Stock indexes closed mixed on Wall Street at the end of a rare bumpy week. The S&P 500 ended little changed Friday. The benchmark index reached its latest in a string of records a week ago. It lost ground for the week following three weeks of gains. The Dow Jones Industrial Average slipped 0.2%. The Nasdaq composite edged up 0.1%. Broadcom surged after the semiconductor company beat Wall Street’s profit targets and gave a glowing forecast, highlighting its artificial intelligence products. RH, formerly known as Restoration Hardware, surged after raising its revenue forecast. Treasury yields rose in the bond market. THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below. Stocks slipped in afternoon trading Friday as Wall Street closes out a rare bumpy week. The S&P 500 was up by less than 0.1% and is on track for a loss for the week after three straight weekly gains. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 58 points, or 0.1% to 43,856 as of 3 p.m. Eastern time. The Nasdaq rose 0.1% and is hovering around its record. Broadcom surged 24.9% for the biggest gain in the S&P 500 after the semiconductor company beat Wall Street’s profit targets and gave a glowing forecast, highlighting its artificial intelligence products. The company also raised its dividend. The company's big gain helped cushion the market's broader fall. Pricey stock values for technology companies like Broadcom give the sector more weight in pushing the market higher or lower. Artificial intelligence technology has been a focal point for the technology sector and the overall stock market over the last year. Tech companies, and Wall Street, expect demand for AI to continue driving growth for semiconductor and other technology companies. Even so, some big tech stocks were in the red Friday. Nvidia slid 2.6%, Meta Platforms dropped 1.7% and Netflix was down 0.7%. Furniture and housewares company RH, formerly known as Restoration Hardware, surged 14.2% after raising its forecast for revenue growth for the year. Wall Street's rally stalled this week amid mixed economic reports and ahead of the Federal Reserve's last meeting of the year. The central bank will meet next week and is widely expected to cut interest rates for a third time since September. Expectations of a series of rate cuts has driven the S&P 500 to 57 all-time highs so far this year . The Fed has been lowering its benchmark interest rate following an aggressive rate hiking policy that was meant to tame inflation. It raised rates from near-zero in early 2022 to a two-decade high by the middle of 2023. Inflation eased under pressure from higher interest rates, nearly to the central bank's 2% target. The economy, including consumer spending and employment, held strong despite the squeeze from inflation and high borrowing costs. A slowing job market, though, has helped push a long-awaited reversal of the Fed's policy. Inflation rates have been warming up slightly over the last few months. A report on consumer prices this week showed an increase to 2.7% in November from 2.6% in October. The Fed's preferred measure of inflation, the personal consumption expenditures index, will be released next week. Wall Street expects it to show a 2.5% rise in November, up from 2.3% in October. The economy, though, remains solid heading into 2025 as consumers continue spending and employment remains healthy, said Gregory Daco, chief economist at EY. “Still, the outlook is clouded by unusually high uncertainty surrounding regulatory, immigration, trade and tax policy,” he said. Treasury yields edged higher. The yield on the 10-year Treasury rose to 4.40% from 4.34% late Thursday. European markets slipped. Britain's FTSE 100 fell 0.1%. Britain’s economy unexpectedly shrank by 0.1% month-on-month in October, following a 0.1% decline in September, according to data from the Office for National Statistics. Asian markets closed mostly lower. Damian J. Troise And Alex Veiga, The Associated PressDale Hamilton's performance at the Yukon Agriculture Association’s North of 60 Banquet showcased alternative farming methods and highlighted the challenges and benefits of transitioning from conventional to regenerative practices. One-woman theatre performance depicted a hypothetical debate among family members with different ideas about the future of their farm. They discussed the challenges of transitioning from conventional methods to regenerative practices, which are believed by Hamilton to help mitigate climate change. Dr. Dorthea Gregoire, a program manager at Canadian Organic Growers, spoke at the banquet and provided feedback on the performance during a question-and-answer session at the Yukon public library on Nov. 24. She commented on some of the methods brought up in the performance and shared an industry perspective to making the transition to sustainable practices. “I've been working with farmers for over a decade, but what I do is help farmers transition to regenerative organic agriculture,” Gregoire said. “I came to the Yukon because I find that small mixed farms are the easiest to transition. It has the biggest, quickest payoff to make those changes.” Specific examples of alternative farming practices during the performance focused on moving away from agrichemicals and towards more diverse, regenerative and nature-based approaches. These include using biochar, a charcoal-like substance made from waste wood, to improve soil health; implementing rotational soil trampling with cattle to naturally fertilize and aerate soil; transitioning from synthetic fertilizers to natural alternatives such as rock phosphates and nitrogen-fixing plants; and planting flower strips to attract natural pest predators. Dr. Gregoire, an attendee from Manitoba, pointed out that larger scale farming operations are encumbered by high debt and cash flow restrictions, often making transitions toward new farming methods risky. She noted that federal and territorial subsidies offer Yukon farmers a good opportunity to diversify their practices while reducing financial risk. The governments of Canada and Yukon jointly fund specific agricultural projects and initiatives, according to a Yukon government (YG) webpage. The eligibility criteria broadly covers whether a farming project’s operations can help reduce greenhouse gases, promote sector growth or adds resiliency. The Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership is a $3.5 billion five-year agreement between the federal, provincial and territorial governments, according to a federal government webpage. Dr. Gregoire highlighted that these subsidies can provide a safety net for farmers to experiment with new projects that meet funding eligibility criteria, as she says has been demonstrated in the Yukon. Hamilton's performance highlighted the indigenous practice of growing corn, squash, and beans together to boost crop yield. According to the Yukon government website, developing a First Nations agriculture or food system qualifies for agricultural project funding. The “Three Sisters” crop model was noted in Hamilton’s performance and is widely used by several First Nations of the Great Lakes to the St. Lawrence Lowlands regions, according to a federal government webpage on scientific achievements in agriculture. Hiring scientific consultation for assessments on projects that require a permit from the Yukon Environmental and Socio-economic Assessment Board (YESAB) is also an eligible activity for applicants of the YG agriculture fund. Hamilton's performance highlighted bio-dome wood-burning projects in Montana that use waste wood to produce biochar as a regenerative farming method. According to the Yukon Environmental and Socio-Economic Assessment Act, this technology may require assessment or permitting for agricultural facility construction. Another possible requirement for permitting regenerative agricultural activities under the act is planting "beetle banks." This involves mixing flowers with crops to attract predator insects for pest control. The British Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust trialled this project and introduced the first beetle banks to the Netherlands, according to the European Regional Development Fund. Hamilton’s performance demonstrates a model that North American growers can adopt. The Ecological Farmers Association of Ontario points out that while there are successful examples of beetle banks in North America, particularly in attracting predator beetles, these are mostly found in agroecosystems on the west coast of the United States. There are limited examples in the east or among small-scale farmers and market gardens.
Bago: Reps laud Niger governor on performance, say he’s worthy ambassadorAspiring pastry chefs typically head west for their baptism of fire — cultivating exacting precision to confect puff pastry with hundreds of buttery layers, and mind-bendingly realistic trompe l’oeil desserts in the guise of everyday objects. After decades of honing his ability in French pastry arts, which he channelled into now defunct patisserie-cafe chain Bakerzin, Singaporean chef Daniel Tay is due East. The 54-year-old, who sells traditional Chinese snacks such as ang ku kueh under his recently launched brand Madam Ang KK, will soon travel to Chaozhou, China, to fine-tune his soon kueh making skills. While some may regard the Teochew steamed dumplings filled with turnip and dried shrimps as provincial fare, Tay reveals that they’re fiendishly difficult to master. For one, perfecting the texture of the chewy rice and tapioca flour wrappers is a lesson in patience. Although Tay may count the likes of Pierre Herme and Frederic Bau as his inspirations, he avers that such European pastry chefs are vaunted by the press, at times to the detriment of local culinary heritage. “It might not look glamorous, but those are our traditions, which will be forgotten if nobody talks about them,” said the F&B entrepreneur, who also owns cheesecake brand Cat & the Fiddle plus local heritage bakery Old Seng Choong. Besides his main agenda, he has also got other side quests slated for his upcoming sojourn. Over coffee, he cheerfully mentions a pitstop at his ancestral village close to Fujian province, as well as plans to attend feng shui classes. He’d become a votary of the Chinese practice of geomancy after a particularly painful business failure early in his career. “You don’t always have to hit a brick wall, there are many things you can do to avoid different circumstances. I’ve travelled so much in the past few years that I’ve managed to avoid conflict with my wife,” he quipped. The son of a baker who owned the popular Seng Choong Confectionery at Marine Parade, Tay did not stoke ambitions to succeed the family business growing up — though he occasionally helped at the bakery. Instead, he hopscotched from one pursuit to the other, entertaining the notions of becoming a fashion designer and professional snooker player at different intervals. “All my siblings graduated from universities in the US, while I was this hopeless guy who didn’t study and slept till two in the afternoon,” he recounted, adding that his tendency at the time to space out led family members to suspect that he was using drugs. His paternal grandfather, however, had always pegged him for a budding entrepreneur who would surpass his siblings. So, he was hustled overseas to study baking science and technology at U.S. Wheat Associates in Bangkok. He proved to be a quick study, and soon found his metier as a pastry chef. “I realised that I may not love this, but I need to be in F&B. Years later, I discovered through astrology that it’s my calling to be a businessman,” he proclaimed. IF AT FIRST YOU DON’T SUCCEED... While he may have been slow off the mark, he returned to Singapore on a quest to stake his claim in the industry, starting with reimagining his father’s old school bakery. “I wanted to transform Old Seng Choong into something like Bread Talk — this was way before it existed,” he recalled. The unassuming heartland bakery got a facelift with startling cobalt blue flooring and display. For many longstanding customers, this was a dislocating contrast from the no-frills bakery that was established in 1965. “We were ahead of our time,” he said. As a result, his first venture flamed out, and his father had to sell the shop. “That was 30 years of his hard work gone in that one year I took over, so it was very tough for me,” he reflected. Friends began to shun his father, thinking that he’d gone into rack and ruin, though the elder Tay never held it against him. The pair chalked the failure up to a business misstep and drew a line under the episode. Then, in 1998, under the spectre of the Asian Financial Crisis, Tay took his opportunity to flip the script by launching Baker’s Inn (later renamed Bakerzin). This time, he found a sweet spot, with the bakery chain amassing an appreciative following for its premium yet accessible desserts. “There wasn’t really anyone doing it at the time. Starbucks’ coffee and cakes were horrible, and decent cakes could only be found in hotels, which were expensive,” said Tay, who claims partial credit for inspiring Singapore’s next wave of modern bistros. Bakerzin steadily became a household name, but like many F&B operators, grappled with rising costs including rental over time. Tay sold the business in 2007 to “a very rich Indonesian group” whose identity he wouldn’t disclose, but continued managing it till 2013. “The guy who bought it did not even meet me once, and all the information gets lost when you communicate via a go-between,” groused Tay. The subject apparently hits a raw nerve. “When you get some financial guy to oversee the business, he thinks it’s easy to make money and starts cutting costs. I decided that I still prefer to work for myself.” The founder ventured that he’d offered to buy back the business when he’d heard that it was going into liquidation in 2020, but his overture was rejected. “They didn’t want to sell to me, it would have been too much of an embarrassment.” Bravado aside, Tay isn’t one to flog a dead horse. In 2013, he’d launched food manufacturing company Foodgnostic Pte Ltd, which has five factories — in Singapore, Malaysia and China. They double up as production facilities for Cat & the Fiddle and Old Seng Choong, which were incepted in 2014 and 2016 respectively. The former brand has a franchise in Indonesia, and supplies cafes and restaurants in China. Tay says he’s achieved consistency by investing heavily in quality control. “Our factories in China are super clean and precise, down to workers sorting defective walnuts and raisins. There’s no chance of failure,” he crowed. It’s evident that these gleaming white facilities are his pride and joy, as he shows off videos depicting boxes of cakes streaking by on conveyer belts. For all his brashness, Tay betrays a rare moment of vulnerability when talking about Old Seng Choong, an ode to his father and a chance to preserve his legacy. He recalls being featured alongside his parents in an article about his rebranding of his father’s business, with his ailing dad in a wheelchair. “In tears, my dad told me how his friend called him saying, ‘Wow, you’re back’. He passed on four months later,” he recounted. “At least I did something right.” HOW TO AVERT A CRISIS The COVID-19 pandemic hobbled F&B players, with Singapore Department of Statistics reporting a 26 per cent year-on-year decline in sales in 2020. Tay, on the other hand, noted a bonanza. After implementing initial pay cuts at the start of the pandemic, he shored up the business by pivoting — he churned butter out of surfeit cream from other proprietors, and flogged products such as mushroom soup packs on Facebook Live. A session co-hosted by local food blogger Maureen Ow, who goes by the moniker of Miss Tam Chiak, drew brickbats from netizens who claimed they were flouting safe distancing restrictions. So, he hammed it up for audiences solo, and claims to have raked in five-figure sales nonetheless. Notably, he managed to maintain Old Seng Choong’s tenancy at Marina Bay Sands, in part by fulfilling corporate orders. “The worst thing to do in a crisis is stay still and wait to die. At the bottom of the valley, you just have to keep walking, and you’ll find your footing and way out eventually,” he mused. It’s easy to fathom why the father of three young adults didn’t have much time for his kids in their formative years, given the vicissitudes he’s faced. Beyond work, he’s a shutterbug — having trained his staff to do all their photography inhouse — and tea connoisseur. His most expensive tea purchase is a Pu Er from Banzhang, Yunnan, priced at approximately S$10,000 (US$7,354) per cake. For now, Tay is licking his lips on plans to evolve his businesses — the first Cat & the Fiddle outlet equipped with an in-store oven is in the pipeline for the first quarter of 2025. So what’s the secret to longevity in Singapore’s saturated F&B landscape? “Keep evolving. The life of an F&B entrepreneur is very tough with rising costs, so we have to find ways to work differently,” he concluded.NEW YORK (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump’s recent dinner with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his visit to Paris for the reopening of the Notre Dame Cathedral were not just exercises in policy and diplomacy. They were also prime trolling opportunities for Trump. Throughout his first term in the White House and during his campaign to return, Trump has spun out countless provocative, antagonizing and mocking statements. There were his belittling nicknames for political opponents, his impressions of other political figures and the plentiful memes he shared on social media. Now that's he's preparing to return to the Oval Office, Trump is back at it, and his trolling is attracting more attention — and eyerolls. On Sunday, Trump turned a photo of himself seated near a smiling first lady Jill Biden at the Notre Dame ceremony into a social media promo for his new perfume and cologne line, with the tag line, “A fragrance your enemies can’t resist!” The first lady’s office declined to comment. When Trudeau hastily flew to Florida to meet with Trump last month over the president-elect's threat to impose a 25% tax on all Canadian products entering the U.S., the Republican tossed out the idea that Canada become the 51st U.S. state. The Canadians passed off the comment as a joke, but Trump has continued to play up the dig, including in a post Tuesday morning on his social media network referring to the prime minister as “Governor Justin Trudeau of the Great State of Canada.” After decades as an entertainer and tabloid fixture, Trump has a flair for the provocative that is aimed at attracting attention and, in his most recent incarnation as a politician, mobilizing fans. He has long relished poking at his opponents, both to demean and minimize them and to delight supporters who share his irreverent comments and posts widely online and cheer for them in person. Trump, to the joy of his fans, first publicly needled Canada on his social media network a week ago when he posted an AI-generated image that showed him standing on a mountain with a Canadian flag next to him and the caption “Oh Canada!” After his latest post, Canadian Immigration Minister Marc Miller said Tuesday: “It sounds like we’re living in a episode of South Park." Trudeau said earlier this week that when it comes to Trump, “his approach will often be to challenge people, to destabilize a negotiating partner, to offer uncertainty and even sometimes a bit of chaos into the well established hallways of democracies and institutions and one of the most important things for us to do is not to freak out, not to panic.” Even Thanksgiving dinner isn't a trolling-free zone for Trump's adversaries. On Thanksgiving Day, Trump posted a movie clip from “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation” with President Joe Biden and other Democrats’ faces superimposed on the characters in a spoof of the turkey-carving scene. The video shows Trump appearing to explode out of the turkey in a swirl of purple sparks, with the former president stiffly dancing to one of his favorite songs, Village People’s “Y.M.C.A." In his most recent presidential campaign, Trump mocked Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, refusing to call his GOP primary opponent by his real name and instead dubbing him “Ron DeSanctimonious.” He added, for good measure, in a post on his Truth Social network: “I will never call Ron DeSanctimonious ‘Meatball’ Ron, as the Fake News is insisting I will.” As he campaigned against Biden, Trump taunted him in online posts and with comments and impressions at his rallies, deriding the president over his intellect, his walk, his golf game and even his beach body. After Vice President Kamala Harris took over Biden's spot as the Democratic nominee, Trump repeatedly suggested she never worked at McDonalds while in college. Trump, true to form, turned his mocking into a spectacle by appearing at a Pennsylvania McDonalds in October, when he manned the fries station and held an impromptu news conference from the restaurant drive-thru. Trump’s team thinks people should get a sense of humor. “President Trump is a master at messaging and he’s always relatable to the average person, whereas many media members take themselves too seriously and have no concept of anything else other than suffering from Trump Derangement Syndrome,” said Steven Cheung, Trump’s communications director. “President Trump will Make America Great Again and we are getting back to a sense of optimism after a tumultuous four years.” Though both the Biden and Harris campaigns created and shared memes and launched other stunts to respond to Trump's taunts, so far America’s neighbors to the north are not taking the bait. “I don’t think we should necessarily look on Truth Social for public policy,” Miller said. Gerald Butts, a former top adviser to Trudeau and a close friend, said Trump brought up the 51st state line to Trudeau repeatedly during Trump’s first term in office. “Oh God,” Butts said Tuesday, “At least a half dozen times.” “This is who he is and what he does. He’s trying to destabilize everybody and make people anxious,” Butts said. “He’s trying to get people on the defensive and anxious and therefore willing to do things they wouldn’t otherwise entertain if they had their wits about them. I don’t know why anybody is surprised by it.” Gillies reported from Toronto. Associated Press writer Darlene Superville contributed to this report.
NoneBlues maintained their position in fifth place in the National League U19 Alliance Academy South Division with this latest success, and a third consecutive victory means the squad are now just one point behind second-placed Maidstone United. It is the first time since April 2022 that Danny Heath’s side have claimed three straight wins, and the youth team coach was delighted with the display. “I’m really pleased with the performance, and the players can be pleased and proud of their performance," said Heath. "It’s always nice to get the win to go with it as well. “Their team target after 10 games was to be within the top three as a minimum. "We’re going to Dartford next week with a chance of achieving that target, and I don’t think last year we got as high as fifth, let alone third. “The boys are buzzing, but how they are performing, week-in and week-out, is a testament to the work they put in, day-in and day-out, on the training pitch, but also off the pitch in terms of their camaraderie and togetherness, which is pleasing. “That goes a long way, because when you step on that pitch and you are playing the game, you want to fight for each other. "This group also want to fight for the badge, and that is the bare minimum that you can ask for." Blues made just one change to the starting line-up from the previous game, against Aldershot Town, with matchwinner Obi Okafor rewarded for his goal by replacing Freddie Miller. Skipper Poxon dropped back into midfield to accommodate the attacker’s presence. It was the visitors that delivered the first shot on goal, in the third minute, when Brian Nelson’s 25-yard strike was deflected into the gloves of Luca Sorrentino, although that would be the only time Slough would test the Shrimpers shot-stopper in the opening period. Southend were playing into a strong wind before the break, and they initially struggled to get a grip on conditions. Jack Stone was outmuscled as he challenged defender Aaron White for an aerial pass in the fourth minute, whilst Zevieyan Makangu’s 25-yard off-target attempt failed to reach the goal-line. However, a delay for treatment to White enabled Heath to speak to the players, and Blues stepped up their intensity, with Mitchell Ward spotting Nathan Woodley on the overlap in the 20th minute. His cross was chipped into the gloves of Ryan North by George Pulham at the back post. Woodley threaded a pass in behind the Slough defence for Okafor in the 26th minute, but North sprinted off his line to gather at his feet just inside the penalty area, while White did well to track another Okafor run after Poxon had won possession on the halfway line. The eventual shot was partially charged down and North was able to make the save. Blues were organised behind the ball and the away team struggled to make any inroads into opposition territory. Instead, the first half action ended with Pulham’s cross being nodded out to Makangu on the edge of the penalty area and the midfielder curling into North’s gloves. After the interval, Southend managed to make some forays into the Slough penalty area, but North wasn’t initially called into action. Stone tripped on team-mate Makangu’s toes as he tried to turn in the box in the 49th minute, while Okafor and Rio Thomas saw attempts blocked shortly afterwards. The game began to become more stretched, and Thomas did well in his own area to dispossess Wyatt Marin in the 57th minute before North over-committed at the opposite end and Stone almost caught him off his line, but the Slough defence was able to cover and clear. Molefi’s long ball then released Stone shortly after the hour mark, but his attempt was deflected wide before Marin whipped a shot over from 20 yards out for the visitors. Alfie Humphrey was introduced in place of Julius Nwike on the right-hand side of defence on 63 minutes, but it would be down the left that Blues would find success seven minutes later. Thomas switched play to Ward on the left-hand side of defence, and he quickly moved the ball on to Woodley inside him. The same combination had led to Okafor’s goal last week, but this time, instead of Woodley delivering the cross, Ward continued his run and received the ball back before sending a centre to the back post, where Poxon was able to tap home. The celebrations had barely finished when Southend doubled their advantage. A mistake in midfield enabled Blues to capitalise, with Stone arcing his run to beat the offside trap and receive a pass before lobbing the advancing North to score his eighth goal of the season from the edge of the penalty area. Stone glanced a header onto the roof of the net seconds later as Blues sought to confirm their dominant position, while Okafor curled wide from Ward’s pass in the 79th minute. But Slough also went close when midfielder Reece Mather sent a swerving strike against the crossbar, whilst Sorrentino did well to win the ball from Alex Vick with his feet six minutes from time. Ward arrowed a shot into the gloves of North two minutes later, and Woodley smashed over in stoppage time, but Southend’s work had been completed. “ Southend United: Luca Sorrentino, Julius Nwike (Alfie Humphrey 63), Mitchell Ward, Zevieyan Makangu, Rio Thomas, Thato Molefi, George Pulham (Olu Shobowale 76), Nathan Woodley, Jack Stone, Joe Poxon, Obi Okafor. Subs not used: Joshua Jackson, Freddie Miller & Jared Nana Asare.
Israel said Tuesday it had bombed more than 350 military sites in Syria during the previous 48 hours, targeting “most of the strategic weapons stockpiles” in the country. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the wave of airstrikes in neighboring Syria was necessary to keep the weapons from being used against Israel following the Syrian government’s stunning collapse . Israel also acknowledged its troops were pushing into a border buffer zone inside Syria, which was established after the 1973 Mideast war. However, Israel denied its forces were advancing Tuesday toward the Syrian capital of Damascus. Life in the capital was slowly returning to normal after jihadi-led Syrian insurgents ousted President Bashar Assad over the weekend. People celebrated for a third day in a main square, and shops and banks reopened. The United States said Tuesday it would recognize and support a new Syrian government that renounces terrorism, destroys chemical weapons stocks and protects the rights of minorities and women. Syria's nearly 14-year civil war killed nearly half a million people and displaced half of the country’s prewar population of 23 million, becoming a proxy battlefield for regional and international powers. Here's the Latest: SAYDNAYA, Syria — Tens of thousands came to Saydnaya Prison from all over Syria after the fall of former President Bashar Assad to search for their loved ones. The place so notorious for its horrors was long known as “the slaughterhouse.” For the past two days, all have been looking for signs of loved ones who disappeared years or even decades ago into the secretive, sprawling prison just outside Damascus. But hope gave way to despair Monday. People opened the heavy iron doors lining the hallways to find cells inside empty. With sledgehammers, shovels and drills, men pounded holes in floors and walls, looking for what they believed were secret dungeons, or chasing sounds they thought they heard from underground. They found nothing. Insurgents freed dozens of people from the Saydnaya military prison on Sunday when Damascus fell. Since then, almost no one has been found. “Where is everyone? Where are everyone’s children? Where are they?” said Ghada Assad, breaking down in tears. An estimated 150,000 people were detained or went missing in Syria since 2011 — and tens of thousands of them are believed to have gone through Saydnaya. WASHINGTON — The top U.S. military commander for the Middle East was on the ground in Syria on Tuesday, meeting with a Kurish-led, U.S.-allied force at several bases in the country's east, U.S. Central Command said. Army Gen. Erik Kurilla visited with U.S. military commanders and troops as well as the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces. It wasn’t clear if he met with SDF leader Mazloum Abdi, and U.S. Central Command did not respond to a request for details about his visit or with whom he met. U.S. officials said they did not know what his message to the SDF was. The U.S has about 900 troops in Syria, including forces working with Kurdish allies in the northeast to prevent any resurgence of the Islamic State group. In a press release, Central Command said Kurilla received an “assessment of force protection measures, the rapidly evolving situation, and ongoing efforts to prevent ISIS from exploiting the current situation.” Kurilla then went on to Iraq where he met with leaders in Baghdad. UNITED NATIONS – The United Nations says it still getting reports about the looting of warehouses with humanitarian aid in a number of areas in Syria, including around the capital Damascus. U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters Tuesday that U.N. agencies and their partners are working to identify the extent of looting at the warehouses, including those of U.N. agencies and the Syrian Arab Red Crescent. Dujarric said U.N. aid officials report that “the humanitarian situation remains volatile across Syria, with reports of people continuing to be displaced.” Humanitarian officials reported that 25 trucks carrying U.N. aid crossed from Turkey to northwest Syria, which the situation is now relatively calm, the U.N. spokesman said. All 11 receptions opened in Idlib in the northwest to host newly displaced families were empty as of Monday, Dujarric said. In the northeast, he said, authorities report that as of Tuesday 100,000 people have been displaced due to fighting in Tal Rifaat and other parts of Aleppo governorate. Dujarric said the U.N.’s partners report that “reception centers in Tabqa and Raqqa have reached full capacity, and more than 200 sites – including municipal buildings, schools, mosques, and stadiums – are being used to accommodate newly displaced people.” BEIRUT — The Lebanese army said Tuesday that “unidentified gunmen” crossed the border from Syria into eastern Lebanon's Bekaa province and approached a Lebanese border post. In a statement, the army said the gunmen fired into the air and seized equipment from an evacuated Syrian army post in the outskirts of Kfar Fouq, near Rashaya al-Wadi, in the western part of Bekaa province. Lebanese army personnel responded with warning shots, forcing the group to retreat back into Syrian territory. The Lebanese army did not report any injuries or provide further details about the identity of the gunmen. WASHINGTON — Yemen’s Houthi rebels launched multiple drones and a missile at three commercial ships being escorted in the Gulf of Aden by U.S. Navy ships, a U.S. official said Tuesday. There was no damage and no injuries. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss military operations, said U.S. Navy destroyers, and Navy helicopter and a French Air Force aircraft shot down four of the drones and the missile. The three U.S. affiliated flagged ships were sailing east toward Djibouti. The Iran-backed Houthis have targeted shipping through the key waterway for more than a year, attacks they say are meant to force an end to Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza. JERUSALEM — Israel’s military said it bombed more than 350 sites in Syria during the previous 48 hours, targeting “most of the strategic weapons stockpiles” in the country. There is concern that, with the sudden collapse of the Syrian government, weapons stockpiles could be seized by jihadi militants. Warplanes hit what Israel said were Syrian air defense systems, military airfields, missile depots, and dozens of weapons production sites in the cities of Damascus, Homs, Tartus, Latakia, and Palmyra, the Israeli army statement said. In naval operations overnight Monday, Israeli missile ships struck two Syrian navy facilities simultaneously — Al-Bayda port and Latakia port — where the army said 15 Syrian naval vessels were docked. Israeli did not specify how many Syrian naval vessels were hit. The private security firm Ambrey said it had seen evidence that at least six Soviet-era Syrian navy missile ships were hit. Israeli officials said earlier that Israel also targeted alleged chemical weapons sites. JERUSALEM — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed Tuesday that his country’s military launched a wave of airstrikes across Syria to destroy the toppled government’s leftover “military capabilities,” and said Israel wants relations with the new government emerging Syria. Hours after Israeli warplanes pounded Syria, Netanyahu said Israeli doesn’t want to meddle in Syria’s internal affairs, but would take necessary steps to protect Israel's security and prevent jihadi militants from seizing the Syrian army assets. He warned that if the new Syrian government “allows Iran to re-establish itself in Syria or allows the transfer of Iranian weapons or any other weapons to Hezbollah, or attacks us -- we will respond forcefully and we will exact a heavy price from it.” He spoke in a video statement recorded at the Kirya military headquarters in Tel Aviv, after his first day of testimony in his corruption trial. DAMASCUS, Syria — In Umayyad Square in Damascus, Syrians celebrated the fall of President Bashar Assad for the third day on Tuesday despite Israeli airstrikes across the country. Insurgents who recently took control of the capital city tried to impose a new rule banning the celebratory gunfire. There were a few violators, and much less deafening gunfire. Protesters climbed the square's central monument to wave the Syrian revolutionary flag. On the ground, crowds chanted: “Out with Bashar! Out with Bashar!” Assad fled to Russia over the weekend after a lightning rebel offensive toppled his brutal police state. Demonstrators from different provinces marched in the square in groups, celebrating Assad's fall. Men on motorcycles and horses paraded into the square. One woman from Idlib province shouted that the Israeli strikes ruined the joy of ousting Assad. “Why are you striking us? We just deposed a tyrant,” she said. “Give us peace. Leave us alone,” said Ahmed Jreida, 22, a dentist student, when asked about the Israeli airstrikes. Hamzeh Hamada, 22, said this was the first time he had gone out to a demonstration. “We want the country to get better, to live in dignity and be like other countries that respect citizens’ rights and where there are no bribes,” he said. “We have suffered a lot from bribes. ... We had to bribe people for very minor things; things that should be our right.” Abdul-Jalil Diab was taking a stroll with his brothers in another square in western Damascus. He said he came back from Jordan the day Damascus fell. He was there studying German to prepare to move to Germany and said he is now reconsidering his plans. He was ecstatic, saying words can’t describe how he feels. “We are happy to get rid of the corrupt regime that was based on bribes. The whole country feels better. Everyone is happy and celebrating,” Abdul-Jalil Diab said. QAMISHLI, Syria — Residents of northeast Syria in the area around Qamishli airport said Tuesday they heard explosions overnight after an airstrike hit trucks loaded with rockets and ammunition that were heading to a military base in Tartab. “We don’t know the story. It was only in the morning when we realized they are trucks loaded with ammunition, leftovers of the former army, the regime,” said Ibrahim al-Thalaj, who lives near the base. He said residents assumed that the strikes were Israeli. Israel has carried out a heavy wave of airstrikes across Syria targeting military infrastructure after Syrian insurgents toppled the government of Bashar Assad. However, Turkish security officials said Tuesday that the strike in Qamishli was carried out by Turkey, targeting weapons and ammunition that were abandoned by the Syrian army and seized by Syrian Kurdish militants. The explosions lasted for over 20 minutes after the strike, and many houses in the surrounding area were damaged as a result, residents of the area said. “We just felt a strike hitting. It hit the first one (truck) and we saw the other trucks retreating back, and from there rockets and shells started flying over,” said Hamid al-Asaad, an eyewitness from Qub al-Zeki village in Qamishli. “We were sitting when these explosions started to hit the house,” said Mahmoud Hamza of Tartab. “It was hitting randomly and we didn’t know where it was coming from. ... Once we got out of our house, a rocket hit the house.” There were no details released by the local Kurdish administration regarding the explosions, but members of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces blocked the road to the base. BRUSSELS — The European Union’s top diplomat is concerned that Syria might violently fall apart like neighboring Iraq, or Libya and Afghanistan if its territorial integrity and the rights of minorities are not protected. “The transition will present huge challenges in Syria and in the region,” EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas told European lawmakers on Tuesday during a special hearing. “There are legitimate concerns about the risks of sectarian violence, extremist resurgence and the governance vacuum, all of which must be averted. We must avoid a repeat of the horrific scenarios of Iraq, Libya and Afghanistan,” she said. “The rights of all Syrians, including those of many minority groups, must be protected,” she said. “It is crucial to preserve the territorial integrity of Syria, and to respect its independence, its sovereignty, as well as the state institutions.” Kallas also said the collapse of the government has shown that Assad’s backers in Russia and Iran “could neither afford to do it any longer, nor had any interest of being present in the aftermath.” “They are weakened, distracted and overstretched in other theaters in the broader Middle East, but also in Ukraine,” she said. ANKARA, Turkey — Turkey’s intelligence agency, MIT, has attacked a convoy of trucks that was allegedly carrying missiles, heavy weapons and ammunition that were abandoned by the Syrian government and reportedly seized by Syrian Kurdish militias, Turkish security officials said Tuesday. The officials said 12 trucks, two tanks and two ammunition depots were “destroyed” in aerial strikes in the city of Qamishli, near the border with Turkey in northeast Syria. The officials provided the information on condition of anonymity in line with Turkish regulations. They did not say when the attack occurred. The officials said the intelligence agency detected that weapons left by the Syrian government forces were being moved to warehouses belonging to the Syrian Kurdish People’s Defense Units, or YPG. Turkey views the group as a terrorist organization because of its links to the banned Kurdish militants that have led a decadeslong insurgency in Turkey. According to the officials, he group was allegedly planning to use the equipment and supplies against Turkish security forces. By Suzan Fraser WASHINGTON — The White House is signaling its approval of Israel’s strikes against Syrian military and alleged chemical weapons targets and the seizure of a buffer zone in the Syrian Golan Heights after the fall of the Assad government. “These are exigent operations to eliminate what they believe are imminent threats to their national security,” White House national security spokesman John Kirby said Tuesday, saying the U.S. would leave it up to the Israelis to discuss details of their operations. “They have as always the right to defend themselves,” Kirby said. He declined to detail and U.S. intelligence cooperation with the Israelis that went into the strikes. Kirby said the White House was reasserting its support of the 1974 Golan Heights disengagement agreement, but didn’t criticize the Israeli seizure of the demilitarized zone. Israel has a long history of seizing territory during wars with its neighbors and occupying it indefinitely , citing security concerns. Israel captured the Golan Heights from Syria in the 1967 Mideast war and annexed it in a move not recognized internationally, except by the United States. WASHINGTON — The Biden administration says it will recognize and support a new Syrian government that renounces terrorism, destroys chemical weapons stocks and protects the rights of minorities and women. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement Tuesday that the U.S. would work with groups in Syria and regional partners to ensure that the transition from President Bashar Assad’s deposed government runs smoothly. He was not specific about which groups the U.S. would work with. Blinken says Syrians should decide their future and that other countries should “support an inclusive and transparent process” and not interfere. “The United States will recognize and fully support a future Syria government that results from this process,” he said. “We stand prepared to lend all appropriate support to all of Syria’s diverse communities and constituencies.” DAMASCUS, Syria — Jihad Mustafa Shibani was taking his new motorcycle for a spin with a friend around the house of the deposed Syrian president in western Damascus on Tuesday. Shibani was released from prison a week before the capital Damascus fell, after he served two years on charges of buying his motorcycle using foreign currency on accusations he was dealing in dollars. He was tortured for 15 days and and given a quick trial where he was sentenced for two years, he said. He was released the day Aleppo fell to the insurgents. “Everything was banned in Syria. The (Assad loyalists) only could use it,” Shibani said. He said he has never been to this neighborhood, because it was taken over by Assad, his family and supporters. “For 50 years, my family’s house is near here, and we don’t know anything about it. ... The Syrian people had been oppressed, you can’t imagine.” Shibani said he has no fear of the rebel newcomers who have taken control of the country. “We are not afraid. There can be no one more unjust than Bashar. Impossible.” BEIRUT — Lebanon’s prime minister is in contact with security and judicial officials to follow up on reports that senior members of President Bashar Assad’s government have fled to Lebanon. Najib Mikati’s office quoted him as saying that Lebanon abides by international laws regarding people who cross its borders. Rami Abdurrahman of the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition war monitor, said that several top security officials have entered Lebanon over the past two days. Abdurrahman added that Syria’s former intelligence chief Ali Mamlouk, who is wanted in Lebanon over two bombings in 2012 in the northern city of Tripoli that killed dozens, was allegedly brought to Lebanon by the Hezbollah militant group and was staying in a southern suburb of Beirut where the group has deep support. Lebanon’s Interior Minister Bassam Mawlawi, whose ministry is in charge of border crossings, told reporters Tuesday that no person who is wanted in Lebanon entered the country through legal border crossings. There are dozens of illegal border crossings between Lebanon and Syria where people are usually smuggled in and out of Lebanon, but it was not possible to independently confirm whether Mamlouk had entered Lebanon. GENEVA — The United Nations says humanitarian operations in two major areas in northwestern Syria have resumed, deploying food, medical supplies, fuel and other needed services and supplies. Spokesman Jens Laerke of the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reported that some health facilities were “overwhelmed” – in part due to staff shortages – and many border crossings have been closed, disrupting supply chains. OCHA said humanitarian operations in some parts of northwestern Syria were put on hold in the early days of the recent escalation, and resumed on Monday. “As of yesterday, all humanitarian organizations in Idlib and northern Aleppo have resumed operations,” Laerke told reporters at a U.N. briefing in Geneva. He said the three border crossings from Turkey used by the U.N. to deliver assistance into Syria remain open and “we are providing assistance in the northwest, including to those who have been newly displaced.” Even before the latest escalation, which led President Bashar Assad to flee the country, nearly 17 million people in Syria needed humanitarian assistance. More than 1 million have been displaced across Idlib, Aleppo, Hama and Homs since the escalation. JERUSALEM — Israel's Defense Minister Israel Katz said Tuesday that Israel's military destroyed Syria’s fleet overnight and intends to establish a demilitarized zone “in southern Syria” to prevent attacks on Israel. He also issued a warning to Syria’s rebels, saying that “whoever follows Assad’s path will end up like Assad — we will not allow an extremist Islamic terrorist entity to act against Israel across its border while putting its citizens at risk.” Speaking at a naval base in Haifa, Katz said the Israeli navy “operated last night to destroy the Syrian fleet and with great success.” Video showing the smoking wreckage of what appeared to be small Syrian naval ships in the port at Latakia was broadcast by Saudi-owned television station Al-Hadath on Tuesday. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which has closely tracked the conflict since the civil war erupted in 2011, said Israel targeted Syrian warships, military warehouses and an air-defense facility on the coast. Katz added that he had instructed the army to establish a “defense zone free of weapons and terrorist threats in southern Syria, without a permanent Israeli presence, in order to prevent terrorism in Syria from taking root and organizing.” It was unclear if the demilitarized zone would reach beyond the buffer zone that Israel has taken over in the border area. Israel has a long history of seizing territory during wars with its neighbors and occupying it indefinitely , citing security concerns. Israel captured the Golan Heights from Syria in the 1967 Mideast war and annexed it in a move not recognized internationally, except by the United States. DAMASCUS, Syria — Members of the Syrian government under ousted President Bashar Assad will gradually transfer power to a new transitional cabinet headed by Mohammed al-Bashir. The departing government met with al-Bashir for the first time since Assad fled Damascus over the weekend. Al-Bashir had previously led the “salvation government” running the rebel stronghold in northwest Syria. Al-Bashir told reporters after the meeting that the ministers discussed transferring the portfolios to the interim government during the transitional period until the beginning of March. He said that in the coming days the new government will decide on each ministry. DAMASCUS, Syria — Banks and shops are reopening in Damascus after the chaos and confusion of the first two days following the ouster of President Bashar Assad. Sadi Ahmad, manager of Syria Gulf Bank, said life is returning to normal. A customer who came to withdraw money from an ATM was surprised to see it functioning. At the historic Hamadiyeh market, fighters who seized power were still standing guard but shops had reopened — even an ice cream stand. Resident Maysoun Al-Qurabi said she was initially “against what happened,” referring to the insurgency, but changed her mind after seeing footage of rebels releasing inmates from the notorious Saydnaya prison. “People are at ease and secure now,” she said. “Before, people were hungry and scared.” DAMASCUS, Syria — Minority Christians in Syria have been living in a state of uneasy anticipation since insurgents headed by the Islamic militant group Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham took control after ousting President Bashar Assad. Mazen Kalash, a resident of Bab Touma, a Christian neighborhood in Damascus, said he wants to know the plans of the new government that will be formed by the rebels. “The important thing is to feel safe, bring order, law and respect to the citizens,” he said. “We need to be able to work whatever we want and do whatever we want without any interference from anyone.” The insurgents have so far attempted to reassure minorities that they will be protected. Large numbers of Syrian Christians, who made up 10% of the population, fled after the civil war erupted in 2011. Many of those who stayed supported Assad out of fear they might be targeted by Islamist insurgents. TEL AVIV, Israel — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu lashed out at media during testimony at his corruption trial, which involves media moguls. “There has never been such a biased media in any democracy ... as there is in Israel,” Netanyahu told the court, describing his testy relationship with the press. He is accused of exchanging regulatory favors with media bosses for more positive coverage of himself and his family. He has denied wrongdoing. GENEVA — The U.N. envoy for Syria says armed groups that drove out President Bashar Assad have “been sending good messages” about national unity and inclusiveness but acknowledges that a Security Council resolution still counts the leading one as a terrorist group. With Syria’s future and stability still very much in flux since Assad’s departure over the weekend, Geir Pedersen suggested that the international community needs to help the country get through this turbulent moment. “We are still in what I would call a very fluid period. Things are not settled,” Pedersen told reporters at U.N. offices in Geneva on Tuesday. “There is a real opportunity for change, but this opportunity needs to be grasped by the Syrians themselves and supported by the U.N. and the international community.” Referring to Israeli military strikes in Syria, Pedersen said it was “extremely important that we now don’t see any action from any international country that destroys the possibility for this transformation in Syria to take place.” The insurgents are led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, or HTS, which grew out of an al-Qaida-affiliate called the Nusra Front that the Security Council listed as a terror group in a 2015 resolution. “This is obviously a complicating factor for all of us,” Pedersen said. “But we also have to be honest, we have to look at the facts and to see what has happened during the last nine years.” “The reality so far is that the HTS and also the other armed groups have been sending good messages to the Syrian people,” he said. “They have been sending messages of unity, of inclusiveness, and frankly speaking, also, we have seen in (the captured cities of) Aleppo and in Hama ... reassuring things on the ground." Ahmad al-Sharaa, previously known by his nom de guerre Abu Mohammed al-Golani, the leader of the insurgency and the founder of both groups Nusra and HTS, cut ties with al-Qaida in 2016 and says he is committed to pluralism and religious tolerance. ANKARA, Turkey — Turkey has “strongly” condemned Israel’s advance into Syrian territory, saying it was in violation of a 1974 agreement on a buffer zone inside Syria. “We strongly condemn Israel’s violation of the 1974 Separation of Forces Agreement, its entry into the separation zone between Israel and Syria, and its advance into Syrian territory,” Turkey’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement. The ministry accused Israel of “displaying a mentality of an occupier” at a time when the possibility of peace and stability had emerged in Syria. The statement also reiterated Turkey’s support to Syria’s “sovereignty, political unity, and territorial integrity.” Israeli troops on Sunday entered the buffer zone that had been established after the 1973 Mideast war and the military said it would deploy in “several other places necessary for (Israel’s’) defense.” TEL AVIV, Israel — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he works 17 to 18 hours a day and that he is engulfed in meetings, especially during the past year that Israel has been fighting wars. Netanyahu was testifying in his long-running corruption trial. He has denied charges of fraud, breach of trust and accepting bribes in three separate cases. “If only I could steal away five minutes to enjoy some time with my wife,” he told the court Tuesday. TEL AVIV, Israel — An Israeli military official says troops plan to seize a buffer zone inside Syria as well as “a few more points that have strategic meaning.” The official spoke Tuesday on condition of anonymity in line with regulations. The official dismissed reports of a larger Israeli invasion as “rumors.” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday that Israeli forces were moving to control a roughly 400-square-kilometer (155-square-mile) demilitarized buffer zone in Syrian territory. The buffer zone between Syria and the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights was created by the U.N. after the 1973 Mideast war. Following the overthrow of President Bashar Assad, Israel sent troops into the buffer zone. It said the move was temporary and was aimed at preventing attacks. It said the 1974 agreement establishing the zone had collapsed and that Syrian troops had withdrawn from their positions. Israel has also carried out airstrikes across Syria in recent days targeting what it says are suspected chemical weapons and long-range rockets. Egypt and Saudi Arabia have condemned Israel’s incursion, accusing it of exploiting the disarray in Syria and violating international law. Israel captured the Golan Heights from Syria in the 1967 Mideast war and annexed it in a move not recognized by the international community, except for the United States. The rest of the world views the strategic plateau as occupied Syrian territory. — By Joseph Krauss DAMASCUS, Syria — Israel’s air force has carried out hundreds of airstrikes in different parts of Syria as its ground forces move north of the Golan Heights along the border with Lebanon, according to an opposition war monitor. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Tuesday that since the fall of President Bashar Assad’s government, Israel’s air force has carried out more than 300 airstrikes against research centers, arms depots and military infrastructure across Syria, as well as a naval base along the Mediterranean coast. Associated Press journalists in Damascus witnessed intense airstrikes on the city and its suburbs overnight into Tuesday morning. Photographs posted online by activists showed destroyed missile launchers, helicopters and warplanes. Meanwhile, Israeli troops marched along the border with Lebanon and now control a long stretch on the Syrian side facing Lebanon’s Rashaya region, according to the war monitor's head, Rami Abdurrahman, and the Beirut-based Al-Mayadeen TV, which has reporters in Syria. Israeli troops are now about 25 kilometers (15 miles) southwest of Damascus, according to the monitor. DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Saudi Arabia has condemned Israel’s incursion into a buffer zone in Syria and a wave of Israeli airstrikes launched after the overthrow of President Bashar Assad. The Saudi Foreign Ministry said in a statement Tuesday that “the assaults carried out by the Israeli occupation government, including the seizure of the buffer zone in the Golan Heights, and the targeting of Syrian territory confirm Israel’s continued violation of the principles of international law and its determination to sabotage Syria’s chances of restoring its security, stability and territorial integrity.” Israel sent troops into a buffer zone inside Syria that had been established after the 1973 Mideast war. It said the move was temporary and was taken to prevent any cross-border attacks after Syrian troops withdrew. Israel has also carried out heavy airstrikes that it says are aimed at preventing suspected chemical weapons and long-range rockets from falling into the hands of extremists. Saudi Arabia has been in talks with the United States in recent years over normalizing relations with Israel in exchange for a U.S. defense pact, American assistance in establishing a civilian nuclear program and a pathway to the establishment of a Palestinian state. But the kingdom has also repeatedly condemned Israel’s actions in the Gaza Strip, where it is at war with the Hamas militant group. Last month, Saudi Arabia’s crown prince and day-to-day ruler Mohammed bin Salman accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza , allegations Israel adamantly rejects.Men’s basketball: Big 12 grind begins for CU Buffs against No. 3 Iowa State
Western Washington Medical Group Partners with IKS Health to Enhance Revenue Cycle Operations and Patient Access
MANY financial changes are coming in 2025 which could affect how much money you have in your pocket. Bus and rail fares will rise, the minimum wage will increase and stamp duty thresholds will be updated. Plus, it’s important to remember yearly money dates including the deadline to submit a tax return or when the new financial year begins. Here we explain all the key dates you need in your diary for the New Year. January 1 - energy price cap On January 1 the new energy price cap comes into effect. Households will now pay an average of £1,738 per year for their energy, up from £1,717. Read more on benefits The price cap is used to show how much a typical family with a dual fuel tariff who pays via direct debit could expect to spend on their energy bill each year. But the exact amount you will pay each month will depend on your usage and can be higher or lower than the cap. What to do: There are several things you can do to ease the pain of a price cap rise. The first is to look around for a fixed rate that might be cheaper than the standard variable tariffs based on the cap. Most read in Money The second is to look for ways to minimise your energy usage, which can bring down your overall bills. This could be things like turning the thermostat down a degree, keeping your curtains drawn, and even blocking drafts from chimneys. Longer term, insulation is expensive but can save you thousands of pounds on your bills. Emily Seymour, Which? energy editor, said: "It's still worth shopping around for energy deals - look out for any that might be cheaper than the January price cap when it comes into effect. "You should compare what your monthly payments would be on a fixed deal with what you'd expect them to be if you remain with the price-capped variable tariff to see what the best option is for you. "As a rule of thumb, we'd recommend looking for deals cheaper than the price cap, not longer than 12 months and without significant exit fees. "If you're worried about affording your bills this winter, don't suffer in silence. "Speak to your energy company - they are obliged to help you if you're struggling to pay your bills." January 1 - bus fares rise On January 1 the bus fare cap will also increase from £2 to £3. The government announced the changes to travel costs in its Budget. The cap will mean that no single bus fare on routes included in the scheme will exceed £3. Meanwhile, routes where fares are less than £3 will only be allowed to increase in line with inflation . What to do: You'll need to factor this change into your monthly budget and check to see if there is a travel card that might make it cheaper for you. January 29 - Winter Fuel Payment deadline Thousands of pensioners who receive certain benefits will get a Winter Fuel Payment worth up to £300 this year. Most payments will be made automatically in November or December. If you are eligible you should receive a letter telling you how much you’ll get and which bank account it will be paid into. This is usually the same account as your Pension Credit or other benefits. Consumer reporter Sam Walker explains all you need to know about the payment. The Winter Fuel Payment is an annual tax-free benefit designed to help cover the cost of heating through the colder months. Most who are eligible receive the payment automatically. Those who qualify are usually told via a letter sent in October or November each year. If you do meet the criteria but don't automatically get the Winter Fuel Payment, you will have to apply on the government's website. You'll qualify for a Winter Fuel Payment this winter if: you were born on or before September 23, 1958 you lived in the UK for at least one day during the week of September 16 to 22, 2024, known as the "qualifying week" you receive Pension Credit , Universal Credit , ESA, JSA, Income Support, Child Tax Credit or Working Tax Credit If you did not live in the UK during the qualifying week, you might still get the payment if both the following apply: you live in Switzerland or a EEA country you have a "genuine and sufficient" link with the UK social security system, such as having lived or worked in the UK and having a family in the UK But there are exclusions - you can’t get the payment if you live in Cyprus, France , Gibraltar, Greece, Malta, Portugal or Spain . This is because the average winter temperature is higher than the warmest region of the UK. You will also not qualify if you: are in hospital getting free treatment for more than a year need permission to enter the UK and your granted leave states that you can not claim public funds were in prison for the whole "qualifying week" lived in a care home for the whole time between 26 June to 24 September 2023, and got Pension Credit, Income Support, income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance or income-related Employment and Support Allowance Payments are usually made between November and December, with some made up until the end of January the following year. What to do: If you do not get a letter or the money has not been paid into your account by January 29 then you should contact the Winter Fuel Payment Centre on 0800 731 0160. You will need to provide personal details such as your name, address, date of birth and National Insurance number. The deadline for you to claim for this winter is March 31, 2025. January 31 - Self-assessment tax return deadline Hundreds of thousands of people need to file a self-assessment tax return before January 31 or face a hefty penalty. You may need to do a tax return for several reasons, including if you are self-employed or earn money from savings, tips or commissions. The deadline to submit a paper tax return has passed but you can still complete the forms online. You can find more information about completing a tax return on the Government’s website. If you owe any tax then you need to pay it by midnight on the same day. You can do this online, via the HMRC app, through your bank’s app or using online banking. It can take a few days for payments to reach HMRC so try and pay your bill at least a few days ahead of the deadline. There’s usually a second payment deadline of July 31 if you make advance payments towards your bill. This is known as “payments on account”. You will also need to pay a penalty if you are late. What to do: You can check if you need to file a tax return by using the online tool on the GOV.UK website. Complete the paperwork online well before the deadline to avoid any mishaps. Pay any tax you owe now to avoid being slapped with a hefty fine. February 1 - Alcohol duty freeze ends The freeze on alcohol duty rates was extended until February 1 in the Spring Budget. After this date, alcohol duty rates on all non-draught products will rise in line with the retail price index measure of inflation. This means that the price of some alcohol will increase. Draught products, such as beer, which are served in pubs will be exempt to help control prices. What to do: Stock up on your favourite beverages ahead of this deadline to avoid being affected by price rises. February 6 - Bank of England base rate In February the Bank of England’s rate-setting committee will meet for the first time to decide whether to cut interest rates. If the Bank decides to cut interest rates then it could mean that savings rates fall and mortgages get less expensive. Interest rates were cut twice this year, in August and November. It is expected that interest rates will fall even further in 2025 but they are unlikely to return to the levels seen for more than a decade. What to do: If experts think the base rate is likely to increase, then you should consider whether you’re getting the best mortgage deal. You can apply for and hold a mortgage rate for up to six months. If you have a fix coming to an end or you’re on a standard variable rate, it’s worth speaking to a broker before any MPC decision and securing a rate. You can always shop around for another one if rates fall. It's also a good time to check whether your savings, and any debts are in the best place possible. Check whether you can find lower interest for credit cards, or higher paying savings accounts depending on what the MPC announces. February 25 - Energy price cap published The next energy price cap will be published on February 25. This will control how much an energy supplier can charge for every unit of energy used between April 1 to June 30. There's a number of different ways to get help paying your energy bills if you're struggling to get by. If you fall into debt, you can always approach your supplier to see if they can put you on a repayment plan before putting you on a prepayment meter. This involves paying off what you owe in instalments over a set period. If your supplier offers you a repayment plan you don't think you can afford, speak to them again to see if you can negotiate a better deal . Several energy firms have schemes available to customers struggling to cover their bills. But eligibility criteria vary depending on the supplier and the amount you can get depends on your financial circumstances. For example, British Gas or Scottish Gas customers struggling to pay their energy bills can get grants worth up to £2,000. British Gas also offers help via its British Gas Energy Trust and Individuals Family Fund. You don't need to be a British Gas customer to apply for the second fund. EDF, E.ON, Octopus Energy and Scottish Power all offer grants to struggling customers too. Thousands of vulnerable households are missing out on extra help and protections by not signing up to the Priority Services Register (PSR). The service helps support vulnerable households , such as those who are elderly or ill. Some of the perks include being given advance warning of blackouts , free gas safety checks and extra support if you're struggling. Get in touch with your energy firm to see if you can apply. The cap has risen the last two times it has been reviewed and could rise again in February. As a result, energy bills could become more expensive. What to do: Check if you would be better off locking into a fixed energy deal if you are on a variable tariff. March 2 - train fares rise by 4.6% Rail fares are set to increase by 4.6% in March after the government revealed the plans in its Budget document. The cost of most railcards will also rise by £5, which is equal to almost 17%. What to do: As train travel gets more expensive, railcards are likely to become better value for money, particularly if you’re a regular traveller. National Rail has plenty available including for young people up to 30, disabled people, family and friends, network rail, seniors, veterans and two people travelling together. Currently, most cost £30 for one year or £70 for three, so it’s worth buying now before prices rise. If you’re a commuter, it might also be worth checking whether an annual ticket might be cheaper, if you don’t have one already. March 31 - Household support fund applications close Struggling households have until March 31 to apply for the Household Support Fund which can help them to make ends meet. The government has provided £421 million of funding to local authorities to help hard-up families and pensioners. The money will help to pay for gas , electricity or food. Payments will be made in cash or vouchers. The amount you will get depends on your local authority and what support is available. If you think you are eligible then apply as soon as possible. Councils only have a certain amount of money to give out to residents and once it is gone you will miss out. What to do: Check if you are eligible for help and apply as soon as possible to avoid missing out. April 1 - household bills increase The cost of several household bills will rise from April 1. Council tax bills in England will rise by up to 5% from April, which will add an extra £100 to a typical bill. The exact amount your bill will rise depends on where you live and what band your property is in. Water regulator Ofwat has forecast that bills will rise by £27.40 next year, pushing up the average household water bill to £473. Meanwhile, the cost of a TV licence will increase by £5 to £174.50 , the Government announced in December. What to do: Most of the changes will happen automatically and there’s not much you can do, but you can plan in advance. Start thinking now about how you can cut costs to accommodate rising bills. For anything where you can choose your provider, such as mobile phones and broadband, it’s worth shopping around to make sure you’ll be getting the best deal. April 1 - minimum wage rise and National Living Wage Meanwhile, the National Living Wage is also set to increase on the same day. The living wage for those aged over 21 will rise by 77p to £12.21 an hour from April 1. The rate for 18-20-year-olds will increase by £1.40 to £10. Apprentices will get £7.55 an hour, a £1.15 increase. The Government wants to eventually introduce a single minimum wage for all ages. What to do: Rises will come in automatically for those who earn the national living or minimum wages and you don’t need to do anything. For anyone on a higher salary, this could be a good opportunity to negotiate an increase with your employer. If you do get a pay rise, it often makes sense to increase your pension contributions. After all, if you’ve never had the money, you won’t miss it. Equally, diverting more money to savings at the beginning of the month can help you save for emergencies or big spends such as holidays. April 5 - end of the tax year Unlike the calendar year, the tax year runs from April to April each year. This can be important if you want to save a lot of money in an Individual Savings Account (ISA) or junior version. You can pay up to £20,000 into an Isa each year. Meanwhile, Junior Isas have a limit of £9,000 a year. You cannot roll over any unused allowance to the next tax year. What to do: If you have an ISA, this is the last chance to use up any of the 2024/2025 allowance. It’s also when your annual pension allowance ends, so a good opportunity to get any last minute payments in if you think you might reach the limit next year. April 5 - deadline to top up state pension One important date is April 5, when the rules about filling historic gaps your NI record change. Currently, you can buy national insurance years going back to 2006 to top up your record, but from April this will change to just 6 years. Your national insurance record determines how much state pension you get, and you need 35 years of contributions or credits to get the full amount. What to do: Check your state pension record and see if there are any gaps. Use HMRC’s new online tool which tells you how much it would cost to fill different years and what effect that would have on your pension. April 5 - tax credits finish Universal Credit is replacing tax credits in 2025. After April 5 tax credits will end and no further payments will be made. Those who are eligible will be moved over to Universal Credit . They will get a letter from the Government to tell them that they need to switch. If you do not claim by the deadline in that letter then your existing tax credit payments will stop, even if you just renewed your claim. If you claim tax credits and are over the state pension age then you will be asked to apply for Universal Credit or Pension Credit, depending on your situation. What to do: If you need to apply for new benefits then you should do so before this deadline. You could miss out on some money if you apply after this date. There should be information on how to apply in the Government letter. April 6 - state pension rises The state pension will rise by £472 a year for millions of pensioners on April 6 as part of the triple lock guarantee. This ensures that payments rise in line with wages, inflation or 2.5% - whichever is highest. AT the moment the current state pension is paid to both men and women from age 66 - but it's due to rise to 67 by 2028 and 68 by 2046. The state pension is a recurring payment from the government most Brits start getting when they reach State Pension age. But not everyone gets the same amount, and you are awarded depending on your National Insurance record. For most pensioners, it forms only part of their retirement income , as they could have other pots from a workplace pension, earning and savings. The new state pension is based on people's National Insurance records. Workers must have 35 qualifying years of National Insurance to get the maximum amount of the new state pension. You earn National Insurance qualifying years through work, or by getting credits, for instance when you are looking after children and claiming child benefit . If you have gaps, you can top up your record by paying in voluntary National Insurance contributions. To get the old, full basic state pension, you will need 30 years of contributions or credits. You will need at least 10 years on your NI record to get any state pension. Those on the basic and new state pension will see their payments rise by 4.1%. From next year pensioners on the full new state pension will get £230.25 a week. Meanwhile, retirees on the full old basic state pension will receive £176.45 a week. What to do: Make sure that your contact details are up to date. Check what day of the week your state pension should be paid . April 6 - Help to Save scheme expanded On the same day, the Help to Save scheme will be expanded to anyone who works and claims Universal Credit. Help to Save is a savings account which can be opened by people who are entitled to Working Tax Credit or receive Universal Credit and meet certain criteria. Those with the account get a bonus of 50p for every £1 they save over four years. They can save between £1 and £50 every calendar month and do not have to pay in money every month. Currently, those who get Universal Credit must earn £793.17 or more each month to be eligible. But anyone earning at least £1 a month who claims Universal Credit will be able to apply from April. What to do: If you want to join Help to Save then you can apply through the Government Gateway. You do not need to submit any paperwork as HMRC will assess whether you are eligible. If you have problems applying then you can call the Help to Save service on 0300 322 7093. May 1 - NHS prescription charges could rise The NHS increased prescription charges from May 1, 2024. The cost of a single prescription rose by 25p to £9.90. Meanwhile, the cost of a prepayment certificate rose by £2.90 to £114.50. The Government may decide to do the same in 2025. It is not yet clear how much prescription costs could rise by next year. What to do: If you get lots of prescriptions, consider a Prescription Prepayment Certificate. These cover all your NHS prescriptions for a set price. The NHS says you will save money if you need more than 3 items in 3 months, or 11 items in 12 months. The prescription charge in England is currently £9.90. A PPC costs: £32.05 for 3 months £114.50 for 12 months If you’re on benefits or a low income you might be eligible for free prescriptions. You can use the eligibility checker here to find out. May 26 - energy price cap published By May 26 the energy regulator Ofwat will announce the energy price cap for July 1 to September 30. This will decide how much households will pay for their gas and electricity during the summer months. What to do: Check how much you are spending on your gas and electricity each month. Compare it to how much you would pay if you locked into a fixed tariff to see whether you could save money. June 30 - Radio Teleswitch service turned off The Radio Teleswitch Service uses radio signals to tell some electricity meters to switch between peak and off-peak rates. It will be shut down and the service which uses it will end on June 30, 2025. Homes which use this service for their heating and hot water could be impacted if they are not upgraded. What to do: If you think you could be affected then contact your energy supplier to check if your meter needs replacing. June 30 - Mortgage guarantee scheme closes The mortgage guarantee scheme allows lenders to offer 95% deals for first-time buyers and people who want to move home. To be eligible they must have a deposit of between 5% and 9.99%. GETTING on the property ladder can feel like a daunting task but there are schemes out there to help first-time buyers have their own home. Help to Buy Isa - It's a tax-free savings account where for every £200 you save, the Government will add an extra £50. But there's a maximum limit of £3,000 which is paid to your solicitor when you move. These accounts have now closed to new applicants but those who already hold one have until November 2029 to use it. Help to Buy equity loan - The Government will lend you up to 20% of the home's value - or 40% in London - after you've put down a 5% deposit. The loan is on top of a normal mortgage but it can only be used to buy a new build property. Lifetime Isa - This is another Government scheme that gives anyone aged 18 to 39 the chance to save tax-free and get a bonus of up to £32,000 towards their first home. You can save up to £4,000 a year and the Government will add 25% on top. Shared ownership - Co-owning with a housing association means you can buy a part of the property and pay rent on the remaining amount. You can buy anything from 25% to 75% of the property but you're restricted to specific ones. Mortgage guarantee scheme - The scheme opens to new 95% mortgages from April 19 2021. Applicants can buy their first home with a 5% deposit, it's eligible for homes up to £600,000. The scheme allows lenders to offer more mortgages with smaller deposits, helping thousands of people to get on the property ladder. But it will close to applicants on June 30, 2025. What to do: This may see some lenders stopping 95% mortgages or making them more expensive, so if you’re planning to buy, do so before the scheme ends. You can hold a mortgage offer for up to six months, so it’s worth applying even if you won’t be ready to move for a couple of months after the deadline. July 1 - Energy price cap updated The energy price cap for July 1 to September 30 will come into force on this day. British Gas estimates that on this day the price cap will fall from £1,810 to £1,775. If true, the decrease would save customers £35 a year. What to do: Take a meter reading before the new price cap comes into force. This will ensure that you are charged accurately for the energy you used before prices changed. Every supplier has their own policy on when you can submit a meter reading after the new cap comes in. Check with yours how long you have to take one and submit it. July 31 - Payment on account deadline The deadline to make a second payment on account is July 31. Payments on account help you to spread the cost of your tax bill by splitting it into instalments. Each payment is half of the tax you owed last year. They must be paid by midnight on January 31 and July 31. What to do: You can check how much you owe and make payments through your online government account. There is also an HMRC tool which you can use to check if you need to pay. August 1 - Student fees rise The maximum fees that universities can charge will rise from £9,250 to £9,535 a year. This will be the first increase since a freeze introduced in 2017. What to do: You can get a student loan to cover your fees. August 20 - July inflation figures released Inflation figures for July will be published on August 20, 2025. This figures are used to calculate how much rail fares will increase by the following year. The exact amount that rail fares will increase by is usually confirmed around the time the government publishes its Budget . What to do: Keep an eye out for announcements around how this will impact prices in 2026. September 15 - First day to claim Winter Fuel Payment To get the Winter Fuel Payment you must have received certain benefits such as Pension Credit and Universal Credit between September 16 and 22. This is known as the “qualifying week”. If the same rules apply next year then the qualifying week will begin on September 15. What to do: Apply for any benefits which would make you eligible for a Winter Fuel Payment well ahead of September. If you already receive a qualifying benefit then ensure you will receive it during the qualifying week. September 16 - Wage figures published On this date the government will publish its September labour market figures, which are used to calculate state pension rates . The state pension increases every April in line with September wage figures, inflation or 2.5%, whichever is highest. In 2024 the state pension was increased in line with wages, which rose by 4.1%. What to do: Wait until the Government confirms how much the state pension will rise in 2026. Check how much you could be entitled to so you can manage your budget the following year. October 1 - Energy price cap updated The energy price cap for the October 1 to December 31 period will come into effect on this day. The amount that a typical family can expect to pay during this period will be published on August 27. What to do: Take a meter reading and send it to your energy supplier before the new price cap comes in. October 5 - Deadline to register for self-assessment If you need to file a tax return then the deadline to register with HMRC is October 5. You may need to do a tax return if you are self-employed and earned more than £1,000 last year or if you are in a business partnership. To register visit the Gov.uk website. What to do: To register, follow the instructions on the government’s website . October 22 - September inflation figure published On October 22 the inflation figure for September will be published. This is important because it is used to calculate how much benefits, the state pension and tax credits will rise. The September inflation figure is used as part of the triple lock guarantee. If it is higher than the wage figures published on September 16 and 2.5% then it will be used in the calculations. The government usually confirms the exact amount that the state pension will rise at a later date. What to do: Check the figures announced to understand how your payments from April 6, 2026 might be affected. October 31 - Paper tax return deadline The deadline to submit a paper tax return is usually midnight on October 31 every year. These forms can be downloaded from the Government website or you can request them by telephone. They are then posted to the tax office, where they are registered. It can take a few days for the tax office to receive your paper tax return in the post. Submit it a few days ahead of this deadline to make sure it arrives on time. What to do: You can download the form here or ring HMRC and ask them to send you one. If you miss the deadline, you should submit as soon as possible. If you’re able to file digitally, there is a later deadline of January 31. November - Budget We don't know when the Budget will be, but it's likely to be November. What to do: Keep an eye on the Sun’s money pages throughout Autumn, where we will update you on the date of the budget and all the experts’ predictions for what it will include. November 28 - Black Friday Black Friday will start on November 28 and will end on December 1 in 2025. READ MORE SUN STORIES Although it was originally an American celebration, it has now become a worldwide shopping event. What to do: Keep an eye out for deals and discounts in the run-up to Black Friday as some shops launch their offers early to entice shoppers. Do you have a money problem that needs sorting? Get in touch by emailing money-sm@news.co.uk . Plus, you can join our Sun Money Chats and Tips Facebook group to share your tips and storiesWilliams' 19 lead East Texas A&M over Abilene Christian 68-67Donald Trump is returning to the world stage. So is his trolling
Israel said Tuesday it had bombed more than 350 military sites in Syria during the previous 48 hours, targeting “most of the strategic weapons stockpiles” in the country. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the wave of airstrikes in neighboring Syria was necessary to keep the weapons from being used against Israel following the Syrian government’s stunning collapse . Israel also acknowledged its troops were pushing into a border buffer zone inside Syria, which was established after the 1973 Mideast war. However, Israel denied its forces were advancing Tuesday toward the Syrian capital of Damascus. Life in the capital was slowly returning to normal after jihadi-led Syrian insurgents ousted President Bashar Assad over the weekend. People celebrated for a third day in a main square, and shops and banks reopened. The United States said Tuesday it would recognize and support a new Syrian government that renounces terrorism, destroys chemical weapons stocks and protects the rights of minorities and women. Syria's nearly 14-year civil war killed nearly half a million people and displaced half of the country’s prewar population of 23 million, becoming a proxy battlefield for regional and international powers. Here's the Latest: SAYDNAYA, Syria — Tens of thousands came to Saydnaya Prison from all over Syria after the fall of former President Bashar Assad to search for their loved ones. The place so notorious for its horrors was long known as “the slaughterhouse.” For the past two days, all have been looking for signs of loved ones who disappeared years or even decades ago into the secretive, sprawling prison just outside Damascus. But hope gave way to despair Monday. People opened the heavy iron doors lining the hallways to find cells inside empty. With sledgehammers, shovels and drills, men pounded holes in floors and walls, looking for what they believed were secret dungeons, or chasing sounds they thought they heard from underground. They found nothing. Insurgents freed dozens of people from the Saydnaya military prison on Sunday when Damascus fell. Since then, almost no one has been found. “Where is everyone? Where are everyone’s children? Where are they?” said Ghada Assad, breaking down in tears. An estimated 150,000 people were detained or went missing in Syria since 2011 — and tens of thousands of them are believed to have gone through Saydnaya. WASHINGTON — The top U.S. military commander for the Middle East was on the ground in Syria on Tuesday, meeting with a Kurish-led, U.S.-allied force at several bases in the country's east, U.S. Central Command said. Army Gen. Erik Kurilla visited with U.S. military commanders and troops as well as the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces. It wasn’t clear if he met with SDF leader Mazloum Abdi, and U.S. Central Command did not respond to a request for details about his visit or with whom he met. U.S. officials said they did not know what his message to the SDF was. The U.S has about 900 troops in Syria, including forces working with Kurdish allies in the northeast to prevent any resurgence of the Islamic State group. In a press release, Central Command said Kurilla received an “assessment of force protection measures, the rapidly evolving situation, and ongoing efforts to prevent ISIS from exploiting the current situation.” Kurilla then went on to Iraq where he met with leaders in Baghdad. UNITED NATIONS – The United Nations says it still getting reports about the looting of warehouses with humanitarian aid in a number of areas in Syria, including around the capital Damascus. U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters Tuesday that U.N. agencies and their partners are working to identify the extent of looting at the warehouses, including those of U.N. agencies and the Syrian Arab Red Crescent. Dujarric said U.N. aid officials report that “the humanitarian situation remains volatile across Syria, with reports of people continuing to be displaced.” Humanitarian officials reported that 25 trucks carrying U.N. aid crossed from Turkey to northwest Syria, which the situation is now relatively calm, the U.N. spokesman said. All 11 receptions opened in Idlib in the northwest to host newly displaced families were empty as of Monday, Dujarric said. In the northeast, he said, authorities report that as of Tuesday 100,000 people have been displaced due to fighting in Tal Rifaat and other parts of Aleppo governorate. Dujarric said the U.N.’s partners report that “reception centers in Tabqa and Raqqa have reached full capacity, and more than 200 sites – including municipal buildings, schools, mosques, and stadiums – are being used to accommodate newly displaced people.” BEIRUT — The Lebanese army said Tuesday that “unidentified gunmen” crossed the border from Syria into eastern Lebanon's Bekaa province and approached a Lebanese border post. In a statement, the army said the gunmen fired into the air and seized equipment from an evacuated Syrian army post in the outskirts of Kfar Fouq, near Rashaya al-Wadi, in the western part of Bekaa province. Lebanese army personnel responded with warning shots, forcing the group to retreat back into Syrian territory. The Lebanese army did not report any injuries or provide further details about the identity of the gunmen. WASHINGTON — Yemen’s Houthi rebels launched multiple drones and a missile at three commercial ships being escorted in the Gulf of Aden by U.S. Navy ships, a U.S. official said Tuesday. There was no damage and no injuries. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss military operations, said U.S. Navy destroyers, and Navy helicopter and a French Air Force aircraft shot down four of the drones and the missile. The three U.S. affiliated flagged ships were sailing east toward Djibouti. The Iran-backed Houthis have targeted shipping through the key waterway for more than a year, attacks they say are meant to force an end to Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza. JERUSALEM — Israel’s military said it bombed more than 350 sites in Syria during the previous 48 hours, targeting “most of the strategic weapons stockpiles” in the country. There is concern that, with the sudden collapse of the Syrian government, weapons stockpiles could be seized by jihadi militants. Warplanes hit what Israel said were Syrian air defense systems, military airfields, missile depots, and dozens of weapons production sites in the cities of Damascus, Homs, Tartus, Latakia, and Palmyra, the Israeli army statement said. In naval operations overnight Monday, Israeli missile ships struck two Syrian navy facilities simultaneously — Al-Bayda port and Latakia port — where the army said 15 Syrian naval vessels were docked. Israeli did not specify how many Syrian naval vessels were hit. The private security firm Ambrey said it had seen evidence that at least six Soviet-era Syrian navy missile ships were hit. Israeli officials said earlier that Israel also targeted alleged chemical weapons sites. JERUSALEM — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed Tuesday that his country’s military launched a wave of airstrikes across Syria to destroy the toppled government’s leftover “military capabilities,” and said Israel wants relations with the new government emerging Syria. Hours after Israeli warplanes pounded Syria, Netanyahu said Israeli doesn’t want to meddle in Syria’s internal affairs, but would take necessary steps to protect Israel's security and prevent jihadi militants from seizing the Syrian army assets. He warned that if the new Syrian government “allows Iran to re-establish itself in Syria or allows the transfer of Iranian weapons or any other weapons to Hezbollah, or attacks us -- we will respond forcefully and we will exact a heavy price from it.” He spoke in a video statement recorded at the Kirya military headquarters in Tel Aviv, after his first day of testimony in his corruption trial. DAMASCUS, Syria — In Umayyad Square in Damascus, Syrians celebrated the fall of President Bashar Assad for the third day on Tuesday despite Israeli airstrikes across the country. Insurgents who recently took control of the capital city tried to impose a new rule banning the celebratory gunfire. There were a few violators, and much less deafening gunfire. Protesters climbed the square's central monument to wave the Syrian revolutionary flag. On the ground, crowds chanted: “Out with Bashar! Out with Bashar!” Assad fled to Russia over the weekend after a lightning rebel offensive toppled his brutal police state. Demonstrators from different provinces marched in the square in groups, celebrating Assad's fall. Men on motorcycles and horses paraded into the square. One woman from Idlib province shouted that the Israeli strikes ruined the joy of ousting Assad. “Why are you striking us? We just deposed a tyrant,” she said. “Give us peace. Leave us alone,” said Ahmed Jreida, 22, a dentist student, when asked about the Israeli airstrikes. Hamzeh Hamada, 22, said this was the first time he had gone out to a demonstration. “We want the country to get better, to live in dignity and be like other countries that respect citizens’ rights and where there are no bribes,” he said. “We have suffered a lot from bribes. ... We had to bribe people for very minor things; things that should be our right.” Abdul-Jalil Diab was taking a stroll with his brothers in another square in western Damascus. He said he came back from Jordan the day Damascus fell. He was there studying German to prepare to move to Germany and said he is now reconsidering his plans. He was ecstatic, saying words can’t describe how he feels. “We are happy to get rid of the corrupt regime that was based on bribes. The whole country feels better. Everyone is happy and celebrating,” Abdul-Jalil Diab said. QAMISHLI, Syria — Residents of northeast Syria in the area around Qamishli airport said Tuesday they heard explosions overnight after an airstrike hit trucks loaded with rockets and ammunition that were heading to a military base in Tartab. “We don’t know the story. It was only in the morning when we realized they are trucks loaded with ammunition, leftovers of the former army, the regime,” said Ibrahim al-Thalaj, who lives near the base. He said residents assumed that the strikes were Israeli. Israel has carried out a heavy wave of airstrikes across Syria targeting military infrastructure after Syrian insurgents toppled the government of Bashar Assad. However, Turkish security officials said Tuesday that the strike in Qamishli was carried out by Turkey, targeting weapons and ammunition that were abandoned by the Syrian army and seized by Syrian Kurdish militants. The explosions lasted for over 20 minutes after the strike, and many houses in the surrounding area were damaged as a result, residents of the area said. “We just felt a strike hitting. It hit the first one (truck) and we saw the other trucks retreating back, and from there rockets and shells started flying over,” said Hamid al-Asaad, an eyewitness from Qub al-Zeki village in Qamishli. “We were sitting when these explosions started to hit the house,” said Mahmoud Hamza of Tartab. “It was hitting randomly and we didn’t know where it was coming from. ... Once we got out of our house, a rocket hit the house.” There were no details released by the local Kurdish administration regarding the explosions, but members of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces blocked the road to the base. BRUSSELS — The European Union’s top diplomat is concerned that Syria might violently fall apart like neighboring Iraq, or Libya and Afghanistan if its territorial integrity and the rights of minorities are not protected. “The transition will present huge challenges in Syria and in the region,” EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas told European lawmakers on Tuesday during a special hearing. “There are legitimate concerns about the risks of sectarian violence, extremist resurgence and the governance vacuum, all of which must be averted. We must avoid a repeat of the horrific scenarios of Iraq, Libya and Afghanistan,” she said. “The rights of all Syrians, including those of many minority groups, must be protected,” she said. “It is crucial to preserve the territorial integrity of Syria, and to respect its independence, its sovereignty, as well as the state institutions.” Kallas also said the collapse of the government has shown that Assad’s backers in Russia and Iran “could neither afford to do it any longer, nor had any interest of being present in the aftermath.” “They are weakened, distracted and overstretched in other theaters in the broader Middle East, but also in Ukraine,” she said. ANKARA, Turkey — Turkey’s intelligence agency, MIT, has attacked a convoy of trucks that was allegedly carrying missiles, heavy weapons and ammunition that were abandoned by the Syrian government and reportedly seized by Syrian Kurdish militias, Turkish security officials said Tuesday. The officials said 12 trucks, two tanks and two ammunition depots were “destroyed” in aerial strikes in the city of Qamishli, near the border with Turkey in northeast Syria. The officials provided the information on condition of anonymity in line with Turkish regulations. They did not say when the attack occurred. The officials said the intelligence agency detected that weapons left by the Syrian government forces were being moved to warehouses belonging to the Syrian Kurdish People’s Defense Units, or YPG. Turkey views the group as a terrorist organization because of its links to the banned Kurdish militants that have led a decadeslong insurgency in Turkey. According to the officials, he group was allegedly planning to use the equipment and supplies against Turkish security forces. By Suzan Fraser WASHINGTON — The White House is signaling its approval of Israel’s strikes against Syrian military and alleged chemical weapons targets and the seizure of a buffer zone in the Syrian Golan Heights after the fall of the Assad government. “These are exigent operations to eliminate what they believe are imminent threats to their national security,” White House national security spokesman John Kirby said Tuesday, saying the U.S. would leave it up to the Israelis to discuss details of their operations. “They have as always the right to defend themselves,” Kirby said. He declined to detail and U.S. intelligence cooperation with the Israelis that went into the strikes. Kirby said the White House was reasserting its support of the 1974 Golan Heights disengagement agreement, but didn’t criticize the Israeli seizure of the demilitarized zone. Israel has a long history of seizing territory during wars with its neighbors and occupying it indefinitely , citing security concerns. Israel captured the Golan Heights from Syria in the 1967 Mideast war and annexed it in a move not recognized internationally, except by the United States. WASHINGTON — The Biden administration says it will recognize and support a new Syrian government that renounces terrorism, destroys chemical weapons stocks and protects the rights of minorities and women. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement Tuesday that the U.S. would work with groups in Syria and regional partners to ensure that the transition from President Bashar Assad’s deposed government runs smoothly. He was not specific about which groups the U.S. would work with. Blinken says Syrians should decide their future and that other countries should “support an inclusive and transparent process” and not interfere. “The United States will recognize and fully support a future Syria government that results from this process,” he said. “We stand prepared to lend all appropriate support to all of Syria’s diverse communities and constituencies.” DAMASCUS, Syria — Jihad Mustafa Shibani was taking his new motorcycle for a spin with a friend around the house of the deposed Syrian president in western Damascus on Tuesday. Shibani was released from prison a week before the capital Damascus fell, after he served two years on charges of buying his motorcycle using foreign currency on accusations he was dealing in dollars. He was tortured for 15 days and and given a quick trial where he was sentenced for two years, he said. He was released the day Aleppo fell to the insurgents. “Everything was banned in Syria. The (Assad loyalists) only could use it,” Shibani said. He said he has never been to this neighborhood, because it was taken over by Assad, his family and supporters. “For 50 years, my family’s house is near here, and we don’t know anything about it. ... The Syrian people had been oppressed, you can’t imagine.” Shibani said he has no fear of the rebel newcomers who have taken control of the country. “We are not afraid. There can be no one more unjust than Bashar. Impossible.” BEIRUT — Lebanon’s prime minister is in contact with security and judicial officials to follow up on reports that senior members of President Bashar Assad’s government have fled to Lebanon. Najib Mikati’s office quoted him as saying that Lebanon abides by international laws regarding people who cross its borders. Rami Abdurrahman of the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition war monitor, said that several top security officials have entered Lebanon over the past two days. Abdurrahman added that Syria’s former intelligence chief Ali Mamlouk, who is wanted in Lebanon over two bombings in 2012 in the northern city of Tripoli that killed dozens, was allegedly brought to Lebanon by the Hezbollah militant group and was staying in a southern suburb of Beirut where the group has deep support. Lebanon’s Interior Minister Bassam Mawlawi, whose ministry is in charge of border crossings, told reporters Tuesday that no person who is wanted in Lebanon entered the country through legal border crossings. There are dozens of illegal border crossings between Lebanon and Syria where people are usually smuggled in and out of Lebanon, but it was not possible to independently confirm whether Mamlouk had entered Lebanon. GENEVA — The United Nations says humanitarian operations in two major areas in northwestern Syria have resumed, deploying food, medical supplies, fuel and other needed services and supplies. Spokesman Jens Laerke of the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reported that some health facilities were “overwhelmed” – in part due to staff shortages – and many border crossings have been closed, disrupting supply chains. OCHA said humanitarian operations in some parts of northwestern Syria were put on hold in the early days of the recent escalation, and resumed on Monday. “As of yesterday, all humanitarian organizations in Idlib and northern Aleppo have resumed operations,” Laerke told reporters at a U.N. briefing in Geneva. He said the three border crossings from Turkey used by the U.N. to deliver assistance into Syria remain open and “we are providing assistance in the northwest, including to those who have been newly displaced.” Even before the latest escalation, which led President Bashar Assad to flee the country, nearly 17 million people in Syria needed humanitarian assistance. More than 1 million have been displaced across Idlib, Aleppo, Hama and Homs since the escalation. JERUSALEM — Israel's Defense Minister Israel Katz said Tuesday that Israel's military destroyed Syria’s fleet overnight and intends to establish a demilitarized zone “in southern Syria” to prevent attacks on Israel. He also issued a warning to Syria’s rebels, saying that “whoever follows Assad’s path will end up like Assad — we will not allow an extremist Islamic terrorist entity to act against Israel across its border while putting its citizens at risk.” Speaking at a naval base in Haifa, Katz said the Israeli navy “operated last night to destroy the Syrian fleet and with great success.” Video showing the smoking wreckage of what appeared to be small Syrian naval ships in the port at Latakia was broadcast by Saudi-owned television station Al-Hadath on Tuesday. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which has closely tracked the conflict since the civil war erupted in 2011, said Israel targeted Syrian warships, military warehouses and an air-defense facility on the coast. Katz added that he had instructed the army to establish a “defense zone free of weapons and terrorist threats in southern Syria, without a permanent Israeli presence, in order to prevent terrorism in Syria from taking root and organizing.” It was unclear if the demilitarized zone would reach beyond the buffer zone that Israel has taken over in the border area. Israel has a long history of seizing territory during wars with its neighbors and occupying it indefinitely , citing security concerns. Israel captured the Golan Heights from Syria in the 1967 Mideast war and annexed it in a move not recognized internationally, except by the United States. DAMASCUS, Syria — Members of the Syrian government under ousted President Bashar Assad will gradually transfer power to a new transitional cabinet headed by Mohammed al-Bashir. The departing government met with al-Bashir for the first time since Assad fled Damascus over the weekend. Al-Bashir had previously led the “salvation government” running the rebel stronghold in northwest Syria. Al-Bashir told reporters after the meeting that the ministers discussed transferring the portfolios to the interim government during the transitional period until the beginning of March. He said that in the coming days the new government will decide on each ministry. DAMASCUS, Syria — Banks and shops are reopening in Damascus after the chaos and confusion of the first two days following the ouster of President Bashar Assad. Sadi Ahmad, manager of Syria Gulf Bank, said life is returning to normal. A customer who came to withdraw money from an ATM was surprised to see it functioning. At the historic Hamadiyeh market, fighters who seized power were still standing guard but shops had reopened — even an ice cream stand. Resident Maysoun Al-Qurabi said she was initially “against what happened,” referring to the insurgency, but changed her mind after seeing footage of rebels releasing inmates from the notorious Saydnaya prison. “People are at ease and secure now,” she said. “Before, people were hungry and scared.” DAMASCUS, Syria — Minority Christians in Syria have been living in a state of uneasy anticipation since insurgents headed by the Islamic militant group Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham took control after ousting President Bashar Assad. Mazen Kalash, a resident of Bab Touma, a Christian neighborhood in Damascus, said he wants to know the plans of the new government that will be formed by the rebels. “The important thing is to feel safe, bring order, law and respect to the citizens,” he said. “We need to be able to work whatever we want and do whatever we want without any interference from anyone.” The insurgents have so far attempted to reassure minorities that they will be protected. Large numbers of Syrian Christians, who made up 10% of the population, fled after the civil war erupted in 2011. Many of those who stayed supported Assad out of fear they might be targeted by Islamist insurgents. TEL AVIV, Israel — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu lashed out at media during testimony at his corruption trial, which involves media moguls. “There has never been such a biased media in any democracy ... as there is in Israel,” Netanyahu told the court, describing his testy relationship with the press. He is accused of exchanging regulatory favors with media bosses for more positive coverage of himself and his family. He has denied wrongdoing. GENEVA — The U.N. envoy for Syria says armed groups that drove out President Bashar Assad have “been sending good messages” about national unity and inclusiveness but acknowledges that a Security Council resolution still counts the leading one as a terrorist group. With Syria’s future and stability still very much in flux since Assad’s departure over the weekend, Geir Pedersen suggested that the international community needs to help the country get through this turbulent moment. “We are still in what I would call a very fluid period. Things are not settled,” Pedersen told reporters at U.N. offices in Geneva on Tuesday. “There is a real opportunity for change, but this opportunity needs to be grasped by the Syrians themselves and supported by the U.N. and the international community.” Referring to Israeli military strikes in Syria, Pedersen said it was “extremely important that we now don’t see any action from any international country that destroys the possibility for this transformation in Syria to take place.” The insurgents are led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, or HTS, which grew out of an al-Qaida-affiliate called the Nusra Front that the Security Council listed as a terror group in a 2015 resolution. “This is obviously a complicating factor for all of us,” Pedersen said. “But we also have to be honest, we have to look at the facts and to see what has happened during the last nine years.” “The reality so far is that the HTS and also the other armed groups have been sending good messages to the Syrian people,” he said. “They have been sending messages of unity, of inclusiveness, and frankly speaking, also, we have seen in (the captured cities of) Aleppo and in Hama ... reassuring things on the ground." Ahmad al-Sharaa, previously known by his nom de guerre Abu Mohammed al-Golani, the leader of the insurgency and the founder of both groups Nusra and HTS, cut ties with al-Qaida in 2016 and says he is committed to pluralism and religious tolerance. ANKARA, Turkey — Turkey has “strongly” condemned Israel’s advance into Syrian territory, saying it was in violation of a 1974 agreement on a buffer zone inside Syria. “We strongly condemn Israel’s violation of the 1974 Separation of Forces Agreement, its entry into the separation zone between Israel and Syria, and its advance into Syrian territory,” Turkey’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement. The ministry accused Israel of “displaying a mentality of an occupier” at a time when the possibility of peace and stability had emerged in Syria. The statement also reiterated Turkey’s support to Syria’s “sovereignty, political unity, and territorial integrity.” Israeli troops on Sunday entered the buffer zone that had been established after the 1973 Mideast war and the military said it would deploy in “several other places necessary for (Israel’s’) defense.” TEL AVIV, Israel — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he works 17 to 18 hours a day and that he is engulfed in meetings, especially during the past year that Israel has been fighting wars. Netanyahu was testifying in his long-running corruption trial. He has denied charges of fraud, breach of trust and accepting bribes in three separate cases. “If only I could steal away five minutes to enjoy some time with my wife,” he told the court Tuesday. TEL AVIV, Israel — An Israeli military official says troops plan to seize a buffer zone inside Syria as well as “a few more points that have strategic meaning.” The official spoke Tuesday on condition of anonymity in line with regulations. The official dismissed reports of a larger Israeli invasion as “rumors.” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday that Israeli forces were moving to control a roughly 400-square-kilometer (155-square-mile) demilitarized buffer zone in Syrian territory. The buffer zone between Syria and the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights was created by the U.N. after the 1973 Mideast war. Following the overthrow of President Bashar Assad, Israel sent troops into the buffer zone. It said the move was temporary and was aimed at preventing attacks. It said the 1974 agreement establishing the zone had collapsed and that Syrian troops had withdrawn from their positions. Israel has also carried out airstrikes across Syria in recent days targeting what it says are suspected chemical weapons and long-range rockets. Egypt and Saudi Arabia have condemned Israel’s incursion, accusing it of exploiting the disarray in Syria and violating international law. Israel captured the Golan Heights from Syria in the 1967 Mideast war and annexed it in a move not recognized by the international community, except for the United States. The rest of the world views the strategic plateau as occupied Syrian territory. — By Joseph Krauss DAMASCUS, Syria — Israel’s air force has carried out hundreds of airstrikes in different parts of Syria as its ground forces move north of the Golan Heights along the border with Lebanon, according to an opposition war monitor. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Tuesday that since the fall of President Bashar Assad’s government, Israel’s air force has carried out more than 300 airstrikes against research centers, arms depots and military infrastructure across Syria, as well as a naval base along the Mediterranean coast. Associated Press journalists in Damascus witnessed intense airstrikes on the city and its suburbs overnight into Tuesday morning. Photographs posted online by activists showed destroyed missile launchers, helicopters and warplanes. Meanwhile, Israeli troops marched along the border with Lebanon and now control a long stretch on the Syrian side facing Lebanon’s Rashaya region, according to the war monitor's head, Rami Abdurrahman, and the Beirut-based Al-Mayadeen TV, which has reporters in Syria. Israeli troops are now about 25 kilometers (15 miles) southwest of Damascus, according to the monitor. DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Saudi Arabia has condemned Israel’s incursion into a buffer zone in Syria and a wave of Israeli airstrikes launched after the overthrow of President Bashar Assad. The Saudi Foreign Ministry said in a statement Tuesday that “the assaults carried out by the Israeli occupation government, including the seizure of the buffer zone in the Golan Heights, and the targeting of Syrian territory confirm Israel’s continued violation of the principles of international law and its determination to sabotage Syria’s chances of restoring its security, stability and territorial integrity.” Israel sent troops into a buffer zone inside Syria that had been established after the 1973 Mideast war. It said the move was temporary and was taken to prevent any cross-border attacks after Syrian troops withdrew. Israel has also carried out heavy airstrikes that it says are aimed at preventing suspected chemical weapons and long-range rockets from falling into the hands of extremists. Saudi Arabia has been in talks with the United States in recent years over normalizing relations with Israel in exchange for a U.S. defense pact, American assistance in establishing a civilian nuclear program and a pathway to the establishment of a Palestinian state. But the kingdom has also repeatedly condemned Israel’s actions in the Gaza Strip, where it is at war with the Hamas militant group. Last month, Saudi Arabia’s crown prince and day-to-day ruler Mohammed bin Salman accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza , allegations Israel adamantly rejects.
Gainers Banzai International BNZI shares moved upwards by 51.1% to $2.1 during Tuesday's pre-market session. The market value of their outstanding shares is at $12.3 million. Glimpse Group VRAR stock increased by 25.0% to $1.05. The company's market cap stands at $19.0 million. Ascent Solar Technologies ASTI shares increased by 9.46% to $2.89. The company's market cap stands at $3.8 million. Global Engine Group GLE shares rose 8.84% to $3.2. The market value of their outstanding shares is at $58.5 million. Saiheat SAIH shares increased by 7.86% to $0.97. The company's market cap stands at $23.8 million. Mobix Labs MOBX stock moved upwards by 7.54% to $1.14. The market value of their outstanding shares is at $34.8 million. Losers Amtech Systems ASYS shares decreased by 14.2% to $5.13 during Tuesday's pre-market session. The market value of their outstanding shares is at $72.9 million. The company's, Q4 earnings came out yesterday. Yext YEXT shares declined by 14.21% to $7.31. The market value of their outstanding shares is at $922.0 million. The company's, Q3 earnings came out yesterday. iLearningEngines AILE stock fell 12.5% to $1.05. The market value of their outstanding shares is at $148.2 million. Genasys GNSS shares fell 11.4% to $3.5. The market value of their outstanding shares is at $156.1 million. The company's, Q4 earnings came out yesterday. SMX (Security Matters) SMX stock decreased by 11.06% to $0.35. The market value of their outstanding shares is at $1.0 million. C3.ai AI stock fell 9.99% to $37.52. The company's market cap stands at $4.7 billion. As per the press release, Q2 earnings came out yesterday. See Also: www.benzinga.com/money/tech-stocks/ This article was generated by Benzinga's automated content engine and reviewed by an editor. © 2024 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.W orking with a designer is an exciting opportunity to take your design dreams to the next level. A designer’s role is to help you think outside the box and arrive at a design destination that you might not have otherwise traveled. A client-designer relationship is like a dance. We’re happy to take the lead, but if both dancers know the footwork, generally things can progress a little more in step. If you’re unsure of how to begin this process, you can do a little bit of prep work prior to meeting your designer that will help your design meetings run smoothly. Before you meet with your designer, think through these points: Know what you like (and what you don’t) If you know you hate red, it’s OK to say it. We love hearing what you don’t like just as much as what you do. It makes the process go so much more smoothly. When you are familiar with and can articulate what you like and don’t like, your designer can more quickly and accurately identify the right design concept for your space. Be realistic about your lifestyle When meeting with you, we might ask questions about components of your lifestyle, how your space needs to function and anything that might point us in a particular direction regarding furniture frames, fabrics and more. If you have pets or small children, for example, we might steer you toward performance fabrics that are easy to clean. These questions help us to better home in on the details that elevate your design into something that is a true reflection of you and how you live your life. Think about how you want your furniture to feel Are you a fan of the feel and look of crushed velvet, or are you looking for a chunky woven organic texture in your fabric? If you know you’re needing a performance fabric but are worried about them feeling hard or stiff, I’m excited to tell you that performance fabric has come a long way in recent years and can feel just as rich and buttery as traditional piles. Additionally, think about what kind of cushions you are after and the kind of maintenance you’re willing to take on. Are you a die-hard fan of down, or do you need something with more support? Do you want to set and forget, or are you prepared to fluff after each use? There is no wrong answer. All options produce beautiful results; just know what your lifestyle requires. Before you meet with a designer, here are a few things you can do on your own to prepare: Turn to social media for inspiration Save a post if you find a piece you love, and show your designer during your appointment. Collect swatches Gather swatches of wall colors, wall coverings and flooring from spaces you wish to keep as-is, and fabric swatches for existing pieces you want to work into your new space. Measure your space Measure your room, not only taking into account the length and width of the room but noting where the windows and doors are located in the space. One measurement we often see left out is the height and width of the doorways (and hallways and stairwells) through which the furniture will need to fit in order to enter the space. Include a floor plan if you can (don’t worry; a quick sketch is sufficient). Create a mood board Mood boards can be made physically, but often I find a digital version is a great place to start. Include design inspiration you like as well as fabric and wallpaper snippets from your home if you intend to keep them. This is not a necessary step to do on your own, but it’s a great way for a designer to get a visual representation of your personal style. Get local news delivered to your inbox!
TORONTO - The Grey Cup-champion Toronto Argonauts signed American running back Kevin Brown on Friday. Read this article for free: Already have an account? To continue reading, please subscribe: * TORONTO - The Grey Cup-champion Toronto Argonauts signed American running back Kevin Brown on Friday. Read unlimited articles for free today: Already have an account? TORONTO – The Grey Cup-champion Toronto Argonauts signed American running back Kevin Brown on Friday. The five-foot-nine, 205-pound Brown rushed for 522 yards on 101 carries in 12 games last season with the Edmonton Elks. He added 22 catches for 138 yards before finishing the ’24 campaign on the CFL club’s practice roster. Edmonton Elks' Kevin Brown (4) carries the ball against the Saskatchewan Roughriders during first half CFL action in Edmonton, Alta., on Saturday June 8, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jason Franson. In 2023, Brown ran for 1,141 yards and four TDs with Edmonton. He also had 28 receptions for 222 yards and a touchdown. Brown, 28, spent three seasons with the Elks, running for 2,149 yards (six-yard average) and five TDs. Winnipeg Jets Game Days On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop. He added 74 catches for 536 yards and a touchdown in 37 regular-season games. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 13, 2024. AdvertisementSAINT PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Mariah Keopple and Alexandra Labelle scored their first goals of the season and the Montreal Victoire edged the Minnesota Frost 3-2 on Saturday. Marie-Philip Poulin's goal almost six minutes into the second period was the difference as she converted a 2-on-1 from Laura Stacey and Jennifer Gardiner and Montreal (2-2-0-1), which went 0 for 3 on the power play, won its third straight while handing Minnesota (3-1-1-1) its first regulation loss of the season. Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Please enable it in your browser settings.