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RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina Republican Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson sued CNN on Tuesday over its recent report that he made explicit racial and sexual posts on a pornography website’s message board, calling the reporting reckless and defamatory. The lawsuit, filed in Wake County Superior Court, comes less than four weeks after a report that led many fellow GOP elected officials and candidates, including presidential nominee Donald Trump, to distance themselves from Robinson's gubernatorial campaign. Robinson, who announced the lawsuit at a news conference in Raleigh with a Virginia-based attorney, has denied authoring the messages. CNN “chose to publish despite knowing or recklessly disregarding that Lt. Gov. Robinson’s data — including his name, date of birth, passwords, and the email address supposedly associated with the NudeAfrica account — were previously compromised by multiple data breaches,” the lawsuit states, referencing the website. Robinson, who would be the state’s first Black governor if elected, called the report a “high-tech lynching” on a candidate "who has been targeted from Day 1 by folks who disagree with me politically and want to see me destroyed.” CNN declined to comment Tuesday, spokesperson Emily Kuhn said in an email. The CNN report, which first aired Sept. 19, said Robinson left statements over a decade ago on the message board in which, in part, he referred to himself as a “black NAZI,” said he enjoyed transgender pornography, said he preferred Hitler to then-President Barack Obama, and slammed the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. as “worse than a maggot.” The network report said it matched details of the account on the message board to other online accounts held by Robinson by comparing usernames, a known email address and his full name. CNN reported that details discussed by the account holder matched Robinson’s age, length of marriage and other biographical information. It also compared figures of speech that were used in his public Facebook profile and that appeared in discussions by the account on the pornographic website. Polls at the time of the CNN report already showed Democratic rival Josh Stein, the sitting attorney general, with a lead over Robinson. Early in-person voting begins Thursday statewide, and over 57,000 completed absentee ballots have been received so far. Robinson also in the same defamation lawsuit sued a Greensboro punk rock band singer who alleged in a music video and in an interview with a media outlet that Robinson, in the 1990s and early 2000s, frequented a porn shop the singer once worked at and purchased videos. Louis Love Money, the other named defendant, released the video and spoke with other media outlets before the CNN report. Robinson denies the allegation in the lawsuit, which reads, “Lt. Gov. Robinson was not spending hours at the video store, five nights a week. He was not renting or previewing videos, and he did not purchase ‘bootleg’ or other videos from Defendant Money.” Money said in a phone interview Tuesday that he stands by his statements and the music video's content as truthful: “My story hasn't changed.” The lawsuit, which seeks at least $50 million in damages, says the effort against Robinson “appears to be a coordinated attack aimed at derailing his campaign for governor.” It provides no evidence that the network or Money schemed with outside groups to create what Robinson alleges are false statements. Robinson’s lawyer, Jesse Binnall, said that he expects to find more “bad actors,” and that entities, which he did not identify, have stonewalled his firm's efforts to collect information. “We will use every tool at our disposal now that a lawsuit has been filed, including the subpoena power, in order to continue pursuing the facts,” said Binnall, whose clients have included Trump and his campaign. In North Carolina courts, a public official claiming defamation generally must show a defendant knew a statement was false or recklessly disregarded its untruthfulness. Most of the top staff running Robinson’s campaign and his lieutenant governor’s office quit following the CNN report, and the Republican Governors Association, which had already spent millions of dollars in advertising backing Robinson, stopped supporting his bid. And Democrats from presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris to downballot state candidates began running ads linking their opponents to Robinson. Robinson's campaign isn't running TV commercials now. He said that “we’ve chosen to go in a different direction” and focus on in-person campaign stops. Robinson already had a history of inflammatory comments about topics like abortion and LGBTQ+ rights that Stein and his allies have emphasized in opposing him on TV commercials and online. Stein spokesperson Morgan Hopkins said Tuesday in a statement that “even before the CNN report, North Carolinians have known for a long time that Mark Robinson is completely unfit to be Governor." Hurricane Helene and its aftermath took the CNN report off the front pages. Robinson worked for several days with a central North Carolina sheriff collecting relief supplies and criticized Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper — barred by term limits from seeking reelection — for state government's response in the initial stages of relief. Trump endorsed Robinson before the March gubernatorial primary, calling him “Martin Luther King on steroids” for his speaking ability. Robinson had been a frequent presence at Trump’s North Carolina campaign stops, but he hasn’t participated in such an event since the CNN report. This story was first published on Oct. 15, 2024. It was updated on Nov. 22, 2024 to correct which of Robinson’s social media accounts CNN cited in a comparison to language in messages from a pornographic website message board. CNN cited his public Facebook account, not his Twitter account.Mets roasted by 'SNL' cast in hilarious Juan Soto free agency skit
Shares of Versarien plc ( LON:VRS – Get Free Report ) reached a new 52-week low during trading on Friday . The company traded as low as GBX 0.03 ($0.00) and last traded at GBX 0.04 ($0.00), with a volume of 15767909 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at GBX 0.03 ($0.00). Versarien Price Performance The firm has a market capitalization of £908,700.00, a PE ratio of -0.98 and a beta of 1.13. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is GBX 0.03 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is GBX 0.06. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 655.61, a quick ratio of 1.67 and a current ratio of 1.58. About Versarien ( Get Free Report ) Versarien plc provides engineering solutions for various industry sectors in the United Kingdom, rest of Europe, North America, and internationally. The company operates in two segments, Technology Business and Mature Business. It offers Nanene, a few-layer graphene; Polygrene, a graphene enhanced polymer; Hexotene, a few-layer hexagonal boron nitride nano-platelet powder; and graphene-based nanomaterials for energy storage devices, as well as a range of electrically conductive graphene inks for various printing processes, substrates, and applications under the Graphinks name. See Also Receive News & Ratings for Versarien Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Versarien and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter .Flood warnings were issued after heavy rainfall and melting snow caused river levels to rise rapidly in West Yorkshire, as Storm Bert swept across the region. Twelve warnings were in place along the River Calder around Hebden Bridge and Todmorden, where sirens sounded on Saturday afternoon River levels there peaked at about 16:00 GMT, according to the Environment Agency, with people advised to consider moving household valuables upstairs. A yellow weather warning for rain is in place for parts of West and South Yorkshire until 07:00 on Sunday, with the wintry weather causing travel disruption and leaving around 1,500 homes without power earlier. River levels at Todmorden and Hebden Bridge had exceeded 2.4m (7.9ft) by 17:00 on Saturday, according to the Environment Agency website. At Mytholmroyd, the river level exceeded 4.3m. The agency said flooding of properties was possible at over 4.4m. The Environment Agency said: “Our focus of attention is the Calder Valley, where flood warnings have been issued and sirens sounded. "Minor impacts are possible more widely across Yorkshire, which may continue in places until Tuesday. The overall flood risk is low. "Teams are out on the ground, clearing grids and checking flood defence assets to ensure they're ready to respond if needed." The agency added: "Consider taking appropriate steps to prepare for possible flooding, such as moving things upstairs and getting flood protection equipment ready to put in place." The A646 was closed in both directions from Shaw Wood Road in Todmorden to Church Lane in Hebden Bridge. Calderdale Council said Centre Vale Park, in Todmorden, was closed to allow flood gates to open to help manage river levels. People were advised to avoid the area. Many pubs and businesses were shut in Hebden Bridge due to the risk of flooding. Hebden Bridge Flood Action Group said the Town Hall was open to anyone who found themselves stranded and needed a place to be warm and dry. Josh Fenton-Glynn, the MP for Calder Valley, was in Hebden Bridge to speak to residents. He said: "We have seen some flooding but we're not as bad as 2020 or 2015. Hopefully if people are sensible and stay at home we'll be OK." Earlier in the day, heavy snowfall caused difficulties for motorists. On the M1, one lane was closed northbound between Junction 38 for Huddersfield and junction 39 for Wakefield, with images on social media showing a HGV, which appeared to have slid down an embankment towards the motorway. West Yorkshire Police said the lorry driver was uninjured and the road reopened at 10:15 after the vehicle was removed. Meanwhile, Northern Powergrid said about 1,500 properties had lost power across North and West Yorkshire. The company said it had been "restoring power as quickly as we can" to those affected. The runway was shut at Leeds Bradford Airport earlier. Several flights were heavily delayed, while passengers travelling to Warsaw and Belfast saw their flights cancelled. Some arrivals were diverted to other airports. Train operator Northern was also affected. In sport, Bradford City's match against Accrington Stanley and Halifax Town's clash with Sutton United were postponed. Scarborough Athletic's game against Kidderminster Harriers was also called off. "Particularly exposed parts" of the East Yorkshire coastline between Bridlington and Barmston were covered by another flood alert. Drivers and pedestrians in those areas were advised to take care.
The Amazon holiday strike is perfectly timed. It’s the latest example of workers wielding their collective powerEvaluating human gait and posture is a clinically effective method for the early diagnosis of diseases involving gait afflictions, such as adult spinal deformity (ASD). Researchers at University of Tsukuba, Japan developed a method for classifying ASD based on the characteristics of the associated gait disorders using deep learning of gait videos and images, focusing on the cyclic motion during walking and the symmetry of movements. The findings are published in the journal IEEE Access . Patients with ASD have altered gait patterns because of the spinal deformity; hence, gait analysis may be effective for diagnosis. However, the conventional methods of gait analysis may be inadequate for studying the characteristics of posture and movement during walking, which are essential for diagnosis. Recently, deep learning technology using video images has been used. Using this technique, researchers have developed a new method to accurately capture the rhythm and symmetry of body movements during walking, which may be used to classify the periodicity and postures adopted by the lower extremities and the body during gait. They tested this method using walking videos of 81 patients and achieved a correct response rate of 71.43%, which was more accurate than the conventional method (66.30%), and confirmed its effectiveness for diagnosing ASD. In the future, this technique may allow real-time analysis of moving images in clinical settings to enable instantaneous confirmation and rapid diagnosis of ASD. More information: Kaixu Chen et al, PhaseMix: A Periodic Motion Fusion Method for Adult Spinal Deformity Classification, IEEE Access (2024). DOI: 10.1109/ACCESS.2024.3479165
Union Minister for Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement Dr Soe Win and the deputy minister visited the Wunna Theikdi Sports Training Camp yesterday morning to observe the training of the ministry’s sports teams preparing for the Fifth National Sports Festival. The Union minister watched the training sessions of the Sepak Takraw team, men’s and women’s volleyball teams, futsal teams, and football team. He encouraged athletes to compete with honesty, dedication, and full sportsmanship, adhere to the rules and regulations, maintain good health, eat properly, and aim to uphold the success achieved in the previous year. He also urged them to strive for excellent performance to enhance the reputation of the ministry and the nation. The Union minister provided food and refreshments to athletes as a gesture of support. A total of 99 athletes from the ministry will compete in five events at the Fifth National Sports Festival. — MNA/TKO
HARRISBURG — The Pennsylvania Broadband Development Authority has awarded grants to provide laptops to two educational organizations in Mercer County, boosting digital access for the community, according to Sen. Michele Brooks of Jamestown, R-50. The George Junior Republic in Grove City will receive 42 laptops and the Hope Center for Arts and Technology Inc. in Sharon will receive 64 laptops. These grants will help bridge the digital divide for residents who face barriers to technology access, according to a press release. “Ensuring that every community has access to the tools it needs to thrive in today’s digital world is critical,” Brooks said in the release. “These laptops will serve as lifelines for learning, job training, health care accessibility, and will help empower individuals to unlock new opportunities and overcome any technological barriers they may be facing.” The grants were awarded through the Federal American Rescue Plan Act Digital Connectivity Technology Program. Applicants, including local governments and community institutions, demonstrated that affordability is a key barrier to broadband adoption to compete for part of the program’s $20 million in statewide funding. The Pennsylvania Broadband Development Authority established with the support of Senate Republicans, is an independent agency within the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development. The PBDA oversees the development of a statewide broadband plan and administers federal and state funding to expand broadband infrastructure in unserved and underserved areas of Pennsylvania, the release states.Ministers will try to recruit start-up workers in the tech industry on six to 12-month “tours of duty” to deliver Sir Keir Starmer’s “plan for change”. Pat McFadden, the Cabinet Office minister, will announce a £100 million “innovation fund” for the scheme as he says the state needs to become “more like a start-up”. The scheme will pursue a “test-and-learn culture” pioneered by digital companies as he attempts to use private sector practices to reform the public sector. The money will fund the set up of “test-and learn-teams” in public services around the country. The teams will be set a challenge and allowed to experiment and try new things to meet it. The move is likely to be seen as another attack on the civil service after Starmer’s swipe last week when he said “too many” Whitehall officials are “comfortable in the tepid bath of managed decline ”.
Any chance to salvage a second playoff berth in three seasons evaporated amid a flurry of mistakes that dropped to the Tribe into a 17-0 halftime deficit against a Richmond team that was efficient offensively and on fire defensively.
HONOLULU — The state’s Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs on Monday approved the Spectrum Oceanic LLC Application for Renewal of Cable Franchise for the County of Kauai. HONOLULU — The state’s Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs on Monday approved the Spectrum Oceanic LLC Application for Renewal of Cable Franchise for the County of Kauai. According to a release from the DCCA, the approval was executed in Decision and Order No. 386 that outlines the conditions and requirements for Spectrum’s continued use of public rights of way to deliver cable services to consumers on the Garden Island. “Following a careful evaluation and thoughtful negotiations, DCCA has approved Spectrum’s renewal application that provides for enhanced services on Kauai,” said Nadine Ando, director of the DCCA. “We look forward to the expanded community benefits and access to high-definition cablecasting for public access channels.” The decision comes after a comprehensive review process that included a public hearing and a public meeting in Lihue, where community members had the opportunity to provide comments and feedback on Spectrum’s renewal application. These comments and feedback were carefully considered by the DCCA, the release states. The Decision and Order authorizes the continuation of Spectrum’s cable services and the development and improvement of Spectrum’s video and communication infrastructure throughout the county. In return, Spectrum will endeavor to utilize the latest technology to offer a comprehensive array of programming, and to offer robust customer support services to the public. Other notable provisions of the Decision and Order include: • Hoike Kauai Community Media, Kauai’s public access organization, will be provided with the option to cablecast its content in high-definition, ensuring a better viewing experience for subscribers. • Spectrum will provide a total of 2,000 public service announcements for use by the governor and lieutenant governor’s office, state legislature, county council, mayor, Department of Education, Hoike and the University of Hawaii so they may relay crucial information to the public. • Spectrum will continue to provide dedicated institutional network connections for use by the county and state entities on Kauai, to ensure reliable avenues of communication and data transfer. • Spectrum will continue its support of locally originated programming with a wide range of content, including local news, sports, cooking, pet care, healthy living and cultural education. • Spectrum will continue its ongoing commitment to extend cable service to all feasible areas of the franchise areas while keeping abreast of the latest technological advances. More information, including all relevant documents and related filings regarding Spectrum’s franchise renewal agreements, is available at http://cca.hawaii.gov/catv. Spectrum has pending application for renewal of its cable franchises for the County of Maui. A public meeting is scheduled in December to provide the public an opportunity to submit comments on that application.
Hyperchanging Tech Markets Demand Smarter Procurement and Agile Evaluation, Says Info-Tech Research GroupAP News Summary at 6:44 p.m. ESTGeoffrey Hinton says he doesn’t regret the work he did that laid the foundation for artificial intelligence, but wishes he thought of safety sooner. The British-Canadian computer scientist says the technology has now progressed so fast that he thinks it could achieve superintelligence in the next five to 20 years. Superintelligence is intelligence that surpasses even the smartest humans. When superintelligence happens, Hinton says humanity will have to seriously worry about how it can stay in control. His remarks came at a press conference in Stockholm, where Hinton is due to a receive the Nobel Prize in physics on Tuesday. Hinton and co-laureate John Hopfield are being given the prize because they developed some of the underpinnings of machine learning, a computer science that helps AI mimic how humans learn. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 8, 2024. Note to readers: This is a corrected story; An earlier version misspelled “physics.”
How to Watch Top 25 Women’s College Basketball Games – Tuesday, December 3
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — The Tennessee Titans keep proving that for every step forward, they always find ways to take two back. The Titans (3-9) clinched a third straight losing record to mark first-year coach Brian Callahan's debut season in an ugly 42-19 loss to Washington. Yet another slow start, more turnovers, sacks, penalties ruined their chance at stringing together consecutive wins for the first time in more than two years. Callahan said Monday they're trying to build consistency. “In the NFL, a lot of it is about not losing the game first, and we do right now with the amount of penalties and turnovers we’ve had,” Callahan said. "We put ourselves in position to lose games and not win them. And so, yes, there is a there is an element of learning how to win.” Tennessee had 11 of 12 penalties before halftime, trailing 28-7. The Titans also were the previous NFL team to be flagged for at least 11 penalties and trail by 20 or more points at halftime in Week 17 of 2005 against the Jaguars. Only Baltimore has been penalized more than Tennessee this season. Two-time Pro Bowl defensive lineman Jeffery Simmons said after the loss that the Titans need to learn how to deal with winning better coming off a 32-27 win at Houston. Simmons said they were "hungover from our own success." Callahan said Monday he didn't see any hangover issues. “You have a performance like that and you're sort of grasping for an explanation on why and there really wasn't one other than we made too many errors early in the game and put ourselves in a hole,” Callahan said. Quarterback Will Levis' development over the four games since his return from a sprained, right throwing shoulder at least gives the Titans promise for the future. The second-year quarterback made some nice throws and limited yards lost on two sacks Sunday. He threw two TD passes for 212 yards. Since his return, he is completing 61.7% of his passes for 960 yards with seven touchdown passes and only two interceptions with a 101.3 passer rating in that span. Now the defense is struggling after going into Washington second in the NFL in yards allowed, ninth against the run and first defending the pass. They gave up a season-high 267 yards rushing after giving up just 40 a week ago. The Titans also gave up 28 points within the first 20 minutes, becoming only the third team to do that in the past five seasons . The Titans also did that in Week 8 earlier this season after being routed by the Lions in Detroit. Washington did it against Dallas in Week 16 of 2021. WR Nick Westbrook-Ikhine. Originally undrafted out of Indiana, Westbrook-Ikhine is tied for fourth in the NFL with eight TD catches entering Monday. That's despite starting only five games this season and not having a pass thrown to him the first month of the season. He has earned a multi-year deal with his performance. He had three receptions for 61 yards against Washington and was targeted a season-high eight times. Rookie Jha'Quan Jackson. A sixth-round pick out of Tulane and nephew of Pro Football Hall of Fame defensive back Ed Reed has fumbled five times as the punt returner recovering only two of those. That got him benched against Washington. His fumbles have come in the past six games, including one in each of the past two. His fumble against Washington led to an early touchdown. LT JC Latham hurt a quadriceps muscle but finished the game. Callahan said they will see how CB Roger McCreary (shoulder) and LB Kenneth Murray Jr. (strained hamstring) recover during the week. 36 — The number of games since the Titans have had consecutive victories. The Titans at least are home with their best focus trying to improve their standing inside the AFC South with four divisional games down the stretch. They have two games remaining against Jacksonville (2-10) starting Sunday with Trevor Lawrence likely out. But their biggest question now is how high does this franchise draft in April. AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nflBrazilian police formally accused Bolsonaro of an attempted coup. What comes next?
Sherritt International Co. ( OTCMKTS:SHERF – Get Free Report ) was the recipient of a significant decrease in short interest in the month of December. As of December 15th, there was short interest totalling 238,300 shares, a decrease of 21.7% from the November 30th total of 304,300 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 1,900 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 125.4 days. Sherritt International Stock Performance Shares of SHERF opened at $0.11 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $0.12 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $0.15. Sherritt International has a 1 year low of $0.07 and a 1 year high of $0.27. About Sherritt International ( Get Free Report ) Featured Stories Receive News & Ratings for Sherritt International Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Sherritt International and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter .
DAMASCUS, Syria — Ousted Syrian leader Bashar Assad fled to Moscow and received asylum from his longtime ally, Russian media said Sunday, hours after a stunning rebel advance seized control of Damascus and ended his family's 50-year iron rule. Thousands of Syrians poured into streets echoing with celebratory gunfire and waved the revolutionary flag in scenes that recalled the early days of the Arab Spring uprising, before a brutal crackdown and the rise of an insurgency plunged the country into a nearly 14-year civil war. "Our approach has shifted the balance of power in the Middle East," President Joe Biden said, crediting action by the U.S. and its allies for weakening Syria's backers: Russia, Iran and Hezbollah. He called the fall of Assad a "fundamental act of justice" but also a "moment of risk and uncertainty," and said rebel groups are "saying the right things now" but the U.S. would assess their actions. People are also reading... 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Now Andi Jackson is the sport's next best thing Wisconsin officer grabbing Donovan Raiola's arm a 'misunderstanding,' UW police say 140 layoffs hit Lincoln immigration services center; more likely Tony White leaves Nebraska for Florida State defensive coordinator job Taco restaurant started by brothers in Grand Island expands to Lincoln Lincoln Public Schools chief Gausman announces plans to retire Nebraska volleyball aces first test, sweeps Florida A&M in first round of NCAA Tournament 'Not what we want to do': Nebraska's Matt Rhule talks pregame handshake snub with Iowa Matt Rhule, Luke Fickell both downplay postgame encounter between Fickell, Donovan Raiola Russia requested an emergency session of the U.N. Security Council to discuss Syria, according to Dmitry Polyansky, its deputy ambassador to the U.N., in a post on Telegram. The arrival of Assad and his family in Moscow was reported by Russian agencies Tass and RIA, citing an unidentified source at the Kremlin. A spokesman there didn't immediately respond to questions. RIA also said Syrian insurgents guaranteed the security of Russian military bases and diplomatic posts in Syria. Earlier, Russia said Assad left Syria after negotiations with rebel groups and he gave instructions to transfer power peacefully. The leader of Syria's biggest rebel faction, Abu Mohammed al-Golani, is poised to chart the country's future. The former al-Qaida commander cut ties with the group years ago and says he embraces pluralism and religious tolerance. The U.S. and the U.N. consider his Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group, or HTS, a terrorist organization. In his first public appearance since fighters entered the Damascus suburbs Saturday, al-Golani visited the Umayyad Mosque and described Assad's fall as "a victory to the Islamic nation." Calling himself by his given name, Ahmad al-Sharaa, and not his nom de guerre, he said Assad made Syria "a farm for Iran's greed." The rebels face the daunting task of healing bitter divisions in a country ravaged by war and split among armed factions. Turkey-backed opposition fighters are battling U.S.-allied Kurdish forces in the north, and the Islamic State group is still active in remote areas. Syrian state television broadcast a rebel statement saying Assad was overthrown and all prisoners were released. They urged people to preserve the institutions of "the free Syrian state," and announced a curfew in Damascus from 4 p.m. to 5 a.m. Rebel commander Anas Salkhadi appeared on state TV and sought to reassure religious and ethnic minorities, saying: "Syria is for everyone, no exceptions. Syria is for Druze, Sunnis, Alawites, and all sects." "We will not deal with people the way the Assad family did," he added. Soldiers and police fled their posts and looters broke into the Defense Ministry. Families wandered the presidential palace, walking by damaged portraits of Assad. Other parts of the capital were empty and shops were closed. Rebels stood guard at the Justice Ministry, where Judge Khitam Haddad said he and colleagues were protecting documents. Outside, residents sought information about relatives who disappeared under Assad. The rebels "felt the pain of the people," said one woman, giving only her first name, Heba. She worried about possible revenge killings by the rebels, many of whom appeared to be underage. Syria's historically pro-government newspaper al-Watan called it "a new page for Syria. We thank God for not shedding more blood." It added that media workers should not be blamed for publishing past government statements ordered from above. A statement from the Alawite sect that formed the core of Assad's base called on young Syrians to be "calm, rational and prudent and not to be dragged into what tears apart the unity of our country." The rebels mainly come from the Sunni Muslim majority in Syria, which also has sizable Druze, Christian and Kurdish communities. The rebel advances since Nov. 27 were the largest in recent years, and saw the cities of Aleppo, Hama and Homs fall within days as the Syrian army melted away. Russia, Iran and Hezbollah, which provided crucial support to Assad, abandoned him as they reeled from other conflicts. Iran said Syrians should decide their future "without destructive, coercive, foreign intervention." The Iranian Embassy in Damascus was ransacked after it was apparently abandoned. Syrian Prime Minister Mohammed Ghazi Jalali said the government was ready to "extend its hand" to the opposition and turn its functions over to a transitional government. A video on Syrian opposition media showed armed men escorting him from his office to a hotel. The U.N.'s special envoy for Syria, Geir Pedersen, called for urgent talks in Geneva to ensure an "orderly political transition." The Gulf nation of Qatar, a key regional mediator, hosted an emergency meeting of foreign ministers and top officials from eight countries with interests in Syria late Saturday. Majed al-Ansari, Qatar's Foreign Ministry spokesman, said they agreed on the need "to engage all parties on the ground" and the main concern is "stability and safe transition." Meanwhile, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israeli troops seized a buffer zone in the Golan Heights established in 1974, saying it was to protect Israeli residents after Syrian troops abandoned positions.PHOTO GALLERY: Jets at Dolphins | Sunday, Dec. 8, 2024
The Growing Threat of Identity Theft and How to Shield Your Online Presence
Flowserve Announces Quarterly Cash Dividend of $0.21 Per ShareGreen Juices Market Size, Forecast 2031 by Key Companies-Suja, Bolthouse Farms, V8, Naked Juice, Evolution, Jamba Juice, Juice Press, OdwallaSkyhawks Sports Announces 2024 Coach of the Year Winner and Finalists