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Richard Drury/DigitalVision via Getty Images Today, we follow up on one of the champions of net lease. One of the best parts of the net lease sector is the depth. There are plenty of net lease REITs which currently trade today. Some have Analyst’s Disclosure: I/we have a beneficial long position in the shares of ADC either through stock ownership, options, or other derivatives. I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it (other than from Seeking Alpha). I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article. Seeking Alpha's Disclosure: Past performance is no guarantee of future results. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. Any views or opinions expressed above may not reflect those of Seeking Alpha as a whole. Seeking Alpha is not a licensed securities dealer, broker or US investment adviser or investment bank. Our analysts are third party authors that include both professional investors and individual investors who may not be licensed or certified by any institute or regulatory body.Neuer gets sent off for 1st time and Bayern Munich exits German Cup early again
Nico Iamaleava throws 4 TD passes to lead No. 10 Tennessee over UTEP 56-0
COLUMBIA, South Carolina — Victims’ families and others affected by crimes that resulted in federal death row convictions shared a range of emotions on Monday, from relief to anger, after President Joe Biden commuted dozens of the sentences . Biden converted the sentences of 37 federal death row inmates to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. The inmates include people who were convicted in the slayings of police, military officers and federal prisoners and guards. Others were involved in deadly robberies and drug deals. Three inmates will remain on federal death row: Dylann Roof , convicted of the 2015 racist slayings of nine Black members of Mother Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina; the 2013 Boston Marathon Bomber, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev , and Robert Bowers, who fatally shot 11 congregants at Pittsburgh’s Tree of life Synagogue in 2018 , the deadliest antisemitic attack in U.S history. Opponents of the death penalty lauded Biden for a decision they’d long sought. Supporters of Donald Trump , a vocal advocate of expanding capital punishment, criticized the move as an assault to common decency just weeks before the president-elect takes office. Donnie Oliverio, a retired Ohio police officer whose partner was killed by an inmate whose death sentence was commuted, said the execution of “the person who killed my police partner and best friend would have brought me no peace.” “The president has done what is right here,” Oliverio said in a statement also issued by the White House, “and what is consistent with the faith he and I share.” Heather Turner, whose mother, Donna Major, was killed in a bank robbery in South Carolina in 2017, called Biden’s commutation of the killer’s sentence a “clear gross abuse of power” in a Facebook post, adding that the weeks she spent in court with the hope of justice were now “just a waste of time.” “At no point did the president consider the victims,” Turner wrote. “He, and his supporters, have blood on their hands.” There has always been a broad range of opinions on what punishment Roof should face from the families of the nine people killed and the survivors of the massacre at the Mother Emanuel AME Church. Many forgave him, but some say they can’t forget and their forgiveness doesn’t mean they don’t want to see him put to death for what he did. Felicia Sanders survived the shooting shielding her granddaughter while watching Roof kill her son, Tywanza, and her aunt, Susie Jackson. Sanders brought her bullet-torn bloodstained Bible to his sentencing and said then she can’t even close her eyes to pray because Roof started firing during the closing prayer of Bible study that night. In a text message to her lawyer, Andy Savage, Sanders called Biden’s decision to not spare Roof’s life a wonderful Christmas gift. Michael Graham, whose sister, Cynthia Hurd, was killed, told The Associated Press that Roof’s lack of remorse and simmering white nationalism in the country means he is the kind of dangerous and evil person the death penalty is intended for. “This was a crime against a race of people,” Graham said. “It didn’t matter who was there, only that they were Black.” But the Rev. Sharon Richer, who was Tywanza Sanders’ cousin and whose mother, Ethel Lance, was killed, criticized Biden for not sparing Roof and clearing out all of death row. She said every time Roof’s case comes up through numerous appeals it is like reliving the massacre all over again. “I need the President to understand that when you put a killer on death row, you also put their victims’ families in limbo with the false promise that we must wait until there is an execution before we can begin to heal,” Richer said in a statement. Richer, a board member of Death Penalty Action, which seeks to abolish capital punishment, was driven to tears by conflicting emotions during a Zoom news conference Monday. “The families are left to be hostages for the years and years of appeals that are to come,” Richer said. “I’ve got to stay away from the news today. I’ve got to turn the TV off — because whose face am I going to see?” Biden is giving more attention to the three inmates he chose not to spare, something they all wanted as a part of what drove them to kill, said Abraham Bonowitz, Death Penalty Action’s executive director. “These three racists and terrorists who have been left on death row came to their crimes from political motivations. When Donald Trump gets to execute them what will really be happening is they will be given a global platform for their agenda of hatred,” Bonowitz said. Biden had faced pressure from advocacy organizations to commute federal death sentences, and several praised him for taking action in his final month in office. Anthony D. Romero, executive director of the ACLU, said in a statement that Biden “has shown our country — and the rest of the world — that the brutal and inhumane policies of our past do not belong in our future.” Republicans, including Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas, on the other hand, criticized the move — and argued its moral ground was shaky given the three exceptions. “Once again, Democrats side with depraved criminals over their victims, public order, and common decency,” Cotton wrote on X. “Democrats can’t even defend Biden’s outrageous decision as some kind of principled, across-the-board opposition to the death penalty since he didn’t commute the three most politically toxic cases.” Liz Murrill, Louisiana’s Republican attorney general, criticized the commuted sentence of Len Davis, a former New Orleans policeman convicted of orchestrating the killing of a woman who had filed a complaint against him. “We can’t trust the Feds to get justice for victims of heinous crimes, so it’s long past time for the state to get it done,” the tough-on-crime Republican said in a written statement to the AP. Two men whose sentences were commuted were Norris Holder and Billie Jerome Allen, on death row for opening fire with assault rifles during a 1997 bank robbery in St. Louis, killing a guard, 46-year-old Richard Heflin. Holder’s attorney, Madeline Cohen, said in an email that Holder, who is Black, was sentenced to death by an all-white jury. She said his case “reflects many of the system’s flaws,” and thanked Biden for commuting his sentence. “Norris’ case exemplifies the racial bias and arbitrariness that led the President to commute federal death sentences,” Cohen said. “Norris has always been deeply remorseful for the pain his actions caused, and we hope this decision brings some measure of closure to Richard Heflin’s family.”BOSTON — Boston City Councilor Tania Fernandes Anderson is the subject of a federal investigation, and subpoenas have been issued to City Hall in relation to the probe, the Herald has learned. The nature and circumstances of the investigation into the second-term city councilor have not been revealed, and no criminal charges have been filed. The city acknowledged the existence of a federal subpoena or subpoenas that have been “issued to the Boston City Council or specific city councilors” in a Friday response to a Herald public records request that sought “information and/or documents relating to federal subpoenas that have been issued to Boston City Hall, the Boston City Council, Boston City Councilor Tania Fernandes Anderson and any of the 13 city councilors from Jan. 1, 2024 to Nov. 14, 2024. The city declined to provide the subpoena or subpoenas, which the Herald has learned pertained to a probe involving Fernandes Anderson, saying that it reached out to the Massachusetts U.S. Attorney’s office to confirm that the “investigatory exemption” of the public records law applied in this instance. According to the U.S. Attorney’s office, release of such information could impair the “integrity of a grand jury investigation,” per the city’s records response. When reached for comment, a spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney’s office declined to comment, saying that the office “can’t confirm or deny an investigation.” Fernandes Anderson, who represents District 7 which includes Roxbury, Dorchester, the South End and Fenway, did not immediately respond to the Herald’s request for comment. She declined to comment when reached by the Boston Globe on Tuesday, per a report from the outlet. “I don’t want to comment on it,” Fernandes Anderson, the first African immigrant and Muslim American elected to the City Council, told the Globe. City Council President Ruthzee Louijeune said in a statement to the Herald that “it is important to respect the legal process.” “Drawing any conclusions right now would be premature,” Louijeune said. “As the president of the Boston City Council and as a lawyer, I want to emphasize that any actions that are found to undermine the law must be taken very seriously. “The work of the Council will proceed without disruption and we will remain focused on the issues most important to residents, including acting with integrity as a body,” Louijeune added. “At this time, I will refrain from any further comments, while urging everyone to avoid speculation and to respect due process.” The existence of a federal probe is the latest controversy for a city councilor who has had her fair share since taking office roughly three years ago. Last month, Fernandes Anderson was hit with a number of state campaign finance violations, per a Nov. 14 letter from the Office of Campaign and Political Finance. The violations included her failure to report roughly $32,900 of $34,500 of campaign contributions over an 11-month period in a timely fashion, and receipt of individual contributions in excess of the $1,000 state limit. The letter notes that the Anderson Committee took steps to resolve the excess contributions, by purging $1,750 to the Commonwealth on Sept. 26 to resolve the individual matter, and refunding $100 to the committee of a state senator that had sent a second $100 contribution in the same calendar year to Fernandes Anderson. Only one $100 contribution per year between two campaign committees is allowed by state law. Fernandes Anderson admitted to a state ethics violation last year for hiring her sister and son to paid positions on her City Council staff and paid a $5,000 fine. The State Ethics Commission said Fernandes Anderson appointed her sister and son to full-time positions in 2022, her first year on the Council. She also chose to increase their salaries, and in the case of her sister, award a $7,000 bonus. Fernandes Anderson set her sister’s salary at $65,000. She awarded her sister a raise in June 2022, increasing her salary to $70,000 and tacking on a $7,000 bonus, the Ethics Commission said. In June 2022, Fernandes Anderson appointed her son as her full-time office manager at an annual salary of $52,000. She participated in the Council’s July 15 vote to approve the appointment. Eleven days later, the councilor increased her son’s salary to $70,000, the Commission said. Fernandes Anderson addressed the matter in several tweets in July 2023 upon the ethics violation becoming public saying that she “messed up” and referencing her sister, said, “You are my everything and if it wasn’t unethical, I’d do it again.” More recently, a video of Fernandes Anderson not saying the oath of office during this past January’s inauguration, in violation of the city charter, went viral on social media. Fernandes Anderson retook the oath privately with the city clerk days later. In a social media statement at the time, she said she had been “internalizing” her oath and “committing a prayer between myself and God.” The 13 city councilors now make a $115,000 salary, after starting the year with an $11,500 pay hike. The last city councilor to be subject to a federal probe while in office was the late Chuck Turner who was sentenced to three years in jail in 2018 for pocketing a $1,000 bribe from an informant who claimed to be seeking a liquor license. Turner sued the city for $350,000 after being booted off the City Council in 2010 following the conviction, and settled for $106,000 eight years later, after the courts ruled that the Council violated its own rules because under state law, elected officials can only be removed from the body after sentencing, not conviction. --------- ©2024 MediaNews Group, Inc. Visit at bostonherald.com . Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Generally speaking, if you are looking for a basic statistic that groups the good NBA teams and the bad teams together, it’s assist-to-turnover ratio. ADVERTISEMENT You certainly want as many assists as possible — that’s a sign of good offense. And you would like to limit giveaways that decrease your number of looks at the bucket while often feeding your opponent Grade A opportunities. The ratio balances out the equation for teams that may turn the ball over more than others simply because it moves the ball at such a high rate. The bad teams are the ones that turn the ball over often without the added benefit of creating easy shots when they do take care of the ball. That, currently, is the group that includes the Timberwolves. ADVERTISEMENT The Wolves have just 1.52 assists for every turnover, the sixth-worst mark in the NBA entering Saturday’s games. Of the nine NBA teams below 1.6, only the Wolves (8-7) and Clippers (10-7) have winning records, and the Clippers have been dominant defensively. Also in the bottom nine are the two-win Wizards, the three-win 76ers and Jazz and the four-win Pelicans. Since the 2020-21 season, nine teams have finished the season with an assist-to-turnover number below 1.6. Only one of those teams won more than 27 games — the 2022-23 Magic, who went 34-48. While the Wolves are still above .500 going into their game against the defending champion Celtics on Sunday in Boston, that’s with what has been the NBA’s fourth-easiest schedule to date, per ESPN. Timberwolves coach Chris Finch has cited the turnover issues in recent weeks when discussing his team’s struggles, though he’s noted the giveaway totals have dipped in recent games, Thursday’s loss to Toronto not withstanding. But Minnesota hasn’t committed fewer than 11 turnovers in a single game this season. Meanwhile, the Wolves have tallied fewer than 25 assists in more than half of their games. ADVERTISEMENT It all speaks to a disjointed offense. Finch has at times attributed that to missed shots that were good looks. But the Wolves are tied with Charlotte for the fifth-fewest potential assists this season, at 43.7 per game. The stats say Minnesota’s shot making is what has saved the Wolves’ offense this season. The Wolves have the NBA’s 10th-best offensive rating, averaging 1.14 points per possession. That’s with having the League’s fourth-best effective field goal percentage (56.3). The three teams above it in that category all average 1.2-plus points per possession. Those same squads also average more than 2.1 assists per turnover. It all fits the eye test for the Timberwolves. They have an offense that’s run on shot making off isolation basketball. So much of it is without the rhythm and movement Finch aspires for his teams to achieve. And, given that this Wolves unit doesn’t seem to be nearly as dominant defensively as it was one short season ago, until Minnesota can look more like a fluid offense, it will continue to look like a .500 team, or if not worse. ADVERTISEMENT ______________________________________________________ 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 .Geopolitical conflict and global instability, climate change, rising inequality, misinformation and disinformation, increasing social division and cyber insecurity have become some of the defining trends of 2024. In January, The World Economic Forum ranked misinformation and disinformation the most severe short-term risk factors the world is facing, with extreme weather and societal polarisation coming in second and third, respectively. Globally, 65 per cent of people agree that 2024 was a bad year for their country, according to polling by market research company IPSOS. Source: SBS News Despite these concerning trends, researchers say there are some positive trends that will likely continue through 2025 and beyond. Social researcher and futurist Mark McCrindle told SBS News people have a lot of uncertainty about the future and are also experiencing "change fatigue", having lived through so many large global changes recently, including the COVID-19 pandemic, the cost of living crisis and the emergence of artificial intelligence (AI). However, McCrindle said it is still possible for people to adapt and increase their confidence about the years ahead. 'Anger and resentment': World's 'super election' year results capture voters' mood "There are challenges ahead, but we can respond proactively and face the future with a degree of innovation," McCrindle said. Emergence of AI transforming work and wellbeing McCrindle said while workforce participation is at an all-time high, many people are reassessing the role of work in their lives and are increasingly seeking ways to improve their quality of life. In July this year, workforce participation reached a record high of 67.1 per cent, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). "People already are feeling a bit strained, they’re looking for more work-life balance, not more work. They're looking to manage their well-being, not just spend longer and longer in a workplace." Source: Getty / Jacob Wackerhausen McCrindle said the emergence of more AI technologies may be starting to help with this pursuit. McCrindle Research found one in five workers in their 20s uses AI to assist with their tasks at work at least on a daily basis. "In a period of just two years, that has emerged to become mainstream for particularly young workers, knowledge economy workers and is an example of where it can assist with productivity," he said. McCrindle said other applications of technology, such as online grocery ordering, preprogramming home devices, or using apps to organise schedules, have all helped people add more time to their days. 'Worried for their future': The biggest issue on young Australians' minds "There's a productivity paradox that we need more productivity, and yet we don't want to work longer and harder; we want to try to balance our lives. There is a solution that we're already seeing through technology and innovation," McCrindle said. He said technology and the pandemic have driven dramatic changes to the structure of workplaces to benefit workers in recent years, such as increased flexibility and working from home arrangements. "We've got a lot more freedom in our week to work from home or anywhere on some of those days, and that's changed not just where we work but when we work. The hours have become more adaptable to suit individual family or individual needs and responsibilities." Global consensus grows on need for climate action Global polling from IPSOS published in September showed broad agreement that more needs to be done to mitigate the effects of climate change, with 80 per cent agreeing the world is heading for environmental disaster without rapid climate action. In Australia, 77 per cent of people agree the world is heading for environmental disaster without rapid climate action. Source: SBS News While the report found health and wealth inequality concerns tend to take priority, it also found worldwide investment in climate resilience and mitigation is rising as the effects of climate change are becoming clearer. IPSOS said attitudes towards climate and the environment have been one of the strongest shifts recorded by its decade-long reporting on global trends. "Between 2014 and 2024, the world has moved from questioning whether climate change is really happening to debating how best we meet our binding global targets for carbon emissions." Source: Getty / Byronsdad Germany, Great Britain and the United States have all experienced a significant shift since 2023 towards an agreement that the world is headed for environmental disaster unless we change habits quickly. Brad Hyde, a director at IPSOS, told SBS News it’s "not just Nordic countries" who are expressing interest in tackling climate change. "It's all around the world, including Australia," Hyde said. "The real question is how quickly can we all change our daily lives and our daily habits, and are we expecting businesses and organisations to do the same if climate change is an issue?" Increased scepticism of social media McCrindle said his recent surveys have shown dramatic changes to social media usage and a rising scepticism towards social media and the time lost to social media apps is another positive trend. According to McCrindle Research's 2025 trends report, 57 per cent of gen Z wish social media had never been created, and 86 per cent have taken steps to try and reduce social media usage. He said there is increasing awareness that social media is not what was necessarily promised and people are increasingly setting boundaries in their lives to prevent themselves from spending too much time on it. 30/11/2024 03:37 Play In late November, the Australian government passed a landmark legislation to ban children under 16 from social media platforms . The law was part of a series of proposed legislations and changes aimed at addressing challenges posed by big tech, such as misinformation, AI, and anti-competitive conduct. McCrindle said the research around social media attitudes and behaviours among young people shows a shift in public opinion. "Now we talk about big tech in the same way people talked about big tobacco of the past: that they’re predatory, that they’re disseminating misinformation, that they are toxic, that they’re addictive in the way they’re structured and harming society." Source: Getty / ljubaphoto "There's a real sense of optimism that we are getting control back in our lives, so that’s a positive," McCrindle said. Increasing rates of higher education Education rates are on the rise across generations, with formal and post-school education becoming increasingly common for school leavers. According to 2021 ABS data, a higher percentage of millennials are obtaining postgraduate degrees compared to gen X (11 per cent vs 8 per cent), and more than twice as many millennials hold a bachelor's degree compared to baby boomers (27 per cent vs 13 per cent). Source: SBS News McCrindle said these trends in education are likely to continue growing for gen Z and gen alpha (people born after 2010). "We know that education can lead to empowerment, employment and better health outcomes, and that's this generation — and that's true globally. There's an increase in the education and retention rate of students right around the world," he said. "We've got a generation that has size , education, technology and global connection and even longer years of life, which means that they can utilise those incredible opportunities to bring about solutions too and to change things in this world." Excitement and relief for school leavers as ATAR results released across Australia Evolving significance of mental health IPSOS polling shows more people are becoming aware of health decisions and want more power over their health choices. More people are also placing increased importance on mental wellbeing. Hyde said people between 16 and 44 years old are particularly expressing a desire to improve their mental wellbeing. Source: Getty / FG Trade Latin According to IPSOS, 75 per cent of Australians feel as though they need to do more to care for their mental wellbeing, with 72 per cent of men and 77 per cent of women agreeing. In addition to this, 69 per cent of Australians believe their mental health will be better in 2025 than in 2024. "For the first time globally, we've seen the importance that people place on their mental health has risen to the same level as the importance people place on their physical health," Hyde said. "The majority of us agree that we need to do more for our own mental wellbeing."
New Delhi, Nov 23 (PTI) As the results of Assembly elections and bypolls brought a mixed bag for the INDIA bloc on Saturday, with the defeat in Maharashtra coming as a major setback, leaders of its constituents once again highlighted that smaller parties did not get enough seats to contest, even as they called the Jharkhand victory a "moral defeat" for the attempts at communal polarisation. The BJP-led Mahayuti alliance, which has the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena and Ajit Pawar's Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) as its constituents, swept the Maharashtra polls, months after the Lok Sabha election, in which the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) won a large chunk of seats. Communist Party of India (Marxist) Politburo member Ashok Dhawale flagged the delay in finalising seat-sharing arrangements, the race among key opposition parties to get the maximum number of seats to contest and not giving enough space to smaller parties among the reasons for the INDIA bloc's below-par performance in Maharashtra, even as he accused the Mahayuti of using money power and handing out cash to voters. "The MVA was overconfident because of its good show in the Lok Sabha polls. The seat adjustment should have been done by September, so that the remaining time could be used for public meetings," he said. Dhawale said during the Lok Sabha polls held in April-May, the first state where the INDIA bloc finalised the seat-sharing arrangements was Maharashtra, which helped it achieve success. Accusing the Mahayuti of using money power, he said, "There was unprecedented use of money power. People are telling us that BJP volunteers gave packets containing money amounting to Rs 5,000 to Rs 10,000 to every household, even among the middle class." Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) Liberation general secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya described the Jharkhand poll results as a defeat for the BJP's "politics of hatred". Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders had raised allegations of infiltration of Bangladeshis and Rohingyas as a major poll issue. "The Jharkhand results are encouraging. Basically, the BJP was trying to destablilise the state government and it did not succeed. The mandate is against the BJP's assault on federalism and politics of vendetta. It is also a defeat for the hate narrative that was being spread by BJP leaders," Bhattacharya told PTI. Asked about the bypoll results in Bihar, which goes to Assembly polls next year, he said it does not reflect the ground reality in the state. Bhattacharya claimed that the bypoll results will not have any impact on the Bihar Assembly election. The ruling NDA in Bihar swept the bypolls to four Assembly segments, retaining Imamganj and wresting Tarari, Ramgarh and Belaganj from the INDIA bloc. On the election outcome in Maharashtra, Bhattacharya said, "The results are completely against the Lok Sabha poll trends. We need a proper investigation." Communist Party of India (CPI) general secretary D Raja welcomed the Jharkhand poll results and said the people of the state rejected the BJP's communal politics. "BJP leaders, including the prime minister, stooped to such a low level.... If there is infiltration, it is the BJP government at the Centre that needs to answer. They made it a poll plank," Raja told PTI. He also said the BJP's attempts to misuse agencies against Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren failed. Asked about Maharashtra, Raja said there was no "level-playing field" for the opposition, but added that serious introspection by the INDIA bloc constituents is the need of the hour. "There was no level-playing field. There are doubts if the election was free and fair. Some BJP leaders were caught with huge amounts of money. What action did the Election Commission take?" he asked. The results in Maharashtra are nonetheless a "matter of concern", he added. "The Congress and other parties that claim to be in the INDIA bloc should also do serious introspection as to why they could not put up a strong fight. It applies to the bypolls in Uttar Pradesh as well. There was no mutual accommodation among secular democratic parties at the time of seat sharing," the Left leader said. The BJP won six of the nine Assembly seats that went to bypolls in Uttar Pradesh, while its ally Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) got one. The Samajwadi Party (SP) won the two remaining seats. Meanwhile, Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Derek O'Brien pointed out that his party overcame challenges from both the BJP and INDIA bloc constituents Congress and the Left to win all the six Assembly seats in West Bengal where bypolls were held. "The TMC convincingly won all the six Assembly seats that went to bypolls. Other than the BJP, we were also facing two of the INDIA bloc parties -- Congress and CPI(M) -- who put up candidates in every seat," he said. O'Brien, however, refused to comment on the performance of the INDIA bloc. "We do not have an electoral alliance with any party in the bloc, so this is not a question we need to answer," the TMC's parliamentary party leader in the Rajya Sabha said. According to latest trends, the BJP-led Mahayuti is set to win more than 230 of the 288 Assembly seats in Maharashtra, leaving the opposition Congress-Shiv Sena (UBT)-NCP(SP) combine with around 50 seats. The alliance led by Hemant Soren's JMM retained power in Jharkhand, winning 52 seats and leading in four in the 81-member Assembly. The BJP-led NDA, which was confident about its prospects in the eastern state after an aggressive campaign, won 21 seats and was leading in three. (This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)Carter Center came to former president in a dreamCountry moving over to renewable energy
Opinion editor’s note: Strib Voices publishes a mix of guest commentaries online and in print each day. To contribute, click here . ••• Jimmy Carter, who started out his road to the White House as “Jimmy Who?” in Iowa, popped up a few times during my 50-year journalism career, the final time as an elder statesman and a personable, charming ex-president at Minnesota Public Radio’s St. Paul studios. But before that, the nation’s 39th president, who died Sunday at his home in Plains, Ga., at 100, accounted for one of the most exciting, but scary, moments I could imagine. I was a young United Press International reporter in Des Moines in 1976 when the former Georgia governor campaigned all over the Hawkeye State. I would answer the bureau phone and hear press secretary Jody Powell calling to give a report on Carter’s campaign schedule. I was in the bureau the night of the Iowa caucuses when Carter “won.” Well, he didn’t really win. He came in second to “uncommitted,” but the press needed a winner, so the title went to the Georgia peanut farmer. And from there, Carter became the Democratic nominee for president and beat President Gerald Ford that November. In 1978, I was transferred to Illinois to open a UPI bureau in Champaign-Urbana. In 1979, the Carter family vacationed on a seven-day trip down the Mississippi River on the riverboat Delta Queen from St. Paul, with stops in Wabasha and other small river towns, to St. Louis. I was assigned to help cover the trip. On their way south, the Carters stopped in Davenport in the Quad Cities, where they had spent time during the 1976 campaign. From there, Carter was scheduled to cross the Mississippi to Moline, Ill., to visit John Deere headquarters to talk energy. As the motorcade was getting ready to cross the bridge, UPI’s White House correspondent came up to me and asked whether I wanted to cover the trip to Moline. I said yes, and he handed me his credentials, which I put over my head. Today, the Secret Service would never tolerate such a security breach. Quite nervous about my new assignment, I got into the front seat of “Wire 2.” In the back seat were TV news legends Lesley Stahl, Judy Woodruff and Sam Donaldson. “Who are you?” they asked. Now, I was terrified. What if someone shot at the presidential motorcade, and I had to report a major national story. I thought of Merriman Smith, the UPI correspondent who was in the Dallas motorcade when President John Kennedy was assassinated in 1963. It was UPI legend how Smith dictated his bulletin to the Dallas bureau — “three shots fired at President Kennedy’s motorcade today in downtown Dallas” — and then held onto the phone so reporter Jack Bell couldn’t dictate his story to the rival Associated Press. In those days, there was only one car for the wire reporters. In 1979, there were two. An aside to the Dallas story: When Smith filed his bulletin, it broke into a story from St. Paul on the T. Eugene Thomas murder trial. Only one story could move at a time and then only at 60 words a minute. Back to the Carter trip. Thankfully, the president didn’t make any big news that day. My memory is seeing him ride some Deere farm vehicle for a photo op. But just for the experience, I took the opportunity to dictate a story to the Chicago bureau from the car, knowing that three of the nation’s top network correspondents were listening in. Back at the University of Illinois campus, there was a political science professor named Betty Glad. In 1980, she published a biography titled: “Jimmy Carter: In Search of the Great White House.” Carter was running for re-election against former California Gov. Ronald Reagan. The book was advertised as “The only thorough and accurate account” of Carter’s presidency and earlier life. That sounded pretty impressive, so I got an interview with Prof. Glad and wrote a story about the Carter biography. The author spent much of the book psychoanalyzing Carter’s personality and some of it wasn’t favorable — actually, downright negative. But she autographed her book for me. Fast-forward to the mid-1990s. I was a producer at MPR and Jimmy Carter was a radio guest. I made sure I brought Prof. Glad’s book to the Green Room so the former president could autograph it. I thought it would be really cool to have the book signed by both the author and a former president. I showed it to Carter, and he looked puzzled. He had never heard of the book. I was stunned. Was that even possible? But as any politician would do, he signed the book and gave me that big toothy Carter smile. Pamela Huey has worked for United Press International, Minnesota Public Radio, the Associated Press and the Minnesota Star Tribune.South Korea’s Yoon says he will lift martial law decreeAll the Star Wars: Skeleton Crew Easter Eggs and References You Might’ve Missed, From Captain EO to Pirates of the Caribbean
Russia on December 29 claimed to have seized another town in Ukraine's Donetsk region as it continues its long, bloody drive against the strategic -- but nearly destroyed -- southern logistics hub of Pokrovsk . Russia's Defense Ministry said its forces have captured Novotroitske, a settlement with a prewar population 6,300 about 16 kilometers south of Pokrovsk. The Ukrainian military did not comment specifically about Novotroitske, but it said Russian troops had carried out 133 attacks on its positions as of 4 p.m. on December 29 -- the largest number in the Pokrovsk area. "In the Pokrovsk direction, since the beginning of the day, the occupiers have already made 26 attempts to push our defenders out of their positions" in several settlements, it said. On December 15, British intelligence said Russian forces had made gains south of Pokrovsk, but it is not clear what the Kremlin forces' next steps will be. The U.S.-based Institute for the Study of War (ISW) said geolocation data suggested the Russian military was about 10 kilometers from the border of the Donetsk and Dnipropetrovsk regions. "[Russian President Vladimir] Putin may be putting pressure on the Russian military command to advance to the border, and not to cover Pokrovsk at this time," it wrote. Heavy fighting was also reported in Russia's Kursk region, where Ukrainian forces battle to hold territory taken earlier this year. "In the Kursk region, Ukrainian defenders repelled 16 attacks by Russian invaders today, 19 clashes continue. In addition, the enemy launched 152 artillery attacks," the military said. Meanwhile, Russia's assault on Ukraine's Mykolayiv region in the south also intensified. Regional Governor Vitaliy Kim on December 29 said defense forces had shot down at least nine Iranian-made Shahed drones, although falling debris hit one of the targets -- an energy infrastructure facility -- causing a fire and injuring one person. On December 28, the military said Ukrainian defenders had neutralized all 16 drones launched by Russia in Mykolayiv city, the capital of the region adjacent to Kherson. Russia and Ukraine have used drones regularly since Russia launched the full-scale invasion of its neighbor in February 2022, with the Kremlin increasingly targeting Ukrainian energy infrastructure as the winter cold sets in. Russia has denied it targets civilian infrastructure sites, despite widespread evidence of such attacks, as the Kremlin seeks to solidify positions in the territories it has occupied, not only since the February 2022 full-scale invasion but since its invasion of 2014. In an interview with RFE/RL, Viktor Muzhenko, the former Ukrainian military commander, said any truce between Kyiv and Moscow that leaves swaths of Ukrainian territory under Russian control would represent a victory for the Kremlin and "fully compensate [it] for its costs of the war." Muzhenko, who led the military from 2014-19, said the situation with the occupied territories of Donetsk and Luhansk regions and parts of Zaporizhzhya and Kherson regions is "critical" -- "not only for the loss of territories, but also [the loss of] half of the resource base of Ukraine." On the foreign-aid front, Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov on December 29 said Kyiv had received an additional 150 million euros ($156 million) in aid from Denmark, France, and Lithuania to help finance the country's defense industry. "These funds, in particular, will be used for the production of missiles, deep-strike drones and artillery installations.," he said in a Facebook post. Meanwhile, outgoing German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said she does not expect the next government in Berlin to "abandon" Ukraine in its fight against Russia. "No German government devoted to the security of Germany and Europe will abandon the people of Ukraine," she said in an interview published by Bild newspaper on December 29. Germany will vote on February 23, a day after the anniversary of Russia’s 2022 full-scale invasion. after a coalition government led by Chancellor Olaf Scholz collapsed last month. Berlin trails only Washington in the amount of support provided to Ukraine, although Scholz has been reluctant to send heavy weaponry to Kyiv, often angering the Ukrainian leadership. Addressing worries that U.S. President-elect Donald Trump may push a peace deal detrimental to Kyiv following his January 20 inauguration, Baerbock underlined the importance of providing for Ukraine's security needs in any such agreements. "Only reliable, long-term and, above all, truly sustainable security guarantees will prevent [Russian President Vladimir] Putin from resorting to further campaigns of conquest. Only then will there be lasting peace and stability in Ukraine," she told Bild, without being specific. A Russian man arrested in October for operating a travel agency for gay customers was found dead in his Moscow cell while in pretrial detention, the OVD-Info rights group said on December 29. The group quoted the lawyer of Andrei Kotov, 48, as saying the man had died by suicide in his cell, although the report cannot independently be confirmed. Kotov was director of the Men Travel agency, and was facing charges of "organizing extremist activity and participating in it." Russia in recent years has intensified its relentless crackdown on LGBT rights, often accusing suspects of extremist activities. To read the original story by Current Time, click here . Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has accused Russia of trying to hide the cause of a deadly plane crash this week, calling on Moscow to admit responsibility. The Azerbaijan Airlines passenger plane was flying from the Azerbaijani capital, Baku, to Grozny in Russia's Chechnya region on December 25 when it was diverted and crashed in Kazakhstan, killing 38 of the 67 people on board. There has been growing evidence that the jet was hit by a Russian air-defense missile in Chechnya before it went down near the city of Aqtau in western Kazakhstan. Aliyev said the plane was mistakenly shot down while approaching Grozny, adding that the jet's GPS systems were affected by electronic jamming. "Our plane was hit by accident," Aliyev told state television on December 29. "Therefore, admitting the guilt, apologizing in a timely manner to Azerbaijan, which is considered a friendly country, and informing the public about this -- all these were measures and steps that should have been taken." "Unfortunately, for the first three days, we heard nothing from Russia except for some absurd theories," added Aliyev, citing statements in Russia that attributed the crash to birds or the explosion of some sort of gas cylinder on the plane. Those theories, Aliyev said, showed "that the Russian side wanted to cover up the issue." Aliyev's comments came a day after Russian President Vladimir Putin apologized to Aliyev but did not accept blame for the plane crash. In a phone call with Aliyev, Putin said Russian air defenses were repelling an alleged Ukrainian drone attack on Grozny when the plane was trying to land at the airport there, a Kremlin statement said. Putin "conveyed his apologies in connection with the fact that the tragic incident occurred in Russian airspace," the statement said, indicating that Putin acknowledged the plane was damaged over Chechnya but stopped short of stating a Russian missile strike was the cause. Russia's Investigative Committee has opened a criminal investigation into the possible violation of flight safety rules, the statement said. It said two Azerbaijani prosecutors were working with Russian law enforcement in Grozny and that Russian, Azerbaijani, and Kazakh authorities were working together at the crash site in Kazakhstan. The Kremlin statement is likely to further increase suspicions that a Russian missile damaged the Embraer-190 jet before it was diverted to Aktau, across the Caspian Sea from Chechnya, where it crashed near the shore after a steep descent and burst into flames. Evidence of a missile strike includes footage of damage inside the plane before the crash and images of the hole-pocked tail section after the crash, as well as comments from survivors who said they heard at least one explosion outside the plane over Chechnya. Azerbaijani lawmaker Hikmat Babaoghlu told RFE/RL on December 27 that there is a "very strong" possibility that the plane was damaged by a Russian air-defense missile. He said that the "observations and conclusions drawn so far support the idea that the plane being shot down is the closest to the truth." TBILISI -- Mikheil Kavelashvili, a former soccer player and right-wing populist, has been sworn in as Georgia's new president amid a monthslong political crisis , likely further complicating the country's prospects for European Union membership. Outgoing President Salome Zurabishvili left her residence in the presidential palace in the capital, Tbilisi, on the same day but said she remained the legitimate head of state. The pro-Western Zurabishvili, whose term ended on December 29, had said she would not step down. She claimed her successor -- chosen by an electoral college dominated by the ruling Georgian Dream party -- is "illegitimate." Georgia has been the scene of anti-government protests since Georgian Dream claimed victory in October parliamentary elections that were marred by instances of vote-buying, double-voting, physical violence, and intimidation. The rallies intensified after a government decision last month to delay negotiations on the South Caucasus country joining the European Union. In a defiant speech to thousands of supporters outside the presidential palace on December 29, Zurabishvili said she remained the "only legitimate president" and vowed to continue to fight on. "This building was a symbol only as long as a legitimate president was sitting here," she said. "I take the legitimacy with me." Zurabishvili, who called for new parliamentary elections, called Kavelashvili's inauguration a "parody." Her remarks came moments after the 53-year-old Kavelashvili, a hard-line critic of the West, was formally sworn in during a ceremony in parliament. In his speech, Kavelashvili called for the country to unite behind him around "shared values, the principles of mutual respect, and the future we should build together." Kavelashvili has been known to make fiery anti-Western remarks in the past, although during his speech he stated that Georgians should "strengthen our country and move toward the European family." In 2016, he helped found the People's Power party, a more-radical offshoot of Georgian Dream. But he has remained close to the ruling party and has been criticized for his ties to Moscow-friendly billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili, a former prime minister and founder of the Georgian Dream party, The presidency is a largely ceremonial post, but in the current tense political environment holds deeper symbolic meaning, and the departure of Zurabishvili could deepen Georgia's split with the West -- once the nation's closest backers. Several hundred protesters rallied outside the parliament building, with some holding up red cards in a gesture to Kavelashvili's soccer career. The demonstrators dispersed shortly afterward but vowed to rally again in the evening. The Interior Ministry said six protesters were detained outside the parliament building. Local media reported that several demonstrators were injured by police. A day earlier, Zurabishvili joined protesters in Tbilisi as rally participants waved Georgian and EU flags, played music, and marched along the Saarbruecken Bridge in the capital to form a "chain of unity." The rally marked one month since the start of the recent wave of protests, which have been met with violent police action, injuries, and mass arrests by Georgian authorities. Protesters accuse the Georgian Dream-led government of moving the country away from the EU and tilting closer to Russia. A U.S. State Department spokesperson on December 29 told RFE/RL in e-mailed comments that the United States is closely monitoring the situation in Georgia. The spokeperson added that respect for the freedoms of expression and peaceful assembly are critical to a functioning society. On December 27, the United States said it had slapped fresh sanctions on Ivanishvili for undermining Georgia's democracy for the "benefit of the Russian Federation." "Under Ivanishvili's leadership, Georgian Dream has advanced the interests of the Kremlin by derailing Georgia’s Euro-Atlantic trajectory -- in direct contradiction to what was envisioned by the Georgian people and the Georgian Constitution," U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said. The action prompted anger from the Georgian Dream party, while the Georgian opposition hailed the action and called on the EU to also move against Ivanishvili and other Georgian leaders. Dutch Foreign Minister Caspar Veldkamp said in an X post on December 29 that he commends Zurabishvili "for her vital leadership and unwavering commitment to Georgia's European course." "For a month now, Georgian people are peacefully defending their democratic and European future in the streets despite violence and intimidation," he said, adding that the Georgian government should "restore public trust" and "consider possible new elections." Zurabishvili -- who has spilt with the government and backed the protesters early in the wave of rallies -- had called on Georgian Dream to set a date for new parliamentary elections by December 29. In another show of Western support, U.S. Republican House member Joe Wilson on December 27 wrote on X that he welcomed the new sanctions and added that he had invited Zurabishvili -- "as the only legitimate leader in Georgia" -- to Donald Trump's presidential inauguration on January 20. Georgia received EU candidate status in December 2023, but ties with Brussels have been tense in recent months following the adoption in May of a controversial "foreign agent" law pushed through parliament by Georgian Dream, which has been in power since 2012. Russia's state energy giant Gazprom on December 28 said it would cease gas deliveries to Moldova at the end of this year because of a dispute over debt with the small Balkan nation that is aligned with the West. Moldovan Prime Minister Dorin Recean condemned Gazprom's decision, describing it as "an oppressive tactic" through which Russia "uses energy as a political weapon" and said he would pursue international legal means to fight it. The head of Moldovagaz said that, as early as December 2022, the entire volume of gas supplied by Gazprom was intended for the Moscow-backed separatist region, Transdniester , located on the left bank of the Dniester River. To read the original story by RFE/RL’s Moldovan Service, click here . Drone attacks and fighting intensified in Ukraine and Russia on December 28, while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy accused Slovakia's prime minister of taking "orders" from the Kremlin to harm Kyiv and his own people as an energy feud heightened as well. "It appears that [Russian President Vladimir] Putin gave [Robert] Fico the orders to open the second energy front against Ukraine at the expense of the Slovak people's interests," Zelenskiy wrote on social media. "Fico's threats to cut off Ukraine's emergency power supply this winter while Russia attacks our power plants and energy grid can only be explained by this." The comments came after Fico on December 27 threatened to halt supplies of electricity to Ukraine if Kyiv blocks transit of Russian gas to Slovakia. Ukraine has announced it will not extend the transit contract of Russian state-owned company Gazprom after January 1 -- ceasing deliveries of gas to several European nations -- as the West looks to cut off the Kremlin's source of funding for the war. The transport deal was signed before Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022, and most European nations have since begun developing alternative sources of gas, although Fico says finding alternatives would be too costly for Slovakia. Fico, along with Hungarian leader Viktor Orban, has angered the West by continuing to have close ties to Putin despite U.S. and EU sanctions. Fico visited Putin in Moscow earlier this week and has offered to host potential peace talks between Ukraine and Russia. Zelenskiy said Slovakia accounts for nearly 20 percent of Ukraine's power imports. "Slovakia is part of the single European energy market and Fico must respect common European rules," Zelenskiy wrote. "Any arbitrary decisions in Bratislava or Moscow's orders to Fico regarding electricity cannot cut Ukraine's power supply, but they can certainly cut current Slovak authorities' ties to the European community," he added, suggesting the move would deprive Slovakia itself of some $200 million a year. Meanwhile, as Russia's full-scale invasion grinds on toward its fourth year, Ukraine and Russia exchanged accusations of drone attacks in several regions as battlefield clashes intensified along the front lines, with the "hottest" fighting reported around the embattled Ukrainian city of Pokrovsk. Russian air defenses destroyed 56 drones overnight, the Defense Ministry said on December 28. It said 28 drones were shot down in the Rostov region, 17 in the Voronezh region, and 11 in the Belgorod region, where local officials reportedly said two residents of a village were injured by shrapnel from a blast. The Russian claims could not be independently verified. A Russian occupation official said on Telegram that four people were wounded in what he said was a Ukrainian drone attack that hit a car in the Russian-held city of Nova Kakhovka in Ukraine’s Kherson region early in the morning. In Mykolayiv, the Ukrainian-held capital of a region adjacent to Kherson, the military said Ukrainian defenders had neutralized all 16 drones launched by Russia on December 28. "Of the 16 UAVs launched, 15 were shot down, another one was a simulator. All 15 were shot down in the Mykolaiv region," the Ukrainian Air Force said Earlier, a Russian drone attack in the city caused fires on the roof of a five-story residential building and on the grounds of a commercial enterprise, regional governor Vitaliy Kim said on Telegra. He said that nobody was hurt, and that the military had destroyed 12 drones over the region overnight . Russia and Ukraine have used drones regularly since Russia launched the full-scale invasion of its neighbor in February 2022. There are mounting suspicions that the crash of a Azerbaijan Airlines passenger jet earlier this week near Aqtau, Kazakhstan, that killed 38 of the 67 people aboard was caused by Russian air-defense systems on alert for Ukrainian drone attacks on the Chechnya region, where the jet was due to land in Grozny before it was diverted across the Caspian Sea. Ukraine said its forces struck a "protected facility" of the Russian military in the Oryol region near the border with Ukraine. It said the target was a warehouse holding Iranian-made Shahed drones. Also on December 28, the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) claimed it had thwarted a plot to kill a high-level Russian military officer and an unnamed Russian “war blogger” who writes about the invasion. The FSB, whose claim could not be independently verified, said it had arrested a Russian man it said was acting under instructions from Ukrainian military intelligence. It said it had found a cache outside Moscow with an improvised explosive device camouflaged as a stereo speaker. There was no immediate comment from Ukraine on the FSB claim, which came 11 days after the general who headed Russia's Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical Defense Forces (RKhBZ) was killed, along with an assistant, by a bomb concealed in a scooter. A source at Ukraine's SBU security service told RFE/RL that the blast that killed Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov and his assistant was the result of a special operation by the Ukrainian agency. In the United States, White House spokesman John Kirby on December 27 said Washington has reports of North Korean soldiers fighting alongside Russian troops "taking their own lives rather than surrendering to Ukrainian forces." He said the action was "likely out of fear of reprisal against their families in North Korea in the event that they’re captured. " In a video address, Zelenskiy had said "several" North Korean soldiers -- badly wounded in fighting alongside Russian forces -- have died after being captured by Ukrainian troops on the battlefield. Zelenskiy said, without providing details, that Kyiv had reports of North Korean "enforcers" executing wounded soldiers to prevent them being captured alive by Ukrainian forces. Western sources estimate that 12,000 North Korean troops are in Russia's Kursk region, parts of which are occupied by Ukrainian forces amid ongoing pitched battles and reports of heavy losses. Germany's foreign minister described the suspected sabotage of a Baltic Sea power cable as a "wake-up call" for the West and urged the European Union to impose new sanctions targeting what is known as Russia's " shadow fleet ." Meanwhile, a media outlet focusing on shipping news and intelligence reported that the ship suspected of damaging the cable linking Finland and Estonia on December 25 was equipped with "special transmitting and receiving devices that were used to monitor naval activity." The Eagle S "had transmitting and receiving devices installed that effectively allowed it to become a 'spy ship' for Russia," Lloyd's List reported on December 27, citing "a source familiar with the vessel who provided commercial maritime services to it as recently as seven months ago." Finland seized the Eagle S on December 26, citing suspicions that it caused an outage of the Estlink 2 undersea power cable and damaged four Internet lines. Finnish investigators said the ship may have caused the damage by dragging its anchor along the sea floor. Finnish and EU officials say the Eagle S is believed to belong to a "shadow fleet" of old, uninsured oil vessels used to bypass Western sanctions and maintain a source of revenue for Russia's economy and its war against Ukraine. The poor condition of these ships has also raised concerns about environmental disasters. "The suspected vessel is part of Russia’s shadow fleet, which threatens security and the environment , while funding Russia's war budget," the European Commission said on December 26, suggesting the incident was part of a deliberate effort to damage "critical infrastructure" in Europe. "We will propose further measures, including sanctions, to target this fleet." In comments on December 28, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock urged "new European sanctions against the Russian shadow fleet," which she said is "a major threat to our environment and security" that is used by Russia "to finance its war of aggression in Ukraine." "Almost every month, ships are damaging major undersea cables in the Baltic Sea," Baerbock said in a statement to the Funke media group. "Crews are leaving anchors in the water, dragging them for kilometers along the seafloor for no apparent reason, and then losing them when pulling them up.” "It's more than difficult to still believe in coincidences," she said. "This is an urgent wake-up call for all of us." TBILISI -- On the eve of a potentially explosion day, Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili called for supporters to gather at the presidential palace on December 29 as she joined a mass rally against the Georgian Dream-led government’s moves to delay closer European Union integration. "Greetings from the Orbeliani Palace,” she said in a video released to social media. "I am here, I will be here, I will spend the night here as well." "Tomorrow, I will be waiting for you...at 10 a.m. -- and from here, I will tell you what tomorrow will be like. I will tell you what the following days will be like, and what the days of victory will be like." A potential showdown looms on the streets of Tbilisi on December 29 as Zurabishvili has vowed not to step down at the end of her term on that day, claiming her successor -- chosen by an electoral college dominated by Georgian Dream -- was "illegitimate." She joined protesters in the capital on December 28 as rally participants waved Georgian and EU flags, played music, and marched along the Saarbruecken Bridge in the capital to form a " chain of unity ." The rally marked one month since the start of the recent wave of anti-government protests, which have been met with violent police action, injuries, and mass arrests by Georgian authorities. Protesters accuse the government of the Georgian Dream party of moving the country away from the EU and tilting closer to Moscow. The political crisis erupted after Georgian Dream claimed victory in October parliamentary elections that the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) said was marred by instances of vote-buying, double-voting, physical violence, and intimidation. The rallies intensified after a government decision last month to delay negotiations on Georgia joining the EU. On December 24, Human Rights Watch called for Georgian security forces to be investigated for the "brutal police violence" against largely peaceful protesters who have taken to the streets for the demonstrations. On December 27, the United States said it had slapped fresh sanctions on Russia-friendly billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili, a former prime minister and the founder of the Georgian Dream party, for undermining Georgia's democracy for the "benefit of the Russian Federation." "Under Ivanishvili's leadership, Georgian Dream has advanced the interests of the Kremlin by derailing Georgia’s Euro-Atlantic trajectory -- in direct contradiction to what was envisioned by the Georgian people and the Georgian Constitution," U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said. The action prompted anger from the Georgian Dream party, while the Georgian opposition hailed the action and called on the EU to also move against Ivanishvili and other Georgian leaders. Zurabishvili -- who has spilt with the government and backed the protesters early in the wave of rallies -- on December 22 called on Georgian Dream to set a date for new parliamentary elections by December 29. In a show of Western support, U.S. Republican House member Joe Wilson on December 27 wrote on X that he welcomed the new sanctions and added that he had invited Zurabishvili -- "as the only legitimate leader in Georgia" -- to Donald Trump's presidential inauguration on January 20. "I am in awe of her courage in the face of the assault by Ivanishvili and his friends" in China and Iran, Wilson added, without mentioning Russia. Earlier this month, an electoral college dominated by Georgian Dream chose Mikheil Kavelashvili, a 53-year-old former soccer player and right-wing populist, as Georgia's next president. His inauguration is supposed to take place on December 29, though the 72-year-old Zurabishvili, whose term ends this year, has said she will not step down, setting up the potentially tense showdown. "Next week at this time, I will be president," Zurabishvili restated on December 27. Georgia received EU candidate status in December 2023, but ties with Brussels have been tense in recent months following the adoption in May of a controversial "foreign agent" law pushed through parliament by Georgian Dream, which has been in power since 2012. Afghanistan's Taliban-led government said Taliban forces targeted what it claimed were "centers and hideouts for malicious elements" it said were involved in a recent attack in Afghanistan, as an upsurge of cross-border fighting continues. The statement from the Taliban's Defense Ministry followed reports of deadly early morning clashes on December 28 between Taliban forces and Pakistani border guards. It came days after the government said Pakistani aircraft bombed targets in Afghanistan in an attack it said killed dozens of civilians. The ministry gave few details about the strikes, which it said were launched against targets in several districts behind the "hypothetical line" -- a reference to a portion of the border with Pakistan that Afghan authorities have long disputed. Local sources told RFE/RL's Radio Azadi that three people in Paktia Province were killed and two wounded by gunfire from Pakistani border guards, and that clashes also took place in the Khost province. The reports could not be independently verified. There was no immediate comment from the Pakistani government. But the head of a community in the Kurram district told RFE/RL's Radio Mashaal that Taliban forces fired rockets at two security posts near the border at about 6 a.m., setting off fighting that continued for several hours. The Taliban's Defense Ministry suggested the strikes on Pakistan were retaliation for what the Taliban-led government said were Pakistani air strikes that killed 46 civilians in Paktika Province, which also borders Pakistan, on December 24. Pakistan says that militants from the Islamist group Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan (TTP) are hiding across the border in Afghanistan, and Islamabad has repeatedly asked the Afghan Taliban to take action against them. The Afghan Taliban say the TTP is in Pakistan. There has been a steady increase in TTP attacks in Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province since the Taliban returned to power in Kabul in August 2021 following the withdrawal of U.S.-led forces from Afghanistan. Authoritarian ruler Alyaksandr Lukashenka extended a wave of pardons ahead of a January presidential election in Belarus, ordering the release of 20 prisoners jailed on extremism charges his opponents and rights groups say were politically motivated. Lukashenka's press service suggested the pardons were issued on humanitarian grounds, saying 14 of those ordered released have chronic illnesses and 10 of them have children. It said 11 of the 20 are women. The press service claimed the prisoners had all sought pardons and expressed remorse, an assertion that could not be independently verified. It said that authorities would "monitor their behavior following their release." Since July, Lukashenka has pardoned more than 225 people whom activists consider political prisoners. Rights groups have recognized nearly 3,600 people as political prisoners since the state launched a massive crackdown when pro-democracy protests erupted after Lukashenka, in power since 1994, claimed a landslide victory in an August 2020 election that millions believe was stolen though fraud . Many of those have served out their sentences. Ahead of a January 26 election in which he is certain to be awarded a new term, Lukashenka may be seeking to signal to the West that he is easing off on the persistent clampdown that the state has imposed since the 2020 election. But the crackdown continues, with frequent arrests and trials on what activists say are politically motivated charges. At least 1,253 people whom rights groups consider political prisoners remain behind bars, and the real number is believed to be higher. Lukashenka has roped Belarus closely to Russia and has provided support for Russia's war on neighboring Ukraine, including by allowing Russian forces to invade from Belarusian territory, and he says Russian nuclear weapons have been deployed in Belarus. But over 30 years in power, he has often tried to capitalize on Belarus’ position between Russia in the east and NATO and the European Union to the west and north. Russian President Vladimir Putin has apologized over the crash of an Azerbaijan Airlines passenger plane this week, the Kremlin said, amid growing evidence that the jet was hit by a Russian air-defense missile in the Chechnya region before it went down in Kazakhstan, killing 38 of the 67 people on board. In a phone call with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, Putin said Russian air defenses were repelling an alleged Ukrainian drone attack on Chechnya’s capital, Grozny, when the plane was trying to land at the airport there, a Kremlin statement said. Putin "conveyed his apologies in connection with the fact that the tragic incident occurred in Russian airspace," the statement said, indicating that Putin acknowledged the plane was damaged over Chechnya but stopped short of stating a Russian missile strike was the cause. "In the conversation, it was noted that...the aircraft tried more than once to approach the Grozny airport for landing," it said, adding that “at this time, Ukrainian combat drones were attacking Grozny [and the nearby cities of] Mozdok and Vladikavkaz, and Russian air-defense systems were repelling these attacks." Russia's Investigative Committee has opened a criminal investigation into the possible violation of flight safety rules, the statement said. It said two Azerbaijani prosecutors were working with Russian law enforcement in Grozny and that Russian, Azerbaijani, and Kazakh authorities were working together at the crash site near Aqtau, Kazakhstan. The Kremlin statement is likely to further increase suspicions that a Russian missile damaged the Embraer-190 jet before it was diverted to Aktau, across the Caspian Sea from Chechnya, where it crashed near the shore after a steep descent and burst into flames. Evidence of a missile strike includes footage of damage inside the plane before the crash and images of the hole-pocked tail section after the crash, as well as comments from survivors who said they heard at least one explosion outside the plane over Chechnya. Azerbaijani lawmaker Hikmat Babaoghlu told RFE/RL on December 27 that there is a "very strong" possibility that the plane was damaged by a Russian air-defense missile. He said that the "observations and conclusions drawn so far support the idea that the plane being shot down is the closest to the truth." On the same day, White House spokesman John Kirby said U.S. experts "have seen some early indications that would certainly point to the possibility that this jet was brought down by Russian air-defense systems." Reuters quoted an Azerbaijani source familiar with the investigation as saying results indicated the plane was hit by a Pantsir-S air-defense system, a self-propelled antiaircraft gun and missile system designed by Russia. The crash has disrupted air traffic in the Caucasus and beyond. An Azerbaijan Airlines flight bound for the Russian spa town of Mineranlye Vody, not far from Grozny, took off from Baku on December 27 but then abruptly headed back after receiving a flight information notice that Russian airspace it was due to fly through was closed. Azerbaijan Airlines later said it is suspending flights to several Russian cities, including Mineralnye Vody, Sochi, Volgograd, Ufa, Samara, Grozny, and Makhachkala. Turkmenistan Airlines announced on December 28 that it was canceling all its flights between the capital, Ashgabat, and Moscow from December 30 to January 31, giving no reason for the decision. Turkmenistan borders Kazakhstan on the eastern shore of the Caspian. Also on December 28, Russia’s aviation authority, Rosaviatsia, said that restrictions were briefly placed on the operation of the airport in the Tatarstan regional capital, Kazan, to ensure flight safety, and media reports said that all departures and arrivals had been suspended. Flights heading to Kazan from the Siberian cities of Tomsk, Surgut, and Kemerovo were redirected to an airfield in Nizhnekamsk, Russian state news agency TASS reported, citing the airport's press service. No specific reason was given for the measures, which Rosaviatsia said had been lifted a few hours later. Russia has closed airports at times due to alleged drone attacks, and a drone attack hit high-rise buildings in Kazan on December 21. NATO has said it would bolster its presence in the Baltic Sea after undersea power lines and Internet cables were damaged by suspected sabotage believed to be carried out by vessels belonging to Russia’s so-called “ shadow fleet .” Estonia also announced on December 27 that it had begun a naval operation to guard a crucial electricity line in the Baltic Sea in coordination with allies as tensions mounted in the region. NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said in a social media post following discussions with Finnish President Alexander Stubb that "NATO will enhance its military presence in the Baltic Sea." Both Finland and Estonia have coastlines on the Baltic Sea. When asked for details about planned actions, NATO officials told AP that the alliance “remains vigilant and is working to provide further support, including by enhancing our military presence” in the region. "We have agreed with Estonia, and we have also communicated to NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, that our wish is to have a stronger NATO presence," Stubb told a news conference. Stubb added that investigators did not want to jump to conclusions, but a day earlier he had said that "it is necessary to be able to prevent the risks posed by ships belonging to the Russian 'shadow fleet.'" The "shadow fleet" is a reference to old, uninsured oil vessels typically used to bypass Western sanctions on Russia and maintain a source of revenue. European government and the United States have accused Russia of intensifying "hybrid attacks" following reports of damage to Baltic Sea communications cables, although they have not yet directly tied Moscow to the damage. NATO stepped up monitoring critical infrastructure in the Baltic following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and the destruction of the Nord Stream natural gas pipeline seven months later. Chinese-linked ships have also been suspected of sabotaging undersea infrastructure over recent years. Sweden -- NATO's newest member, which also has a coastline on the Baltic Sea -- said its coast guard had stepped up surveillance of sea traffic and had deployed aircraft and vessels in concert with regional allies. The European Commission on December 26 said a cargo ship suspected of having deliberately damaged power and Internet cables in the Baltic Sea was part of Russia's "shadow fleet." The poor condition of these ships has also raised concerns about environmental disasters. Finnish authorities on December 26 boarded and took command of the Cook Islands-registered Eagle S oil tanker in the Baltic Sea as part of its investigation into the damages, saying it likely belong to the "shadow fleet." Investigators have said the damage could have been caused by the ship intentionally dragging its anchor. The Kremlin said it had no connection to the ship seized by Finland. It has regularly denied that it is involved in any of the many incidents involving Baltic Sea region infrastructure assets. The United States said it has slapped fresh sanctions on Russia-friendly billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili, a former prime minister and the founder of the ruling Georgian Dream party, for undermining Georgia's democracy for the "benefit of the Russian Federation." "Under Ivanishvili's leadership, Georgian Dream has advanced the interests of the Kremlin by derailing Georgia’s Euro-Atlantic trajectory -- in direct contradiction to what was envisioned by the Georgian people and the Georgian Constitution," U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement on December 27. Blinken added that "Ivanishvili and Georgian Dream's actions have eroded democratic institutions, enabled human rights abuses, and curbed the exercise of fundamental freedoms in Georgia." "We strongly condemn Georgian Dream's actions under Ivanishvili's leadership, including its ongoing and violent repression of Georgian citizens, protesters, members of the media, human rights activists, and opposition figures." The new measures will block transactions involving entities owned by Ivanishvili, the statement said. According to Bloomberg News, Ivanishvili's fortune is estimated at $7.5 billion, much of it coming through metals, banking, and telecom assets in Russia during the 1990s. Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze called the U.S. action "blackmail" and said it was Ivanishvili's "reward" for protecting Georgia's national interest. However, opposition leader Giorgi Vashadze of the Unity National Movement hailed the U.S. decision, according to Georgia's Interpress news agency. "I welcome this step from the United States and believe that we are quickly moving toward victory and will celebrate Georgia without Ivanishvili, who is the bringer of chaos and misery to this country," he was quoted as saying. In a previous action, the United States on December 12 said it would "prohibit visa issuance to those who are responsible for, or complicit in, undermining democracy in Georgia." That move affected some 20 people, "including individuals serving as government ministers and in parliament, law enforcement and security officials, and private citizens," it said in a statement , without naming the individuals. Georgia, once a closer U.S. ally, has angered Washington and the European Union with its perceived tilt toward Russia and its violent crackdown on dissent in the Caucasus nation. The sanctions come at a crucial time, as Georgia's fate hangs in the balance -- whether it will intensify its tilt toward Moscow, return to the pro-Europe path, or remain in an environment of unrest and uncertainty. Police in Tbilisi have clashed with pro-West protesters over the past several weeks, detaining dozens and injuring scores of people who accuse the government of the Georgian Dream party of moving the country away from the European Union and closer to Moscow. The political crisis erupted after Georgian Dream claimed victory in October parliamentary elections that the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) said was marred by instances of vote-buying, double-voting, physical violence, and intimidation. The rallies intensified after a government decision last month to delay negotiations on Georgia joining the EU. The New York-based Human Rights Watch (HRW) on December 24 called for Georgian security forces to be investigated for the “brutal police violence” against largely peaceful protesters who have taken to the streets for huge anti-government demonstrations. Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili – who has spilt with the government and backed the protesters -- on December 22 called on Georgian Dream to set a date for new parliamentary elections by December 29. "Next week at this time I will be president," Zurabishvili restated on December 27. U.S. Republican House member Joe Wilson wrote on X that he welcomed the new sanctions and added that he had invited Zurabishvili -- "as the only legitimate leader in Georgia" -- to Donald Trump's presidential inauguration on January 20 "I am in awe of her courage in the face of the assault by Ivanishvili and his friends" in China and Iran, Wilson added, without mentioning Russia. Earlier this month, an electoral college dominated by Georgian Dream chose Mikheil Kavelashvili, a 53-year-old former soccer player and right-wing populist, as Georgia's next president. His inauguration is supposed to take place on December 29, though the 72-year-old Zurabishvili, whose term ends this year, has said she will not step down, setting up a potentially explosive showdown. Georgia received EU candidate status in December 2023, but ties with Brussels have been tense in recent months following the adoption in May of a controversial "foreign agent" law pushed through parliament by Georgian Dream, which has been in power since 2012. PODGORICA -- After a multinational back-and-forth legal battle, Montenegro on December 27 said it would extradite South Korean cryptocurrency entrepreneur Hyeong Do Kwon -- the so-called Crypto King -- to the United States. Do Kwon is sought by both the United States and South Korea and also faces possible legal action in Singapore. Montenegrin courts have previously issued at least eight often-contradictory decisions regarding Do Kwon's fate. In September, the Montenegrin Supreme Court ruled that Do Kwon could be sent to either the United States or South Korea and that the final decision on which country would be up to Justice Minister Bojan Bozovic. On December 24, Do Kwon lost his final appeal against extradition with Montenegro's Constitutional Court. In the latest ruling, the Justice Ministry said the U.S. request had met the threshold for removal and, as a result Bozovic "issued a decision approving the extradition." The ministry said the criteria included the gravity of the criminal acts, the order of submission of the extradition requests, and the citizenship of the person in question. The former CEO and co-founder of the cryptocurrency company Terraform Labs is wanted by U.S. and South Korean authorities for his alleged role in capital market and securities fraud involving assets worth some $40 billion. Do Kwon was arrested with business partner Chang Joon in March 2023 at Podgorica airport while attempting to fly to Dubai using on allegedly forged passports. They each received a four-month prison sentence on the forged-passport charge. Chang, who was wanted only by South Korea, was extradited to that country on February 5. After serving his sentence, Do Kwon was sent to a shelter for foreigners near Podgorica, where he awaited extradition. Do Kwon in October claimed that the South Korean charges were illegitimate and "politically motivated." Despite the legal struggle, Do Kwon's trial in absentia took place in the United States, where a New York jury on April 5 found him and Terraform labs liable on civil fraud charges, agreeing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission that they had misled investors. Terraform Labs agreed to pay about $4.5 billion in a civil settlement with the SEC following the court's ruling. Do Kwon was ordered to pay $204 million. Following the verdict, a Terraform spokesperson said, "We continue to maintain that the SEC does not have the legal authority to bring this case at all" and that the company was weighing its options. Italy’s Foreign Ministry said journalist Cecilia Sala, who was in Iran to carry out "journalistic activities," has been detained by Tehran police authorities. The ministry said in a statement on December 27 that Sala, who has a podcast called Stories that covers life in places around the world, was detained on December 19. It gave no reason for the detention, but said in a statement that the ambassador from Italy's embassy in Tehran had paid a consular visit "to verify the conditions and state of detention of Sala." "The family was informed of the results of the consular visit. Previously, Sala had the opportunity to make two phone calls with her relatives," it said. Sala posted a podcast from Tehran on December 17 about patriarchy in the Iranian capital. Iran is routinely accused of arresting dual nationals and Western citizens on false charges to use them to pressure Western countries. Earlier this month, Reza Valizadeh , a dual U.S.-Iranian citizen and former journalist for RFE/RL's Radio Farda, was handed a 10-year sentence by Tehran's Revolutionary Court on charges of "collaborating with a hostile government." Valizadeh resigned from Radio Farda in November 2022 after a decade of work. He returned to Iran in early 2024 to visit his family but was arrested on September 22. His two court sessions, held on November 20 and December 7, reportedly lacked a prosecution representative, with the judge assuming that role. Sources close to the journalist claim he fell into a "security trap" despite receiving unofficial assurances from Iranian security officials that he would not face legal troubles upon returning to Iran. Iran is among the most repressive countries in terms of freedom of the press. Reporters Without Borders ranked Iran 176th out of 180 countries in its 2024 World Press Freedom Index. The Paris-based media watchdog says Iran is now also one of the world’s biggest jailers of journalists. An Azerbaijani lawmaker said there is a "very strong" possibility that the crash of a passenger jet earlier this week was caused by Russian air-defense systems on alert for Ukrainian drone attacks. Speculation has mounted that the Azerbaijan Airlines plane, which was headed from Baku to Grozny, the capital of Russia’s Chechnya region, may have been hit by an air-defense missile before crossing the Caspian Sea and crashing near Aqtau, Kazakhstan, killing 38 passengers and crew. Lawmaker Hikmat Babaoghlu told RFE/RL's Azerbaijani Service in an interview on December 27 that such an explanation is most likely "closest to the truth." "This is only a possibility, but a very strong one, and the observations and conclusions drawn so far support the idea that the plane being shot down is the closest to the truth," he said. "In this specific case, the incident involves Azerbaijan's airliner being damaged within the territory of the Russian Federation, with the event causing the crash occurring there. Therefore, there is no doubt that responsibility falls on the Russian Federation. If these assumptions are correct, accountability also undoubtedly rests with Russia," he added. Kazakh experts arrived on December 27 to examine the crash site and black box of the ill-fated passenger jet, as speculation -- and evidence -- mounted suggesting that a Russian air-defense missile may have inadvertently struck the craft. Even as the probe intensifies, countries with victims aboard the plane -- Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Russia, and Kyrgyzstan -- continue to mourn their dead and treat the injured from the crash of the Embraer 190 aircraft. Since the crash, uncertainty has rocked the aviation industry throughout the Caucasus. An Azerbaijan Airlines flight bound for the Russian spa town of Mineranlye Vody took off from Baku on December 27 but then abruptly headed back after receiving a flight information notice that Russian airspace it was due to fly through was closed . Azerbaijan Airlines later said it is suspending flights to several Russian cities, including Mineralnye Vody, Sochi, Volgograd, Ufa, Samara, Grozny, and Makhachkala. Speculation has swirled around the tragedy, with some experts pointing to holes seen in the plane's tail section as a possible sign that it could have come under fire from Russian air-defense systems engaged in thwarting Ukrainian drone attacks. White House spokesman John Kirby told reporters on December 27 that the United States has seen signs suggesting that the jet could have been hit by Russian air defense systems. U.S. experts "have seen some early indications that would certainly point to the possibility that this jet was brought down by Russian air defense systems," he said. Kirby added that Washington has “offered our assistance...should they need it" to the ongoing investigation being conducted by Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan. Evidence, yet to be corroborated by authorities, includes footage from inside the plane before the crash, images of the hole-pocked tail section after the crash, a survivor's comments, and accounts indicating there was a suspected drone attack around the time the plane apparently tried to land in Grozny. Reuters quoted an Azerbaijani source familiar with the investigation as saying results indicated the plane was hit by a Pantsir-S air-defense system, a self-propelled antiaircraft gun and missile system designed by Russia. It was not immediately clear where the black box would be examined. The process can be highly technical, and not all countries have the resources to undertake such work. Gulag Aslanli, a leader of Azerbaijan's opposition Musavat party, told RFE/RL that an international commission was needed to investigate the incident. "Russia cannot be allowed there," he said. "If the black box is going to be taken to Russia and examined there, I will look at its outcome with suspicion." Officials said it typically takes about two weeks to fully assess a black box, although various conditions can alter that time frame. Commenting on unconfirmed reports that the plane may have been shot down by a missile, Kazakh Senate Speaker Maulen Ashimbaev said it was "not possible" to say what may have damaged the aircraft until the investigation is finished. "Real experts are looking at all this, and they will make their conclusions. Neither Kazakhstan, Russia, nor Azerbaijan, of course, is interested in hiding information, so it will be brought to the public," Ashimbaev said. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov made a similar comment, reiterating Moscow's previous stance on the deadly incident. "An investigation is under way, and until the conclusions of the investigation, we do not consider we have the right to make any comments and we will not do so," Peskov told reporters on December 27. Russia's Interfax news agency quoted Russian officials as saying the plane, commissioned in 2013, had passed a maintenance check in October and that the pilot had "vast experience" with more than 15,000 flying hours. Azerbaijan Airlines President Samir Rzayev also told reporters the plane had been fully serviced in October and that there was no sign of technical malfunction. But he said it was too early to determine a cause: "The plane has been found with a black box. After detailed research, all aspects will be clear." The airline suspended flights along the route of the crash pending completion of the investigation. Azerbaijan's Prosecutor-General's Office said that "all possible scenarios are being examined." As the first seven survivors arrived back in the country on December 26, Azerbaijan observed a national day of mourning. Burials of four of those who lost their lives were conducted during the day, with additional funerals expected in the coming hours and days. Officials in Baku said the wounded arrived on a special flight arranged by Azerbaijan's Emergency Affairs Ministry and that the injured, many with severe burn wounds, were accompanied by medical professionals. Ayhan Solomon, Azerbaijan’s chief consul in Aqtau, told reporters that 26 of those killed were Azerbaijani citizens. He said 16 Azerbaijani citizens survived. “Of those, 10 to 12 are in good condition and others remain critically stable,” he added. Azerbaijan Airlines' supervisory board said on December 26 that the families of those killed will be compensated with 40,000 manats ($23,460), while those injured would receive 20,000 manats ($11,730). Along with the 42 Azerbaijani citizens, those aboard Flight J2-8243 were listed as 16 Russian nationals, six from Kazakhstan, and three Kyrgyz citizens, officials said. The survivors include nine Russian citizens, who were flown to Moscow on December 26 by the Russian Emergency Situations Ministry. Three of the Russian survivors were in critical condition, according to Russian health authorities. KYIV -- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said “several” North Korean soldiers – badly wounded in fighting alongside Russian forces – have died after being captured by Ukrainian troops on the battlefield and he accused Moscow of having little regard for their survival. Zelenskiy, echoing earlier remarks by U.S. officials, said soldiers sent to Russia by Pyongyang are suffering major losses in fighting in Russia's Kursk region. The Ukrainian leader accused Moscow and North Korean “enforcers” of leaving the soldiers unprotected in battle and even executing fighters to prevent them from being captured alive. He did not provide evidence to back up the claims and they could not independently be verified. The North Korean military has suffered “many losses. A great deal. And we can see that the Russian military and the North Korean enforcers have no interest in the survival of these Koreans at all,” he said in a video address on December 27. “Everything is arranged in a way that makes it impossible for us to capture the Koreans as prisoners – their own people are executing them. There are such cases. And the Russians send them into assaults with minimal protection.” He said Ukrainian soldiers had managed to take some prisoners. "But they were very seriously wounded and could not be saved.” The remarks came after South Korea’s National Intelligence Service said that a North Korean fighter had died of wounds suffered before his capture by Ukrainian special operations troops in the Kursk region. "We have confirmed through an allied intelligence agency that a North Korean soldier who was captured on the 26th died a little while ago due to serious injuries," the news release said. On December 26, the Ukrainian news outlet Militarnyi said a soldier believed to be North Korean had been captured by Ukrainian Special Operations Forces in the Kursk region. A photo of a captured soldier, who is believed to have been injured, also was previously shared on Telegram. The photo has not been independently verified. Details about the soldier's condition and status are not known. Last month Pyongyang ratified a "comprehensive strategic partnership" agreement with Russia, cementing a deal that paved the way for its soldiers to fight on Russian soil against Ukraine. Western sources estimate that 12,000 North Korean troops are in the Kursk region, parts of which are occupied by Ukrainian forces amid ongoing pitched battles. U.S. Response White House spokesman John Kirby told reporters on December 27 that North Korean forces are suffering heavy casualties on the front lines, adding that some 1,000 of their troops have been killed or wounded in the Kursk region over the past week. "It is clear that Russian and North Korean military leaders are treating these troops as expendable and ordering them on hopeless assaults against Ukrainian defenses," Kirby said. Kirby said also U.S. President Joe Biden would likely approve another package of military aid for Kyiv in the coming days as he bids to bolster Ukraine’s forces before leaving office on January 20. U.S. officials later told reporters that a new package of military assistance worth $1.25 billion is scheduled to be announced on December 30. North Korean Losses Zelenskiy on December 23 said more than 3,000 troops, or about a quarter of the North Korean special forces sent to Russia, had been killed or injured, though he couched his statement by saying the data was preliminary. South Korea’s National Intelligence Service reported on a lower figure, saying on December 19 that about 1,100 North Korean special forces have been killed or injured in Russia since entering the fray against Ukraine. On December 15, Skhemy (Schemes), an investigative unit of RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service, received photos from Ukrainian military sources purportedly showing the bodies of dead soldiers in Kursk, including what was said to be North Korean fighters. RFE/RL has not been able to independently verify the claims. Russia has not commented on the report. North Korean military support is coming at a critical time in the war. Russia is seeking to overpower an undermanned and under-resourced Ukrainian infantry and gain territory before its own manpower and resources become constrained. Russia has lost more than 600,000 soldiers in the nearly three-year war, the Pentagon said in early October. It has burned through so much war material that it is struggling to replace its artillery and missile needs amid sweeping Western sanctions. Now nearly two-thirds of the mortars and shells Russia launches at Ukraine come from North Korea, the Wall Street Journal reported , citing Andriy Kovalenko, a Ukrainian Army officer. And every third ballistic missile was made in North Korea, Ukrainian officials said. The European Commission said a cargo ship suspected of having deliberately damaged power and Internet cables in the Baltic Sea is part of Russia's so-called "shadow fleet," prompting the EU to threaten new sanctions against Moscow. "We strongly condemn any deliberate destruction of Europe’s critical infrastructure," the commission said in a statement on December 26. "The suspected vessel is part of Russia’s shadow fleet, which threatens security and the environment, while funding Russia’s war budget. We will propose further measures, including sanctions, to target this fleet," the statement added. The statement added that "in response to these incidents, we are strengthening efforts to protect undersea cables, including enhanced information exchange, new detection technologies, as well as in undersea repair capabilities, and international cooperation." The remarks come after two fiber-optic cables owned by Finnish operator Elisa linking Finland and Estonia were broken on December 25. A third link between the two countries -- owned by China's Citic -- was damaged, authorities said. An Internet cable running between Finland and Germany belonging to Finnish group Cinia was also believed to have been severed, according to officials. Investigators said the damage could have been caused by the ship intentionally dragging its anchor. Finnish authorities on December 26 boarded and took command of the Cook Islands-registered Eagle S oil tanker in the Baltic Sea as part of the investigation. The Finnish customs service said the Eagle S is believed to belong to Russia's so-called “shadow fleet” of old, uninsured oil vessels used to bypass Western sanctions and maintain a source of revenue. The poor condition of these ships has also raised concerns about environmental disasters. Finnish President Alexander Stubb also suggested the cargo has Russian links and that his country is closely monitoring the situation. "It is necessary to be able to prevent the risks posed by ships belonging to the Russian shadow fleet," Stubb wrote on X . EU foreign ministers on December 16 adopted a package of sanctions against Moscow targeting tankers transporting Russian oil as the bloc looked to curb the circumvention of previous measures aimed at hindering Kremlin's ability to wage war against Ukraine. Meanwhile, NATO chief Mark Rutte said on December 26 that the alliance is ready to help Finland and Estonia as they launch their probe into the possible "sabotage." "Spoke with [Estonian Prime Minister] Kristen Michal about reported possible sabotage of Baltic Sea cables,” he wrote on X. “NATO stands in solidarity with Allies and condemns any attacks on critical infrastructure. We are following investigations by Estonia and Finland, and we stand ready to provide further support." Russian President Vladimir Putin said on December 26 that Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico is ready to offer a “platform” for possible peace talks between Moscow and Kyiv to end the war in Ukraine. Putin told the media Fico said during a recent meeting that "if there are any negotiations, [the Slovaks] would be happy to provide their country as a platform." Most terms suggested so far by Putin have been deemed unacceptable to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy. Fico is one of the few European leaders Putin has stayed friendly with since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, prompting criticism of the Slovak leader by Zelenskiy and many Western leaders. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Russian Service, click here . Iranian President Masud Pezeshkian is scheduled to travel to Russia on January 17, state-controlled media in Iran and Russia reported on December 26. Quoting Iranian Ambassador to Moscow Kazem Jalali, Iran's Tasnim news agency said that “the president will visit Russia on January 17 and a cooperation agreement between the two countries will be signed during the visit." Russia and Iran both are under severe financial sanctions imposed by Western nations and have stepped up bilateral cooperation on many fronts in recent years. The West has accused Iran of providing weapons to Russia for use against Ukraine. Tehran has denied the allegations despite evidence widespread use of Iranian-made drones in the war. SARAJEVO -- Bosnia-Herzegovina’s security minister has been arrested on charges of money-laundering, abuse of office, and accepting bribes, the Balkan nation’s prosecutor’s office said. The minister, Nenad Nesic, was among seven people arrested on similar charges, the office said on December 26. The charges stem from an investigation by the Bosnian state prosecutor and the Interior Ministry of Bosnia's ethnic-Serb entity, Republika Srpska, into suspected corruption at the Roads of RS (Putevi RS) public company, where Nesic was general manager from 2016 to 2020. The company's current general manager, Milan Dakic, was also among those arrested, prosecutors said. The company did not immediately comment. Nesic, 46, has been Bosnia’s security minister since 2022. When asked by reporters about the case as he was entering an East Sarajevo police station, Nesic said only that "I continue to fight for Republika Srpska," according to Reuters. Nesic is president of the Democratic People's Alliance (DNS), which is in a coalition with Milorad Dodik's Alliance of Independent Social Democrats (SNSD). Dodik, who is president of Republika Srpska, claimed on social media that this was an "unacceptable procedure" and a "persecution of cadres" from the Bosnian government. The pro-Russia Dodik is under sanctions imposed by the United States and Britain for his efforts to undermine the Dayton agreements that ended the 1992-95 Bosnian war. He is currently facing trial himself on charges he failed to comply with the decisions of international High Representative Christian Schmidt. Ethnic Serb lawmakers this week said Dodik's trial was political and based on illegal decisions by the high representative. They claimed that the court was unconstitutional because it was set up by Schmidt and not by the Dayton agreement. Since the Dayton peace accords were put into effect, the country has consisted of a Bosniak-Croat federation and the mostly ethnic Serb Republika Srpska under a weak central government, where Nesic holds the security portfolio. Israel carried out large-scale air strikes on the main airport in Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, on December 26 as it steps up attacks on the Iranian-backed Huthi rebels in what Tehran called a “violation” of peace and security. Huthi rebels said three people were killed and 14 were injured or missing following the Israeli attacks on the airport and other sites in Yemen, including port facilities. "Fighter jets conducted intelligence-based strikes on military targets belonging to the Huthi terrorist regime on the western coast and inland Yemen," the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said. The attacks followed recent rocket launches by the Huthi fighters against the Tel Aviv area, although little damage was reported. The Iranian Foreign Ministry condemned the Israeli strikes on Yemen, calling them "aggressions" that it claimed were "a clear violation of international peace and security." It said they represented "an undeniable crime against the heroic and noble people of Yemen," who had "not spared any effort to support the oppressed people of Palestine." The Israeli military has said air strikes in Yemen are targeting Huthi sites that have been used to receive Iranian weapons, which are then often transported to other Tehran-linked groups in the Mideast -- mainly Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon. Hamas has been designated a terrorist group by the United States and the European Union, while Hezbollah has also been deemed a terrorist group by Washington. The EU blacklists its military arm but not its political wing. The U.S. State Department designated the Huthis as a terrorist group at the start of this year. Hamas and Hezbollah have been severely weakened following massive Israeli military strikes on their respective sites in Gaza and Lebanon, and most of their leaders have been killed in Israel's military response to Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack on Israel. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the strikes would continue against the Huthi rebels, who have also targeted shipping in the Red Sea, claiming they are in solidarity of Hamas fighters in Gaza. "We are determined to cut this branch of terrorism from the Iranian axis of evil. We will continue until the job is done," Netanyahu said in a video statement. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus -- head of the World Health Organization who was at the Sanaa airport during the Israeli attack -- said he was safe but that "one of our plane's crew members was injured.” A Pakistani military court has sentenced 60 people to prison terms ranging between two and 10 years over violent protests that erupted after the arrest of former Prime Minister Imran Khan in 2023, the army’s media wing said on December 26. The defendants, who included a relative of Khan as well as two retired military officers, were sentenced in connection with attacks on military facilities. Twenty-five other people were sentenced on the same charges on December 21. They have the right to appeal the sentences, the military’s media wing said in a statement. Protests erupted across Pakistan in May 2023 when Khan was arrested during his court appearance on corruption charges that he and his supporters deny. Thousands of Khan’s supporters ransacked military facilities and stormed government buildings. Several people were killed, and dozens were injured in the unrest. At least 1,400 protesters, including leaders of Khan’s Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf (PTI) party were arrested following the riots. But only 105 of those detained faced military trials. PTI condemned the sentencing, and said the court had violated the defendants’ rights. The United States expressed deep concern about the sentences, while Britain said that trying civilians in military courts "lacks transparency, independent scrutiny, and undermines the right to a fair trial.” The European Union said the sentences are "inconsistent with the obligations that Pakistan has undertaken under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.”TGL nearing debut: What to know about new golf league, including teams, schedule, format
Q3 Net Revenue: $1.516 billion , grew by 7% year-on-year Q3 Gross Margin: 23.0% GAAP gross margin; 60.5% non-GAAP gross margin Q3 Diluted income (loss) per share: $(0.78) GAAP diluted loss per share; $0.43 non-GAAP diluted income per share SANTA CLARA, Calif. , Dec. 3, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Marvell Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ: MRVL ), a leader in data infrastructure semiconductor solutions, today reported financial results for the third quarter of fiscal year 2025. Net revenue for the third quarter of fiscal 2025 was $1.516 billion , $66 .0 million above the mid-point of the Company's guidance provided on August 29, 2024 . GAAP net loss for the third quarter of fiscal 2025 was $(676.3) million, or $(0.78) per diluted share. Non-GAAP net income for the third quarter of fiscal 2025 was $373 .0 million, or $0.43 per diluted share. Cash flow from operations for the third quarter was $536.3 million . "Marvell's fiscal third quarter 2025 revenue grew 19% sequentially, well above the mid-point of our guidance, driven by strong demand from AI. For the fourth quarter, we are forecasting another 19% sequential revenue growth at the midpoint of guidance, while year-over-year, we expect revenue growth to accelerate significantly to 26%, marking the beginning of a new era of growth for Marvell," said Matt Murphy , Marvell's Chairman and CEO. "The exceptional performance in the third quarter, and our strong forecast for the fourth quarter, are primarily driven by our custom AI silicon programs, which are now in volume production, further augmented by robust ongoing demand from cloud customers for our market-leading interconnect products. We look forward to a strong finish to this fiscal year and expect substantial momentum to continue in fiscal 2026." Fourth Quarter of Fiscal 2025 Financial Outlook Net revenue is expected to be $1.800 billion +/- 5%. GAAP gross margin is expected to be approximately 50%. Non-GAAP gross margin is expected to be approximately 60%. GAAP operating expenses are expected to be approximately $710 million . Non-GAAP operating expenses are expected to be approximately $480 million . Basic weighted-average shares outstanding are expected to be 867 million. Diluted weighted-average shares outstanding are expected to be 877 million. GAAP diluted net income per share is expected to be $0.16 +/- $0.05 per share. Non-GAAP diluted net income per share is expected to be $0.59 +/- $0.05 per share. GAAP diluted EPS is calculated using basic weighted-average shares outstanding when there is a GAAP net loss, and calculated using diluted weighted-average shares outstanding when there is a GAAP net income. Non-GAAP diluted EPS is calculated using diluted weighted-average shares outstanding. Conference Call Marvell will conduct a conference call on Tuesday, December 3, 2024 at 1:45 p.m. Pacific Time to discuss results for the third quarter of fiscal year 2025. Interested parties may join the conference call without operator assistance by registering and entering their phone number at https://emportal.ink/4fngg8m to receive an instant automated call back. To join the call with operator assistance, please dial 1-800-836-8184 or 1-646-357-8785. The call will be webcast and can be accessed at the Marvell Investor Relations website at http://investor.marvell.com/ . A replay of the call can be accessed by dialing 1-888-660-6345 or 1-646-517-4150, passcode 47973# until Tuesday, December 10, 2024 . Discussion of Non-GAAP Financial Measures Non-GAAP financial measures exclude the effect of stock-based compensation expense, amortization of acquired intangible assets, acquisition and divestiture-related costs, restructuring and other related charges (including, but not limited to, asset impairment charges, recognition of future contractual obligations, employee severance costs, and facilities related charges), resolution of legal matters, and certain expenses and benefits that are driven primarily by discrete events that management does not consider to be directly related to Marvell's core business. Although Marvell excludes the amortization of all acquired intangible assets from these non-GAAP financial measures, management believes that it is important for investors to understand that such intangible assets were recorded as part of purchase price accounting arising from acquisitions, and that such amortization of intangible assets that relate to past acquisitions will recur in future periods until such intangible assets have been fully amortized. Investors should note that the use of intangible assets contributed to Marvell's revenues earned during the periods presented and are expected to contribute to Marvell's future period revenues as well. Marvell uses a non-GAAP tax rate to compute the non-GAAP tax provision. This non-GAAP tax rate is based on Marvell's estimated annual GAAP income tax forecast, adjusted to account for items excluded from Marvell's non-GAAP income, as well as the effects of significant non-recurring and period specific tax items which vary in size and frequency, and excludes tax deductions and benefits from acquired tax loss and credit carryforwards and changes in valuation allowance on acquired deferred tax assets. Marvell's non-GAAP tax rate is determined on an annual basis and may be adjusted during the year to take into account events that may materially affect the non-GAAP tax rate such as tax law changes; acquisitions; significant changes in Marvell's geographic mix of revenue and expenses; or changes to Marvell's corporate structure. For the third quarter of fiscal 2025, a non-GAAP tax rate of 7.0% has been applied to the non-GAAP financial results. Marvell believes that the presentation of non-GAAP financial measures provides important supplemental information to management and investors regarding financial and business trends relating to Marvell's financial condition and results of operations. While Marvell uses non-GAAP financial measures as a tool to enhance its understanding of certain aspects of its financial performance, Marvell does not consider these measures to be a substitute for, or superior to, financial measures calculated in accordance with GAAP. Consistent with this approach, Marvell believes that disclosing non-GAAP financial measures to the readers of its financial statements provides such readers with useful supplemental data that, while not a substitute for GAAP financial measures, allows for greater transparency in the review of its financial and operational performance. Externally, management believes that investors may find Marvell's non-GAAP financial measures useful in their assessment of Marvell's operating performance and the valuation of Marvell. Internally, Marvell's non-GAAP financial measures are used in the following areas: Management's evaluation of Marvell's operating performance; Management's establishment of internal operating budgets; Management's performance comparisons with internal forecasts and targeted business models; and Management's determination of the achievement and measurement of certain types of compensation including Marvell's annual incentive plan and certain performance-based equity awards (adjustments may vary from award to award). Non-GAAP financial measures have limitations in that they do not reflect all of the costs associated with the operations of Marvell's business as determined in accordance with GAAP. As a result, you should not consider these measures in isolation or as a substitute for analysis of Marvell's results as reported under GAAP. The exclusion of the above items from our GAAP financial metrics does not necessarily mean that these costs are unusual or infrequent. Forward-Looking Statements under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act"), and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the "Exchange Act"), which are subject to the "safe harbor" created by those sections. These statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, which may cause our actual results to differ materially from those implied by the forward-looking statements. Words such as "anticipates," "expects," "intends," "plans," "projects," "believes," "seeks," "estimates," "forecasts," "targets," "may," "can," "will," "would" and similar expressions identify such forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements contained in this press release include, but are not limited to, the statements describing our financial outlook and future period revenues. These statements are not guarantees of results and should not be considered as an indication of future activity or future performance. Forward-looking statements are predictions, projections and other statements about future events that are based on current expectations and assumptions and, as a result, are subject to risks and uncertainties. Actual events or results may differ materially from those described in this press release due to a number of risks and uncertainties, including, but not limited to: risks related to changes in general macroeconomic conditions, or expectations of such conditions, such as high or rising interest rates, macroeconomic slowdowns, recessions, inflation, and stagflation; risks related to our ability to estimate customer demand and future sales accurately; our ability to define, design, develop and market products for the Cloud, 5G markets, and Artificial Intelligence (AI) markets; risks related to our dependence on a few customers for a significant portion of our revenue, particularly as our major customers comprise an increasing percentage of our revenue, as well as risks related to a significant portion of our sales being concentrated in the data center end market; risks related to higher inventory levels; risks related to cancellations, rescheduling or deferrals of significant customer orders or shipments, as well as the ability of our customers to manage inventory; our ability to realize the expected benefits from restructuring activities; the risk of downturns in the semiconductor industry or our customer end markets; the impact of international conflict (such as the current armed conflicts in the Ukraine and in Israel and the Gaza Strip ) and economic volatility in either domestic or foreign markets including risks related to trade conflicts or tensions, regulations, and tariffs, including but not limited to, trade restrictions imposed on our Chinese customers; our ability to retain and hire key personnel; our ability to limit costs related to defective products; risks related to our debt obligations; risks related to the rapid growth of the Company; delays or increased costs related to completing the design, development, production and introduction of our new products due to a variety of issues, including supply chain cross-dependencies, dependencies on EDA and similar tools, dependencies on the use of third-party, business partner or customer intellectual property, collaboration and synchronization requirements with business partners and customers, requirements to establish new manufacturing, testing, assembly and packing processes, and other issues; our reliance on our manufacturing partners for the manufacture, assembly, testing and packaging of our products; risks related to the ASIC business model which requires us to use third-party IP including the risk that we may lose business or experience reputational harm if third parties, including customers, lose confidence in our ability to protect their IP rights; the risks associated with manufacturing and selling products and customers' products outside of the United States ; our ability to secure design wins from our customers and prospective customers; our ability to complete and realize the anticipated benefits of any acquisitions, divestitures and investments; decreases in gross margin and results of operations in the future due to a number of factors, including high or increasing interest rates and volatility in foreign exchange rates; severe financial hardship or bankruptcy of one or more of our major customers; the effects of transitioning to smaller geometry process technologies; risks related to use of a hybrid work model; the impact of any change in the income tax laws in jurisdictions where we operate and the loss of any beneficial tax treatment that we currently enjoy; the outcome of pending or future litigation and legal and regulatory proceedings; risk related to our Sustainability program; the impact and costs associated with changes in international financial and regulatory conditions; our ability and the ability of our customers to successfully compete in the markets in which we serve; our ability and our customers' ability to develop new and enhanced products and the adoption of those products in the market; supply chain disruptions or component shortages that may impact the production of our products including our kitting process or may impact the price of components which in turn may impact our margins on any impacted products and any constrained availability from other electronic suppliers impacting our customers' ability to ship their products, which in turn may adversely impact our sales to those customers; our ability to scale our operations in response to changes in demand for existing or new products and services; risks associated with acquisition and consolidation activity in the semiconductor industry, including any consolidation of our manufacturing partners; our ability to protect our intellectual property; risks related to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic (or future pandemics) which have impacted, and for which lingering effects may continue to impact our business, employees and operations, the transportation and manufacturing of our products, and the operations of our customers, distributors, vendors, suppliers, and partners; our maintenance of an effective system of internal controls; financial institution instability; and other risks detailed in our SEC filings from time to time. The foregoing list of factors is not exhaustive. You should carefully consider the foregoing factors and the other risks and uncertainties that affect our business described in the "Risk Factors" section of our Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and other documents filed by us from time to time with the SEC. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made. Readers are cautioned not to put undue reliance on forward-looking statements, and we assume no obligation and do not intend to update or revise these forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. About Marvell To deliver the data infrastructure technology that connects the world, we're building solutions on the most powerful foundation: our partnerships with our customers. Trusted by the world's leading technology companies for over 25 years, we move, store, process and secure the world's data with semiconductor solutions designed for our customers' current needs and future ambitions. Through a process of deep collaboration and transparency, we're ultimately changing the way tomorrow's enterprise, cloud, automotive, and carrier architectures transform—for the better. Marvell ® and the Marvell logo are registered trademarks of Marvell and/or its affiliates. Quarterly Revenue Trend (Unaudited) Our product solutions serve five large end markets where our technology is essential: (i) data center, (ii) enterprise networking, (iii) carrier infrastructure, (iv) consumer, and (v) automotive/industrial. These markets and their corresponding customer products and applications are noted in the table below: For further information, contact: Ashish Saran Senior Vice President, Investor Relations 408-222-0777 [email protected] SOURCE Marvell
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OSS BSS System and Platform Market Size, Growth Opportunities 2031 by Key Manufacturer Amdocs, CSG, Ericsson, Huawei, Xoriant, Creospan, Subex 11-23-2024 11:27 AM CET | Advertising, Media Consulting, Marketing Research Press release from: Verified Market Reports OSS BSS System and Platform Market USA, New Jersey: According to Verified Market Reports analysis, the global OSS BSS System and Platform Market size is expected to grow from USD 22.38 billion in 2023 to USD 58.88 billion by 2030, at a CAGR of 12.82% during the forecast period of 2024-2031. What is the outlook for the OSS BSS System and Platform Market? The OSS (Operations Support System) and BSS (Business Support System) system and platform market is poised for significant growth, driven by the increasing demand for digital transformation in telecom and other industries. The rise of 5G networks, IoT, and cloud-based technologies is enhancing the need for advanced OSS/BSS solutions to manage complex networks and provide seamless customer experiences. As companies continue to adopt automation, AI, and machine learning, the market will see enhanced operational efficiencies and cost reductions. The market is expected to expand at a robust CAGR over the next several years, with telecom service providers and enterprises seeking integrated solutions for network management, billing, customer care, and service delivery. The growth will be supported by the increasing penetration of cloud-native solutions, further fueling the adoption of agile and scalable OSS/BSS platforms. Get the full PDF sample copy of the report: (Includes full table of contents, list of tables and figures, and graphs) @ https://www.verifiedmarketreports.com/download-sample/?rid=499593&utm_source=OpenPR&utm_medium=366 What are the key drivers of investment in the OSS BSS System and Platform Market? Several factors are driving investment in the OSS/BSS market. The growing need for telecom operators to manage the increasing complexity of next-gen networks like 5G is a primary catalyst. With the rise of AI and machine learning, telecom companies are investing in automation to optimize their network and service operations. Additionally, the shift toward cloud-based solutions is enabling cost-effective, scalable deployments, attracting investments. Another key driver is the demand for improved customer experience and personalized services, which OSS/BSS platforms can provide through real-time data processing and analytics. Investors are also encouraged by the steady demand from enterprises seeking end-to-end digital transformation solutions, where OSS/BSS platforms help streamline operations and enhance service offerings. What is the investment analysis for the OSS BSS System and Platform Market? Investment in the OSS/BSS system and platform market appears lucrative due to the sector's growth prospects and technological evolution. Venture capital, private equity, and corporate investments are increasingly targeting companies offering next-generation, cloud-native, and AI-enabled solutions. The market's rapid adoption of 5G, IoT, and data analytics platforms is a major draw for investors. Companies providing integrated OSS/BSS solutions are expected to see substantial returns as telecom operators and enterprises adopt more sophisticated and automated technologies. With North America and Europe leading in market share, investors should focus on emerging markets in Asia-Pacific, where telecom penetration is expanding rapidly. Strategic acquisitions, partnerships with cloud service providers, and a focus on next-gen automation solutions will offer high returns, making the OSS/BSS market a prime investment target. Major companies Amdocs, CSG, Ericsson, Huawei, Xoriant, Creospan, Subex, Samsung Electronics Trends Global Market Expansion: As markets continue to globalize, numerous enterprises in the OSS BSS System and Platform sector are actively exploring opportunities in emerging markets. Leveraging their expertise and resources, these companies are strategically expanding their footprint and reaching out to new customer segments, thereby capitalizing on evolving market dynamics. Sustainable Practices: There's a noticeable surge in prioritizing sustainability within the market, spurred by both consumer preferences and regulatory mandates. This shift is manifesting in heightened adoption of eco-friendly materials, implementation of energy-efficient processes, and proactive initiatives aimed at waste reduction. Digital Transformation: The OSS BSS System and Platform market is swiftly embracing digital transformation, incorporating cutting-edge technologies like AI, IoT, and blockchain. This transition is significantly enhancing operational efficiency, fostering product innovation, and elevating customer experiences through personalization. Health and Wellness: Consumers are placing a growing emphasis on health and wellness, catalyzing the introduction of functional and nutritious products in the OSS BSS System and Platform market. Additionally, there's a notable trend towards integrating health-focused attributes into existing offerings to meet evolving consumer expectations. Key Segments Are Covered in Report OSS BSS System and Platform Market By Type Operation Support Systems (OSS) Business Support System (BSS) Service Delivery Platform OSS BSS System and Platform Market By Application Communication Industry Retail Industry Media and Entertainment Industry Banks and Financial Institutes Other Get a Discount On The Purchase Of This Report @ https://www.verifiedmarketreports.com/ask-for-discount/?rid=499593&utm_source=OpenPR&utm_medium=366 Barriers to Entry Strong Brand Loyalty: Established brands enjoy strong customer loyalty and trust, making it difficult for new entrants to capture market share without substantial investment in brand building and marketing campaigns. Economies of Scale: Existing players benefit from economies of scale, which enable them to lower production costs per unit and offer competitive pricing, posing a barrier for new entrants to achieve similar cost efficiencies. High Capital Requirements: Entry into OSS BSS System and Platform Market requires substantial initial investment in manufacturing facilities, distribution networks, and marketing, making it challenging for new entrants to compete effectively. Regulatory Hurdles: Compliance with OSS BSS System and Platform industry regulations and standards adds complexity and cost to market entry, especially for startups or smaller firms lacking resources to navigate regulatory requirements effectively. Regional Analysis North America (USA and Canada) Europe (UK, Germany, France and rest of Europe) Asia-Pacific (China, Japan, India, and Rest of Asia Pacific) Latin America (Brazil, Mexico, and Rest of Latin America) Middle East and Africa (GCC and Rest of the Middle East and Africa) The report offers analysis on the following aspects: (1) Market Penetration: Comprehensive information on the product portfolios of the top players in the OSS BSS System and Platform Market. (2) Product Development/Innovation: Detailed insights on the upcoming technologies, R&D activities, and product launches in the OSS BSS System and Platform market. (3) Competitive Assessment: In-depth assessment of the market strategies, geographic and business segments of the leading players in the market. (4) Market Development: Comprehensive information about emerging markets. This report analyzes the market for various segments across geographies. (5) Market Diversification: Exhaustive information about new products, untapped geographies, recent developments, and investments in the OSS BSS System and Platform Market. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) 1. What are the present scale and future growth prospects of the OSS BSS System and Platform Market? Answer: The OSS BSS System and Platform Market is expected to grow from USD 22.38 billion in 2023 to USD 58.88 billion by 2030, at a CAGR of 12.82% during the forecast period of 2024-2031. 2. What is the current state of the OSS BSS System and Platform market? Answer: As of the latest data, the OSS BSS System and Platform market is experiencing growth, stability, and challenges. 3. Who are the key players in the OSS BSS System and Platform market? Answer: Amdocs, CSG, Ericsson, Huawei, Xoriant, Creospan, Subex, Samsung Electronics are the Prominent players in the OSS BSS System and Platform market, known for their notable characteristics and strengths. 4. What factors are driving the growth of the OSS BSS System and Platform market? Answer: The growth of the OSS BSS System and Platform market can be attributed to factors such as key drivers technological advancements, increasing demand, and regulatory support. 5. Are there any challenges affecting the OSS BSS System and Platform market? Answer: The OSS BSS System and Platform market's challenges include competition, regulatory hurdles, and economic factors. For More Information or Query, Visit @ https://www.verifiedmarketreports.com/product/oss-bss-system-and-platform-market-size-and-forecast/ Inquiry: Mr. Edwin Fernandez Verified Market Reports USA: +1 650 781 4080 APAC: +61 485 860 968 EMEA: +44 788 886 6344 Website:- https://www.verifiedmarketreports.com/ About us: Verified Market Reports Verified Market Reports is a leading global research and consulting firm with over 10 years of experience providing advanced analytical research solutions, tailored consulting and in-depth data analysis to individuals and companies seeking accurate, reliable and timely research. Data and technology consulting. It provides insights into strategic and growth analysis, the data you need to achieve business goals, and helps you make key revenue decisions. Our research works as partners to provide our clients with accurate and valuable information to help them make better data-driven decisions, understand market forecasts, capitalize on future opportunities and help optimize efficiency. The industries we cover span a wide range of industries including technology, chemicals, manufacturing, energy, food and beverage, automotive, robotics, packaging, construction, mining and gas. etc. Verified market reports help you understand comprehensive market indicator factors as well as current and future market trends. Our analysts have extensive expertise in data collection and management, using industry methodologies to collect and examine data at every step. They are trained to combine the latest data collection techniques, superior research methodologies, specialized knowledge, and years of collective experience to produce informative and accurate research results. Having served over 5,000 clients, we provide trusted market research services to over 100 global Fortune 500 companies, including Amazon, Dell, IBM, Shell, Exxon Mobil, General Electric, Siemens, Microsoft, Sony and Hitachi. We provided it. We work with some of the world's leading consulting firms, including McKinsey & Company, Boston Consulting Group and Bain & Company, delivering customized research and consulting projects for companies around the world. This release was published on openPR.Klingman & Associates LLC Raises Holdings in Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOGL)
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