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Iran protests US arrest of nationals over technology export TEHRAN: Tehran has formally protested the arrests of two Iranians in Italy and the United States accused of transferring sensitive US technology to Iran, local media reported. US prosecutors on Monday charged Mahdi Mohammad Sadeghi and Mohammad Abedininajafabadi with “conspiring to export sophisticated electronic components from the United States to Iran in violation of US export control and sanctions laws”, according to a statement from the US Department of Justice. The statement added that the illegally exported technology was used in a January drone attack that killed three US servicemen in Jordan. Iran denied any involvement in the attack, dismissing the claims as “baseless accusations.” “We consider both the cruel and unilateral US sanctions against Iran and these arrests to be contrary to all international laws and standards,” foreign ministry official Vahid Jalalzadeh told the Tasnim news agency late on Saturday. Jalalzadeh said the ministry had “invited” the Italian charg© d ́affaires and the Swiss ambassador to Tehran -- who represents US interests there -- to “declare its protests to the arrests”. Abedininajafabadi, 38, was arrested on Monday in Italy by Italian authorities at the request of the United States, the US Department of Justice said. It identified Sadeghi as a 42-year-old dual US-Iranian national who was arrested in the United States.
NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Three African politicians seeking to head the African Union detailed their plans on Friday for regional security amid conflicts and political coups while strongly advocating for inter-Africa trade among other issues. Raila Odinga of Kenya, Mahamoud Ali Youssouf of Djibouti and Richard Randriamandrato of Madagascar are seeking to be elected as chairperson for the 55-member state African Union. They participated in a two-hour debate Friday in Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa in which they all advocated for two permanent seats for African countries in the U.N. Security Council to effectively represent the continent with the youngest population. Odinga said that two permanent seats with veto power were “a must for Africa” and that this was “only fair” since the continent has more than 50 countries. Randriamandrato urged member states to cease the opportunity and “speak with one voice on the choice of who will represent Africa in the UNSC.” The three are seeking to convince most African countries before the February election to succeed African Union Chairperson Moussa Faki, who has served for two terms. The African Union has faced several challenges that include conflict in member countries and political coups that have seen five member states expelled from the union, making regional security a major theme in Friday’s debate. Youssouf said that regional security could be enhanced if the resources for a regional standby force were increased to reduce the overreliance on foreign partnerships for resources. “When there is no unity of purpose among neighboring countries peace will be compromised,” Youseff said. Randriamandrato encouraged countries to take charge of their internal security while cautioning that foreign military bases should be “a thing of the past” because they “could be a source of conflict.” Despite the continent’s young population of 1.3 billion that is set to double by 2050, regional trade has faced challenges that were addressed in the Friday debate. Odinga said that Africa had a “huge domestic market” that it could leverage on for economic transformation by opening up opportunities for trade between African countries. Youssouf proposed a payment compensation system that would ensure countries don't lose out while trading in different currencies adding, “are we going to have a single currency, why not?” Randriamandrato said that regional economic blocs like the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa had a huge role to play in easing inter-Africa trade. The African Union has several proposed reforms on its structure and leadership aimed at achieving its purpose, and all candidates promised to implement the reforms if elected. Youssouf said that key reforms in the union were facing a funding bottleneck and that “it has to change,” adding that he wouldn't impose it on member states but would “advocate for it.”Permission has been granted for the development of student accommodation blocks with 821 rooms in the Castle Street/Queen Street area of Belfast City Centre . The project will see the demolition of existing buildings on site for the building of purpose-built managed student accommodation with communal facilities including a gym, a cinema, meeting/study rooms and laundry rooms. At the December monthly meeting of the Belfast City Council Planning Committee on Tuesday (December 10), elected members unanimously approved the construction of blocks of between six to nine storeys and associated shared/ancillary spaces with ground floor retail/retail service units, and additional short term use outside of term time. READ MORE: Havelock House social housing block approved despite over 500 objections READ MORE: Sandy Row traders tell City Hall Boyne Bridge closure has left area “log-jam or ghost town" The applicant, MRP NUH Ltd, states the building will be up and running for the 2027/28 academic year. The site is approximately 0.6 hectares and is occupied by a number of existing buildings. Fronting Castle Street and Fountain Street is the six storey building Norwich Union House which contains a number of retail units on the ground floor and vacant offices above. To the rear of the building is a multi-storey car park, while on the junction of Castle Street and Queen Street is the four-storey Westgate House which contains retail on the ground floor and offices above. Two smaller scale buildings of two and three storeys infill Norwich Union House and Westgate House, while there is a significant gap site along Queen Street currently used as a surface level car park. None of the statutory bodies objected to the plan except NI Water. The council received three letters of support from third parties, and no letters of objection before the planning committee hearing. On the day of the committee meeting, the owner of the Fountain Street bar and venue Voodoo lodged an objection to the council regarding the application. A council office told members of the Planning Committee: “They are concerned about the impact of Voodoo on the amenity of prospective residents.” Council planning officers recommended the plan for approval. The council report on the application states: “The site is a highly sustainable location within the city centre and close to transport links such as Grand Central Station and other public transport services. “The application is supported by satisfactory evidence of need for the proposal. Following negotiations and amendments to the scheme, the proposed building is considered to be of a very good quality design appropriate to its context within the city centre conservation area and setting of listed buildings. “The proposal will develop an existing vacant building and large gap site within Queen Street, introducing active frontages and supporting the regeneration of the surrounding area.” Last month a plan for four new student accommodation blocks of up to 18 stories at Great Victoria Street was approved. At the November monthly meeting of the Belfast City Council Planning Committee, elected members approved the demolition of the existing buildings on the site and construction of a new purpose built managed student accommodation development across four blocks of six to 18 stories in height, comprising 560 student rooms. The plan involves landscaped roof terraces, and associated amenity, site and access works. The site location is at lands comprising the existing Fanum House, Norwood House and adjacent lands, 96-110 Great Victoria Street, Belfast, BT2. The £42 million plan is by development company South Bank Square. In September Belfast's largest ever purpose-built student accommodation scheme was approved, comprising over 1,000 bedrooms in a four block building in the Titanic area of Belfast. Councillors approved the 'Titanic Quarter Student Village', a plan for a 1007 bedroom purpose built managed student accommodation, consisting of 286 studio bedrooms and 721 'cluster rooms'. The site will be on lands to the northeast of Olympic House, east of Queen’s Road and south of Belfast Metropolitan College, Belfast. In August councillors agreed to an application for the erection of a 201-bed purpose-built managed student accommodation scheme and retail unit, at 41-49 Dublin Road and 3-5 Ventry Street, Belfast, BT2. The building is planned for the site of Filthy McNasty’s pub and club. There are two nearby student accommodation buildings which are operational, Botanic Studios at 78-86 Dublin Road and Vita at 27 Bruce Street. More student blocks are planned for the Dublin Road area, with Queen's University having successfully applied for a new accommodation building at the old Movie House cinema site on Dublin Road. There is further student accommodation at the nearby Bradbury Place. Despite the success of planning applications in recent years, student accommodation blocks still currently only house a quarter of the student population of Belfast. To bring the full-time student to bed ratio down to 1.5, for students requiring term time accommodation nearly 5,700 new beds will be needed based on 2021/22 student numbers.
NoneMIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — The Dolphins announced Friday morning that they’ve waived wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr., a move that ends his brief career with the team after just nine games. Beckham, the once-spectacular player who was most famous for the one-handed touchdown catch he made while with the New York Giants, would end his time with the Dolphins with just nine receptions for 55 yards and no touchdowns. Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Please enable it in your browser settings.
Qatar Foundation (QF) has launched BilAraby, an initiative designed to empower and amplify the voices of Arabic speakers across the world and their inspiring and innovative ideas. BilAraby aims to attract and nurture both local and global Arabic-speaking talents, providing them with opportunities to create meaningful and innovative content, a statement said. The launch reflects the QF’s ongoing commitment to nurturing ideas, experiences, and stories that inspire others and drives positive social transformation within Arab societies and on a global scale. Launched under the slogan Ideas have a voice and an echo, BilAraby will host regional events throughout the year, concluding with an annual summit that will offer a speaking platform for thought leaders, creators, and innovators to share their ideas and drive positive change. Applications for speakers at BilAraby’s 2025 Doha summit are now open, and those interested can apply by submitting a five-minute video summarising their profile, the idea they want to share, and its significance by December 30, 2024, at https://form.jotform.com/qfdigital/bilaraby “Amid the rapid spread of content in other languages compared to Arabic content,” said QF executive director (Strategic Initiatives and Programmes) Hisham Nourin. “We recognised the urgent need to develop a platform that delivers authentic, rich, and high-quality content in the Arabic language, and that reflects the QF’s commitment to providing platforms that foster Arab creativity and drive positive social and cultural change.” “We envisioned the development of a multifaceted regional initiative with a global outlook to help bridge this gap, and continue our mission to unite intellectuals, achievers, and innovators who speak Arabic,” he said. “Through BilAraby, we aim to unite intellectuals, distinguished individuals, and innovators who speak Arabic, creating a connected environment that enhances unity among Arabic-speaking communities.” BilAraby has multiple objectives, such as enhancing intellectual engagement by encouraging participants to delve into meaningful discussions on diverse topics, and encouraging people to reconnect with their roots and shared identities, while strengthening community ties. It also fosters a supportive environment for exchanging expertise and working on joint projects and initiatives. With the goal of broadening its impact and expanding its reach, BilAraby will also host regional events, and will offer a virtual space for idea sharing and knowledge exchange through a digital platform providing a comprehensive multimedia experience tailored to users’ interests and aspirations. As part of its focus on increasing audience participation across all phases of the initiative, BilAraby launched a logo design competition in September this year, receiving over 1,500 submissions from across the Arab world. The winning design will be unveiled at the main BilAraby summit in Doha in April next year. Related Story Podar Pearl School named No 1 Indian School in Qatar in global rankings QC's Rofaqa supports over 212,000 worldwideBHUBANESWAR: Six months after BJD 's electoral loss, party chief Naveen Patnaik attributed it Thursday to failure to effectively counter BJP 's "false narratives & bundle of lies". This is the first time Naveen has publicly explained the reason for the defeat that snapped his 24-year stint as Odisha CM , contradicting speculation about close aide VK Pandian 's influence being a key factor. "Many people were asking questions about how BJD lost in the last elections. We did not lose the trust of people. BJP came to power by telling lies, making false promises and misleading people," Naveen said in a video message on BJD's 28th foundation day. State BJP president Manmohan Samal hit back, saying BJD and Naveen "were still in shock over the defeat" over the defeat. Although Naveen had publicly acknowledged the electoral mandate earlier and announced a committee to determine the causes behind the unprecedented loss, his fresh statements appeared to shift the focus away from Pandian, an ex-IAS officer widely seen as a successor. "Our mistake was that we could not counter BJP's lies, negative campaigns and false narratives effectively," Naveen said, urging BJD workers to counter BJP's "false and deceptive" narratives. Stay updated with the latest news on Times of India . Don't miss daily games like Crossword , Sudoku , Location Guesser and Mini Crossword .Strands Help, Hints & Clues for Today, December 13
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