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The plan, which Russia dubbed Operation False Target, is intended to force Ukraine to expend scarce resources to save lives and preserve critical infrastructure, including by using expensive air defense munitions, according to a person familiar with Russia’s production and a Ukrainian electronics expert who hunts them from his specially outfitted van. Neither radar, sharpshooters nor even electronics experts can tell which drones are deadly in the skies. Here’s what to know from AP’s investigation: A deadly mix Unarmed decoys now make up more than half the drones targeting Ukraine and as much as 75% of the new drones coming out of the factory in Russia’s Alabuga Special Economic Zone, according to the person familiar with Russia’s production, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the industry is highly sensitive, and the Ukrainian electronics expert. The same factory produces a particularly deadly variant of the Shahed unmanned aircraft armed with thermobaric warheads, the person said. During the first weekend of November, the Kyiv region spent 20 hours under air alert, and the sound of buzzing drones mingled with the boom of air defenses and rifle shots. In October, Moscow attacked with at least 1,889 drones — 80% more than in August, according to an AP analysis tracking the drones for months. Russia launched 145 drones Nov. 16 across Ukraine, just days after the reelection of Donald Trump threw into doubt U.S. support for the country. Since summer, most drones crash, are shot down or are diverted by electronic jamming, according to an AP analysis of the Ukrainian military briefings. Fewer than 6% hit a discernible target, according to the data analyzed by AP since the end of July. But the sheer numbers mean a handful can slip through every day — and that is enough to be deadly. The drone lab Tatarstan’s Alabuga zone, an industrial complex about 600 miles east of Moscow, is a laboratory for Russian drone production. Originally set up in 2006 to attract businesses and investment to Tatarstan, it expanded after the 2022 invasion of Ukraine and some sectors switched to military production, according to satellite images analyzed by The Associated Press. In social media videos, the factory promoted itself as an innovation hub. But David Albright of the Washington-based Institute for Science and International Security said Alabuga’s current purpose is purely to produce and sell drones to Russia’s Ministry of Defense. The videos and other promotional media were taken down after an AP investigation found that many of the African women recruited to fill labor shortages there complained they were duped into taking jobs at the plant. Russia and Iran signed a $1.7 billion deal for the Shaheds in 2022 after President Vladimir Putin invaded neighboring Ukraine, and Moscow began using Iranian imports of the unmanned aerial vehicles, or UAVs, in battle later that year. Soon after the deal was signed, production started in Alabuga. The most fearsome Shahed adaptation so far designed at the plant is armed with thermobarics, also known as vacuum bombs, the person with knowledge of Russian drone production said. The plan to develop unarmed decoy drones at Alabuga was developed in late 2022, according to the person with knowledge of Russian drone production. Production of the decoys started earlier this year, said the person, who agreed to speak on condition of anonymity. Now the plant turns out about 40 of the unarmed drones a day and about 10 armed ones. The vacuum bomb From a military point of view, thermobarics are ideal for going after targets that are either inside fortified buildings or deep underground. They create a vortex of high pressure and heat that penetrates the thickest walls and, at the same time, sucks out all of the oxygen in their path. Alabuga’s thermobaric drones are particularly destructive when they strike buildings, because they are also loaded with ball bearings to cause maximum damage even beyond the superheated blast. Serhii Beskrestnov, a Ukrainian electronics expert more widely known as Flash whose black military van is kitted out with electronic jammers to down drones, said the thermobarics were first used over the summer and estimated they now make up between 3% and 5% of all drones. They have a fearsome reputation because of the physical effects even on people caught outside the initial blast site: collapsed lungs, crushed eyeballs, brain damage, according to Arthur van Coller, an expert in international humanitarian law at South Africa’s University of Fort Hare. For Russia, the benefits are huge. An unarmed drone costs considerably less than the estimated $50,000 for an armed Shahed drone and a tiny fraction of the cost of even a relatively inexpensive air defense missile. One decoy with a live-feed camera allows the aircraft to geolocate Ukraine’s air defenses and relay the information to Russia in the final moments of its mechanical life. And the swarms have become a demoralizing fact of life for Ukrainians.
MENLO PARK, Calif. , Dec. 23, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- BillionToOne, a next-generation molecular diagnostics company with a mission to create powerful and accurate tests that are accessible to all, today announced that they will be presenting at the 43rd Annual J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference in San Francisco, CA , on January 14, 2025 . BillionToOne marks a transformative year of achievements as it looks toward 2025. The company closed an oversubscribed, upsized Series D funding round led by Premji Invest in June, and was recently recognized as the Biotech Breakthrough Awards' Diagnostics Company of the Year. More than 500,000 patients have received BillionToOne tests to date, and the company has grown from $0M to $150M+ in annual recurring revenue over the past five years. This will be BillionToOne's second year in attendance at the J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference, and the company will present on the topic of "Redefining Molecular Diagnostics with Single-Molecule Precision." Presentation details are as follows: Location: Mission Bay (32nd Floor) at The Westin Date: Tuesday, January 14, 2025 Time: 2:30-2:55 pm PT A webcast and presentation materials will be available on BillionToOne's website: https://billiontoone.com/event/jpm-2025-43rd-annual-healthcare-conference/ About BillionToOne Headquartered in Menlo Park, California , BillionToOne is a precision diagnostics company on a mission to make molecular diagnostics more accurate, efficient, and accessible for everyone. The company's patented Quantitative Counting TechnologyTM (QCTTM) molecular counting platform is the only multiplex technology that can accurately count DNA molecules at the single-molecule level. For more information, please visit www.billiontoone.com . View original content to download multimedia: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/billiontoone-to-present-at-the-43rd-annual-jp-morgan-healthcare-conference-302338634.html SOURCE BillionToOne
With top toy lists and TV segments showcasing this year’s trendiest playthings already in rotation, the pressure is on. If you don’t scoop up the items your little ones have been bugging you about (and shouting “I need it!” when they see it in a commercial on the TV screen) fast, you’ll be out of luck. This year’s hottest toys include everything from Jellycat plushies and interactive, AI story-spinning teddy bears to glow-in-the-dark lasso toys, make-your-own pinball machines, fortune-telling magic mirrors, and LEGO building sets inspired by “Wicked,” the movie. Here are 10 top toy picks for the 2024 holiday season: Fisher-Price Link Squad Bop & Groove Tiger Baby Learning Toy With more than 50 songs, sounds and phrases, this music-savvy tiger introduces essential concepts like body parts, the alphabet and colors, while stimulating sensory development and fine motor skills. Plus, what parent wouldn’t love the record and playback function that adds a personal touch to playtime? Compatibility with other Link Squad toys means that you can grow your child’s collection and boost all their interactive play and social connections. $35 Bitzee, Disney Interactive Toy Talk about a magical, screen-free gift for any Disney-loving kiddo. This innovative toy responds to swipes, tilts and taps, and brings up to 30 iconic Disney and Pixar characters to life as your child plays. They can fill the Star Meter to earn Wishing Stars, which attract more characters. The Wish Book feature lets kids choose a star and then wave the pod to reveal a new character — complete with a pixie dust-inspired twinkling sound. $35 Jellycat Amusables Storm Cloud Plush Toy If your toddler can sing “Rain, rain, go away” on demand, then they’ll absolutely love giving this pouty storm cloud plush some extra love on rainy days. $29 Thames & Kosmos Pinball Machine Maker — Gumball Rally Winter break brain-break unlocked. This cool STEM toy lets kids build and customize their own pinball machine, complete with gumballs, bumpers and ramps. It’s perfect for young engineers and arcade enthusiasts and it springboards fun into early physics and mechanics conversations. $40 National Geographic Marble Run With 150 pieces, including 30 marbles and a 14-piece spiral lift, kids can use this marble run to build massive, intricate mazes. Since it’s compatible with other National Geographic marble configurations, like the Glow-in-the-Dark Marble Run, the toy can headline hours of fun and learning — especially when the kids are out of school for the holidays. $45 Furby Galaxy Edition With big ears, blinking eyes, glowing features, plus a dance style and language that’s all its own, the new Furby Galaxy Edition is an out-of-this-world gift idea for Christmas 2024. Perfect for kids ages 6 and up, it offers endless bonding time through petting, brushing and feeding, while also bringing a nostalgic blast from the past for millennial parents who remember the original Furby craze. $60 Loop Lasso Nano — The Original Glow-in-The-Dark String Shooter Toy Perfect for all ages, this interactive light toy will be the HIT of your holiday gatherings, New Year’s Eve, etc. After all, it’s constantly hyped among social media influencers as the “coolest toy ever.” It shoots a glowing string out at 40 mph, and then it follows your every motion, creating colorful, illuminated shapes that shine at concerts, holiday light shows, firework displays, etc., but also turn the vibe up on quiet nights at home. $40 Poe the AI Story Bear Teddy Ruxpin, but make it fit for 2024 preschoolers. This super unique storytelling teddy connects to an app on your phone or tablet, and leverages safe and secure AI cloud platforms to help your little ones create unique stories sprung from their own ideas. By selecting different characters, settings and elements, children can craft one-of-a-kind tales that their cuddle buddy then narrates back to them. $50 Magic Mixies Pixie Supremes Magic Mirror If your child loves the thrill of the reveal-toy trend, then this Pixie Supreme doll with multiple surprise-and-delight touch points is a great choice. After mixing up a special potion and adding the charmed moonstone to the top of the magic mirror, your little enchantress can summon their Pixie Supreme and have the fashion doll appear in the flesh. $50 LEGO Wicked Welcome to Emerald City Building Kit Whenever your mini Wicked fan stops “dancing through life,” they can take a break to put this 945-piece LEGO Emerald City scape together. The 3-story tower toy and collectible includes recognizable Elphaba, Glinda, The Wizard, Madame Morrible and Fiyero mini-figures, along with iconic vignettes and scene stealers from the movie. $100
India needs to address Dhaka’s concerns, Bangladesh optimistic about good bilateral relations: Foreign Affairs Adviser PTI Updated: November 30th, 2024, 22:04 IST in International , Prime News 0 Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on WhatsApp Share on Linkedin Dhaka: Amid an ongoing diplomatic row over the arrest of a Hindu priest, Bangladesh on Saturday said India needs to address Dhaka’s longstanding concerns to improve bilateral ties but remained optimistic about good relations with bilateral interests protected. Bangladesh’s Foreign Affairs Adviser Touhid Hossain also acknowledged that there is a “change in the relations” between the two neighbours after August 5 and said it is a “reality.” Also Read Cyclonic storm ‘Fengal’ begins landfall near Puducherry: IMD 2 hours ago Bangladesh: Three Hindu temples vandalised in Chattogram 9 hours ago India needs to address Bangladesh’s longstanding concerns to improve bilateral ties between Dhaka and New Delhi, Hossain said adding: “Bangladesh’s previous (ousted) government addressed the concerns of India, but India did not address Bangladesh’s concerns.” Deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina fled to India on August 5 following widespread protests against her Awami League-led government over a controversial job quota system. Three days later, Muhammad Yunus, a Nobel laureate, took over as the Chief Adviser of the interim government. The diplomatic row erupted between India and Bangladesh after Hindu priest Chinmoy Krishna Das, a former member of International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), was arrested from Dhaka’s Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport on Monday. Das, the spokesperson for the Bangladesh Sammilita Sanatani Jagran Jote, was denied bail and sent to jail by the Chattogram’s Sixth Metropolitan Magistrate court in a sedition case on Tuesday. It triggered clashes between his supporters and the security personnel that led to the killing of a lawyer. Hossain was speaking at a roundtable titled ‘Bangladesh-India Relations: Expectations, Barriers and Future’ organised by the South Asian Institute of Policy and Governance (SIPG) and the Department of Political Science & Sociology (PSS), North South University here, state-run news agency Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha (BSS) said. The Foreign Affairs Adviser acknowledged that “there is a change in the relations after August 5,” and said, “This is reality” but remained optimistic about bilateral relationship despite current diplomatic challenges. “Dhaka wants to remain optimistic that we would be able to establish a good relation with India making sure that bilateral interests are protected,” BSS said quoting Hossain. He emphasised the importance of a national consensus on foreign policy, saying Bangladesh could not fully capitalise its potentials due to political divisions. Following this week’s anti-Hindu incidents — including Das’ arrest and attacks on Hindu temples and community members — India on Friday said the interim government in Bangladesh must live up to its responsibility of protecting all minorities as it expressed serious concern over the “surge” of extremist rhetoric and increasing incidents of violence against Hindus as well as attacks on temples. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar told Parliament that India has taken serious note of incidents of violence against minorities in Bangladesh and that it is the primary responsibility of Dhaka to protect the life and liberty of all the citizens, including minorities. On the other hand, Bangladesh on Friday expressed deep concern over the violent protest at the Deputy High Commission in Kolkata and urged New Delhi to ensure the safety of all its diplomatic missions in India. Among other issues, Hossain also pointed out that there has been no progress on crucial issues between Bangladesh and India such as the Teesta water sharing agreement or the troubling problem of border killings, the BSS added. PTI Tags: Bangladesh India Share Tweet Send Share Suggest A Correction Enter your email to get our daily news in your inbox. Leave this field empty if you're human:
Is darts the best sport in the world? If it isn’t, it’s certainly a heavyweight contender and it’s bang in form, with the coming of the current golden age confirmed during the extraordinary 2024 PDC World Championship. Game of Throws, a three-part reminiscence about those three dramatic weeks in London a year ago, successfully bottles the moment. More of a collective mania than a game, darts asks participants to throw tiny metal spikes at targets the width of a fingertip from more than two metres away, a ludicrously difficult discipline that requires years of diligent practice. Wins and losses are measured in millimetres. So one might expect elite tournaments to take place in a reverential hush, like chess or snooker. But no: the major career landmarks of darts pros happen in cacophonous halls full of drunk punters in fancy dress. Game of Throws correctly celebrates darts as a working-class festival, a supersize cartoon of the ideal British pub: somehow the blokes in the corner, playing a fiendish game to impossible standards, fit right in to a room stuffed with steaming revellers. The crowd at Alexandra Palace, home of the PDC, are silly and free, turning up to the party dressed as chickens, superheroes, penguins and Uncle Albert from Only Fools and Horses; uniquely in sport, the most popular chant, bellowed while the players are trying to concentrate, is “stand up if you love the darts”, a song for the shared experience rather than any particular player. That this jubilant anarchy enhances the game rather than spoiling it is a miracle because, for the players, darts is unforgiving. Game of Throws starts by following Kevin Doets, a part-timer from the Netherlands who checks into a poky Airbnb not far from the venue before his first-round match, where defeat will mean the loss of his professional tour card. Victory, meanwhile, promises the sum of £15,000. Steeling himself as his anxious father and bullish mother look on, Doets wins. Modern darts has been known to break its big stars. An admirably frank interview is given in the second episode by James “the Machine” Wade, whose diagnosis of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and bipolar disorder has helped to explain two occasions in televised matches where he clouded over, lost the will to throw and ended the game in tearful defeat. For Nathan “the Asp” Aspinall, problems with his wrist and back – darts may not look like a physical test, but you try leaning forward on one leg for hours at a time – have been compounded by “dartitis”, the sport’s equivalent of the “yips” in golf: a psychological condition where the brain refuses to let the hand release the dart. Darts can be a dark place, although in a literal sense it’s a brightly lit place full of people in nun costumes carrying trays with 22 pints of beer on them. But the mental battles are what make it compelling. To throw without wavering demands total self-belief. Maintaining that is supremely hard, which creates a singular, lurching suspense, especially when the sport is blessed with a talented generation of players. As the 2024 championship begins, the leader of the new generation is “Cool Hand” Luke Humphries, a mild-mannered 28-year-old from Crewe who has not won this title before, but has won every other big trophy in the season just gone. He lacks the outlandish charisma darts fans favour, but soon, Humphries is no longer the story. Among the unknown outsiders is Warrington’s Luke Littler, who is 16 years old at the time, a fact that becomes increasingly astounding as he progresses through the tournament, smashing established players to pieces. With its juicy behind-the-scenes insights, Game of Throws is there for every small moment. Littler can be seen saying “wow” to himself the first time he looks out across a sea of happy, boozy people waiting for him to play. But his debut match has barely got going before the kid, having taken an unassailable lead, is putting on a show, waving in time to the “oy, oy, oy” of the crowd singing the darts anthem Chase the Sun, and celebrating hitting a double by miming heading a football into a net. After the game, Littler’s dad, who spent years driving around Britain to youth competitions in the hope that his hunch about his son was correct, is as stunned as anyone: he knew his boy was good, but this is ridiculous. As Littler blazes towards his destined final against Humphries, beginning a rivalry that looks like it will define the sport for the next decade, we are there to see a superstar born – and to see darts take its game to a new level. • Game of Throws: Inside Darts aired on Sky Documentaries and is on Now.
How Peter Thiel’s network of right-wing techies is infiltrating Donald Trump’s White HouseCARSON, Calif. — The LA Galaxy finished 26th in the 29-team Major League Soccer standings just one season ago, and their biggest supporters boycotted certain matches to protest a decade of poor performance. The most successful club in league history seemed light years away from its luminous prime. When the Galaxy raised the MLS Cup again Saturday amid confetti and fireworks, their spectacular transformation was complete. In only one year, a team that was profoundly lost had rediscovered its peerless championship pedigree. "We won this trophy, and it's finally back where it belongs," striker Dejan Joveljic said. Joseph Paintsil and Joveljic scored in the first half, and the Galaxy won their record sixth MLS Cup championship with a 2-1 victory over the New York Red Bulls. After striking twice in the first 13 minutes of the final, the Galaxy nursed their lead through a scoreless second half to raise their league's biggest trophy for the first time since 2014. MLS' most successful franchise struggled through most of the ensuing years, but everything changed after LA spent smartly in the offseason to build a high-scoring new lineup topped by Paintsil, Joveljic and Gabriel Pec. The Galaxy finished second in the Western Conference and streaked through the postseason with an MLS playoff-record 18 goals in five games to win another crown. "I'm just so proud of this group after the challenges that we (had) and the way they bounced back and competed as a group," Galaxy coach Greg Vanney said. "We spent a lot of energy at the start, but I'm just so proud of these guys. They've cemented themselves as legends in this club." The Galaxy even won this title without perhaps their most important player. Riqui Puig, the playmaking midfielder from Barcelona who ran their offense impressively all season long, tore a ligament in his knee last week in the conference final. Puig watched this game in a suit, but the Catalan catalyst's teammates hadn't forgotten him: After his replacement, Gastón Brugman, set up LA's opening goal with a superb pass in the ninth minute, Paintsil held up Puig's jersey to their roaring fans during the celebration. "I was really waiting for this moment," said Paintsil, who scored his 14th goal of an impressive season. "I'm much more, 10 times faster than them, and Gaston saw the space. ... It was really a good thing. We did it for Riqui, and we did it for our family that came, and our supporters." Just four minutes later, Joveljic sprinted past four New York defenders and chipped home his 21st goal. Brugman was named the MLS Cup MVP after a commanding performance in midfield. The Uruguayan hadn't started a match for the Galaxy since Oct. 5 after an injury-slowed season, playing only as a postseason substitute before the final. "I dreamed of that yesterday, of something I could give to the team," Brugman said of his pass to Paintsil. "Today, it happened." Sean Nealis scored for the seventh-seeded Red Bulls, whose improbable postseason charge ended one win shy of their first Cup championship. With the league's youngest roster, New York fell just short of becoming the lowest-seeded team to win the tournament under first-year German coach Sandro Schwarz. "I love these guys," Schwarz said. "Some guys, they are crying. In the big picture, that's a start. Sometimes when you lose the final, it's tough, but you use this experience to create the next energy, the next intensity." Galaxy goalkeeper John McCarthy made four saves to win his second MLS title in three seasons, but Nealis beat the 2022 MLS Cup MVP in the 28th minute when he volleyed from the penalty area. The second half was lively: Red Bulls captain Emil Forsberg hit the outside of the post in the 72nd minute, while Pec and Galaxy substitute Marco Reus nearly converted chances a few moments later. The ball got loose in the Galaxy's penalty area in the third minute of extra time, but two Red Bulls couldn't finish. After Galaxy owner Phil Anschutz received the MLS Cup that bears his name because of his steady financial support of the league during its shaky years, Galaxy captain Maya Yoshida carried the trophy to his teammates for the celebration. The Galaxy extended their lead over DC United (4) for the most MLS Cup championships in league history. The Red Bulls remain one of three original MLS franchises never to win the title, along with FC Dallas and the New England Revolution. The Galaxy finished 17-0-3 this season at their frequently renamed suburban stadium, where the sellout crowd of 26,812 for the final included several robust cheering sections of Red Bulls supporters hoping to see their New Jersey-based club's breakthrough. But this season was about the Galaxy's rebirth. The club famous for employing global stars from David Beckham and Zlatan Ibrahimovic to Robbie Keane and Javier "Chicharito" Hernández swiftly turned itself into a contender again by acquiring young talents without international fame. The Galaxy signed Pec from Brazil and grabbed Paintsil, a Ghanaian playing in Belgium. The duo combined with Joveljic to form a potent attack with orchestration from Puig, one of MLS' best players. "Losing a guy like Riqui after the performance he put in all season was devastating," McCarthy said. "Even if he wasn't on the field, we did it for him." Get local news delivered to your inbox!
Azerbaijani journalist says he was jailed over his work
Here’s a challenge. Using the five clues below, identify the company that is being talked about here. 1 While I carry my current corporate name only since 2008, one of my subsidiary still carries the same name under which I got incorporated in the 1920s. 2 Though I am a small-cap stock, I used to be part of all mainstream indices, including Sensex. Despite my current stock price growing 30 times to that of Covid-lows, it is still less than half the price I was trading in 2011 when I got dropped from Sensex 3 Public ownership is more than the cumulative total of promoters, FIIs and DIIs. 4 I have been a dominant player in several businesses that are fancied by investors in recent years. While my annual operating revenues from such businesses are more than twice my market capitalisation, it’s difficult to ascertain the liabilities. 5 I now have an independent board, thanks to regulatory intervention and not due to the high corporate governance intent of the promoter family. Last week’s stock: Can Fin Homes Last week’s winner: Sampada Bhat Comments