Tottenham joins list of top Premier League teams to lose at Bournemouth after Huijsen winner

NEW YORK (AP) — Greg Gumbel, a longtime CBS sportscaster, has died from cancer, according to a statement from family released by CBS on Friday. He was 78. “He leaves behind a legacy of love, inspiration and dedication to over 50 extraordinary years in the sports broadcast industry; and his iconic voice will never be forgotten,” his wife Marcy Gumbel and daughter Michelle Gumbel said in a statement. In March, Gumbel missed his first NCAA Tournament since 1997 due to what he said at the time were family health issues. Gumbel was the studio host for CBS since returning to the network from NBC in 1998. Gumbel signed an extension with CBS last year that allowed him to continue hosting college basketball while stepping back from NFL announcing duties. In 2001, he announced Super Bowl XXXV for CBS, becoming the first Black announcer in the U.S. to call play-by-play of a major sports championship. David Berson, president and CEO of CBS Sports, described Gumbel as breaking barriers and setting standards for others during his years as a voice for fans in sports, including in the NFL and March Madness. “A tremendous broadcaster and gifted storyteller, Greg led one of the most remarkable and groundbreaking sports broadcasting careers of all time," said Berson. Gumbel had two stints at CBS, leaving the network for NBC when it lost football in 1994 and returning when it regained the contract in 1998. He hosted CBS’ coverage of the 1992 and 1994 Winter Olympics and called Major League Baseball games during its four-year run broadcasting the national pastime. In 1995, he hosted the World Figure Skating Championships and the following year hosted NBC’s daytime coverage of the Olympic Summer Games in Atlanta. But it was football and basketball where he was best known and made his biggest impact. Gumbel hosted CBS’ NFL studio show, “The NFL Today” from 1990 to 1993 and again in 2004. He also called NFL games as the network’s lead play-by-play announcer from 1998 to 2003, including Super Bowl XXXV and XXXVIII. He returned to the NFL booth in 2005, leaving that role after the 2022 season. He won local Emmy Awards during his long career and was the recipient of the 2007 Pat Summerall Award for excellence in sports broadcasting. Outside of his career as a sportscaster, Gumbel was affiliated with the March of Dimes for three decades, including as a member of its board of trustees. He also was a member of the Sports Council for St Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital for 16 years. The Associated PressHow To Build A Strategically Balanced $50,000 Dividend Portfolio To Be Well-Positioned For 2025

Trump has pressed for voting changes. GOP majorities in Congress will try to make that happen ATLANTA (AP) — Republicans in Congress plan to move quickly in their effort to overhaul the nation’s voting procedures, seeing an opportunity with control of the White House and both chambers of Congress. They want to push through long-sought changes such as voter ID and proof-of-citizenship requirements. They say the measures are needed to restore public confidence in elections. That's after an erosion of trust that Democrats note has been fueled by false claims from Donald Trump and his allies of widespread fraud in the 2020 election. Democrats say they are willing to work with the GOP but want any changes to make it easier, not harder, to vote. Americans are exhausted by political news. TV ratings and a new AP-NORC poll show they're tuning out NEW YORK (AP) — A lot of Americans, after an intense presidential election campaign, are looking for a break in political news. That's evident in cable television news ratings and a poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. The poll found nearly two-thirds of Americans saying they've found the need recently to cut down on their consumption of political and government news. That's particularly true among Democrats following President-elect Donald Trump's victory, although a significant number of Republicans and independents feel the same way. Cable networks MSNBC and CNN are really seeing a slump. That's also happened in years past for networks that particularly appeal to supporters of one candidate. Israel strikes Houthi rebels in Yemen's capital while the WHO chief says he was meters away JERUSALEM (AP) — A new round of Israeli airstrikes in Yemen have targeted the Houthi rebel-held capital of Sanaa and multiple ports. The World Health Organization’s director-general said the bombardment on Thursday took place just “meters away” as he was about to board a flight in Sanaa. He says a crew member was hurt. The strikes followed several days of Houthi attacks and launches setting off sirens in Israel. Israel's military says it attacked infrastructure used by the Houthis at the international airport in Sanaa, power stations and ports. The Israeli military didn't immediate respond to questions about the WHO chief's statement. The US says it pushed retraction of a famine warning for north Gaza. Aid groups express concern. WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. officials say they asked for — and got — the retraction of an independent monitor's warning of imminent famine in north Gaza. The internationally Famine Early Warning System Network issued the warning this week. The new report had warned that starvation deaths in north Gaza could reach famine levels as soon as next month. It cited what it called Israel's “near-total blockade” of food and water. The U.S. ambassador to Israel, Jacob Lew, criticized the finding as inaccurate and irresponsible. The U.S. Agency for International Development, which funds the famine-monitoring group, told the AP it had asked for and gotten the report's retraction. USAID officials tell The Associated Press that it had asked the group for greater review of discrepancies in some of the data. India's former prime minister Manmohan Singh, architect of economic reforms, dies aged 92 NEW DELHI (AP) — India’s former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, widely regarded as the architect of India’s economic reform program and a landmark nuclear deal with the United States, has died. He was 92. The hospital said Singh was admitted to New Delhi’s All India Institute of Medical Sciences late Thursday after his health deteriorated due to “sudden loss of consciousness at home.". He was “being treated for age-related medical conditions,” the statement added. A mild-mannered technocrat, Singh became one of India’s longest-serving prime ministers for 10 years and earned a reputation as a man of great personal integrity. But his sterling image was tainted by allegations of corruption against his ministers. What is known about a plane crash in Kazakhstan that killed 38 of 67 people on board The crash of an Azerbaijani airliner in Kazakhstan has killed 38 of 67 people on board. Azerbaijan Airlines’ Embraer 190 was en route from Azerbaijani capital Baku to the Russian city of Grozny in the North Caucasus on Wednesday when it was diverted for reasons that aren’t fully clear yet. It crashed while making an attempt to land in Aktau in Kazakhstan after flying east across the Caspian Sea. Officials in Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan and Russia haven't commented on a possible cause of the crash pending an official investigation. Some commentators pointed out holes in the plane's tail section pictured after the crash as a sign that it could have been fired upon by air defense systems. Ukraine's military intelligence says North Korean troops are suffering heavy battlefield losses KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine's military intelligence says North Korean troops are suffering heavy losses in Russia's Kursk region and face logistical difficulties as a result of Ukrainian attacks. The intelligence agency said Thursday that Ukrainian strikes near Novoivanovka inflicted heavy casualties on North Korean units. Ukraine's president said earlier this week that 3,000 North Korean troops have been killed and wounded in the fighting in the Kursk region. It marked the first significant estimate by Ukraine of North Korean casualties several weeks after Kyiv announced that North Korea had sent 10,000 to 12,000 troops to Russia to help it in the almost 3-year war. How the stock market defied expectations again this year, by the numbers NEW YORK (AP) — What a wonderful year 2024 has been for investors. U.S. stocks ripped higher and carried the S&P 500 to records as the economy kept growing and the Federal Reserve began cutting interest rates. The benchmark index posted its first back-to-back annual gains of more than 20% since 1998. The year featured many familiar winners, such as Big Tech, which got even bigger as their stock prices kept growing. But it wasn’t just Apple, Nvidia and the like. Bitcoin and gold surged and “Roaring Kitty” reappeared to briefly reignite the meme stock craze. Holiday shoppers increased spending by 3.8% despite higher prices New data shows holiday sales rose this year even as Americans wrestled with still high prices in many grocery necessities and other financial worries. According to Mastercard SpendingPulse, holiday sales from the beginning of November through Christmas Eve climbed 3.8%, a faster pace than the 3.1% increase from a year earlier. The measure tracks all kinds of payments including cash and debit cards. This year, retailers were even more under the gun to get shoppers in to buy early and in bulk since there were five fewer days between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Mastercard SpendingPulse says the last five days of the season accounted for 10% of the spending. Sales of clothing, electronics and Jewelry rose. Why this Mexican American woman played a vital role in the US sacramental peyote trade MIRANDO CITY, Texas (AP) — Amada Cardenas, a Mexican American woman who lived in the tiny border town of Mirando City in South Texas, played an important role in the history of the peyote trade. She and her husband were the first federally licensed peyote dealers who harvested and sold the sacramental plant to followers of the Native American Church in the 1930s. After her husband's death in 1967, Cardenas continued to welcome generations of Native American Church members to her home until her death in 2005, just before her 101st birthday.At 50, Hilary Swank is an Oscar winner, a runway model, a philanthropist, producer and a mother – but it turns out her 20-month-old twins make her feel 20 years younger. "I feel like I'm 30 because I have 20-month-old babies," Hilary told Hoda Kotb and Jenna Bush Hage r on Today this week, as she spoke for the first time about how her children, Aya and Ohm , are old enough to truly find awe in the Christmas experience. "Everything is new again," she said. "You hear that, but until you experience it you're like 'What does that even mean?' But now I know." Watch Hilary speak to Hoda and Jenna below: Hilary went on to share that having children has made "every time of year more special," and that "every day with them is so divine". "It's such a blessing, and I feel so grateful and I'm so happy." Hilary and husband Philip Schneider welcomed their twins in April 2023 after getting married in August 2018. However, she waited until Valentine's Day in February 2024 before she finally revealed their unique names. An image posted on Instagram showed her twins sitting on a beach with their backs to the camera and their names, Aya and Ohm, inscribed in the sand behind them. Hilary Swank celebrates 50! A look back at her sweetest family moments in photos "I have a busy week of talk shows ahead where I'll be sharing about my new film and a fun partnership, but I figured what better day to share the names of my two little loves with you all first," she wrote. She added: "Thanks for being here!! Happy Valentine's Day. P.S. Who else has babies that think sand is edible?" The name Aya for their daughter was inspired by a courageous Syrian refugee girl she and her husband met in Lebanon, while Ohm draws from a universal concept. "[Aya] was just this courageous, brave young girl full of life going through a really difficult time. My husband and I were like, she's so beautiful, what a great name," Hilary shared on Today earlier 2024, adding: "Ohm is considered the first universal sound and unites all people." Hilary has kept the faces of her young babies private, but has been open with sharing their new experiences with her social followers. In August the Boys Don't Cry star took to Instagram to share an adorable photo of herself in the cockpit of an airplane, cradling one of her baby twins. "Surprise... Amelia has been found!" she humorously captioned the post, a playful nod to aviation legend Amelia Earhart. "After 24 hours of travel with 2 babies who refuse to sleep on planes, we decided to take our final flight home into our own hands," Hilary joked, before quickly clarifying: "Kidding!!"NoneThis article was originally published in Rest of World, which covers technology’s impact outside the West. Shivika Sabharwal’s nerves kicked in the second she spotted the size of the crowd. It was mid-September, and Sabharwal was standing center stage inside a massive event space at Mumbai’s extravagant Jio World Convention Centre. The space, which had recently hosted the star-studded wedding between billionaire heirs Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant, had been transformed into a sea of green – green spotlights, green archways, a neon-green light display — in honor of WhatsApp’s first business summit in India. Around 1,000 lanyard-wearing executives had shown up for the event, and all eyes were trained on Sabharwal. The relatively introverted 32-year-old is a professional ceramist and not a tech expert. But she was the perfect messenger for the story that WhatsApp’s parent company, Meta, has been increasingly eager to tell: how businesses of all sizes are using its messaging app to grow. Standing on stage alongside her father and business partner, Sabharwal explained how she started her company, Shivika Pottery Gallery, out of her home on the outskirts of Delhi. In the early days, she advertised her creations to her personal network from her own WhatsApp account. But as her business expanded, she needed a dedicated way to manage messages and reach new potential customers. Her father, who’d spent some of his career working in tech, suggested she try the WhatsApp Business app, a free product that allows small businesses to set up digital storefronts. Sabharwal used the app to run ads on Instagram and Facebook that allowed users to begin chatting with her on WhatsApp. It increased her reach – so much so that she expanded into teaching pottery, sometimes hosting as many as 30 classes in a single month. When WhatsApp started seeking out volunteers to test its new artificial intelligence-powered chatbot for businesses, Sabharwal and her father signed up – she was eager for new tools to manage her inbox. “This lets me remain focused on what I love,” Sabharwal told the crowd at the Mumbai summit, “which is creating pottery and teaching students.” WhatsApp may have transformed Sabharwal’s business. But Meta’s goal isn’t to sell pottery. Rather, Shivika Pottery Gallery is a tiny element in the larger solar system of services, features, and connections that make up WhatsApp. Summit attendees also learned about the Bengaluru transit system, which now lets people buy train tickets on WhatsApp, and about Max Life, a major Indian insurance company that uses WhatsApp to translate its services into seven regional languages. They heard from the co-founder of Delhi-based children’s food brand, Slurrp Farm, which now makes a quarter of its direct sales on WhatsApp, and from an executive at HDFC Bank, the 10th largest bank in the world, about how customers are now banking on the platform. “Our banking experience has to work for everyone, and this is where we find WhatsApp interesting,” Anjani Rathor, HDFC’s chief digital officer, told the crowd. WhatsApp is the world’s most widely used messaging app; the company says it has 2 billion daily users. These users send more than 100 billion messages every day in 60 languages across 180 countries. Some 400 million of those users are in India, WhatsApp’s biggest market, followed by another 120 million in Brazil. WhatsApp initially achieved that global dominance in large part by doing just one thing very well: enabling cheap, private, and reliable messaging on almost any phone, almost anywhere in the world. But in the decade since Meta acquired WhatsApp for an eye-watering $22 billion in 2014, the app has been transformed from a narrowly focused utilitarian tool into a sort of “everything app.” In countries like India, Brazil, Mexico, and Indonesia, WhatsApp is now also a place for scheduling doctor’s appointments and conducting real estate deals – and buying Sabharwal’s ceramic ducks. In Brazil, the beauty juggernaut L’Oréal now makes an average of 25% of its online direct-to-consumer sales on WhatsApp. The shift has been driven, of course, by money. WhatsApp has never been much of a moneymaker. While Meta makes billions off mining people’s personal data to sell more ads, WhatsApp is an encrypted app, whose founders once very publicly swore off advertising altogether. Lately, however, WhatsApp has been aggressively luring big businesses to its suite of paid messaging products for businesses, and openly flirting with the possibility of introducing ads in the not-too-distant future. True to Meta’s appetite for voracious expansion, WhatsApp’s goal is nothing short of getting “every business in the world on the platform,” Nikila Srinivasan, Meta’s head of product for business messaging, told Rest of World . During the event in Mumbai, the company announced it would soon begin physically touring smaller cities throughout India to onboard local businesses to the app. Nikila Srinivasan, head of product for business messaging, at Meta’s office in New York. George Etheredge for Rest of World. It’s still early days, but WhatsApp’s efforts to generate revenue this way are beginning to pay off. Meta now makes billions of dollars from the “click-to-message” ads that businesses purchase. Meta also charges tens of thousands of large enterprises, from Air France to Volvo, to send messages through its premium API, which includes a full suite of marketing, payment, and other features. While Meta’s paid messaging tools brought in about $1 billion last year – peanuts compared to the whopping $132 billion the company earned from ads – paid messaging revenue is growing far faster than ad revenue and has more than doubled since early 2023. For Meta, which has squeezed every cent out of Facebook and Instagram, WhatsApp represents a potentially vast and largely untapped opportunity. It’s little wonder that Mark Zuckerberg has begun referring to WhatsApp as “the next major pillar” of his company. And yet, for that to be true, Meta will need to pull off a delicate balancing act. To get its money’s worth out of WhatsApp, it will need to transform it into a place where the world’s businesses want to spend their money, without sacrificing the privacy and simplicity that made the world flock to the app in the first place. Inside the MPK21 building at Meta’s vast Menlo Park headquarters. Marissa Leshnov for Rest of World Before Facebook bought WhatsApp in 2014, it was something like the anti-Facebook. Where Facebook had become a place for publicly posting photos and messages for all your friends to see, WhatsApp was all about one-on-one and small group messages. Where Facebook was loaded with ads, apps, and games, WhatsApp’s founders – former Yahoo engineers Jan Koum and Brian Acton – eschewed unessential features and publicly swore off ads . The company had spent no money on marketing and had just 32 engineers at the time it was acquired. ( Rest of World attempted to reach Koum and Acton, but received no replies). But perhaps most significantly, where Facebook struggled to adapt to the mobile era, WhatsApp, which launched in 2009, was a mobile-first product that had amassed roughly half a billion users in just five years – many of them in countries where several people’s first experience of the internet took place on a cellphone. It did so by offering those users a cheap workaround to the sky-high SMS prices that some telecom monopolies charged. Rather than getting hit with a bill for every message they sent, WhatsApp users spent just $1 a year for unlimited messages. That and a $250,000 seed investment were enough to keep WhatsApp financially afloat until it raised $60 million from Sequoia Capital in two separate rounds. But WhatsApp wasn’t just cheap. Working out of an unmarked, converted garage in Mountain View, California, the engineering team was laser-focused on ensuring speed and reliability – whether a user was messaging from the latest iPhone in a major American city, or BlackBerrys and Nokia feature phones operating in the most remote places. “We were trying to hit every user, everywhere, on every platform,” Chris Peiffer, one of WhatsApp’s first hires and who worked at Stanford University with Koum, told Rest of World . He recalled hiking to a cellular dead zone in the hills near Mountain View with a Nokia C3 to test WhatsApp’s durability with limited bandwidth. Reliable messaging for everyone, everywhere, wasn’t just altruism – it was a business strategy. WhatsApp’s most likely users weren’t in Silicon Valley, where unlimited texting plans were already widespread, Peiffer said. Instead, the greatest opportunity was in countries like India , where the cost of SMS was out of reach for huge segments of the population, or in tiny European countries like the Netherlands , where cross-border communication was far more common, and therefore, more costly. Making the app work in all of those places meant building a lightweight product, which wouldn’t drain users’ data, by gathering tons of information about them. “The overall mantra from Jan was: This is the user’s data. They paid for it. We should not be using it wastefully,” Michael Donohue, WhatsApp’s former engineering director, told Rest of World . The founders’ commitment to knowing virtually nothing about its users was such that, in 2013, WhatsApp began plans to bring end-to-end encryption to users’ chats. This trifecta of cost, reliability, and privacy quickly made WhatsApp a global phenomenon, with users exchanging 10 billion messages a day around the world by 2012. None of this escaped Zuckerberg, who was rushing to ensure the mobile revolution didn’t pass Facebook by. “WhatsApp is already ahead of us in messaging in the same way Instagram was ‘ahead’ of us in photos,” Zuckerberg wrote in April 2012, according to internal documents revealed as part of a federal lawsuit in the US. It was around the same time that Facebook bought Instagram for $1 billion, and Zuckerberg wrote that he’d gladly shell out another billion for WhatsApp “if we could get them”. When Facebook did finally acquire WhatsApp – two years later and for a whole lot more money than $1 billion – investors naturally wondered how the social networking giant planned to make a return on this huge investment. Zuckerberg vowed that WhatsApp would “continue to operate independently”, and that its product roadmap would “remain unchanged.” Koum, meanwhile, assured users that the acquisition wouldn’t betray WhatsApp’s ethos. “There would have been no partnership between our two companies if we had to compromise on the core principles that will always define our company, our vision, and our product,” he said at the time. As Acton would later tell Forbes , Zuckerberg was supportive of the company’s plans to encrypt the app. Koum and Acton also slipped what was effectively a no-advertising clause into the deal terms, stipulating that they could cash out their remaining shares if Facebook ever tried to make money on WhatsApp without their consent. But before long, former employees say, culture clashes began between the Facebook and WhatsApp teams. “WhatsApp was just like: We are focused on doing this communication thing, and that’s all we’re going to do. We’re not going to think about six different things we could build at the same time,” said Donohue, the former engineering director. “I think that was one of the differences.” Brian Acton and Jan Koum at a conference in Laguna Beach, California, in October 2016. Credit: Reuters. The clearest physical metaphor for the way that the Meta machine has subsumed WhatsApp is located right inside the company’s vast Menlo Park headquarters. MPK21, as the building is known, is a nearly 49,000-square-meter behemoth that boasts its own redwood forest. Reaching WhatsApp’s section of the building involves a labyrinthine journey – past the twee reading nooks marking Instagram territory, the conference rooms with nerdcore names like Lorem Ipsum, the spotless mini-kitchens stocked with prebiotic soda, and the motivational posters bearing mottos like “Begin Anywhere”. After a five-minute trek, a bright green wall with the WhatsApp logo appears in the distance, with its own inspirational poster to match: “Move Fast, Stay Simple”. On a Wednesday in September, the space was nearly empty, save for WhatsApp’s vice president of product, Alice Newton-Rex, who sat in a sunlit conference room dressed in a brand-appropriate green blazer. Newton-Rex joined the company in 2019, when Facebook itself was in the midst of a radical rethink of its role in the world. That year, Zuckerberg announced plans for a new “privacy-focused vision for social networking.” While the Facebook of old had been akin to a digital town square, Zuckerberg argued, “people increasingly also want to connect privately in the digital equivalent of the living room”. This shift, which became derisively known as Facebook’s “ pivot to privacy ”, meant overhauling the way its news feed functioned. But it also meant that WhatsApp, the most private of all of Facebook’s apps, would take a more prominent role within the company’s orbit. “We began to expand our vision for the product,” Newton-Rex told Rest of World . A big part of that vision involved seizing on what Meta believes is a fertile opportunity in business messaging. While mobile adoption and social media use have exploded around the world, e-commerce still lags in many top mobile markets. Only about a third of social media users in India shop online, according to a recent Bain & Company study conducted in partnership with Meta. And yet, other studies Meta has commissioned have found that 90% of Indian consumers now message with a business at least once a week, and 66% report being frustrated with businesses that don’t offer messaging. The company has found similar results in studies of WhatsApp’s other top markets, including Indonesia and Brazil. For Meta, these two trends combined created an opening to incorporate more transactions into messaging itself. Alice Newton-Rex, vice president of product at WhatsApp. Marissa Leshnov for Rest of World “What we realised is, as people were using WhatsApp to talk with friends and family, they were slowly also using it to talk to the local community around them, which meant local businesses,” Srinivasan, Meta’s head of product for business messaging, told Rest of World . She noted that her own mother in Chennai, India, has used WhatsApp for years to schedule deliveries of fresh milk. Similar to messaging, the business use cases for WhatsApp were growing fastest in international markets. WhatsApp’s first business tool – the free WhatsApp Business app that allows companies to advertise and message users – launched in early 2018, and has since grown to 200 million users around the world. Later that year, the company came out with an API that, for the first time, charged companies to send larger volumes of messages over longer periods of time. The product has since expanded to include features that enable appointment booking, subscription sign-ups, loan approvals, personalized promotions, and more within a WhatsApp chat. Though it’s available to businesses of all sizes, it was designed to serve companies that need more tools than the free app has to offer. That includes multinational giants like L’Oréal. According to Guilherme Eler, the company’s social commerce director for Latin America, Brazil was always behind other mature markets in terms of e-commerce sales for beauty products. Door-to-door sales , meanwhile, are common. “When it comes to beauty, people used to buy through conversations,” Eler said. When Covid-19 hit, consumers had little choice but to begin buying products online, and according to Eler, many turned to WhatsApp – a platform used by 90% of Brazilians . “We realised this was a singular opportunity to emulate the door-to-door experience,” he said. L'Oréal began relying on WhatsApp as a tool for offering beauty tips and promoting products to users based on their individual skincare needs. The company soon found that open rates for messages on WhatsApp could be six times higher than on email. Customers also spent more and made more frequent purchases when they shopped via WhatsApp. “We didn't choose WhatsApp. The Latin American population chose WhatsApp,” Eler said. “We chose to be where the consumers were.” For Shauravi Malik, co-founder of Slurrp Farm, the path to marketing and selling on WhatsApp began even earlier. Nearly six years ago, at one of her investors’ suggestions, the self-proclaimed WhatsApp super-user began adding a WhatsApp number to the packaging of her company’s snacks and cereals. It was early days for WhatsApp’s business products, and companies still needed separate phones for each dedicated WhatsApp account. But the platform was an essential way to reach mothers, who are Slurrp Farm’s primary customers, Malik told Rest of World . “We are in the core business of changing behavior about how we eat,” she said. “It’s so important to do this at the level of each individual parent.” Slurrp Farm’s operations on WhatsApp have since grown more sophisticated. As Malik told the crowd at the summit in Mumbai, the company now segments its audience by their city or the age of their child, in order to send more personalised promotions via WhatsApp. Slurrp Farm has also used WhatsApp’s checkout features to allow people to shop directly on the platform. According to Malik, about 25% of direct-to-consumer sales now take place on WhatsApp. There are likely even more shoppers who buy their products elsewhere after having chatted with Slurrp Farm’s customer service team, which Malik said is increasingly becoming more like a sales team. “They are the closest touch point to the consumer, and suited to it,” she said. And yet, for all of the success that brands have had on WhatsApp, Eler from L'Oréal believes the platform still has a long way to go in terms of the breadth of the e-commerce tools it offers. He’s still waiting for WhatsApp to introduce customer reviews and other more sophisticated e-commerce tools to its product catalogs. “I’m not fully happy,” Eler said. But, if anything, that should be encouraging news for WhatsApp, he said, because it shows “it can get way bigger”. WhatsApp’s headquarters in Menlo Park, California. Marissa Leshnov for Rest of World. One innovation that Meta hopes will boost WhatsApp’s value with businesses is generative AI. WhatsApp executives argue it will multiply what companies get done on the platform. Part of the reason WhatsApp has taken off as a customer service and sales channel in countries like India and Brazil, Srinivasan said, is because the price of labour there is low enough that businesses can afford to have call centers full of workers responding to WhatsApp chats. But AI, she argued, could make that possible for just about any company, anywhere. “We’re really, really bullish about the power of AI,” she told Rest of World . “A few years from now, I can see a world where every small business has an AI agent that’s representing them.” The list of AI features now packed into WhatsApp seems to grow by the month: Meta AI is now baked into the WhatsApp search bar , allowing users to start a conversation with a Meta chatbot. Businesses, meanwhile, are beginning to use a customer service version of the chatbot that can automatically generate responses to inquiries, as well as tools that help them craft AI-generated ad campaigns for Facebook and Instagram. Meta has also built a new AI marketing tool for its ad portal. That feature allows any business to upload a list of phone numbers for customers who have opted in to receive messages. The tool then matches that list against numbers that have been shared on Facebook and Instagram, and uses AI to determine which subset of customers would be the best fit for a given message. “This means that businesses are going to see better ROI [return on investment] and people will see more relevant messages,” Zuckerberg told an audience in São Paulo this summer when he introduced the tool. And yet, with each new revenue-boosting feature, WhatsApp has added a little asterisk to its core privacy promises, according to Nathalie Maréchal, co-director of the privacy and data program at the Center for Democracy & Technology in Washington, D.C. “It’s not necessarily that those asterisks are illegitimate. It’s that they’re complicated,” she told Rest of World , “and many users are either not going to take the time, or aren’t going to prioritize, fully understanding it”. Meta has stood by its commitment to end-to-end encryption – so much so that it’s threatened to pull the app from India if the government forces the company to break encryption, as it’s currently trying to do. Meta has also expanded privacy tools for users, including enabling disappearing messages , encrypting backups , and protecting people’s IP addresses in calls . But while its dedication to encryption isn’t in doubt, Maréchal said, the new features Meta has introduced for businesses are a “departure from the original expectations that were set by WhatsApp’s founders”. When businesses upload lists of their customers’ numbers to the AI marketing tool, for example, Meta can use data from people’s Facebook and Instagram activities to select which customers to target, a Meta spokesperson told Rest of World . And, since chats with Meta AI are, by definition, chats with Meta, they are not encrypted, the spokesperson said. WhatsApp discloses this in the app, but it still means that the things people say and search there can be used to train Meta’s AI models. Meta declined to comment on whether these unencrypted chats with Meta AI could also be subject to government requests for data. That would be relevant context for users, particularly in a country like India, where government data requests are on the rise and where Meta has said its AI chatbot is especially popular on WhatsApp. Namrata Maheshwari, the India-based encryption policy lead for digital rights group Access Now, told Rest of World that while WhatsApp’s pushback against encryption-threatening laws “is a good sign for users”, there “continue to be concerns” due to Meta’s privacy policy, user data sharing, and transparency reporting. “Establishing and maintaining a separation from other Meta apps like Facebook and Instagram will be the difference between the privacy that WhatsApp offers, and the gold standard for private messaging,” Maheshwari said. Newton-Rex said privacy is “in the DNA” of WhatsApp and that the company is trying to clearly communicate with users about what privacy protections WhatsApp offers and where. That includes AI products. “The cornerstone of this is transparency. We’re not relying on the expectation that people have,” she told Rest of World . “We’re investing in user education.” Newton-Rex also said that while Meta is considering allowing ads on WhatsApp, those ads will never appear in users’ main inboxes. Instead, she said, the company is assessing incorporating ads into WhatsApp’s Channels feature, which allows users to publicly broadcast messages to lists of followers. Perhaps unsurprisingly, WhatsApp’s gradual Meta-morphosis over the last few years has drawn sharp criticism from the app’s original team. “It’s a shadow of the product we poured our hearts into, and wanted to build for the world,” Neeraj Arora, a former WhatsApp executive who orchestrated the Facebook deal, wrote in a lengthy LinkedIn post in 2022. At the time, Arora was running his own social media app along with Donohue. He did not respond to Rest of World ’s requests for comment. Peiffer, meanwhile, said he understands why the product has had to change. “It’s very hard to keep a software product at the forefront of consumer attention for 15 years,” he said. “That is an extraordinary balancing act.” While Peiffer left WhatsApp prior to the Facebook acquisition, he later returned to the company to help build the business messaging products. As WhatsApp evolves, the company’s executives are keenly aware of the risk of turning the app into the junk drawer of the mobile era, overloaded with too many features and AI chatbots hawking products and driving away users. “That is actually the central tension,” Newton-Rex said. “How do we keep it simple? How do we make sure we’re designing for everyone, even as we add new things?” That tension is top of mind for WhatsApp’s business customers, too. “We need to be really cautious about not replicating what email became,” said Eler from L'Oréal. Right now, WhatsApp is working, he said. “I don’t want to spoil it.” The big question, of course, is whether WhatsApp’s billions of users want it to change. So far at least, the data suggests they haven’t been turned off. According to Meta, 1 billion users now message with a business each week across WhatsApp, Messenger, and Instagram. WhatsApp is even growing aggressively in one particular market that has always eluded it: the United States, where the app surpassed 100 million monthly active users in July. For Meta, that’s a major breakthrough in its ambitions to turn WhatsApp into a cash cow. As Zuckerberg told investors in July, “All of the work that we’re doing to grow the business opportunity there over time is just going to have a big tailwind if the US ends up being a big market.” Of course, that future is a long way off. While Meta doesn’t disclose how much revenue WhatsApp brings in, it’s safe to say that, even after all this investment, it still accounts for a tiny slice of Meta’s revenue. But to the company’s leadership, that may be more of a feature than a bug, because it means it still has ample opportunity to grow. As Srinivasan put it, albeit perhaps optimistically, “The only way for this to go is up.” Issie Lapowsky is a tech journalist based in Philadelphia. This is the first of a three-part series. This article was originally published in Rest of World , which covers technology’s impact outside the West.

None7 tips to prepare for next year’s taxes now

The end or a new dawn?It's time for the holidays, which means robust family conversations and seemingly never-ending courses of food. But for the more tech-savvy among us, the journey home could also mean we'll be called on to provide a backlog of tech support to parents, grandparents and other family members. And with generative AI being used to supercharge some major cyber scams this year, it's also a good time to teach and not just fix. Here are some tips on how to manage your tech encounters this holiday season: Whether it's Windows, macOS, iOS or Android, simply keeping your operating system and apps up-to-date will help protect your family's computers and devices against a surprising number of security threats, such as malware, viruses and exploits. Most operating systems, especially those for mobile devices and their app stores, typically have auto-updates turned on by default. Be sure to double-check the device to make sure it has enough storage space to carry out the update. (More on this below.) Keeping apps updated may also reduce the number of "Why isn't this app working?" type of questions from your relatives. Chances are someone in your family is going to have a completely full mobile device. So full, in fact, that they can no longer update their phone or tablet without having to purge something first. There are many approaches to freeing up space. Here are a few you can easily take without having to triage data or apps. According to some admittedly unscientific studies, the average person has hundreds of passwords. That's a lot to remember. So as you help your relatives reset some of theirs, you may be tempted to recycle some to keep things simple for them. But that's one of the bad password habits that cybersecurity experts warn against. Instead, try introducing your forgetful family member to a password manager. They're useful tools for simplifying and keeping track of logins. And if you want to impress a more tech-savvy cousin or auntie, you could suggest switching to a more secure digital authentication method: passkeys. As scammers find new ways to steal money and personal information, you and your family should be more vigilant about who to trust. Artificial intelligence and other technologies are giving bad actors craftier tools to work with online. A quick way to remember what to do when you think you're getting scammed is to think about the three S's, said Alissa Abdullah, also known as Dr. Jay, Mastercard's deputy chief security officer "Stay suspicious, stop for a second (and think about it) and stay protected," she said. Simply being aware of typical scams can help, experts say. Robocalls frequently target vulnerable individuals like seniors, people with disabilities, and people with debt. So-called romance scams target lonely and isolated individuals. Quiz scams target those who spend a lot of time on social media. Check our AP guide on the latest scams and what to do when you're victimized. Home internet speeds are getting faster, so you want to make sure your family members are getting a high-speed connection if they've paid for one. Run a broadband speed test on your home network if they're still rocking an aging modem and router. Receive the latest in local entertainment news in your inbox weekly!

The Congress Working Committee (CWC), which met in Belagavi, Karnataka, on Thursday, urged the NDA regime to use its upcoming budget to provide income support to the poor and tax relief to middle classes. ET Year-end Special Reads Corporate Kalesh: Top family disputes of India Inc in 2024 The world of business lost these eminent people in 2024 Fast, faster, fastest: How 2024 put more speed into your shopping The CWC’s extended session, held in Belagavi to mark the centenary of the party’s session chaired by Mahatma Gandhi at the same place, adopted two resolutions. While one was on Gandhi, the other was on a range of pressing political issues. The CWC, chaired by AICC president Mallikarjuna Kharge and attended by Rahul Gandhi, noted that the GST had become an absurdity. "The CWC reiterates its demand for a GST 2.0 that will be a truly good and simple tax -- both on paper and in practice." The party noted with concern what it called tax terrorism on industry, trade and commerce while calling for effort to end the tax terrorism. The Mod regime's economic policies, the resolution said, were designed to enrich only a few of the PM's favourite business groups. "Oligopolies in the economy are growing. While more and more Indians have a stake in capital markets, the integrity of regulators has been called into serious question. Private investment, which must drive faster economic growth, is still extremely sluggish and mass consumption is stagnating.” The working committee resolution demanded a socio-economic caste census at the earliest. The 50% ceiling on reservations for SC/STs and OBCs must be increased to further enhance the benefits accrued to the three traditionally disadvantaged groups in the society. Reservations must be based on social, economic or educational backwardness determined through appropriate means, the resolution said. 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View Program Data Science SQL for Data Science along with Data Analytics and Data Visualization By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Artificial Intelligence(AI) AI and Analytics based Business Strategy By - Tanusree De, Managing Director- Accenture Technology Lead, Trustworthy AI Center of Excellence: ATCI View Program Web Development A Comprehensive ASP.NET Core MVC 6 Project Guide for 2024 By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Marketing Digital Marketing Masterclass by Pam Moore By - Pam Moore, Digital Transformation and Social Media Expert View Program Artificial Intelligence(AI) AI-Powered Python Mastery with Tabnine: Boost Your Coding Skills By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Office Productivity Mastering Microsoft Office: Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and 365 By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Marketing Digital marketing - Wordpress Website Development By - Shraddha Somani, Digital Marketing Trainer, Consultant, Strategiest and Subject Matter expert View Program Office Productivity Mastering Google Sheets: Unleash the Power of Excel and Advance Analysis By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Web Development Mastering Full Stack Development: From Frontend to Backend Excellence By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Finance Financial Literacy i.e Lets Crack the Billionaire Code By - CA Rahul Gupta, CA with 10+ years of experience and Accounting Educator View Program Data Science SQL Server Bootcamp 2024: Transform from Beginner to Pro By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program The party also demanded a legal guarantee for minimum support price (MSP) and its fixation at 50% of the comprehensive cost of cultivation. The party sought adequate funding for the MGNREGA programme along with an increase in its wage to Rs 400 per day. The Congress has decided to launch a year-long nationwide public outreach campaign called the Samvidhan Bachao Rashtriya Padyatra from January 26,2025 to January 26, 2026. The party would hold its forthcoming session in Gujarat in April 2025. (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel )The Duckhorn Portfolio Announces Fiscal First Quarter 2025 Financial Results

'Teachers Have A Duty To Shape Good Human Beings,' Says RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat At 70th Somalwar Shikshan Sanstha Foundation Day; VIDEOPoet, activist and former Virginia Tech professor Nikki Giovanni showed us that poetry could be a path to liberation. Now, it's our turn to walk that path, preacher and author F. Willis Johnson writes. Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Click to share on X (Opens in new window) Most Popular Get healthier in the new year with these resources in the Williamsburg area Get healthier in the new year with these resources in the Williamsburg area Chinese student’s drone got stuck in tree near Newport News Shipbuilding, leading to Espionage Act prosecution Chinese student’s drone got stuck in tree near Newport News Shipbuilding, leading to Espionage Act prosecution James City County officer, 17-year-old injured in Christmas Eve crash James City County officer, 17-year-old injured in Christmas Eve crash Longtime Phoebus Auction Gallery to close after New Year’s Day event Longtime Phoebus Auction Gallery to close after New Year’s Day event How to dispose of natural Christmas trees in Hampton Roads How to dispose of natural Christmas trees in Hampton Roads Williamsburg leaders to prioritize funding for regional Trail757 project Williamsburg leaders to prioritize funding for regional Trail757 project ‘We’re buddies now’: William & Mary students work with dementia patients as part of new program 'We're buddies now': William & Mary students work with dementia patients as part of new program Juvenile humpback whale washes ashore on Outer Banks Juvenile humpback whale washes ashore on Outer Banks New Kent administrator’s capital improvement plan has some big ticket items New Kent administrator's capital improvement plan has some big ticket items RUSSIANS, U.S. FLY SIDE-BY-SIDE RUSSIANS, U.S. FLY SIDE-BY-SIDE Trending Nationally Body found in wheel well of plane from Chicago to Maui How Diddy and Luigi Mangione spent Christmas in Brooklyn jail Massive invasive python is freed into the Palm Beach County wilderness. Here’s why ‘Baby Driver’ actor Hudson Meek dead at 16 Pregnant woman stabbed multiple times by pizza deliverer disgruntled about tip, sheriff says

By Kemberley Washington, CPA, Bankrate.com (TNS) As the end of the year approaches, now’s the time to start preparing for filing your 2024 tax return in 2025. When it comes to tax strategies, generally Dec. 31 is the deadline to make changes that might lower your tax bill. One major exception is the deadline for contributing to a Roth or traditional IRA : You have until April 15, 2025, to make a contribution to a Roth or traditional IRA for tax year 2024. If you qualify for deductible IRA contributions , then a contribution to your traditional IRA can reduce your taxable income for 2024. Here are tips and strategies to prepare now for the 2025 tax-filing deadline. If you had significant changes in your life in 2024 — maybe you got married or divorced, started your own business, or had to claim unemployment benefits — your taxes may be more complicated. As a result, you might need to hire a certified public accountant (CPA), enrolled agent (EA) or other tax professional to prepare and file your taxes. If you decide to hire someone, it’s best to start planning for that sooner rather than later. Waiting until the calendar flips to April could cost you. The average fee for a professional to prepare and file a simple Form 1040 tax return, with no itemized deductions, is about $220, according to a survey by the National Society of Accountants in 2020-2021, the most recent data available. But that amount rises quickly for more complex returns, and varies depending on where you live. For example, a Form 1040 with itemized deductions costs an average of $432 in states on the Pacific Coast, compared with $285 in New England. No matter where you live, prices usually rise as the tax deadline approaches, so it’s smart to start searching for a tax pro soon. If you’re uncomfortable doing your taxes on your own and can’t afford a CPA, enrolled agent or other tax pro, or to pay for tax software , there are free options to consider. The IRS currently offers three ways to prepare your taxes for free: •With the IRS Free File program, the IRS partners with for-profit tax-software companies that offer free tax-prep software to eligible taxpayers so they can file their federal tax returns for free. Some taxpayers may also qualify for a free state tax filing, depending on the software provider. In January, the IRS will announce the income limit to qualify for the program for the 2025 tax season (for filing 2024 tax returns). For the 2024 tax season (2023 tax returns), taxpayers’ adjusted gross income (AGI) couldn’t exceed $79,000. •The IRS also offers its Direct File program, a free tool that allows you to file your federal income tax return directly with the IRS at no cost. The program supports simple tax returns and is available only in certain states. Check to see if you qualify here. •Another free-filing option is the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program. IRS-certified volunteers offer free basic tax preparation in person to people who earn less than $67,000 a year, are disabled or whose English is limited. The IRS has an online location tool for hundreds of free tax preparation sites in the U.S. (the locator tool is updated from February through April). Some VITA sites also offer online tax-prep assistance. Now is a good time to create an IRS online account. If you want to see your Form 1040 from last year, or you’re missing a prior year Form W-2 or mortgage interest statement, you can find your documents using this free tax tool. Another benefit of creating an IRS online account is that it allows you to quickly obtain your prior year’s tax information without sitting on the phone for hours with an IRS representative, says Carl Johnson, a certified public accountant in New Orleans. An IRS online account also lets you view your account balance and payment history for each year. You can also create a payment plan to settle your federal income tax debt within minutes. If you’re 73 years old and have enjoyed watching your 401(k) or IRA grow tax-free without touching it, remember that the IRS is going to want its share each year. That means you’ll have to make withdrawals — and pay income tax. If you turned 73 in 2024, plan to take your required minimum distribution (RMD) at the latest by April 1, 2025. Read this IRS bulletin for more information. The amount of your RMDs is based on your age and the year-end values of your retirement accounts. A Roth IRA has two big tax advantages over a traditional IRA : Qualified withdrawals are not considered income for federal (and usually state) tax purposes, and you don’t have to take distributions from a Roth every year once you reach age 73. Converting a traditional IRA to a Roth IRA may save you money in the long run. Just know that when you convert an IRA to a Roth, it’s considered taxable income, which will raise your tax bill for that year. Generally, it’s best to convert to a Roth IRA when you’re in a low-income year. As tax season approaches, many people start receiving phone calls, emails and texts from entities claiming to be the IRS. Be wary, and understand that these are scams. Typically, the IRS will mail you a notice before using any other method of communication to notify you concerning issues with your tax return. The IRS won’t reach out via social media or text messaging. Relatedly, the IRS warns taxpayers to be careful when choosing a tax preparer. Taking time to vet your tax preparer is crucial to protect yourself from tax scams and fraud. Before hiring a tax professional, search that person’s name in the IRS database of federal tax return preparers to avoid dishonest “professionals.” “Taxpayers should check the tax professional’s credentials,” Johnson says. Tax pros without credentials “may take questionable positions without any degree of scrutiny or fear of losing their access to the profession,” Johnson says. Taxpayers who don’t file a tax return and owe a tax bill, or who file but don’t pay their tax bill on time, risk severe penalties. The IRS can even seize assets if necessary. Respond quickly if the IRS has been sending you letters because it found an error on your return or claims you owe back taxes. Typically, the IRS will send you a notice if you have a balance due, changes were made to your tax return, or the agency needs additional information. “If you ignore a collection letter from the IRS, you may face wage garnishments, liens, bank levies, and other adverse action. And in some cases, the amount due may increase for failure to respond,” Johnson says. Keep in mind the IRS does offer installment plans and other payment plans. Make copies of your correspondence and use only the U.S. Postal Service, the postmark from which is your proof of timeliness when responding. But whatever you do, don’t ignore the IRS because this may cause more issues in the future. ©2024 Bankrate.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.Trump encounters Senate GOP limits with failed Gaetz AG push

DIH Appoints Sheltering Arms Institute as a DIH Center of ExcellenceGainers MicroStrategy MSTR shares moved upwards by 10281.0% to $424.24 during Monday's pre-market session. The company's market cap stands at $101.6 billion. SEALSQ LAES shares rose 49.13% to $2.61. The market value of their outstanding shares is at $88.6 million. Aehr Test System AEHR stock increased by 20.12% to $13.85. The market value of their outstanding shares is at $410.3 million. Red Cat Hldgs RCAT stock rose 19.41% to $9.83. The market value of their outstanding shares is at $741.6 million. As per the news, the Q2 earnings report came out today. WISeKey Intl Holding WKEY stock rose 16.7% to $9.15. The company's market cap stands at $88.6 million. Unusual Machines UMAC shares increased by 14.41% to $12.7. The market value of their outstanding shares is at $190.1 million. Losers Sobr Safe SOBR stock fell 68.6% to $1.12 during Monday's pre-market session. The market value of their outstanding shares is at $1.0 million. Roadzen RDZN stock fell 30.9% to $1.23. The market value of their outstanding shares is at $84.1 million. Akoustis Technologies AKTS shares decreased by 30.21% to $0.05. The company's market cap stands at $7.3 million. SMX (Security Matters) SMX stock declined by 19.5% to $0.23. SPI Energy SPI shares decreased by 16.36% to $0.32. The market value of their outstanding shares is at $10.2 million. Global Engine Group GLE stock fell 15.86% to $2.07. The company's market cap stands at $37.8 million. See Also: www.benzinga.com/money/tech-stocks/ This article was generated by Benzinga's automated content engine and reviewed by an editor. © 2024 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.

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Visionary Eye Center Offers Eye Care Services to Residents of Jupiter, FLKUWAIT: Kuwait’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Abdullah Al-Yahya, reaffirmed the GCC’s steadfast commitment to upholding Syria’s sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity during his speech at the 46th extraordinary meeting of the GCC Ministerial Council, held in Kuwait on Thursday. “We strongly oppose all forms of external interference and reaffirm our full support for the Syrian people’s right to determine their own future,” declared Al-Yahya, who is the ministerial council’s chair. He emphasized that the council is calling for the resumption of an inclusive political process, ensuring participation from all parties. The GCC’s top diplomats met to discuss developments in Syria and Lebanon following the fall of Bashar Al-Assad’s regime, which collapsed earlier this month when anti-regime groups took control of Damascus. On December 8, the Zionist entity launched a military campaign in Syria, advancing into the Syrian buffer zone in the occupied Golan Heights to search for weapons and Hezbollah collaborators. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu initially called the Zionist entity’s presence “temporary,” he later stated it would continue until a new security arrangement is made with Syria’s new authority. A final statement issued following the meeting affirmed that the Golan Heights are Syrian Arab land and condemned the Zionist entity’s decisions to expand settlements in the occupied Golan Heights. To support Syria’s economic recovery, the council called for lifting sanctions against Syria and urged all partners, states, and organizations to provide full support to the Syrian people. The council emphasized its continued commitment to offering humanitarian assistance. Gulf countries also affirmed support for efforts aimed at achieving a comprehensive and inclusive transitional process that fulfills the Syrian people’s aspirations for stability, development, and a dignified life. “The GCC urges the international community to intensify efforts toward achieving a comprehensive and sustainable political solution,” said Al-Yahya. He also underscored the importance of providing care for refugees and displaced persons, advocating for their voluntary and safe return in accordance with international standards. The council welcomed the steps taken to ensure civilian safety, prevent bloodshed, achieve national reconciliation, and preserve Syria’s state institutions and resources. Additionally, the decision to disarm militias and armed factions and restrict the use of weapons to the state was endorsed. Jasem Mohammed Al-Budaiwi, Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), praised the Syrian Interim Government for its efforts in ensuring a peaceful power transition and protecting civilians. He noted that these steps are essential for Syria’s stability and its return to a key regional and international position. “Achieving national reconciliation and fostering dialogue are crucial for realizing the aspirations of the Syrian people for security, stability, and prosperity,” he asserted. Since the collapse of president Bashar Al-Assad’s regime earlier this month, the Zionist entity has bombed Syrian military assets in Syria and sent troops into a buffer zone in the occupied Golan Heights. Zionist officials have called the incursion a temporary measure to ensure the entity’s security but have not said when troops would be withdrawn. Condemning the Zionist entity’s repeated aggression toward Syria, Al-Budaiwi described such actions as blatant violations of international law. “(The Zionist entity)’s continued attacks on Syrian territories, including its occupation of the buffer zone and the decision to expand settlements in the occupied Syrian Golan, violate international law and UN resolutions. The international community must take responsibility and act to halt these aggressions,” he declared. Serious concern for Lebanon Turning to Lebanon, Al-Yahya expressed deep concern over the country’s ongoing challenges, reaffirming the GCC’s full support for Lebanon’s sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity. “We reject any foreign interference in Lebanon’s internal affairs,” he stated. Al-Yahya also highlighted the significance of the upcoming presidential elections, scheduled for January 9, 2025, calling them “a genuine opportunity to restore stability in Lebanon.” The council emphasized the importance of adhering to UN Security Council Resolution 1701 and preserving Lebanon’s national unity. In this context, Al-Yahya emphasized: “We cannot turn a blind eye to the ongoing Zionist aggressions against Arab territories in Syria, Lebanon, and Palestine, nor to the brutal practices targeting the Palestinian people. These acts constitute a blatant violation of international law, humanitarian law, and the principles of sovereignty.” The GCC countries, he highlighted, “reaffirm their unwavering stance in supporting the just Palestinian cause and emphasize that the Palestinian people’s rights are inalienable, particularly their right to establish an independent state based on the borders of June 4, 1967, with East Jerusalem as its capital.” He called for reopening dialogue to achieve justice for Palestine. “It is imperative to revive the peace process and ensure the resumption of negotiations to achieve a just and comprehensive solution to the Palestinian issue.”