained that those in the Violette Avenue house when Ayla disappeared know more than they are saying. Police have conducted many searches of Ayla by land and air over the last 13 years, with no success. The lead investigator in the case, Detective Sgt. Ryan Brockway of the Maine State Police Major Crimes Unit Central, said that this past year, officials received 10 leads in the case and most came from people in Maine, although some came from other states. “The leads that originated here in Maine have been investigated by me and others in the State Police Major Crimes Units,” Brockway said Wednesday in an email. “In some instances, regarding the out-of-state leads we have relied on our out-of-state law enforcement partners to investigate them. We continue to leverage the most modern technology and advancements in science and apply it to the evidence in this case.” Brockway said police didn’t conduct any physical searches this year. “We continue to stay in touch with the maternal side of Ayla’s family and provide them updates regarding information learned from some of the leads,” he said. “The Attorney General’s Office and we at the State Police, Major Crimes Unit remain committed to a positive resolution in this case.” In December 2023, Brockway said police receive d 13 leads. Those who think they have information that would help police in the case, he said, are encouraged to call 207-624-7076. Trista Reynolds and her boys continue to honor Ayla by shining a pink light on their porch, as Ayla loved the color pink, according to her mother. During December, the month she went missing, they keep the light on 24 hours a day. They also hang special ornaments on their Christmas tree in honor of her. Trista said some of her friends and neighbors also shine pink lights during December in support of Ayla and the search for justice. “Anyone can light any kind of pink light in honor of Ayla,” she said. “I’m still doing her pink light the first of December to the 31st of December. It still shines to show her way home. It’s really a big message to Ayla Bell her family loves her.” Comments are not available on this story. Send questions/comments to the editors. « Previous Next »OKEMOS — Even very good teams need a bounce or two to go their way to make it all the way to the promised land, but when every one goes in the opposite direction, it can end up being a long day. Related Articles High School Sports | Resilient St. Mary’s squad headed to Ford Field with 28-27 OT semifinal win over Groves High School Sports | PHOTOS: Football State Semifinals – Flat Rock vs Pontiac Notre Dame Prep High School Sports | Photo gallery from the Division 2 football semifinal between Orchard Lake St. Mary’s and Birmingham Groves High School Sports | Everest Collegiate completes unbeaten season, fends off OLL to repeat as D4 champs High School Sports | Photo gallery from Everest Collegiate vs. St. Joseph Our Lady of the Lake in the D4 volleyball state final None of the bounces in Saturday’s Division 1 semifinal went the way of the Rochester Adams Highlanders, who were outscored 20-0 in the second half, as No. 4-ranked Hudsonville rolled to a 27-7 win at Okemos High School. “I thought we got the fumble down there, on the first drive — it was clearly out. They didn’t see it. We’ve still got to make a stop. And then fumble on the one going in ... We had two of our top guys get hurt in the second quarter, and without those guys who have been so important for us all season, kind of threw our chemistry off on offense, a little bit,” Adams coach Tony Patritto said. “We didn’t make plays in second half, and they did. And, you know, it happens sometimes.” The Hudsonville Eagles (12-1) will take on Detroit Cass Tech (11-2) in the D1 finals at Ford Field next Saturday. The Technicians beat Detroit Catholic Central, 17-14, in the other D1 semifinal. For Adams (10-3), it was the first loss in seven games, since the Highlanders found themselves 4-2 after back-to-back road losses to Lake Orion and Oxford, by a total of four points, shunting them out of contention for the OAA Red title. The two teams went into halftime tied at 7-7, but it could’ve been a bit different, if a couple of those bounces had gone Adams’ way. Hudsonville ground out a 14-play drive to open the game, but one play before the capper, it appeared the Highlanders had forced a fumble. When the ball stayed with the Eagles, one play later, they punched it in with a 1-yard touchdown run by quarterback Griffin Baker, the first of four he accounted for on the day. After the Highlanders tied it at 7-7 on a 39-yard pass from Nolan Farris to Tommy Offer, the Highlanders had a chance to go up a score after stopping the Eagles on downs near midfield, with a 30-yard Farris run getting Adams into the red zone. But a fumble the other way gave the ball back to the Eagles on their own 1 — the same spot as the other miscue — and the half ended in a deadlock. Adams turned it over on downs at midfield to open the second half, and the Eagles used the short field to take a 14-7 lead on a 5-yard Baker run. On the final play of the third quarter, Hudsonville linebacker Ethan Carter got in the passing lane and tipped an interception to himself to set up another short field, and a 1-yard Baker TD run, making it 21-7 with 10:26 to play. After another Adams drive stalled on downs with 8:03 to go, Hudsonville took six minutes off the clock before scoring again on a 5-yard pass from Baker to Jack Wills on fourth-and-goal, making it 27-7 with 1:55 to go. The Adams offense spluttered much of the day, getting behind the sticks, and then in long down-and-distance plays, the Eagles would go to a ‘Radar’ defense, with no down linemen, bringing blitzers from all angles. “We saw it on film, watched it, and we felt really good about our game plan against it — and really didn’t cause any problems for us at all, to be perfectly candid. We just had breakdowns in offense in the second half against their regular defense, and that put us in third-and-long where they can do that,” Patritto said. “And then we, you know, clearly, we had some backups in trying to make plays. And I give our kids a credit, they didn’t quit, and our kids really grinded to the end.” Adams was looking for its third title-game appearance, and second in four seasons. This one may have been a bit less expected, though, considering that the Highlanders lost their starting quarterback to injury in that two-game midseason stretch. That’s why Patritto told the Highlanders “I love you to freakin’ death,” in the postgame meeting, after reminding them that they’d more than upheld the standard at Adams. “We’re picked to take second-to-last in our league. We don’t have any four- or five-stars. Our quarterback (Ryland Watters) goes down in the middle of the season. He’s just an amazing player and next-man-up mentality. But really, ultimately, it’s like no one cares who gets the ball. No one cares who gets the glory. What a pleasure to be around, because it’s so rare in today’s society. So you hit the nail right on the head. I’m so proud to be associated with these kids because they were selfless, and they didn’t care what people thought, and they just did their best to try to win,” Patritto said. “Honestly, that’s kind of the standard here. And I gotta give credit to the kids, the players that come to our program and have just kind of embraced that, and they’re the ones that carry it forward. So they’re all so memorable. I love these kids so much, but this is a special season.”

SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — San Francisco coach Kyle Shanahan said linebacker De’Vondre Campbell won’t be part of the 49ers moving forward after he refused to enter a game after losing his starting job. Shanahan said the team is still working through the options of how to deal with Campbell, who walked to the locker room in the middle of a to the Los Angeles Rams on Thursday night when he refused to enter the game. “His actions from the game are not something you can do to your team or teammates and still expect to be a part of our team,” Shanahan said Friday. “We’re working through the semantics right now, but we’ll handle the situation appropriately.” Shanahan said Campbell won’t be part of the team for the final three weeks. Teams have the ability to suspend players up to four games without pay for conduct detrimental to the team, according to the Collective Bargaining Agreement. The Niners also could just waive Campbell outright, which would allow him potentially to be claimed or signed by another team. Campbell signed a $5 million, one-year contract with San Francisco in March. Campbell had started 12 of the first 13 games of the season and played 90% of defensive snaps for the 49ers but was benched Thursday night after Dre Greenlaw came back for his first game since tearing his left Achilles tendon in last season’s Super Bowl. When the 49ers wanted to put Campbell in the game in the third quarter because Greenlaw was sidelined with soreness in his Achilles tendon, Campbell refused, something Shanahan said has never happened to him in his time as a head coach or an assistant in the NFL. Shanahan said Friday that he has not gotten any explanation from Campbell on why he didn’t play. Campbell then walked off the field with a towel draped over his head and went into the locker room before the end of the game with the Rams that almost ended the 49ers’ playoff hopes. Shanahan said he didn’t send Campbell to the locker room and didn’t know why he left the field. “Once I found out he wasn’t playing, I moved on to people we could count on,” he said. Campbell’s decision left his teammates angered and bewildered. “He’s a professional,” cornerback Charvarius Ward said after the game. “He’s been playing for a long time. If he didn’t want to play, he shouldn’t have dressed out. He could have told them before the game. So I feel like that was selfish. It definitely hurt the team. Dre went down and we needed a linebacker. ... For him to do that, that’s sucker (stuff) in my opinion. He’s probably going to get cut soon.” Ward is one of several 49ers who has played through injury or personal tragedy during a trying season for San Francisco. Ward’s 1-year-old daughter died on Oct. 28 but he has returned and played the last three games for San Francisco. Tight end George Kittle called Campbell’s actions “stupid” and “immature.” “It’s one person making a selfish decision,” Kittle said. “I’ve never been around anybody that’s ever done that and I hope I’m never around anybody who does that again.” The 31-year-old Campbell signed in the offseason with San Francisco after being cut by Green Bay in March. He had been an All-Pro in 2021 for the Packers but his play fell off the last two seasons in Green Bay. That led to Campbell complaining on social media that he was misused by Green Bay. He expressed excitement about being with a new team but he never got back to his All-Pro level. Campbell had a few bright moments in San Francisco this season but struggled frequently with tackling and in coverage. ___ AP NFL:Betty White Forever: New stamp will honor the much-beloved 'Golden Girls' actor

The Los Angeles Rams suffered a tough loss at SoFi Stadium on Sunday as they fell to a visiting Philadelphia Eagles side, 37-20. LA was coming off a 28-22 victory against the New England Patriots in Week 11, but they failed to build on that win on Sunday as they lost their sixth game of the season. One of the bright spots in the loss against the Eagles was second-year wide receiver Puka Nacua, who logged nine catches in the contest for a game-high 117 receiving yards. It was another strong performance from the 23-year-old, who is coming off a Pro Bowl rookie campaign. Nacua's girlfriend Hallie Aiono also caught the attention of fans after she shared a handful of photos of her gameday outfit on Instagram. Aiono's post featured Nacuaas well, who also showed off his pre-game outfit for Sunday's contest. View the original article to see embedded media. The highlight of Aiono's look was her oversized blue-and-white sweater that repped the Rams' colors. She paired her top with a plain white mini-skirt, which allowed her sporty sweater to pop even more. Her black mid-calf boots provided the perfect contrast for her sporty and clean look, while also adding a bit of edginess and contrast. Aiono wore her hair tied back in a bun, which highlighted her gold hoop earrings. Aiono shouted out her sister Sidney Aiono, an LA-based wardrobe stylist, for helping her and Nacua out with their gameday looks. The outfit post drew a myriad of compliments from the fans on social media. "Ughhh the prettiest😭💙💛" reacted a fan "Hair goalzzzzz," a comment read. "glowing ✨" observed a user "cuties," commented Rams cheerleader and social media influencer Sharaiah Belle True. "Loveee🥰" posted a supporter. "Swag unlocked," commented Nacua himself. Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images According to People , Nacua and Aiono have been dating since at least 2021, while the former was still attending Brigham Young University. Like her boyfriend, Aiono is also of Polynesian descent. Nacua and the Rams will be back in action on Sunday, Dec. 1, when they go on the road to face the New Orleans Saints at Caesars Superdome. Related: NFL Star's Wife Drops Taylor Swift Admission Despite 'Jealousy Issues' Related: Matthew Stafford's Wife Reflects on Taylor Swift Experience Amid 'Jealousy' AdmissionGood, Bad and Ugly: 3 Keys To Classic and Clutch Cowboys Win

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Colts coach Shane Steichen feeling heat after playoff eliminationThe United States Postal Service might have found a way to unite a nation bitterly divided after this month's election: It will release a Betty White stamp. The beloved actor known for roles in "The Golden Girls," "The Mary Tyler Moore Show," "Boston Legal" and others will be on a 2025 Forever stamp, USPS announced this past week. White died in late December 2021 , less than three weeks before her 100th birthday. The Postal Service hasn't announced a release date for the stamp. Betty White speaks Sept. 17, 2018, at the 70th Primetime Emmy Awards at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles. “An icon of American television, Betty White (1922–2021) shared her wit and warmth with viewers for seven decades,” the Postal Service said in announcing the stamp, which depicts a smiling White based on a 2010 photograph by celebrity photographer Kwaku Alston . “The comedic actor, who gained younger generations of fans as she entered her 90s, was also revered as a compassionate advocate for animals.” Boston-based artist Dale Stephanos created the digital illustration from Alston's photo. "I'd love to send a letter back to my 18-year-old self with this stamp on it and tell him that everything is going to be OK," Stephanos posted on Facebook . Regardless of personal politics, self-proclaimed supporters of Republican President-elect Donald Trump and Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris reacted with delight on social media. "Betty White was my hero, all of my life! I actually had a doll when I was a little girl I named Betty White," one Trump supporter posted on X , formerly Twitter. “Something to make this awful week a little better: We’re getting a Betty White stamp,” a pro-Harris X account posted. White combined a wholesome image with a flare for bawdy jokes . Her television career began in the early 1950s and exploded as she aged. “The only SNL host I ever saw get a standing ovation at the after party," Seth Meyers posted on Twitter after her death. "A party at which she ordered a vodka and a hotdog and stayed til the bitter end.” Allen Ludden and his wife Betty White, who love to play games, continue a two year gin rummy battle in which she's ahead by a cumulative 6,000 points in Westchester, N.Y. on April 29, 1965. They do it professionally on TV. He's the master of ceremonies on "Password," and she makes frequent guest appearances on game shows. They play games to relax at home. (AP Photo/Bob Wands) Allen Ludden and his wife Betty White admire magnolia blossoms on the lawn of their country home in Westchester, N.Y. on May 14, 1965. (AP Photo/Bob Wands) Actress Betty White in 1965. (AP Photo) Betty White shares a moment backstage at the 28th annual Emmy Awards with Ted Knight after they each won an Emmy for their supporting roles in "The Mary Tyler Moore Show." On the series Miss White played Sue Ann Nivens while Knight played newscaster Ted Baxter. (AP Photo/Reed Saxon) LOS ANGELES, CA - MAY 17, 1976: (L-R) "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" co-stars - Ed Asner, Betty White, Mary Tyler Moore and Ted Knight - all won awards at the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences 28th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards held at the Shubert Theatre on May 17, 1976 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by TVA/PictureGroup/Invision for the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences/AP Images) Actress Betty White with Ted Knight at the Emmy Awards in Los Angeles, Sept. 13, 1981. (AP Photo/Randy Rasmussen) Betty White and Anson Williams don't seem to faze Buckeye, a St. Bernard, during an awards ceremony during which Williams was honored by the Los Angeles Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals as a friend and lover of animals. Ms. White presented a humanitarian plaque to Williams at the event, which was held in Hollywood, California, Friday, May 1, 1982. (AP Photo/Marc Karody) Actress Betty White with actor John Hillerman arriving at Emmy Awards, Sept. 22, 1985 in Pasadena, California. (AP Photo/LIU) Actresses Betty White Ludden, left, and Mary Tyler Moore, right, smile at each other in Los Angeles, Friday, June 22, 1985 during Annual Meeting of Morris Animal Foundation, at which Ludden announced her retirement as President of the animal health group, held at the Sheraton Universal Hotel in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Nick Ut) These four veteran actresses from the television series "The Golden Girls" shown during a break in taping Dec. 25, 1985 in Hollywood. From left are, Estelle Getty, Rue McClanahan, Bea Arthur and Betty White. (AP Photo/Nick Ut) Actress Betty White poses in Los Angeles, Ca. in June, 1986. (AP Photo/Reed Saxon) Betty White stands backstage at the NBC TV Bob Hope "I Love Lucy" special on Sept. 16, 1989. (AP Photo/Djansezian) Michael J. Fox and Betty White, winners of Emmys for best actor and actress in a comedy series, stand backstage at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium in Pasadena, California, Sunday, Sept. 21, 1986 after receiving their honors. (AP Photo/Douglas C. Pizac) Comedienne Betty White places her hand on the star that was presented posthumously to her husband, Allen Ludden, during ceremonies inducting him into the Hollywood Walk of Fame in Hollywood, Los Angeles, Thursday, March 31, 1988. Ludden was honored with the 1,868th star of the famed walkway — between those of White and Tyrone Power. (AP Photo/Nick Ut) Estelle Getty, who plays Sophia, poses with her new husband, who plays Max, and the other "Golden Girls" after taping of episode on Friday, night, Nov. 5,1988 in Hollywood. Left to right are Rue McCLanahan (Blanche), Getty, Gilford, Bea Arthur (Dorothy) and Betty White. (AP Photo/Ira Mark Gostin) Former cast members of the Mary Tyler Moore Show, sans Mary Tyler Moore, are reunited for the Museum of Television and Radio's 9th annual Television Festival in Los Angeles Saturday, March 21, 1992. From left are Gavin MacLeod, Valerie Harper, Cloris Leachman, Betty White and Ed Asner. (AP Photo/Craig Fujii) Actress Betty White, left, writer/producer David E. Kelley, actress Bridget Fonda, and actor Oliver Platt pose at the premiere of their movie "Lake Placid," Wednesday night, July 14, 1999, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill) Betty White, from "Golden Girls," and Mr. T, Lawrence Tureaud, from "The A Team," pose for photographers at NBC's 75th Anniversary Party, Wednesday, Jan. 9, 2002, in the Hollywood section of Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Rene Macura) Actors Betty White, left, Georgia Engel, second left, Gavin MacLeod, center, Valerie Harper, second right, and John Amos pose for photographers during arrivals at CBS's 75th anniversary celebration Sunday, Nov. 2, 2003, in New York. (AP Photo/Louis Lanzano) Actress Betty White laughs as an African eagle roosts overhead at the Los Angeles Zoo Monday, Feb. 20, 2006, in Los Angeles, where White was honored as Ambassador to the Animals by the city for her decades of dedication to the humane treatment of animals. (AP Photo/Nick Ut) Betty White poses for photographers on the red carpet before Comedy Central's "Roast of William Shatner," Sunday, Aug. 13, 2006, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Rene Macura) Betty White arrives at the 34th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards in Los Angeles, on Friday, June 15, 2007. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill) Beatrice Arthur, left, Betty White, center, and Rue McClanahan, of the Golden Girls, arrive at the TV Land Awards on Sunday June 8, 2008 in Santa Monica, Calif. (AP Photo/Matt Sayles) Actor Henry Winkler, center, is seen Beatrice Arthur, right, and Betty White at the TV Land Awards on Sunday June 8, 2008 in Santa Monica, Calif. (AP Photo/Matt Sayles) In this Nov. 24, 2009 file photo, actress Betty White poses for a portrait following her appearance on the television talk show "In the House," in Burbank, Calif. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello, File) Actress Betty White poses for a portrait on the set of the television show "Hot in Cleveland" in Studio City section of Los Angeles on Wednesday, June 9, 2010. (AP Photo/Matt Sayles) Actress Betty White is seen on stage at the Teen Choice Awards on Sunday, Aug. 8, 2010 in Universal City, Calif. (AP Photo/Matt Sayles) Betty White, a cast member in "You Again," poses with fans holding Betty White masks at the premiere of the film in Los Angeles, Wednesday, Sept. 22, 2010. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello) Actress Betty White wears a U.S. Forest Ranger hat after being named an Honorary Forest Ranger by the US Forest Service, at the Kennedy Center in Washington Washington, Tuesday, Nov. 9, 2010. White has stated in numerous interviews that her first ambition as a young girl was "to become a forest ranger, but they didn't allow women to do that back then". (AP Photo/Cliff Owen) Betty White, left, Bradley Cooper and Scarlett Johansson arrive at the MTV Movie Awards in Universal City, Calif., on Sunday, June 6, 2010. (AP Photo/Matt Sayles) Betty White, left, Kristen Bell, center, and Jamie Lee Curtis, cast members in "You Again," pose together at the premiere of the film in Los Angeles, Wednesday, Sept. 22, 2010. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello) Betty White, left, accepts the Life Achievement Award from Sandra Bullock at the 16th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards on Saturday, Jan. 23, 2010, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill) From left, actresses Betty White, Wendie Malick, Valerie Bertinelli, and Jane Leeves pose for a portrait on the set of the television show "Hot in Cleveland" in Studio City section of Los Angeles on Wednesday, June 9, 2010. (AP Photo/Matt Sayles) Alec Baldwin, left, and Betty White are seen on stage at the 17th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards on Sunday, Jan. 30, 2011 in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill) Betty White attends a book signing for her book 'If You Ask Me (And Of Course You Won't)' at Barnes & Noble in New York, Friday, May 6, 2011. (AP Photo/Charles Sykes) Actress Betty White attends a press conference prior to the taping of "Betty White's 90th Birthday: A Tribute To America's Golden Girl" on Sunday, Jan. 8, 2012 in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Vince Bucci) Actress Betty White arrives on a white pony as she is honored at a Friars Club Roast sponsored by Godiva, Wednesday, May 16, 2012 at the Sheraton Hotel in New York. (AP Photo/Starpix, Marion Curtis) Betty White, at left, attends her wax figure unveiling at Madame Tussauds on Monday, June 4, 2012 in Los Angeles. (Photo by Katy Winn/Invision/AP) From left, Sgt. 1st Class Chuck Shuck, Actress Betty White and The 2012 American Hero Dog Gabe pose during 2012 American Humane Association Hero Dog Awards held at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on Saturday, Oct. 6, 2012, in Los Angeles, Calif. (Photo by Ryan Miller/Invision/AP) Betty White and Cloris Leachman onstage at the 24th Annual GLAAD Media Awards at the JW Marriott on Saturday, April 20, 2013 in Los Angeles. (Photo by Todd Williamson/Invision/AP) Ellen DeGeneres, left, presents Betty White with the award for favorite TV icon at the People's Choice Awards at the Nokia Theatre on Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2015, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP) Betty White, left, speaks at the 70th Primetime Emmy Awards on Monday, Sept. 17, 2018, at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles. Looking on from right are Alec Baldwin and Kate McKinnon. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP) Receive the latest in local entertainment news in your inbox weekly!

Upstart Holdings, Inc. ( NASDAQ:UPST – Get Free Report ) shares were down 6.2% during trading on Friday . The company traded as low as $67.25 and last traded at $67.54. Approximately 1,961,987 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 71% from the average daily volume of 6,823,418 shares. The stock had previously closed at $72.03. Analyst Ratings Changes Several research firms recently weighed in on UPST. Citigroup upgraded shares of Upstart from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their target price for the company from $56.00 to $87.00 in a research note on Friday, November 8th. BTIG Research upgraded Upstart from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, November 11th. Redburn Atlantic raised Upstart from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $37.00 to $95.00 in a report on Tuesday, December 3rd. Piper Sandler upgraded Upstart from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their target price for the company from $31.00 to $85.00 in a research note on Friday, November 8th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. downgraded shares of Upstart from a “neutral” rating to an “underweight” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $45.00 to $57.00 in a research note on Monday, December 2nd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $61.80. Get Our Latest Research Report on UPST Upstart Stock Down 5.6 % Insider Activity at Upstart In related news, CTO Paul Gu sold 36,200 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, October 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $39.22, for a total transaction of $1,419,764.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief technology officer now directly owns 878,565 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $34,457,319.30. This trade represents a 3.96 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink . Also, insider Scott Darling sold 6,200 shares of Upstart stock in a transaction on Tuesday, October 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $39.67, for a total value of $245,954.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 161,043 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,388,575.81. The trade was a 3.71 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here . Insiders sold 531,868 shares of company stock valued at $32,753,134 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 18.06% of the company’s stock. Institutional Investors Weigh In On Upstart Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Fred Alger Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Upstart by 153.2% during the third quarter. Fred Alger Management LLC now owns 1,246,839 shares of the company’s stock worth $49,886,000 after purchasing an additional 754,416 shares in the last quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP raised its position in Upstart by 689.5% in the 3rd quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP now owns 589,000 shares of the company’s stock worth $23,566,000 after purchasing an additional 514,400 shares during the last quarter. Tidal Investments LLC lifted its holdings in Upstart by 1,413.7% during the 3rd quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 333,463 shares of the company’s stock worth $13,342,000 after buying an additional 311,434 shares in the last quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. boosted its position in Upstart by 63.8% in the 3rd quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. now owns 725,582 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,031,000 after buying an additional 282,481 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Millennium Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Upstart by 1,792.9% in the 2nd quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 262,396 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,190,000 after buying an additional 277,896 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 63.01% of the company’s stock. About Upstart ( Get Free Report ) Upstart Holdings, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, operates a cloud-based artificial intelligence (AI) lending platform in the United States. Its platform includes personal loans, automotive retail and refinance loans, home equity lines of credit, and small dollar loans that connects consumer demand for loans to its to bank and credit unions. Read More Receive News & Ratings for Upstart Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Upstart and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter .Betty White Forever: New stamp will honor the much-beloved 'Golden Girls' actor

Customer Journey Analytics: USD 14.74B in 2023, Forecast to USD 64.21B by 2031Baby boy found in Edmonton parking lot died before birth: policeAustralia needs reliable, affordable sources of low-emission electricity generation to power our economy and people through the 21st century and beyond. All three factors — reliability, affordability and sustainability — are essential. In 2024, no serious person doubts the existential need for the world to pivot away from fossil fuels towards more environmentally-friendly sources of electricity generation. That debate has been done. The climate wars are over, at least in the mainstream. Yet discussion of energy policy in Australia is still beholden to ideology. And there’s one word in this space which sets elements of the Left on edge more than any other. Nuclear. Mere mention of the word sends Labor members into hysterics. Since Peter Dutton announced the Coalition’s policy to transition seven existing coal-fired power stations around the country to nuclear power plants, they’ve lined up to pour scorn. Jake Dietsch “Fantasy”, a “scam”, “economic madness” or the “dumbest policy ever put forward by a major party” are among the invective. The Greens are even more hyperbolic. Leader Adam Bandt invoked Chernobyl and Fukushima as he declared nuclear a “threat to people’s safety” on X. On Friday, the Coalition released costings which they say show going nuclear would cost $260 billion less than Labor’s renewable-heavy energy road map. Anthony Albanese said that was a “fiction”, and that Australians would be lumped with far higher electricity bills under Mr Dutton’s “nuclear nightmare”. He and Energy Minister Chris Bowen are now framing their opposition to nuclear as chiefly economic. Mr Bowen said the assumptions underwriting the modelling contained “fatal errors” which ignored reality. The truth is Labor’s hardline anti-nuclear stance is based on ideology and feeling, not facts. Once upon a time, that fear of nuclear was justified. Now, technology has come a long way, but Labor’s attitudes remain rooted in the Seventies. The Coalition too is guilty of energy fanaticism, having fostered climate scepticism throughout much of the previous two decades. Jessica Page But while our politicians are energy zealots, Australians are largely agnostic about how they get their power — provided it fulfils those three essential factors. A Resolve poll conducted in June found 62 per cent of respondents were supportive of or open to nuclear power as part of Australia’s energy mix. That shows that the debate is there for the taking for whichever side can mount the most convincing argument. Labor’s case hasn’t been helped by early summer blackouts in NSW, which have made people mindful of the need for “always-on” sources of electricity generation, not dependent on the weather. Whether voters will accept the Coalition’s offering, which depends on economic modelling decades into the future — always sketchy at best — is unclear. But whichever way Australians land, they’ll expect decisions to be made on facts, not feelings.

By DEVNA BOSE and JOHN SEEWER “Wanted” posters with the names and faces of health care executives have been popping up on the streets of New York. Hit lists with images of bullets are circulating online with warnings that industry leaders should be afraid. Related Articles National News | Military service academies see drop in reported sexual assaults after alarming surge National News | Unidentified drones spotted flying at locations across NYC, including LaGuardia Airport National News | About 2.6 million Stanley cups recalled after malfunctions caused burns. Is your mug included? National News | Woman who falsely accused Duke lacrosse players of rape in 2006 publicly admits she lied National News | Musk says US is demanding he pay penalty over disclosures of his Twitter stock purchases The apparent targeted killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson and the menacing threats that followed have sent a shudder through corporate America and the health care industry in particular, leading to increased security for executives and some workers. In the week since the brazen shooting , health insurers have removed information about their top executives from company websites, canceled in-person meetings with shareholders and advised all employees to work from home temporarily. An internal New York Police Department bulletin warned this week that the online vitriol that followed the shooting could signal an immediate “elevated threat.” Police fear that the Dec. 4 shooting could “inspire a variety of extremists and grievance-driven malicious actors to violence,” according to the bulletin, which was obtained by The Associated Press. “Wanted” posters pasted to parking meters and construction site fences in Manhattan included photos of health care executives and the words “Deny, defend, depose” — similar to a phrase scrawled on bullets found near Thompson’s body and echoing those used by insurance industry critics . Thompson’s wife, Paulette, told NBC News last week that he told her some people had been threatening him and suggested the threats may have involved issues with insurance coverage. Investigators believe the shooting suspect, Luigi Mangione , may have been motivated by hostility toward health insurers. They are studying his writings about a previous back injury, and his disdain for corporate America and the U.S. health care system. Mangione’s lawyer has cautioned against prejudging the case. Mangione, 26, has remained jailed in Pennsylvania, where he was arrested Monday . Manhattan prosecutors are working to bring him to New York to face a murder charge. UnitedHealthcare’s parent company, UnitedHealth Group, said this week it was working with law enforcement to ensure a safe work environment and to reinforce security guidelines and building access policies, a spokesperson said. The company has taken down photos, names and biographies for its top executives from its websites, a spokesperson said. Other organizations, including CVS, the parent company for insurance giant Aetna, have taken similar actions. Government health insurance provider Centene Corp. has announced that its investor day will be held online, rather than in-person as originally planned. Medica, a Minnesota-based nonprofit health care firm, said last week it was temporarily closing its six offices for security reasons and would have its employees work from home. Heightened security measures likely will make health care companies and their leaders more inaccessible to their policyholders, said former Cigna executive Wendell Potter. “And understandably so, with this act of violence. There’s no assurance that this won’t happen again,” said Potter, who’s now an advocate for health care reform. Private security firms and consultants have been in high demand, fielding calls almost immediately after the shooting from companies across a range of industries, including manufacturing and finance. Companies have long faced security risks and grappled with how far to take precautions for high-profile executives. But these recent threats sparked by Thompson’s killing should not be ignored, said Dave Komendat, a former security chief for Boeing who now heads his own risk-management company. “The tone and tenor is different. The social reaction to this tragedy is different. And so I think that people need to take this seriously,” Komendat said. Just over a quarter of the companies in the Fortune 500 reported spending money to protect their CEOs and top executives. Of those, the median payment for personal security doubled over the last three years to just under $100,000. Hours after the shooting, Komendat was on a call with dozens of chief security officers from big corporations, and there have been many similar meetings since, hosted by security groups or law enforcement agencies assessing the threats, he said. “It just takes one person who is motivated by a poster — who may have experienced something in their life through one of these companies that was harmful,” Komendat said. Associated Press reporters Wyatte Grantham-Philips in New York and Barbara Ortutay in San Francisco, contributed to this report.Bulls vs Grizzlies Prediction: Odds, Expert Picks, Projected Starting Lineups, Betting Odds and Trends