jili ph646 777 games tongits To the victors go the sports cars. When Islamist rebel forces in Syria marched into Damascus and stormed the palace of Bashar al-Assad on Sunday, they found a massive fleet of high-end cars, including Mercedes, Porches, Audis and Ferraris. Videos shared on social media show gleeful looters touring a massive garage in the presidential palace, chock full of high-end roadsters from the deposed dictator’s private stash. One eagle-eye commenter pointed to a coveted Mercedes-Benz with gullwing doors. SUVs, motorcycles, ATVs, and what appears to be an armored truck also awaited the rebels, who traipsed through the sprawling mansion taking selfies, firing guns into the air and making off with anything that wasn’t bolted down, videos shared on X show. The palace is a sprawling, blocky fortress of stone and marble perched on a hill on the outskirts of Damascus; the Guardian once described it as an “echoing monument to dictator decor.” Rebel soldiers found it abandoned after Assad absconded by plane to an unknown location, Reuters reported, putting an end to 24 years of brutal rule in which the dictator and his family lived like emperors while the people languished. Videos shared on X show men hauling away furniture and artwork while women in full hijab picked through the dishes and bed linens. One video shows what appears to be an armory stocked with scores of submachine guns. “I imagine he and those close to [Assad] ... thought: ‘we have enough ammo! We are invincible! Nothing can shake us!’ the poster, TOKO, quipped. In another video, looters discover a bunker network hidden deep under the main structure, the concrete floors littered with what appear to be empty cigar boxes and gun cases. “He who fears the people digs hundreds of feet underground,” the poster, Abdullah Almousa, wrote in Arabic. The palace wasn’t the only government building to be ransacked as soldiers peeled off their uniforms and abandoned their posts. One user posted a video of what he claims to show people carrying sacks of “money and valuables” from the central bank. “The smart people did not go to Assad’s palace for chandeliers, but to the bank for cash and gold!” he wrote.Editas to reduce about 65% of its workforce over the next six monthsSeattle Seahawks receiver is DK Metcalf is just fine when he doesn't have the the ball because it means he gets to showcase his blocking skills. “I just look at it as a sign of respect that I’ve gained from other defensive coordinators and just continue to do my job with it as blocking or being a decoy,” the two-time Pro Bowler said. While opposing defenses have keyed in on Metcalf, other aspects of Seattle's offense have surfaced during its four-game winning streak. The run has the Seahawks (8-5) sitting atop the NFC West heading into Sunday night's game against the visiting Green Bay Packers (9-4). Geno Smith's new top target is second-year receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who needs 89 receiving yards for his first career 1,000-yard season. Smith-Njigba has 75 catches for 911 yards and five touchdowns, while Metcalf, often dealing with double coverage, has 54 catches for 812 yards and two scores. Metcalf says he feels the pride of a “proud parent or a big brother” when it comes to Smith-Njigba's success. Seattle's offense also got a boost from the ground game in a 30-18 victory over the Arizona Cardinals last weekend . Zach Charbonnet, filling in for the injured Kenneth Walker III, ran for a career-best 134 yards and two touchdowns. The Seahawks face another hot team in the Packers (9-4), who have won seven of nine. Green Bay's two losses over that stretch have come against NFC-best Detroit (12-1), including a 34-31 victory by the Lions on Dec. 5, which means the NFC North title is likely out of reach for the Packers. The Packers are well-positioned for a playoff berth, but that almost certainly won't come this weekend. They would need a win, a loss or tie by the Atlanta Falcons and a tie between the Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers. Metcalf, who learned to block from his father, former Chicago Bears offensive lineman Terrence Metcalf, says he tries to take blocking seriously to set himself apart from other receivers. His priorities are simple when he's getting double-teamed and the ball goes elsewhere. “Trying to block my (butt) off and trying to get pancakes on defensive backs,” he said. When the Packers surged their way into the playoffs last season, quarterback Jordan Love was a major reason why. He had 18 touchdown passes and one interception during Green Bay's final eight games. During the last four games of this season, Love ranks third in the NFL with a 118.9 passer rating with six touchdowns, one interception and a league-best 10.3 yards per attempt. “I always feel like I can put the ball where I want to — and that’s part of it, too, having that confidence to be able to throw those passes,” Love said. “There’s always like I said a handful of plays that might not come off or be in the exact spot that you wanted it to or the throw might be a little bit off. So, that’s where you’ve just got to try to be at your best every play, be consistent and accurate as possible.” Green Bay’s pass defense has been picked apart the last two weeks. First, it was torched by Tua Tagovailoa and the Dolphins in a Packers win. Next, it allowed Jared Goff to complete his final 13 passes as the Lions rallied to victory. It won’t get any easier this week. Smith is second in the NFL in attempts, completions and passing yards and is fifth in completion percentage. “It’s been a remarkable turnaround for him in terms of just where he started,” Packers coach Matt LaFleur said. “It’s not always where you start, but where you finish. And it tells me a lot about the person in terms of his resiliency and ability to fight through some adversity. He’s a dangerous quarterback.” The potential return of former All-Pro cornerback Jaire Alexander (knee) could help the Packers. Will the Packers break out their head-to-toe white uniforms? The last time Green Bay wore the winter white look was in a 24-22 win over Houston in October. The Packers asked fans to weigh in on social media . As for the Seahawks, they'll be sporting their “Action Green” uniforms. Metcalf is a fan. “I would say this about the Action Green, I love them personally in my opinion, but the big guys hate them. I don’t know why, don’t ask me," he said. “Hopefully, the Packers wear all white, so it’ll be a fun-looking game.” AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

NEW YORK, Dec. 12, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- WHY: Rosen Law Firm, a global investor rights law firm, continues to investigate potential securities claims on behalf of shareholders of Light & Wonder, Inc. (NASDAQ: LNW) resulting from allegations that Light & Wonder may have issued materially misleading business information to the investing public. SO WHAT: If you purchased Light & Wonder securities you may be entitled to compensation without payment of any out of pocket fees or costs through a contingency fee arrangement. The Rosen Law Firm is preparing a class action seeking recovery of investor losses. WHAT TO DO NEXT: To join the prospective class action, go to https://rosenlegal.com/submit-form/?case_id=29678 or call Phillip Kim, Esq. toll-free at 866-767-3653 or email case@rosenlegal.com for information on the class action. WHAT IS THIS ABOUT: On September 24, 2024, the Las Vegas Review-Journal published an article entitled “Slot manufacturer scores major win against Las Vegas-based rival.” It stated that “Aristocrat Technologies Inc.’s request for a preliminary injunction in its trade-secret and copyright infringement lawsuit against Light & Wonder” had been granted, and that the “order prohibits [Light & Wonder] from the ‘continued or planned sale, leasing, or other commercialization of Dragon Train,’ which Aristocrat claims uses intellectual property developed for its Dragon Link and Lightning Link games.” On this news, the price of Light & Wonder common stock fell 19.49% on September 24, 2024. WHY ROSEN LAW: We encourage investors to select qualified counsel with a track record of success in leadership roles. Often, firms issuing notices do not have comparable experience, resources, or any meaningful peer recognition. Many of these firms do not actually litigate securities class actions. Be wise in selecting counsel. The Rosen Law Firm represents investors throughout the globe, concentrating its practice in securities class actions and shareholder derivative litigation. Rosen Law Firm achieved the largest ever securities class action settlement against a Chinese Company at the time. Rosen Law Firm was Ranked No. 1 by ISS Securities Class Action Services for number of securities class action settlements in 2017. The firm has been ranked in the top 4 each year since 2013 and has recovered hundreds of millions of dollars for investors. In 2019 alone the firm secured over $438 million for investors. In 2020, founding partner Laurence Rosen was named by law360 as a Titan of Plaintiffs’ Bar. Many of the firm’s attorneys have been recognized by Lawdragon and Super Lawyers. Follow us for updates on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-rosen-law-firm , on Twitter: https://twitter.com/rosen_firm or on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rosenlawfirm/ . Attorney Advertising. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. ------------------------------- Contact Information: Laurence Rosen, Esq. Phillip Kim, Esq. The Rosen Law Firm, P.A. 275 Madison Avenue, 40th Floor New York, NY 10016 Tel: (212) 686-1060 Toll Free: (866) 767-3653 Fax: (212) 202-3827 case@rosenlegal.com www.rosenlegal.comICC issues arrest warrants for Benjamin Netanyahu and Israel’s defence ministerNEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks tiptoed to more records amid a mixed Tuesday of trading, tacking a touch more onto what’s already been a stellar year so far. The S&P 500 edged up by 2 points, or less than 0.1%, to set an all-time high for the 55th time this year. It’s climbed in 10 of the last 11 days and is on track for one of its best years since the turn of the millennium. The Dow Jones Industrial Average slipped 76 points, or 0.2%, while the Nasdaq composite added 0.4% to its own record set a day earlier. AT&T rose 4.6% after it boosted its profit forecast for the year. It also announced a $10 billion plan to send cash to its investors by buying back its own stock, while saying it expects to authorize another $10 billion of repurchases in 2027. On the losing end of Wall Street was U.S. Steel, which fell 8%. President-elect Donald Trump reiterated on social media that he would not let Japan’s Nippon Steel take over the iconic Pennsylvania steelmaker. Nippon Steel announced plans last December to buy the Pittsburgh-based steel producer for $14.1 billion in cash, raising concerns about what the transaction could mean for unionized workers, supply chains and U.S. national security. Earlier this year, President Joe Biden also came out against the acquisition. Tesla sank 1.6% after a judge in Delaware reaffirmed a previous ruling that the electric car maker must revoke Elon Musk’s multibillion-dollar pay package. The judge denied a request by attorneys for Musk and Tesla’s corporate directors to vacate her ruling earlier this year requiring the company to rescind the unprecedented pay package. All told, the S&P 500 rose 2.73 points to 6,049.88. The Dow fell 76.47 to 44,705.53, and the Nasdaq composite gained 76.96 to 19,480.91. In the bond market, Treasury yields held relatively steady after a report showed U.S. employers were advertising slightly more job openings at the end of October than a month earlier. Continued strength there would raise optimism that the economy could remain out of a recession that many investors had earlier worried was inevitable. The yield on the 10-year Treasury rose to 4.23% from 4.20% from late Monday. Yields have seesawed since Election Day amid worries that Trump’s preferences for lower tax rates and bigger tariffs could spur higher inflation along with economic growth. But traders are still confident the Federal Reserve will cut its main interest rate again at its next meeting in two weeks. They’re betting on a nearly three-in-four chance of that, according to data from CME Group. Lower rates can give the economy more juice, but they can also give inflation more fuel. The key report this week that could guide the Fed’s next move will arrive on Friday. It’s the monthly jobs report , which will show how many workers U.S. employers hired and fired during November. It could be difficult to parse given how much storms and strikes distorted figures in October. Based on trading in the options market, Friday’s jobs report appears to be the biggest potential market mover until the Fed announces its next decision on interest rates Dec. 18, according to strategists at Barclays Capital. In financial markets abroad, the value of South Korea’s currency fell 1.1% against the U.S. dollar following a frenetic night where President Yoon Suk Yeol declared martial law and then later said he’d lift it after lawmakers voted to reject military rule. Stocks of Korean companies that trade in the United States also fell, including a 1.6% drop for SK Telecom. Japan’s Nikkei 225 jumped 1.9% to help lead global markets. Some analysts think Japanese stocks could end up benefiting from Trump’s threats to raise tariffs , including for goods coming from China . Trade relations between the U.S. and China took another step backward after China said it is banning exports to the U.S. of gallium, germanium, antimony and other key high-tech materials with potential military applications. The counterpunch came swiftly after the U.S. Commerce Department expanded the list of Chinese technology companies subject to export controls to include many that make equipment used to make computer chips, chipmaking tools and software. The 140 companies newly included in the so-called “entity list” are nearly all based in China. In China, stock indexes rose 1% in Hong Kong and 0.4% in Shanghai amid unconfirmed reports that Chinese leaders would meet next week to discuss planning for the coming year. Investors are hoping it may bring fresh stimulus to help spur growth in the world’s second-largest economy. In France, the CAC 40 rose 0.3% amid continued worries about politics in Paris , where the government is battling over the budget. AP Business Writers Yuri Kageyama and Matt Ott contributed.

Stock market today: Wall Street inches higher to set more recordsMISSOULA — Another year, another Montana quarterback leaving the football team via the NCAA transfer portal. Logan Fife announced his intention to enter the transfer portal on Sunday, one day after the Grizzlies ended their season in the second round of the FCS playoffs with a 9-5 record. The portal officially opens on Monday, Dec. 9. Fife made eight starts and played in 13 games in his lone season at Montana after transferring from FBS Fresno State. He played a complete game just two times as he and Keali'i Ah Yat rotated for most of the year. He was the Big Sky Conference offensive player of week following his first start. He threw for 364 yards and five touchdowns in a 52-49 win over Eastern Washington on the road to begin league action. Fife, a fifth-year junior, completed 63.5% of his pass attempts (167 of 263) for 1,890 yards, 14 touchdowns and two interceptions. He carried the ball 57 times for 135 yards and five touchdowns. "First and foremost I'd like to thank God for the many blessing in my life and allowing me to continue to live out my dream," he wrote in a social media post on X. "I'd like to thank my family and friends for the endless support through this journey. I'd also like to thank my teammates and the city of Missoula for welcoming me with open arms in this past year. "With that being said, it is in my best interest to enter the transfer portal as a grad transfer with 1 year of eligibility remaining. I am extremely excited for what the future has in store." Fife saw his reps increase when Ah Yat got injured, first happening in the fourth game of the year against Western Carolina. He played the next three weeks while Ah Yat got only one series in that span. They split time after the bye week when Ah Yat returned, including in a loss to UC Davis. Ah Yat got his first start since WCU the next week against Portland State, but an injury led to Fife rallying the Griz to a win in the second half. That game included Fife and head coach Bobby Hauck getting into multiple heated exchanges on the sideline before they hugged it out. Fife played the whole game the next week in the regular-season finale against Montana State, a 34-11 loss. He started in the first round of the FCS playoffs against Tennessee State and wasn't pulled until he fumbled twice in the second half. He did not play in the second-round loss at South Dakota State. Following the 2023 season, Clifton McDowell transferred and ended up at McNeese State after leading the Griz to the national championship game. Sam Vidlak, who lost the in-season QB battle, also transferred and became a second-team All-Southland honoree at Stephen F. Austin in 2024. "Somebody will get a really good player and a great dude," Vidlak wrote on X in sharing Fife's post. "Hope you find the fit you deserve. Best of luck Logan." After the 2022 season, Daniel Britt entered the transfer portal. He had said, "I just felt I wasn't developing enough as a player in the QB room." Fife is the first-known Griz player to enter the transfer portal this offseason. Frank Gogola is the Senior Sports Reporter at the Missoulian and 406 MT Sports. Follow him on X @FrankGogola or email him at . Get local news delivered to your inbox!

METAIRIE, La. (AP) — Dejounte Murray plans to return to the New Orleans Pelicans ' lineup on Wednesday night for the first time since fracturing his left hand in a season-opening victory over Chicago on Oct. 23. And when Murray takes the court against the Toronto Raptors , his mother will be on his mind. After practice on Tuesday, Murray discussed his impending return and disclosed more details about the previously unspecified “personal matters” that caused him to leave the team during the final days of the preseason. His mother had a stroke, he said. “It was tough to leave and go deal with that. As she got better, she wanted me to come play,” Murray said of his last-minute decision to start against Chicago. He added that his hand injury near the end of that game was God's way of telling him, “‘Nah, you need to stay with your mom.’” “I was more concerned about my mother. That was my priority,” Murray continued. “I wasn’t really worried about my recovery.” Murray's mother has recovered well, he said, while he is “healthy and ready to help this team.” “I’m ready to hoop. Play for my mother — she’s going to be watching," Murray said. “I’m ready to compete, bring that winning spirit.” The Pelicans (4-14) certainly could use the help, having lost 14 of 16 games since opening the season with a pair of victories. Injuries have ravaged the roster. At times, all five starters have been out. Star power forward Zion Williamson has missed 12 games this season — one with an illness and 11 with a hamstring injury. Herb Jones has been sidelined by a shoulder strain and Brandon Ingram's status is in doubt after he sat out practice on Tuesday with calf soreness that also sidelined him during a loss on Monday night at Indiana. But at least two starters — Murray and fellow guard CJ McCollum — are expected to play against the Raptors. “I don’t care how many games we’ve lost. I just know every time I step on the floor I feel like we can win games,” said Murray, who had 14 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds in his lone game with the Pelicans. "That’s just my mentality, and I feel like it can carry over to a lot of guys.” AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA

Vikings win on walk-off field goal in overtime after blowing late lead, allowing onside kick recoveryNotre-Dame de Paris reopened its doors in a grand ceremony, more than five years after a devastating fire on April 15, 2019, severely damaged the iconic cathedral. After an extensive restoration involving around 2,000 skilled workers, the historic landmark has regained its splendour, symbolising resilience and dedication to cultural heritage. The reopening was marked by an elaborate event hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron, which brought together global dignitaries and members of royalty. Among the distinguished guests was HSH Prince Albert II, who attended the ceremony alone. The Prince was warmly welcomed by Emmanuel and Brigitte Macron on the forecourt of the cathedral, highlighting the Principality’s strong ties to France and its shared appreciation for Notre-Dame as a cultural and historical treasure. Prince Albert joined other royal attendees, including Belgium’s King Philippe and Queen Mathilde, who posed with the French presidential couple in front of the restored monument. The gathering also included Luxembourg’s Grand Duke Henri, Grand Duchess Maria Teresa, and Archduchess Marie Astrid, as well as Morocco’s Prince Moulay Rachid and Prince William. Political figures were also present in significant numbers, emphasising the global importance of Notre-Dame’s restoration. Among them were former French Presidents Nicolas Sarkozy and François Hollande, both accompanied by their spouses, Carla Bruni and Julie Gayet, respectively. Jill Biden, First Lady of the United States, attended alongside her daughter Ashley, while international leaders such as Denis Sassou Nguesso of Congo, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, and German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier were also in attendance. Inside the cathedral, Macron delivered an emotional speech, paying tribute to the artisans and workers whose dedication made the restoration possible. He reflected on the monumental efforts required to bring the cathedral back to life and celebrated its importance as a symbol of French history and global cultural heritage. Concluding his remarks with the words, “Long live Notre-Dame de Paris, long live the Republic, and long live France,” the President set the tone for an evening of celebration and reflection. Meanwhile, HSH Prince Albert praised the event, telling the press that “Like everyone else, I followed this drama five years ago and watched several documentaries on its reconstruction. But to actually see it in person, with its beautiful illumination and the incredible fervour surrounding it, was truly moving. It was a very beautiful ceremony, one that I believe carries a powerful message of hope.”None

NEW YORK —Donald Trump on Tuesday asked a New York state judge to dismiss the criminal case in which he was convicted in May of 34 felony counts involving hush money paid to a porn star in light of his victory in the Nov. 5 U.S. presidential election. In urging Justice Juan Merchan in Manhattan to vacate the guilty verdict and toss the charges, Trump's lawyers said having Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's case hang over him after he takes office on Jan. 20 would impede his ability to govern. "Local elected officials such as D.A. Bragg have no valid basis to cause such disruptions," defense lawyers Todd Blanche and Emil Bove wrote in a court filing dated Dec. 2 and made public on Tuesday. Trump in November nominated Blanche to serve as deputy attorney general, the second-highest position at the Justice Department, during his administration. He nominated Bove to serve as Blanche's top deputy and to be acting deputy attorney general while Blanche awaits confirmation. Merchan last month delayed Trump's previously scheduled Nov. 26 sentencing indefinitely to give him the chance to seek dismissal. Prosecutors with Bragg's office supported delaying the sentencing to give Trump the chance to make his case for dismissal, though they said they would oppose that bid. The prosecutors have until next Monday to respond. The judge has not indicated when he would rule on Trump's motion to dismiss, and has not set a new date for sentencing. Bragg's office has suggested he defer all proceedings in the case until Trump, 78, leaves the White House in 2029. In their motion to dismiss, Trump's lawyers called that suggestion "ridiculous." They said that would mean sentencing would happen more than a decade after the investigation started in 2018. A spokesperson for Bragg's office declined to comment. The New York case stemmed from a $130,000 payment Trump's former lawyer Michael Cohen made to adult film actress Stormy Daniels for her silence before the 2016 election about a sexual encounter she has said she had a decade earlier with Trump, who denies it. A Manhattan jury found Trump guilty of falsifying business records to cover up his reimbursement of Cohen. It was the first time a U.S. president - former or sitting - had been convicted of or charged with a criminal offense. Trump pleaded not guilty in the case, which he has sought to portray as a politically motivated attempt by Bragg, a Democrat, to interfere with his presidential campaign. Falsification of business records is punishable by up to four years in prison. Before he was elected, experts said it was unlikely - but not impossible - that Trump would face time behind bars, with punishments such as a fine or probation seen as more likely. Trump's victory over Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris in the Nov. 5 election made the prospect of imposing a sentence of jail or probation even more politically fraught and impractical, given that a sentence could have impeded his ability to conduct the duties of the presidency. Trump was charged in three additional state and federal criminal cases in 2023, one involving classified documents he kept after leaving office and two others involving his efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss. He pleaded not guilty in all three cases. None have gone to trial. A Washington judge on Nov. 25 dismissed the federal criminal case over his attempts to hold onto power. Prosecutors had moved to drop both that case and the classified documents case due to a Justice Department policy against prosecuting a sitting president. Trump also faces state criminal charges in Georgia over his bid to reverse his 2020 loss in that state, but that case remains in limbo. As president, Trump would have no power to shut down the New York or Georgia cases because they were filed in state courts. —ReutersNone

An 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: DAMASCUS, Syria — Mohammad Salim Alkhateb, an official with the National Coalition of Syrian Revolution and Opposition Forces — an internationally backed group of the opposition in exile — said his group wants to see a transitional government formed via a United Nations-backed process in the wake of Bashar Assad ouster. It is not yet clear if Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, the main rebel group now in control of Syria, will pursue such a process. The insurgents have said an interim government headed by Mohammad al-Bashir, who is also the head of the “salvation government” of HTS in its former stronghold in northern Syria, will oversee the country until March but have not made clear how the transition to a new, fully empowered government would take place. “The transitional governing body should be formed in Geneva to have international legitimacy,” said Alkhateb, who is now in Damascus. “The transitional governing body, whatever its form, whether it is the ‘salvation government’ or any other, what matters is that it has international recognition.” Alkhateb said that the unexpectedly rapid fall of Damascus and departure of Assad after opposition forces launched their offensive had created confusion and a governance vacuum. A day before the insurgents pushed into Damascus, diplomats from countries including Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Turkey, Iran and Russia met in Qatar to discuss the situation in Syria. Alkhateb said that they had discussed a scenario in which the rebels would halt their advance, keeping the territory they had captured so far in the north — including Syria’s largest city, Aleppo — and the opposition and Assad’s government would go to Geneva for talks on a political settlement to the conflict. However, he noted, “there were no Syrians in that meeting.” Assad fled to Russia before the rebel forces arrived in Damascus but has not officially announced his resignation, which is “why we are living in a vacuum rather than a political transition,” Alkhateb said. He added that creating a professional army should be a priority of the transitional government. “We do not want a civilian who was trained during the revolution to carry military weapons to become the military,” he said. Israel bombed hundreds of military sites in Syria this week in a wave of airstrikes that destroyed “most of the strategic weapons stockpiles” in the country. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the wave of airstrikes in neighboring Syria was necessary to keep the weapons from being used against Israel following the Syrian government’s stunning collapse . WASHINGTON — White House press secretary Karine Jean-Peirre says Austin Tice, an American journalist missing in Syria for 12 years, “is a top priority for this president.” During a briefing with reporters on Thursday, Jean-Pierre said of Tice, “There is no indication that he is not alive. There’s also no indication about his location or condition.” “What our goal is, is to bring him home. And so, we hope certainly that he is alive and, as we have stated many times before, we are talking through this with the Turks and we want to do everything we can to bring him home,” she said. BEIRUT — Amnesty International said Thursday that four Israeli airstrikes between September and October that killed at least 49 civilians in Lebanon “must be investigated as war crimes.” The rights organization said in a new report that the four strikes targeted homes in the Bekaa Valley, northern and eastern Lebanon, and municipal offices in the south. “These four attacks are emblematic of Israel’s shocking disregard for civilian lives in Lebanon and their willingness to flout international law,” said Amnesty International’s Erika Guevara Rosas, Senior Director for Research, Advocacy, Policy and Campaigns. The rights group said this report was part of its ongoing investigation into violations of the laws of war in Lebanon. Amnesty International investigated four Israeli airstrikes, including one on Sept. 29 in al-Ain that killed all nine members of the same family. On Oct. 21, a strike in Baalbek city in eastern Lebanon killed six members of the same family. Another on Oct. 14 in the village of Aitou in northern Lebanon killed 23 displaced people, including a 5-month-old baby. A fragment from the attack site in Aitou was identified by an Amnesty weapons expert as likely part of a Mk-80 series aerial bomb, weighing at least 500 pounds. These munitions are primarily supplied to Israel by the United States, Amnesty said. The fourth strike Amnesty investigated was the strike that hit the municipal headquarters in Nabatiyeh, southern Lebanon, on Oct. 16, killing 11 civilians including the mayor. “The air strike took place without warning, just as the municipality’s crisis unit was meeting to coordinate deliveries of aid, including food, water and medicine, to residents and internally displaced people who had fled bombardment in other parts of southern Lebanon,” Amnesty said. The rights group said it interviewed survivors and witnesses, examined evidence, and found no military targets near the sites of the four strikes. The Israeli military gave no warnings and did not respond to Amnesty’s inquiries, the group said. 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 the airstrike in Khiam targeted Hezbollah fighters. 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.Darren Rizzi's outburst is exactly why he's not ready to be the next head coach of the SaintsWhat does the Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire include?

Dejounte Murray is rejoining the Pelicans vs. Toronto and drawing inspiration from his mother

New Orleans Saints quarterback Derek Carr sustained a left hand injury and possible concussion in the fourth quarter of Sunday's 14-11 victory over the New York Giants. The Saints feared Carr fractured the hand, per reports, and he was slated to undergo further testing. He reportedly had a cast on the hand when exiting the stadium. Saints interim coach Darren Rizzi said Carr may have to enter the concussion protocol. Carr was injured when he tried to leap for a first down late in the final quarter. He was near the sideline and went airborne, landing hard on the left hand with this face then slamming into the turf as he landed out of bounds with 3:59 left in the game. Jake Haener finished up the game for the Saints. Carr completed 20 of 31 passes for 219 yards, one touchdown and one interception for New Orleans. Overall, Carr has passed for 2,145 yards, 15 touchdowns and five interceptions this season. He missed three games earlier this season due to an oblique injury. --Field Level Media

Donald Trump, eager to turn his inauguration into a global event, is personally extending invitations to some foreign leaders, including heads of state that have clashed with the United States in the recent past. Already, Trump has asked Chinese President Xi Jinping to attend his swearing in, his transition team confirmed Thursday, an exceptionally rare offer extended to the communist leader of one of America’s chief geopolitical rivals. “This is an example of President Trump creating an open dialogue with leaders of countries that are not just allies but our adversaries and our competitors, too,” Trump spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said during an appearance Thursday on Fox News. A delegation of senior Chinese officials is expected to attend in place of Xi, according to two sources familiar with the matter. El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Argentinean President Javier Milei have also been invited by Trump or his team, sources confirmed to CNN. All three are close allies of Trump who have also shaken the nerves of the US and its allies at times for their embrace of strongman tactics and their far-right politics. The offers to attend his Washington fêting have been mostly informal, a person with knowledge of the conversations told CNN, and have sometimes come in passing during discussions over the phone about other matters. The person also said that some invitations have gone through back channels, not directly leader-to-leader. Trump has also dictated written invitations as well, a source familiar with the matter said, and had his team send them to foreign leaders. Trump’s transition team did not respond to questions about what other leaders he invited. On Thursday, the president-elect suggested he may invite other foreign leaders people told him may be “a little risky.” “We like to take little chances,” Trump said. “But that’s not a bad chance.” A new diplomatic era for America It is up to the president-elect and his team to determine which guests attend his inauguration, including any world leaders they may invite, one source familiar with the process told CNN. Generally, the bipartisan Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies and the State Department will reach out to diplomats to attend. The JCCIC has already begun sending invitations to every country’s chief of mission, as part of its typical protocol. It’s rare, however, for heads of state to make international visits to Washington for an inauguration, and it’s up to the discretion of the incoming president to make such asks, the source said. The outreach beyond America’s closest Western allies signals a new diplomatic era for the United States. In an interview with Time conducted in late November and published Thursday, Trump touched on his existing relationships with authoritarian leaders like North Korea’s Kim Jong Un and Russia’s Vladimir Putin – though he declined to say if he has spoken with Putin since winning in November. “I get along with Russia,” Trump told the news magazine, which also named him “Person of the Year” on Thursday. “I get along with a lot of people that people would think I wouldn’t get along with.” The invites to world leaders also speak to Trump’s early interest in reengaging with his foreign peers four years after he left Washington, DC, and the world stage defeated and diminished. In the weeks since completing his political comeback, Trump has spoken with leaders from around the globe and hosted several at his Palm Beach, Florida, club. On social media, he has already engaged in global affairs, threatening Mexico and Canada with 25% tariffs and calling for a ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia. Trump told Time magazine he opposed a new US policy allowing Ukraine to fire long-range missiles into Russia. Trump also has an overseas trip under his belt: a visit to the reopening of the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, an appearance that came at the invitation of French President Emmanuel Macron. Trump returned enamored by the pageantry – and also the high-profile attendance. While there, he also met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, the United Kingdom’s Prince William and Meloni. “It was something really beautiful,” Trump said Thursday. “And a lot of world leaders, there were about 80 world leaders, different countries, and they were all coming together.” Trump’s desire for a ‘global stage’ in DC Now, he is looking to turn his inauguration into a similar must-attend affair. “Trump is very eager to have world leaders at the inauguration,” one Trump adviser told CNN. “He wants a global stage.” However, the freewheeling nature of Trump’s invites has made it difficult for even his closest aides to keep track of everyone who has and has not received an invitation to his second inauguration. It also poses additional security challenges for the United States Secret Service, which is mandated to protect all heads of state when they are on US soil. The US Capital Police is already tasked with protecting that day an incoming president who survived two assassination attempts over the summer, as well as the leaders of Congress, the Supreme Court, outgoing President Joe Biden and whichever past presidents attend. Xi is not expected, but it is not entirely clear yet which leaders intend to take Trump up on his offer. Bukele’s office confirmed receiving an invitation on behalf of Trump, however, it is unclear if the Salvadorian president plans on attending. In a recent interview with NBC’s “Meet the Press,” Trump shared that he and Xi had communicated regularly since his election, even as he continues to threaten to launch a broad trade war with China after taking office. Asked earlier Thursday while on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange whether Xi had accepted his invitation, Trump said, “I don’t want to say,” and added that the two leaders had a “very good relationship.” “I’ve invited a lot of great people, and they’ve all accepted,” Trump said. “Everybody I’ve invited has accepted.” CNN’s David Culver and Kayla Tausche contributed to this report.Many auto brands have jumped head-first into completely overhauling their top-sellers and icons, and fallen flat. Volkswagen, for example, has had issues with its latest Mk8 Golf , which lost the number one sales spot in Europe after 14 years in 2022; the current Land Rover Discovery was a big departure from its predecessors and has paid the price for it in terms of sales; and Mercedes-AMG has tuned away V8 lovers by plopping a four-cylinder PHEV powertrain into its C63 and GLC63 . Know the news with the 7NEWS app: Download today Porsche avoided such blunders by making its first all-electric vehicle, the Taycan, a dedicated EV with no predecessor for loyalists and statisticians to benchmark it against. But now, the hallowed German performance vehicle brand’s top-selling Macan has gone EV-only as key markets around the globe continue to tighten emissions regulations. Since the nameplate debuted 10 years ago, the Macan has cemented itself as the world’s favourite Porsche. Over its decade-long lifespan it offered a range of four-cylinder and six-cylinder (inline and V6 respectively, not boxer) engines, and has long been lauded as the driver’s pick in the mid-sized premium SUV class. Fast forward to 2024, and the second-generation ‘Macan Electric’ has thrown the internal combustion engine out the window and adopted an all-electric platform and powertrains. Like the original, however, it was co-developed with Audi and has strong genetic links to a sister SUV from the Ingolstadt brand – this time in the Q6 e-tron rather than the Q5 . Regardless, the Stuttgart carmaker reckons the battery-powered MkII Macan is better than its ICE forebear in just about every metric. It’s quicker and more tech laden, thanks in part to Porsche’s learnings from the standard-setting Taycan sedan and wagon. This sounds like a sure-fire recipe for success, but is it? To find out, we attended the Australian media launch of the new Macan in Brisbane to see if the new and much more expensive Macan EV is a fitting sequel to the popular original. How much does the Porsche Macan cost? The move to entirely battery-electric powertrains has bumped up the price of the Macan significantly, with even the entry-level single-motor ‘Macan’ costing over $30,000 more than the outgoing petrol variant it replaces. For reference, the previous Macan petrol range remains on sale while stocks last – see below for MY25 pricing. To see how the Porsche Macan lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool What is the Porsche Macan like on the inside? If you’ve sat in the latest Cayenne or the Taycan , you’ll feel at home in the new Macan. A big part of the generational jump here includes an increased level of interior digitalisation, as seen in Porsche’s larger models – think Cayenne and Panamera, as well as the Taycan. But while the cabin tech upgrades are significant, the overall design and execution isn’t all that different to the most recent iteration of the old Macan, with familiar ergonomics and switchgear. Perhaps the biggest change is the new 12.6-inch digital instrument cluster, which is taken straight from those aforementioned models. It’s super sharp with buttery smooth animations, and offers a range of customisable layouts to suit different tastes. You can also option a swish augmented reality (AR) head-up display, but it’ll cost you $4120! The central infotainment system is likewise a sharp unit, based on the Android Automotive operating system. With its 10.9-inch touchscreen cleanly integrated into the dashboard, it offers connected services, third-party app compatibility, and requisite functions like wireless Apple CarPlay/Android Auto, and embedded navigation. If you’re the particularly techy type, or have kids (or other passengers) in need of something to distract them while you’re on the road, you can also option an additional 10.9-inch touchscreen ahead of the front passenger, which is like a ‘lite’ version of the central display. Personally, I think it’s a bit naff and not worth the $2700 spend. As you’d expect, the overall ambience and sense of quality is right up there with the best in this segment, even if the piano black surfaces are vulnerable to fingerprint marks and hairline scratches after wiping dust off. The toggle-style climate controls mixed in with touch capacitive buttons is very modern Porsche, and while the latter are fiddly there’s nice clicky feedback from both the physical toggles and the touch buttons. Storage is pretty good but not overwhelmingly so, with a range of nooks and crannies to stow your odds and ends. I like the damped drawer lid over the wireless phone charger, which stops your phone flying around when you’re giving it a squirt up a winding B-road or on the racetrack – unlike the Polestar 4 we drove recently. Up front we sampled a couple of different seat specs in various vehicles, and the standard Comfort seats with 14-way electrical adjustment are fine – though the 18-way adaptive sports seats are even better. The optional ventilated front seats helped quite a bit during a hot and humid Queensland day, though $1710 is a pretty penny. You can even get massaging with ventilation, for a ‘cool’ $2860. In the second row, the Macan has never offered limousine levels of passenger space, but nor have rivals like the Q5, BMW X4 or Mercedes-Benz GLC Coupe. Thankfully though, there has been a small but noticeable improvement to most dimensions, which now allow 6’1′′ me to sit behind 6’1′′ me snugly. Standard rear seat amenities include a fold-down centre armrest with cupholders, bottle holders in the doors, and directional air vents. You can option luxe four-zone climate control, but that’ll cost you $810 on all but the Turbo. It’s disappointing that the added 86mm in wheelbase hasn’t resulted in a similar improvement in rear passenger accommodation, given the Macan is often bought by families with multiple children. Further back, the Macan’s boot has grown to 540 litres with all seats in place, which is up around 50 litres on the old model. That grows to 1348 litres with the rear seats folded. There’s additional 84 litres of storage under the bonnet, in lieu of an internal combustion engine. It’s accessed via a touch-capacitive lid that can be opened by swiping your hand across the lower end of the shut line – though my attempt to film it for an Instagram reel required a few takes because it didn’t seem to respond every time. To see how the Porsche Macan lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool What’s under the bonnet? Gone is the internal combustion engine, which is replaced by the aforementioned front storage area that’s more in line with the company’s rear-engined sports cars, come to think of it... It’s worth noting that all Macan variants offer an overboost function that raises the maximum power output by about 10 per cent when using launch control. The claimed 0-100km/h times above are using launch control, too. Also worth noting is that Porsche Cars Australia’s range claims are based on the ECE standard, which is more closely based on the older NEDC measurement than the newer, more accurate WLTP protocol. To see how the Porsche Macan lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool How does the Porsche Macan drive? Perhaps the most important question here is: “does it still drive like a Porsche Macan?” In short, the answer is “mostly yes”. There’s certainly added urgency from its various electric drivetrain options to go with the welcome boost in interior tech levels, which brings the new Macan into line with the best rivals from premium and luxury brands. Our two-day launch event started with a drive from Brisbane airport down to Norwell Motorplex south of Queensland capital, followed on day two by a picturesque road drive from Brisbane through the hinterlands to the Gold Coast. The launch program centred around the Macan 4 and Turbo, since the base Macan and the 4S are still on the way to Australia despite already being on sale. We’ll bring you reviews of those when we can get behind the wheel. On the freeway, the Macan felt solid, secure and responsive. We started in a Turbo fitted with a number of options including big 22-inch wheels with carbon-fibre inserts, which cost nearly $15,000 (eek!) according to the local configurator. Even with the big rims and liquorice-thin rubber, the air-sprung Macan Turbo was comfortable over road imperfections and maintained great body control at everyday cornering speeds and on the highway. Road noise and wind noise were also impressively hushed. It’s worth calling out here the Macan’s impressive 0.25Cd drag coefficient figure, which no doubt aids the latter. And I continue to marvel at the ability of Porsche engineers to calibrate what I believe to be the perfect steering calibration when it comes to balancing response, weight and feedback, even in an SUV like the Macan. The Macan’s tiller feels incredibly accurate and the quick ratio means you aren’t twirling the wheel to do basic manoeuvres like you might in some other SUVs. It also has a great, weighty feeling about centre. At Norwell Motorplex we were given ample time to test out the Macan’s dynamic capabilities across a variety of exercises including a motorkhana-style handling course, drifting on the wet skid pan, 0-100km/h runs using launch control, and guided laps around the tight and technical circuit. The motorkhana was good fun and a great opportunity to test out the Macan 4’s sweet handling balance, while the launch control tests really demonstrated the Turbo’s monstrous 1130Nm of torque from standstill. We didn’t hook up timing gear, but it feels every bit as quick as the official 3.3-second claim, which based on Porsche tradition is likely a low-ball figure. On the skid pan we got the chance to get the Turbo a little sideways, upsetting the balance of the vehicle by opening the throttle on a rotating plate then getting skiddy on the wet concrete. The final exercise comprised a couple of guided laps around the tight circuit in the 4 and the Turbo, which again revealed the 4 to be the more balanced and sweeter steerer; the Turbo in comparison felt a little too powerful and heavy to be thrown around at pace on a circuit better suited to lightweight sports cars. On the road drive the following day, both variants proved to be lovely tourers, combining superb general comfort and refinement with strong performance, great steering feel, and eager handling. The Macan 4’s circa-75kg weight advantage is due to the smaller and less powerful electric motor on the rear axle relative to the Turbo, and there definitely is a sense that it is the lighter and more agile handler of the two. Keep in mind that even a V8-engined Cayenne is lighter than the Macan Electric... As we experienced on track at Norwell, the Turbo almost feels like too much in the sense that it’s so quick you can’t have much fun with it. Plus, its 2.4-tonne heft can’t defy physics in the kind of tight and technical conditions we drove it on during this event. I’m also not sure that many existing Macan owners will be particularly enamoured by the Porsche Electric Sport Sound, even if the old car’s turbocharged V6s weren’t particularly pleasing to the ear. The synthesised ‘engine’ note is standard in the Turbo and optional in lower grades, and while it works in the Taycan it lacks a bit of soul compared to the new Macan’s petrol forebears. The lack of one-pedal driving might also be irksome for a traditional EV buyer, but I’d imagine Porsche customers prefer the more conventional experience of controlling the brakes themselves. I’m also in the latter camp when it comes to driving an EV in a more dynamic manner. While it has grown in most dimensions, the Macan handles mostly like a smaller car, with the quick steering pointing a nose that’s eager to turn in, and a taut chassis that minimises body roll even during spirited on-road driving. As I noted earlier, it’s a really sweet thing to steer, and you don’t have to be driving at 10-10ths to enjoy it. To be frank, you’d almost never be driving the Macan at the limit anyway – it just isn’t that kind of vehicle. There’s heaps of grip and even in the 4 you can blast out of apexes early than anticipated with immediate, clinical effect, thanks to 650Nm of twist from the moment you prod the throttle. It really gives you the confidence to have a little fun on tight and twisty roads in a way that not a lot of SUVs do. That said, something like a Hyundai Ioniq 5 N delivers a more focused and sports car-like experience that will better suit keen drivers looking to dip their toes into the EV world – yes, Hyundai’s electric SUV is that good. Porsche has never been known for its ‘hands-off’ driving tech, but when the roads straighten out you can make use of the expanded and intuitive suite of driver assistance functions available in the new Macan. The adaptive cruise control does an excellent job of maintaining a set speed while managing the distance between you and a vehicle in front, without jerking the brakes or seesawing the speed. However, there’s no Active Lane Keeping function like in the Cayenne, which basically facilitates semi-autonomous driving on the freeway. There is a more basic lane keep assist system, which will counter-steer and alert you if you start drifting out of your lane, and there are handy blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert sensors that compensate for the Macan’s coupe-like roofline and thick C-pillar. Even better, the surround cameras (standard in Australia) make parking this 4784mm-long, 1938mm-wide electric SUV a much easier process – there are no excuses for dinged bumpers or scraped alloys. To see how the Porsche Macan lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool What do you get? Porsche is pretty vague about the standard specifications of its vehicles, though Porsche Cars Australia does detail additional equipment for our market compared to the global spec. Macan equipment highlights: Macan 4 adds: Macan 4S adds: Macan Turbo adds: Australian additional equipment – all models: Australian additional equipment – select models: To see how the Porsche Macan lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool Is the Porsche Macan safe? The new Macan Electric hasn’t been tested by ANCAP or Euro NCAP yet. Its predecessor scored five stars in 2014, though this rating for the outgoing model has expired. Standard safety features include: As noted earlier, some standard safety features in Australian-spec Macans are in addition to the global standard specification. To see how the Porsche Macan lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool How much does the Porsche Macan cost to run? Porsche Cars Australia persists with a three-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty, which lags behind its competitors. Also unlike its key rivals, Porsche doesn’t do advertised or capped service pricing, meaning prices can vary between Porsche Centres. Sadly, there’s also no official partnership or charging subscription tied to any public charger providers. To see how the Porsche Macan lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool CarExpert’s Take on the Porsche Macan Porsche has managed to maintain the essence of the Macan in this all-electric sequel, but it didn’t quite wow me like I thought it would, given how much I loved the heavily upgraded Taycan. Make no mistake, it feels unmistakably Macan in flavour, in that it’s a comfortable, refined and punchy mid-size luxury crossover wagon with one of the sweetest steering calibrations in the segment. Despite its weight, that shouldn’t come as a surprise since the old Macan was widely regarded as one of the world’s most dynamic SUVs. So the new all-electric underpinnings have unlocked more performance, but not necessarily better or more engaging handling. It’s quick – bloody quick in Turbo guise – but it’s also quite heavy and you can feel its mass more so than in the Taycan, particularly when you put it on a tight circuit like Norwell. Things get much better and more fun on a winding B-road, even if it’s a lot heavier than the old MLB-based original, making you hesitant to push like you would in one of Porsche’s sports cars, which is to be expected given this is an SUV. I’ve only driven the Macan 4 and the Turbo, but the lower-spec variants could well be my pick given they’re more than quick enough for the target demographic and will save you a big wad of cash for options and anything else you might want to funnel your funds towards. While the rear-drive Macan range-opener is the lightest and should be the most dynamic, the incoming 4S shapes as a potential sweet spot because of its improved performance while still maintaining a big price gap to the Turbo. Keep in mind, the 4S is quicker than even the fastest previous-generation Macan GTS. As you’d expect, the cabin is lovely and the new Macan offers more space than the old one, which has long been a key criticism. There’s also a much improved tech suite that brings the smaller and more attainable SUV in line with the larger Cayenne, as well as the likes of Porsche’s Taycan e-hero. But it’s still not all that big inside compared to some of its German rivals, and the lower grades in particular need a number of option boxes ticked to make the Macan feel properly special – and that can add up to some serious cash, on top of the substantial price increase for the new model, which means you’re pushing into Taycan territory. Then there’s the superficial stuff like the new exterior design, which appears to be polarising if the commentary on our site and socials is any guide, and the fact the departure of the old model’s combustion engines has taken a lot of the Macan’s soul with them. But with a more objective lens, the new Macan does a great job of transitioning into a sporty electric crossover, and continues to offer Porsche hallmarks like strong performance and fulsome handling. It will be interesting to see how warmly the original Macan’s traditional buyer demographic embraces the much more expensive and far quieter replacement for Porsche’s best-seller. Interested in buying a Porsche Macan? Get in touch with one of CarExpert’s trusted dealers here MORE: Everything Porsche Macan Pros Cons

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PORTLAND, Ore. — Christmas is about a month away, which means it's just about the right time to get letters to Santa into the mail — after all, it's a long way to the North Pole. The United States Postal Service (USPS) picks up hundreds of thousands of letters to Santa every year, and the agency recommends making sure any letters are sent off by Dec. 9. But if the postal service is involved, that raises another question: Do these letters need stamps? It's been a point of contention this year; there have been a handful of recent social media posts and comments , particularly on Reddit, that seem to imply that letters to Santa used to be free, but there was a change in policy this year to start requiring postage. Viewer Paula Leach saw a Reddit post like that, but said she remembers her kids being able to write to Santa without a stamp years ago. She reached out to see if we could VERIFY the rules. THE QUESTION Do letters mailed to Santa require a stamp, and is that a new requirement? THE SOURCES United States Postal Service Operation Santa Smithsonian Magazine THE ANSWER Yes, letters mailed to Santa do need postage, and the requirement has been in place for years. WHAT WE FOUND USPS has a specific program for Santa letters called Operation Santa. The program's website spells out clear instructions for anyone sending letters: They must be addressed to Santa at 123 Elf Road, North Pole, 88888; they must have a complete return address — and they need to have a first-class stamp. Operation Santa relies on postal staff and volunteers to make sure letters sent to Santa get responses, and also lets volunteers "adopt" anonymized letters and send back gifts from Santa. Volunteers used to have to go to one of a handful of specific post office branches to adopt letters, but now, it can be done online . There's a separate program for parents to write their own reply letters from Santa and get them mailed back to their kids with a North Pole postmark. The "Operation Santa" name wasn't formalized until relatively recently, according to USPS , but the underlying program dates back to 1912 , when the Postmaster General authorized local branches to open the letters and start sending replies. Children were already writing to Santa before then, according to a 2017 Smithsonian Magazine article , but the letters tended to be tossed out and didn't receive replies unless a local postmaster decided to bend the rules. The Operation Santa website prominently mentions the need for stamps multiple times, and the VERIFY team also reached out to USPS directly and received the same answer from a spokesperson: "All mail that enters the postal network must bear proper payment of postage." When asked, the agency added that postage has always been required for letters to Santa. WAS THERE A RULE CHANGE? Some of the Reddit posts appear to reference an internal rule change at USPS this year, suggesting that postal workers were instructed to send unstamped letters back when they might've previously let the omission slide. VERIFY was unable to find a definitive answer about that, but here's what we did find: Multiple USPS news releases and social media posts dating back to 2020 mention the need for a stamp, so as far as what USPS has publicly communicated, it would appear there's been no change to the rules this year. Searches through earlier versions of the Operation Santa website using the Wayback Machine reveal that the website did not mention the stamp requirement prior to 2021 — but it also never said there was no postage required. Earlier versions only included instructions for adopting letters, without much information about how to send them. There are a few other possible reasons why some people might remember a different set of rules from when they were kids. A USPS page about the history of the program mentions that participation tended to vary between post office branches before things became more formalized in the past 20 years, so it's possible the rules also used to be less formal. It's also fairly common for local governments and agencies to set up their own programs for letters to Santa, often including local drop boxes rather than the mail system. VERIFY found several examples of local programs this year including in Kentucky , Illinois , California and Oregon , all of which specifically say they don't require postage. One final possible explanation: the stamp requirement appears to vary from country to country. USPS and the United Kingdom's Royal Mail service both require stamps on letters mailed to Santa, but mail services in Canada and New Zealand specifically declare that no postage is required. Got a question or a story about Portland or Oregon that you'd like us to VERIFY? Drop us a line at verify@kgw.com .