After more than 50 years of unbroken rule, the Assad family’s grip on power in Syria has come to a dramatic end. Rebel forces, led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), have breached the heart of the Assad regime in Damascus, forcing President Bashar al-Assad to flee and effectively ending the Alawite dynasty’s reign over Syria. A Legacy of PowerThe Assad family's rule began with Hafez al-Assad, who seized control in a 1970 coup. His ascent came amid political instability, marked by a series of failed coups in post-independence Syria. As a member of the Alawite minority, Hafez capitalised on sectarian divisions to consolidate power, making the Alawite community the bedrock of his regime. His rule would be characterised by a ruthless divide-and-rule strategy, placing Alawites in key military and government positions and securing a loyal power base that would ensure the family’s dominance for decades. Hafez's brutal suppression of the Muslim Brotherhood in Hama in 1982 – which saw tens of thousands of deaths – set the tone for his leadership, leaving behind a regime known for its violent crackdowns on dissent. Succession and the Rise of Bashar al-AssadWhen Hafez al-Assad died in 2000, the country expected a period of reform under his son, Bashar al-Assad. Initially hailed as a moderniser, Bashar was groomed for leadership after the death of his older brother Bassel in 1994. His early years in power brought optimism for political and economic reform. However, the hopes of a more open Syria quickly faded as Bashar inherited his father’s authoritarian structures, including a tightly controlled political system and a powerful network of loyalists in the military and intelligence services. Bashar’s inner circle, including his brother Maher and cousin Rami Makhlouf, consolidated vast economic and political power, leading to widespread corruption and growing discontent. By the time the Arab Spring reached Syria in 2011, Bashar’s regime was already struggling with economic mismanagement, poverty, and a growing wealth gap. The regime's violent response to peaceful protests escalated into a full-scale civil war. The Civil War and Assad’s EndgameThe Syrian civil war, which began as peaceful demonstrations in 2011, rapidly devolved into a brutal conflict after Assad’s security forces opened fire on unarmed protesters. This crackdown, which sparked nationwide unrest, was met with military resistance from various rebel factions, and the regime's forces, backed by Russia and Iran, fought to hold on to key areas. Over the years, the conflict has claimed hundreds of thousands of lives and displaced millions. Despite initial optimism that Bashar could bring change, his regime remained entrenched in violence and corruption. The rise of extremist groups such as ISIS, as well as foreign intervention from powers like the US, Russia, and Turkey, complicated the war and prolonged the suffering of the Syrian people. By 2024, a renewed offensive led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) – a faction once linked to al-Qaeda – has dealt a decisive blow to Assad’s rule. HTS, under the leadership of Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, has managed to capture key cities, including Aleppo and Homs, before advancing into Damascus. The regime’s collapse became inevitable as rebel forces finally breached the capital. A Fragile FutureThe Assad family's exit from Syria marks the end of an era, but questions remain about the country’s future. The leadership of HTS, despite its attempts to shed its extremist image, raises concerns about Syria’s stability. The group’s past ties to al-Qaeda and its authoritarian style of governance have sparked fears of further conflict and repression. The fall of the Assad regime has reverberated across the Middle East, signalling the diminishing influence of Russia and Iran, which had supported the regime. Russia’s military focus has been diverted by the war in Ukraine, while Iran’s regional ambitions have been impacted by the weakening of its Syrian ally. The collapse also opens up new power dynamics in the region, particularly in the contest for influence between Israel, Turkey, and Saudi Arabia. As the conflict shifts into a new phase, millions of displaced Syrians, both within the country and abroad, face an uncertain future. The end of the Assad dynasty marks a new chapter in Syria’s turbulent history, but it is far from clear what lies ahead for the war-torn nation. Get Latest News Live on Times Now along with Breaking News and Top Headlines from Middle East, World and around the world.
With the rapid growth of sensor networks, innovative technologies can be created to forecast emergency situations like earthquakes , volcanic eruptions, heart attacks, and buried pipeline failures using artificial intelligence (AI). As the number of sensors rises, various challenges arise, such as higher network load, delayed data transfer, and increased power consumption on the server. To tackle these obstacles, there is a growing demand for in-sensor edge AI devices that integrate AI capabilities within the sensors themselves. Among these, reservoir computing stands out as a highly promising approach designed specifically for time-series data processing with low power consumption. It can be utilized across different frameworks, with physical reservoir computing (PRC) being the most widely recognized. PRC utilizing optoelectronic artificial synapses (junction structures that allow nerve cells to convey electrical or chemical signals to other cells) that emulate human synaptic functions are anticipated to possess unmatched recognition and real-time processing abilities similar to those of the human visual system. Nonetheless, PRC, relying on current self-powered optoelectronic synaptic devices, struggles to process time-series data across various timescales found in signals that monitor infrastructure, the natural environment, and health conditions. Recently, a team of researchers from the Department of Applied Electronics at the Graduate School of Advanced Engineering, Tokyo University of Science (TUS), led by Associate Professor Takashi Ikuno, along with Mr. Hiroaki Komatsu and Ms. Norika Hosoda, have unveiled a self-powered dye-sensitized solar cell-based optoelectronic photopolymeric human synapse. This innovative synapse features a controllable time constant that responds dynamically to input light intensity. “In order to process time-series input optical data with various time scales, it is essential to fabricate devices according to the desired time scale. Inspired by the afterimage phenomenon of the eye, we came up with a novel optoelectronic human synaptic device that can serve as a computational framework for power-saving edge AI optical sensors,” Dr. Ikuno explains the motivation behind their research. The innovative solar cell-based device leverages advanced squarylium derivative-based dyes, seamlessly integrating optical input, AI computation, analog output, and power supply functions at the material level. It demonstrates synaptic plasticity when exposed to varying light intensities, exhibiting synaptic characteristics such as paired-pulse facilitation and paired-pulse depression. Researchers illustrated that modifying the light intensity leads to superior computational performance in tasks involving time-series data, regardless of the width of the input light pulse. Moreover, when this device was utilized as the reservoir layer of a photonic reservoir computing (PRC) system, it accurately classified human movements—such as bending, jumping, running, and walking—achieving over 90% accuracy. The power consumption remained at only 1% of what traditional systems require, which would significantly lower the related carbon emissions . “We have demonstrated for the first time in the world that the developed device can operate with very low power consumption and yet identify human motion with a high accuracy rate,” emphasizes Dr. Ikuno. This innovative device paves the way for the development of edge AI sensors for various temporal scales, with potential applications in surveillance cameras, automotive cameras, and health monitoring. According to Dr. Ikuno, “This invention can be used as a massively popular edge AI optical sensor that can be attached to any object or person and can impact the cost involved in power consumption, such as car-mounted cameras and car-mounted computers.” He adds, “This device can function as a sensor that can identify human movement with low power consumption, and thus has the potential to contribute to the improvement of vehicle power consumption. Furthermore, it is expected to be used as a low power consumption optical sensor in stand-alone smartwatches and medical devices, significantly reducing their costs to be comparable or even lower than that of current medical devices.” This innovative solar cell-driven device could hasten the advancement of energy-efficient edge AI sensors with diverse uses. Journal reference:
'Quite a debate': Alabama, Miami first teams out of CFP fieldInternational Court of Justice to begin hearings in landmark climate change case started by Pacific Islander students
Chromosomal instability plays a crucial role in the progression of cancer: it shapes the properties of tumor cells and drives the development of therapy resistance. Scientists from the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), the Heidelberg Stem Cell Institute HI-STEM and the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) used state-of-the-art single-cell analysis methods to analyze the cellular heterogeneity of a specific form of acute myeloid leukemia. Their data show how genetic and non-genetic factors determine the functional heterogeneity of blood cancer cells and reveal new therapeutic targets. The findings are published in the journal Nature Genetics . In particular, under the selection pressure of cancer therapies, tumor cells undergo a veritable evolution to adapt to the changing conditions—and often escape the effects of therapy as a result. This evolution under therapeutic pressure is driven by a combination of genetic changes and non-genetic influences. Epigenetic modifications and changes in the transcriptome play a central role here, promoting the adaptation and activation of proliferation and survival programs. This results in an extremely heterogeneous population of cancer cells with different properties in each patient—making it almost impossible for experts to identify which cellular changes affect the tumor's ability to survive or its aggressiveness. This does not apply equally to all types of cancer. Particularly affected, for example, are patients with a special form of blood cancer, acute myeloid leukemia with complex karyotype (CK-AML). The chromosomes of these leukemia cells are in a state of enormous distortion: segments are lost, duplicated, or inserted the wrong direction. Experts call this chaotic condition chromosomal instability , or "chromothripsis." The prognosis for those affected is significantly worse than for AML patients with normal chromosome sets, since their disease often does not respond to any of the available therapies. "Although all experts agree that chromosomal chaos is the cause of the poor therapeutic response of these leukemia cells, no one knows exactly which molecular changes contribute to disease progression and drug resistance ," says Maija Leppä, first author of the paper. To create the knowledge base for developing better therapies, a team led by Andreas Trumpp, HI-STEM director and head of the Stem Cells and Cancer Division at the DKFZ, and Jan Korbel from EMBL has now analyzed the heterogeneity and evolution of CK-AML in unprecedented detail. Samples were obtained from eight patients before the start of treatment, and from two additional patients before and after therapy. The molecular analyses at the single-cell level captured structural genomic and epigenetic variants in the same cell, as well as investigations of the transcriptome and cell surface proteins. The researchers uncovered an enormous cellular and molecular heterogeneity of leukemia cells within each individual patient's disease. The genome was in some cases extremely remodeled, with up to 64 structural genomic aberrations in a single cancer cell. In six of the eight samples, multiple leukemia cell subclones were found. The evolution of the clones could also be traced using these analytical methods. In addition to a linear sequence, there were also highly branched patterns of development in which numerous subclones were detectable at the same time. Using patient-derived xenografts (leukemia cells transplanted into immunocompromised mice), the researchers were able to follow the molecular evolution of these subclones and investigate the molecular changes behind the dominance of individual clones. One subclone, which only accounted for about five percent of the original AML, proved to be very dominant in the transplanted mice and was also responsible for the patient's disease relapse, while the other subclones were eliminated by chemotherapy. In an ex vivo drug screen, therapeutic alternatives were identified for some subclones that were resistant to the standard therapy. For example, clones that were no longer responsive to the drug venetoclax (which blocks the survival factor Bcl-2) responded to the drug elesclomol, which triggers oxidative stress in the leukemia cells. Longitudinal analyses of patient samples before and after the start of therapy identified certain genomic events as causes of disease relapse. For example, leukemia cells with more pronounced stem cell properties and more aggressive growth developed in connection with the activation of the Ras signaling pathway, against which new classes of drugs are currently being developed worldwide. "Using state-of-the-art single-cell analyses, we are able to illustrate the cellular heterogeneity of CK-AML and show the evolutionary processes it undergoes. Our work provides a model for how leukemia stem cells, which drive disease progression and therapy resistance, can be identified early and targeted in the future. This technology can also be used to study other types of cancer with chromosomal chaos, such as carcinoma metastases, much more precisely," Trumpp summarizes. More information: Aino-Maija Leppä et al, Single-cell multiomics analysis reveals dynamic clonal evolution and targetable phenotypes in acute myeloid leukemia with complex karyotype, Nature Genetics (2024). DOI: 10.1038/s41588-024-01999-x
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“ T piac o’ presep ” were famous words uttered by Neapolitan Eduardo DeFilippo , an Italian actor and director, in the drama “ Natale in casa Cupiello “. In English they mean, “Do you like the Holy Nativity?” The presepe , or Holy Nativity , was central to the development of the plot, as one of the play’s main characters aimed at creating a perfect one for Christmas. The play is just one example of the importance of the presepe in Italian Christmas celebrations: the presepe is, indeed, one of the most traditional symbols of the season, its history rooted deeply in that of Italian culture. Its creation is a ritual so entrenched in people’s habits that many can’t renounce to it, even in today’s day and age, when celebrations have become more modern. Basically, a presepe is a scene of the stable where Jesus was born, complete with figurines to represent Mary, Joseph, Jesus and the Wise Men (to be added on the 6th of January), shepherds and animals. Depending on the size, the scene may include buildings for an entire village. Whether big or small, if you’re in Italy during Christmas time, you’ll always find a presepe somewhere. The country is so attached to this tradition, sometimes it even manages to argue about its name: debates about the correct word to use, presepe or presepio , have been going on since it can be remembered. Truth is, both forms are correct because they come from Latin, which accepted both praesepium and praesepe, although presepe is probably the most used today. The term mangiatoia (literally manger, but most commonly known in English as crib, when referring to the Nativity) is used for a three-dimensional representation of the nativity, usually placed in a hut or stable, with figures which can be moved around to the choice of the creator. In this version, the mangiatoia remains the protagonist of the scene and the figures of Saint Joseph, the Virgin Mary and Baby Jesus are placed in it together with that of the ox and the donkey in the stable. The Presepe. Ph. Lorenzoclick on flickr (flic.kr/p/dCXvSf) While some may see the presepe simply as a tradition, it is actually very close to a fully developed form of art. Proof of its importance in Italy can be seen in the numerous markets and exhibitions set up for it, some coming alive with real people impersonating the main characters of the scene. The most famous of these markets is that of San Gregorio Armeno in Naples. San Gregorio Armeno is a city centre street, where several craftsmen exhibit and sell their creations. Famous worldwide, you’ll find a special and magical atmosphere during Christmas. The market is a well known touristic attraction, visited every year by many seeking to experience the enchating atmosphere of a true Neapolitan Christmas. If you make it to the market this year (as every year in fact!), you’ll be surprised to find some very peculiar characters to add to your presepe statuettes’ collection: apart from classic figures like il pastore (the shepherd), il contadino (the farmer), il macellaio (the butcher), and il bottegaio (the storekeeper), you’ll get to see figurines of celebrities or political leaders. The shepherd stands beside President Obama, a storekeeper sits cheek to cheek with the Queen of England: all of it is possible on the stalls of this amazing market. Look for Napoli F.C. players, as well as VIPs and actors, especially if they’ve been at the centre of some scandal during the year. Some presepi are quite expensive, but the simple ones are reasonably priced and will set you back of about 35 euros ($ 40). Traditionally Italians take out their presepe from its boxes on December 8 th . Some people start to build it on that day, others just modify an existing set and others still simply spray a bit of artificial snow and musk for decoration. No matter the size and the ornaments choosen, you’ll find a presepe in the home of almost all Italian Catholics. And be prepared, as you’ll probably be asked, “ Ti piace il presepe ?” Related Posts:
NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks are hanging near their records on Tuesday as Wall Street takes Donald Trump’s latest talk about tariffs in stride, even if they could roil the global economy were they to take effect. The S&P 500 rose 0.4% in afternoon trading and was on track to squeak past its all-time high set a couple weeks ago. The Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 49 points, or 0.1%, from its own record set the day before, while the Nasdaq composite was 0.6% higher, as of 1:04 p.m. Eastern time. Stock markets abroad were down, but mostly only modestly, after President-elect Trump said he plans to impose sweeping new tariffs on Mexico, Canada and China as soon as he takes office. Stock indexes were down 0.1% in Shanghai and nearly flat in Hong Kong, while Canada's main index was down 0.2%. Trump has often praised the use of tariffs, but investors are weighing whether his latest threat will actually become policy or is just an opening point for negotiations. For now, the market seems to be taking it more as the latter. Unless the United States can prepare alternatives for the autos, energy products and other goods that come from Mexico, Canada and China, such tariffs would raise the price of imported items all at once and make households poorer, according to Carl Weinberg and Rubeela Farooqi, economists at High Frequency Economics. They would also hurt profit margins for U.S. companies, while raising the threat of retaliatory tariffs by other countries. General Motors sank 8.3%, and Ford Motor fell 2.2%. Constellation Brands, which sells Modelo and other Mexican beers in the United States, dropped 3.8%. Beyond the pain such tariffs would cause U.S. households and businesses, they could also push the Federal Reserve to slow or even halt its cuts to interest rates. The Fed had just begun cutting its main interest rate from a two-decade high a couple months ago to offer support to the job market . While lower interest rates can boost the overall economy and prices for investments, they can also offer more fuel for inflation. Unlike tariffs in Trump's first term, his proposal from Monday night would affect products across the board. Trump’s tariff talk came almost immediately after U.S. stocks rose Monday amid excitement about his pick for Treasury secretary, Scott Bessent. The hope was the hedge-fund manager could steer Trump away from policies that balloon the U.S. government deficit, which is how much more it spends than it takes in through taxes and other revenue. The talk about tariffs overshadowed another set of mixed profit reports from U.S. retailers that answered few questions about how much more shoppers can keep spending. They’ll need to stay resilient after helping the economy avoid a recession, despite the high interest rates instituted by the Fed to get inflation under control. Kohl’s tumbled 16.6% after its results for the latest quarter fell short of analysts’ expectations. CEO Tom Kingsbury said sales remain soft for apparel and footwear, which helped drag its revenue lower. Kingsbury said a day earlier that he plans to step down as CEO in January. Ashley Buchanan, CEO of Michaels and a retail veteran, will replace him. Best Buy fell 6.9% after likewise falling short of analysts’ expectations. Dick’s Sporting Goods topped forecasts for the latest quarter thanks to a strong back-to-school season, but its stock lost an early gain to fall 0.3%. A report on Tuesday from the Conference Board said confidence among U.S. consumers improved in November, but not by as much as economists expected. J.M. Smucker jumped 4.6% for one of the biggest gains in the S&P 500 after topping analysts' expectations for the latest quarter. CEO Mark Smucker credited strength for its Uncrustables, Meow Mix, Café Bustelo and Jif brands. Big Tech stocks also helped prop up U.S. indexes. Gains of 2.4% for Amazon and 1.9% for Microsoft were two of the strongest forces lifting the S&P 500. In the bond market, Treasury yields rose following their big drop from a day before driven by relief following Trump’s pick for Treasury secretary. The yield on the 10-year Treasury climbed to 4.31% from 4.28% late Monday, but it’s still well below the 4.41% level where it ended last week. In the crypto market, bitcoin continued to pull back after topping $99,000 for the first time late last week. It's since dipped back toward $93,500, according to CoinDesk. It’s a sharp turnaround from the bonanza that had earlier taken over the crypto market following Trump’s election. That boom had also appeared to have spilled over into some corners of the stock market. Strategists at Barclays Capital pointed to stocks of unprofitable companies, along with other areas that can be caught up in bursts of optimism by smaller-pocketed “retail” investors. AP Business Writer Elaine Kurtenbach contributed. Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. The business news you need Get the latest local business news delivered FREE to your inbox weekly.Libby Mettam promises power bill relief if Liberals win 2025 WA State Election
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Ohio secures 84-68 win against Robert MorrisFIUGGI, Italy (AP) — Foreign ministers from the world’s leading industrialized nations expressed cautious optimism Monday about possible progress on a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah. The top diplomats met for the final time before a new U.S. administration takes office with wars raging in the Mideast and Ukraine. “Knock on wood,” Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said as he opened the Group of Seven meeting outside Rome. “We are perhaps close to a ceasefire in Lebanon," he said. "Let's hope it's true and that there's no backing down at the last-minute.” A ceasefire in Gaza and Lebanon was foremost on the agenda of the G7 meeting in Fiuggi, outside Rome, that gathered ministers from Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States, in the last G7 encounter of the Biden administration. For the first time, the G7 ministers were joined by their counterparts from Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar, the so-called “Arab Quintet,” as well as the Secretary General of the Arab League. “Everyone favors a ceasefire in both scenarios,” Tajani told reporters, adding that Italy had offered to take on an even greater peacekeeping role in Lebanon to oversee any ceasefire deal. As the ministers arrived in Italy, Israel’s ambassador to the U.S., Mike Herzog, told Israeli Army Radio on Monday a ceasefire deal to end fighting between Israel and the Lebanon-based Hezbollah could be reached “within days.” Several Arab ministers reiterated calls for a ceasefire in both Lebanon and Gaza during a G7-affiliated conference in Rome. “We need a ceasefire, a permanent ceasefire. That will stop the killings and stop the destruction and restore a sense of normalcy to life,” Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi told the conference. Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty, for his part, reaffirmed that Cairo would host a minister-level conference next Monday on mobilizing international aid for Gaza. The so-called “Quintet” has been working with the U.S. to finalize a “day after” plan for Gaza. There is some urgency to make progress before the Trump administration takes over in January. President-elect Donald Trump is expected to pursue a policy that strongly favors Israel over the aspirations of the Palestinians. Tajani added another item to the G7 agenda last week after the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his former defense minister and Hamas’ military chief. Italy is a founding member of the court and hosted the 1998 Rome conference that gave birth to it. But Italy’s right-wing government has been a strong supporter of Israel after the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks, while also providing humanitarian aid for Palestinians in Gaza. The Italian government has taken a cautious line, reaffirming its support and respect for the court but expressing concern that the warrants were politically motivated. The United States, Israel's closest ally, has called the warrants “outrageous.” Tajani acknowledged consensus hadn't been reached among the G7 members but hoped for agreement to have a unified position. He noted that all sides need Netanyahu to make any deal. “We can also not agree with how his government has led the reaction after the massacre of Oct. 7, but now we have to deal with Netanyahu to arrive at peace in Lebanon, peace in Palestine,” Tajani said. Nathalie Tocci, director of the Rome-based Institute for International Affairs think tank, warned that inserting the ICC warrant into the G7 agenda was risky, since the U.S. is the lone member that is not a signatory to the court and yet tends to dictate the G7 line. “If Italy and the other (five G7) signatories of the ICC are unable to maintain the line on international law, they will not only erode it anyway but will be acting against our interests,” Tocci wrote in La Stampa daily this weekend, recalling Italy’s recourse to international law in demanding protection for Italian U.N. peacekeepers who have come under fire in southern Lebanon. The other major talking point of the G7 meeting is Ukraine , and tensions have only heightened since Russia attacked Ukraine last week with an experimental, hypersonic ballistic missile that escalated the nearly 33-month-old war. Russian President Vladimir Putin said the strike was retaliation for Kyiv’s use of U.S. and British longer-range missiles capable of striking deeper into Russian territory. The G7 has been at the forefront of providing military and economic support for Ukraine since Russia’s invasion in February 2022 and G7 members are particularly concerned about how a Trump administration will change the U.S. approach. Trump has criticized the billions of dollars that the Biden administration has poured into Ukraine and has said he could end the war in 24 hours, comments that appear to suggest he would press Ukraine to surrender territory that Russia now occupies. “It’s hugely important that this G7, that all colleagues across the G7 continue to stand with Ukraine for as long as it lasts,” British Foreign Secretary David Lammy said as he arrived. He announced new sanctions on vessels of Russia's “shadow fleet” of ships that are evading sanctions to export Russian oil. “And we are confident that Ukraine can have the funds and the military equipment and kit to get through 2025,” Lammy said. The G7 foreign ministers’ meeting, the second of the Italian presidency after ministers gathered in Capri in April , is being held in the medieval town of Fiuggi southeast of Rome, best known for its thermal spas. On Monday, which coincides with the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, ministers were attending the inauguration of a red bench meant to symbolize Italy’s focus on fighting gender-based violence. Over the weekend, tens of thousands of people marched in Rome to protest gender-based violence , which in Italy so far this year has claimed the lives of 99 women, according to a report last week by the Eures think tank.