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California vows to step in if Trump kills US EV tax credit
Social media poses a 'threat to democracy' due to its role in platforming political harassment, according to researchers behind a new report. In the five weeks leading up to the General Election, 55 incidents of threatening behaviour towards politicians were documented and analysed by the Institute for Strategic Dialogue (ISD) and the Hope and Courage Collective (HCC). A report published by the two groups shows that social media featured in 89% of these incidents. ISD spokesperson Ciarán O'Connor said this should be seen as a 'threat to democracy'. "There is again a significant online and offline interplay, in which acts of intimidation or harassment occur offline, are filmed and then shared online to garner attention," he said. "This then has a multiplier effect of generating further cycles of abuse for those involved. "Yet again, significant platform failings and lack of enforcement of community guidelines are enabling extremists to act with impunity, target candidates and threaten our demoracy." The platforms that were seen to host the most hate and harassment were X and TikTok, which together featured in 65% of all incidents examined. According to the report, this may be as a result of 'permissive platform policies and unenforced guidelines', which could embolden far-right activists . Executive Director of the HCC Edel McGinley said these results were 'extremely concerning'. "This raises some ongoing questions about social media platforms' enforcement of community guidelines and standards and compliance with the Digital Service Act ,” she said. “The effects of sustained and repeated harassment cannot be understated and require a robust response from social media platforms, An Garda Síochána [and] the regulators. "Along with a commitment in the new programme for Government to address any gaps or lacunas in law to tackle this.” The report found the nature and scale of threats and harassment during the General Election to be 'markedly different' from the what was seen during the Local/European Elections. In general, it was found that there was less on-the-ground targeting, with more efforts concentrated online.
PPA Asia and MLP Asia Set to Launch, Bringing World-Class Pro Pickleball to the World's Most Populous ContinentAs injuries begin mounting a quarter of the way into the season, the were hoping to get Darnell Nurse back in the lineup Saturday against the visiting New York Rangers. The veteran blueliner missed the previous three games after taking a vicious hit to the head from Toronto Maple Leafs forward Ryan Reaves on Saturday. A repeat offender, Reaves was suspended for a fourth time as the league handed down a maximum five-game penalty after Nurse was left dazed and bloody after taking a shoulder to the helmet while playing a puck that went in behind the Oilers net on the way to a 4-3 overtime loss. Also missing Viktor Arvidsson and Zach Hyman from their top-six forwards, the Oilers had gone with an 11-and-seven formation to carry an extra defenceman, calling up Josh Brown from the Bakersfield Condors of the American Hockey League. The Oilers went 1-2 in Nurse’s absence to enter Thursday’s game one game above .500 (10-9-2). “He’s a heartbeat back there for us, a guy everybody looks to,” Oilers forward Adam Henrique said following the morning skate at Rogers Place, which included Nurse. “I think he was playing fantastic before the injury and doing a lot of small things that I think sometimes can get overlooked. “We’ll wait to see what happens, but it will certainly be nice to have him back in the lineup at some point soon.” Sooner rather than later. And that goes for all injuries, if the team had its way. “He’ll be fresh and he plays big minutes and contributes as a big part of the team,” said fellow defenceman Brett Kulak. “It’s not just like calling someone and slotting them in for some minutes, he’s a big part of the team. “I think everything kind of happens around him, so it will be good to have him back.” And not just in his regular role on the second defensive pairing, but also on special teams, including an Oilers penalty kill that has begun to find its legs as of late, having gone a perfect 13-for-13 over the previous six games and not allowing a goal. “It’s a major adjustment, he plays all situations and a lot of minutes, everyone has to chip in and play more,” Kulak said. “It’s a different dynamic without him in the lineup. “He’s an incredible player and does a lot of great things.” In other words, the Oilers are finding out just how tough Nurse is to replace. “First of all, he plays 22-25 minutes a night, he’s good at transporting the puck, getting it out of the zone and the biggest thing is just how much area he covers defensively,” said head coach Kris Knoblauch. “To play against him, there’s not much room. One, because of his quickness. And two, his reach. And if you do get into a battle with him, he’s so incredibly strong that he could push somebody off the puck. “So, it’s difficult to play against him.” Thursday’s game was part of the NHL’s Hockey Fights Cancer fundraiser for the Canadian Cancer Institute. As part, the Oilers had special nameplates above their lockers, with the words: “I play for,” followed by a blank. Kulak chose to dedicate the game to the memory of a late uncle. “Uncle Randy, he was my mom’s brother and he passed away to lung cancer when I was younger,” said Kulak, who was born and raised in Edmonton. “I forget what age I was when he passed away, I was pretty young. But I’ve still got some good memories of him. “One thing he always said was he was going to be my agent when I grew up and made the NHL, so that was kind of fun. I’m still sure in a way he’s up in heaven doing his job for me.” Kulak is holding up his end of the bargain, too, realizing his childhood dream of making the big league. And it certainly didn’t hurt having someone early on in the process think he could do it. “Definitely, it’s another stepping-stone along the way,” he said. “To see an adult that you look up to believe in you like that, it just kind of makes the dream feel a little more possible.”
After a far-right pro-Russia candidate secured a surprise lead in Romania's presidential election Monday, the eastern European NATO member is bracing for a high-stakes parliamentary vote on Sunday, amid fears it could bring about a strategic shift in the country. Calin Georgescu was in pole position with almost 23 percent after the first round of voting, a political earthquake in the country of 19 million people that has so far resisted nationalist appeals that have gained traction in Hungary and Slovakia. His victory ahead of centre-right mayor Elena Lasconi -- who scored 19.18 percent -- ended the hopes of Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu to compete for the presidency in the December runoff. After coming third at 19.15, Ciolacu said his Social Democratic Party (PSD) won't challenge the narrow result, and announced his resignation as party leader. Experts say the far right's surprise success could affect the parliamentary elections later this week, and even influence the chances of forming a future government. In the runoff ballot on December 8, Lasconi will face Georgescu, a NATO critic who in the past expressed his admiration for Russian President Vladimir Putin. Georgescu's popularity surged ahead of the vote with a viral TikTok campaign calling for an end to aid for Ukraine, which shares a 650-kilometre (400-mile) border with Romania. In a first reaction on his YouTube channel, the 62-year-old independent candidate insisted "there is no East or West", stressing that neutrality was "absolutely necessary". "I am not an extremist, I am not a fascist -- I am a Romanian who loves his country," he said in reference to media reports that "tried to portray" him in a wrongful way. For his rival Lasconi, the upcoming runoff represents "an existential battle", "a historic confrontation" between those who wish to "preserve Romania's young democracy" and those who want to "return to the Russian sphere of influence". "We must not allow anger to throw us back into the past," she said to thunderous applause from her supporters, vowing to stand up for Europe and NATO. The political earthquake comes amid soaring inflation and mounting fears of Romania being potentially dragged into Russia's war in neighbouring Ukraine, as the country has emerged as a key player on the alliance's eastern flank. In Sunday's vote, another far-right contender, AUR party leader George Simion, secured nearly 14 percent. Already pounding the campaign trail for this week's parliamentary elections, Simion said Romania now has "the chance to have a sovereign government and a sovereign president". Overall, the far right won more than a third of all votes in Sunday's presidential ballot. "The far right is by far the big winner of this election," political scientist Cristian Pirvulescu told AFP, predicting a possible "contagion effect" in the parliamentary vote. Extremist forces and Lasconi's centre-right party now have "wind in their sails", sociologist Gelu Duminica said, though "it remains to be seen if they know how to capitalise" on it. The PSD, which has shaped the country's politics for more than three decades, has never before been eliminated in the first round of a presidential election. The National Liberal Party (PNL) party, with whom the PSD currently governs, also suffered a defeat. While many expressed their disbelief over the poll in the streets of the capital Bucharest, others were enthused. Maria Chis, 70, said she was surprised by Georgescu's lead in the first round but had been impressed after watching his TikTok videos. "He seems a man of integrity, serious and patriotic. He inspires seriousness. I think only someone like him can bring change," said the pensioner, who was planning to vote for him in the second round. Alex Tudose, the owner of a construction company, was gloomy. "There is sorrow, disappointment, that after so many years in Euro-Atlantic structures we voted for a pro-Russian by over 20 percent," the 42-year-old said. "There is clearly a strong fragmentation both in society and in the political class, and I think we saw that yesterday," he said. ani-anb-kym/sbkGrab a Physical PS5 Copy of Marvel's Spider-Man 2 for $30 for Black FridayNEW YORK , Nov. 25, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Modal , a serverless compute platform designed for AI workloads, today announced it signed a Strategic Collaboration Agreement (SCA) with Amazon Web Services (AWS) to help businesses — from startups to enterprises — develop and deploy artificial intelligence (AI) products faster through its purpose-built platform for graphics processing unit (GPU)-accelerated workloads. Modal's platform enables AI teams to quickly spin up GPU-enabled containers in as little as one second, facilitating rapid iteration and seamless autoscaling for production workloads. By leveraging the security, resiliency, and scalability of AWS, Modal has experienced rapid growth, attracting generative AI startups seeking flexible, powerful compute without the need for long-term commitments or extensive infrastructure management. "We're excited to deepen our collaboration with AWS, as their infrastructure empowers us to better serve the growing ecosystem of AI companies," said Erik Bernhardsson , founder and CEO of Modal. "Together, we aim to accelerate the development and deployment of the next generation of AI applications by providing a seamless, scalable platform that works with the AWS services our customers already rely on." Modal's platform abstracts away the complexities of GPU infrastructure management, allowing AI teams to focus on building innovative solutions. By combining Modal's seamless developer experience with the breadth and depth of AWS services, customers can leverage the best of both worlds – a purpose-built platform for AI workloads backed by the proven scalability, performance, and security of AWS. Mike Cohen , Head of AI & ML Engineering at Substack, a Modal customer, shared, "Our ML team loves Modal because it accelerates research and development, and deployment, while seamlessly integrating with our AWS-based infrastructure. This strategic collaboration will make it easier for us to build even more ambitious machine learning (ML) and AI features in the future." "At AWS, we're committed to supporting innovative companies that drive technological advancement and address critical customer needs," said Jon Jones , Vice President and Global Head of AWS Startups. "Modal's traction in providing flexible, scalable, and immediate access to GPU resources for AI companies is impressive. We believe Modal's offering has the potential to empower many leading AI companies to build and scale their solutions more effectively. We look forward to working closely with Modal to help them deliver positive outcomes for their customers." This collaboration underscores the value of Modal and AWS to provide flexibility and unlock greater business value for customers across industries. As part of this collaboration, Modal will enhance its enterprise offering, including listing in AWS Marketplace and investing in technical integrations like AWS PrivateLink, to better serve customers with specific security and privacy requirements. Modal will also showcase its container technology for AI at AWS re:Invent in December 2024 . For more information please visit: https://modal.com/ Media Contact: [email protected] SOURCE Modal
Trump’s RFK Jr. nomination raises the stakes for media reporting on health
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Al Qaeda affiliated HTS had remained in control of Idlib province for years under Turkish protection and in the latest push group has reached the center of Aleppo, reports said Saturday. Syrian army had only taken Aleppo back from rebels in a battle during the summer of 2016 with the help of Lebanese Hezbollah. The operations were launched with meticulous coordination among different factions of Islamist groups, focusing on strategic targets. Although the timing of the attacks was unexpected, evidence suggests that preparations had been underway for months, bolstered by advanced weaponry. Armed drones and other sophisticated tools played a pivotal role, enabling rebels to secure rapid territorial gains into Aleppo, Syria's second-largest city. Notably, the operations set aside internal factional disputes, presenting a rare display of unified military coordination. The Syrian military said it was“confronting terrorist organizations” and claimed to have inflicted“heavy losses” on the groups since Wednesday. Some analysts describe Aleppo offensive nearly the equivalent of October 7 for Israel.“But Syria has none of the advantages that Israel enjoyed in stabilizing the situation after the attack, going on the offensive, and pulverizing Hamas,” wrote Steven Simon in 'Responsible Statecraft'. “Although there are rumors of Russian airstrikes against rebels, the fact is that the Russians are stretched thin by their war against Ukraine and will find it hard to maintain support for Damascus. And there will be little help from either Iran or Lebanese Hezbollah. Tehran lacks the means and whatever it can muster will be in Israel's gunsights very quickly. And Hezbollah is reeling from Israel's recent offensive and couldn't mobilize the fighters needed to get heavily equipped Al Qaeda affiliates out of Aleppo let alone reach Aleppo on the ground”, according to Simon. The surprise Al-Qaeda offensive came after series of Israeli strikes on Syria just before a ceasefire with Hezbollah took effect Wednesday morning. Former Israeli intelligence official and advisor on Arab affairs Avi Melamed said frequent Israeli air strikes on Iran-controlled forces and bases in Syria will not stop even after the recent ceasefire with Hezbollah in Lebanon. Since 2017, Israel has conducted hundreds of air strikes to contain Iran's presence and shipment of arms to Hezbollah. IDF Spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said in a press conference Wednesday night that Syrian President Bashar Assad's regime would pay for aiding Hezbollah signifying Israel frustration with government in Damascus. Observers believe that shifting Israeli focus on Syria means Damascus has refused to snap supply link from Iran to Beirut. In his speech on the eve of ceasefire with Hezbollah Prime Minister Netanyahu warned that Bashar Assad was“playing with fire,” citing its continued military support for Hezbollah. Significantly senior Iranian military adviser in Syria, Brigadier General Kioumars Pourhashemi,was killed in Aleppo on the eve of rebel offensive. General Kioumars was senior most Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) commander to die in rebel attack in recent years. More than 500 Iranian military commanders have been killed in Syria so far many of them in Israeli raids. The killing of Iranian general this week underscores continued Iranian presence in the Arab country which it considers crucial part of axis and a lifeline for Hezbollah and other resistance groups. Syrian link attains more significance to replenish Hezbollah which has been battered by a ferocious Israeli aerial and ground campaign in Lebanon after it decided to join war against Israel in support of Gaza. Hezbollah which was credited for helping foil plans to topple friendly Syrian government, is now significantly weakened, with most of its leaders assassinated. In a call with his Syrian counterpart to discuss the escalation, the Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi accused the United States and Israel of“reactivating” the rebels, and stressed the continued support of Iran to the Syrian government and army. Weakened Axis of Resistance Analysts say the rebels are using a vacuum left by a weakened Hezbollah to advance in Syria. “The rebels see an opportunity to test the front lines with Hezbollah weakened, a pressured Iran and a Russia busy with Ukraine,” according to Nanar Hawach, a senior analyst at the International Crisis Group. Iran and Russia have for more than a decade supplied forces and arms to help Syrian government to deal with terror funded and supported by West and its local allies. Turkey under Recep Tayyip Erdogan has supported rebel groups and has deployed Turkish forces to retain command over the rebel-held strongholds of northern Syria. Shifting balance of power According to Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi the flare-up in Syria was part of a US and Israeli“plan to disrupt the stability and security of the region.” These developments indicate that the Syrian conflict may be entering a new phase of escalation. The rebel offensive may act as a leverage to potentially compell President Assad and his allies to reconsider their military and political strategies. Israel's Last Laugh A report meanwhile said Israeli intelligence officials were in a huddle to gauge the regional ramifications, and the potential domino effect of rebel advances could trigger across the Middle East. One scenario under consideration, according to the Jerusalem Post, involves Hezbollah moving forces and weaponry from Israeli border to Syria to bolster Assad government. Long term goal is to break Axis of Resistance developed as a unity of fronts strategy to engulf Israel. Follow this link to join our WhatsApp group : Join Now Be Part of Quality Journalism Quality journalism takes a lot of time, money and hard work to produce and despite all the hardships we still do it. Our reporters and editors are working overtime in Kashmir and beyond to cover what you care about, break big stories, and expose injustices that can change lives. Today more people are reading Kashmir Observer than ever, but only a handful are paying while advertising revenues are falling fast. CLICK FOR DETAILS MENAFN30112024000215011059ID1108941992 Legal Disclaimer: MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. 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Tyrese Hunter tossed in a game-high 26 points to lead Memphis to a 99-97 upset victory over No. 2 UConn on Monday in the first round of the Maui Invitational in Lahaina, Hawaii. Hunter, who played at Iowa State and Texas before transferring to Memphis, made eight field goals with 7-of-10 3-point shooting. The Tigers (5-0) connected on 12 of their 22 3-point attempts in the win. UConn's Hassan Diarra made a free throw to cut the Memphis lead to 99-97 with 2.2 seconds left. He intentionally missed the second free throw and collected the loose ball, but his desperation shot was off the mark. It was 92-92 when UConn's Liam McNeeley was called for an offensive foul with 40.3 seconds left. UConn coach Dan Hurley received a technical for arguing the foul call, and PJ Carter made all four free throws to give the Tigers a four-point lead. Memphis, which squandered a 13-point lead with four minutes to play in regulation, received 22 points from PJ Haggerty, 19 from Colby Rogers and 14 from Dain Dainja. Memphis will play the winner of Monday night's game between Colorado and Michigan State in Tuesday's semifinals. UConn will face the loser of that contest. Tarris Reed Jr. had a team-high 22 points and a game-high 11 rebounds for UConn (4-1) before he fouled out with 3:18 to play. He made 10 of his 13 field goal attempts. Alex Karaban added 19 points for the Huskies. Jaylin Stewart scored a career-high 16 points, Diarra had 12 and McNeeley added 10. UConn trailed 82-79 after Diarra made two free throws with 24.2 seconds to play in regulation. The Huskies then forced a turnover and tied the game on a 3-pointer by Solo Ball with 1.2 on the clock. Although Memphis shot 56.5 percent from the field (13 for 23) and 50 percent from 3-point territory (5 for 10) in the first half, the game was tied 40-40 after 20 minutes. Neither team led by more than six points in the half. UConn received 29 points from its bench in the first half. Reed scored 15 of those points and Stewart supplied the other 14. --Field Level Media
NoneCalifornia will revive its own subsidy programs for electric vehicles if Donald Trump guts US federal tax breaks for such cars, the state's governor said Monday. The president-elect has said repeatedly he would scrap what he called the "electric vehicle mandate" -- actually a $7,500 federal rebate for anyone who purchases an EV. Gavin Newsom, who heads the solidly Democratic state and has pitched himself as a leader of the anti-Trump political resistance, said Monday California was not "turning back" towards polluting transport. "We will intervene if the Trump Administration eliminates the federal tax credit, doubling down on our commitment to clean air and green jobs in California," Newsom said. "We're not turning back on a clean transportation future -- we're going to make it more affordable for people to drive vehicles that don't pollute," he added. "Consumers continue to prove the skeptics wrong -– zero-emission vehicles are here to stay." If Trump scraps the tax credit, California could revive its own Clean Vehicle Rebate Project, which ran until November 2023, granting rebates of up to $7,500 for people buying battery-powered cars, a press release said. California leads the nation in electric vehicle adoption, and is the single biggest market in the country, representing around a third of all units sold in the United States. State figures show that more than two million so-called "zero emission vehicles" -- which include fully electric vehicles as well as plug-in hybrids -- have now been sold in the state, with one-in-four new cars in that category. On the campaign trail, Trump was frequently hostile to electric vehicles, which he has linked with what he calls the "hoax" of climate change. He vowed repeatedly that under his watch the United States would become "energy dominant," chiefly through expanded oil and gas extraction. For many in California, such pledges are anathema, with the state frequently battered by the tangible effects of climate change, from huge wildfires to droughts to furious storms. Newsom -- who many believe has White House ambitions of his own -- has positioned himself as a bulwark against the feared excesses of an incoming Trump administration on issues from climate change to immigration, vowing to be a check on its power. With 40 million people, the sheer size of California's market has for a long time helped set the national tone when it comes to pollution standards for automakers. Rather than make two versions of the same vehicles, Detroit giants have willingly adopted California's tougher rules on emissions and efficiency for nationwide sales. That de facto standard-setting power has angered Republicans like Trump, who say -- on this issue -- states should not be allowed to set their own rules. hg/aha
CANTON, Mo. – Culver-Stockton College was ranked in several categories by U.S. News & World Report for 2025. The rankings include #10 Best Value School, #5 for Social Mobility, and #25 in Regional Colleges Midwest. Now in its 40th year, the rankings evaluate nearly 1,500 national colleges and universities on up to 17 measures of academic quality and places an emphasis on social mobility and outcomes for graduating college students. "Culver-Stockton College is honored and proud to be recognized in multiple categories in the latest U.S. News & World Report rankings. We are pleased that the Culver-Stockton experience has been recognized as a high-value investment for the future that helps students advance far beyond their expectations thanks to our innovative curriculum, our supportive community, and our emphasis on leadership development," said C-SC President Dr. Lauren Schellenberger. U.S. News publishes the Best Colleges rankings each year. The rankings offer detailed information of the institutions and data on factors such as outcome measures — including graduation rates, graduate indebtedness and post-graduate earnings. “For 40 years, Best Colleges has continued to evolve as a trusted companion to prospective students and their families during the decision-making process,” said LaMont Jones, Ed.D., managing editor for Education at U.S. News. “The rankings and editorial content offer crucial data as well as college advice and informed reporting to all who seek a college education.”
Shedeur Sanders Gets Leveled By Kansas Defender On Potential Dirty Play