Editorial: Surveillance cameras help police, but Virginia needs stricter regulationFinancing a just transition will be the main topic at the meeting in Edinburgh. Sir Keir Starmer and John Swinney will discuss financing action to tackle climate change at a summit bringing together leaders from the devolved nations and Ireland. Financing a just transition will be the main topic at the British-Irish Council (BIC) meeting in Edinburgh on Friday. Irish Taoiseach Simon Harris will be present at the summit, as will Tanaiste Micheal Martin. As well as Scotland’s First Minister, Welsh First Minister Eluned Morgan and Northern Ireland’s First Minister Michelle O’Neill will also take part along with other ministers from the devolved administrations. The chief ministers of the Isle of Man, Jersey and Guernsey also attend the BIC. Alongside the Prime Minister, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Pat McFadden will represent the UK Government. Formed in the wake of the Good Friday Agreement, this will be the 42nd meeting of the intergovernmental forum. Discussions are expected to cover the opportunity clean power presents for the economy and how to share best practice across the British Isles. Mr Swinney said: “Scotland will welcome political leaders to our capital city as we gather for the 42nd summit of the British-Irish Council – a meeting which also marks 25 years since the first council was held following the Good Friday Agreement. “As we reflect on 25 years, it is testament to the value of the British-Irish Council that the partnership conceived a quarter of a century ago has prevailed in the midst of unprecedented change and challenge. “The meeting in Edinburgh provides a forum for us to discuss the greatest challenge facing the next 25 years – that of climate change and delivering a just transition. “The need to share our knowledge, our efforts and our actions is no less urgent today than it was when the first British-Irish Council meeting was held in 1999.”
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'Iran won’t retreat in the face of any power'
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NASSAU, Bahamas — Justin Thomas was long off the tee and made a few long putts on the back nine to overtake Scottie Scheffler with a 6-under 66 and build a one-shot lead Saturday over golf's best player going into the final round of the Hero World Challenge. Thomas is trying out a 46-inch driver — a little more than an inch longer than normal — that he previously used for practice at home to gain speed and length. He blasted a 361-yard drive to 8 feet on the par-4 seventh hole and led the field in driving distance. But it was a few long putts that put him ahead of Scheffler, who had a 69. Thomas was on the verge of falling two shots behind when he made an 18-foot par putt on the par-3 12th hole. On the reachable par-4 14th, he was in a nasty spot in a sandy area and could only splash it out to nearly 50 feet. He made that one for a most unlikely birdie, while behind him Scheffler muffed a chip on the 13th hole and made his lone bogey of a windy day. Scheffler never caught up to him, missing birdie chances on the reachable 14th and the par-5 15th. Thomas hit his approach to 3 feet for birdie on the 16th after a 343-yard drive. Scheffler made an 18-foot birdie putt on the 16th to close within one. Scheffler missed birdie chances on the last two holes from the 10-foot and 15-foot range, while Thomas missed an 8-foot birdie attempt at the last. "I had a stretch at 13, 14, 15 where I felt like I lost a shot or two there, but outside of that I did a lot of really good things today," Scheffler said. Thomas hasn't won since the 2022 PGA Championship at Southern Hills, and a victory at Albany Golf Club wouldn't count as an official win. But the two-time major champion has made steady progress toward getting his game back in order. "I'm driving it great. I've had a lot of confidence with it," Thomas said of his longer driver. "I feel like I've been able to put myself in some pretty good spots going into the green. I'm still not taking advantage of some of them as much as I would like, but that's golf and we're always going to say that." Thomas was at 17-under 199 and will be in the final group Sunday with Scheffler, who is trying to end his spectacular season with a ninth title. Tom Kim put himself in the mix, which he might not have imagined Thursday when he was 3 over through six holes of the holiday tournament. Kim got back in the game with a 65 on Friday, and then followed with 12 birdies for a 62. He had a shot at the course record — Rickie Fowler shot 61 in the final round when he won at Albany in 2017 — until Kim found a bunker and took two shots to reach the green in making a double bogey on the par-3 17th. Even so, he was only two shots behind. Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley (68) was four back. "Feel like I've been seeing signs of improvement, which is what you want and that's all I can do," Thomas said. "I can't control everybody else or what's going on, I've just got to keep playing as good as I possibly can and hope that it's enough come Sunday."
DAMASCUS, Syria — Ousted Syrian leader Bashar Assad fled to Moscow and received asylum from his longtime ally, Russian media said Sunday, hours after a stunning rebel advance seized control of Damascus and ended his family's 50-year iron rule. Thousands of Syrians poured into streets echoing with celebratory gunfire and waved the revolutionary flag in scenes that recalled the early days of the Arab Spring uprising, before a brutal crackdown and the rise of an insurgency plunged the country into a nearly 14-year civil war. "Our approach has shifted the balance of power in the Middle East," President Joe Biden said, crediting action by the U.S. and its allies for weakening Syria's backers: Russia, Iran and Hezbollah. He called the fall of Assad a "fundamental act of justice" but also a "moment of risk and uncertainty," and said rebel groups are "saying the right things now" but the U.S. would assess their actions. People are also reading... 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Now Andi Jackson is the sport's next best thing Wisconsin officer grabbing Donovan Raiola's arm a 'misunderstanding,' UW police say 140 layoffs hit Lincoln immigration services center; more likely Tony White leaves Nebraska for Florida State defensive coordinator job Taco restaurant started by brothers in Grand Island expands to Lincoln Lincoln Public Schools chief Gausman announces plans to retire Nebraska volleyball aces first test, sweeps Florida A&M in first round of NCAA Tournament 'Not what we want to do': Nebraska's Matt Rhule talks pregame handshake snub with Iowa Matt Rhule, Luke Fickell both downplay postgame encounter between Fickell, Donovan Raiola Russia requested an emergency session of the U.N. Security Council to discuss Syria, according to Dmitry Polyansky, its deputy ambassador to the U.N., in a post on Telegram. The arrival of Assad and his family in Moscow was reported by Russian agencies Tass and RIA, citing an unidentified source at the Kremlin. A spokesman there didn't immediately respond to questions. RIA also said Syrian insurgents guaranteed the security of Russian military bases and diplomatic posts in Syria. Earlier, Russia said Assad left Syria after negotiations with rebel groups and he gave instructions to transfer power peacefully. The leader of Syria's biggest rebel faction, Abu Mohammed al-Golani, is poised to chart the country's future. The former al-Qaida commander cut ties with the group years ago and says he embraces pluralism and religious tolerance. The U.S. and the U.N. consider his Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group, or HTS, a terrorist organization. In his first public appearance since fighters entered the Damascus suburbs Saturday, al-Golani visited the Umayyad Mosque and described Assad's fall as "a victory to the Islamic nation." Calling himself by his given name, Ahmad al-Sharaa, and not his nom de guerre, he said Assad made Syria "a farm for Iran's greed." The rebels face the daunting task of healing bitter divisions in a country ravaged by war and split among armed factions. Turkey-backed opposition fighters are battling U.S.-allied Kurdish forces in the north, and the Islamic State group is still active in remote areas. Syrian state television broadcast a rebel statement saying Assad was overthrown and all prisoners were released. They urged people to preserve the institutions of "the free Syrian state," and announced a curfew in Damascus from 4 p.m. to 5 a.m. Rebel commander Anas Salkhadi appeared on state TV and sought to reassure religious and ethnic minorities, saying: "Syria is for everyone, no exceptions. Syria is for Druze, Sunnis, Alawites, and all sects." "We will not deal with people the way the Assad family did," he added. Soldiers and police fled their posts and looters broke into the Defense Ministry. Families wandered the presidential palace, walking by damaged portraits of Assad. Other parts of the capital were empty and shops were closed. Rebels stood guard at the Justice Ministry, where Judge Khitam Haddad said he and colleagues were protecting documents. Outside, residents sought information about relatives who disappeared under Assad. The rebels "felt the pain of the people," said one woman, giving only her first name, Heba. She worried about possible revenge killings by the rebels, many of whom appeared to be underage. Syria's historically pro-government newspaper al-Watan called it "a new page for Syria. We thank God for not shedding more blood." It added that media workers should not be blamed for publishing past government statements ordered from above. A statement from the Alawite sect that formed the core of Assad's base called on young Syrians to be "calm, rational and prudent and not to be dragged into what tears apart the unity of our country." The rebels mainly come from the Sunni Muslim majority in Syria, which also has sizable Druze, Christian and Kurdish communities. The rebel advances since Nov. 27 were the largest in recent years, and saw the cities of Aleppo, Hama and Homs fall within days as the Syrian army melted away. Russia, Iran and Hezbollah, which provided crucial support to Assad, abandoned him as they reeled from other conflicts. Iran said Syrians should decide their future "without destructive, coercive, foreign intervention." The Iranian Embassy in Damascus was ransacked after it was apparently abandoned. Syrian Prime Minister Mohammed Ghazi Jalali said the government was ready to "extend its hand" to the opposition and turn its functions over to a transitional government. A video on Syrian opposition media showed armed men escorting him from his office to a hotel. The U.N.'s special envoy for Syria, Geir Pedersen, called for urgent talks in Geneva to ensure an "orderly political transition." The Gulf nation of Qatar, a key regional mediator, hosted an emergency meeting of foreign ministers and top officials from eight countries with interests in Syria late Saturday. Majed al-Ansari, Qatar's Foreign Ministry spokesman, said they agreed on the need "to engage all parties on the ground" and the main concern is "stability and safe transition." Meanwhile, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israeli troops seized a buffer zone in the Golan Heights established in 1974, saying it was to protect Israeli residents after Syrian troops abandoned positions.'Martyr' Jane Moore slammed by I'm a Celebrity viewers who spot detail