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Empowered Funds LLC grew its holdings in shares of Capital City Bank Group, Inc. ( NASDAQ:CCBG – Free Report ) by 5.1% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 24,809 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,206 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC owned 0.15% of Capital City Bank Group worth $876,000 as of its most recent SEC filing. Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its stake in Capital City Bank Group by 1,482.3% in the third quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 4,193 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $148,000 after buying an additional 3,928 shares during the period. Inspire Investing LLC acquired a new stake in Capital City Bank Group in the third quarter worth $414,000. SG Americas Securities LLC bought a new stake in Capital City Bank Group in the third quarter valued at $184,000. Prospector Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of Capital City Bank Group by 17.6% during the second quarter. Prospector Partners LLC now owns 32,685 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $930,000 after purchasing an additional 4,900 shares during the period. Finally, Renaissance Technologies LLC boosted its position in shares of Capital City Bank Group by 4.0% during the 2nd quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 206,871 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $5,883,000 after purchasing an additional 8,000 shares in the last quarter. 44.59% of the stock is owned by institutional investors. Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Piper Sandler lowered shares of Capital City Bank Group from an “overweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and upped their target price for the stock from $30.00 to $34.00 in a report on Monday, July 29th. StockNews.com raised Capital City Bank Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 14th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $35.80. Insider Buying and Selling In other Capital City Bank Group news, Treasurer Thomas A. Barron sold 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $33.81, for a total transaction of $101,430.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the treasurer now owns 140,681 shares in the company, valued at $4,756,424.61. This trade represents a 2.09 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link . 19.40% of the stock is currently owned by insiders. Capital City Bank Group Stock Performance CCBG stock opened at $39.12 on Friday. The business has a 50 day moving average of $35.79 and a 200-day moving average of $32.17. The firm has a market cap of $662.69 million, a PE ratio of 12.83 and a beta of 0.53. Capital City Bank Group, Inc. has a 12-month low of $25.45 and a 12-month high of $40.08. The company has a quick ratio of 0.83, a current ratio of 0.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11. Capital City Bank Group ( NASDAQ:CCBG – Get Free Report ) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 22nd. The financial services provider reported $0.78 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.77 by $0.01. Capital City Bank Group had a net margin of 19.42% and a return on equity of 11.29%. The company had revenue of $68.84 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $54.40 million. Capital City Bank Group Dividend Announcement The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 23rd. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 9th will be paid a dividend of $0.23 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 9th. This represents a $0.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.35%. Capital City Bank Group’s payout ratio is currently 30.16%. Capital City Bank Group Profile ( Free Report ) Capital City Bank Group, Inc operates as the financial holding company for Capital City Bank that provides a range of banking- related services to individual and corporate clients. The company offers financing for commercial business properties, equipment, inventories, and accounts receivable, as well as commercial leasing and letters of credit; treasury management services; and merchant credit card transaction processing services. Featured Stories Want to see what other hedge funds are holding CCBG? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Capital City Bank Group, Inc. ( NASDAQ:CCBG – Free Report ). Receive News & Ratings for Capital City Bank Group Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Capital City Bank Group and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter .
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Now that he’s stepped back into the role of being a starter, Dalton Risner is working tirelessly to make sure he’s at his best for the Vikings. ADVERTISEMENT That could be easier said than done in the short term. After starting exclusively at left guard since entering the NFL, Risner got the start at right guard for the first time last weekend with the Vikings playing the Tennessee Titans. Though he said he was extremely grateful for the opportunity, Risner also admitted there’s a learning curve now playing a new position. Not that he’s complaining about his place on the offensive line. “It was awesome,” Risner said. “I’m really happy with how I played. A few things to clean up. I think I’ll only continue to get better.” ADVERTISEMENT After rewatching the game, head coach Kevin O’Connell praised Risner for the way he competed in the trenches. “He showed some of that veteran moxie to win some downs that were some hard downs,” O’Connell said. “There are some things he’ll continue to improve with the speed and physicality of it as he finds his groove.” The biggest hurdle for Risner is getting his mind to think in reverse. He has spent so much time at left guard throughout his career that switching over to right guard has forced him out of his comfort zone. “All of it is flip-flopped,” Risner said. “It’s not an easy process.” ADVERTISEMENT It was made even more difficult last weekend with Risner going up against the combination of star defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons and rookie defensive tackle T’Vondre Sweat. “That’s about as good of a pair as we’re going to find in the NFL,” offensive coordinator Wes Phillips said. “We knew it was going to be a challenge up front with those guys. There are some things we could’ve done better from a technique perspective. We expect these guys to respond.” That includes Risner as the Vikings prepare for the Chicago Bears on Sunday afternoon at Soldier Field. As he gains more experience at his new position, his hope is that it becomes second nature to him at some point soon. ADVERTISEMENT “I don’t know how many reps it’ll be or how many games it’ll be,” Risner said. I know I’ll consistently get more and more comfortable there.” The only player listed as a non-participant on the injury report was tight end Josh Oliver (wrist/ankle). He hasn’t practiced at all this week, so his availability for this weekend is very much up in the air. ______________________________________________________ This story was written by one of our partner news agencies. Forum Communications Company uses content from agencies such as Reuters, Kaiser Health News, Tribune News Service and others to provide a wider range of news to our readers. Learn more about the news services FCC uses here .None
FIFA confirms Saudi Arabia as 2034 World Cup host despite human rights concerns ZURICH (AP) — Saudi Arabia has been officially confirmed by FIFA as host of the 2034 World Cup in men’s soccer. The Saudi bid was the only candidate and was acclaimed by the applause of more than 200 FIFA member federations. They took part remotely in an online meeting hosted in Zurich on Wednesday by the soccer body’s president Gianni Infantino. The decision was combined with approving the only candidate to host the 2030 World Cup. Spain, Portugal and Morocco will co-host in a six-nation project, with Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay each getting one of the 104 games. The South American connection will mark the centenary of Uruguay hosting the first World Cup in 1930. Man City crisis deepens with loss to Juventus in Champions League as Barcelona and Arsenal win Manchester City plunged deeper into trouble in the Champions League by losing 2-0 at Juventus in the latest setback in a scarcely believable run of poor results for the ailing English champions. City dropped to 22nd place in the 36-team standings and only the top 24 advances. Reaching the knockout stage looked a certainty before the season for a team that was European champion in 2022 and has won the last four Premier League titles. It's not anymore as City manager Pep Guardiola battles injuries and an apparent loss of belief among his players. Arsenal beat Monaco 3-0 and Barcelona won 3-2 at Borussia Dortmund. Rape allegation against Jay-Z won’t impact NFL's relationship with music mogul, Goodell says IRVING, Texas (AP) — NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell says a rape allegation against rapper Jay-Z won’t impact the NFL's relationship with the music mogul. Jay-Z's company Roc Nation has produced some of the NFL’s entertainment presentations including the Super Bowl halftime show. A woman who previously sued Sean “Diddy” Combs alleging she was raped at an awards show after-party in 2000 amended the lawsuit Sunday to include an allegation that Jay-Z was also at the party and participated in the sexual assault. Jay-Z says the rape allegation made against him is part of an extortion attempt. The NFL teamed up with Jay-Z’s Roc Nation in 2019 for events and social activism. The league and the entertainment company extended their partnership a few months ago. Jimmy Butler says he's not worrying about his future with Heat amid trade speculation Jimmy Butler knows there are tons of questions about his future with the Miami Heat. He might get traded, he might leave as a free agent next summer, he might exercise a $52.4 million option to return to the Heat or he might get a new contract. He isn't sure what will happen. The Heat forward spoke out about trade speculation Wednesday, telling reporters after practice that he doesn’t mind his name being in the rumor mill. Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes on having to play 3 times in an 11-day span: 'It's not a good feeling' KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes is not exactly thrilled about the NFL forcing the two-time defending Super Bowl champions to play three times over an 11-day span in the coming weeks. The Chiefs are among four teams along with the Texans, Steelers and Ravens who will play on Christmas Day this year. But with the holiday falling on Wednesday, those four also will play the prior Saturday along with this coming Sunday. Asked about the packed schedule, and one that could have significant playoff ramifications, Mahomes said: “It's not a good feeling. You never want to play this amount of games in this short of time. It's not great for your body. But at the end of the day it's your job." Gastineau confronts Favre in documentary for his 'dive' on Strahan's record-breaking sack Former New York Jets star Mark Gastineau confronted Brett Favre last year at a memorabilia show and angrily accused the Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback of deliberately going down on a record-breaking sack. The tense exchange is shown in the new ESPN 30 for 30 documentary “The New York Sack Exchange." It chronicles the Jets’ fearsome foursome defensive line of the 1980s that included Gastineau. Gastineau set an NFL record with 22 sacks in 1984, but Pro Football Hall of Famer Michael Strahan broke the mark when he sacked Favre in 2002 in a game between the Giants and Packers. Many have accused Favre of purposely taking the sack so Strahan could set the single-season record with 22 1/2. US Biathlon officials ignored sexual harassment and abuse of female racers for decades, athletes say Sexual abuse and harassment by coaches and others who held positions of power over women on the U.S. Biathlon team were ignored or excused over decades by officials more concerned with winning medals than holding offenders accountable. That's according to Olympians and other biathletes interviewed by The Associated Press. While the men climbed the sport's ranks, these women say they were forced to end their careers early. The women and others describe a culture of misogyny and say they faced retaliation for speaking up. Three of the men denied allegations they were either part of the abuse or ignored allegations of abuse. A fourth did not respond to AP requests for comment. All-Star left-hander Garrett Crochet acquired by Red Sox from White Sox for prospects All-Star left-hander Garrett Crochet has been acquired by the Boston Red Sox from the Chicago White Sox for four prospects. Catcher Kyle Teel, infielder Chase Meidroth, right-hander Wikelman Gonzalez and outfielder Braden Montgomery are headed to Chicago. The 25-year-old Crochet was 6-12 with a 3.58 ERA in 32 starts for a White Sox team that went 41-121. It's the most losses for any club since 1900. He was picked for the AL All-Star team in his first season as a starter. Selected 11th overall by Chicago in the 2020 amateur draft, Crochet made his big league debut that September. He had Tommy John surgery in April 2022. Bowl games miss out on 4 CFP teams, the latest twist and turn for college football's postseason JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — First-round games in the College Football Playoff mean four ranked teams won't make traditional bowls. The setup had the potential to shake up the bowl system. But adding quality teams like Oregon and Texas to the top two conferences managed to offset much of the lower-bowl handwringing. Still, it added to arguably the most unsettling stretch in college football history. The run includes COVID-19, massive conference realignment that might not be over and the move to a 12-team playoff that includes four matchups on campus sites. Another revamp could be ahead that could affect second-tier bowls even more. Saudi Arabia will host the 2034 World Cup. But when exactly? ZURICH (AP) — Saudi Arabia scored a major win in its campaign to attract major sports events to the kingdom when it was formally appointed as the 2034 World Cup host on Wednesday. Still, many questions remain about the tournament. Key issues include during which part of the year to stage the tournament, where to play the games, whether alcohol will be allowed at all and how to protect workers rights in the massive construction projects required to host the World Cup. Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.None
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Tua Tagovailoa doesn’t want to take chances with his family’s safety, so the Miami Dolphins’ star quarterback hired personal security when one of his cars was broken into about a year ago. "(It was) a little too close for my comfort with my family being in the house,” Tagovailoa said Wednesday. “So we got personal security to take care of all of that. When we’re on the road, we’ve got someone with my wife, got someone also at the house, surveying the house.” Tagovailoa, speaking days after the home of Cincinnati quarterback Joe Burrow was broken into while the Bengals were playing a Monday night game at Dallas, also noted his security is armed, “so I hope that if you decide to go to my house, you think twice.” Burrow’s home was the latest targeted in a string of burglaries of pro athletes’ homes in the U.S., which included the homes of Kansas City Chiefs stars Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce. Mahomes’ and Kelce’s homes were broken into in October, prompting the NFL to issue a security alert to teams and the players’ union warning that the houses of numerous pro athletes were “increasingly targeted for burglaries by organized and skilled groups,” according to a memo previously obtained by The Associated Press. RELATED COVERAGE Steelers have stopped just about everybody this year. Up next: ‘Mr. Barkley’ Pro Picks: Eagles will beat Steelers in a close one and Bills will upset the Lions Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes on having to play 3 times in an 11-day span: ‘It’s not a good feeling’ Law enforcement officials noted these groups target the homes on days the athletes have games. Players were told to take precautions and implement home security measures to reduce the risk of being targeted. Tagovailoa’s personal security has been in place since long before this string of break-ins. No one was injured in the Monday night break-in at Burrow’s home, but it was ransacked, according to a report provided by the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office. The AP Top 25 college football poll is back every week throughout the season! Get the poll delivered straight to your inbox with AP Top 25 Poll Alerts. Sign up here . In the NBA , Milwaukee Bucks forward Bobby Portis had his home broken into Nov. 2 and Minnesota Timberwolves guard Mike Conley Jr.’s home was burglarized on Sept. 15 while he was at a Minnesota Vikings game. Portis had offered a $40,000 reward for information, and the NBA later issued its own memo revealing that the FBI has connected some burglaries to “transnational South American Theft Groups” that are “reportedly well-organized, sophisticated rings that incorporate advanced techniques and technologies, including pre-surveillance, drones, and signal jamming devices.” Some of the groups have conducted extensive surveillance on targets, including attempted home deliveries and posing as grounds maintenance or joggers in the neighborhood, according to officials. Tagovailoa, who just signed an extension with the Dolphins last offseason, said he doesn’t necessarily feel like a target, “but I wouldn’t want to play the chances with my family and kids sleeping, my wife sleeping, me sleeping at the house.” ___ AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl
Always the innovators, in 2023 we Greeks elected a complete unknown as leader of the country’s main opposition party. Of course, Donald Trump had already shown how someone not in politics could rush in and overturn the “system.” Before him, Silvio Berlusconi had done this in Italy. Berlusconi and Trump, though, were already well known, with a ubiquitous presence in public life before they expanded their commercial activities into politics. Stefanos Kasselakis came from nowhere, hitting a dazed SYRIZA like lightning after a crushing national election. And the party, well trained in wishful thinking, thought that this photogenic young man they saw on social media would lead it forward. Then, in Cyprus, we saw the phenomenon Fidias, another political “unknown” who leveraged his very well-known social media persona into winning a seat in the European Parliament, at the expense of established parties. On Sunday, we saw a political earthquake in Romania, in the first round of the presidential election. There, the independent Calin Georgescu (an ultranationalist friend of Moscow) defied the polls, which forecast him getting around 5%, to win the first round with 22.9%. He is now headed for the runoff on December 8. A large part of Georgescu’s unexpected success is put down to his viral campaign on TikTok. This “explanation” for electoral surprises is no longer a surprise. Berlusconi had at his disposal popular mass media which he owned, before the spread of social media. Now, without owning anything, others can have the same influence. Trump had – and always has – all America’s attention with his verbal (and other) outrages, in both traditional and new media. And he has proved a master at exploiting all new media – from using existing social media to establishing his own, to interviews with various podcasters whose “home-made” shows have a huge listenership and great impact, especially on young men. It was mainly these podcasters, outsiders of the official information and entertainment ecosystem, who spread and maintained the great lie of the “stolen election” in 2020. They moved many to support Trump, among them members of groups which traditionally voted for the Democratic Party (such as Latinos, where 48 percent of men aged under 40 voted for Trump in 2024). The influence of new media is now a given. The clash between SYRIZA and Kasselakis’ new political vehicle, like the relationship between SYRIZA’s new leader Sokratis Famellos and his social media-savvy rival Pavlos Polakis, will show whether “moderate forces” can withstand the explosions that impress an ever more impatient audience. The new “individualist” media are not dependent on the traditional advertising model, which forces mainstream media to try maintain some balance, so as to win the largest possible audience. On the contrary, whatever is most extreme and unfiltered provides the new media with content and brings them audiences. Sometimes, they are influenced and funded by unknown sources. The center, under attack from all sides, does not have a similar base on which to stand.
The recent arrest of the man accused in the Dec. 4 death of United Healthcare's CEO has resurfaced the writings of Unabomber Ted Kaczynski, who was apprehended by authorities in 1996 at his Montana cabin near Lincoln after nearly 17 years of mailing bombs that killed three and injured nearly two dozen others. In social media posts, Luigi Mangione called Kaczynski a "political revolutionary," according to a police bulletin obtained by the Associated Press. Several news agencies are reporting that Mangione wrote about "The Unabomber Manifesto" by Kaczynski, also known as the "Industrial Society and Its Future," in January on the book review site Goodreads. "It's easy to quickly and thoughtless write this off as the manifesto of a lunatic, in order to avoid facing some of the uncomfortable problems it identifies. But it's simply impossible to ignore how prescient many of his predictions about modern society turned out," the reviewer wrote. "He was a violent individual — rightfully imprisoned — who maimed innocent people. While these actions tend to be characterized as those of a crazy luddite, however, they are more accurately seen as those of an extreme political revolutionary," they wrote. Mangione, 26, an Ivy League graduate from a prominent Maryland real estate family, reportedly gave the manifesto a 4-star rating, or "liked it." Ratings range from 1 star — "Didn't like it" — to 5 stars: "It was amazing." New York police officials have said Mangione was carrying a gun like the one used in the Manhattan killing of Brian Thompson, who led United Healthcare, the United States' largest medical insurance company. Thompson, 50, was killed Dec. 4 as he walked alone to a Manhattan hotel for an investor conference. Kaczynski's manifesto, a 35,000-word anti-technology tirade, was printed in 1995 in The New York Times and The Washington Post and eventually led to his arrest. His capture thrust Lincoln into the international spotlight as FBI agents, other law enforcement and hordes of media converged on a tiny mountain town, where he had lived as something of recluse. Kaczynski, a Harvard-educated mathematician, died by suicide while in federal custody in 2023. He was 81. He had been transferred to a federal prison medical facility in North Carolina in late 2021 after spending the past two decades in a federal Supermax prison in Colorado. His brother, David Kaczynski, told several news agencies that his brother should not be someone to aspire to be like. "His actions are like a virus," David Kaczynski said, according to Yahoo News. "They could be like a virus unless they understand he was a very angry and disturbed man. It doesn't mean his ideas are ideas of a lunatic, but his behavior, I believe, is the behavior of a lunatic. "To the extent that he may have attributed at all to sort of normalizing or recasting the violent acts as beneficial to humanity is a terrible mistake," David Kaczynski added. Mangione is fighting attempts to extradite him to New York so that he can face a murder charge, the Associated Press reported. At the time of his arrest after being spotted Monday at a McDonald's in Altoona, Pennsylvania, Mangione was carrying a handwritten document expressing anger with what he called "parasitic" health insurance companies and a disdain for corporate greed and power, the Associated Press reported. Assistant editor Phil Drake can be reached at 406-231-9021. Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox!Identity and Access Management Market Securing Digital Frontiers with Advanced IAM Technologies3 SIPP mistakes to avoid
By LOLITA BALDOR and FATIMA HUSSEIN WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump said Wednesday that he has chosen Keith Kellogg, a highly decorated retired three-star general, to serve as his special envoy for Ukraine and Russia. Kellogg, who is one of the architects of a staunchly conservative policy book that lays out an “America First” national security agenda for the incoming administration, will come into the role as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine enters its third year in February. Trump made the announcement on his Truth Social account, and said “He was with me right from the beginning! Together, we will secure PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH, and Make America, and the World, SAFE AGAIN!” Kellogg, an 80 year-old retired Army lieutenant general who has long been Trump’s top adviser on defense issues, served as national security adviser to Vice President Mike Pence , was chief of staff of the National Security Council and then stepped in as an acting security adviser for Trump after Michael Flynn resigned. As special envoy for Ukraine and Russia, Kellogg will have to navigate an increasingly untenable war between the two nations. The Biden administration has begun urging Ukraine to quickly increase the size of its military by drafting more troops and revamping its mobilization laws to allow for the conscription of troops as young as 18. The White House has pushed more than $56 billion in security assistance to Ukraine since the start of Russia’s February 2022 invasion and expects to send billions more to Kyiv before Biden leaves office in less than months. Trump has criticized the billions that the Biden administration has poured into Ukraine. Washington has recently stepped up weapons shipments and has forgiven billions in loans provided to Kyiv. The incoming Republican president 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. As a co-chairman of the American First Policy Institute’s Center for American Security, Kellogg wrote several of the chapters in the group’s policy book. The book, like the Heritage Foundation’s “Project 2025,” is a move to lay out a Trump national security agenda and avoid the mistakes of 2016 when he entered the White House largely unprepared. Kellogg in April wrote that “bringing the Russia-Ukraine war to a close will require strong, America First leadership to deliver a peace deal and immediately end the hostilities between the two warring parties.” Trump’s proposed national security advisor U.S. Rep. Michael Waltz (R-Fla.) tweeted Wednesday that “Keith has dedicated his life to defending our great country and is committed to bringing the war in Ukraine to a peaceful resolution.” Kellogg was a character in multiple Trump investigations dating to his first term. He was among the administration officials who listened in on the July 2019 call between Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy in which Trump prodded his Ukrainian counterpart to pursue investigations into the Bidens. The call, which Kellogg would later say did not raise any concerns on his end, was at the center of the first of two House impeachment cases against Trump, who was acquitted by the Senate both times. On Jan. 6, 2021, hours before pro-Trump rioters stormed the U.S. Capitol, Kellogg, who was then Pence’s national security adviser, listened in on a heated call in which Trump told his vice president to object or delay the certification in Congress of President Joe Biden ’s victory. He later told House investigators that he recalled Trump saying to Pence words to the effect of: “You’re not tough enough to make the call.” Baldor reported from Washington. AP writer Eric Tucker in Washington contributed to this report.
Imphal, Dec 14 (IANS): The Assam Rifles alone destroyed 354 acres of illicit poppy cultivation this year, primarily in three Manipur districts -- Ukhrul, Churachandpur and Chandel. A Defence spokesman said that through meticulously planned joint operations, the force successfully identified and destroyed 354 acres of illicit poppy cultivation, primarily in the districts of Ukhrul, Churachandpur, and Chandel. The Assam Rifles continued its determination to fight against the menace of poppy cultivation along the India-Myanmar border, he said. The spokesman said that by eliminating poppy fields and striking at the roots of narco-trade, Assam Rifles has reaffirmed its commitment towards ensuring stability and security in Manipur and beyond. According to the defence official, the battle against poppy cultivation has been a consistent priority for the para-military force, as reflected in its sustained efforts over the years. In 2020 the force identified a staggering 8057 acres of poppy fields, of which 1695 acres were destroyed. This trend of rigorous action continued in subsequent years with 5610 acres identified and 1976 acres destroyed in 2021. The Assam Rifles intensified its operations in 2022 identifying 494 acres and destroying 715 acres, including previously undiscovered patches. In 2023, 1735 acres were identified and 1488 acres were eradicated. By 2024 the area of identified poppy fields had declined significantly, reflecting the success of the state and Central governments and security forces’ multi-pronged strategy, the spokesman pointed out. Noting that the ongoing ethnic crisis in Manipur, no single agency can effectively address this challenge alone, the spokesman said that collaborative operations have proven essential, with Assam Rifles actively coordinating with state and central agencies, including the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), Manipur Police and other CAPFs deployed in the area. The NCB, as the nodal agency for drug enforcement under the Ministry of Home Affairs, ensured synergy among all stakeholders during operations, especially during the opium harvesting seasons. Joint operations have focused on curbing cultivation, disrupting supply chains and dismantling the networks sustaining the illicit drug trade. The security cover provided by the force has ensured the safe execution of destruction operations in vulnerable and conflict-prone areas. Assam Rifles deftly incorporated advanced technology, such as drone surveillance in identifying poppy fields in inaccessible terrains. An official statement said that these high-tech measures are complemented by actionable intelligence from local communities and inputs from civil society organisations (CSOs). The Leveraging of Technology and Community Support has significantly enhanced the effectiveness of operations, ensuring a swift and targeted approach. Additionally, the Force has also maintained a robust ground presence through Area Domination Patrols in traditional cultivation zones. This persistent vigilance has acted as a deterrent to the resurgence of illegal farming practices, the statement said. Beyond destruction campaigns, Assam Rifles has also prioritised addressing the socio-economic factors driving poppy cultivation. Under its "Drug-Free Manipur" initiative, the Force has conducted extensive awareness drives to educate communities about the perils of drug addiction and the risks associated with illegal farming. Through regular interactions with villagers and local leaders, the force has actively promoted sustainable livelihood options, encouraging a shift toward legitimate and long-term economic activities. Assam Rifles’ zero-tolerance policy against narcotics-related activities has led to legal actions against defaulters, including cultivators and financiers. These measures, combined with efforts to restrict cross-border narcotics trafficking, have disrupted the infrastructure supporting poppy cultivation.
NYT Strands today — hints, spangram and answers for game #276 (Wednesday, December 4 2024) - Tom's Guide