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online casino 2024 OTTAWA — A Liberal MP says his committee colleagues are wasting time by launching a third inquiry into the former employment minister instead of focusing on important legislation for Indigenous Peoples. Jaime Battiste, who is Mi’kmaq, said there has been an “attack” on fellow Liberal MP Randy Boissonnault, who left his position as employment minister on Wednesday after allegations of shifting claims of Indigenous identity and questions around his past business dealings. Boissonnault has been the subject of two parliamentary probes, and Battiste said a third one by the Indigenous and northern affairs committee is “a waste of time, and it seems to be the Conservatives’ way of ensuring that nothing gets done in the House of Commons.” The Conservatives, NDP and Bloc Québécois all supported pushing ahead with the third study, even after Boissonnault left cabinet. Though Liberal MPs did not object to the motion Thursday, Battiste said the committee’s time would be better spent studying legislation on important issues such as First Nations policing, a modern treaty commissioner and clean water for First Nations. “It’s very much my fear and frustration that politics is now becoming more important at the Indigenous and northern affairs committee than actually Indigenous Peoples that we’re there every day to try to make life better for,” he said. Boissonnault came under intense scrutiny after the National Post reported that a company he previously co-owned described itself as wholly Indigenous-owned in order to apply for government contracts set aside for Indigenous businesses. He has been described as Indigenous multiple times in communications from the Liberal party, and in 2018 referred to himself as “non-status adopted Cree” — a statement he has repeated on other occasions. He also said his great-grandmother was a “full-blooded Cree woman.” He has since clarified that his adoptive mother and brother are Métis, and he apologized for his shifting claims last Friday. The House ethics committee has separately investigated Boissonnault’s past business dealings after media reports alleged he remained involved in the company he co-founded after he was re-elected in 2021. Opposition MPs on the Indigenous and northern affairs committee passed a motion on Tuesday — a day before Boissonnault left cabinet — for the employment minister to appear as a witness to discuss his claims to Indigenous identity. But because Boissonnault is no longer in cabinet, the Liberal chair of the committee ruled Thursday that newly minted Employment Minister Ginette Petitpas Taylor is technically the person the motion called to testify. “I figured this might happen,” said Conservative MP and committee member Jamie Schmale. “If there are games to be played here and we have Minister Petitpas Taylor attend, I don’t think that goes to the spirit of the House order. I don’t think it would be very responsible to go against that ... It’s Randy Boissonault that the House determined it needs and is ordered to appear along with several other witnesses. That’s who we expect to be in that seat.” A new motion from the Conservatives calls directly for Boissonnault to appear at the committee. One of the key concerns raised about Boissonnault in recent weeks is related to the government’s Indigenous business procurement strategy. A directory provides the federal government with names of businesses it could consider using to meet its Indigenous procurement target, which states a minimum five per cent of the total value of government contracts should be held by Indigenous-owned businesses. Indigenous Services Minister Patty Hajdu told a House of Commons committee on Tuesday that the company Boissonnault founded was not listed on that directory. Battiste suggested the committee will now be in a position of determining who is eligible for Indigenous programming and determining who is Indigenous, and as a First Nations person he does not agree with that. “I have a lot of concern because no First Nations, Métis or Inuit in this country are asking committees — who are filled with non-Indigenous Peoples — to determine our identity, who we are.” Schmale, NDP MP Lori Idlout and Bloc MP Sebastian Lemire, who are all members of the committee, did not immediately respond to requests for comment. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 21, 2024. Alessia Passafiume, The Canadian PressStock market today: Wall Street drifts lower after weak signals on the economyIt was more Marta Magic. That goal last weekend helped propel the Orlando Pride into Saturday's National Women's Soccer League championship game against the Washington Spirit. Barbra Banda also scored in the Pride's 3-2 semifinal victory over the Kansas City Current . While Banda has had an incredible first season with the Pride, captain Marta has been the talisman that has helped lead the team in its remarkable turnaround this year. The last time the Pride were in the NWSL playoffs was in 2017 — Marta's first year with the club. But this season they nearly went undefeated, going 23 games without a loss to start the season before losing 2-0 to the Portland Thorns with just two regular-season games left. “I think because of the way that we did it, during this season, from beginning to now, it’s something very special that I’ve never had before with any other club that I’ve played for," Marta said. "Plus year by year, we see in America, strong competition. This is the best league in the world. And you never know what’s going to happen, and it’s hard to keep winning the games, being in the first place almost like the whole season. That’s why it’s really different and so special.” Marta’s goal was the latest gasp-inducing moment in a stellar career filled with them. Known by just her first name, the 38-year-old is a six-time FIFA world player of the year. "Let's see if tomorrow I can do something similar — or even better," Marta said on Friday. Her teammate Kylie Strom chimed in: “That was the greatest goal I've ever witnessed, hands down." Appropriate. Earlier this year, FIFA announced that the best goal in women's soccer each year would earn the Marta Award. In a lighthearted moment the day before the title match, Marta was asked if she thought it was possible she might give the award to herself. “You guys need to decide, because who votes for the best goal in the year? It’s you. It’s the people in the public. So it should be really interesting, like Marta’s Award goes to Marta!” she said with a laugh. Marta has played in six World Cups for Brazil and played this summer in her sixth Olympics, winning a silver medal after falling in the final to the United States . She previously said this would be her final year with the national team. But since then Brazil was named the host of the 2027 Women's World Cup. "I had a conversation with my coach, the national team coach, and I was really clear about playing in 2027. I told him it’s not my goal anymore,” she said. “But I’m always available to help the national team. And if they think I still can do something during this preparation for the World Cup, yeah, I would be happy to help them." Marta's club career started in Brazil when she was just 16. She has also played in Sweden and in the U.S. professional women's leagues that came before the NWSL. With nine regular-season goals, Marta has had one of her best seasons since she joined the Pride. “I can never pick a side, I never pick favorites — but I love to see this for Marta," U.S. coach Emma Hayes said. “Marta is someone we all like, admire and are grateful for. And that goal was just like prime Marta at her best. And so grateful for and thankful for her that she got the opportunity with another game with her team.” The Pride went 18-2-6 this season, clinching the NWSL Shield for the first trophy in club history. Orlando also set a record with 60 regular-season points to finish atop the standings. “We are sitting top of the table, but I think there still are a lot of doubters. I think there’s people out there who say, maybe this was a one-off season,” Strom said. “But we’re here to prove them all wrong. So I think we do carry a bit of that underdog mentality still with us.” The second-seeded Spirit advanced to the title match at Kansas City's CPKC Stadium last weekend on a penalty shootout after a 1-1 draw against defending champions Gotham FC. The Spirit's roster includes Trinity Rodman, a standout forward who formed the so-called “Triple Espresso” trio with Mallory Swanson and Sophia Smith for the United States at the Olympics. AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

DC Shopian inspects essential services restorationAn Israeli airstrike flattened a multistory building in central Gaza, killing at least 25 people and wounding dozens more, according to Palestinian medical officials, after strikes Thursday across the Gaza Strip killed at least 28 others. The latest deadly strike hit the urban Nuseirat refugee camp just hours after U.S. President Joe Biden’s national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, told reporters in Jerusalem that the recent ceasefire in Lebanon has helped clear the way for a potential deal to end the war in Gaza between Israel and Hamas. The Israeli military did not immediately comment on the deadly strike in Nuseirat. Israel says it is trying to eliminate Hamas, which led the attack on southern Israel in October 2023 that sparked the war in Gaza . The Israeli military says Hamas militants hide among Gaza’s civilian population. The fighting has plunged Gaza into a severe humanitarian crisis, with experts warning of famine in some of the hardest-hit parts of the territory. Israel’s offensive has killed over 44,800 Palestinians in Gaza, more than half of them women and children, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which does not say how many were combatants. The Israeli military says it has killed over 17,000 militants, without providing evidence. The Oct. 7, 2023 attack by Hamas killed some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and around 250 others were taken hostage. Some 100 hostages are still inside Gaza, at least a third of whom are believed to be dead. Here's the latest: DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — An Israeli airstrike hit the central Gaza Strip on Thursday, killing at least 25 Palestinians and wounding dozens more, Palestinian medics said, just hours after President Joe Biden’s national security adviser raised hopes about a ceasefire deal to end the war in Gaza. Photos from the scene of the blast that circulated on social media showed a completely collapsed building with people walking through its mangled and charred remains, smoke rising from piles of belongings strewn over the rubble. Officials at two hospitals in the Gaza Strip, al-Awda Hospital in the north and al-Aqsa Hospital in central Gaza, reported they received a combined total of 25 bodies from an Israeli strike on a multistory residential building in the urban Nuseirat refugee camp. Palestinian medics also reported that over 40 people, most of them children, were receiving treatment at the two hospitals. The al-Aqsa Hospital said that the Israeli attack also damaged several nearby houses in Nuseirat. There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military on the deadly strike. Israel is trying to eliminate Hamas, which led the attack on southern Israel in October 2023 that sparked the war in Gaza . The Israeli military says Hamas militants hide among Gaza’s civilian population. Israel’s war against Hamas has killed over 44,800 Palestinians in Gaza, more than half of them women and children, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which does not say how many were combatants. The Israeli military says it has killed over 17,000 militants, without providing evidence. The fighting has plunged Gaza into a severe humanitarian crisis, with experts warning of famine. Israel says it allows enough aid to enter and blames U.N. agencies for not distributing it. The U.N. says Israeli restrictions, and the breakdown of law and order after Israel repeatedly targeted the Hamas-run police force, make it extremely difficult to operate in the territory. UNITED NATIONS – The U.N. food agency is trying to deal with massive needs in Syria not only from escalating war-related food insecurity and an upsurge in displaced people fleeing Lebanon but also the dramatically new environment following the ouster of Bashar Assad, a senior U.N. official says. “It’s a triple crisis and the needs are going to be massive,” said Carl Skau, deputy executive director of the World Food Program, in an interview with The Associated Press late Wednesday. The WFP estimated that 3 million people in Syria were “acutely food insecure” and very hungry. However, that estimate was made before the Israel-Hezbollah war in Lebanon pushed many Syrian refugees back to their home country, plus the instability caused by the overthrow of Assad. Due to funding cuts, the WFP had been targeting only 2 million of those people, he said. Because WFP has been working in Syria during the 13-year civil war, he said, it has pre-positioned food in the country. It has 500 staff in seven offices nationwide and has operated across conflict lines, across borders, and with all different parties, he said. Skau said Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, the main rebel group now in control of Syria, has promised to provide security for WFP warehouses. Humanitarian aid supplies had been looted at U.N. warehouses in the disorder after Assad fell. “We’re not really up and running in Damascus because of the continued kind of uncertainty there,” he said. WFP initially thought of relocating non-essential staff but the situation in Aleppo, Syria’s largest city, has been “quite calm and orderly," he said. In the short term, Skau said, “what we’re seeing is that markets are disrupted, the value of the currency dropped dramatically, food prices are going up, transport lines don’t work,” and it’s unclear who will stamp required papers for imports and exports. This means that a bigger humanitarian response is needed initially, he said, but in the next phase, the U,N. will be looking at contributing to Syria’s recovery, and ultimately the country will need reconstruction. Skau said he expects a new funding appeal for Syria and urged donors to be generous. JERUSALEM — President Joe Biden’s national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, told reporters in Jerusalem on Thursday that Israel’s ceasefire in Lebanon has helped clear the way for another deal to end the war in Gaza. He plans to travel next to Qatar and Egypt — key mediators in the ceasefire talks — as the Biden administration makes a final push on negotiations before Donald Trump is inaugurated. Sullivan said “Hamas’ posture at the negotiating table did adapt” after Israel decimated the leadership of its ally Hezbollah in Lebanon and reached a ceasefire there. “We believe it puts us in a position to close this negotiation,” he said. Sullivan dismissed speculation that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was waiting for Trump to take office to finalize a deal. He the U.S. believes there are three American hostages still alive in Gaza, but it’s hard to know for sure. He also said “the balance of power in the Middle East has changed significantly” since Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel, especially with the overthrow of former Syrian President Bashar Assad, a key ally of Hezbollah and Iran. “We are now faced with a dramatically reshaped Middle East in which Israel is stronger, Iran is weaker, its proxies decimated, and a ceasefire that is new and will be lasting in Lebanon that ensures Israel’s security over the long term,” he said. KHIAM, Lebanon — An Israeli strike killed at least one person Thursday in the Lebanese border town of Khiam, the Health Ministry said, less than a day after Israeli troops handed the hilltop village back to the Lebanese army in coordination with U.N. peacekeepers, Khiam is the first Lebanese town Israel has pull out of since a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah militants began two weeks ago, and marks an important test of the fragile truce . Lebanon's Health Ministry and state news agency did not provide details on who was killed, and did not report airstrikes elsewhere on Thursday. The Israeli military said an airstrike targeted Hezbollah fighters in southern Lebanon, without saying if the strike was in Khiam. Lebanese troops deployed in the northern section of the town on Thursday morning and were coordinating with U.N. peacekeepers to finalize Israel’s withdrawal before fully entering into other neighborhoods. An Associated Press reporter who visited Khiam on Thursday observed widespread destruction, with most houses reduced to rubble. Entire neighborhoods were flattened, with collapsed walls and debris scattered across the streets. Lebanon’s caretaker prime minister, Najib Mikati, sharply criticized Israel for striking the town less than 24 hours after the Lebanese army returned, saying it was “a violation of the pledges made by the parties that sponsored the ceasefire agreement, who must act to curb Israeli aggression.” The truce was brokered by the U.S. and France. Israel has previously said the ceasefire deal allows it to use military force against perceived violations. Near-daily attacks by Israel during the ceasefire, mostly in southern Lebanon, have killed at least 29 people and wounded 27 others. Khiam, which sits on a ridge less than 3 miles (5 kilometers) from the border with Israel, saw some of the most intense fighting during the war. The Lebanese army was clearing debris and reopening roads in the northern section of the town. Civilian access to other areas remained challenging as the army clears roads and works alongside the U.N. peacekeepers to ensure the area is free of unexploded ordnance. AQABA, Jordan -- U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is urging the many players in Syria to avoid taking any steps that could lead to further violence. Blinken spoke to reporters in Jordan on Thursday shortly after meeting King Abdullah II as he opened a trip in the region to discuss Syria's future after former President Bashar Assad's ouster. Blinken will next visit Turkey, a NATO ally and a main backer of Syrian rebel groups. Blinken called this “a time of both real promise but also peril for Syria and for its neighbors.” He said he was focused on coordinating efforts in the region “to support the Syrian people as they transition away from Assad’s brutal dictatorship” and establish a government that isn’t dominated by one religion or ethnic group or outside power. Blinken was asked about Israel’s incursion into a buffer zone that had been demilitarized for the past half century. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says the move is temporary and defensive, but also indicated Israel will remain in the area for a long time. Blinken declined to say whether the U.S. supports the move, but said the U.S. would be speaking to Israel and other partners in the region. “I think, across the board, when it comes to any actors who have real interests in Syria, it’s also really important at this time that, we all try to make sure that we’re not sparking any additional conflicts,” he said. ANKARA, Turkey — Turkey’s intelligence chief, Ibrahim Kalin, arrived in Damascus on Thursday, according to Turkish media reports. Kalin was seen arriving at the Umayyad Mosque to pray, surrounded by a large crowd, according to video shown on Turkish television. The visit is highly symbolic. Turkish officials, who supported the opposition against Syria’s government, had predicted at the start of the civil war in 2011 that President Bashar Assad’s government would fall, allowing them to pray at the Umayyad Mosque. JERUSALEM — Paraguay reopened its embassy in Jerusalem Thursday, becoming one of a small handful of nations to recognize the city as Israel’s capital and marking a diplomatic victory for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Israel’s international isolation has increased as the war in Gaza drags on, and Paraguay was the first country to move its embassy to Jerusalem since the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attack that kickstarted the war. The United States, Honduras, Guatemala, Kosovo, and Papua New Guinea are among the few countries with Jerusalem embassies. Israel annexed east Jerusalem in 1967 but it wasn’t recognized by the international community, and most countries run their embassies out of Tel Aviv. Spirits were high at the ceremony marking the embassy’s inauguration Thursday, with Netanyahu and Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Saar lavishing praise on Paraguayan President Santiago Pena. “My good friend Santiago,” said Netanyahu, addressing Pena. “We’re a small nation. You’re a small nation. We suffered horrible things but we overcame the odds of history...we can win and we are winning.” Paraguay had an embassy in Jerusalem in 2018, under Former President Horacio Cartes. That embassy was moved back to Tel Aviv by Cartes’ successor, Mario Abdo Benitez, prompting Israel to close its embassy in Asuncion. Saar said Israel and Paraguay shared a “friendship based not only on interests but also values and principles.” He and the Paraguayan foreign minister, Rubén Ramírez Lezcano, signed a series of bilateral agreements and Saar said he would soon visit Asunción with a delegation from the Israeli private sector. “Israel is going to win and the countries we are standing next to Israel, we are going to win," Pena said. AQABA, Jordan — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is renewing calls for Syria’s new leadership to respect women and minority rights, prevent extremists from gaining new footholds in the country and keeping suspected chemical weapons stocks secure as he makes his first visit to the Mideast since the weekend ouster of Syrian President Bashar Assad . Making his 12th trip to the Middle East since the Israel-Hamas war erupted lasted year but amid fresh concerns about security following the upheaval in Syria, Blinken emphasized Thursday to Jordan’s King Abdullah II U.S. “support for an inclusive transition that can lead to an accountable and representative Syrian government chosen by the Syrian people,” the State Department said. Blinken also repeated the importance the outgoing Biden administration puts on respect for human rights and international law, the protection of civilians and stopping terrorist groups from reconstituting. Blinken met with the monarch and Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi in Aqaba before traveling to Turkey for talks with Turkish officials on the situation in Syria and the urgency of securing a long-elusive deal to release hostages and end the fighting in Gaza that has devastated the Palestinian territory since October 2023. Abdullah told Blinken that “the first step to reach comprehensive regional calm is to end the Israeli war on Gaza." GENEVA — The U.N. envoy for Syria is calling on authorities to save evidence from detention centers that were a hub of “unimaginable barbarity” that Syrians have faced for many years and cooperate with international investigators looking into such crimes. Geir Pederson referred to new images from the notorious Saydnaya military prison north of the capital, Damascus, after President Bashar Assad fled Syria as armed groups stormed in to overthrow his government over the weekend. “The images from Saydnaya and other detention facilities starkly underscore the unimaginable barbarity Syrians have endured and reported for years,” Pedersen said in a statement. Documentation and testimonies “only scratch the surface of the carceral system’s horrors,” he added. Pedersen urged authorities to cooperate with U.N. bodies like an independent Commission of Inquiry on Syria, which was created in 2011, and an independent group known as the IIIM that was set up five years later to also compile evidence of crimes. ROME — Leaders of the Group of 7 industrialized nations offered their full support for an inclusive political transition in Syria and invited all parties to preserve the country’s territorial integrity. In a message released by Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni’s office, the leaders said they were ready to support a transition that “leads to a credible government, inclusive and not sectarian, that guarantees respect for the state of law, universal human rights, including rights for women, (and) the protection of all Syrians, including religious and ethnic minorities.” The leaders also underlined the importance that ousted President Bashar Assad’s government is held responsible for crimes, citing “decades of atrocities.” They said they would also cooperate with groups working to prohibit chemical weapons “to secure, declare and destroy” remaining chemical arms in Syria. Italy currently holds the rotating presidency of the G-7, which also includes Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Japan and the United States. JERUSALEM — The Israeli military says it struck Hamas militants in two locations in the southern Gaza Strip who planned to hijack aid convoys. Palestinian Health officials had earlier said that the two strikes killed 15 men who were part of local committees established to secure aid deliveries. The committees have been organized in cooperation with the Hamas-run Interior Ministry in Gaza. It was not possible to independently confirm either account of the strikes, which occurred overnight into Thursday. Israel has long accused Hamas of hijacking humanitarian aid deliveries, while U.N. officials have said there is no systemic diversion of aid . U.N. agencies and aid groups say deliveries are held up by Israeli restrictions on the entry of aid and movement within Gaza, as well as the breakdown of law and order more than 14 months into the war between Israel and Hamas. Israel has repeatedly targeted the Hamas-run police force, which maintained internal security before the war. The United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees, the main aid provider in Gaza, said a U.N. convoy of 70 trucks carrying humanitarian aid in southern Gaza “was involved in a serious incident,” resulting in just one of the trucks reaching its destination. It did not provide further details on the incident but said the same route had been used successfully two days earlier. Israel’s offensive, launched after Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack, has caused vast destruction and displaced around 90% of Gaza’s population of 2.3 million, leaving the territory heavily reliant on international food aid. DAMASCUS, Syria — An American who turned up in Syria on Thursday says he was detained after crossing into the country by foot on a Christian pilgrimage seven months ago. Travis Timmerman appears to have been among thousands of people released from the country’s notorious prisons after rebels reached Damascus over the weekend, overthrowing President Bashar Assad and ending his family’s 54-year rule. As video emerged online of Timmerman on Thursday, he was initially mistaken by some for Austin Tice, an American journalist who went missing in Syria 12 years ago. In the video, Timmerman could be seen lying on a mattress under a blanket in what appeared to be a private house. A group of men in the video said he was being treated well and would be safely returned home. The Biden administration is working to bring Timmerman home, Secretary of State Antony Blinken told reporters in Aqaba, Jordan, without offering details, citing privacy. Timmerman later gave an interview with the Al-Arabiya TV network, saying he had illegally crossed into Syria on foot from the eastern Lebanese town of Zahle seven months ago, before being detained. He said he was treated well in detention but could hear other men being tortured. AQABA, Jordan — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has arrived in Jordan on his 12th visit to the Mideast since the Israel-Hamas war erupted last year and his first since the weekend ouster of Syrian President Bashar Assad that has sparked new fears of instability in a region wracked by three conflicts despite a ceasefire agreement in Lebanon. Blinken was meeting in Aqaba with Jordan’s King Abdullah II and Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi on Thursday before traveling to Turkey for talks with Turkish officials on Friday. The meetings will focus largely on Syria but also touch on long-elusive hopes for a deal to end the fighting in Gaza that has devastated the Palestinian territory since October 2023. Blinken is the latest senior U.S. official to visit the Middle East in the five days since Assad was deposed as the Biden administration navigates more volatility in the region in its last few weeks in office and as President-elect Donald Trump has said the U.S. should stay out of the Syrian conflict. Other include national security adviser Jake Sullivan and a top military commander who traveled there as the U.S. and Israel have launched airstrikes to prevent the Islamic State militant group from reconstituting and prevent materiel and suspected chemical weapons stocks from falling into militant hands. Blinken “will discuss the need for the transition process and new government in Syria to respect the rights of minorities, facilitate the flow of humanitarian assistance, prevent Syria from being used as a base of terrorism or posing a threat to its neighbors, and ensure that chemical weapons stockpiles are secured and safely destroyed,” the State Department said. The U.S. would be willing to recognize and fully support a new Syrian government that met those criteria. U.S. officials say they are not actively reviewing the foreign terrorist organization designation of the main Syrian rebel group, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, known as HTS, which was once an al-Qaida affiliate, but stressed they are not barred from speaking to its members. JERUSALEM — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Israeli forces will remain in a Syrian buffer zone until a new force on the other side of the border can guarantee security. After the overthrow of Syrian President Bashar Assad, Israeli forces pushed into a buffer zone that had been established after the 1973 Mideast war. The military says it has seized additional strategic points nearby. Israeli officials have said the move is temporary, but Netanyahu’s conditions could take months or even years to fulfill as Syria charts its post-Assad future, raising the prospect of an open-ended Israeli presence in the country. Netanyahu’s office said in a statement Thursday that Assad’s overthrow by jihadi rebels created a vacuum on the border. “Israel will not permit jihadi groups to fill that vacuum and threaten Israeli communities on the Golan Heights with October 7th style attacks,” it said, referring to Hamas’ 2023 attack out of Gaza, which ignited the war there. “That is why Israeli forces entered the buffer zone and took control of strategic sites near Israel’s border.” The statement added that “this deployment is temporary until a force that is committed to the 1974 agreement can be established and security on our border can be guaranteed.” The buffer zone is adjacent to the Golan Heights, which Israel captured from Syria in the 1967 Mideast war and later annexed. The international community, except for the United States, views the Golan as occupied Syrian territory. JERUSALEM — Israel’s military said Thursday that the attacker who fatally shot a 12-year-old Israeli boy in the occupied West Bank overnight turned himself in to authorities. The attacker opened fire on a bus near the Israeli settlement of Beitar Illit, critically wounding the boy, who hospital authorities pronounced dead in the early morning. Three others were wounded in the attack, paramedics said. The shooting took place just outside Jerusalem in an area near major Israeli settlements. JAKARTA, Indonesia — The Indonesian government has evacuated 37 citizens from Syria following the fall of the Bashar al-Assad government, officials said Thursday. The evacuees were taken by land from Damascus to Beirut, where they boarded three commercial flights to Jakarta, said Judha Nugraha, director of citizen protection at the Foreign Affairs Ministry. The Indonesian Embassy in Damascus said all 1,162 Indonesian citizens in Syria were safe. Indonesian Ambassador to Syria Wajid Fauzi said the situation in Syria has gradually returned to normal. “I can say that 98% of people’s lives are back to normal, shops are open, public transportation has started running,” Fauzi said, adding that most Indonesian nationals living in Syria had chosen to stay. DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — Palestinian medical officials say Israeli airstrikes have killed at least 28 people in the Gaza Strip, including seven children and a woman. One of the strikes overnight and into Thursday flattened a house in the built-up Nuseirat refugee camp, according to the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in the nearby city of Deir al-Balah, where the casualties were taken. An Associated Press reporter saw the bodies at the hospital’s morgue. Two other strikes killed 15 men who were part of local committees established to secure aid convoys . The committees were set up by displaced Palestinians in coordination with the Hamas-run Interior Ministry. The Nasser Hospital in the southern city of Khan Younis received the bodies and an AP reporter counted them. The hospital said eight were killed in a strike near the southern border town of Rafah and seven others in a strike 30 minutes later near Khan Younis. The war in Gaza began when Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting around 250 people. Some 100 hostages are still inside Gaza, at least a third of whom are believed to be dead. Israel’s offensive has killed over 44,800 Palestinians in Gaza, more than half of them women and children, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which does not say how many were combatants. The Israeli military says it has killed over 17,000 militants, without providing evidence. The fighting has plunged Gaza into a severe humanitarian crisis, with experts warning of famine. Israel says it allows enough aid to enter and blames U.N. agencies for not distributing it. The U.N. says Israeli restrictions, and the breakdown of law and order after Israel repeatedly targeted the Hamas-run police force, make it extremely difficult to operate in the territory. UNITED NATIONS — The U.N. General Assembly overwhelmingly approved resolutions Wednesday demanding an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and backing the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees that Israel has moved to ban . The votes in the 193-nation world body were 158-9 with 13 abstentions to demand a ceasefire now and 159-9 with 11 abstentions to support the agency known as UNRWA. The votes culminated two days of speeches overwhelmingly calling for an end to the 14-month war between Israel and the militant Hamas group . General Assembly resolutions are not legally binding, though they reflect world opinion. There are no vetoes in the assembly. Israel and its close ally, the United States, were in a tiny minority speaking and voting against the resolutions.Tech Investment Secrets Revealed! Discover the Insider Edge

Rudenko Andrey Yurevich / Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation Since the establishment of diplomatic ties in 1976, Russian-Philippine friendship has gone through a test of endurance, including changes in the domestic and international political and economic spheres following the collapse of the USSR. Amid the ongoing global transformation associated with the changing balance of power in the international arena, primarily due to the increasing role of the Global South and Eastern countries, the Philippines remains an important and promising partner of Russia in the Asia-Pacific region. We believe that realizing the significant potential of our bilateral cooperation lies in the context of a multipolar world order, to which Russia and the Philippines, as an influential member of ASEAN, are making their tangible contributions. The convergence or proximity of the two countries’ approaches to the key challenges of our times, their adherence to international law, first and foremost to the principle of the sovereign equality of states, and their recognition of cultural and civilizational diversity and traditional values form the basis for bilateral cooperation. Throughout their history, Russian-Philippine relations have been an example of mutually beneficial cooperation and mutual respect. As early as 1817, the first Russian consulate was opened in Manila on the initiative of Peter Dobel, subject of the Russian Empire, with the aim of expanding trade. Throughout the 21st century, the Filipinos welcomed Russian travellers and sailors, including Vasily Golovnin, Fiodor Litke, Nikolay Miklukho-Maklaiand Ivan Goncharov, who were keen to study the traditions, culture and customs of the locals and then introduced “Perlas ng Silangan” to the Russian public. At the height of the Russo-Japanese War, Manila became a refuge for the Russian cruiser “Aurora” and its crew, who had been badly injured in the Battle of Tsushima. The stay of almost 6,000 Russian refugees from China on the archipelago in 1949-1951 is a little-known chapter in the history of the two countries. Tubabao Island became their home for several years. Local people have kept memories of the stay of “White Russians,” as they used to call them, including Archbishop John of Shanghai (declared a saint by the Russian Orthodox Church). In the second half of the twentieth century, cooperation between our countries took a new turn. In 1975, the USSR was visited by A. Melchor Jr., Executive Secretary of the President of the Philippines. This was the starting point for the establishment of diplomatic relations on June 2, 1976. It is noteworthy that this landmark political decision was taken by the father of the current President of the country, Ferdinand Marcos. Even back then, the Philippine leadership acknowledged that differences in socio-political systems were not an obstacle to successful and effective cooperation. The two countries signed their first trade agreement, which gave a new impetus to economic ties, cultural cooperation, tourism and scientific exchanges. Such an independent approach to bilateral relations, where mutual interests come to the fore, is still very much in demand today. Regrettably, nowadays some countries are striving hard to maintain global geopolitical dominance through the so-called “rules-based order” and artificially “cancel” those parts of the world that do not support such a unipolar vision. Attempts are being made to isolate Russia, punish it for its sovereign political decisions aimed at ensuring its own security, and blame it for all the problems of the world. We therefore appreciate the constructive attitude of the present administration, headed by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., which demonstrates the continuity of the policy of maintaining friendly relations with our country. Russian and Philippine lawmakers fruitfully cooperate at international parliamentary forums. In November 2023, the leaders of the two countries’ parliaments met on the sidelines of the 31st session of the Asia-Pacific Parliamentary Forum in Manila. Parliamentary friendship groups operate within the legislative bodies of both countries. Trade and economic cooperation is of great importance, although it faces serious challenges, mainly related to the illegal economic sanctions imposed on Russia by the US and its allies, which is hampering bank settlements and disrupting supply chains. However, as practice shows, obstacles in trade and economic relations are surmountable. On October 4-5, 2023, the 3rd meeting of the Russia-Philippines Joint Commission on Trade and Economic Cooperation was successfully held in Manila. We consider transport, space, information and communication technologies, etc. to be promising areas. As of 2023, bilateral trade turnover reached US$633.4 million. It is worth recalling that earlier our countries had joined efforts in the fight against Covid-19, during the difficult period of the pandemic. In 2021, 20 million doses of the Russian vaccine Sputnik V were delivered to the Philippines under a signed contract. Russian companies are interested in establishing cooperation with Philippine partners in the field of peaceful nuclear energy, including its non-energy applications. Agricultural cooperation is intensifying. Since 2021, the office of the agricultural attaché has been functioning within the Russian Embassy in the Philippines. In June 2023, a Russian delegation headed by Sergey Levin, Deputy Minister of Agriculture, visited Manila as part of a business mission of Russian companies exporting agricultural products. The establishment of direct flights between Russia and the Philippines would have a positive impact on the development of mutual business and tourist exchanges. This is evidenced by the existing direct flights to Southeast Asian nations, i.e. Thailand, Vietnam and Indonesia. The conditions are in place for the Philippines to engage with the Eurasian Economic Union, a single market of 180 million consumers. Recent years have seen an active development of interregional contacts. The city of Cebu maintains twinning relations with Vladimir, in 2022 an agreement on cooperation with Vladivostok was signed. In 2024 the province of Cebu concluded an agreement on cooperation in trade and economy, science and technology, and the humanitarian area with St. Petersburg. Moscow has cooperation programs in place with Manila and Cebu. The rich cultural heritage of the two countries provides a basis for expanding humanitarian exchanges, including increasing cooperation in the fields of education and tourism. Russian universities that hold leading positions in the world rankings offer Filipino students training, including free of charge, in such areas as Information Systems and Technologies, Applied Computer Science, Nuclear Energy, Medicine, Linguistics, etc. Russian audiences have repeatedly had the opportunity to get acquainted with the Philippine ballet thanks to Lisa Macuja-Elizalde, founder and CEO of Ballet Manila, who is a graduate of the Vaganova Academy of Russian Ballet. In turn, in 2023, as part of the Days of Moscow in Manila, the Filipino audience warmly welcomed a gala concert by artists of the Moscow State Academic Dance Theatre Gzhel at the Aliw Theatre. Friendly visits by Russian ships of the Russian Navy’s Pacific Fleet to Philippine harbors contribute to maintaining defense contacts. From 2021 to 2024, six such visits have been organized. Philippine officials annually participate in international meetings of High-Ranking Officials Responsible for Security Matters held by the Security Council of the Russian Federation. The importance of the Asia-Pacific region cannot be overestimated. We note with regret that the security and cooperation architecture, created around ASEAN over recent decades, is under threat. Under the slogan of a “free and open Indo-Pacific region,” the United States and their allies are pursuing a confrontational course aimed at “bloc containment.” The Euro-Atlanticists deliberately heat up the situation around Taiwan and the Korean Peninsula, aggravate territorial disputes in the South China Sea, and use heightened tensions in the region to pump it up with arms, including strategic weapons. Russia opposes the militarization of the region and the “creeping expansion” of NATO into Southeast Asia. Such narrow-bloc organizations as the Indo-Pacific Four (Japan, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand), the AUKUS military alliance with a nuclear component (the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia) are fully involved in this scenario. We note attempts to pull other ASEAN countries into similar narrow-bloc entities, with the aim of forming new “trios” and “quartets.” We are convinced that the future of the Asia-Pacific region can be based only on a constructive agenda, the main items of which include maintaining peace and stability, developing mutually beneficial and multifaceted cooperation, and creating a regional architecture on a collective basis that would ensure equal and indivisible security for all. In cooperating with its regional partners, Russia is guided by long-term national interests and contemporary realities. To this end, we are actively using the potential of the Russia-ASEAN strategic partnership and the opportunities of our participation in the EAS and ARF, the SCO, BRICS, APEC and other multilateral organizations and forums. Moscow highly appreciates that the current Philippine leadership, in a difficult geopolitical situation, adheres to a balanced, pragmatic line in international affairs and strives to develop pragmatic relations with Russia. In conclusion, I would like to emphasize that Russian-Philippine cooperation has great potential for further successful development and translation into mutually beneficial projects. Together we can make a significant contribution to overcoming global challenges and ensuring stability and security in the Asia-Pacific region. Rudenko Andrey Yurevich was born in Moscow in 1962. 1985: Graduated from the Moscow State Institute of International Relations (now MGIMO University). Diplomatic rank: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary since October 2020. 1985: Joined the diplomatic service and held various posts at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and at the ministry’s missions abroad. 2011-2016: Deputy Permanent Representative of Russia to the OSCE, Austria. March 2016: Director of the Second CIS (Commonwealth of Independent States) Department of the Ministry, member of the Foreign Ministry Collegium. September 2019—present: Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation. He is fluent in English and Chinese.Would you pay $700 a night to sleep under the stars at this Colorado resort?

Qatar tribune Rescue teams and relatives of disappeared people in Syria are searching for their loved ones at the notorious Sednaya prison in Damascus after the fall of President Bashar al-Assad’s government. An intense search was under way at the jail on Monday for “hidden underground cells, reportedly holding detainees”, said the White Helmets rescue group, which dispatched emergency teams to the facility. Al-Assad’s police state was known for generations as one of the harshest in the Middle East, holding hundreds of thousands of political prisoners. Bewildered and elated prisoners poured out of Syrian jails on Sunday as al-Assad’s government collapsed. They shouted with joy as they emerged from one of the world’s most notorious detention systems. Throughout Syria’s war, which began in 2011, security forces held hundreds of thousands of people in detention camps where international human rights organisations said abuses were rampant. Families were often told nothing of the fate of their loved ones. As rebels seized one city after another in a blistering eight-day campaign, prisons were often among their first objectives. The most notorious prisons in and around Damascus itself were finally opened on the uprising’s final night and the early hours of Sunday. (Agencies) Copy 10/12/2024 10

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NoneSouth Korea's President Yoon Suk Yeol was banned Monday from travelling abroad, the justice ministry said, less than a week after he plunged the country into chaos by briefly imposing martial law. Yoon sent special forces and helicopters to parliament on the night of December 3 before lawmakers forced him to rescind the order by rejecting his decree. The unpopular leader narrowly survived an impeachment motion in parliament Saturday even as huge crowds braved freezing temperatures to call for his ouster. Despite remaining in office, a clutch of investigations has been closing in on Yoon and his close allies, including a probe for alleged insurrection. The ministry of justice confirmed on Monday that Yoon had become the first sitting South Korean president to be banned from leaving the country. A lawmaker was asked at a Monday parliamentary hearing whether Yoon had been banned from international travel. "Yes, that's right," replied Bae Sang-up, an immigration services commissioner at the ministry. Also under travel bans for their roles in last week's events are former defence minister Kim Yong-hyun -- currently in detention -- and ex-interior minister Lee Sang-min. General Park An-su, the officer in charge of the martial law operation, and defence counterintelligence commander Yeo In-hyung are also barred from leaving South Korea. Investigators hauled Park in for further questioning Monday, and Yonhap news agency reported that prosecutors had asked for a warrant for Kim's formal arrest. The impeachment push failed to pass after members of Yoon's own People Power Party (PPP) walked out of parliament, depriving it of the necessary two-thirds majority. The PPP says that in exchange, the 63-year-old Yoon has agreed to hand power to the prime minister and party chief, prompting howls of protest from the opposition. "This is an unlawful, unconstitutional act of a second insurrection and a second coup," Democratic Party floor leader Park Chan-dae said. Under South Korea's constitution, the president remains head of government and commander in chief of the army unless he or she is incapacitated, resigns or steps down. In such a case, power would then be handed to the prime minister on an interim basis until elections could be held. Claiming Yoon can remain in office but has delegated his powers to the prime minister and leader of his ruling PPP -- who is not an elected official -- is "a blatant constitutional violation with no legal basis", Park said. "Their attitude of placing themselves above the constitution mirrors that of insurrectionist Yoon Suk Yeol," he said. South Korea's ally the United States indicated it would still deal with Yoon but said it "will keep lines of communication open with all relevant parties". "President Yoon is the president of Korea, and the political process in Korea will play out, as it should, under Korea's laws and Korea's constitution," State Department spokesman Matthew Miller told reporters. The defence ministry confirmed Monday that the embattled Yoon still oversees the country's security apparatus, despite the apparent power vacuum in a country that remains technically at war with nuclear-armed North Korea. "Legally, (control of military forces) currently lies with the commander in chief," defence ministry spokesperson Jeon Ha-kyou said. Yoon has apologised for "anxiety and inconvenience" caused by his declaration of martial law but has not stepped down, saying instead he would entrust decisions about his fate to his party. He also said he would accept all political and legal responsibility for the martial law fiasco. There is no constitutional basis supporting the ruling party's claim that Yoon can stay in office but hand over his power to unelected party officials, said Kim Hae-won, a constitutional law professor at Pusan National University Law School. "It seems to resemble an unconstitutional soft coup," he told AFP. "If there are issues with the president, there are ways laid out in the constitution such as suspending the president from his duties, and then move on to proceedings set out in the constitution, such as impeachment," he said. The opposition has already said they would try again to impeach Yoon, with leader Lee Jae-myung saying another vote would be held Saturday. burs-stu/ceb/bgs-sct/mlmFlorida-Based International Transactions Team Joins Ice Miller to Launch New Miami Office

With technical prowess and considerable style, Marta danced around two sliding defenders, outwitted a goalkeeper and calmly scored as another player rushed forward in desperation to stop her. It was more Marta Magic. Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Please enable it in your browser settings.