Revisiting certain places doesn’t always have to give you a sense of déjà vu. Not when you can still find something new to discover about them. Take Singapore, for instance. Due to the numerous events that I have to cover there, it’s the one country that I travel to most often. But as much as I’m already very familiar with many of its streets, sought-after tourist spots, popular attractions, and yes, shopping malls, there are still times when it feels like I’m in unfamiliar territory when I come here. Dining experiences are easily among the things that always feel new to me when I come here. My most recent sojourn as part of a media fam trip hosted by the Singapore Tourism Board is no exception. Having been to several STB fam trips dating back to the late 1990s, I can attest to STB’s well-curated “food trips” now including the following dining options. Chatterbox Perhaps it’s because I usually save my pennies when I travel to the Lion City that it’s only recently that I get to experience this lovely dining option that opened way back in 1971. Located at Hilton Singapore Orchard, Chatterbox is best known for its legendary Mandarin Chicken Rice , its popular version of the more popular Hainanese Chicken Rice. Chatterbox’s version truly stands out because only plumper, juicier, and more flavorful free-range chickens cooked in aromatic stock and slowly steamed until tender are served. The must-try chicken goes in harmonious tandem with fragrant, buttery rice and is accompanied by a trio of house-made sauces: ginger, chili, and dark soy, each enhancing the dish’s flavors. As for other popular menu items, there’s the Lobster Laksa with Boston lobster, quail eggs, fish cake, thick vermicelli noodles, and dried beancurd, served in a flavorful coconut broth of spices and fresh coconut milk. And then there’s also the Seafood Hokkien Mee , an umami-rich and stir-fried dish that combines fresh prawns, squid, pork belly, eggs, bean sprouts, and chives with thick bee hoon (rice vermicelli) and yellow noodles, all simmering in homemade seafood broth. The concept behind Chatterbox is to bring Singapore’s authentic hawker culture from its traditional street setting into a posh environment, hence its location inside a five-star hotel. The restaurant’s modern interior feels cozy and in local parlance, maaliwalas , thanks in large part to the bright and airy ambiance of its elegant and minimalist design. Premium ingredients and refined preparation justify the higher price tags compared to hawker centers like Lau Pa Sat where our group also chowed. True Blue Peranakan Cuisine “Peranakan” is a term that generally refers to people of mixed Chinese and Malay heritage. No surprise then there are several restaurants that honor Singapore’s rich Peranakan heritage. As gleaned from its name alone, True Blue Peranakan Cuisine is an acclaimed dining spot that offers exactly just that. Located on Armenian Street right next to the iconic Peranakan Museum which we also visited, this restaurant’s interior has the look and feel of an ancestral Peranakan home complete with old-school antique furniture, traditional ceramics, and even old family photos. Said to be based on recipes passed down through generations, the menu fare at True Blue Peranakan is pretty much “lutong bahay” Singapore style. Easily the must-try here is Ayam Buah Keluak , a rich and flavorful chicken stew made with the unique buah keluak nut. Babi Pongteh is another popular dish—a tender braised pork dish with potatoes, slow-cooked in a sauce made of fermented soybeans and garlic. Given that it’s best paired with steaming white rice, I won’t be surprised if this is popular with Filipino expats and tourists. For drinks and desserts, one can’t go wrong with the uber-popular Chendon , served with shaved ice, coconut milk, palm sugar, and green pandan jelly. The more traditional Kueh Pie Tee consists of crispy pastry cups filled with a sweet mix of turnips, carrots, and prawns. The beverage selection includes Bandung, a rose syrup milk drink, and something we’re all familiar with here at home, Calamansi Juice. While it’s a little on the pricey side, the immersive Peranakan experience and “historical” setting that goes beyond food makes True Blue Peranakan, in my opinion, a worthy inclusion to any Singapore itinerary. Kee Eng Kee Seafood I’m willing to bet that people come here for one reason and one reason alone: because they’re hungry. Also known as simply KEK Seafood, this no-frills, no-nonsense restaurant is all about the food. Located in the heart of Bukit Merah, this family-run eatery has been delighting customers with savory, flavorful dishes for over five decades. KEK Seafood is a testament to Singapore’s vibrant hawker culture, offering a down-to-earth dining experience that draws both locals and tourists alike. The spacious, open-air dining area is ideal for families and large groups but even solo diners looking for good food in a hawker-style setting won’t feel out of place here. KEK Seafood specializes in stir-fry dishes or zi char as locals prefer to call them. Pretty much everything is good here but easily standing out is their famous Chilli Crab , another famous Singapore dish done very well here. Fresh, meaty crabs cooked in a rich, tangy chili sauce that’s sweet, spicy, and savory all at once and paired with fried and chewy mantou buns. What’s not to like? Another must-try is the Moonlight Hor Fun , a smoky flat rice noodle dish stir-fried with prawns, squid, and vegetables, topped with raw egg. And then there’s KEK’s signature appetizer, the Mingzhu Roll , a delightful treat made with beancurd skin wrapped around a flavorful filling of salted egg yolk, ham, mushrooms, and prawn paste. These deep-fried rolls are crispy on the outside and bursting with flavor inside. Then there’s also the Coffee Pork Ribs with its unique blend of sweet coffee glaze and tender pork. Caramelized ribs offer a yummy balance of bitterness and sweetness between the coffee and the sauce. Other noteworthy stops during our tour include PS. Café in One Fullerton, The Coconut Club in Beach Road, and as mentioned, the most sought-after hawker center Lau Pau Sat. These dining places are not without their own charm but these are stories for another column. For now, all this talk about food is making me hungry again. Time to grab a bite. All photos by Ginger Franz S. Ocampo except when indicated.Market participants on Wall Street in the holiday-shortened week ahead will have a lot of significant economic data to watch for. Among the economic reports, the week will see third quarter gross domestic product (GDP) numbers, the personal income and Personal Consumption Expenditures price index data, the Fed’s preferred inflation gauge, for October. Investors will also closely watch the Federal Reserve’s minutes of November monetary policy committee meeting to be unveiled later in the week. Economic calendar On November 26 (Tuesday), minutes of Federal Reserve’s FOMC (Federal Open Market Committee) meeting held in November will be released. Separate reports on S&P Case-Shiller home price index (20 cities) for September, consumer confidence for November, and new home sales for October will also be released on the same day. On November 27 (Wednesday), separate reports on durable-goods orders for October, gross domestic product(first revision) third quarter (Q3), Chicago Business Barometer (PMI) for November, and personal income (nominal) for October, personal spending (nominal) for October, Personal Consumption Expenditure (PCE) index for October, and pending home sales for October will be released. Earnings Following companies are due to report third quarter earnings in the week ahead — Agilent Technologies, Zoom Video Communications, Woodward, Bath & Body Works, Semtech, Analog Devices, Dell Technologies, CrowdStrike Holdings, Guess?, Manchester United, Workday, Autodesk, Patterson Companies, Zuora, Frontline, and MINISO Group Holding. Markets last week US stock indices closed higher on Friday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 426.16 points, or 0.97 per cent, to 44,296.51, the S&P 500 gained 20.63 points, or 0.35 per cent, to 5,969.34 and the Nasdaq Composite gained 31.23 points, or 0.16 per cent, to 19,003.65. For the week, the S&P 500 gained 1.68 per cent, the Nasdaq rose 1.73 per cent, and the Dow climbed 1.96 per cent. In the bond market, the yield on the 10-year Treasury fell to 4.41 per cent from 4.42 per cent. In the crypto market, bitcoin hovered around $99,000.PM vows to strengthen HIV national response
Significant milestones in life and career of Jimmy CarterFORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Republican senators pushed back on Sunday against criticism from Democrats that Tulsi Gabbard , Donald Trump's pick to lead U.S. intelligence services , is “compromised” by her comments supportive of Russia and secret meetings , as a congresswoman, with Syria’s president, a close ally of the Kremlin and Iran. Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Illinois, a veteran of combat missions in Iraq, said she had concerns about Tulsi Gabbard, Trump's choice to be director of national intelligence . “I think she’s compromised," Duckworth said on CNN’s “State of the Union," citing Gabbard's 2017 trip to Syria, where she held talks with Syrian President Bashar Assad. Gabbard was a Democratic House member from Hawaii at the time. “The U.S. intelligence community has identified her as having troubling relationships with America’s foes. And so my worry is that she couldn’t pass a background check,” Duckworth said. Gabbard, who said last month she is joining the Republican party, has served in the Army National Guard for more than two decades. She was deployed to Iraq and Kuwait and, according to the Hawaii National Guard, received a Combat Medical Badge in 2005 for “participation in combat operations under enemy hostile fire in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom III." Duckworth's comments drew immediate backlash from Republicans. “For her to say ridiculous and outright dangerous words like that is wrong," Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Oklahoma, said on CNN, challenging Duckworth to retract her words. “That’s the most dangerous thing she could say — is that a United States lieutenant colonel in the United States Army is compromised and is an asset of Russia.” In recent days, other Democrats have accused Gabbard without evidence of being a “Russian asset.” Sen. Elizabeth Warren, a Massachusetts Democrat, has claimed, without offering details, that Gabbard is in Russian President Vladimir “Putin’s pocket.” Mullin and others say the criticism from Democrats is rooted in the fact that Gabbard left their party and has become a Trump ally. Democrats say they worry that Gabbard's selection as national intelligence chief endangers ties with allies and gives Russia a win. Rep. Adam Schiff, a California Democrat just elected to the Senate, said he would not describe Gabbard as a Russian asset, but said she had “very questionable judgment.” “The problem is if our foreign allies don’t trust the head of our intelligence agencies, they’ll stop sharing information with us,” Schiff said on NBC's “Meet the Press.” Gabbard in 2022 endorsed one of Russia’s justifications for invading Ukraine : the existence of dozens of U.S.-funded biolabs working on some of the world’s nastiest pathogens. The labs are part of an international effort to control outbreaks and stop bioweapons, but Moscow claimed Ukraine was using them to create deadly bioweapons. Gabbard said she just voiced concerns about protecting the labs. Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Missouri, said he thought it was “totally ridiculous” that Gabbard was being cast as a Russian asset for having different political views. “It’s insulting. It’s a slur, quite frankly. There’s no evidence that she’s a asset of another country,” he said on NBC. Sen. James Lankford, another Oklahoma Republican, acknowledged having “lots of questions” for Gabbard as the Senate considers her nomination to lead the intelligence services. Lankford said on NBC that he wants to ask Gabbard about her meeting with Assad and some of her past comments about Russia. “We want to know what the purpose was and what the direction for that was. As a member of Congress, we want to get a chance to talk about past comments that she’s made and get them into full context,” Lankford said.
Hyderabad: A large number of tribals from various villages of Telangana’s Mulugu district on Sunday, November 24 participated in a massive rally protesting against the recent killing of two tribal people. Uika Ramesh and a local resident Uika Arjun were gunned down by Maoists on November 21, on suspicion of being police informants. On Sunday, around 1500 tribals took part in the rally protesting against the killing. The protestors marched from Y Junction to the local bus stand in Eturu Nagaram. People in Mulugu district of #Telangana protested after #Maoists killed two villagers on suspicion of being informants . @TheSiasatDaily #Telangana #Mulugu #Maoists pic.twitter.com/fM2SbEQuHa Tribals alleged that the killing was Maoists’ way of asserting their dominance in the district. “Does the Maoist struggle involve killing of innocent tribals?” the protestors questioned. The protestors urged the Telangana government to address their issues and take action against the Maoists. On November 21, Maoist’s in Mulugu hacked two people to death as they suspected them to be police informants. The Maoists, belonging to the banned Communist Party of India (Maoist), resorted to the action in Penugolu Colony in Wajedu mandal headquarters. The victims were identified as Uika Ramesh and a local resident Uika Arjun. Ramesh was the secretary of Peruru Gram Panchayat in the same mandal. A group of Maoists attacked the duo with sharp-edged weapons, resulting in their death on the spot. The assailants left a note near the bodies stating that both the deceased men were collecting information and passing it to the Special Intelligence Bureau (SIB), an elite agency of the state police involved in anti-Maoist operations. The note was signed by Shantha, Wajedu-Venkatapuram area secretary of CPI (Maoist). The attack came amid continuing attempts by Maoists to revive their activities in Telangana, which was once their stronghold.
PrathanChorruangsak/iStock via Getty Images This is my fourth Heron Therapeutics ( NASDAQ: HRTX ) article after my most recent 06/2024's "Heron Therapeutics: Opioid-Free Surgical Pain Relief Maven With Low Cash Reserves" (" Reserves "). In Reserves I rated Heron as a "Hold" in Analyst’s Disclosure: I/we have a beneficial long position in the shares of HRTX either through stock ownership, options, or other derivatives. I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it (other than from Seeking Alpha). I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article. I may buy or sell any interests in any company mentioned over the next 72 hours. Seeking Alpha's Disclosure: Past performance is no guarantee of future results. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. Any views or opinions expressed above may not reflect those of Seeking Alpha as a whole. Seeking Alpha is not a licensed securities dealer, broker or US investment adviser or investment bank. Our analysts are third party authors that include both professional investors and individual investors who may not be licensed or certified by any institute or regulatory body.
Michigan, Ohio State fight broken up with police pepper spray after Wolverines stun Buckeyes 13-10 COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — A fight broke out at midfield after Michigan stunned No. 2 Ohio State 13-10 as Wolverines players attempted to plant their flag and were met by Buckeyes who confronted them. Police had to use pepper spray to break up the players, who threw punches and shoves in the melee that overshadowed the rivalry game on Saturday. Ohio State police said in a statement “multiple officers representing Ohio and Michigan deployed pepper spray.” Ohio State police will investigate the fight. Ohio State coach Ryan Day said he understood the actions of his players. Michigan coach Sherrone Moore said everybody needs to do better. Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Please enable it in your browser settings. Get updates and player profiles ahead of Friday's high school games, plus a recap Saturday with stories, photos, video Frequency: Seasonal Twice a weekNone
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Pathstone Holdings LLC Cuts Position in FactSet Research Systems Inc. (NYSE:FDS)Irish civil servants compiled a list of “major leaks” they claimed originated from the Northern Ireland Office (NIO) and Special Branch officers in the region, records show. The confidential briefing note is part of the tranche of documents made public in the annual release of State papers from the Irish National Archives. An Irish Department of Foreign Affairs official focusing on justice and security created the list in October 2002. The document starts by referencing a 1999 interview given by George Mitchell, the chairman of the Good Friday Agreement negotiations, in which he claimed the British and Irish governments, as well as Northern Ireland’s political parties, had leaked information to manipulate public opinion. However, he further accused the NIO of attempting to sabotage the process by leaking information on British Government policy to the media. Mr Mitchell, a former US senator, is said to have expressed alarm and anger over the frequency of leaks from the NIO – saying they were uniquely “designed to undermine the policy of the British Government of which they were a part”. The Irish civil servant notes Mr Mitchell himself was subjected to an attempted “smear” when he first arrived in Northern Ireland, as newspaper articles falsely claimed his chief of staff Martha Pope had had a liaison with Sinn Fein representative Gerry Kelly with ulterior motives. The Irish civil servant goes on to list several “leaks”, starting with the publication of a proposed deal in a newspaper while “intense negotiations” for the Downing Street Declaration were under way. Next, the Department lists two “high-profile and damaging leaks issued from the NIO”. A so-called “gameplan” document was leaked in February 1998, showing papers had been prepared weeks before the Drumcree march on July 6, 1997. In the preceding years, there had been standoffs and clashes as nationalists opposed the procession of an Orange parade down Garvaghy Road in Portadown. The gameplan document showed then secretary of state for Northern Ireland Mo Mowlam, who was publicly expressing a desire for a negotiated solution to the 1997 parade, advocated “finding the lowest common denominator for getting some Orange feet on the Garvaghy Road”. In 1997, a large number of security forces were deployed to the area to allow the march to proceed. The incident sparked heightened tension and a wave of rioting. The document further describes the release of a document submitted by the NIO’s director of communications to the secretary of state as a “second major leak”. It claims a publicity strategy was released to the DUP in the aftermath of the Good Friday Agreement and showed how the UK Government would support a yes vote in a referendum following any talks agreement. In addition, it is claimed unionists used leaked sections of the Patten report on policing to invalidate its findings ahead of its publication in 1999. The report recommended the replacement of the Royal Ulster Constabulary with the Police Service of Northern Ireland, the changing of symbols, and a 50-50 recruitment policy for Catholics and Protestants. At the time, UUP leader David Trimble said the recommendations would lead to a corruption of policing in Northern Ireland. Chris Patten, chairman of the independent commission on policing, said some of the assertions were a “total fabrication” and designed to “muddy the waters” to create a difficult political atmosphere. Elsewhere, the author notes it was leaked to the media there was serious disagreement between the governments of the UK and Ireland on the composition of that commission – with not a single name submitted by the Irish side being accepted by the other. The author notes this incident, still under the heading “NIO leaks”, was believed by British officials to have emanated from the Irish side. The report turns to leaks of other origin, claiming “disgruntled Special Branch officers in Northern Ireland” were blamed by the British Government for a series of releases about the IRA which were designed to damage Sinn Fein in the 2001 general election in Northern Ireland. One senior Whitehall source was quoted in the Guardian as complaining that Special Branch was “leaking like a sieve” after details of an IRA intelligence database containing the names of leading Tories – described at the time as a “hit list” – was passed to the BBC in April 2002. The briefing note adds: “This was followed days later by a leak to The Sunday Telegraph which alleged that senior IRA commanders bought Russian special forces rifles in Moscow last year. “The newspaper said it was passed details by military intelligence in London.” The briefing note adds that other Special Branch leaks were associated with the Castlereagh break-in. The final incident in the document notes the Police Ombudsman’s Report on the Omagh bombing was also leaked to the press in December 2001. Then Northern Ireland secretary John Reid said at the time: “Leaks are never helpful and usually malicious – I will not be commenting on this report until I have seen the final version.” The reason for creating the list of leaks, which the Irish National Archives holds in a folder alongside briefing notes for ministers ahead of meetings with officials from the UK Government and NIO, is not outlined in the document itself. – This document is based on material in 2024/130/6.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is taking heat this weekend for being seen partying at a Taylor Swift concert while pro-Palestinian protesters were coursing through downtown Montreal and burning and looting as they went. Trudeau, who, along with being Labor Party Leader and the nation’s PM, also represents Papineau, a portion of Montreal, in the nation’s Parliament, but critics are blasting him for being about 330 miles away in Toronto for the Swift concert as his hometown burned. A viral video shows a carefree Trudeau dancing to Swift’s song, “You Don’t Own Me,” as news was breaking about the riot in Montreal, Fox News reported. As Trudeau danced, a mob of people protesting against NATO and Israel paraded through the streets of Montreal setting off smoke bombs, burning effigies of Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu, causing property damage to buildings and cars, and holding pro-Palestinian flags and banners. Montreal Police spokesperson Véronique Dubuc said at least three people were arrested for interfering with the police. And one civilian and several police officers suffered minor injuries. But protesters said nearly half a dozen were injured by police and had to seek medical treatment. The riot was reportedly organized by Divest for Palestine and the Convergence of Anti-Capitalist Struggles. Trudeau called the riot “appalling” and on X wrote, “Acts of antisemitism, intimidation, and violence must be condemned wherever we see them. There must be consequences, and rioters held accountable.” But several members of Parliament blasted Trudeau for dancing the night away while the crisis brewed. Don Stewart, a Member of Parliament (MP) representing part of Toronto, called for Canada to “bring back law and order.” “Lawless protesters run roughshod over Montreal in violent protest. The Prime Minister dances. This is the Canada built by the Liberal government,” he wrote on X. “Bring back law and order, safe streets and communities in the Canada we once knew and loved.” Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre also blasted Trudeau over the concert frivolity and said that Trudeau was “too busy to condemn a violent Hamas takeover of our streets.” He also accused Trudeau of making Canada into “a playground for foreign interference.” Quebec Premier François Legault also took aim at Trudeau, saying, “Burning cars and smashing windows is not about sending a message, it’s about causing chaos. Such acts have no place in a peaceful society like Quebec.” Follow Warner Todd Huston on Facebook at: facebook.com/Warner.Todd.Huston , or Truth Social @WarnerToddHuston
Processing 30 thousand tons of donations per year, Renaissance is Quebec’s powerhouse for reusing consumer goods. They’re celebrating 30 years in business. “I found one of my first suits here. I like to find materials that are more sturdy and they’re usually vintage. I find brands like Laura Piana or stuff like that,” said Sylvie, Customer at Renaissance. “I really like to forage through the clothes and try on things. I really like to go to the trying rooms and see myself in new clothes,” added Sylvie. “Today I was looking for LPs and records because there are tons of it here and I like it. And also, sometimes some old vintage lamps for a Christmas tree,” said Martin, Customer at Renaissance. “Most of the citizens know Renaissance as the big box stores or the donation site, but the root of it is to help individuals to integrate into the workforce,” said Eric St-Arnaud, CEO of Renaissance Quebec. They have 1500 employees across the province and each year Renaissance helps 3000 people integrate into the workforce with a program that has an 80 per cent success rate. “It’s a 26-week program, 35 hours a week. Then a person comes and gets paid minimum wage for 6 months. And you have a social worker, plus the manager and the assistant manager all together [are a part of the program],” said St-Arnaud. “When you’re independent, you have more strength to go back to school, to feed your kids and you have your place under the sun,” added St-Arnaud. “I just love everything related to my work, training people, helping clients and I’m really involved with the environmental mission. We recycle batteries, we recycle cardboard, paper and electronics. Even now we are trying to set up a program to recycle clothing. So it’s really fun to work here,” said Pablo, Assistant Manager of Renaissance, St-Laurent street. “Through the years we grow, but this, it wasn’t easy. Because as a nonprofit, we don’t get money as easy, and we don’t get money from the bank, but then we need to have the confidence from the citizens to donate, and after that to have the consumer to donate. As well as being part of an economy that’s a thrifts,” said St-Arnaud. “And years ago, thrift was, wasn’t for everyone. Now it is for everyone. It’s more democratized,” added St-Arnaud. “It’s not that I’m rich or anything like that, but I told myself that there were people who might need to shop here more than me. I asked an employee about it and they said, ‘not at all, there’s so much to choose from that everybody finds something,” said Denis, Customer at Renaissance. “You can find pretty much anything, it’s like the casino,” said Pablo. 1.7 million Quebecers donated to Renaissance last year and they’re projecting close to 2 million donations for 2024. Another upside to shopping here is that it’s tax-free. “Compared to Value Village , who have stores [in Quebec], they’re in the stock market. It’s a private organization and the money goes back to the headquarters in the U.S. That’s why Valley Village charges taxes and we do not because we’re a non-profit charitable organization,” said St-Arnaud. “Usually there’s a stigma around thrift shops, but you should definitely try a Renaissance because the stuff’s really good quality and you might find the thing that you were searching for. I usually have a list on my phone and I go through all the different sections,” said Sylvie.
Trump's Stern Warning to BRICS: Retain US Dollar or Face ConsequencesJERUSALEM/BEIRUT >> Lebanon’s Hezbollah movement fired heavy rocket barrages at Israel on Sunday, and the Israeli military said houses had been destroyed or set alight near Tel Aviv, after a powerful Israeli airstrike killed at least 29 people in Beirut the day before. Israel also struck Beirut’s Hezbollah-controlled southern suburbs, where intensified bombardment over the last two weeks has coincided with signs of progress in U.S.-led ceasefire talks. Hezbollah, which has previously vowed to respond to attacks on Beirut by targeting Tel Aviv, said it had launched precision missiles at two military sites in Tel Aviv and nearby. Police said there were multiple impact sites in the area of Petah Tikvah, on the eastern side of Tel Aviv, and that several people had minor injuries. The Israeli military (IDF) said a direct hit on a neighbourhood had left “houses in flames and ruins”. Television footage showed an apartment damaged by rocket fire. The IDF said Hezbollah had fired 240 rockets at Israel, of which many were intercepted, with sirens sounding across most of the country. At least four people had been injured by shrapnel. Video obtained by Reuters showed a projectile exploding as it smashed into the roof of a building in the northern Israeli city of Nahariya. The military warned on social media that it planned to target Hezbollah facilities in southern Beirut before strikes that demolished two apartment blocks, according to security sources in Lebanon. Afterwards, the IDF said it had hit command centres “deliberately embedded between civilian buildings”. On Saturday, it had carried out one of its deadliest and most powerful strikes on the centre of Beirut. Lebanon’s health ministry on Sunday raised the death toll from 20 to 29. It said 84 people had been killed in all on Saturday, taking the death toll to 3,754 since October 2023. The IDF did not comment on Saturday’s strike in the capital or say what it had attacked. Israel went on the offensive against the Iran-backed Hezbollah in September, pounding the south, the Bekaa Valley and Beirut’s southern suburbs with airstrikes after nearly a year of hostilities ignited by the Gaza war. U.S. CEASEFIRE PROPOSAL AWAITS ISRAEL’S RESPONSE The Israeli offensive has uprooted more than 1 million people in Lebanon. Israel says its aim is to secure the return home of tens of thousands of people evacuated from its north due to rocket attacks by Hezbollah, which opened fire in support of Hamas at the start of the Gaza war in October 2023. U.S. mediator Amos Hochstein highlighted progress in negotiations during a visit to Beirut last week, before travelling to meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Israel Katz, and then returning to Washington. European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell on Sunday said a U.S. ceasefire proposal was awaiting final approval from Israel. “We must pressure the Israeli government and maintain the pressure on Hezbollah to accept the U.S. proposal for a ceasefire,” he said in Beirut after meeting Lebanese officials. Israeli media reported that Netanyahu had convened a meeting of his security cabinet for 5 p.m. (1500 GMT). Diplomacy has focused on restoring a ceasefire based on U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701, which ended a 2006 Hezbollah-Israel war. It requires Hezbollah to pull its fighters back around 30 km (19 miles) from the Israeli border, and the Lebanese army to deploy in the buffer zone. The Lebanese army said on Sunday at least one soldier had been killed and 18 more injured in an Israeli strike that caused severe damage at an army centre in Al-Amiriya near the southern city of Tyre. The Israeli military said it regretted and was investigating the incident, and that it was fighting against Hezbollah, not the Lebanese Army. Lebanon’s caretaker prime minister, Najib Mikati, said the attack “represents a direct bloody message rejecting all efforts to reach a ceasefire, strengthen the army’s presence in the south, and implement ... 1701”. Borrell said the EU was ready to allocate 200 million euros ($208 million) to support the Lebanese army. ($1 = 0.9600 euros)
hen Dr. Amandeep Bhalla enters the the outside world melts away. There are no phone calls to take, no MyChart messages to return, no strict timetables to adhere to. The priority is clear: the person on the table. A beating heart and breathing lungs. Hands that someone in the waiting room is eager to hold again. Bhalla thinks of his newborn daughter and his aging parents, of every life that intertwines with the one lying, unconscious, on his operating table. It’s a "tremendous honor," a "fantastic gift" to be trusted like this, the spine told Newsweek from his Long Beach, California, office—and there is nothing more important than being worthy of that trust. "When a patient is under the only thing in the world that everybody in the room is focused on is the patient," Bhalla said. Each year, 15 million Americans have some sort of surgery, according to the American College of Surgeons. These patients give control of their bodies—and oftentimes, their lives—to a surgeon who was likely a stranger until just before the Such complete trust is increasingly rare in the health care industry, which is bleeding public confidence year over year. In 2023, 56 percent of Americans rated the honesty and ethical standards of medical doctors "high" or "very high," according to Gallup’s most recent Honesty and Ethics poll. That’s a 9-point decrease from 2019. But despite this surgeons say they are busier than ever. Ambulatory surgery centers are springing up by the thousands. Cosmetic surgery procedures increased 19 percent between 2019 and 2022, according to data from the American Society of Plastic Surgeons. Some elective surgeries saw particularly high growth rates during the same time period, like breast reductions, which rose 54 percent. Plastic surgeries do have social media on their side, as online testimonials stigma surrounding cosmetic procedures. But plastic’s resurgence doesn’t stand alone. In almost every specialty, surgeries hardly skipped a beat during the COVID-19 pandemic, even after nonemergent procedures were canceled in March 2020. Surgeries rapidly rebounded through the fall of that year—returning to baseline operation rates and, in some specialties, even exceeding them. While WHO and UNICEF blamed COVID-19 for the "largest continued backslide in vaccinations in three decades," patients returned to operating rooms While some Americans ignored doctors’ warnings not to self-treat the virus with many gave surgeons total authority and went under anesthesia. Do surgeons have something other doctors don’t, a magic touch that No magic, surgeons told Newsweek. Just touch. In today’s health care system, the gaps between patients and physicians can feel —but surgery demands that doctors cross that divide and understand their patients from the inside out. Surgeons are hands-on professionals in an increasingly hands-off world. That intimacy cultivates trust, physicians, patients and industry professionals told Newsweek. Dr. Tiffany Perry specializes in neurosurgery at Cedars-Sinai in Los Angeles and is among the nation’s top 150 spine surgeons (according to Newsweek’s latest ranking of America’s Best Spinal Surgeons). Each year since 2016—minus a brief during the pandemic—she has spent two weeks operating in Uganda. There, people tend to be more to medical professionals. "It’s almost like stepping back in time to where we used to be here [in the U.S.]," Perry said. "But [in Uganda] they aren’t living in the same consumer, heavily resourced and educated environment, where the ability to all of these conditions is at their fingertips." American patients come to their appointments with pages of questions. They’ve seen their lab results on MyChart and want to talk through the details. They have a friend who was paralyzed by back surgery, a neighbor who is still in pain after their procedure. Amid all the noise, they and reassurance. Perry prefers questions over emphasizing that "none of us it’s something that is earned." She offers patients space to and takes time to address them, never checking the clock. But nowadays, there’s a skepticism spreading through communities, and physicians must work harder to overcome it, Perry said. This skepticism was in part an outgrowth of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the 2022 Edelman Trust Barometer. Nearly half of the 1,000 U.S. survey respondents said the pandemic decreased their confidence "that the health care system is well-equipped to handle major health crises," while 55 percent expressed worry that medical science is "being used to support a specific political agenda." Meanwhile, social media use is at an all-time high, making it easier than ever to access and share Americans’ faith in their ability to make informed health decisions dropped 10 percentage points from January 2017 to March 2022, according to Edelman’s survey—and unvaccinated respondents said they relied on internet searches, friends, family and even "no information" over the advice of their doctor. Nearly one in five Americans trust health influencers more than medical professionals, and 20 percent turn to TikTok before their doctor when seeking treatment for a health condition, according to a 2022 survey from CharityRx. "There’s a huge information asymmetry," said Bhalla, who practices at MemorialCare Long Beach Medical Center and is also on Newsweek’s latest ranking of America’s Best Spinal Surgeons. "Over time, there’s been increased access to the web and social media. There’s more There’s more marketing-driven information. There’s a lot of published material from less reliable sources. And I think that has added to the confusion or some of the difficulty around establishing trust." But as Americans drink from a bottomless well of "health information," many physicians are thirsting for time. That’s a problem, according to Dr. Louis Bucky, who is named among the country’s top 30 surgeons for facelift, liposuction and eyelid surgery on Newsweek’s latest ranking of America’s Best Plastic Surgeons. "Patients come in with much more information, whether that’s correct information or not," Bucky said from his personal practice in Philadelphia. "You need to have time to either or confirm accuracies." Most of today’s doctors don’t have the bandwidth between the electronic health records’ data entry requirements and insurance companies’ time-consuming prior authorization process. To provide guideline-based care for an average 2,500-patient load—and document it all correctly— would need to work 26.7 hours per day, according to a 2022 study in the Journal of General Internal Medicine. But to a patient who waited weeks for an appointment, a doctor’s hurry might come across as apathy. Trust usually comes down to "the provider seeing [the patient] as a person," said Caitlin Donovan, senior director of outreach and communications at the National Patient Advocate Foundation. Patients want a doctor who takes time to ask about their lives and customize a treatment plan—not one who barely makes eye contact before scribbling a script and sending "A lot of times, [patients] see a doctor for 15 minutes and know they’re being billed or their insurance is being billed for hundreds of dollars," Donovan said. "The majority of Americans now are very distrustful of the medical system, simply because of the way billing practices have trended and the high costs which are not corresponding with their health outcomes." Enter the internet, free of charge and open 24/7. Many people can reason that TikTok is not equivalent to a medical professional, said Kristin Lunz Trujillo, an assistant professor of political science at the University of South Carolina who researches misinformation and health attitudes. But it can provide more thorough, immediate feedback than some patients are getting from their physicians. Whether or not that feedback is accurate, "it’s more accessible," Lunz Trujillo said. "It’s something [patients] have agency over, that [they] can try, whereas the medical system has problems they can’t really overcome or don’t have as much agency with." Despite the internet’s ease, many people still crave a physician’s expertise. More doctors are transitioning to to concentrate their time and attention on a smaller number of patients. These patients pay thousands of dollars in annual fees, allowing their physician to take on a fraction of the caseload while slashing their administrative burden. In return, paying clientele get more time with their docs and more personalized experiences. One major draw of concierge medicine is accessibility. Under many models, patients can contact their physician anytime—which is appealing, as pain doesn’t wait for the next available appointment. Dr. Vinay Kamat, who pioneered concierge care at St. Louis-based BJC HealthCare in 2020, told Newsweek he is constantly available to his patients and even visits them if they are hospitalized. The model also gives Kamat time to build trust by sharing medical knowledge with his patients. In the digital age, patients have more questions than they used to—but it’s an important part of a physician’s job to give them answers that inform the shared decision-making process, he said. There’s already an element of concierge care in surgical specialties. The setting is naturally intimate, requiring hours of hands-on labor that uniquely ties the surgeon to the outcome. No one gets operated on after a 15-minute appointment, save for emergencies. Many plastic surgeons serve primarily cosmetic patients, so they don’t have to deal with insurance companies or clinical quotas, according to Dr. Ashley Amalfi, chair of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons’ social media committee and women’s plastic surgery forum. She also stands among the top 185 breast augmentation surgeons on Newsweek’s latest ranking of America’s Best Plastic Surgeons, and practices at the Quatela Center for Plastic Surgery in Rochester, New York. Amalfi can see a patient for 90 minutes at a time if she pleases and can control every aspect of their experience—from the scent in the room to the soundtrack. "It’s almost like we have become more of a hospitality industry as opposed to true medicine," Amalfi said. Perry echoed this idea, telling Newsweek time "is different in surgery than other professions." At Cedars-Sinai, the neurosurgeon works in a more traditional setting than Amalfi and has less control over the clinical environment. Yet her specialization still allows her the time and "luxury" of close listening, she said. While a primary care provider might hear about a headache, and weight gain—all in one visit—highly specialized surgeons can get more specific. And they have to: After all, they’re going to be working inside of that patient. Perry also performs hands-on evaluations and goes over patients’ scans with them, validating their pain as she works out a plan. "Validation is what we [humans] all want," she said. "It doesn’t matter if we want validation because we’re sad, if we want validation because we’re in pain. It’s giving the patient that moment to understand, ‘I get this. I can’t feel your pain, but I understand, and let’s try to formulate a plan together that’s going to be acceptable for you.’" This human link is also important in Bhalla’s practice. Many of his patients arrive with a "fear of the unknown, perhaps of a loss of control." When technology is involved in the procedure, he eases patients’ nerves by reminding them he is still guiding the surgery. "Patients may have built a trust with their surgeon, but they likely would not have built the same level of trust with a piece of equipment," he said. There is no margin for error in medicine. But even the most precise technologies—more accurate than a human being alone—can be met with skepticism from patients. Machines can improve outcomes and move the needle toward health, but they alone cannot provide care. Pain demands comfort, which begs a human touch, surgeons repeatedly told Newsweek. Surgery is one of few specialties where the treatment is another human being—their hands, mind, time. Not "take this medication" or "exercise more." Rather, "I’m going to dedicate this day to you," and "the burden of is not all on you." In order to pull off a successful surgery, the doctor must accompany the patient from start to finish, according to Dr. Camille Cash. She is named among the 185 best surgeons for breast augmentation and eyelid surgery on Newsweek’s latest ranking of America’s Best Plastic Surgeons. Cash has emphasized patient education since launching her Houston-based private practice in 2002. She listens to patients’ concerns, hopes and insecurities—and, as a mother, she meets them with empathy. When she explains a procedure, she uses as little jargon as possible, careful not to or confuse. Then she delves into the details of the patient’s life. "What do you do for a living? Do you live with a partner? Do you have children? Are there stairs in your home? Is the bedroom on the same floor as the kitchen? Are you planning to travel soon?" The answers confirm if the timing is right for surgery, and help Cash provide a detailed post-operative plan for the patient. It can take months to recover, and Cash makes sure every day is covered: How will the patient get food and rest? Who will take the kids to school in their absence? "We’re going to be here to walk [patients], 100 percent, through all the steps and the procedures," Cash said. Bucky places a similar emphasis on aftercare at his plastic surgery practice in Philadelphia. In addition to Bucky Plastic Surgery, he owns the Bucky Body Center to provide for patients, including lymphatic massages and red-light therapies (which deploy colored light to stimulate blood flow and endorphin production and decrease ). When patients come in for surgery from out of town, he has a nurse stay overnight at their hotel. That nurse is trained to check in at the right times, and if the patient has concerns, someone is there to help. Trish Clarke, a patient of Bucky’s, appreciated this after her surgery. She had excess skin removed from her neck after losing weight and recalls Bucky coming to her hotel the next morning to check in and remove her bandages. Her nurse was accessible by text anytime she needed advice in the following weeks. Elsewhere in the health care system, "you feel like more of a number," Clarke said. "But when somebody is going to have you asleep and cut you open, I feel like there does need to be a bit more trust there." Perhaps surgery has held patients’ trust not despite the it requires, but because of it. Risk demands granular attention, and surgeons’ reputations are directly tied to their procedures—a much more delicate stitch than the one between a physician and a prescription. Bucky shares a name with his practice; his photo is the first thing you see on his website. "Besides the patient, I’m probably the second person who is completely invested in their outcome," he said. "How a patient feels about their experience is very important because it has my name associated with it. And my name impacts my children, my my friends, in a very front-and-center concept. In plastic surgery—appearance—you can’t hide it." Patients are reassured by that human connection, the idea that their surgeon has a personal stake in their well-being. "Some of my happiest patients have had complications but felt like they were dealt with optimally and honestly," Bhalla said. "They believe they got care that was earnest, and people feel good when they feel like they were treated honestly and taken care of to the best of someone’s ability." Bhalla lets patients choose the music they listen to as they go under anesthesia. As their vision dims, they hear something familiar, comforting, personal. They know they’re in good hands and the subject of Bhalla’s unwavering attention. He focuses. And then he gets to work. – sala operacyjna – chirurg – znieczulenie – zabieg chirurgiczny – słabnące zaufanie – nadszarpywać coś, podkopywać coś – masowo – środki przeciwpasożytnicze – wzbudzać zaufanie – przypominający otchłań – luka, przerwa – pełen szacunku – wyszukiwać coś (np. informacje) – pragnąć zrozumienia – bezwarunkowa wiara – zasługiwać na bezgraniczne zaufanie – zgłaszać wątpliwości – szerzący się, rozprzestrzeniający się – fałszywa informacja – dezinformacja – powiększenie piersi – rozwiać/wyjaśnić nieścisłości – lekarz pierwszego kontaktu – wysoki rachunek – medycyna osobista/ abonamentowa (model opieki zdrowotnej, w którym pacjenci płacą roczną lub miesięczną opłatę za dostęp do bardziej spersonalizowanej opieki medycznej) – niestrawność – być u steru – leczenie – wzbudzać strach – terapia rekonwalescencyjna – stan zapalny – całkowita uwaga – wrażliwość – współmałżonek Read the text and answer the following questions: 1. What does Dr. Amandeep Bhalla prioritize when he is in the operating room? 2. How does Dr. Bhalla describe the trust patients place in him? 3. How has public confidence in medical doctors changed in recent years? 4. Despite the decrease in trust, what trend is observed among surgeons? 5. How does social media influence patients’ perceptions of medical procedures? 6. What challenge does Dr. Tiffany Perry note about American patients compared to those in Uganda? 7. What issues contribute to the distrust in the medical system? 8. What is concierge care, and how does it attempt to address the problem of trust in the medical system? First, match the words to form collocations and verb phrases that will help you describe the issue presented in the article. Next, write down a sentence using each collocation and verb phrase. The sentences you create should relate to the topic being discussed in the text. ( ) operating tremendous ethical online unconditional rampant health concierge care system faith honor medicine skepticism standards testimonials room cultivate raise rely on trust customize provide come in go under recovery treatments health influencers anesthesia concerns internet searches trust a treatment plan for surgery Students will participate in a discussion about trust in the medical field, particularly in surgery. Task elements: 1. Recall and write down three key points from the text that Dr. Bhalla emphasized about his role and responsibilities as a surgeon. 2. Discuss in pairs/small groups the reasons why trust is critical for surgeons according to the text. 3. Think of two ways surgeons can build trust with their patients despite the prevalence of misinformation online. 4. Design a brief outline for a program aimed at improving trust between doctors and patients. Include at least three specific strategies or activities that would be part of the program. Present your outline to the class. Complete the following summary using information from the text. When Dr. Amandeep Bhalla enters the _________, he focuses completely on the patient. He feels a deep _________ and responsibility in being trusted with someone’s life. This level of trust is rare in today’s healthcare, where public confidence is _________. Despite skepticism, surgeries remain in high demand, partly due to the human connection surgeons provide. Surgeons like Dr. Bhalla and Dr. Perry believe trust is earned through _________ care and personal attention. This approach helps them overcome patients’ fears and skepticism, particularly in a time of widespread _________.
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