real money slot game app

real money slot game app Why The EU Is Shelling Out Billions To Compete With Elon Musk’s Starlink

UPSRTC to install AI-based cameras in buses for passenger countNext generation security system launches at Cardiff Airport

NoneAI can improve literacy, but poses dangers like Deepfake: Carnegie Mellon ProfessorVikings thrive under coach of year favorite O'Connell, a relatable state for Packers with LaFleurNone

None

ALEXANDRIA, Va. (AP) — Google, already facing a possible breakup of the company over its ubiquitous search engine , is fighting to beat back another attack by the U.S. Department of Justice alleging monopolistic conduct, this time over technology that puts online advertising in front of consumers. The Justice Department and Google made closing arguments Monday in a trial alleging Google's advertising technology constitutes an illegal monopoly. U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema in Alexandria, Virginia, will decide the case and is expected to issue a written ruling by the end of the year. If Brinkema finds Google has engaged in illegal, monopolistic conduct, she will then hold further hearings to explore what remedies should be imposed. The Justice Department, along with a coalition of states, has already said it believes Google should be forced to sell off parts of its ad tech business, which generates tens of billions of dollars annually for the Mountain View, California-based company. After roughly a month of trial testimony earlier this year, the arguments in the case remain the same. During three hours of arguments Monday, Brinkema, who sometimes tips her hand during legal arguments, did little to indicate how she might rule. She did, though, question the applicability of a key antitrust case Google cites in its defense. The Justice Department contends Google built and maintained a monopoly in “open-web display advertising,” essentially the rectangular ads that appear on the top and right-hand side of the page when one browses websites. Google dominates all facets of the market. A technology called DoubleClick is used pervasively by news sites and other online publishers, while Google Ads maintains a cache of advertisers large and small looking to place their ads on the right webpage in front of the right consumer. In between is another Google product, AdExchange, that conducts nearly instantaneous auctions matching advertisers to publishers. In court papers, Justice Department lawyers say Google “is more concerned with acquiring and preserving its trifecta of monopolies than serving its own publisher and advertiser customers or winning on the merits.” As a result, content providers and news organizations have never been able to generate the online revenue they should due to Google’s excessive fees for brokering transactions between advertisers and publishers, the government says. Google argues the government's case improperly focuses on a narrow niche of online advertising. If one looks more broadly at online advertising to include social media, streaming TV services, and app-based advertising, Google says it controls as little as 10% of the market, a share that is dwindling as it faces increased and evolving competition. Google alleges in court papers that the government’s lawsuit “boil(s) down to the persistent complaints of a handful of Google’s rivals and several mammoth publishers.” Google also says it has invested billions in technology that facilitates the efficient match of advertisers to interested consumers and it should not be forced to share its technology and success with competitors. “Requiring a company to do further engineering work to make its technology and customers accessible by all of its competitors on their preferred terms has never been compelled by U.S. antitrust law,” the company wrote. Brinkema, during Monday's arguments, also sought clarity on Google’s market share, a number the two sides dispute, depending on how broadly the market is defined. Historically, courts have been unwilling to declare an illegal monopoly in markets in which a company holds less than a 70% market share. Google says that when online display advertising is viewed as a whole, it holds only a 10% market share, and dwindling. The Justice Department contends, though, that when focusing on open-web display advertising, Google controls 91% of the market for publisher ad servers and 87% of the market for advertiser ad networks. Google says that the “open web display advertising” market is gerrymandered by the Justice Department to make Google look bad, and that nobody in the industry looks at that category of ads without considering the ability of advertisers to switch to other forms of advertising, like in mobile apps. The Justice Department also contends that the public is harmed by the excessive rates Google charges to facilitate ad purchases, saying the company takes 36 cents on the dollar when it facilitates the transaction end to end. Google says its “take rate” has dropped to 31% and continues to decrease, and it says that rate is lower than that of its competitors. “When you have an integrated system, one of the benefits is lower prices," Google lawyer Karen Dunn said Monday. The Virginia case is separate from an ongoing lawsuit brought against Google in the District of Columbia over its namesake search engine. In that case, the judge determined it constitutes an illegal monopoly but has not decided what remedy to impose. The Justice Department said last week it will seek to force Google to sell its Chrome web browser , among a host of other penalties. Google has said the department's request is overkill and unhinged from legitimate regulation. In Monday's arguments, Justice Department lawyer Aaron Teitelbaum cited the search engine case when he highlighted an email from a Google executive, David Rosenblatt, who said in a 2009 email that Google’s goal was to “do to display what Google did to search," which Teitelbaum said showed the company's intent to achieve market dominance. “Google did not achieve its trifecta of monopolies by accident,” Teitelbaum said.An Economic Requiem For The Biden AdministrationBREAKING: Rich Rodriguez Set To Return To West Virginia

The headline Tokyo Consumer Price Index (CPI) for December rose 3.0% YoY as compared to 2.6% in the previous month, the Statistics Bureau of Japan showed on Friday. Meanwhile, the Tokyo CPI ex Fresh Food, Energy came in at 2.4% in December vs. 2.2% in November. Additionally, Tokyo CPI ex Fresh Food rose 2.4% YoY in December against 2.5% expected and up from 2.2% in the prior month. Market reaction to the Tokyo Consumer Price Index As of writing, the USD/JPY pair was down 0.13% on the day at 157.76. Japanese Yen FAQs The Japanese Yen (JPY) is one of the world’s most traded currencies. Its value is broadly determined by the performance of the Japanese economy, but more specifically by the Bank of Japan’s policy, the differential between Japanese and US bond yields, or risk sentiment among traders, among other factors. One of the Bank of Japan’s mandates is currency control, so its moves are key for the Yen. The BoJ has directly intervened in currency markets sometimes, generally to lower the value of the Yen, although it refrains from doing it often due to political concerns of its main trading partners. The BoJ ultra-loose monetary policy between 2013 and 2024 caused the Yen to depreciate against its main currency peers due to an increasing policy divergence between the Bank of Japan and other main central banks. More recently, the gradually unwinding of this ultra-loose policy has given some support to the Yen. Over the last decade, the BoJ’s stance of sticking to ultra-loose monetary policy has led to a widening policy divergence with other central banks, particularly with the US Federal Reserve. This supported a widening of the differential between the 10-year US and Japanese bonds, which favored the US Dollar against the Japanese Yen. The BoJ decision in 2024 to gradually abandon the ultra-loose policy, coupled with interest-rate cuts in other major central banks, is narrowing this differential. The Japanese Yen is often seen as a safe-haven investment. This means that in times of market stress, investors are more likely to put their money in the Japanese currency due to its supposed reliability and stability. Turbulent times are likely to strengthen the Yen’s value against other currencies seen as more risky to invest in.‘Momentum now with us’ declares Mary Lou as Fine Gael suffer Simon Slump in the polls after election canvassing blunders

Jets aren't ready to send Aaron Rodgers to the sideline as a lost season reaches the home stretchProgram Announced at Rutgers Men's Basketball Game as Part of LG's Life's Good Night PISCATAWAY, N.J. , Dec. 16, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- LG Electronics USA , a proud partner of Rutgers Athletics, announced the creation of two positions in its annual LG Summer Internship Program exclusively for Rutgers student-athletes. The announcement was made at a recent Rutgers men's basketball game, which also featured a series of Life's Good giveaways for fans, including LG TVs and LG XBOOM Audio products. As part of the company's commitment to fostering young talent, interns will have the chance to work alongside experienced professionals, gaining exposure to various areas of LG's organizations and making important contributions to real-world projects as part of the internship program. "LG is a very meaningful and impactful place to work," said Audrey Cha , a junior at Rutgers and former LG brand marketing summer intern who was on hand to help make the announcement. "I'm really passionate about the field of marketing, and my internship allowed me to experience a lot of real-world work in my field. I was also able to make a lot of connections that I've maintained even after my internship ended," she added. LG also added multiple Life's Good moments throughout the game for the fans. As part of the company's sponsorship, LG brought "Life's Good" to center court at Jersey Mike's Arena with a friendly head-to-head competition and product giveaways. Following the game, fans enjoyed a meet-and-greet with Rutgers guard and team captain, Jeremiah Williams . "LG recognizes the importance of investing in the next generation of leaders, and our internship program provides a unique opportunity for students to gain enriching experiences in a variety of fields in a dynamic corporate environment," said Louis Giagrande , LG USA head of marketing. "We are proud to partner with Rutgers Athletics to support their student-athletes both on and off the court." "LG's summer internship program continues to create exceptional opportunities for our student-athletes," said Carey Loch , Senior Associate Athletic Director for Student-Athlete Development and Success at Rutgers University . "The presence of LG at this game had a powerful impact, energizing fans, strengthening the LG-Rutgers partnership and showcasing LG's investment in our students' futures." In addition to highlighting the internship program, the halftime competition featured a head-to-head challenge where fans tested their basketball shooting skills for a chance to win LG prizes. During the post-game meet and greet with Williams, fans also had the opportunity to take pictures, get his autograph and win LG products including XBOOM XL7 and XBOOM XG2T portable audio speakers. To learn more about LG's commitment to student-athletes, visit https://www.lg.com/us/ncaa . About LG Electronics USA LG Electronics USA , Inc., based in Englewood Cliffs, N.J. , is the North American subsidiary of LG Electronics, Inc., a $68 billion global innovator in technology and manufacturing. In the United States , LG sells a wide range of innovative home appliances, home entertainment products, commercial displays, air conditioning systems and vehicle components. LG is an 11-time ENERGY STAR® Partner of the Year. The company's commitment to environmental sustainability and its "Life's Good" marketing theme encompass how LG is dedicated to people's happiness by exceeding expectations today and tomorrow. www.LG.com . Media Contacts: LG Electronics USA Chris De Maria christopher.demaria@lge.com 908-548-4515 Kristi Hubert Kristi.Hubert@LG-One.com 630-995-5444 View original content to download multimedia: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/lg-usa-announces-creation-of-2025-summer-internships-exclusively-for-rutgers-student-athletes-302332916.html SOURCE LG Electronics USA

NoneFox News correspondent Bryan Llenas joins 'America's Newsroom' to discuss Trump's choices for his cabinet secretaries. New York Times political analyst Nate Cohn argued in a new piece that President-elect Donald Trump "shattered" the Democratic Party 's dreams of a new multicultural majority by appealing to the working class and depriving liberals of their fading appeal to non-college-educated voters. "The overarching pattern is clear," Cohn wrote in an article Monday. "In election after election, Democrats underperformed among traditional Democratic constituencies during the Trump era. Sometimes, it was merely a failure to capitalize on his unpopularity. Other times, it was a staggering decline in support. Together, it has shattered Democratic dreams of building a new majority with the rise of a new generation of young and nonwhite voters." "This overarching pattern requires an overarching explanation: Mr. Trump’s populist conservatism corroded the foundations of the Democratic Party’s appeal," Cohn wrote . "It tapped into many of the issues and themes that once made these voters Democrats." HARRIS DISAPPEARS FROM SPOTLIGHT, VACATIONS IN HAWAII AFTER ELECTION LOSS New York Times columnist Nate Cohn wrote that President-elect Trump beat the Democratic Party by appealing to the working class. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin;; Brandon Bell/Getty Images) Cohn argued that Democrats did not fully capitalize on Trump's unpopularity and also faced a "staggering decline" in support. After Trump's victory over Vice President Kamala Harris, some polls have found that Democrats are feeling depressed about their party's future. Democratic pessimism about the party's future is at its highest point in eight years, according to a new Pew Research Center survey . Republicans, on the other hand, are riding high and have the most optimistic outlook about their party recorded since the 2016 election, Trump's last presidential victory. PRESIDENT BIDEN ADMITS PRESSURE FROM DEMOCRATS CONTRIBUTED TO DECISION TO DROP OUT Cohn argued that Democrats did not capitalize on Trump's unpopularity and also faced a "staggering decline" in support. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images) Cohn laid out in an eye-popping chart how Republicans made massive progress from the 2012 election that re-elected Barack Obama to the 2024 race that sent Trump to a second, non-consecutive White House term. It included double-digit gains among Blacks (19-point net swing), Hispanics (29), Asians (17) and voters aged 18 to 29 (14). "After three Trump elections, almost every traditional Democratic constituency has swung to the right," Cohn wrote. "In fact, Mr. Trump has made larger gains among Black, Hispanic, Asian American and young voters in his three campaigns since 2016 than he has among White voters without a college degree, according to New York Times estimates. In each case, Mr. Trump fared better than any Republican in decades." "Even at the times Mr. Trump made relatively few gains — say, among Hispanic voters in 2016 or Black voters in 2020 — Democrats nonetheless underperformed," Cohn wrote. Cohn wrote that while Democrats have been perceived as "the party of the people" for at least a century, Trump has managed to flip that reputation around with his "populist pitch" that "deprived Democrats of their traditional role in American politics, gradually weakening their bonds with working-class voters, as well as nonwhite and young ones." Fox News' Chris Pandolfo contributed to this report. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Jeffrey Clark is an associate editor for Fox News Digital. He has previously served as a speechwriter for a cabinet secretary and as a Fulbright teacher in South Korea. Jeffrey graduated from the University of Iowa in 2019 with a degree in English and History. Story tips can be sent to jeffrey.clark@fox.com.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on December 26 that Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico is ready to offer a “platform” for possible peace talks between Moscow and Kyiv to end the war in Ukraine. Putin told the media Fico said during a recent meeting that "if there are any negotiations, [the Slovaks] would be happy to provide their country as a platform." Most terms suggested so far by Putin have been deemed unacceptable to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy. Fico is one of the few European leaders Putin has stayed friendly with since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, prompting criticism of the Slovak leader by Zelenskiy and many Western leaders. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Russian Service, click here . Iranian President Masud Pezeshkian is scheduled to travel to Russia on January 17, state-controlled media in Iran and Russia reported on December 26. Quoting Iranian Ambassador to Moscow Kazem Jalali, Iran's Tasnim news agency said that “the president will visit Russia on January 17 and a cooperation agreement between the two countries will be signed during the visit." Russia and Iran both are under severe financial sanctions imposed by Western nations and have stepped up bilateral cooperation on many fronts in recent years. The West has accused Iran of providing weapons to Russia for use against Ukraine. Tehran has denied the allegations despite evidence widespread use of Iranian-made drones in the war. SARAJEVO -- Bosnia-Herzegovina’s security minister has been arrested on charges of money-laundering, abuse of office, and accepting bribes, the Balkan nation’s prosecutor’s office said. The minister, Nenad Nesic, was among seven people arrested on similar charges, the office said on December 26. The charges stem from an investigation by the Bosnian state prosecutor and the Interior Ministry of Bosnia's ethnic-Serb entity, Republika Srpska, into suspected corruption at the Roads of RS (Putevi RS) public company, where Nesic was general manager from 2016 to 2020. The company's current general manager, Milan Dakic, was also among those arrested, prosecutors said. The company did not immediately comment. Nesic, 46, has been Bosnia’s security minister since 2022. When asked by reporters about the case as he was entering an East Sarajevo police station, Nesic said only that "I continue to fight for Republika Srpska," according to Reuters. Nesic is president of the Democratic People's Alliance (DNS), which is in a coalition with Milorad Dodik's Alliance of Independent Social Democrats (SNSD). Dodik, who is president of Republika Srpska, claimed on social media that this was an "unacceptable procedure" and a "persecution of cadres" from the Bosnian government. The pro-Russia Dodik is under sanctions imposed by the United States and Britain for his efforts to undermine the Dayton agreements that ended the 1992-95 Bosnian war. He is currently facing trial himself on charges he failed to comply with the decisions of international High Representative Christian Schmidt. Ethnic Serb lawmakers this week said Dodik's trial was political and based on illegal decisions by the high representative. They claimed that the court was unconstitutional because it was set up by Schmidt and not by the Dayton agreement. Since the Dayton peace accords were put into effect, the country has consisted of a Bosniak-Croat federation and the mostly ethnic Serb Republika Srpska under a weak central government, where Nesic holds the security portfolio. Israel carried out large-scale air strikes on the main airport in Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, on December 26 as it steps up attacks on the Iranian-backed Huthi rebels in what Tehran called a “violation” of peace and security. Huthi rebels said three people were killed and 14 were injured or missing following the Israeli attacks on the airport and other sites in Yemen, including port facilities. "Fighter jets conducted intelligence-based strikes on military targets belonging to the Huthi terrorist regime on the western coast and inland Yemen," the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said. The attacks followed recent rocket launches by the Huthi fighters against the Tel Aviv area, although little damage was reported. The Iranian Foreign Ministry condemned the Israeli strikes on Yemen, calling them "aggressions" that it claimed were "a clear violation of international peace and security." It said they represented "an undeniable crime against the heroic and noble people of Yemen," who had "not spared any effort to support the oppressed people of Palestine." The Israeli military has said air strikes in Yemen are targeting Huthi sites that have been used to receive Iranian weapons, which are then often transported to other Tehran-linked groups in the Mideast -- mainly Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon. Hamas has been designated a terrorist group by the United States and the European Union, while Hezbollah has also been deemed a terrorist group by Washington. The EU blacklists its military arm but not its political wing. The U.S. State Department designated the Huthis as a terrorist group at the start of this year. Hamas and Hezbollah have been severely weakened following massive Israeli military strikes on their respective sites in Gaza and Lebanon, and most of their leaders have been killed in Israel's military response to Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack on Israel. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the strikes would continue against the Huthi rebels, who have also targeted shipping in the Red Sea, claiming they are in solidarity of Hamas fighters in Gaza. "We are determined to cut this branch of terrorism from the Iranian axis of evil. We will continue until the job is done," Netanyahu said in a video statement. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus -- head of the World Health Organization who was at the Sanaa airport during the Israeli attack -- said he was safe but that "one of our plane's crew members was injured.” A Pakistani military court has sentenced 60 people to prison terms ranging between two and 10 years over violent protests that erupted after the arrest of former Prime Minister Imran Khan in 2023, the army’s media wing said on December 26. The defendants, who included a relative of Khan as well as two retired military officers, were sentenced in connection with attacks on military facilities. Twenty-five other people were sentenced on the same charges on December 21. They have the right to appeal the sentences, the military’s media wing said in a statement. Protests erupted across Pakistan in May 2023 when Khan was arrested during his court appearance on corruption charges that he and his supporters deny. Thousands of Khan’s supporters ransacked military facilities and stormed government buildings. Several people were killed, and dozens were injured in the unrest. At least 1,400 protesters, including leaders of Khan’s Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf (PTI) party were arrested following the riots. But only 105 of those detained faced military trials. PTI condemned the sentencing, and said the court had violated the defendants’ rights. The United States expressed deep concern about the sentences, while Britain said that trying civilians in military courts "lacks transparency, independent scrutiny, and undermines the right to a fair trial.” The European Union said the sentences are "inconsistent with the obligations that Pakistan has undertaken under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.” As the first seven survivors arrived back in the country on December 26, Azerbaijan observed a national day of mourning 24 hours after a passenger plane from the flag carrier, Azerbaijan Airlines, crashed in Kazakhstan, killing 38 people. Speculation has swirled over why the Embraer 190 aircraft went down on a scheduled flight from the Azerbaijani capital, Baku, to Grozny in Russia's Chechnya region with 67 people onboard after it was diverted and attempted an emergency landing near the city of Aqtau in western Kazakhstan. Some experts pointed to holes seen in the plane’s tail section as a possible sign that it could have come under fire from Russian air defense systems engaged in thwarting Ukrainian drone attacks. A U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told news agencies that indications suggest a Russian antiaircraft system struck the airliner, although the official provided no evidence. Azerbaijani and Kazakh authorities have launched an investigation into the cause of the incident. Officials said the airliner's cockpit recorder had been recovered and urged caution over laying blame before the facts could be determined. Officials in Baku said the wounded arrived on a special flight arranged by Azerbaijan's Emergency Affairs Ministry and that the injured were accompanied by medical professionals. There was no immediate word on the condition of the injured, who were among 29 survivors from the crash, many of whom suffered severe burn wounds. Ayhan Solomon, Azerbaijan’s chief consul in Aqtau, told reporters that 26 of those killed were Azerbaijani citizens. He said initial reports indicate that 16 Azerbaijani citizens survived. “Of those, 10 to 12 are in good condition and others remain critically stable,” he added. Azerbaijan Airlines' supervisory board said on December 26 that the families of those killed will be compensated with 40,000 manats ($23,460), while those injured would receive 20,000 manats ($11,730). On December 26, national flags were flown at half-mast across Azerbaijan, and signals were sounded from vehicles, ships, and trains as the nation observed a moment of silence at noon to honor the victims of the plane crash. In Baku, officials and families were waiting for the remaining survivors, who were also due to be flown to Azerbaijan in the evening of December 26. Talgat Lastaev, Kazakhstan's vice minister of transport, told RFE/RL that experts are scheduled to arrive at the site on December 27 to assess the next steps regarding the black box. Officials said it typically takes about two weeks to fully assess a black box, although various conditions can alter that time frame. Commenting on unconfirmed reports that the plane may have been shot down by a missile, Kazakh Senate Speaker Maulen Ashimbaev said it was “not possible” to say what may have damaged the aircraft until the investigation is finished. "Real experts are looking at all this and they will make their conclusions. Neither Kazakhstan, Russia, nor Azerbaijan, of course, is interested in hiding information, it will be brought to the public," Ashimbaev said. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov made a similar comment, saying: "We need to await the end of the investigation.” It was “wrong” to speculate before the investigators give their findings, Peskov added. Along with the 42 Azerbaijani citizens, those aboard Flight J2-8243 were listed as 16 Russian nationals, six from Kazakhstan, and three Kyrgyz citizens, officials said. The survivors include nine Russian citizens, who were flown to Moscow on December 26 by the Russian Emergency Situations Ministry. Three of the Russian survivors were in critical condition, according to Russian health authorities. Kazakh Deputy Prime Minister Qanat Bozymbaev -- who is in charge of a special government commission to investigate the incident -- said many of those who died in the crash were not immediately identifiable due to massive burns suffered. Bozymbaev said the 29 survivors had injuries ranging from moderate to severe, with many also suffering from major burns. According to Kazakhstan’s Health Ministry, the injured included at least two children and 11 people had been placed in intensive care. Azerbaijan Airlines said it was suspending all its flights from Baku to the Chechnya region, pending an investigation of the tragedy. Russia's Interfax news agency quoted officials as saying the plane, commissioned in 2013, had passed a maintenance check in October and that the pilot had "vast experience," with more than 15,000 flying hours. Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, who cut short his visit for an informal summit of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) in Russia, said it was too early to determine a cause but suggested bad weather could have contributed to the crash. “The information provided to me is that the plane changed course between Baku and Grozny due to worsening weather conditions and detoured to the Aqtau airport [before] it crashed,” he said. The office of Azerbaijan’s Prosecutor General said that "all possible scenarios are being examined." The United States and European Union on December 25 condemned plans by ethnic-Serb leaders in Bosnia-Herzegovina to block efforts for closer European integration for the Western Balkan nation. Lawmakers in the country’s ethnic-Serb entity, Republika Srpska, late on December 24 ordered Serb representatives in state institutions to block decision-making actions and law changes needed for the country's further integration into the EU. In response, the embassies of the United States, Britain, France, Germany, and Italy, along with the EU delegation in Bosnia, in a joint statement condemned the Serb parliament's acts as "a serious threat to the country's constitutional order." "At a time when formal opening of EU accession negotiations has never been so close, a return to political blockades would have negative consequences for all citizens, a majority of whom support EU accession," the statement said. The Republika Srpska parliament announced the actions in response to the trial of regional leader Milorad Dodik, who is under U.S. and British sanctions for actions that Western governments allege are aimed at the eventual secession of Republika Srpska from Bosnia-Herzegovina. Dodik is on trial in a long-delayed, ongoing process on charges he failed to comply with the decisions of the High Representative in Bosnia. He faces up to five years in prison and a ban on participating in politics if convicted. Ethnic Serb lawmakers said Dodik's trial was political and based on illegal decisions by international High Representative Christian Schmidt. They claimed that the court was unconstitutional because it was set up by Schmidt and not by the Dayton agreement. Since the Dayton peace accords that ended the 1992-95 Bosnian War, the country has consisted of a Bosniak-Croat federation and the mostly ethnic Serb Republika Srpska under a weak central government. Dodik, who is friendly with Russian President Vladimir Putin, has often made somewhat contradictory comments about his entity's place in Bosnia. He has denied it has ever pursued a policy of secession or disputed the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Bosnia under the Dayton agreement. He has said, however, that Republika Srpska "has the right to a political fight for its status” under the Dayton accords. He has also called for the “disassociation” of Republika Srpska from Bosnia -- which Washington called “secession by another name.” PRISTINA -- A special panel in Kosovo overturned a decision by the election commission that had barred the country's largest ethnic-Serbian party from participating in upcoming elections due to its strong links with Belgrade. "The Central Election Commission (CEC) is ordered to certify the political entity Serbian List and the candidates of this political entity...for the elections for the Assembly of the Republic of Kosovo to be held on February 9, 2025," the Electoral Complaints and Appeals Panel (ECAP) said on December 25. The ruling stated that the party had fulfilled all obligations required regarding the political filings and was therefore entitled to be certified. On December 23, the CEC said when it announced its decision not to certify Serbian List that its main reason was the party's nationalistic stance and close ties to Serbia. Some commission members noted that Serbian List leader Zlatan Elek has never referred to Kosovo as independent and continues to call it Serbia's autonomous province of Kosovo. The CEC also said that Serbian List has close ties with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and other Serb leaders who also refuse to recognize Kosovo's independence. Serbia has close ties to Russia and has refused to join international sanctions on Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine, although Vucic has attempted to balance relations with the West and has continued to press Belgrade's desires to join the European Union. Elek on December 24 said he planned to appeal the order and said he was confident it would be overturned. The Serbian List -- which described the CEC decision as an attempt "to eliminate" it from the electoral process -- welcomed the latest ruling. The party said the CEC is now obliged to act on the PZAP decision but added it remains to be seen whether the commission will "continue to violate its own law and regulations and act on direct political pressure from the authorities in Pristina." The February parliamentary elections are expected to be a key test for Prime Minister Albin Kurti, whose party came to power in 2021 in a landslide in the Western-backed Balkan nation. Prior to the ECAP ruling, political analyst Albert Krasniqi of the Demokraci+ NGO told RFE/RL that the CEC decision is part of the preelection campaign being conducted by Kurti’s Self-Determination party (Vetevendosje). He forecast that Serbian List would appeal the decision and predicted it would be successful in getting it reversed. “All this noise will last at most four days, and I am sure that the ECAP will reverse this decision of the CEC and will oblige the CEC to certify Serbian List,” Krasniqi said. Kosovo proclaimed independence from Serbia in 2008. Belgrade still considers Kosovo a province of Serbia and has a major influence on the ethnic Serbian minority living there. Authorities declared a region-wide state of emergency in Russia's Krasnodar region, warning that oil was still washing up on the coastline following a December 15 incident involving two Volgoneft tankers carrying thousands of tons of low-quality heavy fuel oil. "Initially, according to the calculations of scientists and specialists, the bulk of fuel oil should have remained at the bottom of the Black Sea, which would allow it to be collected in water. But the weather dictates its own conditions -- the air warms up and oil products rise to the top. As a result, they are brought to our beaches," regional Governor Veniamin Kondratyev said on December 25. Dozens of kilometers of Black Sea coastline in the southern Russian region have been covered in heavy fuel after the two oil tankers were badly damaged during a storm in the Kerch Strait. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Russian Service, click here . If North Korea’s elite troops were expecting an easy campaign against Ukrainian forces entrenched in Russia’s Kursk region, they faced a harsh reality on the ground. About 1,100 North Korean special forces have been killed or injured in Russia since entering the fray against Ukraine a few weeks ago, South Korea’s National Intelligence Service reported on December 19. A general was reportedly among those killed. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on December 23 put the figure even higher, at more than 3,000, or about a quarter of the North Korean special forces sent to Russia, though he couched his statement by saying the data was preliminary. RFE/RL could not confirm either of the reported numbers. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, though, doesn’t seem to be fazed by the rapid losses. The authoritarian leader is reportedly doubling down in his support of Russian President Vladimir Putin, in exchange for critical supplies of oil, cash, and military technology. Zelenskiy said on December 23 that North Korea may send more troops and weapons to the front. The South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff seconded that forecast, saying Pyongyang is preparing to rotate or supply additional forces to Russia. North Korean military support is coming at a critical time in the war. Russia is seeking to overpower an undermanned and under-resourced Ukrainian infantry and gain territory before its own manpower and resources become constrained. Russia has lost more than 600,000 soldiers in the nearly three-year war, the Pentagon said in early October. It has burned through so much war material that it is struggling to replace its artillery and missile needs amid sweeping Western sanctions. Now nearly two-thirds of the mortars and shells Russia launches at Ukraine come from North Korea, the Wall Street Journal reported , citing Andriy Kovalenko, a Ukrainian Army officer. And every third ballistic missile was made in North Korea, Ukrainian officials said. Pyongyang is ramping up arms production to meet Russia’s growing need, experts said. Trench Warfare Russian troops are now gaining ground in Ukraine’s east at the fastest pace since the start of the war. Kyiv carried out a surprise incursion into the Kursk region in August, seizing a swath of Russian territory in the hope of drawing enemy forces away from eastern Ukraine. That hasn’t materialized, thanks in part to the supply of North Korean troops. The arrival of the North Korean troops in Russia in October was initially seen as an act of desperation on the part of Putin, who has had to significantly bump up salaries to attract new recruits. However, The New York Times reported on December 23, citing U.S. officials, that it was North Korea who approached Russia with the offer of troops and Putin accepted. It is unclear when Kim made the offer. Putin traveled to Pyongyang to meet Kim in June. During the summit, the two leaders agreed on a strategic treaty that includes a mutual defense provision. Putin signed the treaty into law in November. The supply of troops to Russia can help Kim evade sweeping sanctions on technology and materials for military use. North Korea was hit with international sanctions after conducting its first nuclear test in 2006. Pyongyang hasn’t been engaged in a hot war in decades. Thus, its miliary brass and troops – which number more than 1 million -- have no combat experience. The deployment in Russia's war with Ukraine is a way for Kim and his military to acquire some. However, Kim’s troops are ill-prepared for the type of trench warfare with widespread use of drones and missiles they are facing in Kursk, experts say. Hyunseung Lee, a North Korean who spent 3 1/2 years with an artillery and reconnaissance battalion in the early 2000s before defecting, told RFE/RL last month that Kim’s troops "don't really train with that equipment." He said they cannot master drones and the high-tech equipment in such a short period of time. Videos circulating on social media show Ukrainian kamikaze drones striking and killing North Korean soldiers in Kursk’s snow-covered fields. Commenting on the videos in a December 19 tweet , Lee called it a “sad predictable outcome.” Modern warfare technology is not the only issue leading to large-scale deaths of North Koreans, according to the Institute for the Study of War (ISW). The Washington-based research firm said North Korean soldiers were struggling to communicate and coordinate with Russian forces due to language barriers. Perhaps more importantly, North Koreans are now conducting the initial attack in open territory on Ukrainian positions, ISW said. Some military experts cynically call such fighting tactics “meat assaults” because they result in a large loss of life among the attackers. Yevhen Yerin, a spokesman for the Ukrainian military intelligence service, told the AFP news agency on December 24 that Russia’s use of North Korean troops has not had a major impact on the battlefield. “It is not such a significant number of personnel," he said, adding that they use tactics that are "primitive, linked, frankly speaking, more to the times of the Second World War." The cockpit recorder has been recovered intact as authorities stepped up their investigation following the crash of an Azerbaijan Airlines passenger jet in Kazakhstan that killed at least 38 of the 67 people aboard on December 25. Kazakh Deputy Prime Minister Qanat Bozymbaev said many of the 38 people who died aboard the Azerbaijan Airlines scheduled flight from Baku to Grozny in Russia's Chechnya region were not immediately identifiable due to massive burns suffered. He added the 29 survivors had injuries ranging from moderate to severe, many also suffering from major burns in the crash. Kazakhstan’s Health Ministry said the injured included at least two children and that 11 people had been placed in intensive care. Some discrepancies remained over casualty figures provided by various authorities. The cause of the crash was not immediately known amid unconfirmed reports of heavy fog or a possible bird strike. Azerbaijani and Kazakh authorities have launched an investigation, and officials said the airliner's cockpit recorder had been recovered. Bozymbaev and Kazakh law-enforcement authorities would conduct the probe of the crash, although he did not suggest any foul play at this time. In Baku, the prosecutor's office said that "all possible scenarios are being examined." Azerbaijan Airlines said it was suspending all its flights from Baku to the Chechnya region, pending an investigation of the tragedy. Russia's Interfax news agency quoted officials as saying the plane, commissioned in 2013, had passed a maintenance check in October and that the pilot had "vast experience," with more than 15,000 flying hours. Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, who cut short his visit for an informal summit of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) in Russia, said it was too early to determine a cause but suggested bad weather could have contributed to the crash. “The information provided to me is that the plane changed course between Baku and Grozny due to worsening weather conditions and detoured to the Aqtau airport [before] it crashed,” he said. Video showed the plane crashing along the coast of the Caspian Sea short of the airport. In a dramatic account of the incident, Elmira, a witness on the ground, told RFE/RL's Kazakh Service that she was on a company bus near Aqtau with other work colleagues when they saw a plane break up above them and that several people attempted to aid victims following the crash. "We rushed toward the scene, pulling people out from the tail section, which had separated," she said. "The nose of the plane was on fire. We rescued those alive from the back -- they were severely injured and crying." She said a young girl cried out, "Save my mom! My mom is there!" Others also pleaded for help, she added. "Ambulances arrived soon after, and we handed the injured over... I am in shock now and cannot get these scenes out of my mind." At the Heydar Aliyev International Airport in Baku, the families of the passengers of Flight J2-8243 gathered in a designated area, anxiously waiting for news about the fate of their loved ones. Vugar Ismayilov, whose friend Habib Ismayilov, was on board the plane, told RFE/RL that he hadn’t yet received any news about Habib. Ismayilov said that Habib, a 25-year-old native of the Aghdash region in central Azerbaijan, had been reluctant to go on this trip, which would take him to Daghestan via Grozny. “I dropped my friend off at the airport this morning. He was going to Daghestan for work, and it was his first time traveling to Daghestan,” Ismayilov said. “He didn’t really want to go on this trip. He went there because of work.” Nezaket Bayramova, whose sister Jamila Bisloyeva was among the passengers of the ill-fated aircraft, told the Turan Information Agency that she had no information about her sibling’s situation. "We called the hotline that was set up [for the relatives], they took our information and said they would inform us. But there is still no news," Bayramova said. "I don't know anything. From what I heard, a bird hit the plane. I don't know anything else,” she said. There was a heavy police presence at the Baku airport, where ambulances and emergency crews could also be seen in the vicinity. Kazakhstan's Emergencies Ministry said in a statement that rescue teams were at the location of the crash and that fire services had put out a blaze at the site. Videos from the scene of the crash showed the aircraft lying upside down on the ground with part of its fuselage ripped away from the wings and the rest of the plane. Azerbaijan Airlines said the Embraer 190 aircraft, with flight number J2-8243, had been flying from Baku to Grozny, the capital of Chechnya, but was forced to make an emergency landing approximately three kilometers from Aqtau. The airline said it would keep members of the public updated and changed its social media banners to solid black. A spokesperson for Russia’s Federal Air Transport Agency said that preliminary information showed that the pilot had decided to divert to Aqtau after a bird strike on the plane led to “an emergency situation on board.” Media reports said earlier that the plane had been rerouted due to fog in Grozny. Kazakh President Qasym-Zhomart Toqaev has set up a special commission -- led by Deputy Prime Minister Bozymbaev -- to investigate the incident. Toqaev also instructed authorities to send a group of medics from the capital, Astana, to Aqtau to help treat the survivors. At Aliyev’s instruction, representatives of the Azerbaijani government left for Aqtau, the Azerbaijani Press Agency reported. The delegation includes the ministers for digital aviation, transport and emergency situations, the deputy health minister, the deputy prosecutor-general, and the deputy director of the State Civil Aviation Agency among others, the news agency added. Officials said crew members were all Azerbaijani citizens. Including the crew, there were 42 citizens of Azerbaijan aboard, six from Kazakhstan, three from Kyrgyzstan, and 16 Russian nationals, officials said. Pakistani air strikes killed 46 civilians in eastern Afghanistan, the Taliban-led government in Kabul said on December 25, while Islamabad claimed it targeted suspected militant hideouts in border areas. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told RFE/RL that there were many women and children among the victims of the December 24 strikes, which hit four locations in the Barmal district of Paktika Province. There was no immediate comment from Pakistani authorities on the strike inside Afghanistan. However, the Pakistani Army said security forces killed 13 insurgents in an overnight intelligence-based operation in South Waziristan, a Pakistani district that borders Paktika. RFE/RL cannot independently verify the claims. The strikes are likely to further spike tensions between the two neighbors. Pakistan says that militants from the Islamist group Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan (TTP) are hiding across the border in Afghanistan, and Islamabad has repeatedly asked the Afghan Taliban to take action against them. But the Afghan Taliban say the TTP are in Pakistan. The latest Pakistani air strikes come just days after TTP militants carried out a raid near the northwestern border with Afghanistan that killed 16 security officers and wounded eight others. The attack occurred when militants opened fire at a security checkpoint in South Waziristan in the early hours of December 21. The TTP, which seeks to impose Shari'a law in Pakistan, claimed responsibility for the attack and said it killed 35 Pakistani security officers. RFE/RL could not independently confirm the number of dead. Neither side said how many militants were killed during the attack. There has been a steady increase in TTP attacks in Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province since the Taliban returned to power in Kabul in August 2021. KYIV -- "Massive" Russian attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure showed no letup as night fell on Christmas Day following what President Volodymyr Zelenskiy called an “inhumane” assault by the Kremlin’s forces – leaving hundreds of thousands in the bitter cold without heating and causing blackouts in the capital, Kyiv. "Today, [Russian President Vladimir] Putin deliberately chose Christmas to attack,” Zelenskiy said on December 25, adding that Moscow continues to “fight for a blackout” throughout the country. “What could be more inhumane? More than 70 missiles, including ballistic missiles, and more than a hundred attack drones." The Russian Defense Ministry, meanwhile, claimed its forces had conducted a "massive strike" on critical energy sites that were supporting Ukraine’s "military-industrial complex." "The aim of the strike was achieved. All facilities have been hit," the ministry said in a statement. In Washington, U.S. President Joe Biden, who will leave office on January 20, offered new support and further aid for Ukraine in the face of the Christmas Day attacks. “In the early hours of Christmas, Russia launched waves of missiles and drones against Ukrainian cities and critical energy infrastructure," Biden said in a statement . "The purpose of this outrageous attack was to cut off the Ukrainian people’s access to heat and electricity during winter and to jeopardize the safety of its grid." He added that "the United States and the international community must continue to stand with Ukraine until it triumphs over Russia’s aggression." "I have directed the Department of Defense to continue its surge of weapons deliveries to Ukraine, and the United States will continue to work tirelessly to strengthen Ukraine’s position in its defense against Russian forces," he said. Regional governors reported that six people were injured in the northeastern city of Kharkiv and one person was killed in the Dnipropetrovsk area, as residents struggled to recover amid the freezing cold. Governor Oleh Syniehubov also reported "damages to civilian nonresidential infrastructure” in the regional capital of Kharkiv . Kharkiv came “under a massive missile attack,” Mayor Ihor Terekhov said on the Telegram social media platform. “A series of explosions was heard in the city and there are still ballistic missiles heading toward the city," Terekhov wrote early on December 25. Ukrainian authorities reported that there was no letup in drone attacks into the evening of December 25, with areas around Kharkiv, Dnipropetrovsk, and Chernihiv being targeted. In Ukraine, where a majority of Christians identify as Orthodox Christians, this was the second Christmas that was officially designated by the government to be observed not on January 7, but on December 25, in line with Roman Catholic and many Western Christian traditions. In Russia, home to the largest number of Orthodox Christians, believers still celebrate Christmas on January 7. From outside the country, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer also condemned what he called an "ongoing assault on Ukraine's energy infrastructure." "I pay tribute to the resilience of the Ukrainian people, and the leadership of President Zelenskiy, in the face of further drone and missile attacks from Putin's bloody and brutal war machine with no respite even at Christmas," Starmer said in a statement. Pope Francis, in his Christmas address, made an urgent plea for "all people, all peoples, and nations [to] silence the weapons and overcome divisions." "Let there be silence of the weapons in martyred Ukraine," Francis said while calling for negotiations to "achieve a just and lasting peace" in the war-torn country. Ukrainian Energy Minister Herman Halushchenko said that Russia was “again massively attacking the energy sector” on December 25. "The transmission system operator is taking the necessary measures to limit consumption to minimize the negative consequences for the energy system,” Halushchenko wrote on Telegram. Dnipropetrovsk Governor Serhiy Lysak reported that the province had been under a “major attack since the morning,” with Russian forces “trying to destroy the region's power system.” Air raid sirens rang out across Ukraine in the early morning, while the country’s air force reported that Russian Kalibr cruise missiles had been launched from the Black Sea. Since the start of the war in February 2022, Russia has repeatedly attacked Ukraine’s energy sector, severely damaging the country’s power grid and causing frequent outages. In a similar attack on December 13, more than 90 missiles and more than 200 drones were used -- but 81 of the missiles were shot down, according to Zelenskiy. Inside Russia, authorities said the Ukrainian military attacked the city of Lgov in the Kursk region , hitting a residential building and killing four people. It wasn't immediately clear if the damage was caused by drones or shelling. Russian officials also reported Ukrainian drone attacks in the Belgorod region and Voronezh regions. The reports could not immediately be verified. The president of the largest ethnic-Serbian party in Kosovo on December 24 said that he will file an appeal with the Election Complaints and Appeals Panel (ECAP) over a decision by the Central Election Commission (CEC) barring the party’s from the February 9 elections due to its strong links with Belgrade. Zlatan Elek told a news conference that he expects the decision of the CEC against Serbian List (Srpska Lista) to be annulled. Elek used harsh words against Prime Minister Albin Kurti, saying he wanted to "eliminate" Serbian List from the race. "This is institutional and legal violence against the Serbian people, against the Srpska List, because Kurti does not want to see Srpska List MPs in the Kosovo Parliament, but wants obedient Serbs in that parliament," said Elek. The CEC said on December 23 when it announced its decision not to certify Serbian List that its main reason was its nationalist stance and close ties to Serbia. Some commission members noted that Elek has never referred to Kosovo as independent and continues to call it Serbia's autonomous province of Kosovo. The CEC also said that Serbian List has close ties with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and other Serb leaders who also refuse to recognize Kosovo's independence. Kurti, speaking his own news conference on December 24, accused Serbian List of being under the command of Belgrade. "The Serbian List is unfortunately representing the wide scope and high degree of Serbia's interference in Kosovo's internal affairs," Kurti said. Kurti has previously criticized Serbian List regarding its relationship with Vucic and fugitive former Kosovar Serb politician Milan Radoicic. Kosovar officials have accused Radoicic of being the ringleader of an ambush near the Serbian Orthodox Banjska Monastery complex in September 2023 that killed a policeman and injured another. Radoicic, who has taken responsibility for the armed attack, remains in Serbia, which refuses to extradite him. Kosovo has characterized the assault on the monastery as a terrorist attack and accused of being responsible for it. Belgrade has denied involvement and has said the attack was not terrorism. Kurti underlined that the Serbian List has never distanced itself from the attack nor condemned it. "Radoicic continues to be the de-facto head of Srpska Lista," Kurti said. "In my view, the Serb List is not an expression of the political organization of Serbs in Kosovo, but rather Belgrade's dictate to the Serbs of Kosovo by placing Radoicic as the leader of that party." Kosovar President Vjosa Osmani also said that the Serbian List is engaged in terrorist acts, acts of aggression, and violations of the constitutional order, according to her office in responses to RFE/RL’s inquiries. "Every decision made by the CEC must be respected, as part of the commitment to the rule of law and preserving institutional integrity," Osmani said, according to her office. Petar Petkovic, head of the Office for Kosovo in the Serbian government, said that Osmani's "shameful" statement only confirms that the CEC's decision was political and made on Kurti's orders. “[Osmani] and Kurti know neither about democracy nor the rule of law. With this stance, Pristina is showing that the Serbian List and the unity of Serbs are a thorn in its side. Therefore, the Serbian List must win," Petkovic stated on X. Meanwhile, the international community has warned against the process of certifying political entities becoming politically motivated. The U.S. Embassy in Pristina assessed that "it is necessary for voters, not political bodies, to decide who represents them." German Ambassador to Kosovo Joern Rohde said that equal application of the law for all is necessary and the certification process should not be politicized. Similar reactions have been expressed by the European Union and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. The Kosovo Democratic Institute said the CEC's decision was "contrary to the law and other applicable regulations." Eugen Cakolli of the institute said if the Serbian List appeals to the ECAP, it will be certified and the CEC's decision will be annulled. Pakistani military jets on December 24 conducted air strikes inside Afghanistan, targeting suspected hideouts of the Islamist militant group Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan (TTP). The TTP positions targeted were in the Murgha area of the Bermal district in Afghanistan's Paktika Province, according to sources. The area borders the Angoor Adda town in Pakistan's volatile South Waziristan tribal district. Pakistani jets carried out strikes against one target in the Murgha area and two more areas of the Bermal district. There has been no official comment from Pakistan, but some accounts on X believed to be related to Pakistani intelligence confirmed the strikes and claimed casualties among the TTP militants. An Afghan Taliban leader, speaking to RFE/RL on condition of anonymity, confirmed the strikes but added that it is too early to report on casualties. The Afghan Taliban leader said an Afghan government official confirmed to him that there were strikes in three places in Paktika Province but it was not yet known who was targeted. Pakistani security sources say the hideouts of the TTP were hit and dozens of militants were killed. But a TTP official who spoke with RFE/RL said a camp of Pakistani displaced persons was bombed and civilians killed. Pakistan says that TTP militants are hiding across the border in Afghanistan, and Islamabad has repeatedly asked the Afghan Taliban to take action against them. But the Afghan Taliban say the TTP are in Pakistan. The air strikes on December 24 come just days after TTP militants carried out a raid near the northwestern border with Afghanistan that killed 16 security officers. The attack occurred when militants opened fire at a security checkpoint in South Waziristan in the early hours of December 21. Laddha Police Deputy Superintendent Hidayat Ullah told RFE/RL that, in addition to the 16 killed, eight officers were wounded. The TTP, which seeks to impose Shari'a law in Pakistan, claimed responsibility for the attack and said it killed 35 Pakistani security officers. RFE/RL could not independently confirm the number of dead. Neither side said how many militants were killed during the attack. The year already had been one of the deadliest for the region. There has been a steady increase in TTP attacks in Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province since the Taliban regained control of Kabul in August 2021. The Pakistan Center for Conflict and Security Studies said in its most recent report that more than 240 people were killed in "terrorist incidents" in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in November. The death toll included 68 security officers, the highest in a single month this year. Meanwhile, the Army Public Relations Directorate (ISPR) claims to have killed dozens of suspected militants in operations in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa this month. The governments of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Pakistan say they are committed to wiping out the TTP. Iran’s council on safeguarding the Internet has voted to lift bans on the WhatsApp messenger and the Google Play apps, state media reported. The Supreme Cyberspace Council voted unanimously in favor of lifting restrictions on some foreign-owned applications, including WhatsApp and Google Play, during a meeting on December 24, state news agency IRNA said. "Today, we took the first step toward lifting Internet restrictions with unanimity and consensus," Communications Minister Sattar Hashemi said on X. It was not immediately clear when the decision would come into force. The Supreme Cyberspace Council holds its meetings behind closed doors and its members' votes are not made public. IRNA reported that the members of the council voted to lift restrictions while at the same time " emphasizing the importance of rule-of-law governance in cyberspace." The two apps were restricted in 2022 following the Woman, Life, Freedom protests that were severely suppressed. The Supreme Cyberspace Council, which was established by order of Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has also emphasized "supporting domestic platforms." On the eve of the council’s meeting, Mehr News Agency published a document indicating that, based on a Supreme Cyberspace Council plan, an "advertising support package" is to be allocated to domestic messaging services. The document states that the “first phase” of the council’s plan will include “building infrastructure” for domestic content platforms. While the bans on WhatsApp and Google Play were lifted by the council, other popular social media platforms including Facebook, X, Telegram, and YouTube remain blocked in Iran. Critics of the restrictions have argued that the controls have been costly for the country. "The restrictions have achieved nothing but anger and added costs to people's lives," social and political activist Ali Rabiei said on X on December 24. Vice President Mohammad Javad Zarif added that President Masud Pezeshkian believes in removing restrictions and does not consider the bans to be in the interest of the people and the country. “All experts also believe that this issue is not beneficial to the country's security," Zarif said on December 24. Others, however, warned against lifting the restrictions. The reformist Shargh daily reported on December 24 that 136 lawmakers in Iran's 290-member parliament sent a letter to the council saying the move would be a "gift” to Iran's enemies. The lawmakers called for allowing access to restricted online platforms only "if they are committed to the values of Islamic society and comply with the laws of" Iran. A Russian cargo ship sank in the Mediterranean Sea, leaving two members of its crew missing, Russian and Spanish authorities said on December 24. Fourteen members of the crew were rescued from a lifeboat and taken to Spain, the country’s maritime rescue agency said. The Russian Defense Ministry said the ship began sinking after an explosion in the engine room, but Spanish authorities did not confirm that an explosion had occurred. The vessel is owned by a subsidiary of Oboronlogistika, a shipping and logistics company established under the Russian Defense Ministry that has been designated for sanctions by the United States and the European Union for its ties to Russia's military. Spanish authorities said they received an alert around 1 p.m. local time on December 23 when the vessel, the Ursa Major, was roughly 100 kilometers from the coast of southeastern Spain. A ship nearby reported poor weather conditions and said the Ursa Major was listing. Authorities said a Russian warship arrived later to oversee rescue operations and that the 142-meter-long vessel sank around midnight. On board the vessel were empty containers and two cranes, Spanish authorities said. The Russian Embassy in Spain told state news agency RIA Novosti that it was investigating and that it was in contact with local authorities. The Ursa Major left St. Petersburg on December 11 and its final destination was Vladivostok, where it was scheduled to arrive on January 22, according to open-source data. Some news outlets, including Mediazone, cited open-source information in reporting that the sunken dry cargo ship was actually heading to Syria, where the Kremlin-loyal regime of Bashar al-Assad was overthrown earlier this month, to help evacuate a Russian military base. Tracking data indicate that Russia also sent the dry cargo ship Sparta and three large landing ships to the Mediterranean amid reports that Russia was evacuating military personnel and equipment in the wake of the fall of the Assad regime. But an open-source analyst cited by RFE/RL studied the data on the cargo that was on board the Ursa Major and concluded that it was indeed heading to Vladivostok. A photo and video show that there were two port cranes on board the sunken ship as well as 45-ton hatch covers for the construction of nuclear icebreakers. According to analyst Alexander Oliver, the loss of the cargo will be a big blow to the port of Vladivostok and the icebreaker construction program. Oboronlogistika vessels have been repeatedly used to supply Russian military bases in Syria. The United States in May 2022 imposed sanctions against Oboronlogistika and several other Russian companies involved in maritime transportation for the Russian Defense Ministry. YouTube traffic in Russia has plummeted to just 20 percent of its “normal levels” in recent days, a leading Russian expert said, describing the situation as a “de facto” blocking of the video-sharing platform in the country. Mikhail Klimarev, director of the nonprofit organization Society for the Protection of the Internet, said in a Telegram post on December 23 that YouTube traffic in Russia has dropped to one-fifth of the levels recorded before the authorities reportedly began to deliberately slow down the service in July. “Google’s monitoring service currently shows 8.5 traffic points from Russia. Before the “slowdown,” it was 40 points. This means it’s now at roughly 20 percent of normal levels,” Klimarev wrote on his Telegram channel, ZaTelecom, adding: “YouTube is de facto blocked in Russia.” Speaking on condition of anonymity, a resident of the Russian city of Surgut told RFE/RL on December 24 that YouTube has become “inaccessible for some time.” “I first noticed YouTube becoming frustratingly slow in the summer, now it is simply impossible to open,” she said. “We have three smartphones in our family and get the Internet from two different [service providers.] We tried [opening YouTube] in all of them. I can say for sure that we can’t open YouTube anymore,” the Surgut resident added. YouTube, which is owned by Google, has tens of millions of users in Russia. Russian YouTube users have been experiencing mass outages and slowdown in the service since July. Russian authorities said the problems were caused by Google's failure to upgrade equipment used to ensure access to Google services in Russia. Critics, however, accuse the authoritarian government in Moscow of deliberately disrupting the service to prevent Russians from viewing content there that is critical of the Kremlin’s policies. In July, Russian outlet, Gazeta.ru quoted two sources close to the president’s administration as saying that Moscow was planning to begin blocking YouTube in September. The EU-based news website Meduza at the time quoted a source in Russia’s telecommunications sphere who claimed the government started slowing YouTube speeds on July 11. YouTube said in August that it was aware that some people in Russia were not able to access the platform, but it insisted that the problem was not caused by any action or technical issues on YouTube’s part. Last week, Russian President Vladimir Putin reiterated Moscow’s position, claiming that the YouTube service disruption was caused by Google’s failure to upgrade equipment. During his annual news conference and call-in show on December 19, Putin also demanded that Google and YouTube observe Russia’s laws and not use the Internet as a tool to “achieve [the U.S.] government’s political goals.” There was no immediate response by Google. Russia has blocked major social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter. Six people died in a fire at a migrant workers’ temporary residence in the Russian republic of Tatarstan, highlighting the increasingly difficult conditions faced by those coming to Russia seeking work. The regional Investigative Committee said a criminal investigation into the blaze on December 24 has been opened. It added that the wooden building on a farm housed more than three dozen Uzbek migrant workers. Migrants , especially from Central Asian countries such as Uzbekistan, have long provided desperately needed workers across Russia even though the conditions they live in can be poor. In October, the Russian government approved a measure that cuts the quota for residence permits for foreigners in 2025 by almost half even as the number of workers entering the country has fallen to a 10-year low, exacerbating an acute labor shortage. The move came as public sentiment toward migrants grows increasingly negative , with some 80 percent of Russians surveyed expressing concerns about the high number of migrants, particularly from Central Asia and the Caucasus. Hundreds of thousands of migrant workers from those areas legally reside in Russia on working visas allowing them to stay and work in the country for a limited period, while residence permits allow stays in Russia for years. But many Russians turned against migrants from Central Asia after a terrorist attack at the Crocus City Hall entertainment center near Moscow in March that claimed 140 lives. Several Tajik citizens were arrested over their alleged involvement in the attack. The men appeared in court bearing clear signs of beating and torture . Suspicions of migrants from Central Asia were further stoked last week when Russian authorities said they had arrested a man from Uzbekistan over the assassination of a senior general in Moscow on December 17. The arrest of the 29-year-old, who Moscow claimed killed Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov on Ukraine's orders has triggered fear among Central Asian migrants in Russia. Kirillov was the highest-ranking Russian military officer to be assassinated since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Authorities in Tatarstan have not tied the fire to the backlash. In addition to the investigation, the republic’s president, Rustam Minnikhanov, has ordered a check of housing for workers at farms in Tatarstan and pledged assistance for the victims of the fire. Alisher Ilkhamov, an Uzbek analyst and the director of the U.K.-based research entity Central Asia Due Diligence, said Uzbeks will be portrayed "to some extent as the villains” in the assassination. "Anti-migrant rhetoric has been very popular with Russian politicians recently," Ilkhamov said. "Now that will be reinforced.” A Russian court has sentenced U.S. citizen Eugene Spector to 15 years in a penal colony for "espionage" amid accusations by several Western governments that Moscow is convicting foreign nationals to use as bargaining chips in prisoner swaps. Spector was sentenced on December 24 by the Moscow City Court after a trial that was held behind closed doors. Little is known about the charges the former pharmaceuticals executive faced as the court claimed classified materials during the trial warranted it being closed to the public. The case comes against a backdrop of deteriorating relations between Moscow and Washington, which are at their lowest point since the end of the Cold War. Moscow has also been accused of targeting U.S. citizens by detaining them on trumped-up charges to later use as bargaining chips in talks to bring back Russians convicted of crimes in the United States and other Western nations. At least 10 U.S. citizens remain behind bars in Russia even after a prisoner swap on August 1 involving 16 people that Moscow agreed to free in exchange for eight Russians convicted of crimes and serving prison terms in the United States and Europe. “Although the prisoner exchange can rightly be considered a victory for diplomacy, we should not hastily declare that justice has prevailed,” Yulia Mineeva , an associate at Chatham House, said after the prisoners were swapped. “The Russian side held hostages to free their hitmen, spies, and hackers , while the West made a tough decision in favor of the freedom and lives of innocent people, not only their citizens but Russian nationals as well.” The state TASS news agency said Spector was born in 1972 in Leningrad (now St. Petersburg) and moved to the United States, where he became a citizen. His Russian name is Yevgeny Mironovich, TASS added. Spector was the chairman of the board of Medpolymerprom Group, a company known for its focus on developing cancer-curing drugs. He was sentenced in 2021 to four years in prison on alleged bribery charges. His sentence was reduced by six months after a retrial. Human Rights Watch (HRW) has called for Georgian security forces to be investigated for the “brutal police violence” against largely peaceful protesters who have taken to the streets for anti-government demonstrations. Police have clashed with protesters for over two weeks, detaining dozens and injuring scores of people who accuse the government of the ruling Georgian Dream party -- founded by Russia-friendly billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili -- of moving the country away from the EU and closer to Moscow. “In widespread and apparently punitive acts, security forces have chased down, violently detained, and beat protesters. Police also tortured and otherwise ill-treated them in police vans and police stations,” HRW said in a report on December 24. The political crisis erupted after Georgian Dream claimed victory in October elections that the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) said was marred by instances of vote-buying, double-voting, physical violence, and intimidation. The rallies intensified after a government decision last month to delay negotiations on Georgia joining the European Union. The authorities have responded violently to the demonstrations, arresting hundreds of people in recent weeks and closely watching participants with Chinese-made surveillance cameras with facial-recognition capabilities. Dozens of protesters – as well as journalists covering the rallies – have been beaten and detained by police were wearing riot gear or full-face black masks, with no identifiable insignia. “The level of the authorities’ violence against largely peaceful protesters is shocking, blatantly retaliatory, and violates Georgia’s domestic laws and international norms,” said Hugh Williamson, Europe and Central Asia director at Human Rights Watch. “The scale of the police ill-treatment of protesters and the failure of Georgian authorities to hold them accountable for it indicates they either authorized or condoned the violence.” Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili on December 22 called on Georgian Dream to set a date for new parliamentary elections by December 29. Zurabishvili has been locked in a standoff with the party since the October parliamentary elections, which the opposition has refused to recognize. Georgian Dream has denied any election wrongdoing and has refused to consider new elections despite the almost daily protests. Georgia received EU candidate status in December last year but ties with Brussels have been tense in recent months following the adoption in May of a controversial "foreign agent" law pushed through parliament by Georgian Dream, which has ruled since 2012. Critics say the legislation threatens media outlets and civil society groups and mirrors a similar Russian law used by the Kremlin to stifle political opponents and civil society. While initially endorsed by Georgian Dream for her successful presidential run in 2018, Zurabishvili has been a thorn in the ruling party's side. Although officially a nonpartisan president limited to a ceremonial role, Zurabishvili has criticized Georgian Dream for its increasingly authoritarian stance. Earlier this month, an electoral college dominated by Georgian Dream chose Mikheil Kavelashvili, a 53-year-old former soccer player and right-wing populist, as Georgia's next president. His inauguration is supposed to take place on December 29, though the 72-year-old Zurabishvili, whose term ends this year, has said she isn't going anywhere. The 'foreign agent' law, which mandates that organizations receiving significant foreign funding register as foreign agents, took effect on August 1, sparking significant backlash from international and domestic actors. The government last week pledged to amend the law, though it did not give details of the changes it would enact. CHISINAU -- Moldova's pro-Western president, Maia Sandu, was sworn in for a second term in what analysts call a critical milestone for the integration of one of Europe's poorest countries into the European Union. Sandu defeated her Russian-friendly opponent, Alexandr Stoianoglo, in the second-round of a hard fought election last month. The Harvard University educated, former World Bank official's victory -- coming just one week after another former Soviet republic, Georgia, suffered a setback on its EU path when elections were won by Moscow-friendly incumbents -- came as a relief for Moldova's Western partners, who hailed it as proof that democracy can win over Russian meddling. Sandu said in her inauguration speech that she hopes her second and final four-year mandate will tie her legacy to "Moldova being in the European Union." During Sandu's first term, Moldova secured EU candidate status in 2022 and opened accession talks earlier this year after firmly aligning itself with its neighbor, Ukraine, after Russia's unprovoked invasion in 2022, and joining the EU sanctions regime against Russia. "European integration is our path to security and prosperity, but let's not think of it as a business-class ticket to paradise," Sandu said in her inauguration speech. "It's not a miracle cure to all our problems. The French won't come here to run our judiciary. The Danes won't come in to clean up our garbage. The Germans won't come in to manage our border crossings. Only we are responsible for our lives, for our country." Last week the European Union applauded Moldova for the successful conduct of the presidential elections and of the referendum on enshrining EU accession in the constitution," while blasting the " hybrid attempts to undermine the country's democratic institutions." Moldovan officials had warned for months of threats from Russia that included disinformation and facilitating millions in illicit payments for an informal network of anti-EU organizers. At the same time, they also fended off cyberattacks and deepfakes, and publicly confronted what they regarded as false narratives aimed at influencing the outcome of the vote. Sandu, 52, became Moldova's first female president with a landslide victory in 2020, running on a strong pro-EU message and vowing to fight corruption. Stoianoglo, 57, from Gagauzia -- a Turkic-speaking autonomous region of Moldova with pro-Russian sentiment -- campaigned on a law-and-order theme, although critics slammed him for what they say was a failure to address high-level corruption during his time as Moldova's prosecutor-general. One person was killed and 11 were wounded by a ballistic missile strike on an apartment block in the Ukrainian city of Kryviy Rih, local officials said on December 24 as clashes were reported along much of the front line in eastern Ukraine amid gains by Russian forces and speculation over the Kremlin’s strategy . Ukrainian officials condemned the attack on the building in Kryviy Rih, calling it a direct hit on a four-story residential block with 32 apartments. Dnipropetrovsk Governor Serhiy Lysak said 11 people had been wounded and seven of them had been hospitalized. He described three of the wounded as two women, ages 69 and 72, and a 78-year-old man, and said all were in moderate condition. He said later that one man who had been pulled from the rubble could not be revived despite doctors doing everything possible to resuscitate him. Lysak added that there may still be people buried in the rubble. Ukraine's human rights ombudsman reacted angrily, noting that the strike occurred on Christmas Eve. "While other countries of the world are celebrating Christmas, Ukrainians are continuing to suffer from endless Russian attacks," Dmytro Lubinets said on Telegram. Kryviy Rih, the hometown of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, has regularly been the target of Russian missile attacks throughout the war. Russia says it does not deliberately target civilians despite widespread evidence to the contrary and thousands of deaths among the civilian population. Ukraine’s General Staff of the Armed Forces said earlier on December 24 that by mid-morning some 235 clashes had been recorded at the front since the start of the previous day, with intense fighting in the direction of Kharkhiv, Donetsk, and Kupyansk. It added that Russia lost over 1,600 soldiers and 30 armored vehicles during the period, though the claim could not be independently verified. Moscow rarely comments on its losses in the war. The Institute for the Study of War ( ISW ) said in a report on December 24 that Russia’s priorities in the current fighting remain unclear as troops make incremental advances south and southwest of the key city of Pokrovsk in the Donetsk region. “It remains unclear if Russian forces will be able to exploit these gains to envelop the town or if they intend to advance to the administrative boundary of Donetsk region,” the ISW said. Russian President Vladimir Putin said last week that Moscow is nearing its primary goal in the war , though he didn’t elaborate. Ever since Ukraine's counteroffensive to drive out invading Russian forces culminated with little success in October 2023, Russian troops have slowly pushed westward, capturing the Donetsk city of Avdiyivka and then the town of Vuhledar. Russia currently controls about 60 percent of Donetsk. Russian troops reportedly are just a few kilometers from the edge of Pokrovsk and could be on the verge of taking it. Pokrovsk is strategically significant because it serves as a major transportation hub, is close to the front lines, and serves as a supply hub for military operations in the Donbas region. Fighting between Russia and Ukraine has ratcheted up in recent weeks, with Moscow launching waves of drones and missiles across Ukrainian territory, mainly aimed at civilian and energy infrastructure. Kyiv has countered with attacks on Russian oil and energy targets just inside Russian territory and over the weekend struck high-rise buildings in Kazan, the capital of Russia's oil-rich republic of Tatarstan. A delegation from Kazan on December 24 traveled to Belgorod to study best practices in organizing civil defenses during drone attacks, according to Kazan media citing a statement by city's mayor, Ilsur Metshin. Metshin said that Kazan must establish a clear plan so that residents know how to respond in emergencies and where to find shelters. "Everyone should have this in mind. We will bring the best practice in the country by the end of the week," the mayor said. He said he understands that in Belgorod all residents can evacuate to shelters within minutes. Last week Putin dangled the prospect of Russian concessions, saying more than once during his annual question-and-answer conference that Moscow was ready for a compromise. But he attached numerous conditions to the idea of compromise, suggesting Moscow’s goal of subjugating Ukraine and winning major security guarantees from NATO and the West remain in place, as well as saying he does not consider Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy a legitimate leader. U.S. President-elect Donald Trump -- whose inauguration is set for January 20 -- has said he would move to end the war quickly and during his remarks at Turning Point’s America Fest convention on December 22, said, "We have to end that war. That war is horrible, horrible." Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Ukraine is interested in stabilizing the situation in Syria and believes it is essential for the country's security to remove any Russian presence from the country. “We are grateful to every country and every leader who is now ready to help Syrian society restore normal life and build effective state institutions,” Zelenskiy said on X on December 23, pledging to "support Syria in ensuring food security." "We are ready to work with representatives of the Syrian people to correct the mistakes of the Assad regime, in particular, regarding Ukraine and all of Europe,” he said. Russia granted former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his family asylum earlier this month after rebels took control of Damascus. Kremlin foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov said on December 23 that said it was in contact with Syria's new administration at both a diplomatic and military level. Moscow is concern in particular about the fate of a naval facility and an air base it operates in Syria. Zelenskiy in his message on X also renewed his warnings about Russia's cooperation with North Korea. Russia earlier this month began deploying North Korean troops to reinforce its military, including to the Kursk border region, where Ukrainian forces seized territory earlier this year. Kyiv continues to press allies for a tougher response to the development, which it says is a global threat because it involves a transfer of Russian warfare experience and military technologies to Pyongyang. "For the world, the cost of restoring stability is always much higher than the cost of effectively pressuring those who destabilize the situation and destroy lives," Zelenskiy said. He warned of "risks of North Korea sending additional troops and military equipment” and said Kyiv will have a “tangible responses to this." He added that according to preliminary data supplied by General Oleksandr Syrskiy, Ukraine's top commander, the number of North Korean soldiers killed and wounded in the Kursk region has exceeded 3,000. Syrskiy said last week that Russian forces backed by North Korean troops had intensified their offensive against Ukrainian troops in the Kursk region. South Korea's assessed the number of killed and wounded troops was closer to 1,000. The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said on December 23 that based on "various sources of information and intelligence," the North Korea has suffered around 1,100 casualties since joining combat operations against Ukraine. The JCS agreed that Pyongyang is reportedly "preparing for the rotation or additional deployment of soldiers" to aid Russia's war effort. JCS added that it has detected signs of Pyongyang planning to produce suicide drones to be shipped to Russia in addition to the 240mm multiple rocket launchers and 170mm self-propelled howitzers it already is supplying. The Kremlin has neither denied nor directly confirmed the presence of North Korean troops on its soil. NATO, however, confirmed in October that North Korean troops had been deployed in the Kursk region. NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said the deployment marked a sign of Russian President Vladimir Putin's "growing desperation."Readers Write: Grocery prices, police funding, health care reform, Trump cabinet picks

NASSAU, Bahamas — Jeremy Roach made a 3-pointer at the buzzer, and No. 13. Baylor rallied from five points down in the final 18 seconds of the second overtime to beat No. 22 St. John's 99-98 on Thursday night at the Baha Mar Championship. St. John's led 98-93 when Deivon Smith made one of two free throws with 18 seconds left. The Bears cut it to two on VJ Edgecombe's 3-pointer and then fouled the Red Storm's Zuby Ejiofor, who missed both free throws. Norchad Omier rebounded the second miss with 4.1 seconds left, dribbled up the floor and passed to Roach. The Duke transfer elevated over Smith and swished the game-winning 3. Omier had 24 points and 10 rebounds and Roach scored 20 points for the Bears (4-1), who rallied from an 18-point first-half deficit. Roach's 3 gave Baylor a 77-74 lead late in regulation, but Kadary Richmond's jumper with 7 seconds left sent the game to overtime. Ejiofor had 22 points, 10 rebounds and five blocks, and Aaron Scott scored 20 points for St. John's (4-1). Takeaways St. John’s: The Red Storm showed they could play elite defense, especially in the first half. They held the Bears to 36.7% shooting as they took a 44-30 lead at the break. Baylor: The Bears stormed back thanks to 10 3-pointers in the second half and the two extra periods. Key moment Richmond made a pair of free throws with 25 seconds left in the first OT and Roach missed a jumper at the buzzer. Key stat Despite being even in the rebounding battle, Baylor outscored St. John’s 22-8 in second-chance points. Up next Baylor faces the winner of Thursday night’s late game between No. 11 Tennessee and Virginia in the championship game Friday night. St. John's will play in Friday's consolation game.

FBI Director Wray says he intends to resign at end of Biden's term in JanuarySpecial counsel moves to drop federal cases against TrumpGlobal Structured Data Archiving and Application Retirement Software Market Size, Share and Forecast By Key Players-Microsoft, Delphix, OpenText, Micro Focus, Quest 12-26-2024 08:23 PM CET | Advertising, Media Consulting, Marketing Research Press release from: Market Research Intellect Structured Data Archiving and Application Retirement Software Market USA, New Jersey- According to the Market Research Intellect, the global Structured Data Archiving and Application Retirement Software market is projected to grow at a robust compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 16.48% from 2024 to 2031. Starting with a valuation of 6.13 Billion in 2024, the market is expected to reach approximately 15.31 Billion by 2031, driven by factors such as Structured Data Archiving and Application Retirement Software and Structured Data Archiving and Application Retirement Software. This significant growth underscores the expanding demand for Structured Data Archiving and Application Retirement Software across various sectors. The structured data archiving and application retirement software market is experiencing robust growth as organizations increasingly focus on managing legacy systems and optimizing data storage. With the rapid expansion of data, businesses face challenges related to data retention, compliance, and operational efficiency. This software enables organizations to archive important data while decommissioning outdated applications, reducing costs, and improving overall system performance. The increasing need to comply with regulatory standards and the growing volume of data being generated across industries are driving the demand for structured data archiving solutions. Additionally, the rise of cloud-based storage solutions is further propelling the market growth by offering scalable and cost-effective options for data management. As businesses continue to modernize IT infrastructures, the demand for application retirement software and structured data archiving is expected to rise significantly. The structured data archiving and application retirement software market is shaped by several key dynamics, including the increasing complexity of data management and the growing importance of compliance with data retention regulations. As companies move towards digital transformation, the need to efficiently retire legacy applications and archive structured data to more secure environments is becoming critical. The adoption of cloud storage solutions is transforming the market by offering businesses flexible, scalable, and cost-effective options. Furthermore, organizations are turning to automation to streamline archiving processes and reduce manual intervention. The ongoing pressure to lower operational costs while ensuring data accessibility and security is another factor driving the demand for archiving and retirement software. These factors are pushing market growth as businesses seek solutions to modernize and optimize their data management strategies. Request PDF Sample Copy of Report: (Including Full TOC, List of Tables & Figures, Chart) @ https://www.marketresearchintellect.com/download-sample/?rid=1996010&utm_source=OpenPr&utm_medium=049 Key Drivers: The growth of the Structured Data Archiving and Application Retirement Software market is driven by several key factors. Technological advancements in Structured Data Archiving and Application Retirement Software have enabled greater efficiency and enhanced capabilities, spurring adoption across industries. Additionally, the rising demand for sustainable and eco-friendly solutions is pushing companies to innovate and adopt greener practices. Expanding applications in sectors like Structured Data Archiving and Application Retirement Software and Structured Data Archiving and Application Retirement Software are further contributing to market demand, as these industries seek advanced solutions to streamline operations and enhance product quality. Favorable government policies and incentives in regions such as North America, Europe, and Asia-Pacific support investment and growth. Moreover, an increasing focus on Structured Data Archiving and Application Retirement Software for improving operational efficiency and cost-effectiveness is encouraging businesses to embrace new technologies, fostering sustained market expansion. Mergers and Acquisitions Mergers and acquisitions (M&A) play a pivotal role in the Structured Data Archiving and Application Retirement Software market, as companies look to expand their capabilities, access new technologies, and strengthen market presence. Leading players engage in strategic acquisitions to consolidate their position and gain a competitive edge. These transactions often facilitate the integration of advanced Structured Data Archiving and Application Retirement Software solutions, helping firms broaden their product portfolios and meet growing customer demands. Additionally, M&A activities support companies in achieving economies of scale and penetrating new regional markets, particularly in high-growth areas like Asia-Pacific. Through such strategic alliances, businesses aim to accelerate innovation, enhance operational efficiency, and address evolving market challenges, ultimately driving the overall growth of the Structured Data Archiving and Application Retirement Software market. Get a Discount On The Purchase Of This Report @ https://www.marketresearchintellect.com/ask-for-discount/?rid=1996010&utm_source=OpenPr&utm_medium=049 The following Key Segments Are Covered in Our Report By Type Cloud-based Web-based By Application Large Enterprises SMEs Major companies in Structured Data Archiving and Application Retirement Software Market are: Microsoft, Delphix, OpenText, Micro Focus, Quest, Data Migration, SAP, IBM, Gimmal Content Governanace Suite for SharePoint, Informatica, NetMass Global Structured Data Archiving and Application Retirement Software Market -Regional Analysis North America: North America is expected to hold a significant share of the Structured Data Archiving and Application Retirement Software market due to advanced technological infrastructure and the presence of major market players. High demand across sectors like Structured Data Archiving and Application Retirement Software and Structured Data Archiving and Application Retirement Software is driving growth, with the U.S. being a key contributor. Additionally, ongoing investments in R&D and innovation reinforce the region's strong market position. Europe: Europe is projected to experience steady growth, driven by stringent regulatory standards and a rising focus on sustainability in Structured Data Archiving and Application Retirement Software practices. Countries like Germany, France, and the UK are leading due to their advanced industrial base and supportive government policies. The demand for eco-friendly and efficient Structured Data Archiving and Application Retirement Software solutions is expected to continue fostering market expansion. Asia-Pacific: Asia-Pacific is anticipated to be the fastest-growing region, fueled by rapid industrialization and urbanization. Countries such as China, India, and Japan are driving demand due to expanding consumer bases and increasing investments in infrastructure. The region's robust manufacturing sector and favorable economic policies further enhance growth opportunities in the Structured Data Archiving and Application Retirement Software market. Latin America: Latin America and the Middle East & Africa are expected to show moderate growth in the Structured Data Archiving and Application Retirement Software market. In Latin America, growth is supported by rising industrial activities in countries like Brazil and Mexico. Meanwhile, in the Middle East & Africa, infrastructure development and an increasing focus on innovation in sectors like Structured Data Archiving and Application Retirement Software are key drivers of market expansion. Middle East and Africa: The Middle East and Africa represent emerging markets in the global Structured Data Archiving and Application Retirement Software market, with countries like UAE, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, and Nigeria showing promising growth potential. Economic diversification efforts, urbanization, and a young population are driving demand for Structured Data Archiving and Application Retirement Software products and services in the region. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) 1. What is the current size of the Structured Data Archiving and Application Retirement Software market? Answer: The Structured Data Archiving and Application Retirement Software market was valued at approximately 6.13 Billion in 2024, with projections suggesting it will reach 15.31 Billion by 2031, growing at a CAGR of 16.48%. 2. What factors are driving the growth of the Structured Data Archiving and Application Retirement Software market? Answer: The market's expansion is attributed to several factors, including increased demand for Structured Data Archiving and Application Retirement Software, advancements in Structured Data Archiving and Application Retirement Software technology, and the adoption of Structured Data Archiving and Application Retirement Software across various sectors. 3. Which regions are expected to dominate the Structured Data Archiving and Application Retirement Software market? Answer: Regions such as North America, Europe, and Asia-Pacific are anticipated to lead due to the presence of major industry players and growing investments in Structured Data Archiving and Application Retirement Software. 4. Who are the key players in the Structured Data Archiving and Application Retirement Software market? Answer: Prominent companies in the Structured Data Archiving and Application Retirement Software market include Structured Data Archiving and Application Retirement Software, Structured Data Archiving and Application Retirement Software, and Structured Data Archiving and Application Retirement Software, each contributing to market growth through innovations and strategic partnerships. 5. What challenges does the Structured Data Archiving and Application Retirement Software market face? Answer: The market faces challenges such as Structured Data Archiving and Application Retirement Software, regulatory compliance, and competition from alternative solutions. However, ongoing advancements aim to address these issues. 6. What are the future trends in the Structured Data Archiving and Application Retirement Software market? Emerging trends include the integration of Structured Data Archiving and Application Retirement Software technology, sustainability practices, and digital transformation in processes, all expected to shape the market's future. 7. How can businesses benefit from the Structured Data Archiving and Application Retirement Software market? Answer: Businesses can leverage growth opportunities in the Structured Data Archiving and Application Retirement Software market by adopting new solutions, enhancing operational efficiency, and expanding their offerings to meet evolving consumer demands. 8. Why invest in a Structured Data Archiving and Application Retirement Software market report from MRI? Answer: MRI's report provides in-depth analysis, future projections, and key insights to support strategic decision-making, enabling businesses to stay competitive and capitalize on growth trends in the Structured Data Archiving and Application Retirement Software market. For More Information or Query, Visit @ https://www.marketresearchintellect.com/product/global-structured-data-archiving-and-application-retirement-software-market-size-and-forecast/?utm_source=OpenPr&utm_medium=049 About Us: Market Research Intellect Market Research Intellect is a leading Global Research and Consulting firm servicing over 5000+ global clients. We provide advanced analytical research solutions while offering information-enriched research studies. We also offer insights into strategic and growth analyses and data necessary to achieve corporate goals and critical revenue decisions. Our 250 Analysts and SMEs offer a high level of expertise in data collection and governance using industrial techniques to collect and analyze data on more than 25,000 high-impact and niche markets. Our analysts are trained to combine modern data collection techniques, superior research methodology, expertise, and years of collective experience to produce informative and accurate research. Our research spans a multitude of industries including Energy, Technology, Manufacturing and Construction, Chemicals and Materials, Food and Beverages, etc. Having serviced many Fortune For inquiries, Contact Us at: Mr. Edwyne Fernandes Market Research Intellect APAC: +61 485 860 968 EU: +44 788 886 6344 US: +1 743 222 5439 This release was published on openPR.

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stock indexes got back to climbing on Wednesday after the latest update on inflation appeared to clear the way for more help for the economy from the Federal Reserve . The S&P 500 rose 0.8% to break its first two-day losing streak in nearly a month and finished just short of its all-time high. Big Tech stocks led the way, which drove the Nasdaq composite up 1.8% to top the 20,000 level for the first time. The Dow Jones Industrial Average, meanwhile, lagged the market with a dip of 99 points, or 0.2%. Stocks got a boost as expectations built that Wednesday’s inflation data will allow the Fed to deliver another cut to interest rates at its meeting next week. Traders are betting on a nearly 99% probability of that, according to data from CME Group, up from 89% a day before. If they’re correct, it would be a third straight cut by the Fed after it began lowering rates in September from a two-decade high. It’s hoping to support a slowing job market after getting inflation nearly all the way down to its 2% target. Lower rates would give a boost to the economy and to prices for investments, but they could also provide more fuel for inflation. “The data have given the Fed the ‘all clear’ for next week, and today’s inflation data keep a January cut in active discussion,” according to Ellen Zentner, chief economic strategist for Morgan Stanley Wealth Management. Expectations for a series of cuts to rates by the Fed have been one of the main reasons the S&P 500 has set an all-time high 57 times this year , with the latest coming last week. The biggest boosts for the index on Wednesday came from Nvidia and other Big Tech stocks. Their massive growth has made them Wall Street’s biggest stars for years, though other kinds of stocks have recently been catching up somewhat amid hopes for the broader U.S. economy. Tesla jumped 5.9% to finish above $420 at $424.77. It’s a level that Elon Musk made famous in a 2018 tweet when he said he had secured funding to take Tesla private at $420 per share . Stitch Fix soared 44.3% after the company that sends clothes to your door reported a smaller loss for the latest quarter than analysts expected. It also gave financial forecasts for the current quarter that were better than expected, including for revenue. GE Vernova rallied 5% for one of the biggest gains in the S&P 500. The energy company that spun out of General Electric said it would pay a 25 cent dividend every three months, and it approved a plan to send up to another $6 billion to its shareholders by buying back its own stock. On the losing end of Wall Street, Dave & Buster’s Entertainment tumbled 20.1% after reporting a worse loss for the latest quarter than expected. It also said CEO Chris Morris has resigned, and the board has been working with an executive-search firm for the last few months to find its next permanent leader. Albertsons fell 1.5% after filing a lawsuit against Kroger, saying it didn’t do enough for their proposed $24.6 billion merger agreement to win regulatory clearance. Albertsons said it’s seeking billions of dollars in damages from Kroger, whose stock rose 1%. A day earlier, judges in separate cases in Oregon and Washington nixed the supermarket giants’ merger. The grocers contended a combination could have helped them compete with big retailers like Walmart, Costco and Amazon, but critics said it would hurt competition. After terminating the merger agreement with Kroger, Albertsons said it plans to boost its dividend 25% and increased the size of its program to buy back its own stock. Macy’s slipped 0.8% after cutting some of its financial forecasts for the full year of 2024, including for how much profit it expects to make off each $1 of revenue. All told, the S&P 500 rose 49.28 points to 6,084.19. The Dow dipped 99.27 to 44,148.56, and the Nasdaq composite rallied 347.65 to 20,034.89. In the bond market, the yield on the 10-year Treasury rose to 4.27% from 4.23% late Tuesday. The two-year Treasury yield, which more closely tracks expectations for the Fed, edged up to 4.15% from 4.14%. In stock markets abroad, indexes rose across much of Europe and Asia. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng was an outlier and slipped 0.8% as Chinese leaders convened an annual planning meeting in Beijing that is expected to set economic policies and growth targets for the coming year. South Korea’s Kospi rose 1%, up for a second straight day as it climbs back following last week’s political turmoil where its president briefly declared martial law. AP Writers Matt Ott and Zimo Zhong contributed.

La Serna, Glendora, Rio Hondo Prep, Pasadena, El Rancho, San Gabriel and Pioneer will play later this week in CIF Southern Section football championship games.

Netherlands lead Germany in Davis Cup semis

Hello and welcome to Yahoo's live news blog this Tuesday. says a deal over an ongoing pay dispute with workers at distribution centres is no closer to being resolved as more and more shelves are stripped bare. The supermarket says the strike has so far cost them $50 million. The White House has defended Joe Biden's decision to pardon his son Hunter Biden, sparing him a possible prison sentence for federal felony gun and tax convictions. The outgoing president previously stressed he would not make such a move. A factory at the centre of the methanol poisoning investigations in Laos has been shut down. Follow along as we bring you regular updates throughout the day. In a rare move away from Labor's careful approach to China matters, Senator Raff Ciccone has called on other countries to take a stand against China, while hailing former US House speaker Nancy Pelosi's controversial 2022 Taiwan visit. Senator Ciccone, who is head of the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security, was speaking at a Melbourne event with Douglas Hsu, Taiwan's top diplomat in Australia where he was reassured there are plenty of people who reject China's advances to reunite the sovereign island with the mainland. "I genuinely believe that if there are enough of us to provide a deterrent to countries like China then I think Taiwan and its people can rest assured and sleep very well at night," Senator Ciccone said, according to the ABC. "With the growing support of like-minded countries including Australia, Taiwan is well positioned to write its own success story." He praised Pelosi for defying China's warnings not to visit Taipei, a move which Foreign Minister Penny Wong carefully navigated and declined to endorse. "The Chinese went berserk about it but, you know, quite frankly good on [Nancy Pelosi] for actually standing up [for] what she believes in. It's good to see America ... making a stance." China has long warned countries like Australia to stay out of what it describes as "internal matters". Woolworths says ongoing strikes at distribution centres has cost the supermarket giant $50 million in sales. And that number is expected to grow without an agreement being struck with workers seeing better conditions and pay. “Until the industrial action is resolved, a further impact to sales is expected. The full financial impact at this stage is unknown. It will be dependent on the duration and extent of the ongoing industrial action across the affected sites and the time taken to rebuild inventory ahead of the Christmas trading period,” Woolworths said in a statement to the ASX. While the cost is significant, it is worth remembering just months ago Woolworths announced a $1.7bn profit and a special dividend of 40 cents per share for shareholders. How's this for a way to celebrate 50 years married. A Logan couple has scooped $2.3 million from the Keno 10 Spot jackpot last night on their golden jubilee wedding anniversary. “We went [to the hotel] to treat ourselves to a celebratory lunch and a game of Keno. We always play the same numbers, which are our birthdates," the winning wife told lottery officials. “I’m absolutely speechless. We’re over the moon!” Well summer has just started and temperatures are already surging. The Pilbara community of Paraburdoo is set to reach 46C in the coming days, very close to its December record. It comes the same year the town set its highest ever temperature, recording 48.1C in January. With summer temperatures consistently nearing 50C, Shire of Ashburton president Audra Smith told the ABC it "is a concern because with what's happening with global warming". Read more about the sweltering conditions . Parents are being urged to keep an eye on their car keys after the NRMA revealed the majority of its callouts for help came from keys being locked inside vehicles with their keys. NRMA patrols received 1846 calls about children or pets being locked in a car in the past 12 months. NRMA Road Safety Expert Dimitra Vlahomitros said the temperature inside a hot car could almost double the temperature outside and it would not take long for children or pets to be in serious danger. “Whether you’re packing the car full of groceries or packing the car for a holiday, make sure you know where your keys are and don’t leave your keys with children to play with while loading up the car,” Ms Vlahomitros said. “Many people believe cars with modern technology don’t allow you to lock the keys inside the car, but that’s just not the case, particularly if there’s a young child using the keys as a toy. “We know life gets busy in the lead up to Christmas but it’s important to be extra vigilant when getting in and out of the car with young children.” Woolworths appears to be losing patience over a near two-week strike at several distribution centres and have reached out to the Fair Work Commission in the hope they can intervene. The supermarket giant wants to ban United Workers Union members blocking entrances to a distribution centre in suburban Melbourne and three other sites, with workers striking for better conditions and pay. Plans to bring in staff on Monday never eventuated, but picketers at the Dandenong South site turned away logistics trucks trying to enter. Woolworths Group has filed an urgent application with the Fair Work Commission on Tuesday. "The application comes after the UWU refused to give any assurance of safe passage for team members seeking to return to work at our Melbourne South Regional Distribution Centre (MSRDC) yesterday and this morning," Woolworths said in a statement on Tuesday morning. The application to Fair Work alleges a breach of the Good Faith Bargaining requirements in the Fair Work Act. Woolworth says the majority of staff at the Dandenong South site are not members of the union, and want to return to work and get paid. - With AAP While most likely elated, a man in Victoria is probably thinking what could have been after he was one number away from winning a truly mammoth lottery jackpot. While the 28-year-old won close to A$1 million on Saturday's USA Mega Lotto draw, he was one number away from scooping the top prize of A$789 million. I'm sure he'll be doing just fine with his A$950,000 though. The factory that produces the vodka at the centre of the Laos methanol poisoning investigations has been shut down. Six tourists, including Australian women Holly Bowles and Bianca Jones, died after they drank spirits in the backpacker town of Vang Vieng last month. It comes as the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade updates its travel warning advice to urge Australians not to drink Tiger vodka or whisky saying its sale had been banned in the Southeast Asian country. The ABC understands the owner of the factory has been arrested, while three more people connected to the Nana Backpackers Hostel, where the deceased stayed, have been arrested, taking the tally up to 11 from the hostel. No charges have been laid. The RSPCA in South Australia says its had a difficult start to its busiest period of the year. Fifty kelpies were surrender from a single property last week with extensive resources were used to treat the dogs and find them homes. RSPCA says an investigation into the dogs is ongoing. It marks the start of the busy festive period where the RSPCA expects 2,000 animals from the state to come into their care over the summer. US President-elect Donald Trump says there will be "hell to pay" in the Middle East if hostages held in the Gaza Strip are not released prior to his January 20 inauguration. During their deadly 2023 attack on Israel, Hamas-led militants captured more than 250 people, according to Israeli tallies, including dual Israeli-American nationals. Around half of the 101 foreign and Israeli hostages still held incommunicado in Gaza are believed to be alive. Making his most explicit comments on the fate of the hostages since his election in November, Trump said on social media: "(If) the hostages are not released prior to January 20, 2025, the date that I proudly assume Office as President of the United States, there will be ALL HELL TO PAY in the Middle East, and for those in charge who perpetrated these atrocities against Humanity." Trump added: "Those responsible will be hit harder than anybody has been hit in the long and storied History of the United States of America." Hamas has called for an end to the war and total Israeli withdrawal from Gaza as part of any deal to release remaining hostages. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said the war will go on until Hamas is eradicated and poses no more threat to Israel. A manhunt continues in Victoria after a man and woman were found with fatal gunshot wounds at a home on the Mornington Peninsula early Monday morning. Police said yesterday they were "very concerned" about the gunman responsible and urged the public not to approach the man if identified. Police believe a man and a woman arrived at the Rye home and became involved in an altercation with those inside. Emergency services found a 29-year-old occupant of the home seriously injured, while the woman who is believed to have arrived at the home also suffering gunshot wounds. They both died at the scene. Police believe the other man to arrive at the property fled the scene. They believe the shooting was "targeted". The White House has moved to defend Joe Biden's bombshell decision to pardon his son Hunter Biden and possibly spare him a prison sentence for federal felony gun and tax convictions. The outgoing president previously stressed he would not make such a move. There was a wave of criticism after the decision, led by President-elect Donald Trump who called such a move an "abuse and miscarriage of justice". Press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre has now addressed reporters to explain the decision. She said Biden had deliberated over the decision over the weekend during a family Thanksgiving break. "He believes in the justice system, but he also believes that the raw politics infected the process and led to a miscarriage of justice," she said, adding Biden felt his son had been "singled out". A deal between striking Woolworths workers and the supermarket giant is no closer, with defiant employees at several distribution continuing to down tools as more and more shelves sit bare in stores. “As long as they continue to block access to our site, our customers will continue to face shortages on shelves in Victoria," Woolworths said as part of their latest statement. “We call on the union to do the right thing and let us re-open this site.” Workers are protesting against "unrealistic performance expectations" which they claim lead to frequent injuries, demanding better wages, and an agreement that workers at different sites are paid the same amount. A unionist on the picket line said the industrial action would “intensify” unless their demands were met. - With wiresTRENTON, N.J. (AP) — A large number of mysterious drones have been reported flying over New Jersey and across the eastern U.S., sparking speculation and concern over where they came from and why. New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy and U.S. Sen. Andy Kim have both gone out on drone hunts, hoping for answers. The FBI, Homeland Security, state police and other agencies are investigating. Murphy and law enforcement officials have stressed that the drones don’t appear to be a threat to public safety , but many state and municipal lawmakers have nonetheless called for stricter rules about who can fly the unmanned aircraft — and to be allowed to shoot them out of the sky. Dozens of witnesses have reported seeing drones statewide since mid-November, including near the Picatinny Arsenal, a military research and manufacturing facility, and over President-elect Donald Trump’s golf course in Bedminster. Murphy, a Democrat, said Monday that equipment supplied by the federal government has yielded little new information. He declined to describe the equipment except to say it was powerful and could even “mitigate” the drones, though he added that’s not currently legal on U.S. soil. The state tallied 12 sightings Saturday and just one on Sunday. Murphy urged Congress to give states more authority to deal with the drones. The growing anxiety among some residents is not lost on the Biden administration, which has faced criticism from Trump for not dealing with the matter more aggressively. In a call with reporters Saturday that was organized by the White House, senior officials from the FBI, Pentagon, Federal Aviation Administration and other agencies sought to reassure the public that the drones are not a national security or public safety threat, or the handywork of a malicious foreign actor. The White House has said a review of the reported drone sightings shows many of them are manned aircraft being flown lawfully, echoing the opinions of officials and drone experts. Authorities say they do not know. The Department of Homeland Security and FBI said they have no evidence that the aircraft pose “a national security or public safety threat or have a foreign nexus.” Speculation has nevertheless raged online, with some expressing concerns that the drones could be part of a nefarious plot by foreign agents. Officials stress that ongoing investigations have found no evidence to support such concerns, but U.S. Rep Chris Smith, a Republican, on Saturday echoed such speculation. “The elusive maneuvering of these drones suggests a major military power sophistication that begs the question whether they have been deployed to test our defense capabilities — or worse — by violent dictatorships, perhaps maybe Russia, or China, or Iran, or North Korea,” he said. On Monday, Pentagon spokesperson Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder cast doubt on the idea that the drones are engaged in intelligence gathering, given how loud and bright they are. He said about 1 million drones are registered drones in the U.S. and about 8,000 flying on any given day. Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh has said the aircraft are not U.S. military drones. In Boston, city police arrested two men accused of operating a drone “dangerously close” to Logan Airport on Saturday night. Authorities said an officer using drone monitoring technology detected the aircraft and the location of the operators. A third man fled police and remains at large. Authorities said the two men face trespassing charges and could face more charges and fines. Drones flying around Wright-Patterson Air Force Base near Dayton, Ohio, forced base officials to close its airspace for about four hours late Friday into early Saturday, said Robert Purtiman, a base spokesperson. It was the first time drones had been spotted at the base, one of the largest in the world, and no sightings have been reported since, Purtiman said Monday. He said the drones had no impact on any facilities on the base. Trump has said he believes the government knows more than it’s saying. “Let the public know, and now. Otherwise, shoot them down!!!” he posted on Truth Social. Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut last week called for the drones to “shot down." Rep. Smith urged the Pentagon to authorize the use of force to bring down one or more drones to try to figure out who deployed them. The objects could be downed over the ocean or in an unpopulated area on land, Smith said Saturday. “Why can't we bag at least one of these drones and get to the bottom of it?” Smith said. Monmouth County Sheriff Shaun Golden said members of the public must not try to shoot down drones, as that would violate state and federal laws. Drone sightings were also reported in New York, where a permit is required. Mayor Eric Adams said the city was investigating and collaborating with New Jersey and federal officials. The runways at Stewart International Airport — about 60 miles (100 kilometers) north of the city — were shut down for about an hour Friday night because of drone activity, Gov. Kathy Hochul said. “This has gone too far,” she said in a statement. The governor called on Congress to strengthen the FAA’s oversight of drones and give more investigative authority to state and local law enforcement. Two people said they spotted an aircraft Thursday night near Virginia Beach that was unlike any other they’ve seen. The object flew from over the ocean toward an Army National Guard facility, John Knight told The Virginian-Pilot. “It flew like a helicopter but made no noise,” he said. The Virginia National Guard said it is investigating. In Massachusetts, 10 to 15 drones were reported hovering over a home Thursday night in Harwich on Cape Cod. A resident told police they were bright and she observed them for more than an hour. Earlier that evening, an off-duty police officer in the same town noticed similar activity near a public safety complex, police said. The information was forwarded to the FBI and Massachusetts State Police. Associated Press writers John Seewer in Toledo, Ohio; Bruce Schreiner in Shelbyville, Kentucky; and Aamer Madhani in West Palm Beach, Florida, contributed.