Giants release quarterback Daniel Jones just days after benching him EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — The Daniel Jones era in New York is over. The Giants quarterback was granted his release by the team just days after the franchise said it was benching him in favor of third-stringer Tommy DeVito. New York president John Mara said Jones approached the team about releasing him and the club obliged. Mara added he was “disappointed” at the quick dissolution of a once-promising relationship between Jones and the team. Giants coach Brian Daboll benched Jones in favor of DeVito following a loss to the Panthers in Germany that dropped New York's record to 2-8. Week 16 game between Denver Broncos and Los Angeles Chargers flexed to Thursday night spot The Los Angeles Chargers have played their way into another prime time appearance. Justin Herbert and company have had their Dec. 22 game against the Denver Broncos flexed to Thursday night, Dec. 19. Friday’s announcement makes this the first time a game has been flexed to the Thursday night spot. The league amended its policy last season where Thursday night games in Weeks 13 through 17 could be flexed with at least 28 days notice prior to the game. The matchup of AFC West division rivals bumps the game between the Cleveland Browns and Cincinnati Bengals to Sunday afternoon. NBA memo to players urges increased vigilance regarding home security following break-ins MIAMI (AP) — The NBA is urging its players to take additional precautions to secure their homes following reports of recent high-profile burglaries of dwellings owned by Milwaukee Bucks forward Bobby Portis and Kansas City Chiefs teammates Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce. In a memo sent to team officials, a copy of which was obtained by The Associated Press, the NBA revealed that the FBI has connected some burglaries to “transnational South American Theft Groups” that are “reportedly well-organized, sophisticated rings that incorporate advanced techniques and technologies, including pre-surveillance, drones, and signal jamming devices.” Noodles and wine are the secret ingredients for a strange new twist in China's doping saga Blame it on the noodles. That's what one Chinese official suggested when anti-doping leaders were looking for answers for the doping scandal that cast a shadow over this year's Olympic swim meet. Earlier this year, reports that 23 Chinese swimmers had tested positive for a banned heart medication emerged. None were sanctioned because Chinese authorities determined the swimmers were contaminated by traces of the drug spread about a hotel kitchen. In a strange twist, the leader of China's anti-doping agency suggested this case could have been similar to one in which criminals were responsible for tainting noodles that were later eaten by another Chinese athlete who also tested positive for the drug. Conor McGregor must pay woman $250K in sexual assault case, civil jury rules LONDON (AP) — A civil jury in Ireland has found that mixed martial arts fighter Conor McGregor sexually assaulted a woman in a hotel penthouse after a night of heavy partying. The Dublin jury awarded the woman more than $250,000 for her lawsuit that claimed McGregor “brutally raped and battered” her on Dec. 9, 2018. The lawsuit says the assault left her heavily bruised and suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. McGregor testified he never forced her to do anything and that the woman had fabricated her allegations after the two had consensual sex. The jury found for the woman on Friday. Nick Chubb plows through heavy snow for 2-yard TD, giving Browns 24-19 win over Steelers CLEVELAND (AP) — Nick Chubb ran for a 2-yard touchdown in heavy snow with 57 seconds left, and the Cleveland Browns stunned division rival Pittsburgh 24-19, ending the Steelers’ five-game winning streak. The Browns had blown a 12-point lead in the fourth quarter and were down 19-18 before getting the ball back with 3:22 remaining after Pittsburgh punter Corliss Waitman shanked a 16-yarder. With snow piling up and covering the yard lines on the field, Cleveland’s Jameis Winston completed a third-down pass to Jerry Jeudy to the Pittsburgh 9. Two plays later, Chubb barreled into the end zone. The AFC North-leading Steelers fell to 8-3 while the Browns are 3-8. Shohei Ohtani in early stages of rehab from shoulder surgery and hopes to be ready for opening day LOS ANGELES (AP) — Shohei Ohtani is in the early stages of rehabilitation from left shoulder surgery after the World Series. The Los Angeles Dodgers superstar says the goal is for him to be ready to pitch and hit by opening day next March, but he's going to be conservative in his approach and make sure he's totally healthy first. Ohtani won his third MVP award Thursday, and first in the National League. He was in Los Angeles with his wife and beloved dog, Decoy, although because of his surgery four days after the Dodgers' World Series victory over the New York Yankees, the family hasn't been able to celebrate. Caitlin Clark to join Cincinnati bid for 16th National Women's Soccer League team WNBA star Caitlin Clark has joined Cincinnati’s bid for an expansion National Women’s Soccer League team. Major League Soccer franchise FC Cincinnati is heading the group vying to bring a women’s pro team to the city. The club issued a statement confirming Clark had joined the bid group. NWSL Commissioner Jessica Berman has said the league plans to announce the league’s 16th team by the end of the year. The league's 15th team will begin play in 2026 in Boston. In a 'Final Four-type weekend,' two top-6 clashes put women's college basketball focus on West Coast LOS ANGELES (AP) — Two games featuring four powerhouse teams has put the focus in women's college basketball on the West Coast this weekend. JuJu Watkins and No. 3 Southern California host Hannah Hidalgo and No. 6 Notre Dame on Saturday. Top-ranked South Carolina visits Lauren Betts and fifth-ranked UCLA on Sunday. Both games are nationally televised and the arenas are expected to be packed. WNBA scouts will be on hand to check out some of the nation's top talent. Two teams will come away with their first losses of the season. USC coach Lindsay Gottlieb calls it “a Final Four-type weekend.” A documentary featuring Watkins will air on NBC ahead of USC's game, which leads into the Army-Notre Dame football game. Shohei Ohtani wins third MVP award, first in NL. Aaron Judge earns second AL honor in 3 seasons NEW YORK (AP) — Shohei Ohtani won his third Most Valuable Player Award and first in the National League, and Aaron Judge earned his second American League honor on Thursday. Ohtani was a unanimous MVP for the third time, receiving all 30 first-place votes and 420 points in voting by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America. New York Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor was second with 263 points and Arizona second baseman Ketel Marte third with 229. Judge was a unanimous pick for the first time. Kansas City shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. got all 30 second-place votes for 270 points, and Yankees outfielder Juan Soto was third with 21 third-place votes and 229 points.
ROCK HILL, S.C., Nov. 26, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- 3D Systems Corporation (NYSE:DDD) announced today its financial results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2024. Third Quarter Highlights (All numbers are unaudited and are presented in millions, except per share amounts or as otherwise noted) Revenue of $112.9 million decreased 9% year-over-year primarily driven by macro weakness in printer sales, partially offset by approximately 10% growth in consumables sales Healthcare Solutions revenue of $55.1 million grew 5% year-over-year, led by strong growth in Dental and Personalized Healthcare solutions Customer interest in 3D printing applications continued to gain momentum, with revenues in the Application Innovation Group (AIG) growing over 26% year-to-date versus prior year across industrial markets Q3'24 gross profit margin of 36.9% and Non-GAAP gross profit margin (1) of 37.6% included a $3 million headwind related to an increase in inventory reserves - if excluded, Non-GAAP gross profit margin was 40.2% Q3'24 net loss of $178.6 million, diluted loss per share of $1.35, which includes $143.7 million associated with the impairment of goodwill and other long-lived assets. Non-GAAP diluted loss per share (1) of $0.12 Q3'24 negative Adjusted EBITDA (1) of $14.3 million Updating guidance for remainder of FY'2024 to now include expected full-year revenues within the range of $440 million - $450 million Summary Comments on Results Commenting on third quarter results, Dr. Jeffrey Graves, president and CEO of 3D Systems said, “As recently shared, our third quarter revenues continued to be impacted by sluggish capital investments by our customers for new production capacity, particularly in the Industrial markets, impacting the sale of new printing systems. On a positive note however, capacity utilization for our installed printer fleet broadly increased, translating into an increase in consumable revenues, which grew nearly 10% on both prior year and sequential comparisons. While 2024 has been a challenging year for new printer system sales, we are increasingly encouraged about the future, driven in large part by customer demand for our Application Innovation Group, a group of highly skilled process specialists who assist customers in developing new applications for 3D printing. Year-to-date this group, which spans both polymer and metal solutions, has experienced a rise of over 26% in revenues derived from new application development, particularly in highly regulated markets such a semiconductor equipment manufacturing, oil & gas, aerospace & defense markets, and our medical markets. Much of this performance, and the future growth potential it implies, has been fueled by an aggressive cycle of innovation at our company, enabled by our sustained focus on new product innovation across all of our major polymer and metal printing solutions. As a result of this sustained focus, which we believe differentiates us from many others in our industry, we are on pace to deliver nearly 40 new products to market since the third quarter of last year, and 25 in calendar 2024 alone. We believe no other company in our industry has matched this output that we expect will pay dividends in growth and profitability improvements as the economy rebounds in the future.” Dr. Graves continued, “Given our strong focus on new product innovation, over the last two years we’ve also completely altered our manufacturing model from nearly 100% outsourced, to taking full responsibility for our integrated supply chain by in-sourcing procurement, assembly operations and logistics. This transition is now virtually complete, and, while it required short-term increases in expenses and working capital, we believe it is absolutely essential in driving smooth new product introductions, high quality product and delivery performance and, importantly, long-term customer satisfaction and gross margin improvements as factory efficiencies increase. While weakness in our end-markets over the last several quarters has muted these benefits, as volumes recover we expect to realize them increasingly over time. With our in-sourcing efforts now close to completion, our near term focus has shifted to managing working capital and capex spend to improve cash performance. This has been increasingly effective as we entered the second half of the year, as demonstrated by the stabilization of our cash reserves in the third quarter. We were also pleased to deliver a sequential reduction in operating expenses, in line with our previous expectations, and expect the benefits of restructuring actions previously taken to positively impact our cost structure in the quarters ahead.” Dr. Graves concluded, “As we look to the end of the year, the consistent fueling of our R&D engines as we moved through a tougher macro environment period is now driving an acceleration of exciting new customer applications, supported by outstanding new products spanning from new printer hardware to advanced engineering materials, to enhancement of our software capabilities. We believe this positions us well as the geopolitical and economic headwinds of the last 18 months ultimately begin to recede. Given timing uncertainties and normal quarter-to-quarter inventory management at year-end, we believe it is prudent to be conservative in our outlook for the full year. As such, we are updating our revenue expectations for the full year 2024 to be between $440 million and $450 million. From an OPEX perspective, we expect to see continued improvement consistent with our prior comments, namely that OPEX will decrease again in Q4, to below $60 million. These combined factors should yield a sequential improvement in Adjusted EBITDA and will place us on a trajectory towards profitability in the quarters ahead. We will continue our balanced view of short-term focus on cash performance and improving profitability, while meeting the longer-term needs of our customers from a technology and service perspective. In keeping our customers’ production goals clearly in our sites each day, we believe that substantial long-term value will be created for all of our stakeholders in the years ahead.” Summary of Third Quarter Results Revenue for the third quarter of 2024 decreased approximately 9% to $112.9 million compared to the same period last year, primarily driven by lower printer sales, partially offset by approximately 10% growth in materials. Gross profit margin for the third quarter of 2024 was 36.9% compared to 44.7% for the same period last year. Non-GAAP gross profit margin was 37.6% compared to 44.8% for the same period last year. Gross profit margin decreased primarily due to unfavorable absorption associated with lower volumes and approximately $3 million associated with an increase in inventory reserves, partially offset by favorable mix. In addition, gross profit margin from the prior year period includes approximately $4.5 million of incremental revenue recognized by our Regenerative Medicine business at 100% margin related to incremental milestone recognition which did not repeat in the third quarter of 2024. Operating expense for the third quarter of 2024 was $222.5 million compared to $68.9 million for the same period last year and includes $143.7 million associated with the impairment of goodwill and other long-lived assets taken during the third quarter of 2024. Non-GAAP operating expense of $61.4 million increased $5.6 million compared to the same period last year, while improving $2.7 million on a sequential basis. The sequential improvement was primarily driven by benefits associated with prior restructuring actions. Net loss attributable to 3D Systems Corporation for the third quarter of 2024 was $178.6 million compared to a net loss of $11.7 million for the same period last year. The decline from prior year was primarily impacted by the previously referenced $143.7 million associated with the impairment of goodwill and other long-lived assets taken during the third quarter of 2024. Adjusted EBITDA decreased by $19.1 million to a loss of $14.3 million in the third quarter of 2024 compared to the same period last year. The decrease in Adjusted EBITDA primarily reflects lower revenue, lower gross margin and higher operating expense. As previously noted, the third quarter of 2023 also included the benefit of approximately $4.5 million of incremental milestone recognition by our Regenerative Medicine business at 100% margin that did not repeat in the third quarter of 2024. Updating 2024 Outlook Based on current macroeconomic and geopolitical conditions, 3D Systems is updating its financial guidance for the remainder of 2024 as follows: Revenues for the full-year 2024 within the range of $440 million - $450 million Non-GAAP gross profit margin for the full-year 2024 within the range of 38% - 40% Maintain the expectation for Non-GAAP operating expense of less than $60 million for Q4'24 Adjusted EBITDA to improve sequentially Financial Liquidity At September 30, 2024, the company had cash and cash equivalents of $190.0 million, a decrease of $141.5 million since December 31, 2023. The decrease resulted primarily due to cash used in operations of $37.1 million, capital expenditures of $10.8 million, and repayment on borrowings of $87.2 million. At September 30, 2024, the company had total debt, net of deferred financing costs of $211.7 million. Q3 2024 Conference Call and Webcast The company will host a conference call and simultaneous webcast to discuss these results on November 27, 2024, which may be accessed as follows: Date: Wednesday, November 27, 2024 Time: 8:30 a.m. Eastern Time Listen via webcast: www.3dsystems.com/investor Participate via telephone: 201-689-8345 A replay of the webcast will be available approximately two hours after the live presentation at www.3dsystems.com/investor . Forward-Looking Statements Certain statements made in this release that are not statements of historical or current facts are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the company to be materially different from historical results or from any future results or projections expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. In many cases, forward looking statements can be identified by terms such as “believes,” “belief,” “expects,” “may,” “will,” “estimates,” “intends,” “anticipates” or “plans” or the negative of these terms or other comparable terminology. Forward-looking statements are based upon management’s beliefs, assumptions and current expectations and may include comments as to the company’s beliefs and expectations as to future events and trends affecting its business and are necessarily subject to uncertainties, many of which are outside the control of the company. The factors described under the headings “Forward-Looking Statements” and “Risk Factors” in the company’s periodic filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, as well as other factors, could cause actual results to differ materially from those reflected or predicted in forward-looking statements. Although management believes that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, forward-looking statements are not, and should not be relied upon as a guarantee of future performance or results, nor will they necessarily prove to be accurate indications of the times at which such performance or results will be achieved. The forward-looking statements included are made only as the date of the statement. 3D Systems undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements made by management or on its behalf, whether as a result of future developments, subsequent events or circumstances or otherwise, except as required by law. Presentation of Information in this Press Release 3D Systems reports its financial results in accordance with GAAP. Management also reviews and reports certain non-GAAP measures, including: non-GAAP gross profit, non-GAAP gross profit margin, non-GAAP operating expense, non-GAAP diluted income (loss) per share, and Adjusted EBITDA. These non-GAAP measures exclude certain items that management does not view as part of 3D Systems’ core results as they may be highly variable, may be unusual or infrequent, are difficult to predict and can distort underlying business trends and results. Management believes that the non-GAAP measures provide useful additional insight into underlying business trends and results and provide meaningful information regarding the comparison of period-over-period results. Additionally, management uses the non-GAAP measures for planning, forecasting and evaluating business and financial performance, including allocating resources and evaluating results relative to employee compensation targets. 3D Systems’ non-GAAP measures are not calculated in accordance with or as required by GAAP and may not be calculated in the same manner as similarly titled measures used by other companies. These non-GAAP measures should thus be considered as supplemental in nature and not considered in isolation or as a substitute for the related financial information prepared in accordance with GAAP. To calculate the non-GAAP measures, 3D Systems excludes the impact of the following items: amortization of intangible assets, a non-cash expense, as 3D Systems’ intangible assets were primarily acquired in connection with business combinations; costs incurred in connection with acquisitions and divestitures, such as legal, consulting and advisory fees; stock-based compensation expenses, a non-cash expense; charges related to restructuring and cost optimization plans, impairment charges, including goodwill, and divestiture gains or losses; impact of equity method investments; certain compensation expense related to the 2021 Volumetric acquisition; and costs, including legal fees, related to significant or unusual litigation matters. Amortization of intangibles and acquisition and divestiture-related costs are excluded from non-GAAP measures as the timing and magnitude of business combination transactions are not predictable, can vary significantly from period to period and the purchase price allocated to amortizable intangible assets and the related amortization period are unique to each acquisition. Amortization of intangible assets will recur in future periods until such intangible assets have been fully amortized. While intangible assets contribute to the company’s revenue generation, the amortization of intangible assets does not directly relate to the sale of the company’s products or services. Additionally, intangible assets amortization expense typically fluctuates based on the size and timing of the company’s acquisition activity. Accordingly, the company believes excluding the amortization of intangible assets enhances the company’s and investors’ ability to compare the company’s past financial performance with its current performance and to analyze underlying business performance and trends. Although stock-based compensation is a key incentive offered to certain of our employees, the expense is non-cash in nature, and we continue to evaluate our business performance excluding stock-based compensation; therefore, it is excluded from non-GAAP measures. Stock-based compensation expenses will recur in future periods. Charges related to restructuring and cost optimization plans, impairment charges, including goodwill, divestiture gains or losses, and the costs, including legal fees, related to significant or unusual litigation matters are excluded from non-GAAP measures as the frequency and magnitude of these activities may vary widely from period to period. Additionally, impairment charges, including goodwill, are non-cash. Furthermore, the company believes the costs, including legal fees, related to significant or unusual litigation matters are not indicative of our core business' operations. Finally, 3D Systems excludes contingent consideration recorded as compensation expense related to the 2021 Volumetric acquisition from non-GAAP measures as management evaluates financial performance excluding this expense, which is viewed by management as similar to acquisition consideration. The matters discussed above are tax effected, as applicable, in calculating non-GAAP diluted income (loss) per share. Adjusted EBITDA, defined as net income, plus income tax (provision) benefit, interest and other income (expense), net, stock-based compensation expense, amortization of intangible assets, depreciation expense, and other non-GAAP adjustments, all as described above, is used by management to evaluate performance and helps measure financial performance period-over-period. A reconciliation of GAAP to non-GAAP measures is provided in the accompanying schedules. 3D Systems does not provide forward-looking guidance for certain measures on a GAAP basis. The company is unable to provide a quantitative reconciliation of forward-looking non-GAAP gross profit margin, Adjusted EBITDA, and non-GAAP operating expense to the most directly comparable forward-looking GAAP measures without unreasonable effort because certain items, including litigation costs, acquisition expenses, stock-based compensation expense, intangible assets amortization expense, restructuring expenses, and goodwill impairment charges are difficult to predict and estimate. These items are inherently uncertain and depend on various factors, many of which are beyond the company’s control, and as such, any associated estimate and its impact on GAAP performance could vary materially. About 3D Systems More than 35 years ago, 3D Systems brought the innovation of 3D printing to the manufacturing industry. Today, as the leading additive manufacturing solutions partner, we bring innovation, performance, and reliability to every interaction - empowering our customers to create products and business models never before possible. Thanks to our unique offering of hardware, software, materials and services, each application-specific solution is powered by the expertise of our application engineers who collaborate with customers to transform how they deliver their products and services. 3D Systems’ solutions address a variety of advanced applications in Healthcare and Industrial Solutions markets such as medical and dental, aerospace & defense, automotive and durable goods. More information on the company is available at www.3dsystems.com . Amounts included in restricted cash as of September 30, 2024, December 31, 2023 and September 30, 2023 primarily relate to guarantees in the form of a standby letter of credit as security for a long-term real estate lease. Amounts included in restricted cash as of December 31, 2022 primarily relate to $3,435 deposited into an escrow account relating to the initial investment in the National Additive Manufacturing innovation ("NAMI") joint venture. The remaining amounts in restricted cash in all periods presented relate to collateral for letters of credit and bank guarantees. (1) Amounts in table may not foot due to rounding (2) Calculated as non-GAAP gross profit as a percentage of total revenue (1) Amounts in table may not foot due to rounding (2) Calculated as non-GAAP gross profit as a percentage of total revenue Non-GAAP Operating Expense (1) (1) Amounts in table may not foot due to rounding (1) Amounts in table may not foot due to rounding (1) Amounts in table may not foot due to rounding
Stock market today: Wall Street hangs around its records as bitcoin briefly pops above $100,000NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks are drifting around their records Thursday in the runup to a big jobs report due on Friday. The crypto market had much more action, and bitcoin briefly burst to a record above $103,000 before pulling back. The S&P 500 was edging down by 0.1% after setting an all-time high for the 56th time this year the day before to improve one of its best years of the millennium . The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 183 points, or 0.4%, with roughly an hour remaining in trading, while the Nasdaq composite was nearly unchanged from its own record set the day before. Bitcoin powered above $100,000 the night before, after President-elect Donald Trump chose a crypto advocate, Paul Atkins, as his nominee to head the Securities and Exchange Commission. The cryptocurrency has climbed dramatically from less than $70,000 on Election Day, but it quickly fell back as Thursday progressed toward $99,000, according to CoinDesk. Sharps swings for bitcoin are nothing new, and they took stocks of companies enmeshed in the crypto world on a similar ride. After rising as much as 9% in early trading, MicroStrategy, a company that’s been raising cash just to buy bitcoin, swung to a loss of 5.9%. Crypto exchange Coinbase Global fell 3.2% after likewise erasing a big early gain. Elsewhere on Wall Street, stocks of airlines helped lead the way following the latest bumps up to financial forecasts from carriers. American Airlines Group soared 18.6% after saying it’s making more in revenue during the last three months of 2024 than it expected, and it will likely make a bigger profit than it had earlier forecast. The airline also chose Citi to be its exclusive partner for credit cards that give miles in its loyalty program. That should help its cash coming in from co-branded credit card and other partners grow by about 10% annually. Southwest Airlines climbed 3.4% after saying it’s seeing stronger demand from leisure travelers than it expected. It also raised its forecast for revenue for the holiday traveling season. On the losing end of Wall Street was Synposys, which tumbled 12.1%. The supplier for the semiconductor industry reported better profit for the latest quarter than analysts expected, but it also warned of “continued macro uncertainties” and gave a forecast for revenue in the current quarter that fell short of some analysts’ estimates. American Eagle Outfitters fell even more, 15.3%, after the retailer said it’s preparing for “potential choppiness” outside of peak selling periods. It was reminiscent of a warning from Foot Locker earlier in the week and raised more concerns about how resilient U.S. shoppers can remain. Solid spending by U.S. consumers has been one of the main reasons the U.S. economy has avoided a recession that earlier seemed inevitable after the Federal Reserve hiked interest rates to crush inflation. But shoppers are now contending with still-high prices and a slowing job market . This week’s highlight for Wall Street will be Friday’s jobs report from the U.S. government, which will show how many people employers hired and fired last month. A report on Thursday said the number of U.S. workers applying for unemployment benefits rose last week but remains at historically healthy levels. Expectations are high that the Fed will cut its main interest rate again when it meets in two weeks. The Fed began easing its main interest rate from a two-decade high in September, hoping to offer more support for the job market. In the bond market, the yield on the 10-year Treasury held steady at 4.18%, where it was late Wednesday. In stock markets abroad, indexes were mostly calm in Europe after far-right and left-wing lawmakers in France joined together to vote on a no-confidence motion prompted by budget disputes that will force Prime Minister Michel Barnier and his Cabinet to resign. The CAC 40 index in Paris added 0.4%. In South Korea, the Kospi fell 0.9% to compound its 1.4% decline from the day before. President Yoon Suk Yeol was facing possible impeachment after he suddenly declared martial law on Tuesday night. He revoked the martial law declaration six hours later. Crude oil prices slipped after eight members of the OPEC+ alliance of oil exporting countries decided to put off increasing oil production. AP Business Writers Yuri Kageyama and Matt Ott contrributed.None
Helmholtz Strengthens Global Presence with Cutting-Edge Magnetic Solutions 11-22-2024 07:24 PM CET | Industry, Real Estate & Construction Press release from: ABNewswire Image: https://www.abnewswire.com/uploads/e79beed7e0e169f29475ea0e4872a561.png Helmholtz, a trailblazer in magnetic technology, is making waves in the international market by broadening its reach and delivering advanced solutions for magnetic lifting, magnetic clamping [ https://helmholtz-magnet.com/ ], and material handling. Originating in Hamburg, Germany, the company has solidified its global footprint with the recent establishment of branches in the United States and China, enabling it to cater to industries across the world with unmatched precision and efficiency. Recognized as a leader in magnetic innovation, Helmholtz has consistently pushed the envelope in designing solutions that meet the demanding needs of modern industries. From its expansive inventory of ready-to-ship products to its focus on customization, Helmholtz is dedicated to providing rapid, reliable solutions to sectors such as manufacturing, logistics, and beyond. "Our mission is to combine cutting-edge technology with unparalleled service," shared Billy, CEO of Helmholtz. "By investing heavily in both our infrastructure and a skilled team of engineers, we ensure that our clients not only receive superior products but also the expertise needed to maximize their potential. This approach has earned us a reputation as a dependable partner in a highly competitive market." The company's success lies in its ability to adapt to its clients' unique challenges. Helmholtz's tailored solutions are designed to meet specific operational needs, making it a go-to provider for businesses looking to enhance safety, streamline workflows, and achieve greater productivity. The strategic expansion into the U.S. and China marks a significant milestone in Helmholtz's growth journey. With these new locations, the company can deliver prompt, localized support while bringing its state-of-the-art products closer to its global clientele. As industries worldwide demand more efficient material handling and magnetic lifting technologies [ https://helmholtz-magnet.com/ ], Helmholtz is answering the call with its innovative magnetic systems. These solutions not only increase operational efficiency but also set new standards for workplace safety, giving businesses the confidence to embrace these advancements. "Magnetic technology is revolutionizing how industries tackle lifting and clamping challenges," noted Vincent, Head of Product Development at Helmholtz. "Our innovations are designed to foster safer, more productive environments. With a robust inventory and a team of experts, Helmholtz is at the forefront of this transformation, helping businesses stay ahead of the curve." Helmholtz remains committed to driving progress in the field of magnetic technology. By continually investing in research and development, the company aims to introduce groundbreaking solutions that redefine industry norms and ensure its continued leadership in the market. With its ever-expanding presence, Helmholtz is poised to deliver exceptional magnetic lifting, clamping, and material handling systems to clients worldwide. The company's unwavering commitment to quality, innovation, and customer satisfaction ensures that it remains a trusted partner for achieving operational success. For further details on Helmholtz and its magnetic solutions, visit their website. About Helmholtz Based in Hamburg, Germany, Helmholtz is a global innovator in magnetic lifting, clamping, and material handling solutions. Known for its dedication to innovation and customer-centric service, the company serves a variety of industries with custom and comprehensive products. With newly established branches in the U.S. and China, Helmholtz is leading the way in advancing magnetic technology on a global scale. Media Contact Company Name: Helmholtz Contact Person: Vincent Email:Send Email [ https://www.abnewswire.com/email_contact_us.php?pr=helmholtz-strengthens-global-presence-with-cuttingedge-magnetic-solutions ] Phone: (810) 750-1193 City: Fenton State: MI Country: United States Website: https://helmholtz-magnet.com/ This release was published on openPR.Van Nistelrooy’s first game in charge ended with a 3-1 win over West Ham, thanks to goals from Jamie Vardy, Bilal El Khannouss and Patson Daka. The Dutchman, who was out of work for just two weeks following his four-game spell as Manchester United interim boss, only started on Sunday so was happy to end a hectic three days in style. “It has been very busy getting to know everyone, start working together,” he said. “Everybody was involved with that and helping, it was busy, long days, but worth it. I was focused on the game and what the game needed, the subs, the half-time talk, so focused on the moment, so I am going to get myself a little beer and reflect on the last three days.” He endured a dream start as Vardy scored after just 98 seconds with El Khannouss and Daka adding second-half goals. It was by no means one-way traffic, though, as West Ham – who scored a consolation through Niclas Fullkrug at the death – had 30 shots on goal. But Van Nistelrooy saw enough to think he can deliver on his objective of keeping the Foxes in the Premier League. “I am very happy, if you look at the result – and it is about the result – it was a great night, three points, three good goals and also very effective. Ruud at the wheel 🛞 pic.twitter.com/eVgIwWAcYw — Leicester City (@LCFC) December 3, 2024 “Overall the game of course we have seen and how dominant West Ham were at certain stages and what they created, that is a fact and something we have to look at. “Overall, what I expected of the players going forward was togetherness and hunger, energy and spirit in this team that is fighting for every inch. “Eleven players on the pitch who are fighting as a foundation to play the rest of the Premier League. I saw that completely with every single player that started and came on. “That’s the foundation we have to build on, without that it will be impossible to get where we want to go. I am very happy about that.” West Ham’s hierarchy will have seen what impact a managerial change can have as the jury remains out on Julen Lopetegui, with away fans making their feelings clear by chanting “You’re getting sacked in the morning”. Lopetegui expects to keep his job but forthcoming games against his former club Wolves, Bournemouth, Brighton and Southampton could determine the Spaniard’s future. “The only thing that I am worried about is to go to training session tomorrow and stand up the players and prepare the next challenge,” he said. “We have one month of December with a lot of matches and I am sure with this attitude we are going to achieve many more points. “I believe in the players. I am confident that tomorrow we are going to be ready to prepare the next match. “Understanding the question, but at the end of the season maybe we talk in another way. There are a lot of matches and points, a lot of things can happen. “I believe in these players and team, I am sure the position is going to be much better. They are only words but we have to work a lot to achieve this.”
The First Solana Layer 2 Meme Coin Arrives: Could Solaxy Become the Best Crypto Presale Launch Ever?ST.PAUL — Gov. Tim Walz, alongside the Minnesota Turkey Growers Association, presented Minnesota’s official Thanksgiving turkey on Tuesday, Nov. 26, in the Minnesota State Capitol reception room. The tom presented by Walz on Tuesday weighed in at 41.8 pounds. Paisley VonBerge, who has helped raise the bird since it was six weeks old, said the turkey will return back to her family’s farm in Hutchinson “to be enjoyed the way that turkeys are intended to be enjoyed.” ADVERTISEMENT President Joe Biden pardoned two Minnesota turkeys, Peach and Blossom, on Monday, Nov. 26, a contrast to Minnesota’s tradition of selecting a turkey to celebrate before it heads to the Thanksgiving dinner table. “We do it differently than in D.C. because here in Minnesota, we know turkeys are delicious, and we do not hide that fact, we celebrate that fact,” Walz said. During the presentation, Walz touted Minnesota’s turkey industry, which, with 600 farms, 40 million birds and 450 turkey farmers across the state, is number one in the nation, according to the Minnesota Turkey Growers Association (MTGA). MTGA President Jake Vlaminck said that the turkey industry in Minnesota has generated $16.5 billion for the state of Minnesota. Vlaminck said Minnesota’s rich industry is what allowed MTGA, alongside Walz, to donate $10,000 worth of turkey to Minnesota families ahead of Thanksgiving this year. “We delivered hundreds of turkeys last week to a long line of people waiting in the cold waiting for their Thanksgiving meal,” Second Harvest Heartland CEO Allison O’Toole said. “We could see the difference in their faces. It's moments like this that give Minnesota its reputation for a uniquely generous spirit.” Regarding the new administration of President-elect Donald Trump, his proposed tariff increases and their potential effect on some of Minnesota’s agriculture sectors like the turkey Industry, Walz said he will “watch those moves closely.” “Agriculture pays the heaviest price, states like Minnesota pay the heaviest price for that,” Walz said. “And I think at this time we're waiting to see what the forecast comes in.” ADVERTISEMENT Thom Peterson, Minnesota Department of Agriculture commissioner, said Mexico and Canada are some of Minnesota’s biggest markets and that 74% of Minnesota’s exports go to Mexico. Peterson said he and Gov. Walz are already beginning to have conversations with federal officials on how new trade agreements or tariffs could affect Minnesota. “When we were in D.C. yesterday with Peach and Blossom, we were honored to be joined by both Mexican and Canadian embassies,” Peterson said. “Trade is a lot of our [Minnesota’s] relationships. We're going to be active and engaged in that, those conversations. So we we do a lot of that ourselves, but we also have to partner with the federal government if they have a trade agreement.” After the formal presentation of the tom, Walz took a few off-turkey-topic questions — his longest stretch of answering questions from the press since returning from Minnesota. When asked if he regretted running with Vice President Kamala Harris, Walz said his only regret in life is not getting a dog sooner. “I'm proud to have been part of that. I think we put a message out that 75 million Americans liked, but not quite enough,” Walz said. “I was just glad to be out there, to be honest, glad to tell the Minnesota story, that we get things done together.” Walz said after coming home to a split legislature, he is hopeful leaders will be able to work things out and that he expects productivity from his partnered branch of government. ADVERTISEMENT “Look, we are in a split legislature like we were in 2019 and we got a lot done during that time, and it’s my expectation that we can do it, that we will compromise, we will continue to focus,” Walz said.Experts urge stronger collaboration in cybersecurity among OIC nationsIsraeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s security cabinet has overwhelmingly approved a cease-fire deal with Hezbollah, Netanyahu’s office said on November 26, marking a major development toward peace between Israel and Iranian-backed Hezbollah militants. The move was immediately welcomed by U.S. President Joe Biden, who said it represents a fresh start for Lebanon and shows that peace is possible after nearly 14 months of cross-border fighting that forced tens of thousand of Israelis to flee and killed thousands of Lebanese. Netanyahu’s office said the plan was approved by a 10-1 margin. Earlier, Netanyahu defended the cease-fire agreement as he recommended his security cabinet adopt the plan, vowing to strike Hezbollah hard if it violates the expected deal. In the hours leading up to the meeting, Israel carried out its most intense wave of strikes in Beirut and its southern suburbs and issued a record number of evacuation warnings. In a televised address, Netanyahu did not say how long the truce would last but noted that the length of the cease-fire “depends on what happens in Lebanon." He added: "If Hezbollah violates the agreement and attempts to rearm, we will strike. If they try to renew terror activities near the border, we will strike. If they launch a rocket, dig a tunnel, or bring in a truck with missiles, we will strike." A cease-fire would mark the first major step toward ending the violence triggered by the attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, by Hamas, which is designated as a terrorist organization by the United States and the European Union. Biden said that, under the deal reached between Israel and Hezbollah, the cease-fire will take effect at 4 a.m. local time on November 27. He stressed that Israel reserved the right to resume operations in Lebanon if Hezbollah breaks the terms of the truce. “This is designed to be a permanent cessation of hostilities,” Biden said at the White House shortly after Netanyahu announced the security cabinet approval of the truce. If any party breaks the terms of the deal, “Israel retains the right to self-defense.” He said that over the next 60 days civilians on both sides will be able to safely return to their own communities. The deal requires Israeli troops to withdraw from south Lebanon and Lebanon's army to deploy in the region, while Hezbollah would end its armed presence along the border south of the Litani River. Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati welcomed the cease-fire and said it was a "fundamental step towards establishing calm and stability in Lebanon." The cease-fire does not address the war in Gaza, but Biden said it deserves a cease-fire deal as well. Netanyahu said Israel would now focus its efforts on Hamas militants and his top security concern, Iran. "From day two of the war, Hamas was counting on Hezbollah to fight by its side. With Hezbollah out of the picture, Hamas is left on its own," he said. "We will increase our pressure on Hamas and that will help us in our sacred mission of releasing our hostages." U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said earlier that a cease-fire would save lives and livelihoods in Lebanon and in Israel. “It will make a big difference in creating the conditions that will allow people to return to their homes safely in northern Israel and in southern Lebanon,” Blinken said at a briefing at the conclusion of a Group of Seven foreign ministers’ meeting in Fiuggi, Italy. He said he also believed that de-escalating tension could help end the conflict in Gaza by letting Hamas know that it can’t count on other fronts opening up in the war. “In terms of Gaza itself, I also think this can have a significant impact.... Because one of the things that Hamas has sought from day one is to get others in on the fight, to create multiple fronts, to make sure that Israel was having to fight in a whole series of different places,” Blinken said. The war has killed at least 3,799 people in Lebanon since October 2023, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry. On the Israeli side, the hostilities have killed at least 82 soldiers and 47 civilians, authorities say. The war in Lebanon escalated after nearly a year of limited cross-border exchanges of fire initiated by Hezbollah. The Lebanese group said it was acting in support of Hamas after its October 7, 2023, attack on Israel, which sparked the war in Gaza. The foreign ministers of the Group of Seven (G7) leading industrialized countries expressed their support for Ukraine on November 26 in the final statement following their summit in Italy. They also condemned what they described as Russia's "irresponsible and threatening nuclear rhetoric." The G7 ministers’ statement also warned that North Korean support for Russia marked a dangerous expansion of the war, condemning the development and saying Russia’s procurement of North Korean ballistic missiles and munitions was a violation of UN Security Council resolutions. “We stand firm against Russia’s war of aggression. We vehemently condemn the brutal attacks against Ukraine’s cities and critical civilian infrastructure and its unacceptable toll on the civilian population,” the minister said in a joint statement at the conclusion of their two-day meeting. The foreign ministers of Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, and the United States noted Russia’s use of an intermediate range ballistic missile on November 21, saying it is “further evidence of its reckless and escalatory behavior.” They also said their support for Ukraine’s territorial integrity, sovereignty, and independence “will remain unwavering.” The ministers, who were joined by Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha and the EU’s foreign policy chief at their meeting in Fiuggi, a spa town southeast of Rome, added that they hoped to start distributing a $50 billion loan package stemming from frozen Russian assets by the end of the year. They also pledged to act against groups helping Russia to evade sanctions and called on China, a long-standing ally of North Korea, to act against the deployment of North Korean troops to the battlefield. The ministers also tried to raise the pressure on Israel to accept a cease-fire deal with Hezbollah in Lebanon, saying "now is the time to conclude a diplomatic settlement." They called on the Israeli government to facilitate humanitarian assistance to the civilian population in Gaza, the West Bank, and East Jerusalem. "We express our strongest condemnation for the rise in extremist settler violence committed against Palestinians, which undermines security and stability in the West Bank and threatens prospects for a lasting peace," the statement added. Former German Chancellor Angela Merkel has written an autobiography in which she reaffirms her decision to push back against offering Ukraine future membership in NATO at a summit in 2008 despite criticism that such a move may have prevented Russia from invading Ukraine. In the book, Merkel reflects on how that decision and others during her 16 years in office have fared over time and recalls her relationships with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Freedom: Memoirs 1954-2021 was launched in Berlin on November 26 nearly three years to the day after she left office and ahead of a promotional tour of major European cities and the United States. The 70-year-old Merkel, known for her calm and unflappable leadership style, in the book rejects blame for any of the current strain in the West's relations with Russia in a rare commentary on her time in office. Concerning the 2008 Bucharest NATO summit, Merkel noted a pledge that Ukraine and Georgia would eventually join the western military alliance was a "battle cry" to the Russian leader, adding that he later told her: "You won't be Chancellor forever. And then they'll become a member of NATO. And I want to prevent that." Six years later Putin launched the Russian occupation and annexation of Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula, and followed that with the February 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine, which the Russian president has justified in part by citing Kyiv's NATO membership desires. Russia Is 'An Indispensable Geopolitical Factor' Putin was always on guard not to be treated badly and engaged in power games, according to the book. Merkel wrote about his inclination to make others wait and recalls how, despite her fear of dogs, he allowed his black Labrador to be in the room during a meeting in 2007 in Sochi. “You could find all this childish, reprehensible, you could shake your head at it,” she writes. “But that didn’t make Russia disappear from the map. Russia with its nuclear arsenal exists and remains “an indispensable geopolitical factor.” Merkel also details her experience with Trump during his first term as president, saying he “judged everything from the perspective of the real estate developer he had been before entering politics.” She writes that they “talked on two different levels,” in their March 2017 meeting at the White House. “Trump on an emotional level, me on a factual one.” Trump 'Captivated' By 'Dictatorial Tendencies' She added that Trump, who won a second non-consecutive term on November 5, did not share her conviction that cooperation could benefit all but instead believed that all countries were in competition with each other. “He did not believe that prosperity of all could be increased through cooperation,” she writes of the U.S. president, who "was captivated by politicians with autocratic and dictatorial tendencies." Merkel also writes about the difficulties of being the first female candidate for chancellor and her decision to welcome large numbers of migrants and displaced people in 2015 in the 700-plus page memoir, which is being simultaneously published as an audiobook and translated into more than two dozen languages, including French and English. She will make a special presentation in Washington on her book tour to to present it in the United States on December 2 alongside former U.S. President Barack Obama. The book is being published as Germans rethink her legacy, including her policy on migration, which many in Germany believe led to a surge in the far right. The former leader of Germany's center-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU) uses the book to justify the decisions she made regarding Russia, which launched its invasion of Ukraine just five months after Olaf Scholz of the Social Democrats (SPD) was elected to succeed Merkel, who had decided not to seek reelection. Under Scholz the German economy has stagnated. The war in Ukraine prompted Berlin to wean itself off cheap Russia gas. At the same time the country has had to deal with a reduction in exports to China. Scholz now faces a challenging campaign for reelection after the collapse of his coalition government. The flight recorders of a cargo plane belonging to global courier DHL that crashed near Vilnius on November 25 have been found as investigators continue to search for the cause of the deadly accident. The Boeing 737-476 aircraft crashed as it attempted to land at Vilnius International Airport, killing the jet's Spanish pilot and injuring another Spanish crew member, a German, and a Lithuanian. The crash came amid concerns among Western security officials that Russian intelligence is preparing acts of sabotage targeting Western cargo aircraft, though officials have said so far they have no evidence of a link. The plane's flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder, the so-called black boxes, "were found and removed from the wreckage," Lithuania's Justice Ministry said in a statement , adding that investigators are analyzing the data on the two devices. "The goal of a safety investigation is to prevent future accidents," the statement said, adding the probe "does not seek to determine who is at fault or responsible." Lithuanian Chief Prosecutor Arturas Urbelis separately said at least 19 witnesses were interviewed in connection with the incident but so far no indication has been found of "more serious actions." The plane that departed Leipzig, Germany, about 90 minutes before the crash hit several buildings as it skidded hundreds of meters, according to the police and DHL. One of the buildings hit by the plane was a house whose occupants survived, authorities said. Firefighters were not able to determine whether the plane began burning or breaking up while still in the air, and authorities have appealed to the public to hand over possible video recordings of the crash. German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said the crash could have been a "hybrid incident" with outside involvement. "We must now seriously ask ourselves whether this was an accident or whether it was another hybrid incident," Baerbock told reporters at a G7 foreign ministers meeting in Italy. "We have recently seen multiple hybrid attacks in Europe, often targeting individuals and infrastructure, whether underwater or hard infrastructure," she said, alluding to the recent severing of telecom cables in the Baltic Sea that officials have said could have been sabotage. German authorities are working very closely with the Lithuanian authorities to get to the bottom of the crash, she added. Lithuanian authorities have so far stopped short of making the same link. "We cannot reject the possibility of terrorism...but at the moment we can't make attributions or point fingers because we don't have such information," Lithuanian counterintelligence chief Darius Jauniskis told reporters. Many Western intelligence agencies have accused Moscow of involvement in sabotage acts in Europe, which they have said are aimed at destabilizing allies of Ukraine as it relies on Western governments in its war against Russia's full-scale invasion. Lithuanian Commissioner-General of Police Arunas Paulauskas said surviving crew members told investigators there was no smoke, fire, or other emergency situation in the cabin prior to the crash. He also said the probability of an external force impact was very low. The crash came after a series of fires at DHL depots in Britain and Germany during the summer. Western security officials were quoted in a news report earlier this month linking the fires to a test run of an alleged Russian operation aimed at igniting fires on cargo or passenger aircraft bound for North America. The Wall Street Journal quoted security officials as saying devices that ignited in July in DHL depots in Leipzig and the British city of Birmingham were part of the test run. Last month, Polish officials said four people had been detained as a result of the investigation into parcels that caught fire while en route to United States and Canada. The activities of the four people "consisted of sabotage and diversion related to sending parcels containing camouflaged explosives and dangerous materials via courier companies to European Union countries and Great Britain, which spontaneously ignited or detonated during land and air transport," Polish prosecutors said in a statement on October 25. "The group's goal was also to test the transfer channel for such parcels, which were ultimately to be sent to the United States of America and Canada," the statement said, adding that foreign intelligence services were to blame. The statement did not directly accuse Russia of involvement. Canada in early November expressed concern to Russian officials after he arrests were announced. Russia responded by summoning a Canadian diplomat on November 8 to rebut allegations that Russia's secret services had orchestrated the campaign to mail explosive packages. Russia has expelled Edward Prior Wilks, a second secretary in the Political Department of the British Embassy in Moscow, accusing him of espionage under diplomatic cover. The Federal Security Service (FSB) announced the decision on November 26, claiming Wilks was part of an "undeclared intelligence presence" in Russia, deepening tensions between Moscow and London. According to the FSB, Wilks entered Russia with false information and engaged in "intelligence and subversive activities" that posed a threat to national security. The diplomat, reportedly linked to the U.K. Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office’s Directorate for Eastern Europe and Central Asia, has had his accreditation revoked. Russian authorities have given him two weeks to leave the country. The expulsion follows the removal of six British intelligence officers in August amid strained relations between the two nations over issues ranging from the war in Ukraine to alleged interference in domestic affairs. The move comes on the same day Russia’s Foreign Ministry expanded its sanctions list, barring 30 prominent U.K. officials, military personnel, and journalists from entering the country. The list includes Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper, and high-profile figures in the defense and technology sectors. In a statement, Moscow accused Britain of pursuing an "aggressive, Russophobic policy," including support for Ukraine, disinformation about Russia, and direct involvement in the war in Ukraine. The Kremlin warned London to abandon its "futile course" and engage in constructive dialogue. The announcements mark a further escalation in the strained relations, reflecting the deepening crisis in relations between the Kremlin and the West over Moscow's ongoing invasion of Ukraine. Russia’s actions highlight a deliberate strategy to challenge what it perceives as Western interference. By targeting both diplomatic channels and influential figures, Moscow is signaling that it will not tolerate perceived provocations. At the same time, these moves are part of a broader pattern of Russia asserting its geopolitical stance against the West amid ongoing tensions over Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The diplomatic expulsion, coupled with expanded sanctions, reflects the Kremlin’s view of the United Kingdom as a central player in the Western coalition supporting Ukraine, escalating an already hostile dynamic. The so-called Supreme Court in Ukraine's Russian-occupied Donetsk region has sentenced Mamuka Mamulashvili, leader of the Georgian Legion, to 23 years in prison in absentia. The court, operating under Russia’s authority in the illegally annexed region, accused Mamulashvili of recruiting and training foreign mercenaries to fight against Russian forces in Ukraine. According to the Russian Prosecutor General’s Office, the 46-year-old Mamulashvili, who says he has been the focus of several poisoning attempts, was found guilty under several articles of the Russian Criminal Code. While the ruling will likely have no practical impact on Mamulashvili or the Georgian Legion’s operations, it provides valuable propaganda for the Kremlin as it continues its campaign to suppress dissent and isolate Ukraine diplomatically. For Ukraine and its allies, the verdict underscores the ongoing challenges in countering Russia’s narrative both on and off the battlefield. The charges allege that from 2014 to 2024 Mamulashvili recruited ex-military personnel from Georgia and other nations not directly involved in the ongoing war in Ukraine. Prosecutors claimed Mamulashvili provided training, weapons, and logistical support to these recruits, enabling their participation in military operations. The court further stated Mamulashvili received compensation equivalent to over 23 million rubles ($221.500) for his activities. Russian authorities also highlighted an April 2022 interview Mamulashvili gave to the Khodorkovsky-LIVE YouTube channel where he voiced staunchly anti-Russian sentiments and criticized Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine. In addition to Mamulashvili, three other Georgian fighters -- Giorgi Rusitashvili, Nodar Petriashvili, and Vano Nadiradze -- were sentenced in absentia to 14 years in prison each. They were convicted of participating as mercenaries in an armed conflict. The Russian prosecutor’s office stated that all four individuals would serve their sentences in a strict-regime penal colony if captured. The Georgian Legion, founded in 2014, is a volunteer military unit supporting Ukraine in its fight against Russian aggression. Composed primarily of Georgian ex-soldiers, the group has been actively involved in key battles across eastern Ukraine. Russia has labeled the Georgian Legion a terrorist organization, aligning with its broader narrative of framing foreign support for Ukraine as illegitimate and criminal. The in absentia sentencing of Mamulashvili and other Georgian fighters appears to serve several purposes beyond legal action. It reinforces Moscow’s portrayal of foreign volunteers aiding Ukraine as mercenaries and terrorists, undermining their legitimacy. By focusing on Mamulashvili’s recruitment efforts and financial rewards, Russian authorities aim to discredit the broader network of international support for Ukraine’s resistance. The verdict also underscores Russia’s effort to project authority over Donetsk, a region it annexed in violation of international law. Issuing high-profile verdicts from a “Supreme Court” in the occupied territory serves to normalize its judicial and political structures in the eyes of its domestic audience, despite their lack of international recognition. Russia's Investigative Committee announced on November 26 that it had opened a criminal case against James Scott Rhys Anderson, a British citizen accused of committing terrorism and mercenary activities. Anderson, who is alleged to have fought for Ukraine's International Legion, was detained in Russia's Kursk region after crossing the border in mid-November. His case underscores the growing complexities of international involvement in the Russia-Ukraine war and the heightened risks faced by foreign volunteers. According to the Investigative Committee , Anderson, alongside other members of Ukrainian forces and foreign mercenaries, illegally entered Kursk with weapons, military equipment, and drones armed with explosive devices. Russian authorities claim the group carried out actions intended to intimidate the local population, cause "significant" property damage, and destabilize government operations. A statement from the Investigative Committee said Anderson and his associates were armed with automatic firearms, missile systems, and drones, underscoring the technological capabilities of Ukraine's forces and their international allies. The authorities allege these actions constitute terrorism under Russian law. A video circulated on pro-Russian Telegram channels and by the state news agency TASS over the weekend showed a man identifying himself as James Scott Rhys Anderson, a 22-year-old former British Army signalman who joined Ukraine's International Legion after leaving military service in 2023. Speaking with a clear British accent, Anderson confirmed his identity and discussed his role in the ongoing war. However, the footage has not been independently verified, raising questions about the circumstances surrounding its recording. Anderson's situation highlights the dangers faced by foreign volunteers in Ukraine's resistance, as well as the propaganda value such incidents hold for Russia. The Kremlin has consistently sought to portray foreign fighters as illegitimate actors, using their presence to bolster its narrative that Ukraine's defense is dependent on mercenaries and extremists. Since Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's 2022 call for international recruits, thousands of foreign volunteers have joined Ukraine’s International Legion. The elite unit, integrated into Ukraine’s military, has attracted fighters from across the globe, including Western nations. For many, the war represents a fight against Russian aggression and a defense of democratic values, but their participation also exposes them to legal and physical risks. Anderson's case is not the first instance of a foreign fighter being captured or accused by Russia. Moscow has consistently sought to criminalize foreign involvement, labeling such fighters as mercenaries -- a status not protected under international law -- and often accusing them of terrorism. This tactic not only targets individual fighters but also aims to deter further international participation in Ukraine's defense. The announcement of Anderson's detainment comes amid shifting dynamics in the border regions, including Kursk. Ukraine's recent cross-border operations signal an escalation in tactics, challenging Russian defenses within its own territory. These incursions, while symbolic of Ukraine's bold resistance, also amplify Moscow's narrative of external aggression threatening its sovereignty. At the same time, reports of Russia employing North Korean soldiers and pushing to reclaim territory lost during Ukraine's August counteroffensive suggest a deepening of the conflict. Russia's efforts to portray foreign fighters like Anderson as central to these operations serve as both a legal and propaganda tool, distracting from its own controversial use of international personnel and tactics. A court in the Siberian city of Chita has sentenced journalist Nika Novak, a former RFE/RL contributor, to four years in prison. Sources close to the investigation told RFE/RL on November 26 that Novak was found guilty of "collaboration with a foreign organization on a confidential basis." Novak was arrested in Moscow last year and transferred to Siberia. Her case was marked as classified, and the details were not publicized. Novak had worked for ChitaMedia and was editor in chief of the Zab.ru website. She contributed to programs by RFE/RL's Siberia.Realities in 2022. RFE/RL President and CEO Stephen Capus condemned Novak's conviction, saying the charges against her were politically motivated and "intended to silence individual reporters and cause a chilling effect." He also called for her immediate release. The law criminalizing collaboration with foreign organizations on a confidential basis allows prosecution for sharing nonclassified information with foreign organizations. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Siberia.Realities, click here . Russia overnight launched 188 drones and four cruise missiles at targets in Ukraine -- a record number of projectiles in a single attack, Kyiv's air force said, as NATO and Ukrainian envoys prepared to gather in Brussels to assess Moscow's launching last week of an experimental missile at a Ukrainian city. Ukrainian air-defense systems "tracked 192 air targets -- four Iskander ballistic missiles and 188 enemy drones," the air force said in a message on Telegram. It added that 76 Russian drones were shot down over 17 Ukrainian regions, while another 95 drones "were lost in location" after their navigation systems had been jammed by Ukrainian electronic warfare systems. Five more drones changed course and flew toward Belarus, it said. No casualties were immediately reported in any of the 17 regions targeted, but critical infrastructure facilities such as the country's power grid and high-rise apartment buildings were damaged in several regions, officials said. During the attack, the western Ukrainian city of Ternopil was temporarily left without electricity. For the past several months, Russia has been battering Ukrainian cities with increasingly heavy drone, missile, and glide bomb strikes, causing casualties and damaging energy infrastructure as the cold season settles in. In Brussels, a meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Council (NUC) is to discuss on November 26 Russia's launching of an experimental hypersonic intermediate-range missile at Ukraine last week. The NUC was established at a NATO summit in Vilnius last year to step up the alliance's collaboration with Kyiv and support Ukraine's aspirations for NATO membership. The NUC meeting of envoys from Ukraine and the 32 member states of the alliance was called by Kyiv after Russia on November 21 struck the Ukrainian city of Dnipro with what President Vladimir Putin said was a new missile called Oreshnik. Putin said the move was part of Moscow's response to Ukrainian attacks on Russian soil with U.S.-supplied ATACMS and British-supplied Storm Shadow missiles. Putin said the Oreshnik is new and not an upgrade of previous Soviet-designed weaponry. The United States said the new missile is "experimental" and based on Russia’s RS-26 Rubezh intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). Ukraine initially accused Russia of having used an ICBM in the Dnipro attack. An ICBM has never been used in a war. Pakistani police and security forces launched a massive crackdown on thousands of supporters of jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan in Islamabad on November 26 after they refused to call off a protest march demanding his release. The protesters were dispersed and the capital cleared after security forces conducted a sweeping late-night raid, said Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi at a briefing. A security official told RFE/RL that around 500 people had been arrested. It was unclear whether the leaders of the march were among those arrested or whether they managed to escape to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province, where Khan's Pakistan Tehrik-e Insaf (PTI) party holds power. The Pakistani military deployed troops earlier on November 26 following the deaths of at least three army rangers. Dozens of security forces were wounded in clashes between them and the protesters, some seriously. Naqvi told journalists in Islamabad at the late night briefing that the protesters had been successfully dispersed. He announced that schools would reopen on November 27 and all roads would be cleared. The minister also said that details regarding the involvement of Afghan nationals in the protest would be shared with the media on November 27, adding that "an important decision has been taken about Afghan nationals," which would be announced in the next few days. The Interior Ministry issued a statement during the day strongly condemning the killing of security forces by supporters of PTI. The ministry said on X that a policeman and four rangers were killed in the violence, but according to an RFE/RL correspondent at the scene, the number of rangers killed was three and their deaths were the result of an accident. Before the raids security forces fired tear gas and rubber bullets at Khan supporters after thousands defied roadblocks to march some 150 kilometers from the northwest toward Islamabad despite a lockdown and a ban on public gatherings. PTI claimed on X that the police in Islamabad fired directly at protestors and published a video in which a top Karachi official said that in the history of Pakistan there has not been an injustice equal to what he says is going on in Islamabad. The city has been locked down since late on November 23 and mobile Internet services have been sporadically cut. The Islamabad city administration last week announced a two-month ban on public gatherings, but convoys of Khan supporters traveled from the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province on November 25 determined to enter the city. The leadership of PTI went ahead with their plans to travel to the capital even as Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka arrived for a three-day visit. He was received at an airport near the capital by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif late on November 25. PTI's chief demand is the release of Khan, who served as prime minister from 2018 to 2022. The 72-year-old former cricket superstar turned politician, has been in jail for more than a year and faces more than 150 criminal cases, although he enjoys huge popularity among Pakistanis. PTI has said the cases are politically motivated. PTI has defied a government crackdown since Khan was barred from running in elections in February with regular demonstrations aiming to seize public spaces in Islamabad and other large cities. The party is also protesting alleged tampering in the February polls and a recent government-backed constitutional amendment giving it more power over the courts, where Khan is tangled in dozens of cases. Sharif's government has come under increasing criticism for deploying heavy-handed measures to quash PTI's protests, which have largely cut off Islamabad from the rest of the country, with travel to other parts of Pakistan almost at a standstill. The key Grand Trunk Road highway in Punjab Province has been blocked by authorities with shipping containers, prompting protesters to use heavy machinery to remove the containers. The ongoing clashes also have affected Afghan refugees living in Islamabad or nearby cities who say they cannot leave their homes and are afraid of getting arrested. One of them, Fazel Saber, who lives in a guesthouse in Islamabad, told RFE/RL by phone on November 26 that the security situation has disrupted his life. “We have been banned from going out for three or four days, not even to the park near the guesthouse. Children and women also cannot go out," Saber said. "This is a deprivation of freedom, even though we are not illegal immigrants.” Thousands of protesters calling for the release of former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan defied roadblocks and tear gas on November 25 to march toward Islamabad despite a lockdown and a ban on public gatherings. Protesters clashed early on November 26 with police firing tear gas and rubber bullets at Khan supporters to stop them from entering the capital. The government said one police officer had been killed and dozens were critically wounded in clashes with demonstrators as they closed in on Islamabad. Islamabad has been locked down since late on November 23 and mobile Internet services have been sporadically cut. The Islamabad city administration last week announced a two-month ban on public gatherings, but convoys of Khan supporters traveled from the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province determined to enter the city. Security officials say they expected between 9,000 and 11,000 demonstrators, while Khan's party, Pakistan Tehrik-e Insaf (PTI), said the number would be much higher. Video on social media showed Khan supporters donning gas masks and protective goggles. The leadership of Khan's party went ahead with their plans to travel to the capital even as Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka arrived for a three-day visit. He was received at an airport near the capital by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif late on November 25. Meanwhile, the government was in talks with Khan's party to avoid any further violence, officials said. Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi told reporters that the government was willing to allow Khan supporters to rally on the outskirts of Islamabad, but he threatened extreme measures if they entered the city to protest. Khan, who has been in jail for over a year and faces more than 150 criminal cases, remains popular. PTI has said the cases are politically motivated. PTI has defied a government crackdown since Khan was barred from running in elections in February with regular demonstrations aiming to seize public spaces in Islamabad and other large cities. PTI's chief demand is the release of Khan, the charismatic, 72-year-old former cricket star who served as prime minister from 2018 to 2022. The party is also protesting alleged tampering in the February polls and a recent government-backed constitutional amendment giving it more power over the courts, where Khan is tangled in dozens of cases. Sharif's government has come under increasing criticism for deploying heavy-handed measures to quash PTI's protests. German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said the deadly crash of a cargo plane in Lithuania on November 25 could have been a " hybrid incident " with outside involvement. "We must now seriously ask ourselves whether this was an accident or whether it was another hybrid incident," Baerbock told reporters at a G7 foreign ministers meeting in Italy. "We have recently seen multiple hybrid attacks in Europe, often targeting individuals and infrastructure, whether underwater or hard infrastructure," she said, alluding to the recent severing of telecom cables in the Baltic Sea that officials have said could have been sabotage. German authorities are working very closely with the Lithuanian authorities to get to the bottom of the crash, she added. Lithuanian authorities have so far stopped short of making the same link. "We cannot reject the possibility of terrorism.... But at the moment we can't make attributions or point fingers because we don't have such information," Lithuanian counterintelligence chief Darius Jauniskis told reporters. Marius Baranauskas, head of the Lithuanian National Aviation Authority, said the communications between the pilots and the control tower indicated nothing extraordinary, adding that investigators need to examine the black-box recordings to know what was happening in the aircraft. Many Western intelligence agencies have accused Moscow of involvement in sabotage acts in Europe, which they have said are aimed at destabilizing allies of Ukraine as it relies on Western governments in its war against Russia's full-scale invasion. The cargo plane, which belonged to global courier DHL, crashed as it attempted to land at Vilnius airport, killing the jet's Spanish pilot and injuring another Spanish crew member, a German, and a Lithuanian, according to airport and police officials cited by Reuters. At least one of the injured was in critical condition. The plane, a Boeing 737-400 jet that had departed Leipzig, Germany, about 90 minutes before the crash, hit several buildings as it skidded hundreds meters, according to the police and DHL. A spokesperson for the governmental National Crisis Management Center said one of the buildings hit was a house whose occupants survived. Firefighters were not able to determine whether the plane began burning or breaking up while still in the air, and authorities were still looking for the black boxes that record flight data. A DHL statement said the plane "made a forced landing" about 1 kilometer from the Vilnius airport and the cause of the crash was still unknown. Lithuanian Commissioner-General of Police Arunas Paulauskas said surviving crew members told investigators there was no smoke, fire, or other emergency situation in the cabin prior to the crash. He also said the probability of an external force impact was very low. The crash came after a series of fires at DHL depots in Britain and Germany during the summer. Western security officials were quoted in a news report earlier this month linking the fires to a test run of an alleged Russian operation aimed at igniting fires on cargo or passenger aircraft bound for North America. The Wall Street Journal quoted security officials as saying that devices that ignited in July in DHL depots in Leipzig and the British city of Birmingham were part of the test run. Last month, Polish officials said four people had been detained as a result of the investigation into parcels that caught fire while en route to United States and Canada. The activities of the four people "consisted of sabotage and diversion related to sending parcels containing camouflaged explosives and dangerous materials via courier companies to European Union countries and Great Britain, which spontaneously ignited or detonated during land and air transport," Polish prosecutors said in a statement on October 25. "The group's goal was also to test the transfer channel for such parcels, which were ultimately to be sent to the United States of America and Canada," the statement said, adding that foreign intelligence services were to blame. The statement did not directly accuse Russia of involvement. Canada in early November expressed concern to Russian officials after he arrests were announced. Russia responded by summoning a Canadian diplomat on November 8 to rebut allegations that Russia's secret services had orchestrated the campaign to mail explosive packages . Serbian lawmakers scuffled in parliament on November 25 after opposition members accused the ruling coalition of failing to address the deadly collapse of a concrete canopy at the railway station in Serbia's second-largest city earlier this month. A scuffle broke out after Radomir Lazovic, a member of the opposition Green-Left Front party, placed a poster showing a red hand imprint with the words "You have blood on your hands" on the speaker's platform. After Health Minister Zatibor Loncar approached Lazovic and started arguing, other deputies rushed in shouting, pulling, and hitting one another. Lazovic told N1 television that he was "attacked" by Loncar, and after a fight with him, there was a "general fight" in the assembly hall. Lazovic said several deputies were injured. The audio of the parliament's internal broadcast was turned off, so it was not possible to hear what the deputies were saying to each other. They were separated by security guards. While the government accused the opposition of trying to "seize power by force," opposition members said they were also attacked by government representatives in the hall of the parliament building and accused them of starting the fight. The collapse of the concrete canopy on November 1 at the station in Novi Sad has turned into a political headache for President Aleksandar Vucic and his ruling party. The Higher Public Prosecutor's Office in Novi Sad announced on November 21 that 11 people had been arrested. The huge canopy collapsed on November 1, killing 15 people and seriously injuring another two. The accident occurred after the railway station, built in 1964, had been renovated twice in recent years by the consortium China Railway International and China Communications Construction Company. The most recent renovation was included in a project involving several companies that were in charge of the expert supervision of the reconstruction of the railway line from Novi Sad to the border with Hungary. The main contractor for the project was the company Project Biro Utiber of Novi Sad. The opposition has called on Prime Minister Milos Vucevic, who was mayor of Novi Sad when construction started, to resign. The ruling coalition denies the allegations and accuses the opposition of triggering clashes with police in protests at the station. The parliament was due to debate the 2025 budget on November 25, but the opposition demanded a debate on the collapse of the canopy. They also filed a no-confidence motion against the government, but speaker Ana Brnabic said it would not be on the agenda. The session was interrupted for almost two hours before resuming, but opposition deputies continued disrupting the session as Brnabic spoke surrounded by security guards who prevented opposition legislators from approaching her. "This is what freedom of speech looks like in their interpretation," Brnabic said as opposition deputies blew whistles in the hall. Brnabic accused the opposition of an "attempt to seize power by force." She told reporters at a news conference that opposition deputies damaged a microphone and a monitor in the hall after the session was adjourned. The session began with a minute of silence for those killed in at the railway station and with Brnabic asking that the session be dignified. "Unfortunately, this is anything but a dignified tribute to the deceased and their families," Brnabic said at the news conference. Nikita Zhuravel, a Russian political prisoner who was beaten by the teenage son of Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov while in pretrial detention, has been sentenced to 13 1/2 years in prison for high treason. The Volgograd regional court sentenced the 20-year-old Zhuravel on November 25 after finding him guilty of sending a video to a representative of Ukraine's Security Service (SBU) that allegedly contained footage of military equipment being transported by train, images of military aircraft, and details of a service vehicle's movements. Zhuravel is already serving a 3 1/2-year prison sentence handed down by a court in Chechnya in February after being convicted of hooliganism for publicly burning a Koran in his hometown of Volgograd. He was also sentenced to 300 hours of community service for insulting religious believers. It was not immediately clear whether the sentences would be served concurrently or consecutively. During the trial, Zhuravel apologized to the Muslim community, acknowledging his actions but claiming he had no intention of offending anyone. The case drew widespread attention when it was revealed that while Zhuravel was in custody in Chechnya, he was attacked by Adam Kadyrov, the then-15-year-old son of Ramzan Kadyrov. A video of the assault in a jail was shared on social media by the elder Kadyrov, sparking public outrage. Despite this, law enforcement in Chechnya declined to pursue a criminal investigation, citing a lack of evidence. Kadyrov defended his son's actions, publicly stating that it would have been better if his son had killed Zhuravel. Adam Kadyrov was later awarded the title of "Hero of the Republic of Chechnya," the highest honor in the region, and received further accolades from several Russian regions. The human rights group Memorial has recognized Zhuravel as a political prisoner, raising doubts about the Koran-burning accusations and criticizing his transfer from Volgograd to mostly Muslim-populated Chechnya for investigation and trial. The organization has also condemned the violence Zhuravel endured in detention as a serious legal violation. RFE/RL journalist Andrey Kuznechyk marked his third year in prison on November 25 on charges , he, his employer, and human rights organizations call politically motivated. Kuznechyk, a father of two, was arrested on November 25, 2021, and initially sentenced to 10 days in jail on hooliganism charges that he rejected. After serving that penalty, Kuznechyk was not released but charged with creating an extremist group, a move that officials didn't reveal to Kuznechyk's relatives and colleagues for months. On June 8, 2022, the Mahilyou regional court in the country's east found Kuznechyk guilty and sentenced him to six years in prison. The trial lasted just one day. Human rights groups in Belarus have recognized Kuznechyk, who works for RFE/RL's Belarus Service , known locally as Radio Svaboda, as a political prisoner. Kuznechyk, who has maintained his innocence, and some 150 other Belarusian political prisoners, including another RFE/RL journalist, Ihar Losik, and former would-be presidential candidate Viktar Babaryka, are serving sentences at the same prison in the northern city of Navapolatsk. The facility is known as one of the most restrictive penitentiaries in the country. Initially, the site was occupied by a number of temporary houses built for workers at a then-newly built oil refinery in 1958. The territory was later turned into a prison where mostly members of organized criminal groups, noted crime kingpins, and so-called thieves-in-law served their terms. Belarusian authorities started sending political prisoners there in 2010. Since a disputed August 2020 presidential election sparked mass protests over authoritarian ruler Alyaksandr Lukashenka's victory, tens of thousands of Belarusians have been arrested for voicing any dissent against the regime. The crackdown has pushed most opposition politicians, who say the vote was rigged, to leave the country fearing for their safety and freedom. Many Western governments have refused to recognize the results of the election and do not consider Lukashenka to be the country's legitimate leader. Many countries have imposed several rounds of sanctions against his regime in response to the suppression of dissent in the country. Kuznechyk is one of three RFE/RL journalists -- Losik and Vladyslav Yesypenko are the other two -- currently imprisoned on charges related to their work. Rights groups and RFE/RL have called repeatedly for the release of all three, saying they have been wrongly detained. Losik is a blogger and contributor for RFE/RL’s Belarus Service who was convicted in December 2021 on several charges including the "organization and preparation of actions that grossly violate public order" and sentenced to 15 years in prison. Yesypenko, a dual Ukrainian-Russian citizen who contributed to Crimea.Realities, a regional news outlet of RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service, was sentenced in February 2022 to six years in prison by a Russian judge in occupied Crimea after a closed-door trial. He was convicted of “possession and transport of explosives,” a charge he steadfastly denies. A British national fighting for Ukraine has reportedly been captured by Russian forces in Russia's Kursk region, marking a significant development in the ongoing war. A video released on pro-Russian Telegram channels and TASS news agency over the weekend shows a man in a military uniform identifying himself as 22-year-old James Scott Rhys Anderson from the United Kingdom. Speaking with a clear English accent, Anderson says he previously served as a signalman in the British Army until 2023 and later joined Ukraine's International Legion to fight against Russia. The footage has not been independently verified, and it remains unclear when or where the video was recorded. Anderson's alleged capture highlights the broader involvement of foreign volunteers in Ukraine's resistance against Russia. Since Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's 2022 call for international recruits, thousands of fighters have joined the conflict, many enlisting in the International Legion, a highly selective unit integrated into Ukraine's ground forces. The British man's capture also comes amid shifting dynamics in the Kursk region. While Ukraine initially gained significant ground in its August offensive, recent reports suggest it has lost over 40 percent of the territory it seized. Russia’s apparent use of North Korean soldiers in the region and its push to reclaim lost ground signal a deepening of the war, while Ukraine’s cross-border operations represent a bold challenge to Moscow’s defenses. As the war drags on, the fate of foreign fighters like Anderson remains emblematic of the broader stakes and human costs of this conflict. The United Arab Emirates on November 25 disclosed the names of three suspects detained in the killing of a 28-year-old Israeli-Moldovan ultra-Orthodox rabbi saying they were Uzbek nationals. The suspects were arrested a day earlier after the body of Zvi Kogan, who ran a Kosher grocery store in Dubai and was also a representative of the Orthodox Jewish group Chabad, was discovered by security services. U.A.E. authorities identified the suspects as Mahmudjon Abdurahim, 28, Olimboi Tohirovich, 28, and Azizbek Kamilovich, 33, apparently giving patronymic names of the last two men instead their last names. They did not say if official charges have been filed against the suspects. "Hate has no place in our world. Our thoughts are with his family, the Jewish community, and all who grieve. We are in contact with Israel and the U.A.E.," Moldovan President Maia Sandu said in a statement . Kogan had been reported missing on November 22. His body was found later in the city of Al Ain. The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu denounced the killing of Kogan, calling it a "heinous anti-Semitic terrorist act." While Israeli officials have not publicly accused archrival Iran for the deadly attack, analysts noted that Tehran has been threatening retaliation against Israel for recent air strikes it carried out on Iranian soil after Iran launched a missile attack against Israel. Tehran has denied any involvement in the murder of Kogan. The Muslim-majority Gulf state with an overwhelmingly expatriate population prides itself on its safety, stability, and religious tolerance. The Chabad Hasidic movement is known for its outreach efforts worldwide. The U.A.E. normalized relations with Israel in 2020 alongside Bahrain and Morocco in a series of U.S.-brokered agreements known as the Abraham Accords. There is no figure for the number of Jews in the U.A.E., but an Israeli official has told AFP there were about 2,000 Israelis in the Gulf country, with the Jewish community estimated to be up to twice that figure. The White House also condemned the killing on November 24. "This was a horrific crime against all those who stand for peace, tolerance, and coexistence. It was an assault as well on U.A.E. and its rejection of violent extremism across the board," the White House said in a statement on November 24. Georgia's new parliament met for its first session since the Moscow-friendly Georgian Dream party won elections last month that ignited calls for fresh polls amid accusations the balloting was rigged, as protesters gathered outside and pelted the building with eggs. Opposition lawmakers boycotted the session on November 25 after calling on foreign diplomats not to legitimize the new parliament by attending the first session. EU and other Western officials have expressed serious doubts about the October 26 elections in which Georgian Dream officially won 53.9 percent of the vote. The first item on the agenda for the opening session, which will be attended by the head of the Central Election Commission (CEC), is recognizing the authority of all 150 parliament members. Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili, however, has refused to recognize the result validated by the CEC. Zurabishvili has filed a lawsuit in the Constitutional Court "requesting annulment of the election results as unconstitutional." Protesters allege there was widespread fraud during the campaign and vote and that Russia heavily influenced the outcome favoring Georgian Dream, which has been in power since 2012. They gathered outside the parliament but were not able to block the entrance amid a heavy police presence. "Black Monday in Georgia: Police...guarding the doors behind which 'Georgian Dream slaves' are killing our Constitution and making a mockery of our Parliament," Zurabishvili said in a post on X. Police have moved quickly -- sometimes using violence -- to shut down previous demonstrations, but no altercations were reported on November 25. Georgian Dream's billionaire founder and "honorary chairman," Bidzina Ivanishvili, attended the session and holds the right to nominate a prime minister. Ivanishvili, who is widely regarded as dominating the government even though he does not hold an official position, is expected to push for lawmakers to approve current Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze to continue as head of the government. Georgia has been a candidate for EU membership since last year, but a "foreign influence" law and anti-LGBT measures enacted under Georgian Dream's leadership have stalled that effort. The United States in July announced it would pause more than $95 million in assistance to the Georgian government, warning that it was backsliding on democracy. Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said the arrest warrants issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for alleged crimes against humanity during the conflict in Gaza are "not enough." Khamenei told a gathering of the Basij volunteer corps on November 25 that the two Israeli leaders should face the death penalty. ICC prosecutor Karim Khan issued the warrant and judges said there were "reasonable grounds" to believe Netanyahu and Gallant "intentionally and knowingly deprived the civilian population in Gaza of objects indispensable to their survival" as part of a "widespread and systematic attack against the civilian population of Gaza." Israel has called the warrants "absurd." The current war in the Gaza Strip was sparked by an attack on Israel by Iran-backed Hamas, a group designated as a terrorist organization by the United States and the EU. Some 1,200 people died in the attack, with around 240 more taken hostage back to Gaza. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Radio Farda, click here . Ukraine's military said it struck an oil depot overnight in Russia's western Kaluga region and "a number of important targets" in two other Russian regions after Russia shelled the center of the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv. The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said in a statement on social media that the early morning attacks focused on Bryansk, Kaluga, and Kursk. "There is confirmation of a successful impact of the oil base in the Kaluga region," it said. Vladislav Shapsha, the governor of Kaluga, said on Telegram that eight Ukrainian drones were shot down in the region, with debris from one of the downed drones sparking a fire at an industrial site. The fire has been extinguished, and no casualties were reported, Shapsha said. Unconfirmed reports from the Telegram channels Ostorozhno, novosti , and Baza claim the fire affected a tank at a local oil depot and the Kaluga instrument-making plant Typhoon. Videos allegedly showing the fire at the refinery have surfaced online, though official verification is pending. The attack came as the mayor of Ukraine's second-largest city, Kharkiv, said at least 15 people were wounded in an attack that targeted residential areas, adding to the series of strikes the city has faced in recent weeks that have caused significant casualties and damage to civil and energy infrastructure. In Ukraine’s southern Mykolayiv region, Russian strikes hit energy infrastructure overnight, regional Governor Vitaliy Kim reported. Engineers managed to restore power to most affected areas, and no casualties were reported. Meanwhile, in the southeastern Zaporizhzhya region, Russian forces launched attacks on industrial facilities using "dozens of drones," according to regional Governor Ivan Fedorov. One child was reportedly wounded in these strikes. Sources at the Main Intelligence Directorate of Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense (HUR) told Ukrayinska pravda that the attack on the Kaluga oil depot was planned by Ukrainian special services. The targeted depot is reportedly linked to Russia’s military operations against Ukraine. The Russian Defense Ministry reported that on the night of November 25, air-defense systems intercepted and destroyed 23 Ukrainian drones across multiple regions. These included eight drones over Kaluga, seven over Kursk, five over Bryansk, and three over Belgorod, the ministry said. The overnight strikes highlight the growing intensity of Ukraine's efforts to stop Russia's ongoing invasion that Moscow launched in February 2022. The situation continues to evolve as both sides accuse the other of escalating the violence. BUCHAREST -- Pro-Russian far-right candidate Calin Georgescu has won a surprise victory in the first round of EU and NATO member Romania's presidential vote and will face pro-Western center-right candidate Elena Lasconi in the December 8 runoff. Complete preliminary results of the November 24 election showed independent Georgescu -- who has been criticized for his anti-NATO and anti-Semitic statements -- won with 22.94 percent of the vote. Lasconi, a former TV journalist and small-town mayor for the center-right Save Romania Union (USR), trailed in early results reporting, but edged ahead of the initial favorite, leftist Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu. With 19.17 percent of the vote, Lasconi advanced by a wafer-thin margin over Ciolacu's 19.15 percent, which prompted Ciolacu to concede and announce his resignation as leader of the Social Democratic Party (PSD). The margin between the two was just 2,742 votes. "I sent a message to Mrs. Lasconi and extended my congratulations," Ciolacu told the media. Ciolacu's third-place finish means that for the first time since 1989, the PSD, the heir to Romania's Communist Party, won't have a candidate in the presidential runoff. Lasconi has yet to declare victory, telling journalists just that "it's been devilishly difficult." Hundreds of pro-Lasconi protesters, mostly students and other young people, demonstrated on the evening of November 25 in downtown Bucharest on University Square in front of the National Theater to show their dissatisfaction with Georgescu. They shouted, "Do not vote for a dictator" as they gathered peacefully, though there was a minor incident with a pro-Georgescu supporter carrying a Bible. Georgescu frequently quoted biblical phrases in his campaign. When the man appeared in front of the demonstrators, they booed him and he started running between cars on the road. Romanian police said he tried to provoke the demonstrators. Police officers intervened to prevent a possible conflict, the police said in a statement. The man tried to flee and was "immobilized and taken to the police station," the statement said. The protest continued without further incident. Some demonstrators expressed surprise that Georgescu came first in the elections. "Like everyone else, I expected this man to take what he had in the polls, somewhere around 5 percent," Alex Zlavog said. "It was a surprise, and I think we have to ask ourselves very serious problems about polling agencies and what happens with these polls." Georgescu thanked his voters, telling them, "Your voice was heard." He also rejected the accusations of extremism and fascism, saying they were "totally false" and he is "completely dedicated to the Romanian people." The runoff will be held a week after the parliamentary elections on December 1 -- a faceoff the media is portraying as a battle between East and West. George Simion of the ultranationalist Alliance for the Unity of Romanians (AUR) had 13.86 percent, a surprisingly low score after many predicted he would advance to the runoff together with Ciolacu. Critics have charged Simion with also being Russian-friendly and, while he wants Romania to remain in NATO, he has also said Bucharest should be neutral. The winner of the second round will succeed the outgoing center-right incumbent, Klaus Iohannis, who is completing his second and final term after a decade in office. Fourteen candidates officially registered in the race, but liberal ex-Prime Minister Ludovic Orban last week announced he was withdrawing and threw his weight behind Lasconi. Election officials put the turnout at just over 52 percent, or about 9.44 million voters casting their ballots. In 2019, total first-round turnout was 51.18 percent. In the second round, it rose to 55.1 percent. Georgescu, an obscure figure who held positions in Romania's Foreign Ministry and at the UN environmental agency UNEP, started as a member of AUR and was twice put forward as a possible prime minister by Simion's party. But Georgescu's anti-Semitic statements made him too radical even for AUR, which eventually broke with him when the authorities opened a criminal investigation on his radical views. However, even without the overt backing of a party, Georgescu performed unexpectedly well both inside the country and in Romania's Western diaspora, where he took more than 43 percent of the vote, ostensibly by using the TikTok social media platform to call for an end to Romania's aid to Ukraine. Under the incumbent Iohannis, Romania has turned into a key ally of Ukraine, not only providing training and military equipment but playing a key role in transporting Ukrainian grain and other agricultural goods to global markets. The 62-year-old, who has been criticized in the Romanian media for his pro-Russian and anti-NATO statements, claimed his shocking victory was a vote for "peace," echoing statements by other pro-Moscow European leaders such as Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban. "Tonight, the Romanian people cried out for peace. And they shouted very loudly, extremely loudly", he said late on November 24. In previous interviews, Georgescu urged closer ties with Moscow, claiming that "Russian wisdom" was Romania's best chance, although he has not publicly backed Russia's war in Ukraine. Asked about Georgescu's upset victory, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on November 25 said Russia did not know much about him or his opinions. "I would not make any predictions yet. We probably cannot say that we are that familiar with the world view of this candidate as far as relations with our country are concerned." Lasconi, a former small-town mayor and TV journalist, was the only presidential candidate who opposed the idea of Ukraine giving up land to Russia in a peace deal, saying doing so would embolden Russian President Vladimir Putin. "If Ukraine cedes territory, Putin won't stop," she had said. "We need to help Ukraine win this war," she said during the only presidential debate, held last week. She was also the most bullish among the top candidates on NATO, calling for the military alliance to have a greater presence in Romania. Lasconi garnered 56 percent of the Romanian vote in Moldova, where more than 80,000 Romanian passport holders showed up to vote. Moldova was part of Romania before World War II and the countries share a common language and history. Many Moldovans have acquired Romanian citizenship, which gives them the right to travel and work in the West. Some analysts said Georgescu's shock victory was also a result of mounting disillusion with Romania's entrenched political elites among young Romanians, many of whom leave the country because of what they say is a lack of opportunities. Rima, a voter at a Bucharest polling station, told RFE/RL, "There should be more opportunities for young people, so we don't have to leave the country after we graduate from high school or college." "The president should be more open-minded on some topics, especially international ones. That's what I want: to live in a free country where we as young people have a voice," she said, without specifying her candidate. Romania's president has significant decision-making powers, including on matters of national security and foreign policy. Elected for a five-year term, the president can also reject party nominees for prime minister and government nominees for judicial appointments. The White House has condemned the killing in the United Arab Emirates (U.A.E.) of an Israeli-Moldovan rabbi in an assault that Israel called an anti-Semitic "terrorist attack." "This was a horrific crime against all those who stand for peace, tolerance, and coexistence. It was an assault as well on UAE and its rejection of violent extremism across the board," the White House said in a statement on November 24. Hours earlier, U.A.E. authorities said three suspects have been arrested in the killing of a man identified as Zvi Kogan, who worked in the U.A.E. for the Orthodox Jewish group Chabad, which supports Jewish visitors and residents in the country. The victim had been reported missing on November 22. His body was found in the city of Al Ain near the Omani border, but it was not clear where he had been killed. The U.A.E. Interior Ministry did not provide further details on the suspects held in the matter. The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also denounced the killing of the 28-year-old rabbi, calling it a "heinous anti-Semitic terrorist act." Moldova's Foreign Ministry said in a statement that it is "in contact with the authorities of the United Arab Emirates to clarify the circumstances of this case." It gave no further details. According to Reuters, Iran quickly rejected any implication that it was involved in the killing. The Iranian embassy in the UAE "categorically rejects the allegations of Iran’s involvement in the murder of this individual," the news agency quoted the embassy as saying. Authorities in the United Arab Emirates (U.A.E.) on November 24 said three suspects have been arrested in the killing of an Israeli-Moldovan rabbi in an assault that Israel called an anti-Semitic "terrorist attack." The victim, who was reported missing on November 22, was identified as Zvi Kogan, who worked in the U.A.E. for the Orthodox Jewish group Chabad, which supports Jewish visitors and residents in the country. His body was found in the city of Al Ain near the Omani border, but it was not clear where he had been killed. The U.A.E. Interior Ministry did not provide further details on the suspects held in the matter. The first train carrying goods from China to Afghanistan arrived in Mazar-e Sharif on November 23 after crossing through Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, the de facto Taliban rulers said. The Taliban said 55 containers arrived in Afghanistan after a 22-day journey, marking the inauguration of the first direct train link between China and Taliban-ruled Afghanistan. The train is expected to take Afghan goods back to China for sale there. Since the Taliban returned to power in August 2021, no country, including China, has formally recognized the extremist group -- which has been accused of massive rights violations -- but Beijing has attempted to increase ties as part of its economic push in the region, including its Belt and Road initiative. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Radio Azadi, click here . Aleksandr Darchiyev is slated soon to be appointed as Russia's ambassador to Washington, the Kommersant newspaper reported on November 24, citing three unidentified sources. Darchiyev, head of the Russian Foreign Ministry's North American section, was ambassador to Canada from October 2014 to January 2021. He would succeed Anatoly Antonov, who concluded his term in October. The move would come at a time of high tensions between Washington and Moscow and just ahead of the return of Donald Trump to the presidency on January 20. The United States, under President Joe Biden, has been the top foreign supporter of Ukraine in its battle against Russia's full-scale invasion, while Trump has suggested aid could be curtailed.