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SANTA CLARA, Calif. — An MRI exam on Brock Purdy’s throwing shoulder has the 49ers “feeling good,” but his status is still “tenuous” to play in Sunday’s game at Green Bay, according to general manager John Lynch. Injured at an undetermined point in Sunday’s 20-17 loss to the Seattle Seahawks, Purdy did not throw at Wednesday’s practice and then did so only briefly Thursday before retreating to rehab his shoulder “per the plan,” Lynch said on KNBR 680-AM. If Purdy misses his first start due to injury since seizing the job nearly two years ago, Brandon Allen will open for the 49ers (5-5) against the Packers (7-3) at Lambeau Field, with Josh Dobbs the No. 2 quarterback, Lynch confirmed. “We’ve done that (MRI) and feel good about where it’s at from that standpoint. But you still have to go out and be able to operate,” Lynch said. “We’re kind of figuring all that out. Brock is going to show up today, we’ll see where he can go as far as practice and we’ll make some decisions accordingly.” Coach Kyle Shanahan will address the media with the official status report after Friday's practice before the 49ers fly to Wisconsin for the first of two consecutive road games, with a trip to Buffalo awaiting next weekend. Purdy’s usual press conference after Thursday’s practice was postponed to Friday, with no assurance whether he or Allen would be speaking to the media as the projected starting quarterback. How and when Purdy got hurt remains a mystery, Lynch said. “It was somewhere during that Seattle game and I’m not sure Brock knows,” Lynch added. “He fought through it through the course of the game. I did see him during the course of the game, anytime there was a pause, he kept throwing. At that point, you’re feeling something but he was so focused on trying to win. “We had a plan to try to quiet it down,” Lynch said. “Wednesday, didn’t do any throwing. Thursday, started to do something throwing then went inside and did some rehab, per the plan. We’ll see where he’s at today. Hopefully he makes progress and we can have a shot at this weekend. “We’ll see. It is tenuous.” Also circumspect are the availabilities of defensive end Nick Bosa (obliques, hips) and left tackle Trent Williams (ankle). ©2024 MediaNews Group, Inc. Visit at mercurynews.com . Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.Ant and Dec blasted by I’m A Celebrity fans as they say ‘this is hard to watch’
WARNING: This story contains details that may distress readers. A stampede at a football match dedicated to Guinea’s junta chief killed at least 56 people, the government said on Tuesday morning (AEDT). In a shocking development following the tragedy, the opposition has accused the military-led authorities of being “directly responsible”. Spectators at Monday’s game in the country’s second-largest city of N’Zerekore invaded the pitch after one or two players were sent off and a penalty was awarded to the opposing side Labe at the end of the game, witnesses said. The events had initially been reported as clashes between fans. Officials watching the match, including two ministers, were prevented from leaving, prompting stone throwing and the firing of tear gas by security forces, a witness said, speaking on condition of anonymity. “Panic quickly set in, leading to an uncontrollable stampede,” he said. “People were trampled underfoot or injured as they tried to flee,” he added. One AFP journalist described the scenes as “mass carnage”. The match in the southeastern city was the final of a tournament organised in honour of Guinea’s junta leader, General Mamady Doumbouya, who seized power in a 2021 coup and has installed himself as president. The opposition has accused the junta of using sport for political ends. Videos circulating on social media, which AFP was unable to immediately verify, show a huge crowd packed in the dilapidated stadium. “The thousands of people at the stadium were gripped by panic and fear. It was every man for himself,” said a local official, speaking on condition of anonymity. “Protests of dissatisfaction with refereeing decisions led to stone-throwing by supporters, resulting in fatal stampedes,” the government said in a statement which was read out on national television. Spectators were seen fleeing the venue. Photo: Reuters. “Hospital services have put the provisional death toll at 56, with several others injured,” it added, describing the incident as a “tragic event”. On Monday, a doctor earlier described horrific scenes at medical facilities. “There are bodies lined up as far as the eye can see in the hospital. Others are lying on the floor in the hallways. The morgue is full,” one doctor said on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to speak to the media. He said “there are around 100 dead”, with bodies filling the local hospital and morgue. Videos posted on social media showed chaotic scenes, with people climbing what appear to be the stadium’s perimeter walls to escape. Others showed numerous bodies lying on the ground. Doctors told AFP on Sunday that dozens had died. Access to verified information in the remote part of the West African country is limited. Local media reported that hospital wards and a morgue were overwhelmed by the injured and dead. “The government is doing everything possible to respond to this tragic event,” Doumbouya said in a statement on social media. “An emergency mission led by the prime minister has been dispatched,” he added. Spectators were crushed in the sickening scenes. Photo: BBC via Nimba Sport Zaly. Thousands were caught. Photo: Twitter. Doumbouya said a commission of enquiry would be set up “to rule on the causes of this tragedy and to determine who is responsible”. The junta chief called for calm in the West African nation, which has a turbulent political history and remains poor despite considerable natural resources. The crackdown on an opposition rally at a stadium in the capital Conakry left at least 156 people dead in 2009, according to a UN-mandated international commission of enquiry. Such football tournaments and other public gatherings have become common in Guinea in recent weeks, in what is widely seen as a campaign to promote Doumbouya’s candidacy in any future presidential election. The military seized power by force in September 2021 by overthrowing civilian President Alpha Conde. Under international pressure, the junta pledged to hand power back to a civilian government by the end of 2024 but has since made clear it will not. Several of Doumbouya’s aides have recently expressed their support for his possible presidential bid. One of the last remaining dissident voices in Guinea, the National Front for the Defence of the Constitution (FNDC), published a statement expressing its “outrage” at the tragedy in N’Zerekore. It said it held the junta chief and his government “directly responsible for this disaster, which cost the lives of innocent citizens, including many children”. “This demonstrates the cynical use of sport by the junta, exploiting these images of mobilisation for political ends,” the statement added. Former president Conde expressed “profound sadness and boundless outrage” in a social media post. “In a context where the country is already marked by tensions and restrictions, this tragedy highlights the dangers of irresponsible organisation and a lack of adequate preparation,” he said. More Coverage ‘Insanity’: Pepper spray act rocks America Tyson Otto Bombshell Red Bull report sends shockwaves Tyson Otto Originally published as ‘Mass carnage’: 56 dead as football riot shocks the world Football Don't miss out on the headlines from Football. Followed categories will be added to My News. More related stories Football Rivals in tears as star collapses mid-game A footballer has been rushed to hospital after suddenly collapsing on the field, leaving teammates weeping openly. WARNING: Distressing footage. Read more Football Interim Matildas coach unsure about future Matildas interim coach Tom Sermanni is unsure if his temporary tenure will extend beyond this week’s two-game series against Chinese Taipei. Read moreImage via Chukchansi Gold Facebook page Chukchansi Gold Resort & Casino will host a job fair A mini rant here. I have spoken to many young An investigation into the death of a correctional officer led A USP Atwater employee died Friday after apparently coming into contact withIt seems the Grinch’s heart did grow three sizes. Or maybe second thoughts crept in while sipping a glass of Pinot Grigio. That’s because a metal Christmas tree stolen from a Welcome to Niagara Falls sign was found Thursday along the side of the road near the intersection of York Road and Concession Road 6 in Niagara-on-the-Lake, near a couple of wineries. “Maybe I’ve got to call the (Niagara-on-the-Lake) Lord Mayor (Gary Zalepa) and ask him, what kind of prank is this?” joked Niagara Falls Mayor Jim Diodati. “(The thief) only got so far, he started sipping wine and then he abandoned it,” he added with a laugh. It seems that the Grinch's small heart grew three sizes today! Thank you to our Niagara residents who wrote and phoned in to help us locate this missing tree decoration found at York & Concession 6 Road. I guess there really are Christmas miracles! @NiagaraFalls pic.twitter.com/m2Uym8vdlG Diodati used his social media channels to thank Niagarans who “wrote and phoned in to help us locate this missing tree decoration.” “I guess there really are Christmas miracles,” he tweeted, showing a photo of the tree roadside. Diodati first took to social media Tuesday to call on the community to help find the 1.8-metre-tall decoration taken from along the QEW near the Mountain Road exit. Hey @NiagaraFalls community- we need YOUR help!! I am disappointed to say that a Grinch has stolen one of the illuminated Christmas trees which welcome QEW vehicles to our City of Niagara Falls. If you have any information regarding this missing tree, please get in touch! Hoping... pic.twitter.com/TTCC7XWV4i During Tuesday’s council meeting Diodati said there’s normally three metal-frame Christmas trees installed and anchored to the ground around the welcome sign during the holiday season — one on top of the sign is about three metres tall and two smaller ones, about 1.8 metres tall, are to the right and down below to the left. The one closest to the QEW was stolen sometime on the weekend, as it was there Saturday night, said Diodati. He said the trees have been in the city’s possession for 20 to 30 years. In an interview Thursday, Diodati said it was because of the media attention that “someone reached out to us on social media” with a picture of the tree in Niagara-on-the-Lake. “I was really happy to see that it was only down a couple of days and we got enough community participation and whatever happened, for whatever reason, it’s going to find its rightful home right at the welcome sign on the QEW,” he said. “Everything crossed my mind — why? who? how? But regardless, I’m glad it wasn’t damaged, I’m glad that we got it back ... and I hope whoever did it, I hope they have a good Christmas. “Sometimes things seem like a good idea at the time and then you look back and think, what was I thinking? I was hoping it would be a happy ending — and it was.”
Around half of accident and emergency departments, polled by the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, have said they are "full to bursting" this Christmas. Dr Ian Higginson, its vice-president, told Sky News' on Christmas Eve that the situation for the in the UK is "pretty grim" at the moment. The group, representing emergency doctors, put a call-out to senior managers on Friday night. Dr Higginson said half responded and "all but two of them said that the emergency departments were absolutely full to bursting". "Normally just before Christmas, we'd expect a bit of a lull. So I'm afraid things are looking pretty difficult out there for our patients and for our staff," he added. The NHS has warned that hospitals are under severe pressure and a so-called "quad-demic", combining respiratory infections with norovirus. Commenting on the challenges facing the NHS, Dr Higginson said: "We simply don't have enough beds in our hospitals for patients who are admitted as emergencies. "We don't have enough staff for those beds and we don't have any headroom at all. So if something like flu hits as it has done, it makes a bad situation even worse." Dr Higginson added he believes the answer is "strategic solutions and strategic investment". He said: "In England alone, we reckon we're about 10,000 beds short in our hospitals to deal with the predictable, urgent and emergency care... the equivalent of approximately two wards in every hospital." Recently the RCEM also attacked the "nonsensical" guidance on - describing it as "out of touch" and "normalising the dangerous". Dr Higginson said recent pressures mean "we've got patients all the way through our corridors because we can't admit them to hospital when they need to". He added: "It may be that their ambulance is outside in car parks because those patients can't get into our emergency departments." And he argued that social care is "in a really difficult place at the moment" - needing investment to prevent older patients from remaining in hospital longer than they need to. "When they're ready to leave hospital, they get stuck in hospital, and that contributes to that shortage of beds even more," he said. Since its election victory in July, the Labour government has acknowledged the NHS needs investment with the Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer . In October, Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced in day-to-day spending on the NHS in her budget. Commenting on rising pressures within the NHS, Wes Streeting, the health secretary, said: "We inherited an NHS that is broken but not beaten, and staff are already working hard to tackle an increase in admissions this winter." "For too long, an annual winter crisis has become the norm. We will deliver long-term reforms through our 10-year health plan that will create a health service that will be there for all of us all year round," he added.Come Christmas Day 2024 and I will step into my 25th year of heritage walks in Chennai. I still have vivid memories of my first walk — on Mylapore’s musical heritage. That was put together with the guidance of the great painter, musicologist, singer, and one of the early heroes of Tamil cinema — S. Rajam. My dear friend and top-ranking singer Sanjay Subrahmanyan helped and encouraged in every way and was present at the event. S. Muthiah gave his blessings, remarking that it was a first for the city. I have, in some years, managed to conduct a walk each month, but that has not always been possible. I still dream of completing and charting 100 different routes in the city, and having done 80-odd so far, I believe the goal is well within sight. However, I do find that the core city has become increasingly walking-unfriendly, and as for the suburbs, while they are my area of focus now, heritage spots there are too few and far apart to be covered on foot. However, I am still hopeful. In the initial years, projecting one’s voice to a group, above the general din and chaos, was a challenge, but then technology of late has been a big boon, though it can be a bane too — the most recent tour of mine, at the Kapaliswarar Temple, almost came a cropper as the Wi-Fi microphone failed, as did the standby. But some quick thinking by my wife saved the situation. But enough on me and my experiences. What I want to write about is my joy at the way in which heritage walks have caught on in the city. There are many others who have done so — Pradeep Chakravarthy and Sudha Umashankar in the initial years, Chithra Madhavan, Vincent DeSouza, and Padmapriya Bhaskaran who do special themed walks on occasion, Madras Inherited which does architecture-themed walks on a regular basis, and of course, Story Trails which is available on demand. And how can I forget Chennai Photo Walks? I may have omitted some others for which I may be forgiven. But of late it is Srivatsan Sankaran and Tripurasundari Sevvel who have caught my attention. Apart from being a brilliant photographer, Srivatsan works on making heritage accessible to persons with disabilities. He speaks boldly on his being hearing-challenged, and has conducted heritage walks with sign language. He has also conducted photo walks for people with such issues, especially children. Tripurasundari has been a collaborator and when she is not busy in her profession as an architect and the live wire at the Madras Literary Society, is working on making heritage accessible to those with visual, speech, and hearing impairment, and also school children. She has worked with The Hindu on many such projects and also more importantly with the Greater Chennai Corporation. I hope the civic body will listen to her and make our city heritage walk-friendly. Tripurasundari’s latest project is really innovative. During COVID-19, she came up with the idea of getting rubber stamp engravers to make moulds of heritage buildings. When she conducts walks at the relevant places, she gets these stamped on postcards and has the participating children mail them to friends and family! A post box is brought to lend verisimilitude. This December, I got her to make a rubber stamp on the Music Academy and picture postcards of the building with the sketch by Afreen Fathima, another heritage enthusiast. I plan to send them out to music-loving friends at the end of the music season. (V. Sriram is a writer and historian.) Published - December 24, 2024 10:57 pm IST Copy link Email Facebook Twitter Telegram LinkedIn WhatsApp RedditNone
THE UnitedHealthcare CEO killer left cops dumbfounded before his eventual capture - thanks to a ghost gun. Luigi Mangione is the main suspect in the brutal slaying of Brian Thompson in Manhattan last week, with the 26-year-old currently being held in Pennsylvania without bail. MASSIVE PROBLEMS He is fighting extradition to New York City , where he is facing second-degree murder after a tense five-day manhunt ended in a McDonalds restaurant in Pennsylvania on Monday. His lawyer claimed there was "zero" evidence tying Mangione to the crime - yet cops found a ghost gun, silencer, several other fake IDs, and a three-page handwritten manifesto. Peter Forcelli, a former federal agent and whistleblower in Barack Obama's botched attempt to stop firearms falling into the hands of Mexican cartels, told The U.S. Sun earlier this year about his fears over President Joe Biden's "lazy" attempt to curb ghost gun usage. The former ATF deputy assistant director wants criminal - not guns - dealt with to curb violence on the streets. Read more on the CEO killing The firearm that was built by the alleged perpetrator, from parts probably purchased online or in the black market with the help of a 3D printer, proved impossible to track and severely hindered the search process. Problems arise as the cops have no serial numbers or any purchase trace. Investigators lose crucial leads, such as identifying the manufacturer, the place, and when the item was bought. Anyone can build them using unregulated, unfinished frames or receivers—the pieces that contain the firing mechanism. OWNERSHIP ISSUES Cops were up against it from the very start, and Forcelli told The U.S. Sun that because a ghost gun was used, authorities were led down a "dead end" in their search for Thompson's killer. Most read in The US Sun "With the identification pathways gone, it makes it much harder to establish how the firearm changed hands or how it ended up in the suspect’s possession," he said. Under US law, people are permitted to make a gun and not place a serial number on them. Ownership and usage of ghost guns vary between states. But it is a felony in New York to own one. Further problems occur, however, with laws varying between states and officials needing to realize which ones pertain to the cases they are dealing with. Forcelli says authorities will hammer the killer with extra charges as a result. According to Pennsylvania authorities, the pistol had a plastic handle, a metal slide, and a threaded metal barrel. "In New York, possessing a pistol with a threaded barrel, a silencer, or an unserialized firearm is a felony. Those offenses would compound the murder charges and affect the final sentencing," added Forcelli, a former NYPD homicide cop. COMPLICATED PATCHWORK SYSTEM He was at pains to point out, however, that the fragmented nature of gun laws in the United States creates a multitude of headaches for authorities desperate to curb violence on the streets. Silencers, like the one used in the brazen killing, have to, according to the expert, be registered with the ATF, and a transfer tax must be paid. "Whether this individual complied with those regulations, I don’t know," Forcelli continued. "And here’s the thing—those records are confidential. The ATF would be the only authority that knows whether he followed the process to obtain a silencer legally." The number of ghost guns recovered by law enforcement in the United States has surged dramatically in recent years, increasing by 398% between 2016 and 2020. Over those five years, approximately 24,000 were confiscated by police. "This patchwork system complicates enforcement," said Forcelli, who is a cancer survivor, having battled the disease as a result of a heroic effort to help aid the 9/11 rescue effort. "In contrast, countries like Canada have a unified approach to firearm regulations, which makes compliance and enforcement more straightforward." MANGIONE, 26, was regarded as a beloved, clever and wealthy man by his family, friends and all who knew him. He was born and raised in Maryland, where he was valedictorian of his high school graduating class at Gilman School in Baltimore. He had no prior criminal history and was said to have been a model student, soccer player, and all-round athlete at high school. One former student from the Gilman School told The U.S. Sun Mangione was "popular" and had a "big circle of friends." "We went to the same school but didn't really have the same friends. I'm really shocked by this whole thing," the former student, who asked not to be identified, said. "I think he played soccer, it was an all-boys school, so being a good athlete got you social currency for sure." After, Mangione graduated cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania, where he studied computer and information science, according to his LinkedIn profile. He also got his masters from the Ivy League school. Mangione was reportedly a data engineer at a car company in California before moving to Hawaii. His cousin is also Republican Maryland House of Delegates member Nino Mangione. President Biden's efforts to address the issue of ghost guns reached the U.S. Supreme Court for the first time in April, with a follow-up hearing originally scheduled for October. However, that hearing never materialized. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) proposed requiring serial numbers and background checks for buyers of ghost guns. These measures faced significant opposition from gun owners, as well as organizations like the Firearms Policy Coalition and the Second Amendment Foundation. Still, such regulations might have prevented this tragic incident altogether. "There hasn’t been significant progress on that front," Forcelli sighed. "The Supreme Court hasn’t fully weighed in on the relevant limitations or clarifications. So, as it stands under federal law, a person can legally manufacture a firearm for personal use without a serial number. "Possessing such a gun in itself isn’t a crime under federal law." New York Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch announced on Wednesday that the three shell casings recovered at the scene of Thompson's shooting matched the firearm found in Mangione's possession at the time of his arrest. Additionally, Mangione's fingerprints were discovered on a water bottle and a snack located near the spot where 50-year-old Thompson was killed. Mangione has received sympathy across various social media platforms and has even been labeled a "hero" by ghoulish fans. BRIAN Thompson, the 50-year-old CEO of UnitedHealthcare, was shot to death in Manhattan in an execution-like killing. Here is everything we know about Thompson's murder so far. Monday, December 2 - Thompson travels from his home in Minnesota to New York City for an investor conference in Midtown Manhattan. Wednesday, December 4, 6:45 am - Thompson walks from his hotel across the street to the New York Hilton Midtown and is murdered by a masked shooter . The execution was caught on surveillance, and the suspect was seen biking away toward Central Park. Cops spark a citywide search for the assassin. 11:30 am - Cops released disturbing images of the execution, offered a reward for information, and made a desperate plea for New Yorkers to keep their eyes out. 12:00 pm - Thompson's estranged wife Paulette revealed her husband had been threatened before he was shot. 2:45 pm - Cops released more eerie images of the suspect ordering at Starbucks that partially revealed his face. The U.S. Sun confirmed the coffee shop was just two blocks away from the shooting, but it's unclear when he stopped by. December 5, 6 am - Reports claim the words "deny," "dispose," and "defend" were engraved on live rounds and shell casings left behind by the assassin. These words echo the book Delay, Deny, Defend, which is about the failings of the healthcare industry. The author of the book had no comment on the reports. 8 am - Cops raid a hostel in the Upper West Side of New York City where the suspect is said to have stayed. It's believed he wore a mask for most of the time he was there. 11 am - A person of interest in Thompson's murder is pictured . He's wearing a hood in the photo, but his full face could be seen breaking into a beaming grin. Still, no arrests have been made in the investigation. Afternoon - Law enforcement confirms the suspect arrived in New York City on a Greyhound bus on November 24. It's also confirmed that the suspect dropped a burner cell phone near the scene of the shooting. December 6, 3 pm - Police announce they believe the killer has left New York City via interstate bus. They release more surveillance footage that shows him taking a taxi to the George Washington Bridge Bus Station. December 9 - Luigi Mangione, 26, is arrested as a "strong person of interest" at a McDonald's in Altoona, Pennsylvania. He was carrying a three-page manifesto, fake IDs, and a gun similar to the one used in Thompson's murder. Mangione was arrested on Monday and swiftly charged withThompson's. Photos showed Mangione munching on a McDonald's hash brown minutes before cops swooped in and handcuffed him. He appeared in court for the first time on Monday evening for an arraignment on gun and forgery charges. New York prosecutors also later filed second-degree murder charges against Mangione for the December 4 assassination of Thompson. He now faces two counts of second-degree criminal possession of a weapon, one count of second-degree possession of a forged document, and one count of third-degree criminal possession of a weapon in New York. Mangione's attorney, Thomas Dickey, has repeatedly preached his client's innocence and claims he hasn't seen any evidence that Mangione is "the right guy." When he was hauled back into court on Tuesday, Mangione was seen unleashing a frantic outburst at anyone within earshot while cops dragged him inside the building. He screamed that the situation was "out of touch and an insult to the intelligence of the American people." At least three deputies grabbed Mangione , clutching him by his neck as they shoved him into the Blair County Courthouse in Pennsylvania , where his appeal for bail was denied. It comes as cops are continuing to look into a number of leads on motive following Mangione's capture. One of the theories behind why he may have become a killer involves his pals claiming he turned "absolutely crazy" after an agonizing back surgery . Read More on The US Sun X-ray pictures posted by Mangione show he suffered from a misaligned spine, which was reportedly made severely worse following a surfing accident. Former classmates claimed that an operation went wrong and that this could have driven the Maryland man to the brink.
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Chicago Blackhawks goalie Petr Mrazek exits game with injuryLiverpool eye Leverkusen's Frimpong - Thursday's gossipBEIRUT (AP) — Insurgents' stunning march across Syria gained speed on Saturday with news that they had reached the suburbs of the capital and with the government forced to deny rumors that President Bashar Assad had fled the country. The rebels' moves around Damascus, reported by an opposition war monitor and a rebel commander, came after the Syrian army withdrew from much of southern part of the country, leaving more areas, including several provincial capitals, under the control of opposition fighters. The advances in the past week were among the largest in recent years by opposition factions, led by a group that has its origins in al-Qaida and is considered a terrorist organization by the U.S. and the United Nations. In their push to overthrow Assad's government, the insurgents, led by the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group, or HTS, have met little resistance from the Syrian army. For the first time in the country's long-running civil war, the government now has control of only four of 14 provincial capitals: Damascus, Homs, Latakia and Tartus. The U.N.’s special envoy for Syria, Geir Pedersen, on Saturday called for urgent talks in Geneva to ensure an “orderly political transition.” Speaking to reporters at the annual Doha Forum in Qatar, he said the situation in Syria was changing by the minute. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, whose country is Assad's chief international backer, said he feels “sorry for the Syrian people.” In Damascus, people rushed to stock up on supplies. Thousands went to Syria's border with Lebanon, trying to leave the country. Many shops in the capital were shuttered, a resident told The Associated Press, and those still open ran out of staples such as sugar. Some were selling items at three times the normal price. “The situation is very strange. We are not used to that,” the resident said, insisting on anonymity, fearing retributions. “People are worried whether there will be a battle (in Damascus) or not.” It was the first time that opposition forces reached the outskirts of Damascus since 2018, when Syrian troops recaptured the area following a yearslong siege. The U.N. said it was moving noncritical staff outside the country as a precaution. Syria’s state media denied social media rumors that Assad left the country, saying he is performing his duties in Damascus. He has had little, if any, help from his allies. Russia, is busy with its war in Ukraine . Lebanon’s Hezbollah, which at one point sent thousands of fighters to shore up Assad's forces, has been weakened by a yearlong conflict with Israel. Iran has seen its proxies across the region degraded by regular Israeli airstrikes. U.S. President-elect Donald Trump on Saturday posted on social media that that the United States should avoid engaging militarily in Syria. Pedersen said a date for talks in Geneva on the implementation a U.N. resolution, adopted in 2015, and calling for a Syrian-led political process, would be announced later. The resolution calls for the establishment of a transitional governing body, followed by the drafting of a new constitution and ending with U.N.-supervised elections. Later Saturday, foreign ministers and senior diplomats from eight key countries, including Saudi Arabia, Russia, Egypt, Turkey and Iran, along with Pederson, gathered on the sidelines of the Doha Summit to discuss the situation in Syria. No details were immediately available. Rami Abdurrahman, who heads the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition war monitor, said insurgents were in the Damascus suburbs of Maadamiyah, Jaramana and Daraya. Opposition fighters were marching toward the Damascus suburb of Harasta, he added. A commander with the insurgents, Hassan Abdul-Ghani, posted on the Telegram messaging app that opposition forces had begun the “final stage” of their offensive by encircling Damascus. HTS controls much of northwest Syria and in 2017 set up a “salvation government” to run day-to-day affairs in the region. In recent years, HTS leader Abu Mohammed al-Golani has sought to remake the group’s image, cutting ties with al-Qaida, ditching hard-line officials and vowing to embrace pluralism and religious tolerance. Syria’s military, meanwhile, sent large numbers of reinforcements to defend the key central city of Homs, Syria’s third largest, as insurgents approached its outskirts. The shock offensive began Nov. 27, during which gunmen captured the northern city of Aleppo, Syria’s largest, and the central city of Hama , the country’s fourth largest city. Opposition activists said Saturday that a day earlier, insurgents entered Palmyra, which is home to invaluable archaeological sites had been in government hands since being taken from the Islamic State group in 2017. To the south, Syrian troops left much of the province of Quneitra including the main Baath City, activists said. Syrian Observatory said government troops have withdrawn from much of the two southern provinces and are sending reinforcements to Homs, where a battle loomed. If the insurgents capture Homs, they would cut the link between Damascus, Assad’s seat of power, and the coastal region where the president enjoys wide support. The Syrian army said in a statement that it carried out redeployment and repositioning in Sweida and Daraa after its checkpoints came under attack by “terrorists." The army said it was setting up a “strong and coherent defensive and security belt in the area,” apparently to defend Damascus from the south. The Syrian government has referred to opposition gunmen as terrorists since conflict broke out in March 2011. The foreign ministers of Iran, Russia and Turkey, meeting in Qatar, called for an end to the hostilities. Turkey is a main backer of the rebels. Qatar's top diplomat, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, criticized Assad for failing to take advantage of the lull in fighting in recent years to address the country’s underlying problems. “Assad didn’t seize this opportunity to start engaging and restoring his relationship with his people,” he said. Sheikh Mohammed said he was surprised by how quickly the rebels have advanced and said there is a real threat to Syria’s “territorial integrity.” He said the war could “damage and destroy what is left if there is no sense of urgency” to start a political process. Karam reported from London. Associated Press writers Albert Aji in Damascus, Syria and Qassim Abdul-Zahra in Baghdad contributed to this report.
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PRISTINA, Kosovo (AP) — Kosovo’s main ethnic Serb party on Tuesday said its ban from the upcoming general election is “institutional and political violence” against the ethnic minority. Zlatan Elek of Srpska Lista, or Serb List, said the move was “done on the orders of Albin in order to gain some easy political points,” adding they would appeal the decision. Elek was referring to Kosovo’s prime minister, Albin Kurti. The Central Election Commission declined to certify Srpska Lista, justifying the move by pointing to its nationalist stance and close ties to Serbia. The Srspka Lista party has nine out of the 10 lawmakers the ethnic Serb minority currently has in the 120-seat parliament. Kosovo holds a parliamentary election on Feb. 9 , which is expected to be a key test for Kurti, whose governing party won in a landslide in 2021. European Union-facilitated negotiations to normalize ties with neighboring Serbia are a top priority for any Cabinet in power after the polls. Western powers also expressed concern about the move, fearing it may further aggravate the already tense ties between Kosovo and Serbia. Kosovo was a Serbian province until a war broke out between Serbian government forces and ethnic Albanian separatists in Kosovo, which left about 11,400 dead, mainly ethnic Albanians. NATO’s 78-day bombing campaign in 1999 ended the war and pushed Serbian forces out. Kosovo proclaimed independence in 2008, which Serbia doesn’t recognize. Belgrade still considers Kosovo as its province and has a major influence on the ethnic Serb minority living there. Serb President Aleksandar Vučić criticized the move to ban the party, saying “Kurti is trying to root out the Serb people from (our) southern province.” Kurti considers the Srpska Lista as the “political branch of Milan Radoicic and of Serb state terrorism.” Radoicic, a politician and wealthy businessman with ties to Serbia’s ruling populist party and Vučić, was among 45 people charged in Kosovo in connection with a gunfight last year in which a Kosovar police officer was killed following an incursion by heavily armed Serb gunmen. He is free and under investigation in Serbia, which refuses to extradite him to Kosovo. The prime minister accused the Serb party of being behind all the incidents in the four northern municipalities, where most of the ethnic Serb minority lives. “Srpska Lista unfortunately represents Serbia's widest and the highest level of intervention into Kosovo’s internal affairs and in our democratic elections,” he said at a news conference. Kurti accused Belgrade of being behind two terrorist groups on their “planning, financing and offering logistics” to commit terror attacks in Kosovo. Vučić has planned other attacks in Kosovo during the new year festivities and Orthodox Christmas to deflect attention from the “internal tensions in Serbia, the continuous opposing protests ,” according to Kurti. Semini reported from Tirana, Albania. Follow Llazar Semini at https://x.com/lseminiHere's Trump's plan for the 'first nine minutes' of his presidency
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By BEN FINLEY The Christmas tradition has become nearly global in scope: Children from around the world track Santa Claus as he sweeps across the earth, delivering presents and defying time. Related Articles National News | Heavy travel day off to a rough start after American Airlines briefly grounds all flights National News | Prosecutors withdraw appeal of dismissed case against Alec Baldwin in fatal movie set shooting National News | Bill Clinton is hospitalized with a fever but in good spirits, spokesperson says National News | Why Finland is vaccinating farmers against bird flu — but California isn't National News | Bluesky finds with growth comes growing pains — and bots Each year, at least 100,000 kids call into the North American Aerospace Defense Command to inquire about Santa’s location. Millions more follow online in nine languages , from English to Japanese. On any other night, NORAD is scanning the heavens for potential threats , such as last year’s Chinese spy balloon . But on Christmas Eve, volunteers in Colorado Springs are fielding questions like, “When is Santa coming to my house?” and, “Am I on the naughty or nice list?” “There are screams and giggles and laughter,” said Bob Sommers, 63, a civilian contractor and NORAD volunteer. Sommers often says on the call that everyone must be asleep before Santa arrives, prompting parents to say, “Do you hear what he said? We got to go to bed early.” NORAD’s annual tracking of Santa has endured since the Cold War , predating ugly sweater parties and Mariah Carey classics . The tradition continues regardless of government shutdowns, such as the one in 2018 , and this year . Here’s how it began and why the phones keep ringing. It started with a child’s accidental phone call in 1955. The Colorado Springs newspaper printed a Sears advertisement that encouraged children to call Santa, listing a phone number. A boy called. But he reached the Continental Air Defense Command, now NORAD, a joint U.S. and Canadian effort to spot potential enemy attacks. Tensions were growing with the Soviet Union, along with anxieties about nuclear war. Air Force Col. Harry W. Shoup picked up an emergency-only “red phone” and was greeted by a tiny voice that began to recite a Christmas wish list. “He went on a little bit, and he takes a breath, then says, ‘Hey, you’re not Santa,’” Shoup told The Associated Press in 1999. Realizing an explanation would be lost on the youngster, Shoup summoned a deep, jolly voice and replied, “Ho, ho, ho! Yes, I am Santa Claus. Have you been a good boy?” Shoup said he learned from the boy’s mother that Sears mistakenly printed the top-secret number. He hung up, but the phone soon rang again with a young girl reciting her Christmas list. Fifty calls a day followed, he said. In the pre-digital age, the agency used a 60-by-80 foot (18-by-24 meter) plexiglass map of North America to track unidentified objects. A staff member jokingly drew Santa and his sleigh over the North Pole. The tradition was born. “Note to the kiddies,” began an AP story from Colorado Springs on Dec. 23, 1955. “Santa Claus Friday was assured safe passage into the United States by the Continental Air Defense Command.” In a likely reference to the Soviets, the article noted that Santa was guarded against possible attack from “those who do not believe in Christmas.” Some grinchy journalists have nitpicked Shoup’s story, questioning whether a misprint or a misdial prompted the boy’s call. In 2014, tech news site Gizmodo cited an International News Service story from Dec. 1, 1955, about a child’s call to Shoup. Published in the Pasadena Independent, the article said the child reversed two digits in the Sears number. “When a childish voice asked COC commander Col. Harry Shoup, if there was a Santa Claus at the North Pole, he answered much more roughly than he should — considering the season: ‘There may be a guy called Santa Claus at the North Pole, but he’s not the one I worry about coming from that direction,’” Shoup said in the brief piece. In 2015, The Atlantic magazine doubted the flood of calls to the secret line, while noting that Shoup had a flair for public relations. Phone calls aside, Shoup was indeed media savvy. In 1986, he told the Scripps Howard News Service that he recognized an opportunity when a staff member drew Santa on the glass map in 1955. A lieutenant colonel promised to have it erased. But Shoup said, “You leave it right there,” and summoned public affairs. Shoup wanted to boost morale for the troops and public alike. “Why, it made the military look good — like we’re not all a bunch of snobs who don’t care about Santa Claus,” he said. Shoup died in 2009. His children told the StoryCorps podcast in 2014 that it was a misprinted Sears ad that prompted the phone calls. “And later in life he got letters from all over the world,” said Terri Van Keuren, a daughter. “People saying ‘Thank you, Colonel, for having, you know, this sense of humor.’” NORAD’s tradition is one of the few modern additions to the centuries-old Santa story that have endured, according to Gerry Bowler, a Canadian historian who spoke to the AP in 2010. Ad campaigns or movies try to “kidnap” Santa for commercial purposes, said Bowler, who wrote “Santa Claus: A Biography.” NORAD, by contrast, takes an essential element of Santa’s story and views it through a technological lens. In a recent interview with the AP, Air Force Lt. Gen. Case Cunningham explained that NORAD radars in Alaska and Canada —- known as the northern warning system — are the first to detect Santa. He leaves the North Pole and typically heads for the international dateline in the Pacific Ocean. From there he moves west, following the night. “That’s when the satellite systems we use to track and identify targets of interest every single day start to kick in,” Cunningham said. “A probably little-known fact is that Rudolph’s nose that glows red emanates a lot of heat. And so those satellites track (Santa) through that heat source.” NORAD has an app and website, www.noradsanta.org , that will track Santa on Christmas Eve from 4 a.m. to midnight, mountain standard time. People can call 1-877-HI-NORAD to ask live operators about Santa’s location from 6 a.m. to midnight, mountain time.