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sports feature Here’s What Canada, Mexico & China Said About Donald Trump’s TariffsUS stocks rose to records on Tuesday, as indexes recovered from Donald Trump's market-moving tariff plans announced Monday evening and as traders digested the minutes of the Federal Reserve's last meeting. Investors were surprised on Monday evening by the President-elect's social media announcement that imports from China will face an extra 10% , while products from Mexico and Canada should expect a 25% duty. Trump said on Monday that these will stay in effect until drug and migrant flows are addressed by each country. Stocks sold off after hours before recovering early Tuesday. The S&P 500 and Nasdaq rose 0.57% and 0.63%, respectively, while the Dow Jones increased by over 100 points. The 10-year Treasury yield rose three basis points to 4.298%. against the Canadian dollar and Mexican peso. Meanwhile, international stocks slid on fears of a widening trade war, with European, Japanese, and South Korean indexes falling after Trump's posts. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo hinted that US tariffs would be met with retaliation, while Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called for cooperation. Investors also cheered the news of a . The cease-fire will take effect Wednesday morning and bring an end to 14 months of fighting between Israel and Hezbollah. Meanwhile, US-oriented investors parsed through the latest minutes from the Fed's last policy meeting. Central bank officials shared consensus for "gradually" cutting rates moving forward. "Many participants highlighted that uncertainties concerning the equilibrium fed funds rate, or the final destination, have complicated the assessment of how restrictive monetary policy should be," wrote Ryan Sweet, chief US economist at Oxford Economics. The market is awaiting several more data points this week. Initial jobless claims, a third-quarter GDP revision, and personal consumption expenditures data are scheduled for release Wednesday morning. Read the original article on

With the ongoing and increasing threats to cybersecurity, you need a good antivirus solution that doesn’t break the bank. I reviewed F-Secure Total, an affordable antivirus solution that let me build a plan that covers all my devices with just the features I need. While we all like to keep an eye on the budget, computer security isn’t the right place to cut corners. The best antivirus software provides excellent protection against online and offline malware at an affordable price. F-Secure has flexible pricing that you can customize to precisely match your needs. The most affordable plan starts at $50 annually, covering one device with real-time antivirus, scam, and ransomware protection in the browser and offline. You probably use a computer, phone, and possibly several other devices. If one gets hacked, all of your social and financial accounts are at risk, as is the personal data stored on that device. It makes sense to protect them all and F-Secure plans can cover 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 10, or more devices. A three-device plan starts at $65, five devices cost $70, and 10 computers, phones, and tablets is $85. The options don’t stop there. You can add a VPN with unlimited data for $10 more per year. A password manager and identity monitoring also adds $10 annually. With F-Secure, you pay only for what you need. Still, you can find better deals on antivirus software , at least for the first year of service. I do like that F-Secure doesn’t have shocking price increases when it’s time to renew. If you’re looking for a free solution, F-Secure has a free malware scan and removal tool. The website describes it as an online scanner, but it’s actually a Windows app that installs on your PC before running. The free scanner detects and clears malicious apps that are already active on your computer, but doesn’t protect you from future threats. The best free antivirus software offers good browser protection without requiring a subscription. Tiers and pricing Design I tested F-Secure Total, the version that includes antivirus, a VPN, identity monitoring, and more. After installing the app, the dashboard showed that real-time protection was active, but there were several other features to set up to maximize my cybersecurity. I installed the browser extension for online protection, the password manager extension to help secure account logins, and a VPN to prevent activity tracking, then added my email address for monitoring. With setup complete, I explored the user interface. The dashboard shows all the active features at a glance and lets me select one to make adjustments. A button at the top left opens a menu with more options, including account details, settings, support, and quick access to all the features. I opened settings and found there are plenty of options to fine-tune each security feature, such as choosing which folders are locked to protect against ransomware. Overall, F-Secure Total was easy to get started with and the design is clear and simple, with advanced features accessible via settings. Features The number one job of an antivirus is to protect my computer from malware. It should offer real-time detection and blocking to prevent infection. As a second line of defense, it should regularly scan for malicious apps and quarantine them so no harm is done. To test how well F-Secure Total performed, I checked its score at full-time cybersecurity labs that continuously monitor the threat landscape and rate the effectiveness of leading antivirus software. F-Secure shows excellent AV-Test scores, falling below perfect only once with a minor miss in June 2023. F-Secure didn’t fare well in AV-Comparatives scoring system, but a deeper dive into the real-time report reveals it blocked as many threats as antivirus leaders Norton , Avira , and McAfee , which have good protection track records. F-Secure’s score dropped because it had a high false-positive rate, which includes incorrect app and website blocking. An overprotective antivirus can be annoying, but it isn’t dangerous. In my tests, I didn’t get any false alerts. I always do spot-checks by visiting Wicar’s malware test website. F-Secure Total’s browser extension successfully identified and blocked all 13 malware downloads and browser exploits. I tested the password manager and it autofilled logins as expected. It’s not as sophisticated as the best password managers that allow organization and password sharing, but it handles the basics well and syncs across devices. F-Secure Total’s VPN defaults to OpenVPN protocol, which isn’t the fastest. I tried the only other option, IKEv2, which helped. Still, the best speed I measured was 20% as fast as my usual 900 Mbps. With the best dedicated VPN services, I enjoy over 700 Mbps downloads. Support F-Secure claims it offers 24/7 support via live chat, so I tested that out by asking about login sharing. A live agent answered immediately and continued to respond quickly as I clarified my question. I’ve reviewed several antivirus services and found that live chat support varies. Solutions like ESET have good support, but during limited hours . Others use chat services that start off quickly, then slow dramatically after the first response. I also verified that live chat with a human is available for F-Secure customers all day, every day. As I mentioned above, there’s no password sharing option in F-Secure, but the agent suggested I could copy and send the password via a message, email, or written on paper. I liked the inclusion of an offline solution from tech support. Privacy and security F-Secure’s privacy policy is very clear and states that it won’t sell or share your personal data to third-party advertisers. It will comply with legal requests, but it doesn’t allow backdoors in its software. The company is based in Finland, which isn’t part of any intelligence alliances for information sharing. I couldn’t find any record of customer data breaches or cybersecurity incidents, so your personal and financial information should be secure when using F-Secure Total antivirus protection. Is F-Secure right for you? The least inexpensive option, F-Secure Internet Security, offers good protection, but doesn’t beat the best antivirus software . While the VPN and password manager are nice additions to F-Secure Total, dedicated services offer more advanced features. The best password managers aren’t that expensive, and you can even find excellent free password managers . The same is true of VPNs. Proton offers a great free VPN] , and you can often find VPN deals that minimize your cost without sacrificing speed. While F-Secure Total’s high false positive score is a drawback, I didn’t have any problems with apps or websites being blocked. Also, a false positive is better than allowing malware to run wild on your computer. That said, antivirus software like Bitdefender and Norton provide solid protection without the annoyance of overzealous blocking. However, I liked F-Secure Total’s customizable subscription plans and consistent pricing on renewal and still recommend it as a good solution if you want to fine-tune your subscription to exactly what you need.

Asian shares were mixed on Monday after stocks fell broadly on Friday as Wall Street closed out a holiday-shortened week on a down note. U.S. futures were lower while oil prices were little changed. In Asia, South Korea’s Kospi added 0.6% to 2,418.80. But shares of Jeju Air Co. lost 8.8% after one of the company’s jets skidded off a runway , slammed into a concrete fence and burst into flames Sunday in South Korea as its landing gear failed to deploy. 179 people died in the crash. Political turmoil continued as South Korean law enforcement officials requested a court warrant on Monday to detain impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol. They are investigating whether his martial law decree on Dec. 3 amounted to rebellion. Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 index lost 0.9% to 39,914.21 as the dollar gained against the Japanese yen, trading at 157.83 yen, up from 157.75 yen. The Tokyo market will wrap up trading for 2024 with a yearend ceremony as Japan begins its New Year holidays, the biggest festival of the year. The Hang Seng in Hong Kong shed 0.3% to 20,030.63 while the Shanghai Composite index was up 0.3% at 3,408.72. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 dipped 0.9% to 8,191.50. On Friday, the S&P 500 fell 1.1% to 5,970.84. Roughly 90% of stocks in the benchmark index lost ground, but it managed to hold onto a modest gain of 0.7% for the week. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.8% to 42,992.21. The tech-heavy Nasdaq composite fell 1.5%, to 19,722.03. The losses were made worse by sharp declines for the Big Tech stocks known as the “Magnificent 7”, which can heavily influence the direction of the market because of their large size. A wide range of retailers also fell. Amazon fell 1.5% and Best Buy slipped 1.5%. The sector is being closely watched for clues on how it performed during the holiday shopping season. The S&P 500 gained nearly 3% over a 3-day stretch before breaking for the Christmas holiday. On Thursday, the index posted a small decline. Despite Friday's drop, the market is moving closer to another standout annual finish . The S&P 500 is on track for a gain of around 25% in 2024. That would mark a second consecutive yearly gain of more than 20%, the first time that has happened since 1997-1998. The gains have been driven partly by upbeat economic data showing that consumers continued spending and the labor market remained strong. Inflation, while still high, has also been steadily easing. A report on Friday showed that sales and inventory estimates for the wholesales trade industry fell 0.2% in November, following a slight gain in October. That weaker-than-expected report follows an update on the labor market Thursday that showed unemployment benefits held steady last week. The stream of upbeat economic data and easing inflation helped prompt a reversal in the Federal Reserve's interest rate policy this year. Expectations for interest rate cuts also helped drive market gains. The central bank recently delivered its third cut to interest rates in 2024. Even though inflation has come closer to the central bank's target of 2%, it remains stubbornly above that mark and worries about it heating up again have tempered the forecast for more interest rate cuts. Inflation concerns have added to uncertainties heading into 2025, which include the labor market’s path ahead and shifting economic policies under incoming President Donald Trump. Worries have risen that Trump’s preference for tariffs and other policies could lead to higher inflation , a bigger U.S. government debt and difficulties for global trade. In other dealings early Monday, U.S. benchmark crude oil picked up 1 cent to $70.61 per barrel. Brent crude, the international standard, lost 1 cent to $73.78 per barrel. The euro fell to $1.0427 from $1.0433.

Bank license canceled: RBI canceled license of these 11 banks, see the full list hereJapan to delay decision on income tax hike for defense spending

Stock market today: Asian shares are mixed after Wall Street slips, led by tech giantsChina concluded the much-awaited annual Central Economic Work Conference (CEWC) on Dec 12, outlining the government’s main economic objectives and policy plans for 2025, which are largely in line with our CEWC preview and Politburo meeting. As usual, key growth and policy targets were not announced at CEWC but will be released at the National People’s Congress (NPC) meeting next March. The CEWC recognized the growth headwinds from domestic demand weakness and external uncertainties, although the potential higher US tariffs was not cited explicitly. Therefore, the CEWC prioritized “stabilizing growth” as the central task and emphasized boosting domestic demand with more proactive macro policies, with “reviving household consumption” listed as a top task. In particular, the government highlighted its comprehensive goals of achieving stable growth, stable employment and “reasonable rebound” of inflation, the latter of which is a direct response to the lingering deflation pressure and an important anchor for market expectation and policy setting. Overall speaking, the CEWC set a much more supportive macro policy tone to stabilize growth, while more details are still set to be revealed later. More specifics expected throughout 2025-26 Our baseline forecast assumes that a plan of higher US tariffs may be released in Q1 2025 and implemented in stages starting from Q3 2025. Therefore, after the March NPC unveils next year’s overall policy stimulus package, we think the government may also ramp up additional policy support in stages throughout the rest of 2025 and in 2026, as macro situations develop, higher tariffs are announced and their impact is felt. Some of the proposed policy targets and measures in the CEWC may be revised in the NPC meeting. The CEWC emphasized more expectation management, better policy coordination and stronger local incentives. Some market participants and policy advisors may expect China to set 2025’s growth target at “around 5 percent” again to anchor market expectations, which we think is very challenging to achieve. We see China’s GDP growth slowing to around 4 percent in 2025, as headwinds from the lingering property downturn and potential higher US tariffs may be partly offset by stronger policy support. ‘More proactive’ fiscal policy The CEWC called for “more proactive” fiscal policy, a tone similar to that in 2020 when China expanded overall fiscal support notably. It indicates a broadly stronger fiscal expansion in 2025. The CEWC explicitly called for higher headline fiscal deficit, more issuance of ultra-long special treasury bonds (CGB) and special local government bonds (LGB), and improving fiscal spending structure (to support social welfare and consumption), with a key focus to scale up fiscal subsidies for trade-in program of consumer goods and equipment upgrading. The government also mentioned rolling out policy measures to boost childbirth, which we think may include the establishment of a subsidy scheme for families with young children. Our baseline forecast assumes 2 percentage point of GDP expansion in augmented fiscal deficit (AFD) in 2025 and another 1 percentage point AFD expansion in 2026. The former in 2025 includes a higher headline budget deficit of close to 4 percent of GDP (3.5-4 percent), larger ultra-long special CGB issuance of RMB 2 trillion, another RMB 500-1000 billion issuance of special CGB for capital injections to banks, and more special LGB issuance of RMB 4.5-5 trillion to support local debt swap and home inventory destocking. Overall speaking, total issuance of government bonds may increase by over RMB 3.5 trillion in 2025 from 2024. Easier monetary policy with additional rate cuts As highlighted in the Politburo meeting and we had expected, the CEWC vowed to take a “moderately easy” monetary policy stance, which is an explicit shift from the “prudent” tone that China had set during 2011-2024. The tone for 2025 is the same as that in 2008-2010, when China eased monetary policy aggressively to revive the economy after the global financial crisis. It indicates more convincing monetary policy easing ahead, although monetary policy room in 2025-2026 is much more limited than 15 years ago. The government explicitly called for cutting (reserve requirement ratio) RRR and policy rates, maintaining ample liquidity, stabilizing financial market and housing market, and guiding prices to recovery appropriately. Our baseline forecast expects the PBoC to cut policy rate by 30-40 basic points in 2025 and another 20-30 basic points in 2026, which could help lead to more cuts in LPR and mortgage rates. We think the PBoC may also use various facilities (including more outright REPO of government bonds) to maintain ample liquidity and support faster total social financing credit growth in 2025. Boosting consumption a top priority The CEWC prioritized “boosting consumption” as the first key policy task, and called for implementing a special action plan for it. As expected, the government vowed explicitly to expand the scale and coverage of trade-in subsidies of consumer goods. We continue to expect the size of trade-in program may more than double to over RMB 300 billion in 2025 from RMB 150 billion in 2024, with expanded coverage for consumer electronics and some general consumption coupons, on top of auto and home appliances in 2024. As we anticipated before, the CEWC planned to “properly” increase pension payout levels for retired employees and urban-rural households, and increase the subsidy standard for household health insurance. These measures could gradually help underpin household confidence and unleash consumption potential in the long run, although the scale of additional fiscal spending may be not big in 2025. In addition, despite no mention from the CEWC, we think the government may create childcare / childbirth subsidies for families with young children, which could reach up to RMB 200 billion or more per year. Stabilizing housing market a top task The CEWC continue to emphasize stabilizing the housing market as a top policy task, with more forceful implementation of urban village renovation, unlocking the full potential of fundamental and upgrading housing demand, reasonable control of new land supply, and more progress of home inventory destocking.If the planned 1 million units of urban village renovation could be completed rapidly in one year (2025) with the help of government subsidies predominately, it could contribute to over 12 percent of annual residential sales and facilitate more progress in inventory destocking. In the coming year, we think the government will also urge banks to increase support for the white-list scheme to ensure home deliveries of stalled projects. That said, policy execution is the key. We think it may still take some time for the government to adjust policy design and address the bottleneck restrictions for the destocking program, especially in setting clear guidelines about purchase price and enhancing incentives of local governments and developers. More innovation and support for private sector, less rat-race, more opening-up The CEWC vowed to push forward more structure reforms, as the government had outlined in the third plenum of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China. Some key areas are highlighted in the CEWC, such as: boosting high quality growth with stronger support for innovation, enacting legislation on facilitating the development of the private sector, implementing a special action plan to crack down the misconduct in the law enforcement related to the corporate sector, and enhancing local government’s fiscal capacity. In addition, the CEWC called for rectifying “rat-race” style competition and standardizing related behaviors of local governments and corporates, partly echoing the recent criticism of China’s over-capacity issue. Despite the risk of higher US tariffs and more restrictions, the CEWC reiterated China’s determination to further open up its domestic market and integrate with the global supply chain. The CEWC reiterated maintaining a largely stable RMB exchange rate at its “equilibrium level”, while we think 5 plus percent RMB deprecation against the US dollar could be allowed to partly absorb the external shock from potential higher US tariffs. We think the government will likely closely manage the magnitude and pace of RMB depreciation, and we do not envisage the active use of currency depreciation as a macro policy tool. Source: chinadaily.com.cnAs the new year dawns, investors will be awaiting eagerly to see if Lalatech, the parent of on-demand logistics and delivery platform Lalamove, goes ahead with a mega Hong Kong initial public offering after applying to list for a fourth time amid improved market sentiment. The company, which operates under the Huolala brand in mainland China, submitted its listing application in October, following previous attempts in April this year as well as November and March of 2023, after shifting its US$1 billion (HK$7.8 billion) listing plan from the US to Hong Kong in 2021. Founded in Hong Kong in 2013, Lalatech mainly operates as a marketplace, especially in intra-city freight markets, connecting merchants with carriers through an asset-light business model, meaning it does not own the vehicles used by carriers. Entering China and other markets in 2014, the company now is the world's largest logistics transaction platform by closed-loop freight gross transaction value or GTV in the first half of this year, with a market share of 53.9 percent, according to its preliminary prospectus, citing data from consultancy Frost & Sullivan. Mainland power Lalatech facilitated about 338 million orders with a freight GTV of US$4.6 billion in the first six months of the year. It had an average of 15.2 million monthly active merchants and 1.4 million monthly active carriers on its platform during this period. Despite its global presence in over 400 cities across 11 markets, over 90 percent of Lalatech's revenue still comes from mainland China. Its revenue grew 18 percent in the first half of 2024 to US$709 million, building on a 28.8 percent increase to US$1.3 billion for the full year in 2023. It has turned profitable after years of losses, which swung to a net profit of US$972.7 million in 2023, followed by a US$183.7 million net profit in the first half of 2024. The company attributed its profitability to an improved hybrid monetization model for its freight platform services, which accounted for 61.8 percent of its revenue in the first half of 2024. Initially reliant on carrier membership fees for revenue, Lalatech introduced commission fees in 2018 as its carrier base expanded. In Shenzhen, for example, it offers three membership tiers for carriers operating specific vehicle types. First-tier members, paying 239 yuan per month, enjoy a reduced commission rate of 14 percent compared to the 18 percent rate for non-members. The second tier, with a 539 yuan monthly fee, faces an 11 percent commission rate, while third-tier members, paying 789 yuan per month, see their rate drop to 8 percent. This hybrid monetization model has helped drive profitability by converting GTV growth into revenue growth, according to the company. Commissions as a percentage of freight platform services revenue in China increased from 11.7 percent in 2021 to 57 percent in 2023, rising further to 58.5 percent in 2024. However, questions remain about the sustainability of its model. Mainland regulators have summoned the company a dozen times in recent years over complaints related to payment delays for carriers, arbitrarily adjusted pricing rules, and high commission rates and membership fees, according to mainland media reports Lalatech's other revenue streams include a range of diversified logistics services like solutions to large enterprise merchants or home-moving services, which contributed 32 percent of revenue in the first half. The company has raised a total of US$2.66 billion in 11 financing rounds from big-name investors including Hillhouse Capital and HongShan, formerly known as Sequoia China. Other investors, such as Tencent (0700) hold small stakes. ENTREPRENEURIAL SPIRIT Founder and chairman Chow Shing-yuk, retains about 25 percent of Lalatech's shares along with his family trust, despite selling US$165 million worth of shares to investors in 2021 and 2022. Born in Guangdong province, Chow moved to Hong Kong as a child. Despite growing up in a humble wooden house as Chow recalled in an interview, he excelled academically, winning a scholarship to study in the US, where he studied economics at Stanford University. After university, Chow joined Bain & Company as a consultant but quickly left the corporate world to pursue an unconventional path, becoming a professional Texas Hold'em poker player. Chow was said to have amassed nearly HK$30 million in winnings during his time as a poker player, which provided part of the capital for his entrepreneurial ventures, which he described as "the biggest gamble of his life." Lalatech also repurchased US$65.2 million worth of shares from Chow in February last year, and based on that price, the company would be valued at US$9.8 billion, according to The Standard's calculation, down from a valuation of nearly US$13 billion for its 11th financing completed in early 2022. Whether Lalatech can maintain the latest valuation remains in doubt as peers such as GoGoX (2246) and Full Truck Alliance have both performed disappointingly after going public. Its smaller rival GoGoX shares prices have plunged by nearly 98 percent since its IPO in June 2022, resulting in a market capitalization of HK$282.82 million, compared to over HK$10 billion before listing. Its US-listed competitor Full Truck Alliance, which mainly focuses on inter-city freight services, also posted a 53 percent decline in prices since its listing in 2021. Full Truck's market cap now stood at US$9.3 billion. Lalatech plans to use the proceeds from the IPO to grow its core business and expand service offerings in China, accelerate global expansion, enhance technology infrastructure, and support working capital. Goldman Sachs, BofA Securities, and JP Morgan are joint sponsors for the proposed offering.

Israel has agreed to a ceasefire with Hezbollah in Lebanon that will take effect at 4 a.m. Wednesday. Moments after U.S. President Joe Biden announced the ceasefire deal , which Israel's Cabinet approved late Tuesday, an Israeli airstrike slammed into the Lebanese capital. Residents of Beirut and its southern suburbs have endured the most intense day of Israeli strikes since the war began nearly 14 months ago, as Israel signaled it aims to keep pummeling Hezbollah before the ceasefire is set to take hold. At least 24 people have killed by Israeli strikes across Lebanon on Tuesday, according to local authorities. Hezbollah also fired rockets into Israel on Tuesday, triggering air raid sirens across the country’s north. An Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire would mark the first major step toward ending the regionwide unrest triggered by Hamas’ attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. But it does not address the devastating war in Gaza. Hezbollah began attacking Israel a day after Hamas’ attack. The fighting in Lebanon escalated into all-out war in September with massive Israeli airstrikes across the country and an Israeli ground invasion of the south. In Gaza, more than 44,000 people have been killed and more than 104,000 wounded in the nearly 14-month war between Israel and Hamas, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. Here's the Latest: BEIRUT -- Lebanon’s Prime Minister Najib Mikati welcomed the U.S.-brokered ceasefire proposal between Israel and Hezbollah, describing it as a crucial step toward stability, the return of displaced people to their homes and regional calm. Mikati made these comments in a statement issued just after U.S. President Joe announced the truce deal. Mikati said he discussed the ceasefire agreement with Biden by phone earlier Tuesday. The prime minister reaffirmed Lebanon’s commitment to implementing U.N. resolution 1701, strengthening the Lebanese army’s presence in the south, and cooperating with the U.N. peacekeeping force. He also called on Israel to fully comply with the ceasefire and withdraw from southern Lebanon in accordance the U.N. resolution. JERUSALEM — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s security Cabinet has approved a ceasefire deal with Hezbollah, clearing the way for the truce to take effect. Netanyahu’s office said the plan was approved by a 10-1 margin. The late-night vote came shortly before President Joe Biden was expected to announced details of the deal in Washington. Earlier, Netanyahu defended the ceasefire, saying Israel has inflicted heavy damage on Hezbollah and could now focus its efforts on Hamas militants in Gaza and his top security concern, Iran. Netanyahu vowed to strike Hezbollah hard if it violates the expected deal. WASHINGTON — Rep. Mike Waltz, President-elect Donald Trump’s designate to be national security adviser, credited Trump’s victory with helping bring the parties together toward a ceasefire in Lebanon. “Everyone is coming to the table because of President Trump,” he said in a post on X on Tuesday. “His resounding victory sent a clear message to the rest of the world that chaos won’t be tolerated. I’m glad to see concrete steps towards deescalation in the Middle East.” He added: “But let’s be clear: The Iran Regime is the root cause of the chaos & terror that has been unleashed across the region. We will not tolerate the status quo of their support for terrorism.” BEIRUT — Israeli jets targeted a building in a bustling commercial area of Beirut for the first time since the start of the 13-month war between Hezbollah and Israel. The strike on Hamra is around 400 meters (yards) from the country’s central bank. A separate strike hit the Mar Elias neighborhood in the country’s capital Tuesday. There was no immediate word on casualties from either strike, part of the biggest wave of attacks on the capital since the war started. Residents in central Beirut were seen fleeing after the Israeli army issued evacuation warnings for four targets in the city. Meanwhile, the Israeli army carried out airstrikes on at least 30 targets in Beirut’s southern suburbs Tuesday, including two strikes in the Jnah neighborhood near the Kuwaiti Embassy. Lebanon’s Health Ministry reported that 13 people were injured in the strikes on the southern suburbs. BEIRUT — Hezbollah has said it accepts the ceasefire proposal with Israel, but a senior official with the group said Tuesday that it had not seen the agreement in its final form. “After reviewing the agreement signed by the enemy government, we will see if there is a match between what we stated and what was agreed upon by the Lebanese officials,” Mahmoud Qamati, deputy chair of Hezbollah’s political council, told the Al Jazeera news network. “We want an end to the aggression, of course, but not at the expense of the sovereignty of the state.” of Lebanon, he said. “Any violation of sovereignty is refused.” Among the issues that may remain is an Israeli demand to reserve the right to act should Hezbollah violate its obligations under the emerging deal. The deal seeks to push Hezbollah and Israeli troops out of southern Lebanon. JERUSALEM — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Tuesday that he would recommend his Cabinet adopt a United States-brokered ceasefire agreement with Lebanon’s Hezbollah, as Israeli warplanes struck across Lebanon, killing at least 23 people. The Israeli military also issued a flurry of evacuation warnings — a sign it was aiming to inflict punishment on Hezbollah down to the final moments before any ceasefire takes hold. For the first time in the conflict, Israeli ground troops reached parts of Lebanon’s Litani River, a focal point of the emerging deal. In a televised statement, Netanyahu said he would present the ceasefire to Cabinet ministers later on Tuesday, setting the stage for an end to nearly 14 months of fighting. Netanyahu said the vote was expected later Tuesday. It was not immediately clear when the ceasefire would go into effect, and the exact terms of the deal were not released. The deal does not affect Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza, which shows no signs of ending. BEIRUT — Lebanon’s state media said Israeli strikes on Tuesday killed at least 10 people in Baalbek province the country’s east. At least three people were killed in the southern city of Tyre when Israel bombed a Palestinian refugee camp, said Mohammed Bikai, a representative of the Fatah group in the area. He said several more people were missing and at least three children were among the wounded. He said the sites struck inside the camp were “completely civilian places” and included a kitchen that was being used to cook food for displaced people. JERUSALEM — Dozens of Israeli protesters took to a major highway in Tel Aviv on Tuesday evening to call for the return of the hostages held by Hamas in Gaza, as the country awaited news of a potential ceasefire in Lebanon between Israel and Hezbollah. Protesters chanted “We are all hostages,” and “Deal now!” waving signs with faces of some of the roughly 100 hostages believed to be still held in Gaza, at least a third of whom are thought to be dead. Most of the other hostages Hamas captured in the Oct. 7, 2023 attack were released during a ceasefire last year. The prospect of a ceasefire deal in Lebanon has raised desperation among the relatives of captives still held in Gaza, who once hoped that the release of hostages from Gaza would be included. Instead of a comprehensive deal, the ceasefire on the table is instead narrowly confined to Lebanon. Dozens of Israelis were also demonstrating against the expected cease-fire, gathering outside Israel’s military headquarters in central Tel Aviv. One of the protesters, Yair Ansbacher, says the deal is merely a return to the failed 2006 U.N. resolution that was meant to uproot Hezbollah from the area. “Of course that didn’t happen,” he says. “This agreement is not worth the paper it is written on.” FIUGGI, Italy — Foreign ministers from the world’s industrialized countries said Tuesday they strongly supported an immediate ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah and insisted that Israel comply with international law in its ongoing military operations in the region. At the end of their two-day summit, the ministers didn’t refer directly to the International Criminal Court and its recent arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defense minister over crimes against humanity . Italy had put the ICC warrants on the official meeting agenda, even though the G7 was split on the issue. The U.S., Israel’s closest ally, isn’t a signatory to the court and has called the warrants “outrageous.” However, the EU’s chief diplomat Josep Borrell said all the other G7 countries were signatories and therefore obliged to respect the warrants. In the end, the final statement adopted by the ministers said Israel, in exercising its right to defend itself, “must fully comply with its obligations under international law in all circumstances, including international humanitarian law.” And it said all G7 members — Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States – “reiterate our commitment to international humanitarian law and will comply with our respective obligations.” It stressed that “there can be no equivalence between the terrorist group Hamas and the State of Israel.” The ICC warrants say there's reason to believe Netanyahu used “starvation as a method of warfare” by restricting humanitarian aid and intentionally targeted civilians in Israel’s campaign against Hamas in Gaza — charges Israeli officials deny. BEIRUT — An Israeli strike on Tuesday levelled a residential building in the central Beirut district of Basta — the second time in recent days warplanes have hit the crowded area near the city’s downtown. At least seven people were killed and 37 wounded in Beirut, according to Lebanon’s Health Ministry. It was not immediately clear if anyone in particular was targeted, though Israel says its airstrikes target Hezbollah officials and assets. The Israeli military spokesman issued a flurry of evacuation warnings for many areas, including areas in Beirut that have not been targeted throughout the war, like the capital’s commercial Hamra district, where many people displaced by the war have been staying. The warnings, coupled with fear that Israel was ratcheting up attacks in Lebanon during the final hours before a ceasefire is reached, sparked panic and sent residents fleeing in their cars to safer areas. In areas close to Hamra, families including women and children were seen running away toward the Mediterranean Sea’s beaches carrying their belongings. Traffic was completely gridlocked as people tried to get away, honking their car horns as Israeli drones buzzed loudly overhead. The Israeli military also issued warnings for 20 more buildings in Beirut’s suburbs to evacuate before they too were struck — a sign it was aiming to inflict punishment on Hezbollah in the final moments before any ceasefire takes hold. TEL AVIV, Israel — The independent civilian commission of inquiry into the October 2023 Hamas attack on Israel has found Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu directly responsible for the failures leading up to the attack, alongside former defense ministers, the army chief and the heads of the security services. The civil commission presented its findings today after a four-month probe in which it heard some 120 witnesses. It was set up by relatives of victims of the Hamas attack, in response to the absence of any state probe. The commission determined that the Israeli government, its army and security services “failed in their primary mission of protecting the citizens of Israel.” It said Netanyahu was responsible for ignoring “repeated warnings” ahead of Oct. 7, 2023 for what it described as his appeasing approach over the years toward Hamas, and for “undermining all decision-making centers, including the cabinet and the National Security Council, in a way that prevented any serious discussion” on security issues. The commission further determined that the military and defense leaders bear blame for ignoring warnings from within the army, and for reducing the army’s presence along the Gaza border while relying excessively on technological means. On the day of the Hamas attack, the report says, the army’s response was both slow and lacking. The civil commission called for the immediate establishment of a state commission of inquiry into the Oct. 7 attack. Netanyahu has opposed launching a state commission of inquiry, arguing that such an investigation should begin only once the war is over. JERUSALEM -- The Israeli military says its ground troops have reached parts of Lebanon’s Litani River — a focal point of the emerging ceasefire. In a statement Tuesday, the army said it had reached the Wadi Slouqi area in southern Lebanon and clashed with Hezbollah forces. Under a proposed ceasefire, Hezbollah would be required to move its forces north of the Litani, which in some places is some 30 kilometers (20 miles) north of the Israeli border. The military says the clashes with Hezbollah took place on the eastern end of the Litani, just a few kilometers (miles) from the border. It is one of the deepest places Israeli forces have reached in a nearly two-month ground operation. The military says soldiers destroyed rocket launchers and missiles and engaged in “close-quarters combat” with Hezbollah forces. The announcement came hours before Israel’s security Cabinet is expected to approve a ceasefire that would end nearly 14 months of fighting. BEIRUT — Israeli jets Tuesday struck at least six buildings in Beirut’s southern suburbs Tuesday, including one that slammed near the country’s only airport. Large plumes of smoke could be seen around the airport near the Mediterranean coast, which has continued to function despite its location beside the densely populated suburbs where many of Hezbollah’s operations are based. The strikes come hours before Israel’s cabinet was scheduled to meet to discuss a proposal to end the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah. The proposal calls for an initial two-month ceasefire during which Israeli forces would withdraw from Lebanon and Hezbollah would end its armed presence along the southern border south of the Litani River. There were no immediate reports of casualties from Tuesday’s airstrikes. FIUGGI, Italy — EU top diplomat Josep Borrell, whose term ends Dec. 1, said he proposed to the G7 and Arab ministers who joined in talks on Monday that the U.N. Security Council take up a resolution specifically demanding humanitarian assistance reach Palestinians in Gaza, saying deliveries have been completely impeded. “The two-state solution will come later. Everything will come later. But we are talking about weeks or days,” for desperate Palestinians, he said. “Hunger has been used as an arm against people who are completely abandoned.” It was a reference to the main accusation levelled by the International Criminal Court in its arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defense minister. Borrell said the signatories to the court, including six of the seven G7 members, are obliged under international law to respect and implement the court’s decisions. Host Italy put the ICC warrants on the G7 agenda at the last minute, but there was no consensus on the wording of how the G7 would respond given the U.S., Israel’s closest ally, has called the warrants “outrageous.” Italy, too, has said it respects the court but expressed concern that the warrants were politically motivated and ill-advised given Netanyahu is necessary for any deal to end the conflicts in Gaza and Lebanon. “Like it or not, the International Criminal Court is a court as powerful as any national court,” Borrell said. “And if the Europeans don’t support International Criminal Court then there would not be any hope for justice,” he said. Borrell, whose term ends Dec. 1, said he proposed to the G7 and Arab ministers who joined in talks on Monday that the U.N. Security Council take up a resolution specifically demanding humanitarian assistance reach Palestinians in Gaza, saying deliveries have been completely impeded. “The two-state solution will come later. Everything will come later. But we are talking about weeks or days,” for desperate Palestinians, he said. “Hunger has been used as an arm against people who are completely abandoned.” It was a reference to the main accusation levelled by the International Criminal Court in its arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defense minister. Borrell said the signatories to the court, including six of the seven G7 members, are obliged under international law to respect and implement the court’s decisions. Host Italy put the ICC warrants on the G7 agenda at the last minute, but there was no consensus on the wording of how the G7 would respond given the U.S., Israel’s closest ally, has called the warrants “outrageous.” Italy, too, has said it respects the court but expressed concern that the warrants were politically motivated and ill-advised given Netanyahu is necessary for any deal to end the conflicts in Gaza and Lebanon. “Like it or not, the International Criminal Court is a court as powerful as any national court,” Borrell said. “And if the Europeans don’t support International Criminal Court then there would not be any hope for justice,” he said. (edited)

Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter has died. He was 100 years old and had spent more than a year in hospice care. The Georgia peanut farmer served one turbulent term in the White House before building a reputation as a global humanitarian and champion of democracy. He defeated President Gerald Ford in 1976 promising to restore trust in government but lost to Ronald Reagan four years later amid soaring inflation, gas station lines and the Iran hostage crisis. He and his wife, Rosalynn Carter, then formed The Carter Center, and he earned a Nobel Peace Prize while making himself the most active and internationally engaged of former presidents. The Carter Center said the former president died Sunday afternoon in Plains, Georgia.Gaza government highlights Israel’s systematic war crimes

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WASHINGTON — American Airlines briefly grounded flights nationwide Tuesday because of a technical problem just as the Christmas travel season kicked into overdrive and winter weather threatened more potential problems for those planning to fly or drive. Government regulators cleared American flights to get airborne about an hour after the Federal Aviation Administration ordered a national ground stop for the airline. The order, which prevented planes from taking off, was issued at the airline's request. The airline said in an email that the problem was caused by trouble with vendor technology that maintains its flight operating system. An American Airlines employee wearing looks toward quiet check-in counters Tuesday in the American terminal at Miami International Airport in Miami. Dennis Tajer, a spokesperson for the Allied Pilots Association, a union representing American Airlines pilots, said the airline told pilots at 7 a.m. Eastern that there was an outage affecting the system known as FOS. It handles different types of airline operations, including dispatch, flight planning, passenger boarding, as well as an airplane's weight and balance data, he said. Some components of FOS have gone down in the past, but a systemwide outage is rare, Tajer said. Flights were delayed across American's major hubs, with only 37% leaving on time, according to Cirium, an aviation analytics company. Out of the 3,901 domestic and international American Airlines flights scheduled for Tuesday, 19 were canceled. Cirium noted that the vast majority of flights departed within two hours of their scheduled departure time. A similar percentage — 36% — arrived at their destinations as scheduled. Meanwhile, the flight-tracking site FlightAware reported that 3,712 flights entering or leaving the U.S., or serving domestic destinations, were delayed Tuesday, with 55 flights canceled. It did not show any flights from American Airlines. Cirium said Dallas-Fort Worth, New York's Kennedy Airport and Charlotte, North Carolina, saw the greatest number of delays. Washington, Chicago and Miami experienced considerably fewer delays. Travelers wait in line for security checks Tuesday at the Los Angeles International Airport in Los Angeles. Amid the travel problems, significant rain and snow were expected in the Pacific Northwest at least into Christmas Day. Showers and thunderstorms developed in the South. Freezing rain was reported in the Mid-Atlantic region near Baltimore and Washington, and snow fell in New York. Because the holiday travel period lasts weeks, airports and airlines typically have smaller peak days than they do during the rush around Thanksgiving, but the grind of one hectic day followed by another takes a toll on flight crews. Any hiccups — a winter storm or a computer outage — can snowball into massive disruptions. That is how Southwest Airlines stranded 2 million travelers in December 2022, and Delta Air Lines suffered a smaller but significant meltdown after a worldwide technology outage in July caused by a faulty software update from cybersecurity company CrowdStrike. Many flights during the holidays are sold out, which makes cancellations even more disruptive than during slower periods. That is especially true for smaller budget airlines that have fewer flights and fewer options for rebooking passengers. Only the largest airlines, including American, Delta and United, have "interline agreements" that let them put stranded customers on another carrier's flights. An American Airlines employee wearing a Santa Claus hat walks through the American terminal Tuesday at Miami International Airport in Miami. This will be the first holiday season since a Transportation Department rule took effect that requires airlines to give customers an automatic cash refund for a canceled or significantly delayed flight. Most air travelers were already eligible for refunds, but they often had to request them. Passengers still can ask to get rebooked, which is often a better option than a refund during peak travel periods. Finding a last-minute flight on another airline tends to be expensive. An American spokesperson said Tuesday was not a peak travel day for the airline — with about 2,000 fewer flights than the busiest days — so the airline had somewhat of a buffer to manage the delays. The groundings happened as millions of travelers were expected to fly over the next 10 days. The Transportation Security Administration expects to screen 40 million passengers through Jan. 2. Airlines expect to have their busiest days on Thursday, Friday and Sunday. American Airlines employees check in travelers Tuesday in the American terminal at Miami International Airport in Miami. Many flights during the holidays are sold out, which makes cancellations more disruptive than during slower periods. Even with just a brief outage, the cancellations have a cascading effect that can take days to clear up. About 90% of Americans traveling far from home over the holidays will be in cars, according to AAA. "Airline travel is just really high right now, but most people do drive to their destinations, and that is true for every holiday," AAA spokesperson Aixa Diaz said. Gasoline prices are similar to last year. The nationwide average Thursday was $3.04 a gallon, down from $3.13 a year ago, according to AAA. Charging an electric vehicle averages just under 35 cents per per kilowatt hour, but varies by state. Transportation-data firm INRIX says travel times on the nation's highways could be up to 30% longer than normal over the holidays, with Sunday expected to see the heaviest traffic. "It's not the destination, it's the journey," said American essayist Ralph Waldo Emerson. Ralph clearly was not among the travellers on one of more than 350 cancelled or 1,400 delayed flights after a worldwide tech outage caused by an update to Crowdstrike's "Falcon Sensor" software in July of 2023. U.S. airlines carried nearly 863 million travellers in 2023, with Canadian carriers accounting for another 150 million, many of whom experienced lost luggage, flight delays, cancellations, or were bumped off their flights. It's unclear how many of them were compensated for these inconveniences. Suffice it to say, posting a crabby rant on social media might temporarily soothe anger, but it won't put wasted money back in pockets. Money.ca shares what to know in order to be compensated for the three most common air travel headaches. Bags elected to go on a vacay without you? Check off the following: If you expect a large payout, think again. Tariffs (air carrier contracts) limit the compensation amounts for "loss of, damage to, or the delay in delivery of baggage or other personal property." In the case of Air Canada, the maximum payout is $1,500 per passenger in the currency of the country where the baggage was processed. To raise that limit, purchase a Declaration of Higher Value for each leg of the trip. The charge is $0.50 for each $100, in which case the payout limit is $2,500. For Delta Air Lines, passengers are entitled to up to $3,800 in baggage compensation, though how much you'll receive depends on your flight. Delta will pay up to $2,080 for delayed, lost, and damaged baggage for international travellers, almost half of what U.S. domestic passengers can claim. If your flight is marked delayed for more than 30 minutes, approach the gate agent and politely request food and hotel vouchers to be used within the airport or nearby. Different air carriers and jurisdictions have their own compensation policies when flights are delayed or cancelled. For example, under European Union rules, passengers may receive up to 600 Euros, even when travelling on a non-EU carrier. Similarly, the DOT states that travellers are entitled to a refund "if the airline cancelled a flight, regardless of the reason, and the consumer chooses not to travel." However, US rules regarding delays are complicated. Some air carriers, such as Air Canada, do not guarantee their flight schedules. They're also not liable for cancellations or changes due to "force majeure" such as weather conditions or labour disruptions. If the delay is overnight, only out-of-town passengers will be offered hotel accommodation. Nevertheless, many airlines do offer some compensation for the inconvenience. If your flight is marked delayed for more than 30 minutes, approach the gate agent and politely request food and hotel vouchers to be used within the airport or nearby. In terms of cash compensation, what you'll get can differ significantly based on things like departure location, time, carrier, and ticket class. The DOT offers a helpful delay and cancellations dashboard designed to keep travellers informed about their compensation rights. The dashboard is particularly helpful because, as the DOT states on its website, "whether you are entitled to a refund depends on a lot of factors—such as the length of the delay, the length of the flight, and your particular circumstances." The Canadian Transportation Agency is proposing air passenger protection regulations that guarantee financial compensation to travellers experiencing flight delays and cancellations, with the level of compensation varying depending on the situation and how much control the air carrier had. The proposed regulations include the following: The airline is obligated to complete the passenger's itinerary. If the new ticket is for a lower class of service, the air carrier would have to refund the cost difference; if the booking is in a higher class of service, passengers cannot be charged extra. If the passenger declines the ticket, the airline must give a full refund, in addition to the prescribed compensation. For overnight delays, the air carrier needs to provide hotel accommodation and transportation free-of-charge. Again, if you are unsatisfied, the Canadian Transportation Agency or Department of Transportation may advocate on your behalf. Passengers get bumped because airlines overbook. When this happens, the air carrier must compensate you. For international flights in the US, the rate is 200% of your one-way fare to your final destination, with a $675 maximum. If the airline does not make travel arrangements for you, the payout is 400% of your one-way fare to a maximum of $1,350. To qualify, you must check-in by the stated deadline, which on international flights can be up to 3 hours ahead. Keep in mind that if you accept the cash, you are no longer entitled to any further compensation, nor are you guaranteed to be rebooked on a direct flight or similar type of seat. Don't be too quick to give up your boarding pass. Negotiate for the best compensation deal that would include cash, food and hotel vouchers, flight upgrade, lounge passes, as well as mileage points. But avoid being too greedy—if the gate attendant is requesting volunteers and you wait too long, you'll miss the offer. According to Air Canada's tariff, if a passenger is involuntarily bumped, they'll receive $200, in cash or bank draft, for up to a two-hour delay; $400 for a 2-6 hours delay; and $800 if the delay is over six hours. (Air Canada was forced to raise its payouts in 2013 due to passenger complaints.) The new rules would raise the payout significantly: $900 for up to six hours; $1,800 for 6-9; and $2,400 for more than nine hours, all to be paid within 48 hours. Statistically speaking, Delta Airlines is the carrier most likely to bump. A few years ago, Delta raised its payout maximum to $9,950, while United Airlines tops out at $10,000. This story was produced by Money.ca and reviewed and distributed by Stacker. Get local news delivered to your inbox!