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44 spin ph ANDERSON TOWNSHIP, Ohio (AP) — Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow's home was broken into during Monday Night Football in the latest home invasion of a pro athlete in the U.S., authorities said Tuesday. No one was injured in the break-in, but the home was ransacked, according to a report provided by the Hamilton County Sheriff's Office. Deputies weren't immediately able to determine what items were stolen. A person who is employed by Burrow arrived at the Anderson Township home Monday night to find a shattered bedroom window and the home in disarray. The person called their mother, and then 911 was contacted, according to the report. Deputies reached out to neighbors in an attempt to piece together surveillance footage. “Our investigators are exploring every avenue,” public information officer Kyla Woods said. The homes of Chiefs stars Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce were broken into in October. In the NBA , Milwaukee Bucks forward Bobby Portis had his home broken into Nov. 2 and Minnesota Timberwolves guard Mike Conley Jr.'s home was burglarized on Sept. 15 while he was at a Minnesota Vikings game. Portis had offered a $40,000 reward for information. Both the NFL and NBA issued security alerts to players after those break-ins, urging them to take additional precautions to secure their homes. In league memos previously obtained by The Associated Press, the NFL said homes of professional athletes across multiple sports have become “increasingly targeted for burglaries by organized and skilled groups.” And the NBA revealed that the FBI has connected some burglaries to “transnational South American Theft Groups” that are “reportedly well-organized, sophisticated rings that incorporate advanced techniques and technologies, including pre-surveillance, drones, and signal jamming devices.” Some of the burglary groups have conducted extensive surveillance on targets, including attempted home deliveries and posing as grounds maintenance or joggers in the neighborhood, according to officials. AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

SALZBURG, Austria, Dec 10 (Reuters) - A fine finish from Goncalo Ramos, a goal from Nuno Mendes and a late strike from Desire Doue gave Paris St Germain a vital Champions League victory, as they beat RB Salzburg 3-0 on Tuesday to move into the playoff spots. Luis Enrique's side, who have made a terrible start to their Champions League campaign, now sit 24th in the standings just inside the playoff positions, with seven points from six games, while Salzburg are 32nd. PSG looked sharp in the first half and went close early on through Lee Kang-in's long-range effort and Vitinha's attempt that was denied by goalkeeper Alexander Schlager. Bradley Barcola also went close as he burst into the area after a superb run but was unable to finish. "I'm missing that little something in front of goal that will unlock me. Don't think it is a blockage, but we talked about it a lot among ourselves. I had to continue working," Barcola said. Achraf Hakimi set up Ramos for the opener on the half-hour mark. The Parisians looked dangerous in the second half as the home side struggled to find their feet. The closest Salzburg came was through Nene Dorgeles in the 63rd minute, as he broke into the box on the left and shot at goal, but PSG keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma kept the ball out. But PSG were the better side and Mendes doubled their advantage in the 72nd minute with a thunderous left-footed shot from Doue's pass. Defender Lucas Hernandez returned to the side after a long-term injury and replaced Mendes six minutes from time before Doue added a third goal to seal a much-needed win. "It's a pleasure and a pride to be back on the pitch. When you suffer an injury like that, it's never easy. From the first day after my operation, I knew I was going to come back stronger and fitter," said Hernandez. PSG next face Pep Guardiola's Manchester City on Jan. 22 before closing their campaign against VfB Stuttgart seven days later. Sign up here. Reporting by Angelica Medina in Mexico CityEditing by Toby Davis Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. , opens new tabAP Sports SummaryBrief at 5:34 p.m. EST

Cher’s memoir made Howard Stern want to ‘strangle’ Sonny Bono

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) — Penn State players have watched Ashton Jeanty make opponents look silly all season. They don't want to be the next defenders Boise State’s star posterizes with jukes, spin moves, stiff arms and heavy shoulders. But they also know that slowing down Jeanty, who finished second in Heisman Trophy voting , will be their toughest task yet when the two teams meet in the College Football Playoff quarterfinal Fiesta Bowl on Dec. 31. “In any other year, I think the guy wins the Heisman,” Penn State coach James Franklin said. “You could make the argument that he should have won it this year. He is hard to tackle. He is compact, 5-(foot)-10, he has the ability to run away from you. He has the ability to make you miss.” Jeanty led the nation with 2,497 rushing yards on 344 carries this season. He scored more touchdowns (30) than any player since Najee Harris scored 30 times with Alabama in 2020. Additionally, Jeanty’s yards after contact (1,889) exceed every FBS running backs’ rushing total since Oklahoma State’s Chuba Hubbard led the NCAA with 2,094 total rushing yards in 2019. Jeanty also forced an NCAA-record 143 missed tackles this season. The junior did it all behind an offensive line that has been forced to shuffle its parts in the wake of numerous injuries. Only left tackle Kage Casey and left guard Ben Dooley have started every game up front for the Broncos this season. “He’s a beast in terms of his production on the field, but then also his durability,” Franklin said. “There’s not too many people that are able to get clean shots on him. All of it is super impressive. But I think the stat that I mentioned earlier, the most impressive stat is the yards after contact.” This could be Jeanty’s biggest challenge to date, too. Although he’s helped Boise State churn out 250 rushing yards per game, good for fifth among FBS programs, the Nittany Lions are well stocked to defend the run. Their defense is seventh nationally allowing just 100 rushing yards per game and has tightened up down the stretch. In its last six games, Penn State is allowing just 2.7 yards per rush and has only given up three rushing touchdowns, two coming in the Big Ten championship game against No. 1 Oregon. “They’ve had our backs throughout the whole year,” Penn State quarterback Drew Allar said. “They have made me a lot better throughout the year, just going against the best defense in America and just glad I got to go against them every day in practice and not against them out on the field in a game setting.” In the opening round of the CFP, Penn State held SMU to just 58 rushing yards on 36 carries. Meanwhile, the Nittany Lions notched 11 of their 50 tackles for loss over the last six games against the Mustangs. Most of those came from a defensive line that regularly rotates run-stuffing tackles Zane Durant, Dvon J-Thomas and Coziah Izzard between dynamic ends Abdul Carter and Dani Dennis-Sutton. Carter alone has 21 1/2 of his team’s 102 stops behind the line of scrimmage this year. He's hoping to add a few against Jeanty and stay off the star back's own long-running highlight reel. “I’m living in my dreams,” Carter said. “I’m having the most fun I ever had playing football and I’ve been playing since I was 8 years old. I’m very blessed. I’m just very humbled to have this opportunity. I just want to keep taking advantage of all the opportunities that I have.” Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here . AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-footballWe only have four light-volume trading days left in 2024, so last week’s downdraft postponed the Santa Claus rally, but the second half of December is historically the year’s best two-week span, so we still might see some powerful up-moves before the year ends. The S&P 500 fell 2% last week, while the 10-year Treasury bond yield rose 42 basis points (from 4.15% to 4.57%) over the last two weeks, on fears of higher inflation and the debt ceiling battle. Part of last week’s market malaise also came from Fed Chair Powell’s waffling remarks in the FOMC statement and following press conference. In addition, President-elect Trump and Elon Musk caused the House of Representatives to scramble to throw out some of the “pork” that was added to their spending bill. Clearly, Trump prefers that any major shutdown occur while Biden is still in office, so Trump can seem to rescue the nation. Trump has said he would like to eliminate the debt ceiling, so perhaps a government shutdown would have helped deliver that wish. Here are the most important market news items and what this news means: - Qatar is threatening to cut off LNG shipments to the eurozone over legislation that will penalize companies that fail to meet set criteria on carbon emissions and human and labor rights. Frankly, this is a great opportunity for the U.S. to step in and fill this LNG void if Qatar cuts off LNG shipments. Russia has been exporting more LNG to the eurozone than the U.S. since May because the Biden Administration was striving to restrict LNG expansion due to environmental concerns. Frankly, the U.S. is going to score a lot higher than either Qatar or Russia on carbon emissions and human and labor rights, so hopefully, under Trump 2.0, LNG exports will boom. - Nissan and Honda have announced that they have commenced merger talks to create the third-largest automotive manufacturer. What is hindering the entire automotive industry is all the electronics that many governments are now requiring, such as lane assist and collision avoidance systems. The problem with all these requirements is that each car has to have its own “firewall” to avoid computer hacking. All these new electronics cost money and raise the cost of new vehicles. Nissan has a lead over Honda in EVs and trucks. Honda has a great engineering and quality reputation, with lots of loyal customers. Overall, this potential merger will be interesting and merge entirely different cultures. - President-elect Donald Trump is throwing out a lot of interesting ideas that most folks have not thought of. First, he wants to buy Greenland from Demark as an “absolute necessity” for national security reasons. Second, President-elect Trump is demanding that Panama reduce its transit tolls, especially on U.S. Navy ships. Panama has rejected Trump’s demands and refuses to lower its transit toll for U.S. vessels. China’s growing influence in Panama may be one reason that President-elect Trump would like the Panama Canal back, so this will be an interesting confrontation. - As a result of the chaos in Brazil, Britain, Canada, France, and Germany, plus economic growth sputtering in China as its population continues to shrink by over 2 million people per year, the U.S. remains the growth engine of the world. Falling interest rates around the world will cause an international flight to U.S. Treasuries to persist and naturally drive yields lower. As an example. China’s 10-year government bond yields fell below 1.7% this week, which is the lowest level in two decades. These low global yields will naturally cause capital flight to the U.S. and since the Fed never fights market rates, I am confident that the Fed will cut its key interest rates four times in 2025. - A strong U.S. dollar will help to reduce the prices of imported goods. The Fed’s favorite inflation indicator, the Personal Consumption Expenditure (PCE) index, only rose 0.1% in November and 2.4% in the past 12 months. This was the smallest monthly increase in the PCE since May. When shelter costs (owner’s equivalent rent) are stripped out of the PCE, inflation is essentially running at the Fed’s 2% target rate. However, Fed Chairman Jerome Powell’s comment that the Fed’s year-end inflation forecast has “kind of fallen apart” did not inspire confidence. In my opinion, the stock and bond market reactions to the FOMC Statement, dot plot, and Fed Chairman Powell’s press conference were grossly overdone and eviscerated all the stock market gains since the Presidential election. Fortunately, a Santa Claus rally was subsequently sparked by the November PCE report, so the stock market is rallying into Christmas and should also rally into the New Year.

STUART, Fla. , Dec. 24, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Health In Tech, an Insurtech platform company backed by third-party AI technology, today announced the closing of its initial public offering of 2,300,000 shares of its Class A common stock at a public offering price of $4.00 per share, for gross proceeds of $9,200,000 , before deducting underwriting discounts, commissions, and estimated offering expenses. The Company has granted the underwriter an option, exercisable within 30 days from the date of the final prospectus, to purchase an additional 345,000 shares of Class A common stock from Health In Tech at the initial public offering price, less underwriting discounts and commissions. Assuming such option is fully exercised, the Company may raise a total of approximately US$10,580,000 in gross proceeds from the Offering Health In Tech intends to use the net proceeds from the offering for system enhancements, expansion of service offerings, sales and distribution channels, talent development and retention, working capital, and other general corporate purposes. American Trust Investment Services, Inc. acted as the sole book-running manager for the offering. A registration statement on Form S-1 (File No. 333-281853) relating to the shares was filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission and became effective on December 19, 2024 . This offering was made only by means of a prospectus, forming part of the effective registration statement. A copy of the prospectus relating to the offering can be obtained when available, by contacting American Trust Investment Services, Inc., 230 W. Monroe Street , Suite 300, Chicago, IL 60606, or via E-Mail at ECM@amtruinvest.com. This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities, nor shall there be any sale of any securities in any state or jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such state or jurisdiction. About Health In Tech Health in Tech ("HIT") is an Insurtech platform company backed by third-party AI technology. We offer a dynamic marketplace designed to create customized healthcare plan solutions while streamlining processes through vertical integration, process simplification, and automation. By eliminating friction and complexities, HIT enhances value propositions for employers and optimizes underwriting, sales, and service workflows for Managing General Underwriters (MGUs), insurance carriers, licensed brokers, and Third-Party Administrators (TPAs). Learn more at healthintech.com . Forward-Looking Statements Regarding Health In Tech Certain statements in this press release are forward-looking statements for purposes of the safe harbor provisions under the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements may include estimates or expectations about Health In Tech's possible or assumed operational results, financial condition, business strategies and plans, market opportunities, competitive position, industry environment, and potential growth opportunities. In some cases, forward-looking statements can be identified by terms such as "may," "will," "should," "design," "target," "aim," "hope," "expect," "could," "intend," "plan," "anticipate," "estimate," "believe," "continue," "predict," "project," "potential," "goal," or other words that convey the uncertainty of future events or outcomes. These statements relate to future events or to Health In Tech's future financial performance, and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause Health In Tech's actual results, levels of activity, performance, or achievements to be different from any future results, levels of activity, performance or achievements expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. You should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements because they involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which are, in some cases, beyond Health In Tech's control and which could, and likely will, affect actual results, levels of activity, performance or achievements. Any forward-looking statement reflects Health In Tech's current views with respect to future events and is subject to these and other risks, uncertainties and assumptions relating to Health In Tech's operations, results of operations, growth strategy and liquidity. Investor Contact Investor Relations: ir@healthintech.com View original content to download multimedia: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/health-in-tech-announces-closing-of-initial-public-offering-302338923.html SOURCE Health In TechScorpio, Daily Horoscope Today, December 11, 2024: Creativity and productivity flourishThe Many Applications of Pressure Washing With Jay's Pressure LLCVictoria’s Liberal leadership fight escalates with two new contenders

Dave Grohl's wife 'hopes to keep family together' as they move forward from cheating scandalOpinion editor’s note: Strib Voices publishes letters from readers online and in print each day. To contribute, click here . ••• The newly released House Ethics Committee report alleges that former U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz from Florida had “regularly paid women for sex, had sex with an underage girl and used illegal drugs” and “accepted lavish gifts ... in excess of permissible amounts” (“Ethics report: Gaetz often paid for sex, used drugs,” front page, Dec. 24). The committee concluded that Gaetz violated state sexual misconduct laws, including Florida’s statutory rape law, and violated House rules concerning gifts and misuse of his official office. What the article neglected to report was that, out of the 10 members on the bipartisan committee (five Democrats and five Republicans), three of the committee members — all Republicans — tried to block the release of the report. One of them was U.S. Rep. Michelle Fischbach from Minnesota’s Seventh Congressional District. Rep. Fischbach’s cowardice and lack of ethics are both disappointing and not in keeping with Minnesotans’ expectations. I hope the voters of the Seventh Congressional District, regardless of their political affiliation, will remember her actions the next time she attempts to run for office. Rep. Fischbach neither deserves to represent Minnesota, nor serve on an ethics committee at any level. Lynn Strauss, Plymouth ••• It’s important to note — and important for the state’s largest newspaper to note — that Rep. Fischbach voted to keep the Ethics Committee report a secret, thus voting to deny her constituents the information regarding Rep. Gaetz’s sleazy behavior while he was a member of Congress. She should be recalled and replaced by someone who is not so much of an ideologue that they would vote to hide inexcusable behavior by a member of their own political party. Ray Schoch, Minneapolis ••• I find it very distressing to learn that Rep. Fischbach voted to oppose releasing the recent House ethics report on Rep. Gaetz that accused him of misusing state resources, having sex with a minor and using illegal drugs. After hounding Hunter Biden for almost 10 years, and considering that he has always been a private citizen, the Republican Party can’t find the courage to call out one of their own elected officials who is clearly guilty of serious misconduct when party leaders were pushing this person to be the federal government’s chief law enforcement officer? What other crimes or misdeeds are the Republicans covering up? We won’t know because an iron curtain of authoritarianism is descending and we won’t be allowed to know anything about the people in charge. Welcome to post-truth America. Stephen Kriz, Maple Grove A win for small businesses As a small-business owner in Minnesota, I am grateful to our U.S. representatives for supporting legislation that champions the voices of small businesses in federal rule-making. On Dec. 5, HR 7198, the Prove It Act of 2024, passed the House with the support of Reps. Brad Finstad, Michelle Fischbach and Pete Stauber. The Prove It Act strengthens protections for small businesses in the Regulatory Flexibility Act, ensuring we have a seat at the table when federal regulators craft regulations. Too often, federal agencies have used loopholes to bypass the input of small businesses, allowing burdensome and costly rules and mandates to be placed on small businesses. Manufacturing is southeast Minnesota’s second-largest industry, with the second-largest payroll in the region. However, federal regulations significantly impact this sector, with small manufacturers (fewer than 50 employees) facing an average regulatory cost of more than $50,000 per employee. This is a significant burden on manufacturing. Having spent 30 years running a small manufacturing company, I know the challenges of navigating new regulations and paperwork, which often takes time away from improvements that benefit my employees, customers and community. I believe the Prove It Act will compel Washington, D.C., to better listen to small-business owners, ensuring our voices are heard and contributions valued. Traci Tapani, Stacy, Minn. The writer is co-president of Wyoming Machine, Inc. Bless you, Dick Schwartz I am pretty sure Dick Schwartz and I are not brothers, but I swear we share the same father (”A Christmastime ‘Love Story,’ " Dec. 24). While mine has been gone for many years now, he too was a man who never had to say he was sorry. I miss him every day, especially at Christmas. Howie Smith, Minneapolis ••• I always know I’m in for a treat when the Strib Voices page features an article from Dick Schwartz. That said, this year’s Christmas Eve article was in a class by itself. Thank you for a beautiful story that brought tears to my eyes. Ronalee Haugen, Champlin ••• With tears in my eyes, I just put the paper down after reading ”A Christmastime ‘Love Story.’ " My mind went back to 44 years ago when my 51-year-old father was recuperating from a heart attack at St. Mary’s Hospital on the University of Minnesota campus. At the time, I was a student at the U and stopped in to visit him. I had a problem that I shared with him. His reply came back in one sentence, and one sentence only. I smiled and told him, ”Dad, you can say more to me in one sentence than others could say in a lifetime, and I know you understand.” Those were the last words I spoke to him. He died two days later — the day he was to come home. Thank you, Dick Schwartz, for bringing a special memory of my dad back to me Christmas Eve morning. And for sharing your story. You made your point without saying it. Gretchen Olmscheid, Minneapolis ••• 2024 marks the 50th year that Dick Schwartz and I have been good friends. I would like to thank the Strib Voices staff members that have made the repeated decision through the years to publish what I like to refer to as Dick’s “life vignettes” on the Strib Voices page. I have read every one of them including his latest, “A Christmastime ‘Love Story.’ " Throughout our years of friendship I’ve felt that I knew him well, but with each published article I learn something new about the life of this remarkable man. Alan Petri, Apple Valley ••• Dick Schwartz did it again. Tears reading his “A Christmastime ‘Love Story’ " column. His columns are priceless. Thank you. Helen Lifson, Minnetonka Poor choices no surprise Donald Trump predictably is demonstrating a lot of pre-inaugural bad judgment. He and Elon Musk stepped in it with their budget meddling. Several of Trump’s cabinet nominees, Pete Hegseth, Tulsi Gabbard and Robert F. Kennedy Jr., face intense scrutiny over their behavior and qualifications. How is Gaetz looking now? And once again Trump is showing his foreign policy chops. He is threatening to take back the Panama Canal and again insisting that the United States must purchase Greenland (”From Panama to Canada, Trump again angers allies,” Dec. 24). How does our famous real estate con man plan to close these deals? Will he impose economic sanctions on Panama, Denmark and Greenland? If they don’t cooperate, will he send in the troops? Some will dismiss this as Trump just being a bloviating bully. But remember that he represents us on the international stage. Our allies and adversaries view Trump with equal disdain. The former see him as a threat and the latter view him as a useful idiot. Trump shows us who he is every day. No one, especially Republican sycophants, can act surprised when the clown car crashes again and again and again. Phil George, LakevilleNavigating 4 Analyst Ratings For ASGN

The man charged in the killing of the CEO of UnitedHealthcare reported in online writings over a period of years that he had been navigating a series of life-altering health problems. In posts on a Reddit account, the man, Luigi Mangione , said back pain that had once been a minor issue in his life grew more extreme in 2022 after he went surfing, then grew worse again a few weeks later when he slipped on a piece of paper. He reported persistent problems, including pain when he sat down, twitching leg muscles, and numbness in his groin and bladder. Suspect Luigi Mangione yells as he is taken into the Blair County Courthouse in Hollidaysburg, Pennyslvania. Credit: AP He shared details that friends have corroborated, writing that he had a spinal fusion surgery in July 2023. He wrote that within days he did not need pain meds and could sit, stand and walk just fine. “The surgery wasn’t nearly as scary as I made it out to be in my head, and I knew it was the right decision within a week,” he wrote in one Reddit post. He went on to encourage others to consider such surgery, pointing to athletes who had done so. An X-ray that he posted on another social media account showed a spinal fusion. The back pain was not his only struggle. He wrote at times about “brain fog” that had worsened during his college years, making studying more difficult. Doctors could not seem to figure out what was happening, he reported. “It’s absolutely brutal to have such a life-halting issue,” he wrote. He also posted on a page for people dealing with irritable bowel syndrome, saying that he had undergone some testing for the condition. He said the testing had been covered by Blue Cross Blue Shield — his only reference in the Reddit writings to insurance coverage. After the back surgery, he returned to Hawaii, where he had previously been living, but by the spring of this year, he had ceased communications with most friends and family members. His family reached out to his friends in recent months in hopes of finding him. Arraignment photo of Luigi Mangione, a suspect in the fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. Credit: AP The suspect’s comment history on Reddit gives other clues to his personal life and pursuits. He was an active commenter in the OneBag subreddit, a community that “promotes urban travel with the philosophy of carrying less” and focuses on different types of backpacks and travel gear. Photos released by the New York Police Department of the assailant in the UnitedHealthcare shooting showed what its maker identified as a backpack by Peak Design, a brand that was widely discussed in the OneBag subreddit. The suspect also posted to the Magfest subreddit, a community dedicated to a gaming subculture and festival held annually in Maryland, where he grew up. Sarah Nehemiah, a friend during his time in Hawaii, described him as an avid gamer and Pokémon enthusiast. He posted enthusiastically to the Pokémon Go subreddit, a forum dedicated to the popular mobile augmented reality game in which users catch virtual Pokémon using their mobile phones. Police have charged Luigi Mangione with the murder of Brian Thompson. Credit: Facebook Gaming has long been a part of the suspect’s life. He spent much of his childhood creating games and later went into the tech and gaming industry, working as an intern at the company that created the enormously popular Civilization game franchise. The Reddit account has since been deleted by the company, but archived versions of the posts were reviewed by The New York Times . A Reddit spokesperson said its policy was to suspend accounts that may potentially be related to suspects in high-profile criminal investigations. A 2016 photo of Luigi Mangione taken from his social media accounts. Credit: Facebook Tech companies typically suspend accounts in such cases to avoid impersonation. On Monday, Meta suspended the suspect’s accounts on Facebook and Instagram. And GoodReads, a site dedicated to chronicling a person’s reading activities, suspended his account the same day. This article originally appeared in The New York Times . Get a note directly from our foreign correspondents on what’s making headlines around the world. Sign up for the weekly What in the World newsletter here .Waukegan residents got an early Christmas present — the possibility of getting rid of coal leftovers in their yule stockings. In a terse message, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled last week companies have to eliminate coal ash pits from decommissioned properties. The High Court’s one-sentence decision allows the federal Environmental Protection Agency to enforce its law requiring coal-fired generating plants to dispose of what is considered toxic: Coal ash pits, which contain the byproducts of making electricity. Various power companies across the nation have fought the EPA rule and perhaps will continue to do so in the courts or seek relief from the incoming Trump administration. One of them was the Eastern Kentucky Power Cooperative, which asked federal courts to stay enforcement of the EPA rule while its lawsuit against the anti-pollution agency weaves through the judicial process. The Supreme Court’s one-sentence decision gives the EPA the enforcement tool while court action continues, according to Steve Sadin’s page-one News-Sun story of Dec. 18. The pre-Christmas ruling affects the two coal-ash pits located yards from Lake Michigan along Waukegan’s shoreline on the site of the sprawling former ComEd Generating Station now owned by Houston-based NRG Energy, which has been turned into a “peaker plant” used only to produce electricity when demand is high to avoid power shortages. Cleaning up the two nasty-looking pits has been in limbo since 2015 when the EPA issued its first directive governing coal ash. It left a loophole — leaving unregulated those unlined ponds and landfills that stopped receiving coal fly and bottom ash before 2015 — large enough for companies to exploit. The agency’s new rule sought to make up for the previous oversight. This is not just a Waukegan problem. The “ponds” are yards away from the main source of drinking water for much of Lake County, indeed the Chicago region. Ponds are usually associated with idyllic swimming holes — with a few panfish, amphibians and algae — but the two NRG ash “ponds” are filled with hazardous materials. There are an estimated 1,000 operating ash ponds in the U.S., with the EPA saying coal ash is one of the country’s largest types of generated industrial waste. Waukegan certainly has had enough of its share of industrial waste and remaining pollutants from its legacy industries along the lakeshore. It doesn’t need more, or the possibility down the stretch of another EPA Superfund in the city. Some may remember the December 2008 catastrophic failure of ash ponds at a Tennessee Valley Authority power plant in the eastern part of the state. In that instance, a dike ruptured releasing 1.1 billion gallons of contaminated sludge composed of fly ash slurry which flowed into nearby waterways. At the time, it was the largest industrial spill in the nation, and an environmental and economic nightmare in Tennessee. It cost the TVA some $1 billion to clean up after pollution fouled rivers in the area and destroyed dozens of homes. That is why Waukegan and state officials are leery of NRG’s plans. Especially since the Illinois Pollution Control Board found in 2019 that NRG was responsible for groundwater contamination. The plans offered by the company include removing the west coal ash pond tailings from the site and just cap the one to the east, the one closest to Lake Michigan. NRG’s proposal is to keep the coal ash static and buried beneath the cover of artificial turf. At that point, the land would become “passive open space.” Environmental groups, city and state officials have long prodded NRG for total remediation of both ponds which would entail draining them, removing all the environmentally hazardous materials from them, trucking the ash out and covering the pits. The EPA says coal ash contains deadly contaminants like mercury, cadmium and arsenic. The contaminants can pollute waterways and groundwater if proper protocols are not followed, the agency notes. Ironically, just to the north in Zion, radioactive nuclear waste was trucked and removed via trains when the retired ComEd nuclear plant, also along the Lake Michigan shoreline, closed in 1998. Seems they could do the same with the existing Canadian National spur line which leads to the power plant and was used by freight trains bringing mega-tons of coal into the generating station over the decades. Maybe by this time next holiday season, there will be a solid plan in place to deal with the environmental issue at the NRG site. That should include the total drainage and removal of all pollutants in order to protect future city residents and Lake Michigan. Charles Selle is a former News-Sun reporter, political editor and editor. sellenews@gmail.com X: @sellenews

Labour MP for Cardiff West, Alex Barros-Curtis, said warnings should have been “amber or red”, as Mr Reed told MPs that more flooding is “likely”. Hundreds of homes were left under water, roads were turned into rivers and winds of more than 80mph were recorded across parts of the UK. More than 130 flood warnings and 160 alerts remained in place across the UK on Monday. In the Commons on Monday, Mr Barros-Curtis asked: “Can I ask that the Secretary of State speak to his Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) colleagues to carefully look into the role of the Met Office here? “It is clear that their response was slow and that there was a clear underestimation of the impact of Storm Bert. “They put it yellow rather than amber or red. Our constituents have been let down by this incompetence before, and it cannot keep happening.” Mr Reed said: “In most parts of the countries that were affected, warnings were given with adequate time for people to prepare and I would encourage people to sign up on the Defra website, or the Environment Agency website for warnings and alerts if they live in an area that could be affected by flooding. “I’m aware of the particular concern that he mentions regarding the Met Office, and I will indeed be speaking to colleagues in DSIT as they review the circumstances of that and look at how the situation can be improved for future events of this kind.” A Met Office spokesperson said: “Storm Bert was well forecast, with first signs of disruptive weather signalled a week ahead and the first warnings issued on Wednesday November 20. “A number of warnings were in place ahead of the system reaching the UK. “We work closely with partners to assess the potential risks of extreme weather and warnings covering Wales highlighted the potential for homes and businesses to flood with fast flowing or deep floodwater possible, causing a danger to life. “Observed rainfall totals were broadly in line with the forecast and the severe weather warnings issued in advance.” During his update to the House, the Environment Secretary said that more flooding this week is “likely” but its impact “should be less severe” than has been seen. He said: “Around 28,000 properties are being protected by Environment Agency flood defences. “Unfortunately, an estimated 107 properties have flooded across England, principally from river and surface water flooding.” He added: “The Environment Agency and local responders have also been busy protecting properties elsewhere in England, including flooding from the River Teme in Tenbury Wells where around 40 properties have flooded. “The river has now peaked and local responders will be focusing on the lower reaches of rivers over the next few days.” He further stated: “Further flooding is sadly likely over the next few days as water levels rise in slower flowing rivers such as the Severn and the Ouse. “The Environment Agency anticipates that any impacts should be less severe than we have seen in recent days.” Mr Reed also described the flood defences they inherited from the previous government as being “in the worst condition on record following years of underinvestment”. He added: “Over 3,000 of our key flood defences are below an acceptable standard. “That is why we are investing £2.4 billion over the next two years to build and maintain flood defences.” Elsewhere in the session, Labour MP for Coventry South, Zarah Sultana, was among the MPs to call for a legal duty on fire services to respond to flooding. She said: “I want to express my solidarity and thanks to all of our emergency services, including firefighters on the front line. “Extreme weather events are on the rise and becoming ever more frequent due to climate change, highlighting the urgent need for proper funding and resources. “England is the only part of the UK without a statutory duty for flooding, leaving fire services underfunded and under-resourced to respond effectively. This must change, as the FBU (Fire Brigades Union) has long called for.” “When will the Government finally provide a statutory duty for Fire and Rescue authorities to respond to flooding incidents in England?” Mr Reed replied: “The fire and rescue authorities have the powers to intervene, but she’s quite right to point out there’s not a duty, and officials in my department, working with the Home Office, will review that to see that that remains appropriate.” Conservative MP for Mid Buckinghamshire Greg Smith said some communities in his constituency are flooding “for the first time in decades” as he accused the Government of wanting to “concrete over the countryside”. He said: “That is a result of some of the big infrastructure we are seeing being built, particularly HS2 where they will concrete over a field completely, it seems, unaware that that will have a knock-on effect to farmland next door. “So will the Secretary of State commit to working with the Transport Secretary (Louise Haigh) and I also suggest the Deputy Prime Minister (Angela Rayner) given their plans to concrete over the countryside to ensure that where construction takes place proper, and I really mean proper, flood mitigation measures are put into place.” Mr Reed replied: “This needs to operate across Government, and we will have those conversations and ensure that measures are put in place to support communities as much as is possible from the more severe weather events that we’re seeing as a result of climate change.”STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) — Penn State players have watched Ashton Jeanty make opponents look silly all season. They don't want to be the next defenders Boise State’s star posterizes with jukes, spin moves, stiff arms and heavy shoulders. But they also know that slowing down Jeanty, who finished second in Heisman Trophy voting , will be their toughest task yet when the two teams meet in the College Football Playoff quarterfinal Fiesta Bowl on Dec. 31. “In any other year, I think the guy wins the Heisman,” Penn State coach James Franklin said. “You could make the argument that he should have won it this year. He is hard to tackle. He is compact, 5-(foot)-10, he has the ability to run away from you. He has the ability to make you miss.” Jeanty led the nation with 2,497 rushing yards on 344 carries this season. He scored more touchdowns (30) than any player since Najee Harris scored 30 times with Alabama in 2020. Additionally, Jeanty’s yards after contact (1,889) exceed every FBS running backs’ rushing total since Oklahoma State’s Chuba Hubbard led the NCAA with 2,094 total rushing yards in 2019. Jeanty also forced an NCAA-record 143 missed tackles this season. The junior did it all behind an offensive line that has been forced to shuffle its parts in the wake of numerous injuries. Only left tackle Kage Casey and left guard Ben Dooley have started every game up front for the Broncos this season. “He’s a beast in terms of his production on the field, but then also his durability,” Franklin said. “There’s not too many people that are able to get clean shots on him. All of it is super impressive. But I think the stat that I mentioned earlier, the most impressive stat is the yards after contact.” This could be Jeanty’s biggest challenge to date, too. Although he’s helped Boise State churn out 250 rushing yards per game, good for fifth among FBS programs, the Nittany Lions are well stocked to defend the run. Story continues below video Their defense is seventh nationally allowing just 100 rushing yards per game and has tightened up down the stretch. In its last six games, Penn State is allowing just 2.7 yards per rush and has only given up three rushing touchdowns, two coming in the Big Ten championship game against No. 1 Oregon. “They’ve had our backs throughout the whole year,” Penn State quarterback Drew Allar said. “They have made me a lot better throughout the year, just going against the best defense in America and just glad I got to go against them every day in practice and not against them out on the field in a game setting.” In the opening round of the CFP, Penn State held SMU to just 58 rushing yards on 36 carries. Meanwhile, the Nittany Lions notched 11 of their 50 tackles for loss over the last six games against the Mustangs. Most of those came from a defensive line that regularly rotates run-stuffing tackles Zane Durant, Dvon J-Thomas and Coziah Izzard between dynamic ends Abdul Carter and Dani Dennis-Sutton. Carter alone has 21 1/2 of his team’s 102 stops behind the line of scrimmage this year. He's hoping to add a few against Jeanty and stay off the star back's own long-running highlight reel. “I’m living in my dreams,” Carter said. “I’m having the most fun I ever had playing football and I’ve been playing since I was 8 years old. I’m very blessed. I’m just very humbled to have this opportunity. I just want to keep taking advantage of all the opportunities that I have.” Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here . AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — President-elect Donald Trump this week escalated his threats to retake control of the Panama Canal, falsely accusing Panama of allowing Chinese soldiers to control the vital shipping route and of overcharging American ships. Trump has claimed Panama charges U.S. vessels “exorbitant prices” and warned that if they are not reduced after he takes office next month, he will demand that the United States be granted control of the canal “in full, quickly and without question.” On Wednesday, Trump went on another tear. Announcing his choice for ambassador to the Central American nation, Kevin Marino Cabrera, he accused the Panamanian government of “ripping us off on the Panama Canal, far beyond their wildest dreams.” In a holiday screed on his social media site, Truth Social, Trump wished a merry Christmas to “the wonderful soldiers of China” whom he inaccurately said were operating the canal, and griped that the United States “puts in Billions of Dollars” for canal maintenance “but will have absolutely nothing to say about ‘anything.’” While it is unclear what prompted Trump’s recent obsession with the Panama Canal, some Republicans have long objected to turning it over to Panamanian control. When Ronald Reagan ran for president, he said the people of the United States were the canal’s “rightful owners” and brought audiences to their feet with the line: “We bought it; we paid for it; we built it.” The United States under President Jimmy Carter’s administration entered into two treaties, culminating in formally turning over control of the canal to the Panamanians on Dec. 31, 1999. “There’s a certain wing of the Republican Party that’s always been skeptical of the handover,” said Ryan C. Berg, the director of the Americas program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington think tank. “Complaints tend to crop up around the anniversary, and now that seems to be coming to a head because of the China issue and the desire to compete with China in the region,” he said. Here’s three important things to know about the Panama Canal as the issue moves forward. Who owns the Panama Canal? The Panama Canal was built by the United States between 1904 and 1914, and the U.S. government managed it for several decades. That situation created significant tensions with Panama over the years, and in 1964, anti-American riots broke out in the Canal Zone. The riots led to the renegotiation of the Panama Canal treaties, and in 1977 Carter and Panamanian leader Omar Efraín Torrijos signed the Torrijos-Carter Treaties. The pair of agreements guaranteed the permanent neutrality of the Panama Canal. After a period of joint custody, the treaties called for the United States to relinquish control over the canal by the year 2000. Panama took full control in 1999, and has since operated the canal through the Panama Canal Authority. In a statement of rebuke to Trump on Sunday, President José Raúl Mulino of Panama said “every square meter of the Panama Canal and its adjacent area belong to PANAMA.” Are U.S. vessels being overcharged? Mulino says they are not. Rates being charged to ships and naval vessels, he insisted, are “not on a whim.” Panamanian officials said all countries are subject to the same fees, though they would differ based on ship size. They are established in public meetings by the Panama Canal Authority, and take into account market conditions, international competition, operating and maintenance costs, Mulino said. Rates have gone up recently, however. That’s because starting in 2023, Panama experienced severe drought, driven by a combination of El Nino and climate change. With water levels at Gatun Lake, the principal hydrological reserve for the canal, at historically low levels, authorities reduced shipping through the canal to conserve the lake’s fresh water. Trump has called climate change a hoax. Does China control the Panama Canal? Chinese soldiers are not, as Trump has claimed, “operating” the Panama Canal. “There are no Chinese soldiers in the canal, for the love of God,” Mulino said in a speech Thursday. “The world is free to visit the canal.” A Hong Kong-based firm, CK Hutchison Holdings, does manage two ports at the canal’s entrances. And some experts have said that does raise valid competitive and security concerns for the United States because Hong Kong is now part of China. For example, Berg noted, the company would likely have data on all ships coming through the Panama Canal, giving it a data advantage. China also has been using its shipping and maritime operations to gather foreign intelligence and conduct espionage. “China exercises, or could exercise, a certain element of control even absent some military conflagration,” Berg said. “I think there is reason to be worried.” Mao Ning, a spokesperson for the Chinese foreign ministry, said Tuesday that China “will as always respect Panama’s sovereignty” over the Panama Canal. China is the second-largest user of the Panama Canal after the United States. In 2017, Panama cut diplomatic ties with Taiwan and recognized it as part of China, a major win for Beijing. Can the United States reassert control? Not easily. Mulino has made clear the Panama Canal is not for sale. He noted that the treaties established permanent neutrality of the canal and “guaranteeing its open and safe operation for all nations.” And the Senate ratified the Panama Canal treaties in 1978. Mick Mulvaney, Trump’s former chief of staff, suggested that the provocations were merely part of a negotiating tactic to get rates down. “You know, I don’t envision American troops going in to retake the canal, but you got to think that someone is out there scratching their head going, ‘Is Donald Trump crazy enough to do something like that?’” Mulvaney said Tuesday on “The Hill” on NewsNation. Berg said the neutrality agreement made it unlikely that Panama would even be able to grant special rates to the United States. And, he noted, Mulino is “incredibly pro-American” and likely eager to help the incoming Trump administration deal with issues like illegal immigration. “President Mulino is going to be a great ally with the United States,” Berg said. “We should not want this to devolve into some kind of political fight because we’re going to need President Mulino on a number of other issues.” This article originally appeared in The New York Times.Penn State preparing for hard-charging Jeanty and Boise State in CFP quarterfinals

CorVel Announces Effectiveness of Three-For-One Forward Stock SplitSHAREHOLDER INVESTIGATION: Halper Sadeh LLC Investigates ALTR, SASR, AUB, CYTH on Behalf of ShareholdersThe press has given Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra the nickname "Paetongphoey" -- a reference to her dependence on prepared scripts at important occasions -- as part of the year-end tradition among Government House reporters to come up with monikers for senior government officials. The nickname "Paetongphoey" is a mash-up between the first two syllables of the prime minister's name, and phoey -- the Thai word for "script". When asked to comment on the name, Ms Paetongtarn insisted it didn't upset her, before adding good-naturedly that "Paetongpad" would have been more accurate, as she reads the scripts off her iPad (as her critics have noted). Government House correspondents also dubbed Ms Paetongtarn's administration as "the dad-backed government", due to her father's -- former prime minister Thaksin -- prominent role in her government. Meanwhile, they also viewed her remarks about her husband's southern origin, brought up when the South was hit by severe floods last month, as quote of the year. In the wake of widespread public criticism for her decision to supervise flood clean-up operations in the North instead of visiting the South when the floods there were at their worst, the premier responded by saying her husband "is a Southerner," so would not let her ignore the area's plight anyway. She said she would have loved to inspect the flooded areas herself, but the widespread nature and timing of the disasters meant she had no option but to delegate tasks to various lawmakers and members of her cabinet. "I feel like I just have to take a step back from anything that makes me feel bad, because hating someone is tiresome," said Ms Paetongtarn at Government House on Monday. When asked about her goals for next year after receiving the feedback from the press, Ms Paetongtarn said she will put her focus on chronic social issues plaguing the country, before pledging to expedite the nation's economic recovery.

EVERYDAY HEROES: Local woman rescues cats, dogs, networksMoran, Mann work to place Native American university under Haskell Board of Regents

Xpeng, a decade-old electric vehicle manufacturer from Guangzhou, China, is planning a major entry into the UK market in early 2025. Known for its competitive pricing and innovative tech, Xpeng is already available in countries like Australia, Hong Kong, Singapore, and several European nations including Norway and The Netherlands. The company is set to introduce its G6 model in the UK in March 2025, with four more models expected to follow over the next three years. A Tesla Challenger The Xpeng G6, a mid-size electric crossover, is designed to rival Tesla’s popular Model Y. With advanced technology and sleek design, the G6 has already created a buzz in other European markets. Despite Xpeng’s absence of a definitive UK release date on its website, the G6 is expected to line up with the new UK license plate releases. Competitive Pricing and Features Xpeng’s pricing strategy is clear: the G6 is positioned to be more affordable than the Tesla Model Y. In the Netherlands, the G6 is priced at approximately £35,700, around £2,500 cheaper than its Tesla counterpart. The Independent reports that both standard and long-range versions of the G6 will be available through 20 UK retail locations in collaboration with International Motors (IM Group). The G6 Specs The G6 will come in three versions: RWD Standard Range, RWD Long Range, and AWD Performance. With power outputs ranging from 258 to 476 PS, the G6 promises impressive speed and range. It features an 800-volt electrical system, enabling swift charging capabilities. Stay tuned for more updates as Xpeng revs up for its UK debut, potentially shaking up the electric vehicle market with its cost-effective yet high-tech offerings. Why Xpeng’s UK Debut Could Shake Up the Electric Vehicle Market As Xpeng gears up for its UK launch in 2025, the electric vehicle (EV) manufacturer is poised to make a significant impact in the industry. With their competitive pricing strategy and advanced technology, Xpeng’s entry could challenge established players and offer UK consumers exciting new choices. Advanced Technology Behind Xpeng’s G6 Xpeng’s G6 stands out due to its cutting-edge technology. Equipped with an 800-volt electrical system, the G6 enables high-speed charging that is both efficient and convenient for consumers. This system significantly reduces charging times compared to lower-voltage alternatives, which could appeal to UK consumers who value time-efficiency in their EV ownership experience. Moreover, Xpeng’s models are integrated with advanced autonomous driving features and connectivity options that set them apart from other EVs in the market, providing a futuristic and smooth driving experience. The Sustainability Edge Sustainability is a core focus for Xpeng, a factor that aligns with the growing eco-conscious mindset of many UK buyers. The company’s commitment to reducing carbon emissions and promoting green technology could enhance its appeal, particularly among environmentally conscious consumers. With ongoing innovations aimed at improving battery efficiency and vehicle recyclability, Xpeng is setting itself apart as a forward-thinking player in the market. Predictions and Market Impact Industry experts predict that Xpeng’s entry into the UK market could initiate competitive price adjustments from incumbents like Tesla and other EV manufacturers. Their aggressive pricing and technological edge could force broader changes in how electric vehicles are marketed and sold. Analysts will closely watch how these factors influence consumer adoption rates and market shares. Points of Controversy and Consideration Xpeng’s pricing strategy, while advantageous to consumers, might spark debates about market competition and pricing ethics within the industry. Additionally, questions about data privacy and security concerning advanced autonomous features may arise, necessitating transparency and robust measures from Xpeng to address consumer concerns. With Xpeng’s technology-driven approach and cost-effective offerings, its UK debut in 2025 promises to be a pivotal moment in the electric vehicle landscape. Shifts in market dynamics, driven by Xpeng’s innovations, could redefine what consumers expect from their EVs. For more about Xpeng and their international pursuits, visit the official link name . Stay updated as the company unveils more details about its plans for reshaping the UK’s EV market.A wave of Israeli airstrikes hit Yemen's main airport Thursday just as the World Health Organization’s director-general said he was about to board a flight there. One of the U.N. plane’s crew was wounded, WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a post on X. The Israeli military said it attacked infrastructure used by Yemen's Houthi rebels at the international airport in the capital Sanaa, as well as power stations and ports, alleging they were used to smuggle in Iranian weapons and for the entry of senior Iranian officials. Last week, Israeli jets bombed Sanaa and Hodeida, killing nine people . The U.S. military also has targeted the Houthis in Yemen in recent days. Israel's latest wave of strikes in Yemen follows several days of Houthi launches setting off air-raid sirens in Israel. The Houthis have also been targeting shipping in the Red Sea corridor, calling it solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza. Israel's war in Gaza has killed over 45,000 Palestinians, more than half of them women and children, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between fighters and civilians in its count. Here’s the latest: UNITED NATIONS – The U.N. says at least three people were reportedly killed and dozens injured in Israeli airstrikes on the international airport in Yemen’s capital Sanaa. A high-level U.N. delegation led by U.N. World Health Organization Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus was at the airport Thursday waiting to depart when the airstrikes took place, and a U.N. Humanitarian Air Service crew member was among the injured, U.N. associate spokesperson Stephanie Tremblay said. The rest of the U.N. team left the airport and are “safe and sound” in Sanaa, and the injured crew member is being treated in a hospital, she said. Tremblay said an assessment of damage to the airport will be made Friday morning to see whether Tedros and the U.N. team can leave Yemen. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemns the escalation in attacks between Yemen and Israel and says Thursday’s attacks on Sanaa International Airport, Yemen’s Red Sea ports and power stations in the country “are especially alarming,” Tremblay said. The U.N. chief appealed to all parties to respect and protect civilians and civilian infrastructure, as required under international law, she said. Guterres called for a halt to all military actions, and for “utmost restraint,” she said. UNITED NATIONS – An estimated 730,000 people living in tents in camps for the displaced in northwest Syria are experiencing dire conditions this winter including from flooding, the U.N. humanitarian office said. The U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, or OCHA, said Thursday that more than 200 family tents in camps in Idlib and northern Aleppo were damaged by flooding from heavy rainfall on Dec. 23. “Since the start of 2024, flooding and strong winds have damaged more than 8,800 family tents – including nearly 2,000 that were fully destroyed – across 260 camps," OCHA said. On another issue, OCHA quoted a report from the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a war monitor based in Britain, that since Dec. 8 – when Syrian President Bashar Assad was ousted -- episodes involving explosive ordnance have killed more than 70 civilians including a dozen children and five women, with scores more injured. OCHA said mine experts have identified 109 new minefields across Idlib, Aleppo, Hama and Latakia since Nov. 26. So far, it said experts have destroyed more than 850 individual items of explosive ordnance. Elsewhere, OCHA said Israeli forces on Wednesday reportedly wounded six civilians when they opened fire in Al-Suweisah town in Quneitra province, which includes the Golan Heights. It said residents were ordered to evacuate and Israeli forces imposed a curfew. JERUSALEM — Israel’s attorney general has ordered police to open an investigation into Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s wife on suspicion of harassing political opponents and witnesses in the Israeli leader’s corruption trial. The Israeli Justice Ministry made the announcement in a terse message late Thursday, saying the investigation would focus on the findings of a recent report by the Uvda investigative program into Sara Netanyahu. The program uncovered a trove of WhatsApp messages in which Sara Netanyahu appears to instruct a former aid to organize protests against political opponents and to intimidate Hadas Klein, a key witness in the trial. The announcement did not mention Sara Netanyahu by name, and the Justice Ministry declined further comment. However, earlier Thursday, Benjamin Netanyahu blasted the Uvda report as “lies.” WASHINGTON — U.S. officials say they asked for — and got — the retraction of an independent monitor’s warning of imminent famine in north Gaza. The Famine Early Warning System Network issued the warning this week. The new report had warned that starvation deaths in north Gaza could reach famine levels as soon as next month. It cited what it called Israel’s “near-total blockade” of food and water. The U.S. ambassador to Israel, Jacob Lew, criticized the finding as inaccurate and irresponsible. The U.S. Agency for International Development, which funds the famine-monitoring group, told The Associated Press it had asked for and gotten the report’s retraction. USAID officials tell AP that it had asked the group for greater review of discrepancies in some of the data. Humanitarian and human rights officials expressed fear of U.S. political interference in the world’s monitoring system for famines. The U.S. Embassy in Israel and the State Department declined comment. FEWS officials did not respond to questions. FEWS Net said in its withdrawn report that unless Israel changes its policy, it expects the number of people dying of starvation and related ailments in north Gaza to reach between two and 15 per day sometime between January and March. The internationally recognized mortality threshold for famine is two or more deaths a day per 10,000 people. FEWS was created by the U.S. development agency in the 1980s and still receives funding from it. But the monitor is intended to provide independent, neutral and data-driven assessments of hunger crises, including in war zones. By Ellen Knickmeyer TEHRAN, Iran — Iran’s Foreign Ministry on Thursday strongly condemned Israeli airstrikes on the main airport in Yemen's Houthi rebel-held capital as well as key energy and port infrastructure. Esmail Baghaei, a spokesman of the Foreign Ministry, said Thursday's Israeli strikes were part of a policy for "destroying and weaking Islamic countries” and urged “immediate action” by the Organization of Islamic Cooperation as well as other regional and international bodies. Baghaei said the U.S. and Britain were “accomplices” in the strikes and had supported them, adding that the attacks were a breach of all international regulations and norms, particularly the U.N. Charter. It also criticized the “passivity” by U.N. about Israel allegedly breaching international law. The Iran-backed Houthis have launched drones and missiles at Israel in recent days, setting off air-raid sirens, and Israeli strikes on Yemen last week killed nine people. The U.S. military also has targeted the Houthis in Yemen in recent days. Israel said the strikes Thursday targeted infrastructure used for military purposes by the Houthis, as well as smuggling in Iranian weapons and the entry of senior Iranian officials. UNITED NATIONS — The head of the U.N. health agency says he and his team were about to board a flight in Yemen’s rebel-held capital Sanaa when the airport came under aerial bombardment. “The air traffic control tower, the departure lounge — just a few meters (yards) from where we were — and the runway were damaged,” Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a post on X. He said one of the U.N. plane’s crew was injured but he and his WHO colleagues were safe. “We will need to wait for the damage to the airport to be repaired before we can leave.” The Israeli military said Thursday it attacked infrastructure used by the Houthis at the airport as well as power stations and ports in rebel-controlled areas. Israel’s military didn’t immediately respond to questions about Tedros’ comments but issued a statement saying it had “capabilities to strike very far from Israel’s territory — precisely, powerfully, and repetitively.” Tedros said the U.N. team was in Yemen to negotiate the release of U.N. staff detained by the Houthis and to assess the health and humanitarian situation in the country, which faces one of the largest humanitarian crises in the world. JERUSALEM — Houthi rebels in Yemen said Israeli airstrikes on Thursday targeted the rebel-held capital of Sanaa and the port city of Hodeida, following several days of Houthi launches that set off air-raid sirens in Israel. The Israeli military said it attacked infrastructure used by the Houthis at the international airport in Sanaa and ports at Hodeida, Al-Salif and Ras Qantib along with power stations. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a speech on Wednesday that “the Houthis, too, will learn what Hamas and Hezbollah and Assad’s regime and others learned.” The Iran-backed Houthis’ media outlet reported the strikes in a Telegram post, but gave no immediate details. The U.S. military also has targeted the Houthis in Yemen in recent days. The United Nations has noted that the ports are important entryways for humanitarian aid. Over the weekend, 16 people were wounded when a Houthi missile hit a playground in Tel Aviv . Last week, Israeli jets struck Sanaa and Hodeida, killing nine people, calling it a response to previous Houthi attacks. The Houthis also have been targeting shipping on the Red Sea corridor, calling it solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza. QAMISHLI, Syria — Thousands of people in northeastern Syria attended a funeral Thursday for six fighters from a Kurdish-led, U.S.-backed force who were killed in ongoing clashes with Turkish-backed militias. The Turkish-backed groups are launching attacks to take the Arab cities west of the Euphrates River that are under the control of the Kurdish group . The Turkish-supported groups helped overthrow Bashar al-Assad’s rule of Syria, and have since kept pushing eastward against the Kurdish groups. “We thought that Syria today has entered a new stage after the fall and escape of Assad. We thought that we got rid of all of this, but this attack on us changed everything and those who came in are taking orders from Turkey,” said Nihayet Hassan, the uncle of a killed fighter. The fighters were killed during attacks on Tishreen Dam near the strategic city of Manbij in recent days. The bodies were returned to the city of Qamishli in northeastern Syria where the U.S.-backed group, known as the Syrian Democratic Forces, has a strong presence. Ankara sees the SDF as an affiliate of its sworn enemy, the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, which Turkey classifies as a terrorist organization. Turkish-backed armed groups backed by Turkish jets have for years attacked positions where the SDF are present across northern Syria, in a bid to create a buffer zone free from the group along the Turkish border. “It is obvious that Turkey’s issue is with the Kurds. It is not about an organization, or the PKK, no, their target are the Kurds,” said Ahmad Ammo, a Qamishli resident who attended the funeral. The U.S. has about 2,000 soldiers in eastern Syria to help fight the Islamic State group and protect critical oil fields there. BEIRUT — The Lebanese military said Thursday that Israeli troops encroached on areas of southern Lebanon, violating a ceasefire agreement that ended the war between Israel and the Hezbollah group. The U.S.-brokered ceasefire that went into effect a month ago called for Hezbollah militants and Israeli troops to leave southern Lebanon over a 60-day period as Lebanese army soldiers gradually deploy in the country south of the Litani River. The Israeli military did not immediately comment on the reported incident. Meanwhile, Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency said Israeli bulldozers are setting up dirt barricades that would close off the road between Wadi Slouqi and Wadi Hujeir. Lebanon’s military said it brought reinforcements into the areas entered by Israeli troops. NNA said the United Nations peacekeeping mission in Lebanon, known as UNIFIL, sent a patrol unit to an area near the southern town of Qantara where Israeli forces are present. UNIFIL in a statement expressed its “concern at continuing destruction by the IDF (Israeli military) in residential areas, agricultural land, and road networks in south Lebanon.” Lebanese army chief Gen. Joseph Aoun traveled to Saudi Arabia earlier Thursday as part of ongoing efforts by the cash-strapped military to find financial support to deploy in larger numbers. The Lebanese military and government have complained about Israeli strikes and overflights in the country to a new monitoring committee headed by the U.S. that also includes France. DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — An Israeli strike killed five Palestinian journalists outside a hospital in the Gaza Strip overnight, the Health Ministry said Thursday. The Israeli army said it had targeted a group of militants. The strike hit a car outside the Al-Awda Hospital in the built-up Nuseirat refugee camp in the central part of the territory. The journalists were working for the local news outlet Al-Quds Today, a television channel affiliated with the Islamic Jihad militant group. The military said it targeted a group of fighters from Islamic Jihad, a militant group allied with Hamas, whose Oct. 7, 2023, attack into southern Israel ignited the war. Associated Press video showed the incinerated shell of a van, with press markings still visible on the back doors. The Committee to Protect Journalists says over 130 Palestinian reporters have been killed since the start of the war. Israel has not allowed foreign reporters to enter Gaza except on military embeds. This post has been corrected to show that the name of the local news outlet is Al-Quds Today, not the Quds News Network. BEIJING — China has pledged two more shipments of humanitarian aid to Gaza, in an indication of support for the Palestinian Authority, state media reported Thursday. The agreement was overseen in Cairo by Chinese Ambassador to Egypt Liao Liqiang and Palestinian Ambassador to Egypt Diab al-Louh. “To ease the humanitarian conditions in the Gaza Strip, the Chinese government has continued to provide assistance to Palestine,” Liao was quoted as saying. The types and quantities of aid to be delivered via Egypt were not given, but China has previously shipped food and medicine to Gaza. China has longstanding ties with the Palestinian Authority but has also sought to strengthen economic and political relations with Israel. Al-Louh “voiced appreciation for China’s consistent and firm support for the just cause of the Palestinian people and for raising this issue on international occasions," state media said. UNITED NATIONS — The U.N. Security Council will hold an emergency meeting on Monday at Israel’s request to discuss recent attacks by Yemen’s Houthi rebels. Israel’s U.N. Mission said Wednesday the meeting will take place at 10 a.m. Monday. Israeli U.N. Ambassador Danny Danon said he expects the council will condemn the Houthi attacks. He urged the council “to enforce international law and hold Iran, the Houthis’ patron, accountable.” Alluding to Israeli retaliation for the attacks, Danon said ”It seems that the Houthis have not yet understood what happens to those who try to harm the state of Israel.”

Step Aside, Jaguar: Different Car Company Puts Them to Shame with Pro-Family AdNEW YORK , Dec. 23, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Halper Sadeh LLC, an investor rights law firm, is investigating the following companies for potential violations of the federal securities laws and/or breaches of fiduciary duties to shareholders relating to: Altair Engineering Inc. (NASDAQ: ALTR)'s sale to Siemens for $113.00 per share in cash. If you are an Altair shareholder, click here to learn more about your legal rights and options . Sandy Spring Bancorp (NASDAQ: SASR)'s sale to Atlantic Union Bankshares Corporation for 0.900 shares of Atlantic Union common stock for each share of Sandy Spring . If you are a Sandy Spring shareholder, click here to learn more about your rights and options . Atlantic Union Bankshares Corporation (NYSE: AUB)'s merger with Sandy Spring Bancorp. If you are an Atlantic shareholder, click here to learn more about your rights and options . Cyclo Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: CYTH)'s merger with Rafael Holdings, Inc. If you are a Cyclo shareholder, click here to learn more about your rights and options . Halper Sadeh LLC may seek increased consideration for shareholders, additional disclosures and information concerning the proposed transaction, or other relief and benefits on behalf of shareholders. We would handle the action on a contingent fee basis, whereby you would not be responsible for out-of-pocket payment of our legal fees or expenses. Shareholders are encouraged to contact the firm free of charge to discuss their legal rights and options. Please call Daniel Sadeh or Zachary Halper at (212) 763-0060 or email sadeh@halpersadeh.com or zhalper@halpersadeh.com . Halper Sadeh LLC represents investors all over the world who have fallen victim to securities fraud and corporate misconduct. Our attorneys have been instrumental in implementing corporate reforms and recovering millions of dollars on behalf of defrauded investors. Attorney Advertising. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Contact Information: Halper Sadeh LLC Daniel Sadeh, Esq. Zachary Halper, Esq. (212) 763-0060 sadeh@halpersadeh.com zhalper@halpersadeh.com https://www.halpersadeh.com View original content to download multimedia: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/shareholder-investigation-halper-sadeh-llc-investigates-altr-sasr-aub-cyth-on-behalf-of-shareholders-302338489.html SOURCE Halper Sadeh LLP