Israel and Lebanon's Hezbollah agree to a ceasefire to end nearly 14 months of fighting
JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel approved a United States-brokered ceasefire agreement with Lebanon's Hezbollah on Tuesday, setting the stage for an end to nearly 14 months of fighting linked to the ongoing war in the Gaza Strip. Israeli warplanes meanwhile carried out the most intense wave of strikes in Beirut and its southern suburbs since the start of the conflict and issued a record number of evacuation warnings. At least 24 people were killed in strikes across the country, according to local authorities, as Israel signaled it aims to keep pummeling Hezbollah before the ceasefire is set to take hold at 4 a.m. local time on Wednesday. Another huge airstrike shook Beirut shortly after the ceasefire was announced. Israel's security Cabinet approved the ceasefire agreement late Tuesday after it was presented by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his office said. U.S. President Joe Biden, speaking in Washington, called the agreement “good news” and said his administration would make a renewed push for a ceasefire in Gaza. An Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire would mark the first major step toward ending the regionwide unrest triggered by Hamas’ attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. But it does not address the devastating war in Gaza, where Hamas is still holding dozens of hostages and the conflict is more intractable. U.S. President-elect Donald Trump has vowed to bring peace to the Middle East without saying how. The Biden administration spent much of this year trying to broker a ceasefire and hostage release in Gaza but the talks repeatedly sputtered to a halt . Still, any halt to the fighting in Lebanon is expected to reduce the likelihood of war between Israel and Iran, which backs both Hezbollah and Hamas and exchanged direct fire with Israel on two occasions earlier this year. Netanyahu presented the ceasefire proposal to Cabinet ministers after a televised address in which he listed a series of accomplishments against Israel’s enemies across the region. He said a ceasefire with Hezbollah would further isolate Hamas in Gaza and allow Israel to focus on its main enemy, Iran, which backs both groups. “If Hezbollah breaks the agreement and tries to rearm, we will attack,” he said. “For every violation, we will attack with might.” The ceasefire deal calls for a two-month initial halt in fighting and would require Hezbollah to end its armed presence in a broad swath of southern Lebanon, while Israeli troops would return to their side of the border. Thousands of additional Lebanese troops and U.N. peacekeepers would deploy in the south, and an international panel headed by the United States would monitor all sides’ compliance. But implementation remains a major question mark. Israel has demanded the right to act should Hezbollah violate its obligations. Lebanese officials have rejected writing that into the proposal. Biden said Israel reserved the right to quickly resume operations in Lebanon if Hezbollah breaks the terms of the truce, but that the deal "was designed to be a permanent cessation of hostilities.” Netanyahu’s office said Israel appreciated the U.S. efforts in securing the deal but “reserves the right to act against every threat to its security.” Hezbollah has said it accepts the proposal, but a senior official with the group said Tuesday that it had not seen the agreement in its final form. “After reviewing the agreement signed by the enemy government, we will see if there is a match between what we stated and what was agreed upon by the Lebanese officials,” Mahmoud Qamati, deputy chair of Hezbollah’s political council, told the Al Jazeera news network. “We want an end to the aggression, of course, but not at the expense of the sovereignty of the state.” of Lebanon, he said. “Any violation of sovereignty is refused.” Even as Israeli, U.S, Lebanese and international officials have expressed growing optimism over a ceasefire, Israel has continued its campaign in Lebanon, which it says aims to cripple Hezbollah’s military capabilities. An Israeli strike on Tuesday leveled a residential building in the central Beirut district of Basta — the second time in recent days warplanes have hit the crowded area near the city’s downtown. At least seven people were killed and 37 wounded, according to Lebanon's Health Ministry. Strikes on Beirut's southern suburbs killed at least one person and wounded 13, it said. Three people were killed in a separate strike in Beirut and three in a strike on a Palestinian refugee camp in southern Lebanon. Lebanese state media said another 10 people were killed in the eastern Baalbek province. Israel says it targets Hezbollah fighters and their infrastructure. Israel also struck a building in Beirut's bustling commercial district of Hamra for the first time, hitting a site that is around 400 meters (yards) from Lebanon’s Central Bank. There were no reports of casualties. The Israeli military said it struck targets in Beirut and other areas linked to Hezbollah's financial arm. The evacuation warnings covered many areas, including parts of Beirut that previously have not been targeted. The warnings, coupled with fear that Israel was ratcheting up attacks before a ceasefire, sent residents fleeing. Traffic was gridlocked, and some cars had mattresses tied to them. Dozens of people, some wearing their pajamas, gathered in a central square, huddling under blankets or standing around fires as Israeli drones buzzed loudly overhead. Hezbollah, meanwhile, kept up its rocket fire, triggering air raid sirens across northern Israel. Israeli military spokesman Avichay Adraee issued evacuation warnings for 20 buildings in Beirut's southern suburbs, where Hezbollah has a major presence, as well as a warning for the southern town of Naqoura where the U.N. peacekeeping mission, UNIFIL, is headquartered. UNIFIL spokesperson Andrea Tenenti told The Associated Press that peacekeepers will not evacuate. The Israeli military also said its ground troops clashed with Hezbollah forces and destroyed rocket launchers in the Slouqi area on the eastern end of the Litani River, a few kilometers (miles) from the Israeli border. Under the ceasefire deal, Hezbollah would be required to move its forces north of the Litani, which in some places is about 30 kilometers (20 miles) north of the border. Hezbollah began firing into northern Israel, saying it was showing support for the Palestinians, a day after Hamas carried out its Oct. 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel, triggering the Gaza war. Israel returned fire on Hezbollah, and the two sides have been exchanging barrages ever since. Israel escalated its campaign of bombardment in mid-September and later sent troops into Lebanon, vowing to put an end to Hezbollah fire so tens of thousands of evacuated Israelis could return to their homes. More than 3,760 people have been killed by Israeli fire in Lebanon the past 13 months, many of them civilians, according to Lebanese health officials. The bombardment has driven 1.2 million people from their homes. Israel says it has killed more than 2,000 Hezbollah members. Hezbollah fire has forced some 50,000 Israelis to evacuate in the country’s north, and its rockets have reached as far south in Israel as Tel Aviv. At least 75 people have been killed, more than half of them civilians. More than 50 Israeli soldiers have died in the ground offensive in Lebanon. Chehayeb and Mroue reported from Beirut. Associated Press reporters Lujain Jo and Sally Abou AlJoud in Beirut, and Aamer Madhani in Washington, contributed. Find more of AP’s war coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-warQatar tribune Jeff Galak The idyllic holiday scene — piles of presents, smiles all around — rarely matches reality. Who among us hasn’t faced the awkward silence of a gift that falls flat? Who hasn’t been disappointed by one we’ve received? Why then, do we get it wrong so often? Why are we so bad at giving gifts? I’ve researched these questions through the lens of social psychology, trying to understand the psychological science of gift giving in hopes of helping gift givers make better choices. And the good news is that after 10 years, we have some answers that could help every gift giver make better choices. The first thing to appreciate is that even though we all act as gift givers and gift recipients, we don’t typically do so at the same time: Even when exchanging gifts, we are thinking like a giver in advance, and then thinking like a recipient in the moment. This creates what is called an empathy gap. In short, when we are acting in one capacity, say as a gift giver, we typically do not consider or empathize with what it would be like to be a gift recipient. We apply a totally different psychology to gift giving than we do to gift receiving. This can be as simple as considering what matters most to gift givers and recipients. When we give gifts, what we tend to believe matters most is the moment of the gift exchange — the moment when a recipient unwraps their gift and sees it for the first time. We want that big “wow” moment where we see a huge smile and know that we’ve done a good job. The problem is that this moment, the big reveal, typically lasts for just a few seconds, but the recipient is stuck with the gift for much longer. What we know matters to the recipient, instead, is much less the moment of exchange, but rather the entirety of the gift’s ownership. Consider a novelty gift like a mug with a witty phrase like “World’s Best Procrastinator.” That’s sure to make someone chuckle when they see it, but then it’ll probably sit in their pantry collecting dust for who knows how long. Or consider a tchotchke that is intended to help decorate a home. It may spark excitement at first, but then the recipient is left with fitting it into the décor of their home ... no small task, and often an unwanted chore. Some gifts can leave a great first impression, but then fall flat later on. As gift givers, we need to think about the long-term implications of a gift, because that is what recipients truly value. As uninspired as it sounds, something like a toaster oven can be an amazing gift because it will be useful. It might not be the most exciting gift when it is opened, but your recipient will think fondly of you every time they use it. Beyond the useful, it’s important to consider that recipients care more about thoughtfulness than just about anything else. After all, what is a gift if not a way to show someone that you care about them and are thinking of them? What that implies, and what the science of gift giving endorses, is that cost is not what dictates how much a recipient loves a gift. In fact, research suggests that there is virtually no relationship between the price of a gift and how much a recipient likes it. Instead, what recipients value is something thoughtful. That can be a freshly baked batch of ********s, or a nicely framed photograph of a treasured shared past experience, or even just a sincerely written note on a holiday card. Science tells us that recipients value the care a giver puts into their gift, and not its cost. We can take this one step further and appreciate that thoughtfulness doesn’t come only on holidays and special occasions like birthdays. Instead, one can be thoughtful any day of the year! And what we’ve learned is that thoughtfulness on random days — not special occasions — is much easier to convey. A gift given out of the blue shows a recipient that they are being thought of not just on, say, their birthday, but all the time. These “just because” gifts are seen to be far more valuable to recipients than those that they receive at moments when they are expecting to be given gifts, such as holidays. Putting this all together, science shows us that the best way to give great gifts is to stop thinking like a gift giver, and instead start thinking like a gift recipient. We’ve all been in that role before, so consider what gifts worked for you and take it from there. Appreciate that being stuck with a bad gift is far from ideal and that the gifts we cherish most are the ones that make us feel cared for. If you can apply these lessons to your own gift giving, your recipients are sure to smile not just when they unwrap your gift, but when they treasure it for years to come. (Jeff Galak, co-founder of the GiftStar AI, is an associate professor of marketing and social and decision science at Carnegie Mellon University.) Copy 25/12/2024 10
2024 in pop culture: In a bruising year, we sought out fantasy, escapism — and cute little animalsIn conclusion, the unfolding developments in South Korea underscore the fragility of democratic governance and the importance of upholding the principles of civilian control over the military. The Defense Ministry's assertion of the military's allegiance to the Constitution and Defense Minister Suh Wook's leadership signals a commitment to stability and continuity amidst a backdrop of political uncertainty and turmoil. Whether South Korea can weather the storm and emerge stronger from this crisis remains to be seen, but the resilience of its democratic institutions and the dedication of its military to upholding the rule of law will be critical in shaping the country's future.Oklahoma State shoots past local rival Oral Roberts
Authored by Alexander Langlois via American Greatness, On December 19, the U.S. Department of Defense announced that there are roughly 2,000 troops stationed in Syria – 1,100 more than previously shared with the public. Pentagon spokesperson Major General Patrick Ryder disclosed the new number almost off-handedly, without explanation for the shock news as Syria experiences a generational moment following former President Bashar al-Assad’s regime collapse on December 8. The announcement personifies the ongoing and widespread disdain of American political and military leaders for transparency on military operations abroad. Indeed, the laxness with which Ryder announced the new deployment numbers is unacceptable. These forces are not, as the spokesperson claimed , simply “temporary rotational forces” but reflect the worst excesses of mission creep that have come to define U.S. military operations in the post-9/11 era. Ryder’s follow-on statements, in the same breath as his claims of the temporary nature of the deployment, highlight this bleak reality: “Right now, there are no plans to cease the defeat-ISIS mission.” Rather, the Biden administration feels empowered to expand that mission and lie to the American people about what exactly it is doing in Syria. Such an outcome results from unchecked executive power in the U.S. government and Congressional reluctance to question support for anything labeled as counterterrorism (CT) operations. Worse, the announcement comes as news surfaces that U.S. President Joe Biden experienced “ good days and bad days ” as early as 2021 concerning his mental acuity – another inconvenient fact hidden from U.S. citizens, raising questions regarding who has actually been steering policy in the White House. The inconvenient truth for Biden’s advisors is simple: U.S. forces continue to operate in a country that has not invited them to establish a presence and without any constitutionally mandated Authorization for the Use of Military Force (AUMF) required to make such military operations legal under U.S. law. Only Congress can pass an AUMF – the president cannot unilaterally declare one. Flimsy arguments connecting the Islamic State to Al-Qaeda – arguing that the former grew out of the latter – are another ugly expansion of unchecked executive power aimed at limiting U.S. citizen input on the critical decisions of their elected officials. Such a pass must be rejected. For two decades, U.S. officials have worked to expand global military power in a resource-draining deluge of unsustainable overextension. On the same day as Ryder’s announcement, the U.S. Senate passed the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) – the primary defense appropriations package – to the tune of $895 billion. As U.S. debt approaches $37 trillion , the government should be more transparent on such issues – not less. Yet rather than taking that approach, the Pentagon failed its seventh straight audit in 2024. This unacceptable situation is why expanding the defeat-ISIS mission should be rejected, especially given the facts on the ground. To be sure, while the Islamic State has expanded its operations in Syria in 2024, the number of attacks pales in comparison to the height of the group when ISIS actually held and governed territory. With less than 20 attacks in September, compared to hundreds in April 2022, the Islamic State is no longer a serious threat to U.S. interests—and its reach is extremely limited. It has long been unable to conduct international attacks from either Syria or Iraq. Most of its fighters in these two countries remain in prisons operated by local U.S. partners – namely the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in Syria. While some cite the presence of roughly 10,000 fighters in these prisons as an army-in-waiting for the group, the reality is alternative policy options exist for both securing these prisons and limiting the wider supposed threat while ending – not expanding – the defeat-ISIS mission. Those options include regional partnerships, not limited to Turkey or the plethora of armed groups operating in Syria today. Given the Islamic State’s inherent weakness, it should not be difficult to establish a sustainable agreement – namely one that ends the U.S. presence in the country by allowing those capable local actors with more of an interest in ending the threat from re-appearing in their communities. An open-ended U.S. presence will not fully resolve this problem, as personified by never-ending CT operations across Africa and Asia with no end in sight. Ultimately, the issue of U.S. military overreach is bigger than Syria, even if the country is central to debates on U.S. forces abroad. Officials must recognize that U.S. primacy on the regional and global stage does not come from doing everything, everywhere, all at once. Rather, it is achieved through strategic honesty and military restraint that right-sizes efforts abroad based on necessity as the world is – not how unelected officials wish it to be. Misleading the American public cannot remain the U.S. foreign policy norm, which already discounts the will of the average American citizen in a smugness that has long pervaded the space. As announcements like the one on Syria indicate, the time is now to shift away from this unsustainable and anti-democratic approach.Rebuilding from the rubble
Adanis knew of US probe when they sold bribe-linked assets to TotalEnergies, prosecutors say
JOHN Swinney yesterday promised the SNP would give “serious consideration” to creating a new specific criminal offence for non-fatal strangulation - as he blasted the behaviour of Scotland’s men and boys. The First Minister was urged by Nats backbencher Michelle Thomson to do so after Fiona Drouet, whose daughter Emily took her life while at university after suffering abuse , launched a petition calling for such a change. 3 The First Minister will consider the new law Credit: Getty 3 Emily Drouet took her life while at university after suffering abuse Mr Swinney said the Scottish Government would “explore the appropriateness” of such a change. But he added that the crime was already covered by common assault laws which can earn offenders life in prison . He added: “If there was to be a stand-alone offence put in place, we would need to be confident there is a gap in the law . “The Government will give serious consideration to this matter. READ MORE SCOTTISH POLITICS CON THE BUS SNP ministers 'quietly ditch' bus pledge as funding cut by 98 per cent FOOTY COACHED SNP's Neil Gray told not to get carried away during Aberdeen final freebie "The Government will explore the appropriateness of a stand-alone offence.” After being challenged to go further, Mr Swinney turned his attention to the behaviour of Scottish men and boys. He said: “There is one other thing that needs to be changed. "That is the behaviour of boys and men. Most read in The Scottish Sun FAIR CARNAGE Horror as Birmingham fairground ride 'collapses' with several people injured STAYING POSITIVE Max George to undergo major heart surgery after terrifying health scare ALL CHANGE Another Rangers executive quits club just a week after key role at club's AGM NEWBORN JOY Huge Scots DJ becomes dad as he reveals baby boy in emotional social media post “I take deadly seriously my responsibility as a male First Minister of Scotland to make it absolutely clear that the behaviour of boys and men is integral, it is central to the experiences of women in our society. “So we can look at all the measures we need to take in terms of criminal offences, but I will lead from the front a campaign to say to boys and men in Scotland that their behaviour has got to improve.” Nigel Farage will cosy up to Donald Trump and make Comrade Keir look weak - he’s the REAL opposition 3 Mr Swinney turned his attention to the behaviour of Scottish men and boys Credit: GettyMcNeese St. 76, Illinois St. 68
At least it was not a sixth successive defeat. And that, perhaps, is the only consolation Pep Guardiola and Manchester City could derive from an evening when their losing run ended but their self-destructive streak was highlighted. Guardiola has won a Premier League with a three-goal comeback at the Etihad Stadium . Here, he lost a lead with one. For Feyenoord it was a spectacular, seminal fightback: 3-0 down after 74 minutes, they took an improbable point with an incredible response. For their hosts, it showed a self-destructive streak that seemed confined to the days when Joe Royle talked of “Cityitis” has returned and the defensive fragility that Guardiola lamented when Tottenham beat his City 4-0 on Saturday remains. “It is difficult to swallow now,” he said. He defended an errant defender when he could have cursed his near-namesake: Josko Gvardiol had a shocking quarter of an hour when he was culpable for at least two goals. “We are a team who concede few, few goals over these eight or nine years,” said Guardiola. Now, for the first time since 1963, City have conceded at least two in six successive matches. In the space of 15 minutes, City dropped from fifth to 15th in the Champions League table. From the jaws of their first victory in a month, City snatched ignominy. A team who used to be defined by control ended with chaos. Even as they could have won it, Jack Grealish striking the bar with a deflected effort in injury-time, they have rarely looked as flawed or as fraught. Even if Feyenoord could not follow in the footsteps of Tottenham (twice), Bournemouth, Brighton and Sporting CP, City seemed a team falling apart. “We are not able to win games,” rued Guardiola. The unexpectedly lengthy quest of a 682nd win of his managerial career will take him to Anfield on Sunday, maybe contemplating a sixth defeat in seven. Perhaps, too, as the Feyenoord fans chorused the name of Arne Slot, it was thoughts of Liverpool that led him astray. Three goals to the good, he brought off Nathan Ake and Ilkay Gundogan, seemingly seeking to spare the legs of each. “The game was not in danger,” said Guardiola. The youngsters Jahmai Simpson-Pusey and James McAtee were among those to come on and if neither was the culprit in chief in the subsequent collapse, City appeared powerless to resist the Feyenoord tide. Guardiola looked as if he feared the worst when they scored their first; his head was in his hands after a first mistake by Gvardiol, who gave the ball to Anis Hadj Moussa to slot in. Then it seemed as though the implications were merely that clean sheets continue to elude City and defensive difficulties to dog Gvardiol. But he was at fault as the ball was given away again and two Feyenoord substitutes combined. Jordan Lotomba’s shot from an acute angle was kicked on to the post by Ederson and Santiago Gimenez marked his first appearance for two months by chesting the ball over the line. If the goalkeeper might have done better there, he was definitely at fault for the equaliser, caught in no’s man land, charging outside his box as Igor Paixao headed the ball past him and, from an acute angle, showed the presence of mind to loft a cross to the far post for the on-rushing David Hancko to head in to cap his own all-action display. “Three episodes,” sighed Guardiola. It meant that, ridiculously, City have now conceded 13 goals in four games. They have lost a lead in three of them; but not like this. They were the first side in Champions League history to be three goals ahead in the 75th minute and still not win. What followed altered the complexion of those three goals, scored in 10 minutes either side of half-time. City were nevertheless uninspired for the first 40 minutes, only really threatening when Erling Haaland headed against the post and Phil Foden contrived to block Jack Grealish’s goalbound volley. Then fortune favoured them, referee Radu Petrescu ruling that Quentin Timber had fouled Haaland in the box. The Norwegian had struck the bar with a penalty in Portugal. There were roars of relief when he dispatched his next spot kick. While Haaland showed his predatory streak, Gundogan demonstrated his technique to double the lead. He connected sweetly with a left-footed volley from the edge of the box, even if goalkeeper Timon Wellenreuther may have been defeated by the deflection off Hancko. Premier League goals have eluded Gundogan since his return to City but this was a third already in the Champions League. After his wretched afternoon against Tottenham came what seemed a restorative evening that included a part in the third goal. Then Gundogan played the penetrative pass to release Matheus Nunes whose low centre was converted by a sliding Haaland. “Three-zero down, you think it is going to be a long evening,” said Feyenoord manager Brian Priske. Game over, or so Guardiola thought. He had signalled part of his thinking for Anfield by dropping Kyle Walker and opting not to give Kevin De Bruyne a first start since September. More came with the substitutions. But they backfired. Even as City extended their unbeaten run at home in Europe to 34 games, this was only a fifth draw in that time. There could be consequences, too: they probably need to beat both Juventus and Paris Saint-Germain away to get a top-eight finish. But first of all, they need to beat someone, anyone. Because Manchester City, the team that couldn’t stop winning, now can’t start.PARADIGM CAPITAL MANAGEMENT LIVE WITH INDATAThe Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), a massive infrastructure and economic development project initiated by China, also contributed to the expansion of China's trade network. The BRI promoted connectivity and cooperation among participating countries, creating new trade corridors and opportunities for mutual economic development.
ATLANTA (AP) — Deliberations are underway in Atlanta after a year of testimony in the gang and racketeering trial that originally included the rapper Young Thug. Jurors are considering whether to convict Shannon Stillwell and Deamonte Kendrick, who raps as Yak Gotti, on gang, murder, drug and gun charges. The original indictment charged 28 people with conspiring to violate Georgia’s Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act. Opening statements in the trial for six of those defendants happened a year ago . Four of them, including Young Thug, pleaded guilty last month. The rapper was freed on probation. Stillwell and Kendrick rejected plea deals after more than a week of negotiations, and their lawyers chose not to present evidence or witnesses. Both seemed to be in good spirits Tuesday morning after closings wrapped the previous night. Kendrick was chatting and laughing with Stillwell and his lawyers before the jury arrived for instructions. The jury started deliberating Tuesday afternoon and was dismissed at 5 p.m. Jurors are expected to resume deliberations Wednesday morning. If they don’t reach a verdict by 3 p.m. Wednesday, the judge will send them home for the Thanksgiving weekend and they will return Monday morning. Kendrick and Stillwell were charged in the 2015 killing of Donovan Thomas Jr., also known as “Big Nut,” in an Atlanta barbershop. Prosecutors painted Stillwell and Kendrick as members of a violent street gang called Young Slime Life, or YSL, co-founded in 2012 by Young Thug, whose real name is Jeffery Williams. During closings on Monday, they pointed to tattoos, song lyrics and social media posts they said proved members, including Stillwell, admitted to killing people in rival gangs. Prosecutors say Thomas was in a rival gang. Stillwell was also charged in the 2022 killing of Shymel Drinks, which prosecutors said was in retaliation for the killing of two YSL associates days earlier. Defense attorneys Doug Weinstein and Max Schardt said the state presented unreliable witnesses, weak evidence and cherry-picked lyrics and social media posts to push a false narrative about Stillwell, Kendrick and the members of YSL. Schardt, Stillwell's attorney, reminded the jury that alleged YSL affiliates said during the trial that they had lied to police. Law enforcement played a “sick game” by promising they would escape long prison sentences if they said what police wanted them to say, Schardt said. He theorized that one of those witnesses could have killed Thomas. The truth is that their clients were just trying to escape poverty through music, Schardt said. “As a whole, we know the struggles that these communities have had,” Schardt said. “A sad, tacit acceptance that it’s either rap, prison or death.” Young Thug’s record label is also known as YSL, an acronym of Young Stoner Life. Kendrick was featured on two popular songs from the label’s compilation album Slime Language 2, “Take It to Trial" and “Slatty," which prosecutors presented as evidence in the trial. Weinstein, Kendrick’s defense attorney, said during closings it was wrong for prosecutors to target the defendants for their music and lyrics. Prosecutor Simone Hylton disagreed, and said surveillance footage and phone evidence supported her case. “They have the audacity to think they can just brag about killing somebody and nobody’s gonna hold them accountable,” Hylton said. The trial had more than its fair share of delays. Jury selection took nearly 10 months , and Stillwell was stabbed last year at the Fulton County jail, which paused trial proceedings. Judge Paige Reese Whitaker took over after Fulton County Superior Court Chief Judge Ural Glanville was removed from the case in July because he had a meeting with prosecutors and a state witness without defense attorneys present. Whitaker often lost patience with prosecutors over moves such as not sharing evidence with defense attorneys, once accusing them of “poor lawyering.” But the trial sped up under her watch. In October, four defendants, including Young Thug , pleaded guilty, with the rapper entering a non-negotiated or “blind” plea, meaning he didn't have a deal worked out with prosecutors. Nine people charged in the indictment, including rapper Gunna , accepted plea deals before the trial began. Charges against 12 others are pending. Prosecutors dropped charges against one defendant after he was convicted of murder in an unrelated case. Kramon is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues. Follow Kramon on X: @charlottekramonRochester's mail service woes prompt letter to U.S. Postmaster from Sens. Klobuchar, Smith
Europe's main stock markets were little changed Thursday despite interest rate cuts by the eurozone and Swiss central banks as policymakers warned of economic and political woes in the region and beyond. Wall Street shares pulled back a day after the tech-heavy Nasdaq topped 20,000 points for the first time. The Paris CAC 40 index ended the day flat while the Frankfurt DAX added 0.1 percent after the European Central Bank (ECB) cut its interest rates by 25 basis points, marking its third consecutive reduction and fourth this year overall. ECB President Christine Lagarde said policymakers discussed political "uncertainty" in Europe and the United States before deciding on the cut. She mentioned "political situations in some of the member states" and the US presidential election won by Donald Trump. Lagarde warned that the eurozone economy was "losing momentum" and that "the risk of greater friction in global trade could weigh on euro area growth". Earlier, the Swiss National Bank surprised markets with a 50-basis-point reduction in its rate, citing slowing inflation and uncertainty over the impact of Trump's economic policies and Europe's political upheaval. The franc fell against the dollar and the euro following the announcement. With growth still weak and France and Germany in political crises there have been calls for the ECB to move faster. Germany is heading towards early elections in February following the collapse of Chancellor Olaf Scholz's coalition government as Europe's biggest economy falters. In France, President Emmanuel Macron is due to appoint a new prime minister after MPs toppled the government of Michel Barnier last week. Sylvain Broyer, an economist at S&P Global Ratings, said Europe was suffering from "a real crisis of confidence whose roots run deep and go beyond economic factors". "The ECB must react and speed up the pace of rate cuts, unless low confidence derails the nascent recovery and jeopardizes the return to price stability," he said. Investors are also focused on the US Federal Reserve's own interest rate decision next week. Consumer inflation data on Wednesday was in line with expectations as it inched slightly higher in November to 2.7 percent. But figures on Thursday showed US wholesale inflation also ticked higher in November. Nonetheless, futures markets continued to show high confidence the Fed will still cut interest rates next week. But there are concerns that measures pledged by Trump to slash taxes and regulations and ramp up tariffs could reignite price increases. In Asia, Hong Kong and Shanghai rallied amid hopes that leaders in China will unveil more help for the economy, which is struggling under the weight of weak consumer spending and a chronic property crisis. Tokyo gained more than one percent on a weaker yen. New York - Dow: DOWN 0.5 percent 43,014.12 (close) New York - S&P 500: DOWN 0.5 percent at 6,051.25 (close) New York - Nasdaq Composite: DOWN 0.7 percent at 19,902.84 (close) London - FTSE 100: UP 0.1 at 8,311.76 (close) Paris - CAC 40: FLAT at 7,420.94 (close) Frankfurt - DAX: UP 0.1 percent at 20,426.27 (close) Tokyo - Nikkei 225: UP 1.2 percent at 39,849.14 (close) Hong Kong - Hang Seng Index: UP 1.2 percent at 20,397.05 (close) Shanghai - Composite: UP 0.9 percent at 3,461.50 (close) Euro/dollar: DOWN at $1.0468 from $1.0496 on Wednesday Pound/dollar: DOWN at $1.2669 from $1.2751 Dollar/yen: UP at 152.68 yen from 152.45 yen Euro/pound: UP at 82.59 from 82.31 pence West Texas Intermediate: DOWN 0.4 percent at $70.02 per barrel Brent North Sea Crude: DOWN 0.2 percent at $73.41 per barrel burs-jmb/dw