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BOULDER — Cam’Ron Silmon-Craig needed a few moments to soak it all in. After No. 23 Colorado’s 52-0 win over Oklahoma State to close the regular season, the Buffaloes’ senior safety sat down in between the 35- and 40-yard lines on the south side of Folsom Field. His final home game at CU was over — and he just needed a minute to take in the scene one last time . “I was there giving thanks, giving thanks to God for putting me in this position,” Silmon-Craig said. “I've been able to thrive when I got a chance to make my dreams a reality. So that was the thing I was thinking about. I was just spending my last few moments inside my favorite playground on Folsom Field. Nothing like it in the world. I wouldn't rather be anywhere else." For two years, Silmon-Craig poured everything he had into the Buffs’ program. He came to CU after two years playing for Deion Sanders at Jackson State — also playing his final two years of high school football for Coach Prime at Trinity Christian in Cedar Hill, Texas. But Silmon-Craig is originally from Alabama and grew up watching the early days of Nick Saban’s Crimson Tide dynasty. He knew he was never going to accomplish something like that in his college career, but he wanted to set the stones for something like that to happen in Boulder. “I remember the 2009 Alabama team that struck the match for the run that Alabama went on,” Silmon-Craig said. “So coming in this year, I always wanted to be the standard. I wanted to come in here and set a standard for us to live for years and years on hand. So for guys like (sophomore cornerback) DJ (McKinney), when they come back next year, they know the standard.” That standard didn’t exist when Silmon-Craig first transferred to CU. The Buffs hit rock bottom during the 1-11 season in 2022 and Coach Prime turned over both the coaching staff and the roster when he took over nearly two years ago. As Sanders often says, 2023 was about restoring hope and this season, 2024, was about restoring expectations. Mission accomplished — and it’s because of the group of seniors that played their final home game on Friday. “They're the ones who changed the game for us,” Coach Prime said. “They're the ones that impacted this wonderful learning institution. They're the ones that are responsible for the recruits that you're seeing commit. They're the ones that are responsible for the way that game was played, the way it panned out. They're the ones who put us on the map.” Coach Prime was always going to participate in the Senior Day festivities and he and his sons, quarterback Shedeur and safety Shilo, got to share their moment pregame and receive plenty of applause from the Folsom Field crowd for the final time as a trio. Colorado coach Deion Sanders, center, walks onto the field alongside sons Shilo Sanders, left, and Shedeur Sanders,during pregame Senior Day festivities at Folsom Field on Friday, Nov. 29, 2024 (Stephen Swofford, Denver Gazette) But Sanders also walked to midfield with another senior, wide receiver Jimmy Horn Jr., who didn’t have his dad in attendance due to his current incarceration in Florida. Horn turned to Sanders right before he was about to have his name called and asked Sanders if we would walk with him. “You don’t have to ask me twice,” Sanders recalled telling Horn. “Just speaking pleasantries along the way, it (was) unbelievable. “Jimmy is like my kid. I love him that much. We've talked about some personal things throughout his couple of seasons (here). I want to go with him Sunday to see his father as well.” After the Buffs were done blowing out the Cowboys to cap a 9-3 regular season, Coach Prime made sure to bring up the seniors on the elevated platform in the middle of the CU locker room and acknowledge the impact they’ve had on the program and the legacy they’re leaving behind. “I don't just coach these young men, I love these young men like they’re family, and I just want them to soar, not just from the football aspect, but as young men in life,” Sanders said.
Sunstone Hotel Investors, Inc. ( NYSE:SHO – Get Free Report ) announced a quarterly dividend on Tuesday, November 12th, Wall Street Journal reports. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 31st will be given a dividend of 0.09 per share by the real estate investment trust on Wednesday, January 15th. This represents a $0.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.01%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, December 31st. Sunstone Hotel Investors has increased its dividend by an average of 68.7% per year over the last three years. Sunstone Hotel Investors has a dividend payout ratio of 150.0% meaning the company cannot currently cover its dividend with earnings alone and is relying on its balance sheet to cover its dividend payments. Equities analysts expect Sunstone Hotel Investors to earn $0.96 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $0.36 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 37.5%. Sunstone Hotel Investors Stock Performance Shares of SHO stock opened at $11.98 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44, a current ratio of 2.98 and a quick ratio of 2.98. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $11.06 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $10.51. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.76, a P/E/G ratio of 6.45 and a beta of 1.25. Sunstone Hotel Investors has a 12 month low of $9.39 and a 12 month high of $12.41. Analyst Ratings Changes Separately, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on Sunstone Hotel Investors from $11.00 to $13.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, December 9th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, two have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Sunstone Hotel Investors presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $12.20. Get Our Latest Research Report on SHO Sunstone Hotel Investors Company Profile ( Get Free Report ) Sunstone Hotel Investors, Inc is a lodging real estate investment trust ("REIT") that as of the date of this release owns 14 hotels comprised of 6,675 rooms, the majority of which are operated under nationally recognized brands. Sunstone's strategy is to create long-term stakeholder value through the acquisition, active ownership, and disposition of well-located hotel and resort real estate. Read More Receive News & Ratings for Sunstone Hotel Investors Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Sunstone Hotel Investors and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter .
Raoul Hira explains how to become a cyber expert and way towards resilient digital world
A melee broke out at midfield of Ohio Stadium after Michigan upset No. 2 Ohio State 13-10 on Saturday. After the Wolverines' fourth straight win in the series, players converged at the block "O" to plant its flag. The Ohio State players were in the south end zone singing their alma mater in front of the student section. When the Buckeyes saw the Wolverines' flag, they rushed toward the 50-yard line. Social media posts showed Michigan offensive lineman Raheem Anderson carrying the flag on a long pole to midfield, where the Wolverines were met by dozens of Ohio State players and fights broke out. Buckeyes defensive end Jack Sawyer was seen ripping the flag off the pole and taking the flag as he scuffled with several people trying to recover the flag. A statement from the Ohio State Police Department read: "Following the game, officers from multiple law enforcement agencies assisted in breaking up an on-field altercation. During the scuffle, multiple officers representing Ohio and Michigan deployed pepper spray. OSUPD is the lead agency for games and will continue to investigate." Michigan running back Kalel Mullings on FOX said: "For such a great game, you hate to see stuff like that after the game. It's bad for the sport, bad for college football. At the end of the day, some people got to learn how to lose, man. "You can't be fighting and stuff just because you lost the game. We had 60 minutes and four quarters to do all that fighting. Now people want to talk and fight. That's wrong. It's bad for the game. Classless, in my opinion. People got to be better." Once order was restored, officers cordoned the 50-yard line, using bicycles as barriers. Ohio State coach Ryan Day in his postgame press conference said he wasn't sure what happened. "I don't know all the details of it. But I know that these guys are looking to put a flag on our field and our guys weren't going to let that happen," he said. "I'll find out exactly what happened, but this is our field and certainly we're embarrassed at the fact we lost the game, but there's some prideful guys on our team that weren't just going to let that happen." The Big Ten has not yet released a statement on the incident. --Field Level Media
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Ohio State, Michigan players involved in postgame scuffle
Kyle Richards slams Dorit Kemsley, Sutton Stracke over plastic surgery beef Kyle Richards addresses Dorit Kemsley, Sutton Stracke criticising ‘looks’, ‘financial situations’ Kyle Richards blasted her Real Housewives of Beverly Hills co-stars Dorit Kemsley and Sutton Stracke’s ongoing plastic surgery beef. “I do not like when anybody talks about people’s looks or their financial situations. It’s ugly,” the 55-year-old Bravolebrity told Page Six’s Virtual Reali-Tea podcast at Bravo’s Fan Fest in Miami on Saturday. “Listen, I’ve had my arguments. We disagree on the show, but I don’t do ugly. I don’t hit below the belt. I don’t like that.” The feud between Kemsley, 48, and Stracke, 53, recently flared up during an interview in which Stracke participated for MTV UK . The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star joined the Real Housewives of Salt Lake City 's Lisa Barlow for a game of Who Am I Even ? where they guessed the identities of fellow Bravo personalities. When Stracke held up a picture of Kemsley, Barlow offered clues such as, “She holds grudges” and “she lives way above her means.” Stracke eventually guessed Kemsley’s name, adding, “I don’t think she ever let the mouse go. The lady can’t get a hint.” Barlow interjected, calling Kemsley “pretty,” to which Stracke responded, “Well, when you’ve had enough surgery, anybody can be pretty.” Kemsley addressed the comments during another appearance on Page Six’s Virtual Reali-Tea podcast, expressing her lack of surprise. “Why hasn’t Sutton done it then?” she questioned, suggesting that if Stracke believed plastic surgery was the key to beauty, she could afford to pursue it. “She has the money, right? She can afford ... plastic surgery, so why hasn’t she done it if it is that easy? I’m just curious,” Kemsley continued. She added, “I stand here today ... hand on my heart, promise you, I would happily, happily tell you if I did anything other than my b–bs ... and I have not.” Taylor Swift surprises fans with Joe Alwyn breakup song Gracie Abrams evokes emotions with moving message: ‘taygracie forver’ Adele bids farewell to Las Vegas residency after 'worst years of her life' Why fans think Taylor Swift will announce 'Reputation' before Eras Tour end
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BEMIDJI — The Bemidji Area Full Gospel Businessmen’s Fellowship of America chapter is set to meet at 8 a.m. on Saturday, Dec. 7, in the Beltrami Electric Conference Room, 4111 Technology Drive NW. A light breakfast will be served and all are welcome to attend. The keynote speaker will be Ryan O'Leary. His testimony will focus on his ministry work with Indigenous groups in North America. O'Leary is a member of the Bois Forte Band of Ojibwe in northern Minnesota. He grew up playing hockey and eventually played at the University of Denver and was drafted to play professionally by the Calgary Flames in the fourth round back in his draft year, a release said. Along with his hockey background, O'Leary has an extensive ministry background and has served as a lead pastor for two congregations for a total of 13 years. He currently works for a global missions organization and leads two ministries based out of Bemidji. O'Leary leads a ministry called the First Peoples Initiative, which involves developing a ministry to all of the First Peoples groups in North America. According to the release, there are around 9.5 million tribal members in the U.S. and about another 2 million First Nations people in Canada. He also serves as president of the National Association of Native Evangelicals and serves on the National Association of Evangelicals board of directors based in Washington D.C. O'Leary and his family reside in Bemidji. He has been married to his wife Kristen for over 21 years and has four children.None
The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants on Thursday for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his former defense minister and a Hamas military leader, accusing them of war crimes and crimes against humanity. The announcement came as health officials in the Gaza Strip said the death toll from the 13-month-old war between Israel and Hamas has surpassed 44,000. The warrant marked the first time that a sitting leader of a major Western ally has been accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity by a global court of justice. The ICC panel said there were reasonable grounds to believe that both Netanyahu and his ex-defense minister bear responsibility for the war crime of starvation and the crimes against humanity of murder, persecution and other inhumane acts. Israel’s war has caused heavy destruction across Gaza, decimated parts of the territory and driven almost the entire population of 2.3 million people from their homes, leaving most dependent on aid to survive. Israel launched its war in Gaza after Hamas-led militants stormed into southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting another 250 . Around 100 hostages are still inside Gaza, at least a third of whom are believed to be dead. Here’s the Latest: WASHINGTON — The White House fundamentally rejects the International Criminal Court’s decision to issue arrest warrants for senior Israeli officials, press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Thursday. She said the Biden administration was “deeply concerned by the prosecutor’s rush to seek arrest warrants and the troubling process errors that led to this decision.” The Biden administration has increased its warnings and appeals to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to do more to spare civilians in airstrikes and other attacks, and to allow more aid to reach Gaza. However, a 30-day Biden administration deadline came and went earlier this month for Israel to meet specific U.S. targets to improve its treatment of Palestinian civilians in Gaza trapped in the war. U.S. demands included that Israel lift a near-total ban on delivery of aid to hard-hit north Gaza for starving civilians there. KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip — The three children were playing outside a cluster of tents housing displaced people in the Gaza Strip when an Israeli airstrike killed them, along with six other people. It’s become a grim, near-daily ritual more than 13 months into the Israel-Hamas war, which local health authorities said Thursday has killed over 44,000 Palestinians. Israel carries out frequent strikes against what it says are militants hiding in civilian areas, and women and children are nearly always among the dead. Wednesday’s strike killed Hamza al-Qadi, 7, his brother Abdulaziz, 5, and their sister Laila, 4, in a tent camp in the southern city of Khan Younis. Areej al-Qadi, their mother, says they were playing outside when they were killed. “All that’s left of them are their notebooks, their books and a blood-stained jacket,” she said as she broke into tears. “They were children who did nothing.” The Israeli military did not respond to a request for comment on the strike. Gaza’s Health Ministry said Thursday that 44,056 Palestinians have been killed and 104,268 wounded since the start of the war, which was ignited by Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack into Israel. Palestinian militants killed some 1,200 people that day, mostly civilians, and abducted around 250 people. The Health Ministry does not say how many of those killed in Gaza were fighters but says women and children make up more than half the fatalities. Israel, which rarely comments on individual strikes, says it has killed over 17,000 militants, without providing evidence. Hours after the ministry announced the latest toll, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his former defense minister and a Hamas military leader. Mahmoud bin Hassan, the children’s father, said he buried them on Thursday. He asked when the international community would take action to stop the war. “When the entire Palestinian population has been killed?” he said. NEW YORK — Human Rights Watch applauded the International Criminal Court's arrest warrants issued Thursday against both Israeli and Hamas officials. The warrants “break through the perception that certain individuals are beyond the reach of the law,” the associate international justice director at Human Rights Watch, Balkees Jarrah, said in a statement. The New York-based rights group earlier this month released a report saying Israel has committed war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Gaza Strip, including massive forced displacements that amount to ethnic cleansing. JERUSALEM — Israeli prosecutors have charged a former aide to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with leaking classified documents to international media, apparently to protect the Israeli leader from criticism as a hostage deal was collapsing. Eli Feldstein, a former media adviser to Netanyahu, was charged Thursday with leaking classified information with the intent of harming state security and obstruction of justice. The leaked documents are said to have formed the basis of a widely discredited article in the London-based Jewish Chronicle — which was later withdrawn — suggesting Hamas planned to spirit hostages out of Gaza through Egypt, and an article in Germany’s Bild newspaper that said Hamas was drawing out the hostage talks as a form of psychological warfare on Israel. Critics say the leaks were aimed at giving Netanyahu political cover as the case-fire talks ground to a halt. Some have accused Netanyahu of resisting a deal in to preserve his governing coalition, which includes hard-line members who have threatened to bring down the government if he makes concessions to Hamas. The leaks came at a time of public uproar over the deaths of six hostages who were killed by their Hamas captors as Israeli soldiers were closing in. The indictment said the leaks were meant “to create media influence on the public discourse in Israel in regards to the handling of the hostage situation, after the news of the murder of six hostages.” The indictment identified two other Netanyahu aides as being connected to the scheme, but only Feldstein and an unidentified reservist in Israeli military intelligence were charged. Netanyahu, who denies the accusations, has not been identified as a suspect in the burgeoning investigation. Israeli media say if convicted, Feldstein could potentially face life in prison. JERUSALEM -- The Israeli military has launched an investigation into the death of a 70-year-old Israeli man who entered Lebanon with Israeli forces and was killed in a Hezbollah ambush. Investigators are trying to determine, among other things, who allowed Zeev Erlich into the combat zone with the forces and why he was permitted to enter. According to Israeli media reports, Erlich was not on active duty when he was shot, but was wearing a military uniform and had a weapon. The army said he was a reservist with the rank of major and identified him as a “fallen soldier” when it announced his death. Erlich was a well-known West Bank settler and researcher of Jewish history. Media reports said Erlich was permitted to enter Lebanon to explore a local archaeological site. The army said a 20-year-old soldier was killed in the same incident, while an officer was badly wounded. The army announced Thursday that the chief of staff, Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi, has appointed a team of experts “to examine and strengthen operational discipline and military culture” following the incident. It said its commander for northern Israel, Maj. Gen. Ori Gordin, would launch a separate “command inquiry,” while Israeli military police conduct a separate probe. Such investigations can lead to criminal charges. BEIRUT — At least 29 people were killed Thursday in Israeli strikes on different towns and villages across Lebanon, according to Lebanon’s Health Ministry and state-run media. In eastern Lebanon, Israeli airstrikes killed 26 people in six different towns in Baalbek province, the health ministry and the National News Agency said. In Tyre province, southern Lebanon, three people were killed in an Israeli strike, the health ministry said. The health ministry Wednesday said that over 3,550 people have been killed in the 13-month war between Hezbollah and Israel, the majority following Israel’s escalation in late September. The European Union's foreign policy chief has underlined that the arrest warrants issued by the International Criminal Court against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Hamas officials are a legal and not political matter, and that they are binding on all 27 EU member countries and other signatories to the ICC to implement. “The tragedy in Gaza has to stop," Josep Borrell told reporters during a visit to Jordan. “It is not a political decision. It is the decision of an international court of justice, and the decision of the court has to be respected, and implemented.” “This decision is a binding decision on all state parties of the court, which include all members of the European Union," he added. ANKARA — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s ruling partyhas welcomed the decision by the International Criminal Court to issue arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamn Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, calling it a judgement made for the sake of “humanity.” Omer Celik, spokesman for the Erdogan’s party, said on the social media platform X that Netanyahu and Gallant would “eventually be held accountable for genocide.” Celik also criticised Israeli officials who described the ICC decision as antisemitic. Turkey is among the most vocal critics of Israel’s military actions in Gaza and has submitted a formal request to join a genocide case that South Africa has filed against Israel at the U.N.’s International Court of Justice. Dutch foreign minister Caspar Veldkamp, whose country hosts the International Criminal Court, has confirmed The Netherlands would arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu if he arrived on Dutch soil. “The line from the government is clear. We are obliged to cooperate with the ICC ... we abide 100% by the Rome Statute,” he said in response to a question in parliament Thursday. Other European officials were more cautious. In France, a spokesman for the Foreign Ministry said he supported the International Criminal Court's prosecutor but declined to comment when asked more specifically if France would arrest Netanyahu if he were to step on French soil. “Today, combating impunity is our priority. We ratified the ICC Statute in 2000 and have consistently supported the court’s actions. Our response will align with these principles,” Christophe Lemoine told reporters at a press conference. Lemoine added that the warrants were “a complex legal issue ... It’s a situation that requires a lot of legal precautions.” In Italy, the foreign and justice ministries didn’t immediately respond to emails seeking comment about whether Italy, an ICC member which hosted the Rome conference that gave birth to the court, would honor the arrest warrant. Premier Giorgia Meloni hosted Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in March 2023 and has strongly supported Israel since Oct. 7, while providing humanitarian aid for Palestinians in Gaza. JERUSALEM — Israel’s mostly ceremonial president, Isaac Herzog, has called the International Criminal Court's arrest warrants against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “a dark day for justice. A dark day for humanity.” In a post on X, he said the international court “has chosen the side of terror and evil over democracy and freedom, and turned the very system of justice into a human shield for Hamas’ crimes against humanity." Israel Katz, Israel’s new defense minister, said the decision was “a moral disgrace, entirely tainted by antisemitism, and drags the international judicial system to an unprecedented low.” He said it “serves Iran, the head of the snake, and its proxies.” Benny Gantz, a retired general and political rival to Netanyahu, also condemned the decision, saying it showed “moral blindness” and was a “shameful stain of historic proportion that will never be forgotten.” Hamas has welcomed the decision by the International Criminal Court to issue warrants against Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defense minister Yoav Gallant, calling it an “important and historic precedent” after what it said was decades of injustice at the hands of a “fascist occupation.” The statement did not refer to the warrants issued for the militant group’s own leaders. Hamas called on all nations to “cooperate with the court in bringing the Zionist war criminals, Netanyahu and Gallant, to justice, and to work immediately to stop the crimes of genocide against innocent civilians in the Gaza Strip.” DEIR AL-BALAH, The Gaza Strip — Bakeries have reopened in the central Gaza Strip after being closed for several days because of flour shortages. The shortages appear to have been linked to the looting of nearly 100 truckloads of aid by armed men in southern Gaza last weekend. Associated Press footage showed a crowd of hundreds pushing and shouting outside a bakery in the central city of Deir al-Balah on Thursday. The day before the reopening, the price of a bag of 15 loaves of pita bread had climbed above $13. “In my house, there is not a morsel of bread, and the children are hungry,” said Sultan Abu Sultan, who was displaced from northern Gaza during the war. The amount of aid entering Gaza plunged in October as Israel launched a major offensive in the isolated north, where experts say famine may be underway . Hunger is widespread across the territory, even in central Gaza where aid groups have more access. Humanitarian organizations say Israeli restrictions, ongoing fighting and the breakdown of law and order make it difficult to deliver assistance. Israel’s offensive, launched after Hamas’ October 2023 attack, has displaced around 90% of Gaza’s population of 2.3 million people. Hundreds of thousands are crammed into tent camps with little in the way of public services and are reliant on international food aid. NICOSIA — The president of Cyprus says the European Union must play a bigger role in the Middle East as it can no longer stand by as an observer. President Nikos Christodoulides said the 27-member bloc needs to establish closer ties with countries that bolster regional stability like Egypt, Jordan and the Gulf states. “The conflict in the Middle East is taking place on the EU’s doorstep, in an area of vital interest to the bloc’s interests, where any escalation or regional spillover will have significant consequences on its security and stability,” Christodoulides told an Economist conference in the Cypriot capital. Christodoulides said EU member Cyprus for years has tried to get this message across to Brussels. The island nation earlier this year was the staging ground for a maritime corridor delivering some 20,000 tons of humanitarian aid to Gaza. The EU is wracked by members’ divisions over how peace should come about in the Middle East THE HAGUE — The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants on Thursday for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his former defense minister and Hamas officials, accusing them of war crimes and crimes against humanity over the war in Gaza and the October 2023 attacks that triggered Israel’s offensive in the Palestinian territory. The decision turns Netanyahu and the others into internationally wanted suspects and is likely to further isolate them and complicate efforts to negotiate a cease-fire to end the 13-month conflict. But its practical implications could be limited since Israel and its major ally, the United States, are not members of the court and several of the Hamas officials have been subsequently killed in the conflict. Netanyahu and other Israeli leaders have previously condemned ICC Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan’s request for the warrants as disgraceful and antisemitic. U.S. President Joe Biden also blasted the prosecutor and expressed support for Israel’s right to defend itself against Hamas. Hamas also slammed the request. The death toll in the Gaza Strip from the 13-month-old war between Israel and Hamas has surpassed 44,000, local health officials said Thursday. The Gaza Health Ministry does not distinguish between civilians and combatants in its count, but it has said that more than half of the fatalities are women and children. The Israeli military says it has killed over 17,000 militants, without providing evidence. The Health Ministry said 44,056 people have been killed and 104,268 wounded since the start of the war. It has said the real toll is higher because thousands of bodies are buried under rubble or in areas that medics cannot access. The war began when Hamas-led militants stormed into southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting another 250 . Around 100 hostages are still inside Gaza, at least a third of whom are believed to be dead. Most of the rest were released during a cease-fire last year. Around 90% of Gaza's population of 2.3 million people have been displaced, often multiple times, and hundreds of thousands are living in squalid tent camps with little food, water or basic services. Israel says it tries to avoid harming civilians and blames their deaths on Hamas because the militants operate in residential areas, where they have built tunnels, rocket launchers and other military infrastructure. JERUSALEM — A rocket fired from Lebanon killed a man and wounded two others in northern Israel on Thursday, according to the Magen David Adom rescue service. The service said paramedics found the body of the man in his 30s near a playground in the town of Nahariya, near the border with Lebanon, after a rocket attack on Thursday. Israel meanwhile struck targets in southern Lebanon and several buildings south of Beirut, the Lebanese capital, after warning people to evacuate.
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — The Australian Senate on Thursday began considering a ban on children younger than 16 years old from social media after the House of Representatives overwhelmingly supported the age restriction. The world-first bill that would make platforms including TikTok, Facebook, Snapchat, Reddit, X and Instagram liable for fines of up to 50 million Australian dollars ($33 million) for systemic failures to prevent young children from holding accounts is likely to be passed by the Senate on Thursday, the Parliament’s final session for the year and potentially the last before elections, which are due within months. The major parties’ support for the ban all but guarantees the legislation will become law. But many child welfare and mental health advocates are concerned about unintended consequences. Unaligned Sen. Jacqui Lambie complained about the limited amount of time the government gave the Senate to debate the age restriction, which she described as “undercooked.” “I thought this was a good idea. A lot of people out there thought it was a good idea until we looked at the detail and, let's be honest, there's no detail,” Lambie told the Senate. The House of Representatives on Wednesday overwhelmingly carried the bill 102 votes to 13. Once the legislation becomes law, the platforms would have one year to work out how they could implement the ban before penalties are enforced. The platforms complained that the law would be unworkable, and urged the Senate to delay the vote until at least June next year when a government-commissioned evaluation of age assurance technologies made its report on how young children could be excluded. Critics argue the government is attempting to convince parents it is protecting their children ahead of general elections due by May. The government hopes that voters will reward it for responding to parents' concerns about their children's addiction to social media. Some argue the legislation could cause more harm than it prevents. Criticisms include that the legislation was rushed through Parliament without adequate scrutiny, is ineffective, poses privacy risks for all users, and undermines parental authority to make decisions for their children. Opponents of the bill also argue the ban would isolate children, deprive them of the positive aspects of social media, drive them to the dark web, discourage children too young for social media to report harm and reduce incentives for platforms to improve online safety.THE BBC runs a competition called “Women’s Footballer of the Year”. In drawing up a shortlist, they have one job. And that’s to select a woman who plays football . Doesn’t sound terribly onerous, does it? Plenty of women around who play football, aren’t there? But the BBC couldn’t quite manage that task. Because on the shortlist was the Zambian player Barbra Banda . Barbra certainly plays football. And when up against women, is rather good. Trouble is, Babs ain’t what you or I would call a woman. Instead, Babs is rather closer to what you or I would call a bloke. READ MORE FROM ROD LIDDLE Banda plays for the Zambian national team. However, the player was withdrawn from the 2022 African Cup of Nations . Because it was claimed she — or maybe more properly he — did not meet the gender verification criteria. There are lots of things which might be responsible for that, such as having male levels of testosterone. Or generally having a male physique. But the BBC was happy to let Banda be named Women’s Footballer of the Year. Probably, knowing the BBC, even happier than if Barbra had actually been a, you know, young lady. They like to make a progressive political point at the BBC. Most read in The Sun Needless to say there were howls of outrage from within the game. And plenty more outside it. Largely from women who believe that it’s only fair to let women compete against other women. Rather than against men who are born stronger and faster. Harry Potter author JK Rowling , for example, had this to say: “Presumably the BBC decided this was more time efficient than going door to door to spit directly in women’s faces.” Ouch! But she’s right, isn’t she? Because the selection of Banda is an insult not only to women footballers, but to all women. Deranged argument Right now women’s sport is in an absolute crisis — all because of the counter-rational and truly idiotic insistence that blokes who say they are women but are actually men should be allowed to compete against women. It’s taken years for women’s sport to be taken as seriously as men’s sport. And now, suddenly, just as women’s football has really taken off, guess what? The men-women people are inveigling their way in. It’s not just football, of course. A recent United Nations report suggested that transgender athletes have taken a total of 900 medals away from real women across 29 different sporting disciplines. That’s kinda shocking. And remember, this report was from the UN which is about as progressive as it gets. I thought this battle was well on the way to being won. More and more sports bodies are outlawing transgender competitors having previously allowed this fraud. Everywhere, the deranged argument that insists blokes who say they are women really are women is in rapid retreat. Common sense has been allowed back into the argument. But not at the BBC, of course. They are determined to carry on flying the banner for a cause which even some of the transgender activists have given up on. One day, not too far down the line, this last decade will be regarded as being really very, very odd. The obsession with gender politics . The general determination not to allow sanity to have its say. But when Barbra picks up the award, 90 per cent of those watching will know the truth. That the award should really have gone to a WOMAN. ALERTS OFTEN HOT AIR WHY did Storm Bert cause so much damage to the country? Hundreds and hundreds of homes underwater. Communities evacuated. There have been complaints that there were not enough early warnings. But the Met Office said: “Storm Bert was well forecast, 48 hours in advance, with a number of warnings in place ahead of the system reaching the UK.” So what went wrong, then? Here’s my guess. It’s about the boy who cried wolf. You know the story. EVERY weather front which approaches the UK gets the same treatment. With the forecasters shrieking at us “STAY INSIDE!” In case we are burnt to death. Or drown. Or have our testicles frozen off in a snowstorm. And nine times out of ten there’s no problem at all. So when they warned us about Bert, we just thought: “Yeah, yeah. Same ol’ same ol’.” CUT PEP LOOKS HELLISH WHAT the hell has happened to Pep Guardiola ? He looks like he’s just done ten rounds with a Tasmanian devil. Scratches and gouges all over his face and head. Manchester City lost five games on the trot. And Pep made a comment about self-harming. The most likely explanation is that Pep was set upon by furious Satanic imps because he had reneged on a deal with their boss. I can’t prove it, it’s just a guess. WOKE IS WAL OVER THE biggest company in the world has become the latest to ditch its odious DEI policies. DEI stands for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. It is wokedom gone mad – and racist. Companies across the Western world are quickly getting rid of this rubbish. Walmart is removing ALL vestiges of DEI from its company. Well done, Walmart. In future , with any luck, people will be hired for jobs because they are the best people available. Not because of the colour of their skins, religion or gender. ANOTHER anti-Semitic hate crime in London . This time a bunch of girls walking home from school had bottles thrown at them. One 14-year-old lass was taken to hospital with a head wound. Earlier this year, a 16-year-old Jewish lad had to flee in terror when he was pelted with rocks by a mob. We know who the perpetrators are. Here, just as in France and Belgium and Germany . But for some reason we’re scared to call it out. It’s time we started telling the truth about these horrible racist attacks. SHIRK FORCE DODGE SO, the Labour Government isn’t going to reform our costly and catastrophic benefits system at all. They had said they would. But nope, not really. There are hundreds of thousands of people claiming state money for doing nothing but sitting on their fat arses watching Homes Under The Hammer . Unless they are threatened with the immediate withdrawal of benefits, they will continue to do so. And our welfare bill will continue to spiral. Alien language has down-to-earth use THE incredibly esteemed Ubiquity University in California is offering a degree in Extraterrestrial Studies. This includes an important module on “How to communicate with aliens”. At first I had been inclined to snigger at this. READ MORE SUN STORIES But it’s probably of more practical value than half the courses on offer at our own universities . In fact, I might sign up, in case I ever have to interview Rachel Reeves .