747 online game
Poll: Javier Milei Ranked Most Popular President in South America
Canadian Counselor advises Ghanaians to embrace inclusive political processesFORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — A seismic change is coming for Miami Hurricanes basketball, as longtime coach Jim Larrañaga is stepping down after more than 13 seasons at the helm in Coral Gables, the veteran coach announced Thursday. Bill Courtney, Larrañaga’s associate head coach, is expected to take over as the team’s interim coach, the school announced. Larrañaga, 75, has been Miami’s head coach since 2011-12 and led the team to its best performance in the NCAA Tournament in 2023. But this year’s team is off to a disastrous 4-8 start, including disappointing home losses to Charleston Southern and Mount St. Mary’s. “I love the game,” Larrañaga said. “I’ve loved coaching it. I love practice every day. I love working with the players. But because I love the game and I love the university that much, I felt like, OK, there’s one thing you’ve got to constantly ask yourself: Are you going to give everything you have, the commitment that it deserves, 100 percent of yourself, physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually? “And quite frankly, I’ve tried to do that throughout my life an throughout my time here, but I’m exhausted.” Larrañaga was under contract through the 2026-27 season, but he cited the challenge of coaching in college basketball’s changing environment as the reason why he ultimately decided he had enough. Athletic director Dan Radakovich said Larrañaga informed him of his decision on Sunday, and Radakovich tried to persuade him to stay. On Monday, Larrañaga informed Radakovich of his final decision. The UM AD said the decision was purely Larrañaga’s, and the athletic department is going to work with Larrañaga to keep him involved with the program. “Of course, my admiration for Jim and our basketball program, I certainly asked him to reconsider, talked through a number of items,” Radakovich said. “But as I was going through my little spiel, I could tell that maybe this mind was already made up. But I felt like I had to do it, and it was important for me to do that. But certainly respecting the decision that he made and allowing us to be in the position that we are, the great history that he’s brought here to the University of Miami lays a great foundation for us to move forward.” Larrañaga is the winningest coach in the program’s history, putting together a 274-174 record at UM. He took the Hurricanes to the Final Four for the first time in 2023 after an Elite Eight run in 2022. He took Miami to the NCAA Tournament six times in his 14-year tenure. But Larrañaga said after the Hurricanes’ run to the Final Four, eight players came to him and told him they intended to transfer to seek more money elsewhere. “What shocked me beyond belief was after we made it to the Final Four, just 18 months ago, the very first time I met with the players, eight of them decided they were going to put their name in the portal and leave,” Larrañaga said. “I said, ‘Don’t you like it here?’ (They said), ‘No, I love it. I love Miami. It’s great.’ “But the opportunity to make money someplace else created a situation that you have to begin to ask yourself, as a coach, what is this all about? And the answer is it’s become professional.” Another ACC coaching legend, former Virginia coach Tony Bennett, gave a similar reason for stepping down in October. “I talk to a lot of my friends, and they’re having all the same problems I’m having,” Larrañaga said. ‘How long they will last is anybody’s guess.” The Hurricanes struggled massively at the end of the 2023-24 season, losing their final 10 games. This season started out promising with three straight wins, but a group built around promising freshmen and transfers has lost eight of its last nine games. “We should be competing for an ACC championship or even a national championship on a fairly consistent basis, and I thought we were doing that and we were moving closer and closer to being able to do it, and then this happened,” Larrañaga said. “Going into this year, I just felt like, ‘OK, we need to get back to where we were.’ I’ve got a great group of kids. It’s not their problem. It’s the system now, or the lack of a system. I didn’t know how to navigate through this. ... I’m all for transferring, but what the portal created is transferring every year.” Larrañaga’s Hurricanes teams produced multiple NBA players, including Bruce Brown Jr., Lonnie Walker, Shane Larkin, Jordan Miller, Davon Reed, Isaiah Wong, Dewan Hernandez and, most recently, Kyshawn George. “Thank you,” former Miami basketball player Anthony Walker wrote on social media. “You have molded me into not only the basketball player I wanted to be but a person, as well. The lessons you have taught me throughout the years will never be forgotten. (You are) a living legend, coach L. Glad that it gets to end on your terms. I love you.” ACC commissioner Jim Phillips released a statement, congratulating Larrañaga for his career. “Jim Larrañaga is a tremendous man who has left a mark as not only the most accomplished coach in Miami basketball history, but as one of the premier coaches in ACC history,” Phillips said. “His coaching record speaks for itself with over 700 career wins, but he always has led his program with the utmost integrity and class. He elevated the Miami program to new levels during his tenure, including a Final Four, and made lifelong impacts on his student-athletes through his lessons on the court and in life outside of the game. Our league has been better because of him and we will miss his presence and voice. We wish Jim, his wife Liz, and their family all the best in their next endeavor.” Larrañaga has a career record of 744-507 over a 41-year college career that also included coaching stints at American International, George Mason and Bowling Green. He led George Mason to the 2006 Final Four. “I just didn’t feel like that I could successfully navigate this whole new world that I was dealing with because my conversations were ridiculous,” Larrañaga said. “With an agent saying to me, ‘Well you can get involved if you’re willing to go to a million-one (dollars). I’m like,’ What? A million dollars?’ And that be the norm. That was the norm. You’re talking to people that expect a million dollars for playing college basketball.” Radakovich said UM will have a “national” search for the next men’s basketball coach. “It’s a difficult atmosphere out there,” Radakovich said. “The lack of what Jim was just talking about — no collective bargaining, no limited antitrust exemption, all the things that you talk about and hear about in intercollegiate athletics has led to the symptoms that Jim just talked about. That has to be the longer-term view of what we need to have happen. Will that occur before we need to move forward and conduct a national search? I highly doubt it. “So we’re going to be looking at the attributes that the University of Miami can provide to a potential coach, looking at obviously, playing in the Atlantic Coast Conference, which is an incredible basketball league, and making sure we put our best foot forward to get someone that can come in, be a part of the community, part of the university but at the same time feel like they have the ability to navigate this world and the changing world that we’re in.” ©2024 South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Visit sun-sentinel.com . Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Doha, Qatar: The Center for Empowerment and Care of the Elderly (Ehsan), an affiliate of the Ministry of Social Development and Family (MSDF)'s Qatar Social Work Foundation, has launched the eighth scientific research and innovation competition. The competition is held in collaboration with the Ministry of Education and Higher Education (MoEHE), Qatar Research, Development and Innovation (QRDI) Council and Afaaq Qatar. Held under the theme of optimizing the quality of life for elderly people, the event is broadly devoted to middle and high school students in both public and private schools. Acting Director of the Planning and Development Office at Ehsan Al Anoud Mohammed Al Marri said the competition is a superb platform dedicated to raising the students' awareness of the issues facing the elderly people, identifying their needs and honing the students' skills vis-a-vis scientific research, as well as spurring creativity in exploring innovative solutions. Ehsan is committed to annually holding this contest in recognition of the importance of scientific research in addressing some social manifestations related to elderly people, in addition to refining the students' talents in scientific research and reviewing the suggestions laid out by students in their research, Al Marri highlighted. Al Marri pointed out that the contest is governed by an array of standards foremost of which is that the participating research should essentially serve the elderly people and creatively explore innovative solutions for them. She added that an Ehsan professional team was formed to oversee the participating research and provide students with guidance and information accordingly. For her part, Haya Mohammed Al Kaabi, a scientific research consultant at the MoEHE, highlighted that the competition is part of collaboration between MoEHE, MSDF and Ehsan, adding that the Curriculum and Learning Resources Department, represented by the department of scientific research, talent, and innovation has invited public and private middle and high schools to participate in this edition. This competition primarily aims to encourage schools to engage in social issues associated with elderly people, with the participating research covering innovative solutions for them in finding effective tools that serve this kind of segment, Al Kaabi underlined. The seventh edition witnessed record turnout with the participation of 138 students from 37 public schools, presenting 46 research papers vis-à-vis elderly people in a special exhibition at Lusail University.Police report gives details, timeline of the sexual assault claim against Pete Hegseth
AILE DEADLINE ALERT: ROSEN, LEADING INVESTOR COUNSEL, Encourages iLearningEngines, Inc. Investors to Secure Counsel Before Important December 6 Deadline in Securities Class Action – AILE
College Football Playoff's first 12-team bracket is set with Oregon No. 1 and SMU in, Alabama out SMU captured the last open spot in the 12-team College Football Playoff, bumping Alabama to land in a bracket that placed undefeated Oregon at No. 1. The selection committee preferred the Mustangs, losers of a heartbreaker in the Atlantic Coast Conference title game, who had a far less difficult schedule than Alabama of the SEC but one fewer loss. The inaugural 12-team bracket marks a new era for college football, though the Alabama-SMU debate made clear there is no perfect formula. The tournament starts Dec. 20-21 with four first-round games. It concludes Jan. 20 with the national title game in Atlanta. Alabama left out of playoff as committee rewards SMU's wins over Crimson Tide's strong schedule The College Football Playoff committee took wins over strength of schedule, taking SMU over Alabama for the final at-large spot in the field. The field was expanded from four to 12 teams this season, but that didn’t save the committee from controversy. SMU showed it could compete against a traditional power, losing to Clemson 34-31 on a 56-yard field goal in the ACC title game on Saturday. Alabama had some ups and downs in its first season under coach Kalen DeBoer. The Crimson Tide had quality wins against Georgia and South Carolina, but lost at Vanderbilt, Tennessee and Oklahoma. Big Ten wins playoff selection derby, followed by SEC despite notable Alabama omission College football’s conference shakeup left concerns about two super conferences dominating the playoff field. They weren’t totally unfounded, or 100% born out. The Big Ten, not the Southeastern Conference, was the biggest winner. The ACC scored, too. The Big Ten led the initial 12-team playoff field with four making the cut, topped by a No. 1 Oregon team that was part of the Pac-12 exodus. Then came the SEC — and one notable omission. ACC runner-up SMU got the nod over college football blue-blood Alabama, another blemish in Kalen DeBoer’s first season as Nick Saban’s championship-or-bust successor. Darnold delivers for Vikings with career-high 347 yards and 5 TDs to beat Falcons, Cousins 42-21 MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Sam Darnold threw for 347 yards and five touchdowns, both career highs, and the Minnesota Vikings pulled away from Kirk Cousins and the Atlanta Falcons 42-21 for their sixth straight victory. Darnold added another highlight to his brilliant first season with the Vikings following Cousins' departure in free agency to Atlanta with a 22-for-28 performance and no turnover-worthy plays despite heavy first-half pressure. Jordan Addison had eight catches for 133 yards and three scores and Justin Jefferson racked up seven receptions for 132 yards and two touchdowns. Cousins threw two more interceptions without a touchdown in his return to Minnesota. Saquon Barkley sets Eagles season rushing record and has Dickerson's NFL mark in his sights PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Saquon Barkley has broken LeSean McCoy's Eagles franchise record for rushing yards in a season. Barkley has 1,623 yards. He surpassed McCoy's mark of 1,607 yards with a 9-yard run in Sunday's 22-16 win over Carolina. Barkley finished the game with 124 yards, within a yard of his season average. He has four games left and is on pace to break Eric Dickerson's 40-year-old NFL record of 2,105 yards. Dickerson set that record in a 16-game season and Barkley has one more game. Eagles fans serenaded Barkley with “MVP!” chants and McCoy congratulated him on social media. Saints QB Derek Carr injures left hand on dive in 4th quarter of win over Giants EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — New Orleans Saints quarterback Derek Carr injured his left hand late in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s 14-11 victory over the New York Giants when he went airborne while trying for a first down and crashed to the turf. Carr tried to leap over a Giants tackler and landed at the New Orleans 39-yard line, extending his non-throwing hand to break his fall. He was on the turf for a minute or two before walking to the medical tent. He was examined and slowly walked to an area where X-rays are done. The injury could hurt the already slim playoff hopes of the Saints. Tamar Bates scores 29 points to help Missouri beat No. 1 Kansas 76-67 COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — Tamar Bates had 29 points and five steals to help Missouri beat Hunter Dickinson and No. 1 Kansas 76-67. Mark Mitchell scored 17 points in Missouri’s first win over Kansas since a 74-71 victory on Feb. 4, 2012. Anthony Robinson II had 11 points and five steals for the 8-1 Tigers. Dickinson had 19 points and 14 rebounds, but he also committed seven turnovers. The 7-2 Jayhawks have lost two straight on the road after falling 76-63 against Creighton on Wednesday night. Scottie Scheffler ends his big year in the Bahamas with his 9th victory NASSAU, Bahamas (AP) — Scottie Scheffler ended his biggest year with another victory. Scheffler was coming off a two-month break and looked as good as ever. He shot 63 in the Hero World Challenge and set tournament records at Albany with a 72-hole total of 263 and a six-shot victory. Tom Kim was the runner-up and Justin Thomas finished third. Scheffler ends his year with nine victories in 21 tournaments. That includes the holiday tournament in the Bahamas and the Olympic gold medal in Paris. It's the third-highest winning percentage in the last 40 years. Tournament host Tiger Woods had two better years. Lindsey Vonn is encouraged by how close she is to being competitive in ski racing return at age 40 COPPER MOUNTAIN, Colo. (AP) — Lindsey Vonn is encouraged by how close she is to being competitive again in her ski racing return at 40 years old. Vonn is still getting her ski equipment dialed in and getting used to going full speed again on her new titanium knee. That’s why all that she's reading into being more than two seconds behind in a pair of lower-level super-G races Sunday is that she’s right there. This after nearly six years away from ski racing and an abbreviated prep period. She was 2.19 seconds behind in the first race and 2.06 in the second. Both were won by her American teammate Lauren Macuga. Plane circles MetLife Stadium with message to co-owner John Mara to fix the Giants' 'dumpster fire' EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — A small plane circled MetLife Stadium roughly 90 minutes before New York was to play host to the New Orleans Saints on Sunday, asking Giants co-owner John Mara to overhaul the team that has made the playoffs twice since winning the Super Bowl in February 2012. “Mr. Mara, enough. Please fix this dumpster fire!” the message read as it was towed behind the rear of a small plane.High 5: Washington’s Carly Woolard: Junior softball star has stellar flag football season
AP Sports SummaryBrief at 6:40 p.m. ESTAlthough being married or in a long-term relationship is often seen as the norm, more people are staying single for life. But singlehood can bring economic and medical disadvantages, especially as people get older and may become more reliant on others. New research in Psychological Science reveals that lifelong singles have lower scores on life satisfaction measures and different personality traits compared to partnered people, findings that point to the need for both helpful networks and ways to create such networks that are better catered to single people. “When there are differences, they might be especially important in elderly people who face more health issues and financial issues,” said Julia Stern, one of the lead authors and a senior researcher at the University of Bremen in Germany, in an interview with APS. “They need more help, and the help is usually the partner.” Stern and colleagues compared single people and partnered individuals on life satisfaction ratings and the Big Five personality traits (openness to experience, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism). The study used a survey of more than 77,000 Europeans over the age of 50 and was the first of its kind to look across cultures and at people who had been single their entire lives. The findings revealed that, in addition to lower life satisfaction scores, lifelong singles are less extraverted, less conscientious, and less open to experience, compared to partnered people. Previous studies used different definitions of being single, sometimes considering only current status and other times drawing the line at having never married or, alternatively, at never living with a partner. But people who have been in a serious relationship in the past—even if it has ended—might have different personality traits than those who have never been that committed. To investigate this, Stern and colleagues grouped respondents by the different definitions: currently partnered, never living with a partner, never married, or never being in any long-term relationship. People who had never been in a serious long-term relationship scored lower on extraversion, openness, and life satisfaction than those who were currently single but had lived with a partner or been married in the past. All singles scored lower on these measures than people in current relationships. Although this study cannot definitively decipher if personality differences are due to selection—people with certain personality types may be more likely to start relationships—or socialization—long-term relationships could change personalities—the evidence points to the former. Stern said that changes to personality from being in a relationship are small and temporary. For instance, although an extraverted person beginning a new relationship may be keen to stay in with their partner, eventually their extraversion comes back. “It’s more likely you have these selection effects: For example, people who are more extraverted are more likely to enter a relationship,” Stern said. But she warned that the results are average effects and not necessarily descriptive of everyone; of course, there are single extraverts and introverts in committed relationships. For singles, living in a society where marriage is the expectation may affect their life satisfaction. Because the large sample included people from 27 European countries, the researchers were able to ask whether there were any cultural differences. In countries with higher marriage rates (such as southern European countries), singlehood resulted in even lower life satisfaction scores, but the effects were small. The religiosity of the country did not seem to matter, however. When comparing across gender and age, single women scored higher on life satisfaction than single men, and older people tended to be happier with their singlehood status than middle-aged singles. Stern speculated that, with the era of their peers getting married and starting families behind them, older singles may accept their circumstances and be happier. Singles may grow happier with age, but their lower scores compared to partnered people are still worrying. Previous research has shown life satisfaction and particular personality traits (including extraversion and conscientiousness) can predict health and mortality, emphasizing the need to find ways to promote the well-being of older singles. “There are differences between people who stay single their entire lives and people who get partnered, and for me this means that we have to take extra care of these people,” Stern said. She suggested developing new kinds of programs to prevent loneliness that take these personality traits into consideration and help older singles meet like-minded people. “If they have people who care for them or look out for them regularly, this might help.” Reference Stern, J., Krämer, M. D., Schumacher, A., MacDonald, G., & Richter, D. (2024). Differences between lifelong singles and ever-partnered individuals in Big Five personality traits and life satisfaction. Psychological Science , 35 (12), 1364–1381. https://doi.org/10.1177/09567976241286865
PTI free to table as many demands as it wants, says govt committee spoxThroughout the Sask. Party’s 27-day election campaign in October, they released a promise nearly every single day. During the short fall sitting the past few weeks, the government has been making good on some of those promises. On Wednesday, the government introduced an amendment to the Safer Communities and Neighbourhoods (SCAN) Act to address challenges posed by abandoned properties. “These amendments provide provincial SCAN officers the legal authority to identify and target nuisance properties in communities, while still following their current mandate of responding to public complaints about buildings involved in illegal activities,” the province said. Under the new amendments, SCAN will be able to: “Allowing SCAN officers to actively respond to nuisance or dilapidated properties, rather than waiting for a complaint to be submitted, will address immediate safety concerns and enable SCAN to assist municipalities in creating safe, thriving communities across Saskatchewan,” Corrections, Policing and Public Safety Minister Tim McLeod said. To support the effective implementation of these amendments, government will invest $2.7 million in 2025-26 to hire additional SCAN personnel. On Tuesday, legislation was introduced to keep the carbon pricing off SaskEnergy bills in 2025. The government expects families to save $480 next year. The province originally removed carbon pricing from home heating this year in response to the federal government’s decision to stop charging it on home heating oil primarily used in Atlantic Canada. Some other amendments the government made also include updating the employment act for more balanced employment laws and expanding the workers compensation act for cancer coverage. The promises come at a time when Moe and his government have the slimmest majority since the party first won in 2007 with 34 seats to the NDP’s 27. It has changed how the party caucus operates, as it works to ensure it has enough members in the house at any given time. Political analyst Ken Coates said it is important for the Sask. Party to have all their members in the house at all times. “You got to make sure you have a majority in the house at all times, and that’s really hard to do,” he explained. “If you look back for the last few years, you often had situations where they would have most of the cabinet ministers traveling in the province or they’d be out nationally or internationally. They’d be free to move around because you had such a large majority that you could actually keep a select number of people back behind. Now, you can’t do that. “You actually have to have almost all of your people there and almost all the time.” Coates said if all the members aren’t around for a vote, there is a chance the opposition could defeat them on a piece of legislation. “All of a sudden they lose and they might consider that to be sort of a repudiation that they have to go back for an election,” Coates said about the government. “They have to be very careful about these kinds of things because it can really upset the political applecart very, very quickly.” Thursday will be the last day of the shortened fall legislative sitting. The assembly will resume in the spring.
UnitedHealthcare CEO kept a low public profile. Then he was shot to death in New York
Broncos cornerback Riley Moss is set to return after missing a month with knee injuryRADFORD, Va. (AP) — Jarvis Moss scored 15 points and Jonas Sirtautas had a go-ahead three-point play in overtime to help Radford hold off Bucknell 74-70 on Sunday night. Sirtautas gave the Highlanders the lead for good with 2:38 left in the extra period. Moss shot 4 of 13 from the field, including 2 for 7 from 3-point range, and went 5 for 6 from the line for the Highlanders (9-2). Josiah Harris scored 12 points and added five rebounds. Achile Spadone led the Bison (4-7) in scoring, finishing with 22 points and two steals. Bucknell also got 19 points and four assists from Josh Bascoe. Noah Williamson had nine points. Bascoe's layup with 12 seconds left forced overtime tied at 59. The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar .
JHVEPhoto/iStock Editorial via Getty Images Shares of The Allstate Corporation ( NYSE: ALL ) have delivered a total return of 52% since my initial Buy recommendation, Allstate: 5 Reasons Why I Am Bullish , was published on December 2, 2023. Comparably, the S&P 500 Analyst’s Disclosure: I/we have no stock, option or similar derivative position in any of the companies mentioned, and no plans to initiate any such positions within the next 72 hours. 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.JERUSALEM — A new round of Israeli airstrikes in Yemen on Thursday targeted the Houthi rebel-held capital and multiple ports, while the World Health Organization’s director-general said the bombardment occurred nearby as he prepared to board a flight in Sanaa, with a crew member injured. “The air traffic control tower, the departure lounge — just a few meters from where we were — and the runway were damaged,” Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on the social media platform X. He added that he and U.N. colleagues were safe. “We will need to wait for the damage to the airport to be repaired before we can leave,” he said, without mentioning the source of the bombardment. U.N. spokesperson Stephanie Tremblay later said the injured person was with the U.N. Humanitarian Air Service. Israel’s army later told The Associated Press it wasn’t aware that the WHO chief was at the location in Yemen. Related Story: Escalating Tensions in the Region The Israeli strikes followed several days of Houthi launches setting off sirens in Israel. The Israeli military in a statement said it attacked infrastructure used by the Iran-backed Houthis at the international airport in Sanaa and ports in Hodeida, Al-Salif and Ras Qantib, along with power stations, asserting they were used to smuggle in Iranian weapons and for the entry of senior Iranian officials. Israel’s military added it had “capabilities to strike very far from Israel’s territory — precisely, powerfully, and repetitively.” The strikes, carried out over 1,000 miles from Jerusalem, came a day after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said “the Houthis, too, will learn what Hamas and Hezbollah and Assad’s regime and others learned” as his military has battled those more powerful proxies of Iran. The Houthi-controlled satellite channel al-Masirah reported multiple deaths and showed broken windows, collapsed ceilings and a bloodstained floor and vehicle. Iran’s foreign ministry condemned the strikes. The U.S. military also has targeted the Houthis in recent days. The U.N. has said the targeted ports are important entryways for humanitarian aid for Yemen, the poorest Arab nation that plunged into a civil war in 2014. Over the weekend, 16 people were wounded when a Houthi missile hit a playground in the Israeli city of Tel Aviv, while other missiles and drones have been shot down. Last week, Israeli jets struck Sanaa and Hodeida, killing nine people, calling it a response to previous Houthi attacks. The Houthis also have been targeting shipping on the Red Sea corridor, calling it solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza. The U.N. Security Council has an emergency meeting Monday in response to an Israeli request that it condemn the Houthi attacks and Iran for supplying them weapons. Related Story: Journalists and Soldiers Face Casualties Meanwhile, an Israeli strike killed five Palestinian journalists outside a hospital in Gaza overnight, the territory’s Health Ministry said. The Israeli military said all were militants posing as reporters. The strike hit a car outside Al-Awda Hospital in the built-up Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza. The journalists were working for local news outlet Al-Quds Today, a television channel affiliated with the Islamic Jihad militant group. Islamic Jihad is a smaller and more extreme ally of Hamas and took part in the Oct. 7, 2023 attack in southern Israel that ignited the war. Israel’s military identified four of the men as combat propagandists and said that intelligence, including a list of Islamic Jihad operatives found by soldiers in Gaza, had confirmed that all five were affiliated with the group. Hamas, Islamic Jihad and other Palestinian militant groups operate political, media and charitable operations in addition to their armed wings. Associated Press footage showed the incinerated shell of a van, with press markings visible on the back doors. Sobbing young men attended the funeral. The bodies were wrapped in shrouds, with blue press vests draped over them. The Committee to Protect Journalists says more than 130 Palestinian reporters have been killed since the start of the war. Israel hasn’t allowed foreign reporters to enter Gaza except on military embeds. Israel has banned the pan-Arab Al Jazeera network and accused six of its Gaza reporters of being militants. The Qatar-based broadcaster denies the allegations and accuses Israel of trying to silence its war coverage, which has focused heavily on civilian casualties from Israeli military operations. Separately, Israel’s military said a 35-year-old reserve soldier was killed during fighting in central Gaza. A total of 389 soldiers have been killed in Gaza since the start of the ground operation. The war began when Hamas-led militants stormed across the border, killing around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting around 250. About 100 hostages are still inside Gaza, at least a third believed to be dead. Related Story: Israel’s air and ground offensive has killed more than 45,000 Palestinians, according to the Health Ministry. It says more than half the fatalities have been women and children, but doesn’t say how many of the dead were fighters. Israel says it has killed more than 17,000 militants, without providing evidence. The offensive has caused widespread destruction and hunger and driven around 90% of the population of 2.3 million from their homes. Hundreds of thousands are packed into squalid camps along the coast, with little protection from the cold, wet winter. Also Thursday, people mourned eight Palestinians killed by Israeli military operations in and around Tulkarem in the occupied West Bank on Tuesday, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry. The Israeli military said it opened fire after militants attacked soldiers, and it was aware of uninvolved civilians who were harmed in the raid.
Semiconductor surge: Avago leads while tech sector sees mixed outcomesUS sanctions the founder of Georgia's ruling political partyCarbon Revolution Stock Is Soaring Today: What's Going On?