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ATLANTA – Jimmy Carter, the peanut farmer who tried to restore virtue to the White House after the Watergate scandal and Vietnam War, then rebounded from a landslide defeat to become a global advocate of human rights and democracy, has died. He was 100 years old . The Carter Center said the 39th president died Sunday afternoon, more than a year after entering hospice care , at his home in Plains, Georgia, where he and his wife, Rosalynn, who died in November 2023, lived most of their lives. The center said he died peacefully, surrounded by his family. Recommended Videos As reaction poured in from around the world, President Joe Biden mourned Carter’s death, saying the world lost an “extraordinary leader, statesman and humanitarian” and he lost a dear friend. Biden cited Carter’s compassion and moral clarity, his work to eradicate disease, forge peace, advance civil and human rights, promote free and fair elections, house the homeless and advocacy for the disadvantaged as an example for others. “To all of the young people in this nation and for anyone in search of what it means to live a life of purpose and meaning – the good life – study Jimmy Carter, a man of principle, faith, and humility,” Biden said in a statement. “He showed that we are a great nation because we are a good people – decent and honorable, courageous and compassionate, humble and strong.” Biden said he is ordering a state funeral for Carter in Washington. A moderate Democrat, Carter ran for president in 1976 as a little-known Georgia governor with a broad grin, effusive Baptist faith and technocratic plans for efficient government. His promise to never deceive the American people resonated after Richard Nixon’s disgrace and U.S. defeat in southeast Asia. “If I ever lie to you, if I ever make a misleading statement, don’t vote for me. I would not deserve to be your president,” Carter said. Carter’s victory over Republican Gerald Ford, whose fortunes fell after pardoning Nixon, came amid Cold War pressures, turbulent oil markets and social upheaval over race, women’s rights and America’s role in the world. His achievements included brokering Mideast peace by keeping Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin at Camp David for 13 days in 1978. But his coalition splintered under double-digit inflation and the 444-day hostage crisis in Iran. His negotiations ultimately brought all the hostages home alive, but in a final insult, Iran didn’t release them until the inauguration of Ronald Reagan, who had trounced him in the 1980 election. Humbled and back home in Georgia, Carter said his faith demanded that he keep doing whatever he could, for as long as he could, to try to make a difference. He and Rosalynn co-founded The Carter Center in 1982 and spent the next 40 years traveling the world as peacemakers, human rights advocates and champions of democracy and public health. Awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002, Carter helped ease nuclear tensions in North and South Korea, avert a U.S. invasion of Haiti and negotiate cease-fires in Bosnia and Sudan. By 2022, the center had monitored at least 113 elections around the world. Carter was determined to eradicate guinea worm infections as one of many health initiatives. Swinging hammers into their 90s, the Carters built homes with Habitat for Humanity. The common observation that he was better as an ex-president rankled Carter. His allies were pleased that he lived long enough to see biographers and historians revisit his presidency and declare it more impactful than many understood at the time. Propelled in 1976 by voters in Iowa and then across the South, Carter ran a no-frills campaign. Americans were captivated by the earnest engineer, and while an election-year Playboy interview drew snickers when he said he “had looked on many women with lust. I’ve committed adultery in my heart many times,” voters tired of political cynicism found it endearing. The first family set an informal tone in the White House, carrying their own luggage, trying to silence the Marine Band’s traditional “Hail to the Chief" and enrolling daughter, Amy, in public schools. Carter was lampooned for wearing a cardigan and urging Americans to turn down their thermostats. But Carter set the stage for an economic revival and sharply reduced America's dependence on foreign oil by deregulating the energy industry along with airlines, trains and trucking. He established the departments of Energy and Education, appointed record numbers of women and nonwhites to federal posts, preserved millions of acres of Alaskan wilderness and pardoned most Vietnam draft evaders. Emphasizing human rights , he ended most support for military dictators and took on bribery by multinational corporations by signing the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. He persuaded the Senate to ratify the Panama Canal treaties and normalized relations with China, an outgrowth of Nixon’s outreach to Beijing. But crippling turns in foreign affairs took their toll. When OPEC hiked crude prices, making drivers line up for gasoline as inflation spiked to 11%, Carter tried to encourage Americans to overcome “a crisis of confidence.” Many voters lost confidence in Carter instead after the infamous address that media dubbed his “malaise" speech, even though he never used that word. After Carter reluctantly agreed to admit the exiled Shah of Iran to the U.S. for medical treatment, the American Embassy in Tehran was overrun in 1979. Negotiations to quickly free the hostages broke down, and then eight Americans died when a top-secret military rescue attempt failed. Carter also had to reverse course on the SALT II nuclear arms treaty after the Soviets invaded Afghanistan in 1979. Though historians would later credit Carter's diplomatic efforts for hastening the end of the Cold war, Republicans labeled his soft power weak. Reagan’s “make America great again” appeals resonated, and he beat Carter in all but six states. Born Oct. 1, 1924, James Earl Carter Jr. married fellow Plains native Rosalynn Smith in 1946, the year he graduated from the Naval Academy. He brought his young family back to Plains after his father died, abandoning his Navy career, and they soon turned their ambitions to politics . Carter reached the state Senate in 1962. After rural white and Black voters elected him governor in 1970, he drew national attention by declaring that “the time for racial discrimination is over.” Carter published more than 30 books and remained influential as his center turned its democracy advocacy onto U.S. politics, monitoring an audit of Georgia’s 2020 presidential election results. After a 2015 cancer diagnosis, Carter said he felt “perfectly at ease with whatever comes.” “I’ve had a wonderful life,” he said. “I’ve had thousands of friends, I’ve had an exciting, adventurous and gratifying existence.” ___ Sanz is a former Associated Press reporter.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The chair of the Democratic National Committee informed party leaders on Monday that the DNC will choose his successor in February, an election that will speak volumes about how the party wants to present itself during four more years of Donald Trump in the White House. Jaime Harrison, in a letter to members of the party’s powerful Rules & Bylaws Committee, outlined the process of how the party will elect its new chair. Harrison said in the letter that the committee will host four candidate forums — some in person and some virtually — in January, with the final election on Feb. 1 during the party’s winter meeting in National Harbor, Maryland. The race to become the next chair of the Democratic National Committee, while an insular party affair, will come days after Trump is inaugurated for a second term. Democrats' selection of a leader after Vice President Kamala Harris’ 2024 loss will be a key starting point as the party starts to move forward, including addressing any structural problems and determining how to oppose Trump. Members of the Rules & Bylaws Committee will meet on Dec. 12 to establish the rules for these elections, which beyond the chair position will include top party roles like vice chairs, treasurer, secretary and national finance chair. The committee will also use that meeting to decide the requirements for gaining access to the ballot for those top party roles. In 2021, candidates were required to submit a nominating statement that included signatures from 40 DNC members and that will likely be the same standard for the 2025 campaigns. “The DNC is committed to running a transparent, equitable, and impartial election for the next generation of leadership to guide the party forward,” Harrison said in a statement. “Electing the Chair and DNC officers is one of the most important responsibilities of the DNC Membership, and our staff will run an inclusive and transparent process that gives members the opportunity to get to know the candidates as they prepare to cast their votes.” Two Democrats have announced campaigns for chair: Ken Martin, chair of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party and a vice chair of the national party, and Martin O’Malley, the former Maryland governor and current commissioner of the Social Security Administration. Other top Democrats are either considering a run to succeed Harrison or are being pushed by party insiders, including former Texas Rep. Beto O’Rourke; Michael Blake, a former vice chair of the party; Ben Wikler, chair of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin; Rahm Emanuel, the U.S. ambassador to Japan and a former Chicago mayor; Sen. Mallory McMorrow, majority whip of the Michigan Senate, and Chuck Rocha, a longtime Democratic strategist. The next chair of the committee will be tasked with rebuilding a party demoralized by a second Trump victory. They will also oversee the party’s 2028 nominating process, a complex and contentious exercise that will make the chair central to the next presidential election. Harrison, of South Carolina, made clear in his letter to the rules committee that the four forums hosted by the party would be live streamed and the party would give grassroots Democrats across the country the ability to engage with the process through those events. He also said he intends to remain neutral during the chair election. This story has been corrected to show that McMorrow is a senator, not a representative.India News | Rajnath Singh Becomes 1st Defence Minister to Visit Mhow in 24 Years, Lauds Indian Army's Training Institutes
McDonald’s fans blast ‘they failed us again’ after chain refuses to bring back ‘original’ version of Snack WrapSeven losses in a season is unfamiliar territory for the San Francisco 49ers. With two Super Bowl appearances in five seasons, general manager John Lynch openly admits the 49ers haven't earned the right to be called "as good" as the 2023 NFC championship group. San Francisco is 5-7 but only two games behind NFC West-leading Seattle with five games remaining as the Chicago Bears (4-8) arrive Sunday. "I've found the whole discussion on Kyle rather comical," Lynch said in an interview Friday with KNBR in San Francisco. "We have won four of the last five division championships. We've been to two Super Bowls. The standard here is to win championships, and we've fallen short of that, I understand. "But we have an excellent head coach, and the fact that people are talking about stuff like that, I do find it comical. We're 100 percent behind Kyle and what he brings to our organization. Like I said, our focus is really on the Bears and doing everything we can. That's where Kyle's focus is, and that's where all our focus is." San Francisco lost 35-10 in the snow at Buffalo last Sunday night and the 49ers placed their top two running backs on injured reserve due to injuries in that game. Christian McCaffrey (knee) and Jordan Mason (ankle) could return for Week 18 at Arizona if the 49ers are still fighting for a playoff spot. In a top-down ranking of NFC teams by record and playoff position, the 49ers are No. 11 entering Week 14. "You are what your record says you are in this league, and that isn't very good. So I think we've been through a lot as a team, this current team with a lot of stuff that has happened to members of our organization. Injuries, tragic circumstances, ultimately those are just excuses. One thing I can tell you is I'm proud of how this group has stuck together, had each other's back. The other thing I can tell you is the story's not written yet. We're still grinding, and we're still playing." The 49ers last missed the postseason in 2020 with a record of 6-10 that followed an appearance in the Super Bowl -- San Francisco's first title game loss of two to the Kansas City Chiefs. San Francisco's upcoming schedule after Sunday includes a short week before playing the division rival Rams on Thursday, at Miami (Dec. 22), a Monday night matchup with the Detroit Lions on Dec. 30 and the finale against the Cardinals. --Field Level Media
(All times Eastern) Schedule subject to change and/or blackouts Sunday, Dec. 8 AUTO RACING 7:55 a.m. ESPN2 — Formula 1: The Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Yas Marina Circuit, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates ESPNU — Formula 1: The Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Yas Marina Circuit, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (F1 Kids) COLLEGE BASKETBALL (MEN’S) Noon BTN — Maryland at Purdue FS1 — Oklahoma St. at Seton Hall SECN — Richmond at Auburn 12:30 p.m. ESPNU — Vanderbilt vs. TCU, Fort Worth, Texas 1 p.m. ESPN2 — Kansas at Missouri 3 p.m. ESPN2 — Texas A&M vs. Texas Tech, Fort Worth, Texas 4 p.m. ESPNU — Arkansas St. at Memphis 5 p.m. ESPN — UConn at Texas 6 p.m. ACCN — Duke at Louisville BTN — UCLA at Oregon COLLEGE BASKETBALL (WOMEN’S) Noon ACCN — Notre Dame at Syracuse 2 p.m. ACCN — SMU at Florida St. BTN — Minnesota at Nebraska SECN — Tennessee St. at Mississippi 4 p.m. ACCN — Virginia Tech at Duke BTN — Illinois at Ohio St. SECN — Kansas St. at Texas A&M 7 p.m. ESPN2 — South Carolina at TCU COLLEGE FOOTBALL Noon ESPN — College Football Playoff Selection Show COLLEGE WATER POLO (MEN’S) 6 p.m. ESPNU — NCAA Tournament: TBD, Stanford, Calif. FIGURE SKATING 4:30 p.m. NBC — ISU: The Final 2024, Grenoble, France GOLF 4 a.m. GOLF — DP World Tour: The Nedbank Golf Challenge, Final Round, Gary Player Country Club, Sun City, South Africa 11:30 a.m. GOLF — PGA Tour: The Hero World Challenge, Final Round, Albany Golf Club, Nassau, Bahamas 1:30 p.m. NBC — PGA Tour: The Hero World Challenge, Final Round, Albany Golf Club, Nassau, Bahamas HORSE RACING Noon FS2 — NYRA: America’s Day at the Races NBA G-LEAGUE BASKETBALL 2 p.m. NBATV — Westchester at Raptors 905 NFL FOOTBALL 1 p.m. CBS — Regional Coverage: Jacksonville at Tennessee, N.Y. Jets at Miami, Cleveland at Pittsburgh, Las Vegas at Tampa Bay FOX — Regional Coverage: Atlanta at Minnesota, New Orleans at N.Y. Giants, Carolina at Philadelphia 4:05 p.m. CBS — Seattle at Arizona 4:25 p.m. FOX — Regional Coverage: Buffalo at L.A. Rams, Chicago at San Francisco 8:20 p.m. NBC — L.A. Chargers at Kansas City PEACOCK — L.A. Chargers at Kansas City NHL HOCKEY 1 p.m. NHLN — Seattle at N.Y. Rangers 7 p.m. NHLN — Colorado at New Jersey SOCCER (MEN’S) 9 a.m. USA — Premier League: Brighton & Hove Albion at Leicester City 11:30 a.m. USA — Premier League: Chelsea at Tottenham Hotspur Noon CBSSN — Serie A: Como at Venezia SWIMMING Noon NBC — U.S. Open: Championships, Greensboro, N.C. (Taped) TENNIS 9:30 a.m. TENNIS — Ultimate Tennis Showdown The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive TV listings provided by LiveSportsOnTV .None
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy arrived in Paris on December 7 for the reopening of Notre Dame cathedral and for potential face-to-face meetings with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, French leader Emmanuel Macron, and other world leaders. More than three dozen global dignitaries are scheduled to attend the reopening ceremonies set to begin later in the evening at the iconic Paris cathedral, which has been restored following a devastating fire in 2019. Weather conditions could disrupt some public events as winds up to 80 kilometers an hour are forecast for the time of the ceremonies. Zelenskiy is looking to bolster support for his nation in its fight against the full-scale Russian invasion that began in February 2022. He is expected to leave Paris immediately following the Notre Dame ceremonies. There have been no confirmations of specific meetings -- all expected to be informal talks -- for the Ukrainian leader, but the most important of which would be with the incoming U.S. president. Trump, who will take office on January 20, has criticized the billions of dollars that the United States has poured into Ukraine since Russia launched its invasion. Trump has also said he could end the war within 24 hours of retaking the White House, a statement that has been interpreted as meaning that Ukraine would have to surrender territory that Russia now occupies. The two also have a long history, mainly through an infamous phone call. During that July 2019 call, Trump asked Zelenskiy to look into the activities in Ukraine of Joe Biden and his son, Hunter. The elder Biden went on to defeat Trump in the 2020 presidential election. The call led to accusations that Trump had conditioned the release of nearly $400 million in military aid on an investigation into the Bidens, and Trump was impeached by the U.S. House of Representatives in December 2019 on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. The Senate acquitted Trump on both charges in February 2020. One source said Zelensky is to meet with Macron at 5 p.m. local time, shortly after Trump is slated to meet with the French president. "We expect a good decision from today's meeting with Macron," a source within the Ukrainian delegation told the AFP news agency. AFP also reported that Elon Musk, the world's richest man and one of Trump's closest allies, is expected to attend the ceremonies. On social media, Zelenskiy earlier said that Ukraine had received a second shipment of sophisticated F-16 fighter jets from Denmark. "The second batch of F-16s for Ukraine from Denmark is already in Ukraine. This is the leadership in protecting life that distinguishes Denmark," he wrote on Telegram . "The planes provided by the Danes from the first batch are already shooting down Russian missiles and saving our people, our infrastructure. Now our air shield is additionally strengthened. If all partners were so determined, it would be possible to prevent Russian terror," he said. In November , Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen announced that Denmark would transfer two more batches of F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine. Six had already been transferred, with a total of 19 aircraft earmarked for delivery by Copenhagen. Police in Romania conducted searches at three homes on December 7 as part of a probe into election irregularities a day after the country’s Constitutional Court annulled an ongoing presidential vote, throwing the EU and NATO member into political turmoil. The Constitutional Court’s unprecedented decision on December 6 came just two days after President Klaus Iohannis declassified intelligence that alleged Russia organized thousands of social media accounts to promote Calin Georgescu -- the shock first-round winner -- across platforms such as TikTok and Telegram. The court, without naming Georgescu, said that one of the 13 candidates in the November 24 first round had improperly received “preferential treatment” on social media, distorting the outcome of the vote. Georgescu slammed the verdict as an “officialized coup” and an attack on democracy, as did the second-place finisher, reformist Elena Lasconi of the center-right Save Romania Union party. The two were supposed to meet in a runoff this weekend. Voting abroad had already started when the court shelved the entire election and instructed the government to set a new one. Iohannis said he would remain in office until a new presidential election could be conducted again from the start. He is expected to appoint a prime minister to begin forming a government from the parliament that was elected on December 1. That administration will choose the date of the new election. In the central city of Brasov, police searched three homes early on December 7 as part of a probe "in connection with the crimes of voter corruption, money laundering, and computer forgery," the local prosecutor’s office said in a statement. It added that the police action had targeted a person involved in the "illegal financing of the electoral campaign of a candidate for the presidency of Romania, through the use of sums of money," without naming Georgescu. The statement also said the investigation involved alleged violations of Romanian law prohibiting organizations and symbols of a fascist, racist or xenophobic character. In Washington, the U.S. State Department said Romanians must have confidence their elections are free of harmful external influences. "The United States reaffirms our confidence in Romania’s democratic institutions and processes, including investigations into foreign malign influence," the department said in a statement issued late on December 6. The Constitutional Court in its published decision cited the illegal use of digital technologies, including artificial intelligence, as well as the use of “undeclared sources of funding.” The runoff had been seen as a referendum on the NATO and EU member's future course amid accusations of Russian meddling that brought thousands of Romanians onto the streets in support of the country's place in the Euro-Atlantic community. Georgescu had appeared as a favorite to win the runoff, but was passed by Lasconi in the latest opinion poll after the intelligence documents were released. Rebels in Syria were reported to be advancing closer to the central city of Homs on December 7 as Russia, Iran, and Turkey held an emergency meeting to discuss the most serious challenge in years to the authoritarian rule of President Bashar al-Assad. Government forces and their Russian allies continued efforts to halt the continued push by the rebels toward Homs, which stands at an important intersection between Damascus and Syria’s coastal provinces of Latakia and Tartus. Homs is 140 kilometers from the capital. Russia, whose troops back Assad’s forces, was reported to have intensified air strikes around Homs in an apparent attempt to stop the rebel advance, the Saudi-owned news channel Al-Arabiya reported. The Syrian Army was also reported to be sending reinforcement to Homs, according to Arabiya and Al-Jazeera. Witnesses and army sources told Reuters that some rebels had entered Homs as government forces dug in to defend the city of 775,000 people, although reports were impossible to confirm. Following a meeting in Doha, Qatar, Russia Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and the foreign ministers of Iran and Turkey called for the immediate end to all hostilities in Syria. Lavrov also said -- referring to Islamist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) rebels -- that it was "inadmissible to allow terrorist groups" to take control of Syrian territory and that Russia would oppose them with all means possible. Homs Province is Syria’s largest in size and borders Lebanon, Iraq, and Jordan. The city is also home to one of Syria’s two state-run oil refineries. The AFP news agency quoted security sources as saying hundreds of Syrian government troops , some injured, had crossed the border into Iraq. The surprising rebel offensive was launched last week by a coalition of rebel groups lead by HTS. Besides HTS, the fighters include forces of an umbrella group of Turkish-backed Syrian militias called the Syrian National Army. Turkey has denied backing the offensive, though experts say insurgents would not have launched it without the country's consent. HTS is considered a terrorist group by the United States, Britain, Canada, and the European Union. The U.K.-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group said civilians were fleeing from Homs toward the Mediterranean coastal regions of Latakia and Tartus, strongholds of the government and the site of Russian air and naval bases. Lavrov declined to comment on the fate of the Russian bases, saying he “wasn’t in the business of guessing.” The United Nations said on December 6 that almost 300,000 people in Syria had already been displaced since late November by the fighting, and that up to 1.5 million could be forced to flee as the rebels advance and inflict losses on Assad, as well as his allies in Russia and Iran. Assad has relied on Iran and Russia to remain in power since the conflict erupted in 2011. Since the rebels' seized control of Aleppo a week ago, they have moved on to capture other major cities with Assad’s forces providing little resistance. Besides capturing Aleppo in the north, Hama in the center, and Deir al-Zor in the east, rebels rose up in southern Suweida and Deraa, saying on December 6 they had taken control of the two cities and posting videos showing insurgent celebrations there. Taking Deraa and Suweida in the south could allow a concerted assault on the capital, Damascus, the seat of Assad's power, military sources said. Video posted online showed protesters in the Damascus suburb of Jaramana chanting and tearing down a statue of Assad’s father, Hafez al-Assad, who ruled Syria from 1971 until his death in 2000, when his son took power. HTS’s leader, Abu Mohammad al-Golani, told CNN in an exclusive interview on December 5 from Syria that Assad’s government was bound to fall, propped up only by Russia and Iran. “The seeds of the regime’s defeat have always been within it,” he said. “But the truth remains, this regime is dead.” Prosecutors with a special international court in The Hague confirmed on December 6 that a new indictment has been filed against former Kosovar President Hashim Thaci and four other people for allegedly attempting to influence witness testimony in a war crimes trials. Thaci has been charged with three counts of obstruction, four counts of violating the secrecy of proceedings, and four counts of contempt of court, a statement released by prosecutors said. He was in the detention facilities of the Kosovo Specialist Chambers when served with an arrest warrant on the charges, the statement said. A separate statement issued by the Kosovo Specialists Chambers in The Hague said "the indictment charges the accused with offences related to alleged unlawful efforts to influence witness testimonies in the Thaci et al war crimes trial." The four others charged are former Justice Minister Hajredin Kuci, former Kosovar Intelligence Agency chief Bashkim Smakaj, former Malisheva Mayor Isni Kilaj, and Fadil Fazliu. Smakaj, Fazliu, and Kilaj were arrested on December 5 in Kosovo and transported to the Specialist Chambers’ detention facility in The Hague, the court said. They have been charged with attempted obstruction of official persons in carrying out official duties and of disobeying the court and are expected to make their first court appearance on the charges in the next few days, the statement said. Thaci is being tried by the court in a separate case against former Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) leaders for war crimes and crimes against humanity. He is accused of coordinating "three separate groups" along with Smakaj, Kilajn, Kuci, and Fazliu to influence the testimony of prosecution witnesses in the case against him and others for war crimes. The indictment says that Thaci gave Smakaj, Kilaj, Fazliu, and Kuci confidential information about witnesses, instructions to influence their testimony, and details on how they should do so during nonprivileged visits to the detention facility that took place between April 12, 2023, and November 2, 2023. The new indictment comes a day after the Specialist Prosecutor's Office announced that it was conducting ongoing operations in Kosovo in connection with its investigations. The Specialist Chamber was established in 2015 by the Kosovo Assembly to prosecute mainly former KLA fighters for war crimes and is part of Kosovo's judicial system, but it operates with international staff and is based in The Hague. Fear of witness intimidation was one of the reasons why the court is located there. Thaci, a former KLA commander, became president of Kosovo after it declared independence from Serbia in 2008 but resigned in late 2020 to face war crimes and crimes against humanity charges. He has pleaded not guilty. Thaci is widely seen as a guerilla hero in Kosovo, but prosecutors said he openly oversaw a brutal reign of violence as the ethnic Albanian KLA tried to tighten its grip on power during and after the war. The Kosovo war, which claimed some 13,000 lives, ended after a NATO bombing campaign forced Serb forces to withdraw. An attack by Russian troops on the Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhya on the evening of December 6 killed 10 people, according to regional Governor Ivan Fedorov as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy slammed Russia for carrying out the attack. Fedorov said that another 20 people were injured, including three children. One of the injured adults, a 23-year-old man, is in extremely serious condition, he added. The impact destroyed a service station and damaged nearby houses and shops, Fedorov said on Telegram. His post included a video of smoke rising from a building and debris strewn across the street. The state emergency service said that attack caused the fire, which engulfed six cars, a garage, and the service station. The fire has been put out, the service said. A separate attack on Kryviy Rih in the southern region of Dnipropetrovsk killed two people. A three-story building was destroyed in the attack, and residential buildings and cars were damaged, the emergency service said on Telegram. Zelenskiy said the attacks showed Russia has no interest in striking a deal to end the full-scale invasion it launched in February 2022. "Thousands of such strikes carried out by Russia during this war make it absolutely clear that [Russian President Vladimir] Putin does not need real peace," Zelenskiy said on Telegram. "Only by force can we resist this. And only through force can real peace be established," he added. Zelenskiy is set to travel to Paris for a ceremony on December 7 to mark the reopening of the Notre Dame cathedral after a restoration following a devastating fire in 2019, according to news reports quoting unidentified sources. A source in the Ukrainian government was quoted by the AFP news agency as saying that Zelenskiy will attend the celebrations marking the restoration of the cathedral and will meet with French President Emmanuel Macron. He also hopes to meet with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, who is expected to attend the ceremony. It would be their first meeting since Trump was elected president for a second non-consecutive term on November 5. Trump has repeatedly criticized U.S. military aid to Kyiv and said he would end the war within 24 hours of returning to the White House but has yet to provide details. There are fears in Kyiv that Trump could try to force Ukraine to the negotiating table and accept peace terms favorable to Russia. Trump has named Keith Kellogg, a retired general who has called on Kyiv to make concessions to end the war, as his Ukraine envoy. Meanwhile, President Joe Biden's outgoing administration is seeking to bolster Kyiv before leaving office on January 20. The administration announced on December 2 that it will send $725 million worth of missiles, ammunition, anti-personnel mines, and other weapons to Ukraine. Iran is poised to significantly increase the production rate of highly enriched uranium, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has warned in a confidential report. The IAEA report said the effect of the change "would be to significantly increase the rate of production of uranium enriched up to 60 percent," according to news agencies quoting the report on December 6. This means the rate of production will jump to more than 34 kilograms of highly enriched uranium per month at its Fordow facility alone, compared to 4.7 kilograms previously, the report to the IAEA's board of governors says. IAEA Director-General Rafael Grossi, who spoke to reporters about the report on the sidelines of an international conference in Bahrain, said the increase would represent “seven or eight times or even more," calling the development very concerning. “They were preparing, and they have all of these facilities sort of in abeyance and now they are activating that. So we are going to see,” he said, adding that it would be a “huge jump” if Iran begins increasing its enrichment. The report also said Iran must implement tougher safeguard measures such as inspections to ensure Fordow is not being "misused to produce uranium of an enrichment level higher than that declared by Iran, and that there is no diversion of declared nuclear material." Iran's decision to accelerate production of enriched uranium is in response to recent censure by the IAEA, Grossi told the AFP news agency. "This is a message. This is a clear message that they are responding to what they feel is pressure," the UN nuclear watchdog's head said. Tehran was angered by a resolution last month put forward by Britain, Germany, and France, known as the E3, and the United States that faulted Iran's cooperation with the UN nuclear watchdog. Britain, Germany, and France have adopted a tougher stance on Iran in recent months, in particular since Tehran ramped up its military support to Russia. In addition, there was little progress last week when European and Iranian officials met to determine whether they could enter serious talks on the nuclear program before U.S. President-elect Donald Trump returns to the White House in January. Trump pulled the United States out of the 2015 nuclear deal between Tehran and world powers and is now appointing hawks on Iran to his planned administration. While Iran maintains its program is peaceful, Iranian officials increasingly threaten to potentially seek a nuclear bomb and an intercontinental ballistic missile. But experts war that the enrichment of uranium at 60 percent is just a short step away from weapons-grade levels of 90 percent, and they say there is no justification for enriching uranium to such a high level under any civilian program. The news of Iran's decision to increase uranium enrichment came just hours after Tehran claimed it had conducted a successful space launch with its heaviest payload ever. Official media reported that the launch of the Simorgh rocket took place at Iran’s Imam Khomeini Spaceport in Semnan Province located about 220 kilometers east of Tehran. Western governments have expressed concern that the Tehran’s ballistic missile program is coming closer to having the ability to launch a weapon against distant foes like the United States. The Simorgh carried what Iran described as an “orbital propulsion system” and two research systems to a 400-kilometer orbit above the Earth. It also carried the Fakhr-1 satellite for Iran’s military, the first time Iran’s civilian program is known to have carried a military payload. Iran has said its space program, like its nuclear activities, is for purely civilian purposes. Russian President Vladimir Putin has announced that Oreshnik missile systems, recently combat-tested in a strike on Ukraine, will be deployed in Belarus simultaneously with their introduction into the Russian Strategic Missile Forces (RVSN). Speaking on December 6 after a meeting of the Supreme State Council of the Russia-Belarus Union State in Minsk, Putin said that the Oreshnik systems could be stationed in Belarus as soon as the second half of 2025. The statement opens a new phase in the military strategy and development of relations between Russia and Belarus. The decision underscores a further deepening of military integration between the two countries and underlines Russia's increasing military footprint in Eastern Europe. Russia launched an Oreshnik ballistic missile against Ukraine on November 21 in a strike targeting the city of Dnipro. Putin said at the time it was part of Moscow's response to Ukrainian attacks on Russian soil with U.S.-supplied Army Tactical Missile Systems, known as ATACMS, and British-supplied Storm Shadow missiles. Putin said the Oreshnik system would have highly accurate, long-range missiles that could pierce advanced missile defense systems. The specific technical details of the Oreshnik remain classified, but it is reportedly designed to increase the survivability and effectiveness of Russia's nuclear arsenal, particularly in the context of evolving global security challenges. Belarus, a close ally of Russia, has been part of a broader geopolitical and military partnership, formally enshrined through the Union State agreement signed in the 1990s. Over the years, this alliance has been deepening, especially after 2014, following the annexation of Crimea and the subsequent deterioration of relations between Russia and the West, especially over Moscow's ongoing full-scale invasion of Ukraine, which started in February 2022. For Russia, the placement of advanced missile systems in Belarus indicates its willingness to develop military capabilities close to NATO's eastern flank. Belarus's proximity to NATO member states, particularly Poland, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, makes it a very strategic location for Russia's missile deployments. Aside from missile deployments, Russia and Belarus are performing joint military exercises and integrating their air defense systems and defense coordination strategies. In general, the coordination shows a continuously intensifying comprehensive military integration, which many analysts suggest would take the relationship one step further to a fully political-military union in the framework of the Union State. To Belarus, the alliance with Russia is an influential factor in its security strategy, particularly when tensions have risen between Belarus and the West. Belarus's authoritarian ruler, Alyaksandr Lukashenka, has long relied on Russian support, both political and military, as a guarantor of his regime's stability. Five Azerbaijani journalists who are reportedly affiliated with Meydan TV, a media outlet known for harshly criticizing government policy, have been detained in Baku, their relatives said on December 6. The relatives said the journalists -- Aynur Elgunas, Aytac Tapdiq, Natiq Cavadli, Xayala Agayeva, and Ramin Cabrayilzada, known by his pen name Deko -- were taken to the Baku City Main Police Directorate. Interior Ministry officials said Cabrayilzada was detained after police obtained information about the alleged smuggling of foreign currency into the country. The Interior Ministry told the Turan news agency that further investigations are under way and that other people have been detained on suspicion of involvement in the case. "Additional information will be provided," they said. The detainees have denied the charges, saying they are politically motivated and connected with their professional activity. The development comes amid a broader crackdown on media freedom in Azerbaijan. More than 20 journalists and civil society activists, including members of AbzasMedia and Toplum TV, have been arrested within the past year on suspicion of foreign currency smuggling. The timing of the detentions is symbolic ahead of International Human Rights Day on December 10. The embassies of the European Union, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Switzerland in Baku issued a joint call earlier this week to immediately release those imprisoned in connection with exercising their fundamental freedoms. They were most concerned about the continued persecution of those advocating for human rights and freedom of expression. U.S. Ambassador Mark Libby called on Baku to release "people fighting for human rights in their beautiful homeland." The detainees, according to Libby, include economist and journalist Farid Mehralizada, who was recently imprisoned in Azerbaijan. He emphasized that Azerbaijan must fulfill its international commitments to human rights by releasing those arbitrarily detained. In response, Azerbaijan's Foreign Ministry rejected the statements of the foreign diplomats and assertions that their arrests were related to their professional activities. The ministry went on to say that this was an attempt to devalue the independence of the Azerbaijani judiciary. Many international observers are deeply concerned about freedom of speech and respect for human rights in the country with regard to the continued targeting of journalists and activists. Russian forces bombed a key bridge and highway to try and slow a lightning advance by rebels toward the Syrian city of Homs as thousands fled the area. The U.K.-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group said civilians were fleeing from Homs towards the Mediterranean coastal regions of Latakia and Tartus, strongholds of the government and the site of Russian air and naval bases. The United Nations said on December 6 that almost 300,000 people in Syria had already been displaced since late November by the fighting, and that up to 1.5 million could be forced to flee as the rebels advance and deal losses to the country's president, Bashar al-Assad, as well as his allies in Russia and Iran. Assad has relied on Iran and Russia to remain in power since the conflict erupted in 2011. A Syrian Army officer was quoted by Reuters as saying that Russian bombing overnight had destroyed the Rastan bridge along the key M5 highway linking Homs to Hama, another city the rebels captured a day earlier. The rebels, led by Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), have made major advances over the past several days, including the capture of Aleppo, the country's largest city, as well as 14 central villages and towns, and gotten as close as 35 kilometers from the Russian-operated Khmeimim air base. HTS is considered a terrorist group by the United States, Britain, Canada, and the European Union. Hama, Syria's fourth-largest city, is key to the defense of Damascus and the gateway to the coastal cities of Tartus and Latakia, the former being home to a strategic Russian naval base. In his first media interview in several years, Abu Muhammad al-Julani, the group's leader, told CNN the goal "remains to overthrow the Bashar al-Assad regime, and it is our right to use all available means to achieve this goal." Besides HTS, the rebels also include an umbrella group of Turkish-backed Syrian militias called the Syrian National Army. The foreign ministers of Iraq, Syria, and Iran were to meet on December 6 to discuss the situation, while Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said the top diplomats from Moscow, Tehran, and Ankara will meet in Qatar on December 7. The state news agency TASS reported on December 6 that Russia's embassy in Syria had urged Russian nationals to leave the country due to the situation. Riot police in Georgia used water cannons late on the night of December 6 to disperse protesters gathered in Tbilisi for the ninth consecutive night to voice their opposition to the government’s decision to suspend talks on joining the European Union. The riot police began dispersing protesters gathered on Rustaveli Avenue in front of the parliament building at about 12:30 a.m. on December 7. Special forces detained several people at Republic Square by 1:30 a.m. local time on December 7. They had mobilized earlier on Rustaveli Avenue about 600 meters away from the main center of the demonstration on Republic Square. Among those detained is Tsotne Koberidze, a member of the Tbilisi City Council from the opposition party Girchi (More Freedom), RFE/RL reported. A young woman who had been standing in front of the cordon for several minutes was also detained. Warning messages urging protesters to disperse continued as the riot police attempted to break up the protest on Rustaveli Avenue. Demonstrators moved away from the avenue but did not disperse. Tensions have been running high in Georgia since the ruling Georgian Dream party won an election on October 26 that the pro-Western opposition and Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili say was rigged with the help of Moscow. Earlier on December 6, Zurabishvili called on Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze to step down as pressure mounts on the government amid a violent crackdown on unrest. Zurabishvili made the call in an interview with Georgia's Channel One media group as the Prosecutor-General's Office announced that it had filed its first criminal charges against protesters who have taken to the streets to rally against the move. "The prime minister who has failed to settle the crisis...must be replaced," Zurabishvili said. "This is the compromise, depolarization, a way out for Georgia, stability, peace and the future, which will be unshakable, free and democratic," she added. The announcement last week by Georgian Dream to halt talks on joining the EU until 2028 further fueled dissension, with thousands of Georgians flooding the streets around parliament in protest. The largely peaceful protesters have been met with a sometimes brutal crackdown by security forces, leaving dozens -- including opposition members and journalists covering the events -- in need of medical attention. The Prosecutor-General's Office, however, said it charged nine individuals with organizing and participating in group violence during the protests on Rustaveli Avenue in Tbilisi. "This is a choice between autocracy and democracy -- there is no other way," Tere Heland, an adviser to the European Neighborhood Council, which provides information on current events in Georgia, told RFE/RL in an interview on December 6. Opposition leaders have also rejected accusations by Georgian Dream that the violence was the product of a conspiracy -- aided by foreign actors -- to provoke chaos. Levan Tsutskiridze, leader of the Freedom Square movement and one of the most influential members of the Strong Georgia political coalition, said the actions of government forces against peaceful protesters were "tragic." He accused the police of "mass terror, with physical violence, intimidation, and torture." The opposition has also called for fresh elections, saying that without a new vote, the restoration of democratic legitimacy is impossible. Georgia's Interior Ministry told RFE/RL on December 6 that in all, 338 individuals had been detained for administrative violations during the protests, which security forces have tried to put down with water cannons, vast amounts of tear gas, and harsh beatings. Further demonstrations are planned for December 6 and through the week, protest leaders said. The EU has said it is following the events very closely, with some officials warning that continued unrest - and allegations of police brutality - could have profound implications for Georgia's relations with the bloc. Some Western diplomats have warned of the possible suspension of visa liberalization because the government has violated the shared values underpinning Georgia's partnership with Europe. "We are all watching the deteriorating political situation with concern," Jeanne Shaheen, a member of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said during a session on December 5. "It is important to clearly state that there is a bipartisan consensus in the Senate and Congress on this issue regarding Georgia, and we are not going to tolerate the gross violations of human rights that are taking place in the country without action. I hope that the prime minister and the ruling party will understand this message." Explosions were reported early on December 6 in the Crimean city of Kerch, and the bridge connecting the Moscow-occupied peninsula with Russia was closed, local Telegram channels reported. According to the channel Krymskiy Veter, explosions were heard in the area of the Zaliv shipyard. The first blasts were reported around 7 a.m. local time, witnesses told RFE/RL. The Russian Defense Ministry said the Kerch region was being attacked by Ukrainian aerial and seaborne surface drones. It said that Russian forces downed one aerial drone and sank two naval drones. Ukraine has not commented. Attacks on Crimea occur regularly, particularly near the bridge. A powerful explosion in October 2022 on the bridge caused the collapse of a road section and a major fire on the railway section of the bridge. According to Russian data, three people were killed in that incident. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Russian Service, click here . Romania's Constitutional Court annulled the entire presidential election -- even as a runoff vote was under way -- throwing the process into upheaval after a Moscow-friendly, far-right candidate won the first round. The court ruling on December 6 was followed by an announcement from Romanian prosecutors that a probe into alleged computer-related crimes has been launched amid allegations of Russian influence that Romanian intelligence services said sparked the shock first-round victory of Calin Georgescu. Experts said is was unclear after the court decision if all the candidates are going to be allowed to re-register for the new vote, or if Georgescu could be disqualified following revelations of Moscow's support for him. Catalin Pop, a lawyer specializing in the Constitutional Court, told RFE/RL that the ruling was "definitive and binding," and that the court the court's reasoning will most likely "be similar" to what was used in the case of Diana Sosoaca, meaning Georgescu could be ruled out of the new election. Sosoaca was ruled out by the court in October prior to the first round of voting for promoting extremist and anti-Semitic views, while also pushing ideas against the democratic values and EU membership that are at the root of Romania's constitution. In its ruling, the Constitutional Court said the electoral process for the election "will be resumed in its entirety, with the government to establish a new date for the election of the president of Romania, as well as a new calendar program for carrying out the necessary actions." President Klaus Iohannis, whose term was scheduled to end on December 21, said he would stay in his post until a successor can be elected. "When the new president takes the oath, I will leave here," Iohannis said in a statement on December 6. Iohannis is expected to appoint a prime minister to begin forming a government from the parliament that was elected on December 1. The new government will choose the date of the new election, he said. Georgescu's victory sent shock waves across the West after Romania's Supreme Council of National Defense (CSAT) declassified documents said to prove a massive, Moscow-orchestrated cybercampaign in his favor on TikTok that largely went under the radar of Romanian authorities. Georgescu was to face off in a runoff vote on December 8 against pro-European centrist candidate Elena Lasconi. At the time of the court's announcement, voting had already begun in the large Romanian diaspora around the world, with around 33,000 said to have cast their ballots. In a statement to Romanian television station Realitatea, Georgescu called the court ruling an "official coup," evidence of what he said was a corrupt system showing its face. The runoff has been seen as a referendum on the NATO and EU member's future course amid accusations of Russian meddling that brought thousands of Romanians to the streets in support of the country's place in the Euro-Atlantic community. Georgescu had appeared as a favorite to win the runoff, but was passed by Lasconi in the latest opinion poll after CSAT on December 4 declassified documents revealing the country was the target of an "aggressive hybrid Russian action" that led to the far-right candidate's shock victory in the first round. Lasconi, a former TV presenter and the incumbent mayor of the small city of Campulung, had a 2 percentage-point lead over Georgescu in the AtlasIntel poll published on December 5 which is credited with an error margin of about 1 percent. Lasconi condemned the court's ruling annulling the election. "The constitutional court's decision is illegal, amoral and crushes the very essence of democracy, voting," she said. Georgescu's first-round shock victory saw the candidate favored by early opinion polls to win the vote -- Social Democratic (PSD) Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu -- come third in the race and prompted him to resign as PSD leader. Ciolacu said on December 6 that the surprise announcement by the court "was the only correct solution." However, the unexpected move is likely to trigger a wave of criticism both by the pro-Western parties who support Lasconi and the far-right groups such as the Alliance for the Unity of Romanians (AUR) that had thrown their support behind Georgescu. Critics have said that the Constitutional Court, which is dominated by judges appointed by the PSD, had tried to smooth Ciolacu's path to the second round -- an accusation that may resurface following the December 6 annulment. Over the past several days, Georgescu's first-place finish sparked fears and triggered protests, especially among younger Romanians, over the future of democracy in the country. On December 5, some 3,000 people marched in Bucharest 5 demanding Romania maintain its pro-European path before gathering in the capital's University Square chanting "Freedom" and "Europe." In a gesture of support, Moldovan President Maia Sandu traveled to Romania on December 5 to meet with Lasconi. Moldova was part of Romania until World War II and the two countries share a common language, culture, and history. The pro-Western Sandu won reelection on November 3, defeating Moscow-friendly candidate Alexandr Stoianoglo despite allegations of a widespread campaign in his favor orchestrated and funded by Russia. "We, Moldovans, have always looked toward Romania with admiration. For us, Romania has always been a model to follow...that's why we also want to be part of the European Union, but we need your help," Sandu told Lasconi. Moldova opened accession talks with the European Union earlier this year. About 3,000 people marched in Bucharest on December 5 demanding Romania maintain its pro-European path ahead of a runoff that will decide whether a far-right pro-Russian candidate will become the country’s next president. With the country braced for a December 8 second round vote pitting pro-European centrist candidate Elena Lasconi against Calin Georgescu , who won the first round amid allegations of election influence orchestrated by Russia, Romanians gathered in University Square chanting "Freedom" and "Europe." Georgescu's first-place finish sparked fears and triggered protests, especially among younger Romanians, over the future of democracy in the country. The country was rocked further when Romania's Supreme Council of National Defense (CSAT) on December 4 declassified documents revealing the country was the target of an "aggressive hybrid Russian action" that led to Georgescu's shock first-round victory. Activists, including poet Ana Blandiana, prominent actors and other Romanians spoke at the rally, which was sponsored by the group Romania Hope. Blandiana said the vote represents more than just a simple election. The balloting is a true referendum: "'Yes' - for Europe or 'no' for the past that I came out of 35 years ago," she told the crowd. Serban Pavlu, an actor known for playing in feature films and television series, echoed Blandiana's comments, urging voters to choose the pro-European candidate. "We cannot, 30 years after the revolution, fear that the Russians will come after us," Pavlu said. Both speakers referred to the events of December 1989 when civil unrest spread through the country and resulted in the Christmas day execution of communist dictator Nicolae Ceausescu and his wife, Elena. Actress Oana Pellea told the gathering that there is only one path for Romanians: the one toward freedom "so that we don't end up spending our holidays [in Russia] in St. Petersburg." After each speaker, the people gathered in the square shout "Freedom! Freedom!" as they were urged to vote for Lasconi, a small town mayor and former journalist. History professor Marcel Bartic opened the rally by telling people they were using their voices to speak out against fascism, which he said Romania doesn't want. "We are here to remind our compatriots that Romania says no to extremists, to fascism. We want Europe, European values and we are not afraid to say it," Bartic said. The group's announcement on Facebook said Romania is at a decisive moment after the revolution opened the country's path to freedom and democracy. The organization said the country had been on a “difficult road...with many disappointments” since 1989 but had still achieved the right to travel, settle, study, and work in the countries of Europe and membership in NATO. “Human dignity, fundamental freedoms, equality between persons, solidarity, citizens' rights, and justice are the values that can unite us all,” the organization said, adding that it represents a “common cry for the protection and strengthening of these fundamental values.” Britain’s counterterrorism police say they are awaiting the extradition of two Romanian men who are suspects in the stabbing in March of a journalist working for a Persian-language media organization in London. Britain's Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said on December 5 that Nandito Badea, 19, and George Stana, 23, had been arrested in Romania and charged in the attack on Pouria Zeraati, a London-based TV host for the Iran International news network. Badea and Stana appeared in a Romanian court after their arrest on December 4 for the start of extradition proceedings," a CPS spokesperson was quoted by Reuters as saying. "We continue to work closely with Romanian authorities, to ensure that our extradition request is progressed through the courts." British authorities have authorized charges against both of "wounding and wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm," according to a statement issued by the London Metropolitan Police. Zeraati, a British-Iranian journalist, suffered injuries after being stabbed near his home on March 29 in southwestern London. Counterterrorism police have led the investigation into the attack over concerns he had been targeted because of his job at Iran International, which is critical of Iran's government. “We now await the extradition process to progress so that the men can face prosecution here in the U.K.,” Acting Commander Helen Flanagan of the Counter Terrorism Command said in the statement. Flanagan said the command planned no further comments on the investigation and urged others not to speculate about the case, given criminal proceedings are now pending. Officials had previously said that the Romanians were suspected of being associates of an Eastern European crime network hired to carry out an attack directed by Iran’s security services. The suspects were likely hired to carry out the attack and had arrived in Britain shortly before the incident, according to British police sources quoted by The Guardian newspaper. British police, security officials, and politicians have issued a number of warnings about what they say is Iran's growing use of criminal proxies to carry out attacks abroad. The U.S. Justice Department last month unsealed criminal charges that included details of a plot allegedly backed by Iran to kill President-elect Donald Trump before the November 5 election. FBI Director Christopher Wray said at the time that the charges exposed Iran's “continued brazen attempts to target U.S. citizens” and dissidents who criticize the Iranian regime, which has rejected accusations that it is involved. One of the targets of the alleged plot was dissident journalist Masih Alinejad, who said on X that she was shocked to have learned of the conspiracy from the FBI. Alinejad, who has criticized Iran's laws requiring women to wear a hijab, was the target of a kidnapping plot in 2021 according to U.S. prosecutors, and in 2022 a man was arrested with a rifle outside her home. Britain and the United States have imposed sanctions on Iranian officials who they say have been involved in threats to kill journalists on their soil. Iran International said the network is pleased that the police investigation has made progress. “It is reassuring for our journalists, as for others in organizations under similar threat," said Adam Baillie, a spokesman for the network, according to Reuters. Authorities initially believed three suspects were involved in the attack on Zeraati. The three men abandoned their vehicle shortly after the incident and left the country by air within hours, police said. A third person was detained in Romania on December 4, but was later released, according to individuals familiar with the case quoted by The Washington Post. The London Metropolitan Police statement did not mention the third person or specifically accuse those arrested of acting on behalf of Tehran. Zeraati did not comment directly on the developments but posted links on his X account to news stories about the arrests made in Romania. Georgian law enforcement officers conducted searches of homes owned by former Defense Minister Davit Kezerashvili following a decision by the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) to uphold a ruling that he had embezzled over 5 million euros ($5.3 million) during his tenure as defense minister more than a decade ago. It was not clear what was being sought during the December 5 investigative actions. Details will be announced once the searches are complete, Kezerashvili's lawyer said. The searches took place amid large anti-government protests in the country over the ruling Georgian Dream party’s decision to suspend talks on Georgia joining the European Union and a crackdown that has drawn international condemnation and sanctions. One of the leaders of the opposition United National Movement (ENM), Dimitri Chikovani, currently lives in one of the homes searched. Chikovani reacted to the search on social media, saying it was an attempt to intimidate by “the Russian regime” and vowing that it would not succeed. “They want to form a dictatorship in the country, and they are wrong if they think they can do it,” Chikovani said. “Home invasions, illegal arrests, and pressure on individuals will not stop anyone. The Georgian people will soon force the Russian dictator and his regime out of Georgia forever and ever.” Kezerashvili, who fled Georgia in 2012 for France, reacted to the searches by taunting the Georgian authorities in a post on social media. "The so-called authorities have been so overwhelmed by the ECHR's decision that they are entering my house at the moment. Come on boys, keep it up. We still got this!!" Earlier on December 5, Georgian Justice Minister Anri Okhanashvili told a news conference in Tbilisi that the embezzled funds had been designated in the state budget for the Georgian armed forces shortly before the August 2008 war with Russia. Okhanashvili described Kezerashvili’s actions as a “blatant act of corruption,” and added that the former minister had signed a fictitious agreement with an offshore company for army training, bypassing the General Staff of the Defense Forces. The justice minister said the Strasbourg-based ECHR ruling showed thatthere had been no political prosecution against Kezerashvili and the judgment of the Supreme Court of Georgia on Kezerashvili's guilty plea was also substantiated and the presumption of innocence against him was not violated. “The court unequivocally found no violation of the presumption of innocence and affirmed that the Supreme Court of Georgia’s verdict was well-founded,” he said. "I congratulate our state, the Georgian Army, and our community on this worthy victory in the European Court," Okhanashvili added. However, ECHR decision indicated that an article of the Convention on Human Rights on the right to a fair trial was violated in Kezerashvili’s case. The court held that the presence of former Prosecutor-General Shalva Tadumadze on the three-judge panel that convicted him was sufficient to question the objectivity of the Supreme Court during the hearing of the appeal. But the court did not believe that the Supreme Court's decision was unsubstantiated and would result in a denial of the fairness of the proceedings as a whole. Kezerashvili filed the case with the ECHR in February 2022. The decision was made by the Grand Chamber of the ECHR with the consent of seven judges. The Syrian Army said it was redeploying troops "to preserve civilians lives and prevent urban combat" after Islamist-led rebels entered the key city of Hama, another loss for the country's president, Bashar al-Assad, as well as his allies in Russia and Iran. "Over the past few hours, with the intensification of confrontations between our soldiers and terrorist groups...these groups were able to breach a number of axes in the city and entered it," a Syrian Army statement said on December 5. Hama, Syria's fourth-largest city, is key to the defense of Damascus and the gateway to the coastal cities of Tartus and Latakia, the former being home to a strategic Russian naval base. Syrian and Russian forces had shelled the rebels a day earlier and used air strikes to try and stop their advance. "With that (advance in Hama), Assad's in real trouble. Homs is next & its countryside is FAR more amenable to facilitating an opposition advance," Charles Lister, a senior fellow and the director of the Syria and Countering Terrorism & Extremism programs at the Middle East Institute, wrote on X. The rebels, led by Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), have made major advances over the past several days, including the capture of Aleppo, the country's largest city, as well as 14 central villages and towns, and gotten as close as 35 kilometers from the Russian-operated Khmeimim air base. Syria turned over the air base to Russia in 2015 as Moscow moved in to help Damascus turn the tide of a four-year civil war in its favor. Besides HTS, the rebels also include an umbrella group of Turkish-backed Syrian militias called the Syrian National Army. The United Nations has said tens of thousands of civilians have been displaced by the fighting. The European Union has ordered TikTok to freeze all its data amid reports that the Chinese-owned social platform had been instrumental in implementing a Moscow-orchestrated campaign to influence Romania's presidential and parliamentary elections. Romania's Supreme Council of National Defense (CSAT) on December 4 declassified documents revealing the country was the target of an "aggressive hybrid Russian action" that led to last month's surprise victory of pro-Russian far-right candidate Calin Georgescu in the first round of presidential elections. CSAT said the document showed EU and NATO member Romania was the target of various coordinated actions, most likely orchestrated by a "state actor," leading up to the November 24 election won by Georgescu, who ran as an independent. The European Commission -- the bloc's executive arm -- on December 5 issued a "retention order" to TikTok under its Digital Services Act (DSA) that would preserve evidence "related to actual or foreseeable systemic risks its service could pose on electoral processes and civic discourse in the EU," the commission said in a statement . It added the move was necessary in case of a further probe of TikTok's "compliance with its obligations under the DSA." According to the declassified documents, Romania's intelligence services believe Georgescu was massively promoted on TikTok with backing from Russia through multiple methods, including coordinated accounts, algorithms to boost his presence on the platform, and paid promotion. The documents purported to explain how Georgescu's popularity increased from 1 percent shortly before the race to 22 percent through a vast operation of manipulation that involved influencers and ensnared Romanian institutions as well as ordinary voters. A parliamentary election a week later resulted in a surge for three pro-Russia far right parties that garnered about a third of the vote, although the pro-European parties appear to have enough votes to form a coalition government. On December 8, voters will decide the winner of the presidential election in a runoff that pits Georgescu against pro-European centrist candidate Elena Lasconi. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova denied Russia was interfering in the election. "The campaign for the Romanian presidential election...is accompanied by an unprecedented outburst of anti-Russian hysteria," Zakharova said. "More and more absurd accusations are being made by local politicians, officials and media representatives," she added. "We firmly reject all hostile attacks, which we consider absolutely groundless." Ahead of the vote, the United States called for a thorough investigation into Moscow's alleged actions. State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said that while the United States does not interfere with the Romanian people's choice or the election process, Washington is "concerned by the CSAT's report of Russian involvement in malign cyberactivity designed to influence the integrity of the Romanian electoral process." Miller said Romania is a strong NATO ally and the United States values its contributions to the alliance's security and the country's hard-earned position in the transatlantic community cannot be reversed "by foreign actors seeking to shift Romania's foreign policy away from its Western alliances." Such a change in policy would have "serious negative impacts on U.S. security cooperation with Romania," Miller said. The declassified documents say influencers on TikTok were recruited to promote Georgescu directly by publicly supporting him and indirectly through neutral messages that contained labels associated with him. Dozens of TikTok accounts were found that falsely used the intelligence service's logo and the title Anti-Terrorist Brigade, each displaying thousands of followers and over 100,000 likes. Romania's intelligence services hinted that large sums of money would have been spent in the operation. Georgescu has told Romanian electoral authorities that he spent nothing on his campaign. Romanian intelligence linked the operation to Russia by noting that access data for official Romanian election websites was published on Russian cybercrime platforms. The access data was probably procured by targeting legitimate users or exploiting the legitimate training server, the intelligence services said. The State Department statement said Washington has been "closely following the elections in Romania" and that it "will continue to work together [with Romanian authorities] "to preserve the security of our nations and the prosperity and well-being of our citizens." On December 5, three Romanian institutions, including the country's top political sciences school, and a former presidential candidate asked the Constitutional Court to annul the first round of presidential elections and repeat them. It was not known immediately if the Court would consider the requests just hours ahead the start of the runoff abroad. TBILISI -- A Georgian opposition leader who was beaten unconscious during his arrest is recovering and expecting a court hearing, his lawyer said on December 5, as the United States firmly condemned the ruling Georgian Dream party's use of violence against demonstrators protesting the party's move to halt accession talks with the European Union. Nika Gvaramia, leader of the Akhali party under the Coalition for Change umbrella, was detained on December 4 by police during searches by authorities at opposition parties' headquarters in Tbilisi and was repeatedly hit in the stomach until he lost consciousness before being dragged motionless into a police vehicle. Gvaramia's lawyer, Dito Sadzaglishvili, said on December 5 that the opposition leader's health is "satisfactory." Sadzaglishvili said Gvaramia was arrested for "petty hooliganism and failing to comply with police orders" and a court hearing in his case should take place within 48 hours from his arrest. Another prominent member of the Coalition for Change, activist Gela Khasaia, was also taken into custody during the police operation. The wave of repression unleashed by the Georgian Dream government against protesters drew international condemnation as well as sanctions. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken issued a stern warning to the Georgian Dream government, urging it "to cease its repressive tactics, including its use of arbitrary detention and physical violence" as Tbilisi was roiled by a sixth day of mass protests that were met with excessive force by riot police. "The United States strongly condemns the Georgian Dream party's brutal and unjustified violence against Georgian citizens, protesters, members of the media, and opposition figures," Blinken said in a statement. Blinken reaffirmed the United States' "solidarity with the Georgian people and their democratic aspirations," warning those attempting to suppress the Georgians' right to freedom "will be held to account," including through additional sanctions. Washington in July suspended $95 million in assistance to Georgia after the Georgian Dream-controlled parliament adopted legislation related to foreign agents that critics say was inspired by a similar Russian law used by the Kremlin to crack down on political dissent and that sparked weeks of mass protests. Blinken's statement came after the U.S. Embassy in Tbilisi on December 4 urged authorities to treat protesters with dignity as law enforcement authorities conducted raids on the offices of several Georgian opposition parties and protest leaders. On December 5, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy announced that Kyiv was imposing sanctions on 19 Georgian individuals. Zelenskiy's move came after the three Baltic states on December 2 announced joint sanctions against 11 Georgians, including Ivanishvili and Gomelauri. The list included Georgian Dream founder and billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili, Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze, State Security Service chief Grigol Liluashvili, Interior Minister Vakhtang Gomelauri, Tbilisi City Mayor Kakha Kaladze, and a number of judges and lawmakers. Despite the growing protests, Kobakhidze has refused to back down and threatened to punish political opponents, whom he accuses of being behind violence that has occurred at the protests. Georgia's ombudsman accused police of torturing pro-EU protesters. Levan Ioseliani, whose role is to defend citizens' rights, said he and his officials had met people subjected to "the harshest treatment" by police. Protesters have described to RFE/RL the brutality employed by security forces against them. "They were hitting us in the head," protester Salome Zandukeli said, describing how she and a friend had been chased on the night of December 2 by some 25 riot police into a building in downtown Tbilisi before taking refuge in a cafe. Activist Gia Jvarsheishvili told RFE/RL that he was thrown to the ground by charging officers and beaten before being shoved into a police van where police pushed detainees to the floor and began stomping on them. "Suddenly, I was in unbearable pain and I realized that I had been injured. I didn't know it then, but I had a broken rib," Jvarsheishvili said. Georgia's pro-European president, Salome Zurabishvili, who has sided with the demonstrators, said on X that many of the arrested protesters had injuries to their heads and faces. Some people were subjected to systematic beatings between arrest and transportation to detention facilities, she added. Georgia has been thrown into the latest wave of turmoil since parliamentary elections in October in which Georgian Dream secured 54 percent of the vote. The opposition and Western governments argued that the poll was marred by violations and Russian influence. Kobakhidze has blamed the unrest on foreign "instructors" and tried to explain the decision to halt EU accession talks through 2028 by saying Georgia is ready for the talks, "but only with dignity and justice and without blackmail." Georgia received EU candidate status in December 2023 but relations with Brussels have soured in recent months, beginning with the adoption of a Russian-style "foreign agent" law, which critics say threatens media outlets and civil society groups. accusing them of "serving" outside powers. A majority of Georgians support EU membership, and efforts to join the bloc are mandated in the Georgian Constitution. Documents declassified by Romania's security council on December 4 said the country was the target of an "aggressive hybrid Russian action" during recent election campaigns, including last month's surprise victory of a pro-Russian far-right candidate. The Supreme Council of National Defense declassified the documents, saying they showed that Romania was the target of various coordinated actions leading up to the presidential election's November 24 first round, won by Calin Georgescu. Voters in the EU and NATO member state will decide the winner of the presidential election in a runoff on December 8 that pits Georgescu against pro-European centrist candidate Elena Lasconi. It had already been reported that TikTok was used to generate support for Georgescu and connect him to a Romanian audience in the millions. But the declassified documents show that Romania's intelligence service believes that Georgescu was massively promoted on TikTok with backing from Russia through multiple methods, including coordinated accounts, algorithms to boost his presence on the platform, and paid promotion. The documents help explain how Georgescu's popularity increased from 1 percent shortly before the race to 22 percent artificially, through a vast operation of manipulation that involved influencers and ensnared Romanian institutions as well as ordinary voters. Some 25,000 TikTok accounts allegedly used to increase Georgescu's popularity "became very active two weeks before the date of the elections," according to the declassified documents. About 800 of these accounts had extremely low activity until November 11. From that date onward "the entire network was activated at full capacity," according to the documents. The intelligence service documents also show that influencers on TikTok were recruited to promote Georgescu directly by publicly supporting him and indirectly through neutral messages that contained labels associated with him. Another method used to promote the independent candidate involved the creation of accounts that falsely represented institutions of the Romanian state. Dozens of TikTok accounts were found that falsely used the intelligence service's logo and the title Anti-Terrorist Brigade (BAT), each displaying thousands of followers and over 100,000 likes. These fake accounts had supportive posts for Georgescu, presenting the false notion that these state institutions supported him. In addition, Georgescu's posts were not marked as belonging to a candidate, and this favored their mass dissemination. Other candidates whose posts were labeled as belonging to a candidate had a diminished online presence. Romania's intelligence services hinted that large sums of money would have been spent in the operation. Georgescu, according to information revealed in the declassified documents, declared to Romanian electoral authorities that he spent nothing on his campaign. The intelligence service linked the operation to Russia by noting that access data for official Romanian election websites was published on Russian cybercrime platforms. The access data was probably procured by targeting legitimate users or by exploiting the legitimate training server, the intelligence service said. It added that it had identified more than 85,000 cyberattacks that aimed to exploit system vulnerabilities. "The attacks continued intensively including on election day and the night after elections," the agency said in one of the declassified document. "The operating mode and the amplitude of the campaign leads us to conclude the attacker has considerable resources specific to an attacking state." Russia has denied any interference in Romania's elections. TikTok confirmed the deletion of electoral propaganda materials two days after the request of the Central Electoral Bureau, but it did not delete the electoral content as requested by the Permanent Electoral Authority, and it continued to be available to the public even after the end of the election campaign, including on election day, in violation of Romanian election law. Serbian lawmakers have begun deliberating a bill submitted to parliament that would establish a " foreign agents " registry, a move that may alienate Serbia from its EU ambitions. Initiated by members of the Movement of Socialists, led by pro-Russian Deputy Prime Minister Aleksandar Vulin, the bill aims to regulate organizations and individuals receiving more than 50 percent of their funding from foreign sources. Supporters of the law argue that it aims to ensure greater transparency in the NGO sector. They claim that some foreign-funded organizations work against Serbia's national interests. However, critics -- both within Serbia and internationally -- warn that such a law could stigmatize civil society organizations, hinder their operations, and limit freedom of expression. "This draft law poses a serious and direct threat to civil society organizations, jeopardizing their role in safeguarding democratic values, human rights, and European integration," the EU's Economic and Social Committee said in a statement . "As with similar initiatives in other candidate countries, such as in the case of Georgia, the EESC reiterates that such legislation is incompatible with the fundamental values of the European Union, which Serbia, as an EU candidate country, is expected to uphold." The regional trend toward adopting such laws, legislation that mirrors Russian law and is often driven by pro-Russian political forces, highlights a broader geopolitical struggle in the Balkans. Several countries in the region find themselves in a situation where they try to balance historic ties with Russia and their aspirations for European integration. Serbia, alongside Montenegro, is considered a front-runner in the EU accession process. However, to achieve membership, candidate countries must harmonize their laws, policies, institutions, and practices with EU standards. Any legislation perceived as suppressing civil liberties, the EU has said, could jeopardize this progress. In Montenegro, a comparable draft law was introduced in October by the coalition For the Future of Montenegro, which includes pro-Russian parties such as the New Serbian Democracy and the Democratic People's Party. The bill in Serbia is also steeped in further controversy because of its origins. Deputy Prime Minister Vulin, a staunch ally of Russia, has positioned the bill as a transparency measure, comparing it to the U.S. Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA). However, Serbian opposition figures and international observers argue that the draft law more closely resembles the restrictive legislation seen in Russia. Vulin's close ties to Moscow -- underscored by frequent visits and his role in coordinating Serbia's BRICS-related activities -- have drawn international attention. In 2023, he was placed under U.S. sanctions for allegedly facilitating Russian activities in the Balkans. Critics view the proposed law as aligning with Moscow’s pattern to muzzle independent civil society organizations and limit dissent. YEREVAN -- Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian declared on December 4 in parliament that Yerevan had effectively passed the "point of no return" regarding its reintegration into a Russian-led military alliance. His remarks came in response to recent statements by Russian President Vladimir Putin, who argued that the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) could not intervene in the 2020 war between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh because it did not occur on Armenian territory. "With all due respect to the Russian president, this statement highlights the fundamental issues within the CSTO," Pashinian said. His comments underscored the growing tensions between Armenia and the CSTO, marking a pivotal shift in the region's security dynamics. The relationship between Armenia and the CSTO has been strained for some time, particularly since the 2022 incursion by Azerbaijani forces into Armenia's sovereign territory. Yerevan accused the CSTO of failing to uphold its commitment to defend a member state, even as Armenia flagged the imminent threat to its allies. According to Pashinian, initial assurances from CSTO allies that Armenia's borders were a "red line" were later dismissed as ambiguous claims of undefined boundaries. "When the aggression occurred, we said that the red line had been crossed. They responded by saying, 'Well, the border isn't officially delimited,'" Pashinian said, stressing the lack of a clear response from the alliance. Armenian authorities have also criticized Russian peacekeepers for failing to prevent Azerbaijan's rapid offensive in Nagorno-Karabakh in September 2023, which ultimately resulted in Azerbaijan regaining control over the region after nearly three decades of ethnic Armenian rule. This lack of action led to Yerevan's decision to freeze its participation in CSTO activities. Armenia did not attend the CSTO Collective Security Council meeting on November 28 in Kazakhstan and has skipped joint military exercises and other meetings. However, it has stopped short of officially withdrawing from the organization. Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan are also CSTO member states. CSTO Secretary-General Imanghali Tasmaghambetov of Kazakhstan has downplayed Armenia's absence, stating that it does not affect the alliance’s overall efficiency. He reiterated on December 4 that Armenia remained a formal ally and that all CSTO commitments to Armenia were intact. Tasmaghambetov also emphasized that Armenia could resume full participation at any time, noting that there are no objections or obstacles from other member states. Despite these reassurances, Armenia's criticisms of the CSTO's inaction in the face of Azerbaijani military moves have fueled a broader debate about the alliance's reliability. Many in Armenia see the CSTO’s hesitancy as a sign of its weakening relevance in addressing the region's security challenges. The deepening divide between Armenia and the CSTO also reflects a broader realignment in Yerevan's foreign policy. Armenia’s growing criticism of the CSTO and its strategic turn toward other international partners suggest a waning dependence on Russian-led security structures. This shift is particularly significant as regional powers, including Turkey and Azerbaijan, assert greater influence in the South Caucasus. While Armenia has not formally initiated the process of leaving the CSTO, Pashinian's remarks signal that such a move may not be far off. The longer Yerevan remains at odds with the alliance, the more its security policies are likely to diverge from the CSTO framework. Senior Russian authorities, including President Vladimir Putin, were directly involved in ordering the forcible transfer , fostering, and later adoption of Ukrainian children moved out of war zones and occupied regions of Ukraine, U.S. researchers found. In a report released on December 3, investigators from Yale University said at least 314 children from Ukraine were subject to a "systematic program of coerced adoption and fostering" by Russian individuals and families. "The Russian Federation engaged in systematic, deliberate, and widespread forced adoption and transfer of children from Ukraine," the report says. "The operation...was initiated by Putin and his subordinates with the intent to 'Russify' children from Ukraine." The findings add to a growing body of evidence pointing to possible culpability for war crimes by Putin and other top officials. The International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Putin in March 2023 for the "war crime of unlawful deportation" and "unlawful transfer" of children from Ukrainian territory to Russia. The Kremlin's commissioner for children's rights, Maria Lvova-Belova, was also charged. Researchers at Yale University's Humanitarian Research Lab, whose work is partially supported by the U.S. State Department, said they had documented since 2022: The majority of the children from Ukraine who are listed in Russian databases, the report says, were taken from Donetsk, an eastern Ukrainian region that has been partially occupied by Russian and Russian-allied forces since 2014. The Kremlin has declared the annexation of the Donetsk region, and three other Ukrainian regions -- Luhansk, Zaporizhzhya, and Kherson -- plus the Crimean Peninsula. Only Syria and North Korea have recognized the move. Russian officials frequently portray their efforts as a humanitarian gesture, sheltering, feeding, or protecting children from war or the breakdown of services in occupied regions. However, in many cases, Russian authorities did little to identify parents or relatives or legal guardians of the Ukrainian children. Ukrainian officials, journalists, and civil society activists, meanwhile, have also compiled substantial evidence of state support for transferring and deporting children out of Ukraine. In many cases, the effort strained Russia's already overburdened social welfare infrastructure. Hundreds of Ukrainian children were transferred from occupied Ukrainian regions and sent to a network of summer and holiday camps in Belarus, where they were exposed to pro-Russian education and propaganda, RFE/RL found. According to official Ukrainian figures , as of July 24, 2024, 19,546 children had been deported from Ukraine to Russia since the start of Russia's all-out invasion in February 2022. Ukraine’s human rights commissioner last month said 1,012 children had been returned from Russia to date. The U.S. State Department said in a statement on December 4 that it was pursuing visa restrictions for five Russian officials backed or installed by Russia in response to their involvement in human rights abuses in Ukraine, including the forced deportation of children. "Many of these children have had their identities changed and origins obscured, have been subjected to pro-Russian indoctrination and militarization, or have been adopted by Russian families," the State Department said. It did not identify the five Russian officials but added that Kremlin authorities had created obstacles preventing the return of the children to Ukraine. "Russia's continued contempt for its international legal obligations to report the locations of these children makes securing their safe return nearly impossible," the State Department said. The head of the Zaporizhzhya region's military administration, Ivan Fedorov, has alleged that the mayor of the Ukrainian town of Dniproprudne died after being tortured while in Russian custody. Fedorov said in a statement on Telegram on December 4 that the body of Yevhen Matveyev was recently returned to Ukraine during a prisoner exchange with Russia, which has occupied Dniproprudne since the early days of the February 2022 full-scale invasion. Matveyev was captured by Russian forces on March 13, 2022. Last month, Ukraine recovered the bodies of 502 fallen soldiers and civilians, including 17 from morgues in Russia, as part of an exchange of prisoners of war between the two countries. "He was held captive by the occupiers for two years and eight months and tortured to death. During the last exchange, his body was returned to Ukraine," Fedorov said. He gave no further details. Russian officials have not commented publicly on the allegations. Despite the occupation, Matveyev refused to abandon his town and worked to ensure the functioning of essential services and kept the population informed about ongoing events, Federov noted. Matveyev's death underscores the brutal conditions under which Ukrainian officials and civilians have been held while in Russian captivity. In October 2023, a UN Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine found "continued war crimes and human rights violations gravely impacting civilians," including confirmation that "Russian authorities have used torture in a widespread and systematic way in various types of detention facilities." Ukraine has also been accused of committing war crimes during the conflict, though to a far lesser extent. A war monitor and state media say that Syrian government forces have launched a counterattack against Islamist-led rebels who were getting close to a Russian-operated airbase after capturing a string of towns and closing in on the key city of Hama. The government forces' counteroffensive came after a blitz advance over the past several days by the rebels led by Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS). They have captured Aleppo, the country's largest city, as well as 14 central villages and towns, and gotten as close as 35 kilometers from Khmeimim Airbase. President Bashar al-Assad's regime turned over the air base to Russia in 2015 as Moscow moved in to help Damascus turn the tide of a four-year civil was in its favor. The Syrian state news agency SANA said rebels on December 4 retreated some 20 kilometers from government-held Hama, Syria's fourth largest city, after government troops backed by Russian air strikes repelled the rebels from the city's outskirts. Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor said the rebels only withdrew some 10 kilometers. Hama, which is key to the defense of Damascus, is the gateway to the coastal cities of Tartus and Latakia, the former being home to a strategic Russian naval base. Besides HTS, the rebels also include an umbrella group of Turkish-backed Syrian militias called the Syrian National Army. UN Special Envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen, said on December 3 that tens of thousands of civilians have been displaced by the fighting. Police and security officials have cordoned off a large area near Dusanbe after a drone resembling a military unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) crashed in a nearby town in an area where there are both Tajik and Russian military bases. Officials have not given any details on the drone, which went down on December 3 in the town of Sharora, just 5 kilometers from Tajikistan's capital. Eyewitness footage from the site, obtained exclusively by RFE/RL's Tajik Service, indicated that the drone struck a utility pole before crashing to the ground. The video shows flames at the crash site, which was quickly cordoned off by police and military personnel. The incident occurred near a residential area, but no injuries or damage to homes was reported, according to local residents. Tajikistan's Defense Ministry did not respond to RFE/RL's attempts to get comments from its representatives. The crash site is located near significant military facilities, raising questions about the drone’s origin and purpose. The Aini Military Airbase, controlled by the Defense Ministry, is situated just outside Dushanbe. A Russian military base, part of the 201st Military Division, is also nearby. Both facilities play strategic roles in the regional security infrastructure. Given the size and apparent military design of the drone, some analysts have speculated whether it could also have been a UAV from a third country. Tajikistan has increasingly relied on drone technology in recent years, acquiring UAVs from various sources, including Turkey and China. The presence of advanced drone technology also highlights the increasing militarization of Central Asia, as nations modernize their arsenals. The Russian military base nearby, which accounts for Moscow's largest military presence outside of Russia, also regularly conducts drone operations as part of its regional activities. The region around Dushanbe, including the Hisor district where Sharora is located, is critical to Tajikistan’s national security.
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When 2025 arrives, New Year’s Day will see many city of San Diego services closed due to the holiday. While there are more closures than openings for Wednesday, here is a full list of what’s open and what’s not. Closed: All city of San Diego Administrative Offices. Curbside trash, recyclables and organic waste will be delayed one day. No street sweeping. City libraries, closed Tuesday and Wednesday, will re-open Thursday. City swimming pools and recreation centers will be closed Tuesday and Wednesday and re-open Thursday. Public buildings in Balboa Park will be closed Tuesday and Wednesday. The Personnel Department’s Testing, Background/Fingerprinting offices will be closed Wednesday. All city reservoirs will be closed Wednesday. Mission Trails Regional Park Visitor Center will be closed Wednesday. The Parks and Recreation Department Open Space, Permit Center, Maintenance Assessment District offices will be closed Tuesday and Wednesday. Tecolote Nature Center will be closed Tuesday and Wednesday. The Development Services Department will be closed Wednesday. Passport services will not be provided by city’s Office of the City Clerk on Tuesday and Wednesday. Your Safe Place – A Family Justice Center will be closed Wednesday. Open: Chollas Lake Mission Trails Regional Park Tecolote Canyon Natural Park City golf courses (Mission Bay Golf Course set to close at dusk) City skate parks and plazas Pacific Highlands Ranch Pump Track Dog off-leash areas San Diego police and Fire-Rescue emergency crews will be on duty. Parking meters, time restrictions, yellow zones and street sweeping routes will not be enforced Wednesday. All other parking violations will be enforced. In addition, starting on Wednesday, San Diego police will issue warnings for the new “ daylighting ” law which prohibits parking within 20 feet of crosswalks. We have launched our year-end campaign. Our goal: Raise $50,000 by Dec. 31. Help us get there. Times of San Diego is devoted to producing timely, comprehensive news about San Diego County. Your donation helps keep our work free-to-read, funds reporters who cover local issues and allows us to write stories that hold public officials accountable. Join the growing list of donors investing in our community's long-term future. Get Our Free Daily Email Newsletter Get the latest local and California news from Times of San Diego delivered to your inbox at 8 a.m. daily. Sign up for our free email newsletter and be fully informed of the most important developments.
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None1. An LCD doodle tablet that will inspire some serious creativity all while saving paper. (Trust us, the trees will thank you.) Promising review: "My son is 4-years-old, and once he got it, he played with it for two hours. We played Pictionary, tic-tac-toe, and practiced his writing. Great for being stuck inside. Just wish I bought more for gifts." — Mindy Ciglar Price: $13.99+ (available in four colors and two sizes) 2. A Silly Poopy hide-and-seek game that'll get the giggles going just by saying its name. And where's the grown-up hiding while the kids are occupied? In the kitchen, enjoying a cup of coffee (while it's still hot!) as the kids are independently playing. Promising review: "This hide-and-seek game is so fun. We randomly hide Silly Poopy in the house all the time. The song will get stuck in your head and never leave, so be prepared for that. But also hours of fun both inside and outside. We also do a little dance when we find Silly Poopy, and he plays the song. My 6-year-old loves it, and it’s so fun and silly. Great gift!! I had this in my cart for a while before I bought it and wish I would have sooner." — Schub22 Price: $12.99+ (available in two designs). 3. A 22-pack of Mr. Sketch scented markers , which will take you right back to your own childhood with just one whiff of blueberry or apple. Promising review: "I loved these as a kid and was excited to give them to my kids. Happy to say they love too! Good markers overall and the different scents make them fun!" — Matthew Fullmer Price: $14.29 4. A touchless forehead thermometer that will make sure you don't wake your sweetly sleeping dragon to check their temperature after they have FINALLY gone to sleep. Promising review: " We have owned four different touchless thermometers now, and this one has lasted the longest. Others did not last, or they occasionally provided random, unlikely readings. We have had this for almost two years, and we haven't had to replace the batteries yet. That isn't due to lack of sickness either. I have two toddlers who seem to trade bugs every couple of weeks. I would definitely recommend." — Cheyenne Price: $19.99 5. A pack of Crayola Globbles fidget toys to help with the wiggles and keep little hands busy. No judging if you happen to snag one or two of these for yourself — they're great! Promising review: "These are great! Kids love them! I love them! They do NOT leave that stain on your wall, and when they get dirty, you wash them off, and they are sticky again! 10/10" — Elizabeth M. Price: $10.99 6. A Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza game deck that is so fun you might just find yourself clearing your schedule for the day and joining in. Work? Meh, that can be done later. Promising review: "This is the funnest game we own, and we own a lot! It's a high-speed, physical game, and anyone can play it! You just have to remember the order of the words and the actions you have to make for certain cards. It's a blast, and we've played it with kids aged 4, all the way up to 19, and us adults as well! I highly recommend it! I think the value is great, especially since it's a go-to game that we play often!" — Janet Duran Price: $9.99 7. A copy of 642 Tiny Things to Draw , so your kiddo will have 642 fewer reasons to say, "I'm borrrrrrrred." Promising review: "My 11-year-old artist really loves this. It’s easy to carry around to restaurants or in the car. The prompts can be drawn simply or with more detail. Definitely a great purchase!" — Annie Price: $9.25 8. A 100-piece set of Picasso tiles , a magnetic building system that will get used over and over and over again. Pro tip: Commit to one building toy type and then just keep adding to it! It will still feel new to your crew, and cleanup will be MUCH easier. Promising review: "These tiles are amazing! So many different ways to be creative. Our 2-year-old loves it so much and even the adults can have hours of fun with it. These are great for individual play for our toddler and can keep her engaged for 15-30 minutes at a time. They are also amazing for interactive and pretend plays, from building houses to car ramps. Love these so much and highly recommended!" — Buu nguyen Price: $39.99 9. A set of four parachute toys that are simple but brilliant. How many times can your kids run up the stairs and throw them down? The limit does not exist. Promising review: " These paratroopers are great! My boys are so used to getting the ones that are poorly made with thin, cheap plastic and thin string. These are not those at all! They are super sturdy and very durable. I got these as stocking stuffers, and they're still going strong! They've been thrown, dragged, shoved in toy bins, etc. They are still good as new! They work great as well. Our boys enjoy throwing them over the side rail on the stairs and watching them fly down. I absolutely would recommend!" — Amber Price: $9.99 (available in two colors) 10. A pair of GeoSafari Jr. Kidnoculars so you can encourage your crew to start exploring the amazing world around them — whether that's inside or outside of your house. Promising review: "Bought six of these for all the kids in the family for Christmas. My 3-year-old thinks these are the cat's pajamas. He took them hiking to look at everything. I tell you, my kid is one to let you know when something doesn't work the correct way. These were worth every penny. He was able to look at everything from leaves and rocks to butterfly wings with a closer view. Plus, they are light enough for him to carry without complaining. Parent win!!" — Holly Price: $9.69+ (available in two colors) 11. A Fisher-Price record player toy , which gives your kiddo some freedom to choose their own music to sing and dance to. And you? You'll feel like a total parenting rock star. Promising review: "Got this for my 3-year-old as a birthday gift . She loves my 'grown-up' record player and loves to ask me to 'play songs' on it. I thought this would be a fun thing for her to play with so she could play her own songs, but I didn't expect her to have as much fun as she has with it! Each one of the records has two songs on it, one on each side, and each record has a different style. She loves the hip hop record the most, and the pop rock comes in a close second. What's nice is that there's no needle on the arm of the turntable, so there's nothing to worry about her hurting herself with. It has cool features like when you stop a record mid-song, it 'scratches' and makes the sound of a vinyl popping, which I love! You do have to monitor it, though, as we learned that, unlike a real record player if you don't move the arm off the record after a song ends, it just keeps playing that song over and over and over and over and over and over and over." — John Jeziorski Price: $25.99 12. A Melissa & Doug scissor skills activity pad with kid-safe scissors that will occupy their focus — giving you the cutting edge in accomplishing your to-do list for the day. Promising review: "I gave this to my 4-year-old when he was sick at home, and it's a great way to pass the time. More importantly it's a great way for him to practice the work with scissors. The scissors are great, without any blade, and the plastic is sharp enough for the pages in the notebook. The pages have different difficulty levels, some with straight lines, some with curves, which is a good challenge for kids." — Tamar Price: $7.99 13. A 5-pound tub of Crayola air-dry clay , which keeps fidgety hands busy and will lead to hours and hours of creativity. Promising review: "This clay is great. I bought two of them. My girls made lots of animals and bowls with it and painted them. Very nice to work with and dries very nicely. The kids spend hours playing with it. Definitely buying it again." — Andrew M Cavallo Price: $10.96 (available in three colors and four sizes) 14. A three-pack of liquid bubbler pens the kids will love because they are totally mesmerizing to watch. NGL, some boring adult things (like writing checks) would be WAY more fun with these. Promising review: "For my kids, these pens are such a treat. The ink is bright and runs smooth, and they are also entertainment in themselves!" — Marcia Price: $19.99 15. A Play-Doh Kitchen Creations restaurant play set , so your little can whip up the tastiest pretend creations...and you might have a few minutes to get the real deal ready in time for dinner. Promising review: " This and the coffee shop set keep my daughter entertained for hours. And when you think she would get tired she asks for a different color and starts all over again. Even the extra utensils help keep her amused longer. Gives me enough time for mom projects like dinner and dishes, and it's actually very easy to clean up — she does most of it herself, and she's only 3!!" — Lizzie Price: $16.89 16. A fruit and veggie divider that is going to chop time off prepping lunch and snacks for the kiddos. With this in your tool belt, you'll be ready to make some fancy after-school crudités! Promising review: "Ever since we got this, it has been used quite frequently!! We have two young kids at home (5- and 3-years-old) and by using this fruit/veggie cutter, we have increased their fruit and veggie intake! We would give them fruits/veggies to cut, and they would cut and eat them! It is very easy to cut as our kids can do it by themselves (with adult supervision). It cuts small cucumbers with ease. It is also very easy to clean!" — Payal Price: $9.95 17. A bottle of Miss Mouth's Messy Eater Stain Treater spray , which will take those spaghetti sauce stains right out of their clothes. Don't forget to take a picture of their sweet self covered in sauce because that will last longer than those stains. Promising review : "I recently tried Miss Mouth's stain remover spray, and I am impressed! This spray effortlessly removed tough stains on my clothes, leaving them spotless. This spray has removed oil stains from cooking, baby formula, breastmilk stains from newborn spit-ups, and many other stains — the list is long . We have yet to find a stain that this spray doesn't tackle. Its pleasant scent and quick action make it a must-have for anyone dealing with messy eaters or accidental spills." — Tiffany B. Price: $6.19+ (available in multipacks) 18. A Yonanas Classic soft serve maker that's going to magically turn "eat your fruit" into "enjoy your dessert!" You don't even need to tell them how healthy it is! This, as you can imagine, is a major parenting win. Promising review: "Bought this on Prime Day as an impulse buy, but it is now a kitchen staple. My kids (5 and 8) LOVE the sorbet that comes out of this just as much as ice cream, and it is just 100% ground-up fruit. We now buy more bananas than we can eat, cut them up, and freeze them once they start to turn brown. We mix these with different frozen fruits, and it is a great frozen treat. You don't have to use bananas, but they add a creamy consistency to the final product that we like. I would definitely read the directions and follow the thawing guidelines, as I am not sure how it would hold up over time if required to grind up completely solid frozen fruit, but it has held up well since we bought it. Also think it is pretty easy to clean. Just twist off the attachment, unscrew it, and rinse off the blades (not sharp enough to cut me) and gasket. Definitely recommend, even at full price." — N. Whelpley Price: $39.99 (available in four colors) 19. A super durable and leak-proof kids' Bentgo box that will actually help you organize your brain and figure out what you need to put in there. (Pssst — if you want to include a sweet treat, M&Ms look pretty cute in the circle compartment.) Promising review: " I purchased two of these, one for each of my elementary children, and they work wonderfully. I can easily pack a sandwich, veggies with dip, fruit, and a snack in the box. If they would like chips or crackers, I simply place those in the lunch box, along with an ice pack, to keep things cool. The Bentgo Box, a slim ice pack, and a small bag of chips or crackers easily fit in a children's lunchbox. The gaskets work well, and dressings/liquids do not leak to other compartments. So far so good!" — Erin Price: $27.99 (available in eight colors) 20. A tried-and-true baby gate that's super easy to install, won't mark up your walls, and, most importantly, works! Keep your little ones out of the spaces they aren't supposed to be so you can have peace of mind for their safety. Promising review: " This is a great fit for our home. We have a very active 1-year-old who stands against this and pushes on it. It is very sturdy and hasn’t budged since we installed it. The lock is very easy to use but not too easy for our son to figure out! Highly recommend." — Heather Price: $34.99 21. A three-pack of Melissa & Doug jumbo coloring books , which will keep your mini Monets and petite Picassos totally occupied. Hey, your fridge needs a new masterpiece! Promising review: "The jumbo books are awesome for our kids. The pages are nice and thick and do not bleed onto the next page. You can easily rip out pages they want to color, and they also fit nicely into the art frames we have on the walls. Would 10/10 recommend!" — K Price: $16.89 22. A Graco Extend2Fit convertible car seat , the perfect throne for your petite prince or princess. It's comfortable for baby, easy to install, but also has seatbelt hooks to hold the straps back so you're not digging for them with one hand while holding down a wiggly baby with the other. Promising review: "I wish they had this car seat when my oldest was a baby! It is super comfy and hella easy to adjust with the strap height adjusting via a level on the headrest, instead of you having to remove straps and feed them back through the holes — something I have always hated doing. The car seat itself was also super easy to install in our car. In addition, baby can stay rear-facing much longer in this car seat due to an extendable foot piece, which I adore . It also has little pockets to slide the seatbelt hooks into to keep the straps open while placing baby in, reducing the amount of frustration caused by having to constantly fish the straps from under and behind a squirming baby. It also comes in various color options and comes with shoulder strap pads to keep the straps from digging into baby's neck." — H.F. Desi Price: $159.99 (available in five colors and two styles) 23. A 150-piece marble run set that is ideal for those times when you're stuck indoors and about to lose YOUR marbles if those kids don't find something to do IMMEDIATELY. Promising review: " My kids played for HOURS with just three pieces of tracks. Love the independent play this facilitates, and the sturdiness means mommy can get housework done while the kids play! Great quality. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. We even purchased the super set the very next day after receiving this set; the kids (and mom and dad) love it so much." — Karen Price: $49.99 (available in four sets) 24. A crawling crab baby toy , which will make tummy time and learning to crawl feel as easy as a day at the beach. Promising review: "I’m sure I’m not the only mom saying this, but this is great for tummy time. Grab a Hula Hoop and put Mr. Crab inside so he doesn’t run away and turn him on (we like raving with him on music mode). There’s different settings for slow and fast, so that’s perfect for your little one to keep up with him as their little necks get stronger. Tummy time becomes an ease! " — Savanna Hulsey Price: $19.99 (available in four colors) 25. A pack of over 500 puffy stickers so your littles can create scenes, cards, and whatever else their imaginations can come up with! And because these are no-trace, you won't be left with sticky situations when one or two end up on your wall. Promising review: "My daughter loves these stickers! They are easy for her to remove from the sleeve, to get them off the backing, and stick well. The stickers themselves are cute, high quality, and are a good variety. My daughter will spend hours having fun with stickers, and these are my go-to!" — Bree Price: $7.99 26. A cute, starry-eyed Furby that will interact and play with your kiddo. These little guys have gotten a major upgrade since you had one. In addition to talking to you, it can lead you through mindfulness exercises, tell your fortune, put on a light show, and throw a dance party. How do you say, "That's impressive" in Furby? Promising review: " Furby is such a fun toy! My 5-year-old has played and played with her Furby. The phrases are easy to learn, so she has had the best time laughing, dancing, and playing with Furby. Would definitely recommend getting this toy for your child!" — Katie Momberger Price: $48.59 (available in three colors) 27. A five-piece set of absolutely adorable outdoor play figurines because these open-ended toys encourage kids to get creative using natural elements — like leaves, flowers, and twigs — they find during outdoor play. Who's up for an adventure? Promising review: "These are amazing. My 3-year-old and 18-month-old love to pick up leaves, flowers, pine cones, etc., and this gives us something to do with all of our foraged goods. Great for imagination play and creativity." — Dana Price: $39.99 (available in six colors) 28. A perfectly sized (and durable!) kids' digital camera so you can give your phone a break from your kids. Not that you don't love those 400+ up-the-nose selfies in a row, but ya know. Promising review: " This has been such a hit with my 3- and 4-year-olds and keeps them entertained for hours. It operates JUST like an adult digital camera but has some fun added filters like a mustache, kid face, and different border designs. It is a small size that allows them to operate it with ease. My kids walk around the house taking pictures of random things and then love to come and show me. Battery life is great and it seems pretty indestructible! I have purchased this three times now for birthday party gifts as it’s an affordable great gift!" — Above and Abode Price: $32.99 (available in five colors) 29. A Baby Einstein Take Along Tunes musical toy , which will keep your mini Mozart or baby Beethoven entertained while you do what you need to do. Who's the genius now, huh? Promising review: "This has been one of our favorite toys for a while now. It is so cute, it’s small so it’s easy to take with you, baby fingers can easily push the button, the different classical songs and corresponding lights are super entertaining, plus I love that baby is listening to classical music. The batteries have lasted a long time, and it’s fallen off of many a surface, so it’s durable . Get this toy!" — Park Price: $8.88 30. A TikTok-famous grape cutter that will seriously ~cut~ down on your prep time — and your anxiety — when you're feeding your littles. It can also be used on tomatoes! Promising review: "Whoever said that you shouldn't buy kitchen tools with only one function didn't have toddlers/young children. I spent three years cross-cutting grapes, grape tomatoes, or hot dog chunks with a board and chef's knife . I saw this tool about a year in and did without it until finally, after having my second baby, I realized that cutting up the food phase would be starting for her in about a year. I finally got this grape cutter, which does exactly what it should. Why did I go without this for so long? 😂 If you doubt whether you need this, either stop giving your kid grapes or similar-sized foods or buy it already. 😂" — Morgan/Branson Price: $11.99 31. A Frida Baby electric nail trimmer because baby nails are absolute DAGGERS, and nothing should even lightly scratch that perfect, squishy face. NOTHING. Promising review: "From day one, I’ve been able to use this on my newborn, now infant, son without worrying about whether or not I’m going to hurt him or make him bleed. It is safe to touch skin and really only eliminates excess nail growth. Almost impossible to trim nails too short unless you actually intend to do that. Comes with a battery and instructions as to which buffer to use for the age of your baby. Easy to use, easy to store, and a simple design that will make grooming your baby’s nails so easy and go by super fast!" — Brielle Price: $34.99 32. A National Geographic Break Open 10 Geodes kit that comes with safety goggles, which might just inspire the next generation of geologists. Bonus: Use it as a teachable moment to show your kids that it's what's on the inside that really counts. ✨ Promising review: "My 9-year-old is obsessed with all things gems and geology. We bought this for Christmas. He opened it tonight and it was so beautiful we ended up cracking them all! He even got an amethyst (he was thrilled as that's his favorite!) — I am very impressed. I will definitely be buying again. One tip — definitely score them before cracking, and be a little gentle if you want two halves. My husband was a little heavy-handed. 🤣 Also, one of them at first we thought wasn't much, but I had a feeling there was more inside, so we cracked it in half again, and lo and behold, it was a beautiful geode. Highly recommend!" — Andrea Green Price: $19.99+ (available in packs of 4, 5, or 10) 33. A 40-piece wooden puzzle that has lots of different solutions and honestly, is just really fun to tinker with, even for adults. It's exactly what you need to get some piece, err, peace in your day. Promising review: "I bought this as one of the toys to get my 6-year-old son off screens during the summer. Now we are all playing it and we have competitions to see who can solve the fastest. Who knew? You can also do designs, so it's leveled fun and appeals to different interests. It would be nice if it came with a carry case or tin, but you can use a zip lock to keep the pieces together. Going to buy more so we can battle with the cousins." — Haydee Gordon Price: $8.99 34. A 30-foot roll of road play tape because life (aka your entire house) is a highway, and your kids are gonna be cruising to a good time. Promising review: "Sticky level is about equal with painter's tape, so there’s no worry about restricting where to use. It’s great for cars, pretend play, etc. A perfect rainy day distraction!" — Jennifer Horne Price: $9.47+ (available in four patterns and quantities) 35. A 42-pack of Pay-Doh so you can keep a perfectly sized container in the car, in your bag, in the playroom, in the kitchen... you get the point. Promising review: "I bought this for my son’s birthday goody bags and kept the leftovers for my son. He’s 3, so these are perfect because they are small and come in handy for car trips, running errands, or just anytime. The colors are so vibrant and fun. Super easy to mold. Would recommend and would most likely purchase again." — Mariela Price: $16.99 36. A LeapFrog 100 Animals toy , which will teach your little words in English AND Spanish — all while they're happily playing and learning about the world's fauna. That's a win-win. Promising review: " This smart book is wonderful! I got it for my 2-year-old granddaughter for Christmas. She loves animals, and this is a perfect gift for any child. I highly recommend it. It is well made and even says the animal's names in Spanish. A great deal." — Jim Price: $12.97 (available in six colors) 37. A USB rechargeable whale bath toy so your little fish can have a splashin' good time and — hopefully — get in a good mindset for bedtime. Fingers (and fins!) crossed! Promising review: "It’s such a fun toy! I love this one because it doesn’t take batteries, it comes with a charger and takes no time to charge. I have two kids and it gets used twice a night, it stays charged for about a week. It’s very cute, and I haven’t noticed any mold or gunk buildup which is great! Quality toy!" — Carolyn Cracchiolo Price: $9.99+ (available in six colors) 38. An absolutely adorable sewing craft kit that will have everyone so quiet and focused, you'll wonder if their mouths were accidentally sewn shut, too. Promising review: "I'm so impressed at the thoughtfulness of this craft!! This is a beginner level, perfect for my 6-year-old's attention span; the only sewing is to attach the front of the fox to the back in order to stuff it. I was worried it might be too easy, but it was great, the instructions are clear, the holes all line up, there is plenty/extra yarn. The accessories and clothing are too cute and perfect, and the details and variety are awesome for a beginner sewing craft. The only part that she needed extra help with was the tiny little backpack to hold the baby fox. If you think about the time it would take to design and cutout all of these pieces, it's definitely fairly priced. I hope they come out with more animals because we want to make another!!" — Amazon Customer Price: $19.99 (available in two designs) The reviews for this post have been edited for length and clarity.