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Yankees Social Media: The Volpe KnicksGLEN ALLEN, Va. , Nov. 21, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Hamilton Beach Brands Holding Company (NYSE: HBB) (the Company) today announced that the Board of Directors declared a regular cash dividend of $0.115 per share. The dividend is payable on both the Class A and Class B Common Stock and will be paid December 13, 2024 , to stockholders of record at the close of business on December 2, 2024 . About Hamilton Beach Brands Holding Company Hamilton Beach Brands Holding Company is a leading designer, marketer, and distributor of a wide range of branded small electric household and specialty housewares appliances, as well as commercial products for restaurants, fast food chains, bars, and hotels. The Company's owned consumer brands include Hamilton Beach ® , Proctor Silex ® , Hamilton Beach Professional ® , Weston ® , and TrueAir ® . The Company's owned commercial brands include Hamilton Beach Commercial ® and Proctor Silex Commercial ® . The Company licenses the brands for Wolf Gourmet ® countertop appliances, CHI ® premium garment care products, CloroxTM True HEPA air purifiers, and Brita HubTM countertop electric water filtration appliances. The Company has exclusive multiyear agreements to design, sell, market, and distribute Bartesian ® cocktail makers and Numilk ® plant-based milk makers. The Company's Hamilton Beach Health subsidiary is focused on expanding the Company's participation in the home health market. In February 2024 , Hamilton Beach Health acquired HealthBeacon, a medical technology firm that specializes in developing connected devices. For more information about Hamilton Beach Brands Holding Company, visit www.hamiltonbeachbrands.com . View original content to download multimedia: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/hamilton-beach-brands-holding-company-declares-quarterly-dividend-302313651.html SOURCE Hamilton Beach Brands Holding Company
48th convocation: OAU to graduate 7,368 students, honour Remi Tinubu, othersIn one form or another, College Football Playoff controversy touched the SEC, Big 12, ACC and Mountain West — all the relevant conferences except one. The Big Ten was essentially unscathed during the selection process for the inaugural 12-team event. Oregon, the undefeated conference champion, landed the No. 1 overall seed. Penn State, the runner up, received the No. 6 seed, followed by No. 8 Ohio State and No. 10 Indiana. The Hoosiers were closest to the fire but never seemed in danger of losing their spot — even after Clemson won the ACC championship and stole a bid. It was always Alabama vs. SMU for the seventh and final at-large berth. Why did Indiana stay above the fray? For that matter, why did Penn State, which had one victory over a ranked team (Illinois), receive the No. 6 seed? And why did Ohio State warrant the No. 8 spot ahead of Tennessee, giving the Buckeyes home-field advantage in their opening-round date with the Volunteers. “Ultimately as a committee and as we voted these teams, Ohio State was one ahead of Tennessee,” said Warde Manuel, the committee chair and Michigan’s athletic director. “But we didn’t look at it — as well, if we put Ohio State 6 and Tennessee 7, one is going to host and one is not. We never, I can assure you and everybody ... never even talked about it until after the Top 25 was ranked.” In each instance (Penn State, Ohio State and Indiana), there’s a case to be made for the placement of the Big Ten team. What strikes us is the conference seemed to get the benefit of the doubt in every case despite underlying data that reflect weakness: — The Big Ten is No. 3 in the Sagarin computer ratings, far behind the SEC and even behind the Big 12. — The Big Ten was 1-3 head-to-head against the SEC. Add two losses to Notre Dame, and the conference was 1-5 against its true peer group. — The Big Ten’s overall non-conference performance was largely forgettable, with only two wins over teams that finished in the CFP rankings released Sunday: Oregon over No. 9 Boise State and Nebraska over No. 23 Colorado. — Oregon, Ohio State, Penn State and Indiana all played substantially weaker schedules than two of the SEC teams, Alabama and South Carolina, that were left out of the CFP field, according to the Sagarin ratings. For all the focus on Alabama and SMU for the final at-large berth, we’d argue the Crimson Tide has a substantially stronger resume than Indiana (more quality wins, tougher schedule) except for the number of losses, which mattered dearly to the committee. (The Hoosiers played one game against a team in the final CFP rankings, Ohio State, and lost.) Exactly why the Big Ten received the benefit of the doubt time and time again — in our view, at least — we might never know. But the conference was, indisputably, one of the biggest winners Sunday. Our breakdown of the sport’s decisive day ... Winner: Texas. As a reward for losing the SEC title game, the Longhorns received what is arguably the most coveted seed in the event: No. 5. They will open at home against three-loss Clemson, then advance to Atlanta to face Arizona State. Meanwhile, top-seeded Oregon doesn’t play a home game and will face the Ohio State-Tennessee winner. The format needs to change to provide greater rewards for the conference champions. Loser: Notre Dame. The Irish should have been seeded higher than No. 7. But in that position, they are bracketed with No. 2 Georgia in the quarterfinals. The committee was clearly reluctant to drop the losers of conference title games (Penn State and Texas) below a team that doesn’t have a conference. Winner: Boise State. Never before has one loss provided as much rocket fuel as Boise State’s 37-34 defeat at Oregon in Week 2. That performance, along with a perfect run through the rest of their schedule, propelled the Broncos all the way to the No. 3 seed and a spot in the Fiesta Bowl. What a victory for the Group of Five, the Mountain West and the rebuilt Pac-12, which will be Boise State’s home in 2026. Loser: The SEC. Alabama lost the resume showdown with SMU for the final at-large berth and South Carolina watched the team it defeated last week, Clemson, roll into the playoff thanks to the ACC’s automatic bid. It could not have gone much worse for the kingpin, which is bad news for everyone else . Winner: SMU. The Mustangs agreed to join the ACC without any media revenue distributions, filled the hole in their budget (thanks to deep-pocketed donors) and reached the CFP in their first season in a power conference. Loser: The Big 12. The conference was poorly ranked for five weeks and stood zero chance of receiving an at-large berth, then watched as its champion, Arizona State, was seeded behind Boise State. All in all, the committee showed the Big 12 little respect. It’s an issue the conference must address . Winner: Cold-weather games. The CFP’s opening round will feature December 20-21 kickoffs in Columbus, South Bend and State College. The Hotline is rooting for a snowstorm that weekend at the 40th parallel. Loser: Brigham Young. The Hotline has hammered on this point in recent weeks and will reiterate for anyone who missed it: The Cougars should have been smack in the middle of the at-large conversation. They had a better strength-of-schedule than SMU and won the head-to-head matchup in Dallas . Somehow, the Cougars were seven spots below the Mustangs. Winner: Arizona State. There isn’t much left to say about the Sun Devils’ rise from nowhere to the CFP in three remarkable months. And even better for ASU fans: Arizona imploded. Loser: The CFP selection committee. Some years aren’t as bad as others. This one was terrible — not the end result so much as the month-long process, the flip-flops and contradictions, the missteps and poor communication of intent and priorities. Give the committee a C- for its performance. Winner: ABC. The network should generate blockbuster ratings with the marquee matchup of the opening round, Tennessee at Ohio State, which is slotted for 5 p.m. (Pacific) on Saturday, Dec. 21. The other two games that day face competition from the NFL. But the Buckeyes and Vols will be unopposed. Loser: Washington. We aren’t knocking UW’s qualifications for the postseason or commenting on the Huskies performance over the past three month. This is more about the assignment itself: The Sun Bowl against Louisville is just, well, blah. Winner: The Rose Bowl. The Granddaddy is one victory away from an Oregon-Ohio State collision in the quarterfinals — the most Pac-12 vs. Big Ten matchup it could have reasonably asked for. The more things change ... Loser: Time to breathe. The extra week in the NCAA’s competition calendar pushed CFP selection day back to Dec. 8 and left us with less than one week until the first bowl games (Dec. 14). To be clear: We aren’t complaining, not for one second. Winner: Oregon. We think the Ducks would have been better off as the No. 5 seed, with a home game and matchups against the No. 4 and No. 12 seeds. But the extra rest will be helpful — as long as it doesn’t bring rust — and the undefeated regular season and Big Ten title should be cherished. Loser: USC. The season ends where it began, in Las Vegas against an SEC opponent. It’s just that when the Trojans left Sin City on Sept. 1, after beating LSU, they never expected to be back in December with a .500 record to face Texas A&M. Winner: Alamo Bowl. With the first pick of the Pac-12 legacy schools, the Alamo matched Colorado against Brigham Young. Two ranked teams plus one Deion Sanders should equate to loads of interest and first-rate TV ratings. Loser: Cal. Any postseason berth is a victory for the Bears, but they drew a daunting opponent in the LA Bowl. We have watched both teams play numerous times, and the Rebels are better. That said, their coach, Barry Odom, just accepted the Purdue job, which could tip the balance to Cal. So let’s view the Bears as both winner and loser. Winner: Washington State. Sure, the three-game losing streak was a massive disappointment given the state of play in early November. But had you told the Cougars prior to the season that their journey would end in the Holiday Bowl (against Syracuse), they assuredly would have jumped at the offer. *** Send suggestions, comments and tips (confidentiality guaranteed) to wilnerhotline@bayareanewsgroup.com or call 408-920-5716 *** Follow me on the social media platform X: @ WilnerHotline
Millions displaced by global conflicts. Communities reeling from natural disasters. Lives upended because of health care inequalities. In the middle of these crises are established nonprofits, everyday individuals and mutual aid groups — all seeking your dollars to make a difference. With no shortage of worthy causes and the rise of new giving technologies, how should you donate? The choices can be immobilizing. Many people value conventional charities but others — Gen Z and millennials, as well as the unmarried and less religious, according to 2021 research by the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy — like to crowdfund by pooling donations online for folks in dire circumstances. “It’s really: what is the right type of support that either an organization or a community or an individual needs?” said Bloomerang Chief Customer Officer Todd Baylis, who co-founded the platform Qgiv to help nonprofits fundraise online. “And being able to tailor that to the individual giver.” Here are some questions worth considering. It might come down to whether you want to make a big difference for one person or help seed large-scale change. Tiltify is a technology platform that helps nonprofits and individual crowdfunders raise money. If donors want to ensure food gets to communities recovering from disasters, Tiltify CEO Michael Wasserman says a nonprofit contribution is probably best, as established organizations already have distribution pipelines and expertise. If you want to ensure a particular person can take care of themselves, he said, a direct donation to a crowdfunding campaign might make more sense than sending money “through a charitable funnel.” You could do both at once, according to one nonprofit that delivers cash transfers. GiveDirectly reports sending more than $860 million to 1.6 million people across three continents. Senior Program Manager Richard Nkurunziza says the idea initially was met with fears of misuse, but GiveDirectly finds that cash donations are a dignified way to empower people to invest in their unique needs. In Rwandan villages, he said, recipients spent donations on household renovations, new businesses and youth education — all of which benefit their entire community. “There’s a bit of agency,” he said. “It gives an opportunity for the recipient to make a decision on how they use the funds for themselves.” Crowdfunding could be considered “more democratic,” according to Claire van Teunenbroek, a University of Twente professor specializing in online giving behavior. Donors have more control over their gifts’ usage when they choose who benefits. The disadvantage, she said, is that people with the greatest needs aren’t always the ones with the most success. Humans are prone to supporting “easily sellable” projects with highly emotional appeals, and studies showed racial disparities in crowdfunding. The most popular reason donors told Bloomerang they stopped giving was because they did not trust contributions were used wisely, according to the company’s Generational Giving Report. The second most common response was that donors no longer felt connected to the nonprofit. The answers underscore the need for recipients to actively prove their trustworthiness. Tax-exempt nonprofits must submit annual financial disclosures to the Internal Revenue Service that include publicly available information, including executives’ salaries. Watchdogs, such as Charity Navigator, compile lists of verified nonprofits and assess their work. Crowdfunding is much more susceptible to fraud. The online sites are relatively unregulated, leaving the responsibility for protection up to donors and the platforms themselves. In GoFundMe’s case, donations can be refunded up to one year after they are made. The company advises that organizers identify themselves and their beneficiaries, and specify their plans for spending contributions. Online users mistakenly associate high donation numbers with credibility, van Teunenbroek said. She said risk is better mitigated by making sure the project’s description is detailed. “For a donor, if you prefer more certainty, then traditional nonprofits are probably better because they have an established reputation,” she said. ALSAC CEO Rick Shadyac said his charity works hard to make donors feel confident that their money is supporting the mission of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital: improving pediatric cancer survival rates worldwide by covering the costs of care and researching treatments. He urges people to give regardless of the medium and to always look for reputable causes. Bonafide charities, he said, bring “greater degrees of confidence” while crowdfunding requires more “due diligence.” Still, he sees room for both. ALSAC gets nearly one-quarter of its annual revenue during the last two months of the calendar, Shadyac said, the time of year designated “Giving Season.” The uptick could stem from the spirit of generosity around the holidays, he added. A 2023 study found that people in good moods are more likely to make a charitable donation. They also might be making year-end tax plans. “Not-for-profits give them the opportunity to address some things that are important to them while also getting a tax deduction,” Shadyac said. Crowdfunding donations to individual campaigns, however, cannot be written off on your taxes. Mutual aid refers to reciprocal support networks of neighbors who meet each other’s most pressing needs when existing systems fail. Participants often describe the act as “solidarity, not charity.” These groups often solicit cash contributions through online payment processors like Venmo, Cash App, PayPal or Zelle. Anyone can scan QR codes, which are usually shared on social media, to donate. The money goes straight to those impacted or helps purchase supplies for shared community resources. Transparency might come in the form of a receipt shared by organizers. Tamara Kneese joined mutual aid efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic to take care of her neighbors in Oakland. Kneese, a director at the nonprofit research institute Data & Society, said these groups tend to start as immediate responses to crises hurting disadvantaged communities. The idea, she added, is “state abandonment cannot be addressed by charitable giving alone.” “It is not just a sense of charity, like you make a donation and you’re done,” she said. “There is more of a relationship involved and it is not just transactional.” Get local news delivered to your inbox!Wildlife TV presenter and conservationist Chris Packham has resigned as president of the RSPCA after an investigation made allegations of animal cruelty at some of the charity’s approved abattoirs. Former Green Party leader Caroline Lucas has also resigned as vice-president of the animal welfare organisation, with both of them expressing their “sadness” over leaving the roles. It comes after an Animal Rising investigation made claims of cruelty at “RSPCA Assured” slaughterhouses in England and Scotland , with the campaign group sharing footage of alleged mistreatment. RSPCA Assured is a scheme whereby approved farms must comply with the organisation’s “stringent higher welfare standards”, according to its website. Mr Packham shared the news of his resignation on social media, saying: “It is with enormous sadness that I have resigned from my role as president of the RSPCA. “I would like to register my respect and admiration for all the staff and volunteers who work tirelessly to protect animals from cruelty.” Ms Lucas said she and Mr Packham failed to get the charity’s leadership to act. She posted on X, formerly Twitter: “With huge sadness I’m resigning as VP of the RSPCA, a role I’ve held with pride for over 15 years. “But their Assured Schemes risk misleading the public & legitimising cruelty. “I tried with @ChrisGPackham to persuade the leadership to act but sadly failed.” In June, the RSPCA commissioned an independent review of 200 farms on its assurance scheme which concluded the scheme was “operating effectively” to assure animal welfare on member farms. Following Animal Rising’s release of footage last week, the charity said it was “appalled” by what was shown, adding that it launched an immediate investigation and suspended three slaughterhouses from the scheme. In the wake of Mr Packham and Ms Lucas’ resignations, an RSPCA spokesperson said it is “simply not true” that the organisation has failed to take urgent action. They said: “We agree with Chris and Caroline on so many issues and have achieved so much together for animals, but we differ on how best to address the incredibly complex and difficult issue of farmed animal welfare. “We have discussed our work to drive up farmed animal welfare standards openly at length with them on many occasions and it is simply not true that we have not taken urgent action. “We took allegations of poor welfare incredibly seriously, launching an independent review of 200 farms which concluded that it was ‘operating effectively’ to improve animal welfare. “We are taking strong steps to improve oversight of welfare, implementing the recommendations in full including significantly increasing unannounced visits, and exploring technology such as body-worn cameras and CCTV, supported by £2 million of investment.” The charity insisted that while 94% of people continue to choose to eat meat, fish, eggs and dairy, it is the “right thing to do” to work with farmers to improve the lives of animals. “RSPCA Assured visit all farms on the scheme every year, but last year just 3% of farms were assessed for animal welfare by state bodies,” the spokesperson continued. “No-one else is doing this work. We are the only organisation setting and regularly monitoring animal welfare standards on farms. “We have pioneered change through RSPCA Assured, which has led to improvements throughout the industry including CCTV in slaughterhouses, banning barren battery cages for hens and sow stalls for pigs, giving salmon more space to swim and developing slower growing chicken breeds who have better quality of life.”
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WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump's pick for intelligence chief Tulsi Gabbard faced fresh scrutiny Monday on Capitol Hill about her proximity to Russian-ally Syria amid the sudden collapse of that country's hardline Assad rule. Gabbard ignored shouted questions about her 2017 visit to war-torn Syria as she ducked into one of several private meetings with senators who are being asked to confirm Trump's unusual nominees . But the Democrat-turned-Republican Army National Reserve lieutenant colonel delivered a statement in which she reiterated her support for Trump's America First approach to national security and a more limited U.S. military footprint overseas. “I want to address the issue that’s in the headlines right now: I stand in full support and wholeheartedly agree with the statements that President Trump has made over these last few days with regards to the developments in Syria,” Gabbard said exiting a Senate meeting. The incoming president’s Cabinet and top administrative choices are dividing his Republican allies and drawing concern , if not full opposition, from Democrats and others. Not just Gabbard, but other Trump nominees including Pentagon pick Pete Hegseth, were back at the Capitol ahead of what is expected to be volatile confirmation hearings next year. The incoming president is working to put his team in place for an ambitious agenda of mass immigrant deportations, firing federal workers and rollbacks of U.S. support for Ukraine and NATO allies. “We’re going to sit down and visit, that’s what this is all about,” said Sen. Mike Rounds, R-S.D., as he welcomed Gabbard into his office. Meanwhile, Defense Secretary pick Hegseth appeared to be picking up support from once-skeptical senators, the former Army National Guard major denying sexual misconduct allegations and pledging not to drink alcohol if he is confirmed. The president-elect's choice to lead the FBI, Kash Patel , who has written extensively about locking up Trump's foes and proposed dismantling the Federal Bureau of Investigation, launched his first visits with senators Monday. “I expect our Republican Senate is going to confirm all of President Trump’s nominees,” said Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., on social media. Despite widespread concern about the nominees' qualifications and demeanors for the jobs that are among the highest positions in the U.S. government, Trump's team is portraying the criticism against them as nothing more than political smears and innuendo. Showing that concern, Nearly 100 former senior U.S. diplomats and intelligence and national security officials have urged Senate leaders to schedule closed-door hearings to allow for a full review of the government’s files on Gabbard. Trump's allies have described the criticisms of Hegseth in particular as similar to those lodged against Brett Kavanaugh, the former president's Supreme Court nominee who denied a sexual assault allegation and went on to be confirmed during Trump's first term in office. Said Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., about Hegseth: “Anonymous accusations are trying to destroy reputations again. We saw this with Kavanaugh. I won’t stand for it.” One widely watched Republican, Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa, herself a former Army National Guard lieutenant colonel and sexual assault survivor who had been criticized by Trump allies for her cool reception to Hegseth, appeared more open to him after their follow-up meeting Monday. “I appreciate Pete Hegseth’s responsiveness and respect for the process,” Ernst said in a statement. Ernst said that following “encouraging conversations,” he had committed to selecting a senior official who will "prioritize and strengthen my work to prevent sexual assault within the ranks. As I support Pete through this process, I look forward to a fair hearing based on truth, not anonymous sources.” Ernst also had praise for Patel — “He shares my passion for shaking up federal agencies" — and for Gabbard. Once a rising Democratic star, Gabbard, who represented Hawaii in Congress, arrived a decade ago in Washington, her surfboard in tow, a new generation of potential leaders. She ran unsuccessfully for president in 2020. But Gabbard abruptly left the party and briefly became an independent before joining with Trump's 2024 campaign as one of his enthusiasts, in large part over his disdain for U.S. involvement overseas and opposition to helping Ukraine battle Russia. Her visit to Syria to meet with then-President Bashar Assad around the time of Trump's first inauguration during the country's bloody civil war stunned her former colleagues and the Washington national security establishment. The U.S. had severed diplomatic relations with Syria. Her visit was seen by some as legitimizing a brutal leader who was accused of war crimes. Gabbard has defended the trip, saying it's important to open dialogue, but critics hear in her commentary echoes of Russia-fueled talking points. Assad fled to Moscow over the weekend after Islamist rebels overtook Syria in a surprise attack, ending his family's five decades of rule. She said her own views have been shaped by “my multiple deployments and seeing firsthand the cost of war and the threat of Islamist terrorism.” Gabbard said, “It's one of the many reasons why I appreciate President Trump’s leadership and his election, where he is fully committed, as he has said over and over, to bring about an end to wars.” Last week, the nearly 100 former officials, who served in both Democratic and Republican administrations, said in the letter to Senate leaders they were “alarmed” by the choice of Gabbard to oversee all 18 U.S. intelligence agencies. They said her past actions “call into question her ability to deliver unbiased intelligence briefings to the President, Congress, and to the entire national security apparatus.” The Office of the Director of National Intelligence was created after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks to coordinate the nation’s intelligence agencies and act as the president’s main intelligence adviser. Associated Press writer Stephen Groves contributed to this report.
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Tulsi Gabbard, Trump’s pick for intel chief, faces questions on Capitol Hill amid Syria falloutDAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — Syria's prime minister said Monday that most cabinet ministers were back at work after rebels overthrew President Bashar Assad , but some state workers failed to return to their jobs, and a United Nations official said the country's public sector had come “to a complete and abrupt halt." Meanwhile, streams of refugees crossed back into Syria from neighboring countries, hoping for a more peaceful future and looking for relatives who disappeared during Assad's brutal rule. There were already signs of the difficulties ahead for the rebel alliance now in control of much of the country. The alliance is led by a former senior al-Qaida militant who severed ties with the extremist group years ago and has promised representative government and religious tolerance. The rebel command said Monday they would not tell women how to dress. “It is strictly forbidden to interfere with women’s dress or impose any request related to their clothing or appearance, including requests for modesty,” the command said in a statement on social media. Nearly two days after rebels entered the capital, some key government services had shut down after state workers ignored calls to go back to their jobs, the U.N. official said, causing issues at airports and borders and slowing the flow of humanitarian aid. Rebel leader Ahmad al-Sharaa, who was long known by his nom de guerre Abu Mohammed al-Golani, also met for the first time with Prime Minister Mohammad Ghazi Jalali, who stayed in Syria when Assad fled. “You will see there are skills" among the rebels, al-Sharaa said in a video shared on a rebel messaging channel. Israel said it carried out airstrikes on suspected chemical weapons sites and long-range rockets to keep them from falling into the hands of extremists. Israel also seized a buffer zone inside Syria after Syrian troops withdrew. In northern Syria, Turkey said allied opposition forces seized the town of Manbij from Kurdish-led forces backed by the United States, a reminder that even after Assad's departure, the country remains split among armed groups that have fought in the past. The Kremlin said Russia has granted political asylum to Assad , a decision made by President Vladimir Putin . Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov declined to comment on Assad’s specific whereabouts and said Putin did not plan to meet with him. Damascus was quiet Monday, with life slowly returning to normal, though most shops and public institutions were closed. In public squares, some people were still celebrating. Civilian traffic resumed, but there was no public transport. Long lines formed in front of bakeries and other food stores. There was little sign of any security presence though in some areas, small groups of armed men were stationed in the streets. Across swathes of Syria, families are now waiting outside prisons , security offices and courts, hoping for news of loved ones who were imprisoned or who disappeared. Just north of Damascus in the feared Saydnaya military prison, women detainees, some with their children, screamed as rebels broke locks off their cell doors. Amnesty International and other groups say dozens of people were secretly executed every week in Saydnaya, and they estimate that up to 13,000 Syrians were killed between 2011 and 2016. “Don’t be afraid," one rebel said as he ushered women from packed cells. "Bashar Assad has fallen!” In southern Turkey , Mustafa Sultan was among hundreds of Syrian refugees waiting at border crossings to head home. He was searching for his older brother, who was imprisoned under Assad. “I haven’t seen him for 13 years," he said. "I am going to go see whether he’s alive.” Prime minister says government is operational, but UN official says it's paralyzed Jalali, the prime minister, has sought to project normalcy since Assad fled. “We are working so that the transitional period is quick and smooth,” he told Sky News Arabia TV on Monday, saying the security situation had already improved from the day before. At the court of Justice in Damascus, which was stormed by the rebels to free detainees, Judge Khitam Haddad, an aide to the justice minister in the outgoing government, said Sunday that judges were ready to resume work quickly. “We want to give everyone their rights,” Haddad said outside the courthouse. “We want to build a new Syria and to keep the work, but with new methods.” But a U.N. official said some government services had been paralyzed as worried state employees stayed home. The public sector “has just come to a complete and abrupt halt," said U.N. Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Syria Adam Abdelmoula, noting, for example, that an aid flight carrying urgently needed medical supplies had been put on hold after aviation employees abandoned their jobs. “This is a country that has had one government for 53 years and then suddenly all of those who have been demonized by the public media are now in charge in the nation’s capital,” Abdelmoula told The Associated Press. "I think it will take a couple of days and a lot of assurance on the part of the armed groups for these people to return to work again.” Britain, U.S. considering removing insurgent group from terror list Britain and the U.S. are both considering whether to remove the main anti-Assad rebel group from their lists of designated terrorist organizations. Hayat Tahrir al-Sham began as an offshoot of al-Qaida but cut ties with the group years ago and has worked to present a more moderate image. The group's leader, al-Sharaa, “is saying some of the right things about the protection of minorities, about respecting people’s rights,” British Cabinet minister Pat McFadden said, adding that a change would be considered “quite quickly.” But British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, speaking later during a visit to Saudi Arabia, said it was "far too early” to make that decision. In Washington, a Biden administration official noted that HTS will be an “important component” in Syria's future and that the U.S. needs to “engage with them appropriately.” Another administration official said the U.S. remains in a “wait and see” mode on whether to remove the designation. Both officials requested anonymity to discuss the ongoing internal deliberations. State Department spokesman Matthew Miller told reporters that such designations are constantly under review. Even while it is in place, the designation does not bar U.S. officials from speaking with members or leaders of the group, he said. The U.S. also announced it was sending its special envoy for hostage affairs to Beirut to seek information about the whereabouts of Austin Tice, a journalist who vanished in Syria 12 years ago and who President Joe Biden has said is believed to be alive. Israel confirms it struck suspected chemical weapons and rockets Israelis welcomed the fall of Assad, who was a key ally of Iran and Lebanon's Hezbollah militant group, while expressing concern over what comes next. Israel says its forces temporarily seized a buffer zone inside Syria dating back to a 1974 agreement after Syrian troops withdrew in the chaos. “The only interest we have is the security of Israel and its citizens," Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar told reporters Monday. Saar did not provide details about the targets, but the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said they included weapons warehouses, research centers, air defense systems and aircraft squadrons. Israel has carried out hundreds of airstrikes in Syria in recent years, targeting what it says are military sites related to Iran and Hezbollah . Israeli officials rarely comment on individual strikes. Syria agreed to give up its chemical weapons stockpile in 2013, after the government was accused of launching an attack near Damascus that killed hundreds of people . But it is widely believed to have kept some of the weapons and was accused of using them again in subsequent years. Turkey says its allies have taken northern town Officials in Turkey, which is the main supporter of the Syrian opposition to Assad, say its allies have taken full control of the northern Syrian city of Manbij from a U.S.-supported and Kurdish-led force known as the Syrian Democratic Forces, or SDF. The SDF said a Turkish drone struck in the village of al-Mistriha in eastern Syria, killing 12 civilians, including six children. Turkey views the SDF, which is primarily composed of a Syrian Kurdish militia, as an extension of the banned Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, which has waged a decades-long insurgency in Turkey. The SDF has also been a key ally of the United States in the war against the Islamic State group. Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on Monday warned against allowing Islamic State or Kurdish fighters to take advantage of the situation, saying Turkey will prevent Syria from turning into a “haven for terrorism.” ___ Mroue reported from Beirut and Goldenberg from Tel Aviv, Israel. Associated Press writers Suzan Fraser in Ankara, Turkey, Mehmet Guzel at the Oncupinar border crossing in Turkey, Jamey Keaten in Geneva, and Aamer Madhani and Matthew Lee in Washington contributed to this report. ___ Follow the AP's Syria coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/syria Sarah El Deeb, Bassem Mroue And Tia Goldenberg, The Associated Press
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