Educators press lawmakers for supportATLANTA (AP) — Deliberations are underway in Atlanta after a year of testimony in the gang and racketeering trial that originally included the rapper Young Thug. Jurors are considering whether to convict Shannon Stillwell and Deamonte Kendrick, who raps as Yak Gotti, on gang, murder, drug and gun charges. The original indictment charged 28 people with conspiring to violate Georgia’s Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act. Opening statements in the trial for six of those defendants happened a year ago . Four of them, including Young Thug, pleaded guilty last month. The rapper was freed on probation. Stillwell and Kendrick rejected plea deals after more than a week of negotiations, and their lawyers chose not to present evidence or witnesses. Both seemed to be in good spirits Tuesday morning after closings wrapped the previous night. Kendrick was chatting and laughing with Stillwell and his lawyers before the jury arrived for instructions. The jury started deliberating Tuesday afternoon and was dismissed at 5 p.m. Jurors are expected to resume deliberations Wednesday morning. If they don’t reach a verdict by 3 p.m. Wednesday, the judge will send them home for the Thanksgiving weekend and they will return Monday morning. Kendrick and Stillwell were charged in the 2015 killing of Donovan Thomas Jr., also known as “Big Nut,” in an Atlanta barbershop. Prosecutors painted Stillwell and Kendrick as members of a violent street gang called Young Slime Life, or YSL, co-founded in 2012 by Young Thug, whose real name is Jeffery Williams. During closings on Monday, they pointed to tattoos, song lyrics and social media posts they said proved members, including Stillwell, admitted to killing people in rival gangs. Prosecutors say Thomas was in a rival gang. Stillwell was also charged in the 2022 killing of Shymel Drinks, which prosecutors said was in retaliation for the killing of two YSL associates days earlier. Defense attorneys Doug Weinstein and Max Schardt said the state presented unreliable witnesses, weak evidence and cherry-picked lyrics and social media posts to push a false narrative about Stillwell, Kendrick and the members of YSL. Schardt, Stillwell's attorney, reminded the jury that alleged YSL affiliates said during the trial that they had lied to police. Law enforcement played a “sick game” by promising they would escape long prison sentences if they said what police wanted them to say, Schardt said. He theorized that one of those witnesses could have killed Thomas. The truth is that their clients were just trying to escape poverty through music, Schardt said. “As a whole, we know the struggles that these communities have had,” Schardt said. “A sad, tacit acceptance that it’s either rap, prison or death.” Young Thug’s record label is also known as YSL, an acronym of Young Stoner Life. Kendrick was featured on two popular songs from the label’s compilation album Slime Language 2, “Take It to Trial" and “Slatty," which prosecutors presented as evidence in the trial. Weinstein, Kendrick’s defense attorney, said during closings it was wrong for prosecutors to target the defendants for their music and lyrics. Prosecutor Simone Hylton disagreed, and said surveillance footage and phone evidence supported her case. “They have the audacity to think they can just brag about killing somebody and nobody’s gonna hold them accountable,” Hylton said. The trial had more than its fair share of delays. Jury selection took nearly 10 months , and Stillwell was stabbed last year at the Fulton County jail, which paused trial proceedings. Judge Paige Reese Whitaker took over after Fulton County Superior Court Chief Judge Ural Glanville was removed from the case in July because he had a meeting with prosecutors and a state witness without defense attorneys present. Whitaker often lost patience with prosecutors over moves such as not sharing evidence with defense attorneys, once accusing them of “poor lawyering.” But the trial sped up under her watch. In October, four defendants, including Young Thug , pleaded guilty, with the rapper entering a non-negotiated or “blind” plea, meaning he didn't have a deal worked out with prosecutors. Nine people charged in the indictment, including rapper Gunna , accepted plea deals before the trial began. Charges against 12 others are pending. Prosecutors dropped charges against one defendant after he was convicted of murder in an unrelated case. Kramon is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues. Follow Kramon on X: @charlottekramon
It's no secret that big-data analytics firm Palantir Technologies Inc PLTR represents one of this year's biggest success stories. At the same time, a year-to-date return of well over 300% has analysts skeptical about a sustained run. Presently, PLTR stock trades at an extremely rich valuation, leading to a split sentiment on Wall Street. Despite the reasonable concerns, the smart money appears to generally lean toward a bullish posture. In particular, the latest read of PLTR stock's unusual options activity shows heightened activity for the $70 call expiring on Jan. 16, 2026. The total value hit $393,000, conspicuously above other aberrant options trades of the midweek session. Investors who continue to pile into PLTR stock may be looking at the bigger picture. A growing number of entities — particularly those related to the defense industry — have adopted Palantir's artificial-intelligence-based solutions . Even more enticing, the empirical data suggests that Palantir bulls are justified in their optimism. Also Read: Alphabet’s Quantum Willow Chip Wows Analyst: Google At The ‘Leading Edge Of Technology Innovation’ Running the Tape on PLTR Stock While the overvaluation concerns surrounding PLTR stock are legitimate, it's important to consider the hard numbers. When running the tape, Palantir's equity has demonstrated an upward bias in its weekly performance (defined as the difference between Monday's open and Friday's close) since making its public market debut in 2020. Specifically, out of 219 weeks, 119 saw a positive return (54.3%), 99 saw a loss (45.2%) and one week was flat. In other words, on any given Monday, bullish investors should have a modest edge that their position will end up in the black by Friday. However, the beauty of multi-leg options trades is that speculators can adjust the parameters of success. For example, in a bull call spread — a transaction that involves buying a call and simultaneously selling a higher-strike call of the same expiration date — traders can potentially deploy a strategy where the breakeven price is below the current open market price. This dynamic is possible because the credit received from the short call helps partially offset the debit paid for the long call. In Palantir's case, if success is defined as a weekly return greater than a 1% loss, the odds of a positive result jump to nearly 61%. Playing 4D Chess with Palantir Admittedly, it may be difficult to justify a heavy long exposure to PLTR stock given its rich valuation. However, the short-term outlook may be much more enticing, especially if the parameters of success are modulated. One compelling idea that stands out is the 68/71 call spread (i.e. buy the $68 strike, sell the $71 strike) that expires Dec. 20 of this year. At time of writing, the net debit paid to enter the trade was $190, which also represents the most that can be lost. The maximum reward comes out to $110 or a payout of 57.89%. Compellingly, the breakeven price for this transaction sits at $69.90, or more than 2.5% below the time-of-writing price. Using this benchmark as the threshold for success, the likelihood that PLTR stock will be somewhat profitable over a one-week period soars to around 65%. In addition, to collect the maximum reward, PLTR stock doesn't necessarily need to move higher by Dec. 20. Rather, it just needs to not fall below $71. For some traders, that may be a more attractive proposition than a standard open-market long position. However, it's important to keep in mind that both the risk and the reward are capped. Read Next: Magnificent Seven Tech Titans Hit $18.2 Trillion Market Cap: Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, Meta, Tesla Jointly Notch All-Time Highs Photo: Shutterstock © 2024 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.Trump’s tariff threat grim reminder of turbulent trade in first administrationTesla Stock Closes At New Record High As Shares Surge 6% - Forbes
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What is Bright-Annealed (BA) Stainless Steel Seamless Tube?The United States has said it is the country's long-standing policy to deny support to Pakistan's long-range ballistic missile programme, calling Pakistan an "important partner" that shares the US commitment to maintaining the global nonproliferation regime. The US statement came hours after Pakistan's forceful response in reaction to the State Department's December 18 announcement of additional sanctions on entities contributing to Pakistan's ballistic missile programme. Earlier today, Deputy national security adviser Jon Finer said Islamabad's conduct raised "real questions" about its intentions, saying nuclear-armed Pakistan is developing long-range ballistic missile capabilities that eventually could allow it to strike targets outside of South Asia, including the United States. "Candidly, it's hard for us to see Pakistan's actions as anything other than an emerging threat to the United States," Finer said in a speech to the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Earlier today, the US reiterated that it would continue to use sanctions and other tools to protect its national security. "The US is committed to maintaining the global non-proliferation regime and Pakistan is an important partner in that. However, we have been clear and consistent about our concerns about Pakistan's long-range, ballistic missile programme," Vedant Patel, the Principal Deputy Spokesperson of the US State Department said, addressing a weekly press briefing on Thursday. "It is long-standing US policy to deny support to Pakistan's long-range ballistic missile programme. The Department of State will continue to use sanctions and other tools to protect our national security and ensure that US exporters and US financial systems cannot be abused by proliferators." The spokesperson said that the US hoped to continue to engage constructively with the Pakistani government on these issues. Replying to a question, Patel said that the US had concerns regarding Pakistan's long-range ballistic missile programme, but they don't affect great deal of other bilateral areas of cooperation. The US State Department said on December 18 that it was imposing additional sanctions related to Pakistan's ballistic missile programme, targeting four entities that it said were contributing to the proliferation or delivery of such weapons. The statement, issued on the State Department's website, said that the decision was taken “in light of the continuing proliferation threat of Pakistan’s long-range missile development”. It added that the four entities were being designated for sanctions pursuant to Executive Order (EO) 13382, which targeted proliferators of weapons of mass destruction and their means of delivery. "Pakistan’s National Development Complex – which is responsible for Pakistan’s ballistic missile program and has worked to acquire items to advance Pakistan’s long range ballistic missile program – and Affiliates International, Akhtar and Sons Private Limited, and Rockside Enterprise – which have worked to supply equipment and missile‐applicable items to Pakistan’s ballistic missile program, including its long range missile program – are being designated pursuant to E.O. 13382 Section 1(a)(ii) for having engaged, or attempted to engage, in activities or transactions that have materially contributed to, or pose a risk of materially contributing to, the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction or their means of delivery (including missiles capable of delivering such weapons), including any efforts to manufacture, acquire, possess, develop, transport, transfer, or use such items, by Pakistan," read the statement. However, Islamabad reacted strongly to the development, terming the the decision as "biased" and stressing that the step from the US has "dangerous implications for strategic stability of our region and beyond". "Pakistan’s strategic capabilities are meant to defend its sovereignty and preserve peace and stability in South Asia. The latest installment of sanctions defies the objective of peace and security by aiming to accentuate military asymmetries. Such policies have dangerous implications for strategic stability of our region and beyond," Foreign Office spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said in a statement. The Foreign Office stressed that the county's strategic programme is a sacred trust bestowed by 240 million people upon its leadership, adding that the sanctity of this trust, held in the highest esteem across the entire political spectrum, cannot be compromised. In September this year, Washington targeted five entities and one individual with sanctions, which were involved in the expansion of ballistic missiles and controlling missile equipment and technology to Pakistan. Similarly, the US — in October 2023 — imposed sanctions on three Chinese companies for supplying missile-applicable items to Pakistan. The sanctions also affected China-based firms Hubei Huachangda Intelligent Equipment Co, Universal Enterprise, and Xi’an Longde Technology Development Co. Pakistan-based Innovative Equipment and a Chinese national were sanctioned for knowingly transferring equipment under missile technology restrictions.
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Subscribe Search Search Sort by Relevance Title Date Subscribe ALBAWABA - Huawei officially announced its departure from the Android operating system, starting a new era for the Chinese technology giant with the introduction of HarmonyOS Next, an entirely self-developed operating system set to establish Huawei as a rival in the smartphone OS market. Also Read Huawei unveils $2800 world’s first “Trifold” phone, Mate XT As Huawei continues to strive for technical sovereignty in the aftermath of US sanctions, It unveiled on Tuesday the Mate 70 series of smartphones that are equipped with the company's latest independent operating system, CNBC reports. Check this!!! Yess Check this!!!! Huawei Mate 70's feature is insane 🔥 pic.twitter.com/xSpoKMsvlj — ctrlnews (@disctrlnews) November 26, 2024 This next-generation operating system is completely devoid of Android code, in contrast to the previous HarmonyOS, which was built on an Android foundation. While this brings autonomy to Huawei, it means that Android apps will not function on the new OS, marking a challenge for Huawei in attracting developers to port their apps to a new system. Huawei asserts to be making significant investments in developer engagement to address this, as reported by Android Authority. According to the company, more than 10,000 applications are now compatible with the new OS, and in a few months, the total number will rise to 100,000. Huawei's Mate 70 series, Mate 70, Mate 70 Pro, and Mate 70 Pro+, is the first to support HarmonyOS Next, launching with Android-like. HarmonyOS 4.3. HarmonyOS Next will be released in a later update, enabling users to switch when ready, with plans to deploy all smartphones on HarmonyOS Next by 2025. Starting at ¥5,499 ($759), the Mate 70 series has a relatively reasonable price tag, while the premium Mate X6 foldable costs ¥12,999 ($1,798). With more than 3 million pre-orders on Chinese e-commerce sites, the first demand seems to be promising for the challenged tech giant. A passionate about the Gaming Industry with a career of over 5 years in the field, I write about current trends and news in the Game Development business and how it impact the industry and players. Laith has recently started a new position at Al Bawaba as a freelance business writer. Subscribe Sign up to our newsletter for exclusive updates and enhanced content Subscribe Now Subscribe Sign up to get Al Bawaba's exclusive celeb scoops and entertainment news Subscribe to our newsletter for exclusive updates and enhanced content Subscribe
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Mapusa : Minister for Tourism and IT Rohan Khaunte on Thursday outlined the state government’s efforts to enhance tourism in Goa through initiatives such as regenerative tourism, spiritual and eco-tourism, and wellness programmes. Speaking at the Liberation Day celebration at the government complex in Morod, Mapusa, Khaunte said the state has taken measures to preserve Goa’s unique identity, national unity, and hospitality. Despite challenges to Goa’s image on social media, Khaunte expressed confidence in the state’s strong reputation as an international destination. “We have built a deep connection between tourists and Goa, which cannot be easily tarnished,” he said, adding that improved infrastructure, including better air connectivity, roads, and water facilities, aims to boost local employment. Khaunte unfurled the national flag, inspected the parade comprising Mapusa police personnel, NCC cadets, and school students, and received a guard of honour. The minister also highlighted government-approved projects, such as the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Museum in Ponda and the Town Square in Porvorim. “We are taking Goa beyond beaches by focusing on spiritual, eco, and hinterland tourism, along with homestays, yoga, and wellness,” Khaunte said. When asked about the escape of an accused in a land-grabbing case, Khaunte remarked, “I am not Sherlock Holmes or a detective. Once Suleiman is caught, the truth about those involved will come out.” Regarding the ongoing banyan tree controversy in Porvorim, Khaunte described it as political, stating, “The tree will be preserved, and if necessary, shifted with the help of technology.” The event was attended by Calangute MLA Michael Lobo, Ulhas Assnodkar, and district officials, including Bardez Deputy Collector Kabir Shirgaonkar and Mapusa PI Nikhil Palekar. Traditional Goan professionals were felicitated during the function.We tested £5 perfume dupes from Aldi, Lidl & Zara to see how they match up to Burberry’s £135 buy & Dior’s £115 scentOn a rare two-game skid, No. 24 Arizona faces Davidson
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David Rittich made 19 saves for the Kings, who improved to 6-2-1 at home. Kempe and Byfield scored 1:44 apart in the second period. Byfield buried a sharp-angle slap shot on a power play while dropping to a knee. It was his 98th career point in 200 games. Brandon Montour got the Kraken on the board with 1:26 left in the game. He converted a long shot with Joey Daccord off for another skater, but Los Angeles held on. Daccord finished with 19 stops for Seattle. Kraken: Jordan Eberle will miss at least three months after undergoing surgery on his pelvis. He had six goals and five assists in 17 games before he got hurt against Chicago on Nov. 14. Kings: The power play had been in a 1-for-16 rut (6.25%) over the previous six games before Byfield found the net. It was the Kings' lone opportunity with the man-advantage. After following its 1-0 loss to Buffalo on Wednesday with a fourth straight period of extreme low-event hockey, Los Angeles created a lot more activity and offense to start the second and generate its two goals. The Kings know how to close out games, improving to 9-0-1 when leading after two periods. The Kraken visit Anaheim on Monday, and the Kings play at San Jose on Monday. AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl