Two women have died and another is being treated in hospital after on a group of travellers at a popular tourist hotspot on Tuesday. The tree reportedly fell on the unsuspecting group at the Monkey Forest in Ubud, in the island's centre, at about 12pm local time (3pm AEDT). The sanctuary is a major attraction on the island, popular among visitors — including Australians — who flock to the area to get close to the park's 600 macaques. Multiple videos uploaded to social media show the moment the large branch split and fell, with deep cracking noises heard just seconds before the towering structure toppled. People can be heard screaming "what the f**k" and "help" in the footage, with over a dozen travellers at the park at the time seen scrambling to safety as the tree collapsed. A family with a pram is seen among those fleeing in one video. In another a child leaps out from behind the fallen tree. Local media reports suggest there had been heavy rain and intense wind in the area in recent days, potentially weakening the tree. The Head of Gianyar BPBD Emergency and Logistics Division told he had received reports that a number of visitors were injured and the area had been evacuated. "[There was] information a number of people were injured," he said. It's understood the two women, one from France, reportedly aged 32, and another from South Korea, 42, died in hospital. A second South Korean woman, aged 43, remains under care at the Kenak Medika Hospital. It's not yet been confirmed how many people were injured altogether. The extent of the third woman's injuries also remains unclear. Ubud Police Chief Commissioner Gusti Nyoman Sudarsana said officers were investigating and working with the South Korean and French consulates to notify families of victims.None777 pub game register 。

Florida lawmaker's party switch increases Republican supermajority in the HouseKolkata: Tension surfaced in front of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI)’s special crime unit office at the central government office (CGO) complex at Salt Lake in northern Kolkata on Tuesday following protests by junior doctors over the alleged failure of the central agency in carrying out a proper investigation in the ghastly rape and murder of a junior doctor of R.G. Kar Medical College & Hospital in Kolkata within the hospital premises in August. The protesting junior doctors carried out a demonstration carrying lock replicas and demanding that the CBI office deserves to be locked because of its failure to submit a supplementary charge sheet against the two accused of tampering with the evidence in the case. “A recent report from the Central Forensic Science Laboratory has surfaced where it has been claimed that the seminar hall where the body of the victim doctors was recovered in the morning of August 9 this year, might not be the actual scene of crime. This proves that the CBI investigation was not going in the right direction. Our question is why such findings were not mentioned in the charge sheet?” claimed a protesting junior doctor. Earlier this month, a special court in Kolkata granted bail to the former and controversial Principal of R.G. Kar Sandip Ghosh and the former SHO of Tala Police station since the CBI failed to file a supplementary charge sheet against them within 90 days from the days of their arrests. On Tuesday, when the protesting junior doctors reached in front of the CGO complex, police from the Bidhannagar Commissionerate stopped them by raising barricades. As the protesters tried to break through those barricades, there was a scuffle between them and the police. The CBI so far has filed only one charge sheet in the case identifying civic volunteer Sanjay Roy as the “sole prime accused” in the crime of rape and murder. Another protesting doctor said that CBI is doing the same thing that Kolkata Police did in the case of the initial investigation and that is to shield the main brains behind the macabre crime.Kolkata: Tension surfaced in front of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI)’s special crime unit office at the central government office (CGO) complex at Salt Lake in northern Kolkata on Tuesday following protests by junior doctors over the alleged failure of the central agency in carrying out a proper investigation in the ghastly rape and murder of a junior doctor of R.G. Kar Medical College & Hospital in Kolkata within the hospital premises in August. The protesting junior doctors carried out a demonstration carrying lock replicas and demanding that the CBI office deserves to be locked because of its failure to submit a supplementary charge sheet against the two accused of tampering with the evidence in the case. “A recent report from the Central Forensic Science Laboratory has surfaced where it has been claimed that the seminar hall where the body of the victim doctors was recovered in the morning of August 9 this year, might not be the actual scene of crime. This proves that the CBI investigation was not going in the right direction. Our question is why such findings were not mentioned in the charge sheet?” claimed a protesting junior doctor. Earlier this month, a special court in Kolkata granted bail to the former and controversial Principal of R.G. Kar Sandip Ghosh and the former SHO of Tala Police station since the CBI failed to file a supplementary charge sheet against them within 90 days from the days of their arrests. On Tuesday, when the protesting junior doctors reached in front of the CGO complex, police from the Bidhannagar Commissionerate stopped them by raising barricades. As the protesters tried to break through those barricades, there was a scuffle between them and the police. The CBI so far has filed only one charge sheet in the case identifying civic volunteer Sanjay Roy as the “sole prime accused” in the crime of rape and murder. Another protesting doctor said that CBI is doing the same thing that Kolkata Police did in the case of the initial investigation and that is to shield the main brains behind the macabre crime.

Netflix didn't crash when it streamed two NFL games on Christmas. Even better for the NFL and Netflix: The streaming-only games got audiences that were only a bit smaller than a TV game. Streaming live sports used to be a novelty. Not anymore. Netflix passed two tests on Wednesday when it streamed live NFL football games for the first time in its history. Advertisement First: Netflix managed to stream the games around the world without widespread tech foul-ups that plagued its Mike Tyson-Jake Paul boxing exhibition/stunt last month. Second: Netflix managed to attract the kind of audience for the games that you'd expect from the NFL, which is continually the most popular thing on conventional TV. Advertisement The NFL and the streamer say that both of Wednesday's games — the Kansas City Chiefs vs. the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Baltimore Ravens vs. the Houston Texans — averaged around 24 million viewers in the US. That's a record for streaming NFL games in the country. (Those initial numbers may swell a bit once the NFL, Netflix, and Nielsen scour for additional viewers.) The biggest audience — around 27 million viewers — showed up for the "Beyoncé Bowl" — a halftime performance during the Ravens/Texans game, featuring, of course, Beyoncé. For comparison, last year, the NFL attracted an average of some 28 million US viewers for the two games it broadcast on Christmas Day, via conventional TV networks. (Netflix's numbers don't include viewers outside the US; it says it will report back on those on December 31. Netflix says the audience for the Tyson/Paul event peaked at 65 million worldwide and 38 million in the US.) Advertisement All of which means that when Netflix streams Christmas games again next year, and again in 2027, it won't seem like a novelty. It will just be the most popular sport on TV, delivered via a streaming service. This is what both Netflix and the NFL want, for slightly different reasons. The NFL is always looking for another outlet that will pay it top dollar for the right to show its games — Netflix paid the NFL a reported $150 million for this year's games — and Netflix wants high-profile live events as a way to boost its nascent ad business. Win-win. This is what the NFL has been finding every time it sells streaming rights to digital players over the years, including Yahoo, Twitter, Amazon, and Google. Advertisement While we are here, a couple other notes: While there was some discussion of Netflix trying to make its NFL coverage unique , I couldn't discern anything meaningfully different about the games from any others I've watched this year. Which, again, is the point: The NFL wants the product to look the same no matter where you see it. (And if there is a desire for something different on the part of fans, I have yet to discern it.) Netflix streaming NFL games for the first time is meaningful to the NFL, Netflix, and people who pay attention to the media business. But in my 100% unscientific poll of people in the real world, no one knew Netflix had the games. And when they found out, they didn't care, which makes sense: Neither game was particularly important, or suspenseful. But for Netflix and the NFL that wasn't the point.

Eagles QB Kenny Pickett expects to be ‘ready to go’ vs. CowboysThe Portland Expo court is no longer Bulldog blue, nor are the bleachers “old and terrible.” The Holiday Hoops Showcase isn’t an actual tournament anymore, rather four days of games, and the Christmas music stops playing around 4 p.m. But to Brunswick girls basketball coach Sam Farrell, there’s still some magic remaining in the annual tradition. “I mean, you’re playing in one of the most historic basketball buildings in the country,” Farrell said. “I grew up in Portland, so I remember coming to games here back in the day when it was a real tournament. You’d have New York Tech and all these big time schools, you had future Division One players, some professional players come through here. I just remember coming here, being a kid and being of awe of all the talent. ...That’s the beauty of coming to something like this, because it’s just loose and fun. And who doesn’t love basketball?” The 2024 Varsity Maine Holiday Hoops Showcase started Thursday and runs through Monday (a day off Sunday) features Dec. 30, features 37 teams (22 boys, 15 girls) including six from outside of Maine. The Brunswick girls faced Portsmouth, New Hampshire, in their first game of the tournament Thursday afternoon and struggled to get going. Missing the post presence of the Morin sisters (Lexi and Julianna), the Dragons struggled with Portsmouth’s half-court trap and managed only two field goals in the first half and couldn’t disrupt the Clippers efficient ball movement. Brunswick trailed 23-6 at the half. Despite being down 21 early in the third, Brunswick was all laughs and smiles on the court. Evangeline Harvie scored all 12 of her points and added four assists in the second half, including three to Kyra Fortier behind the arc. The Dragons clawed to within one, 33-32, midway through the fourth quarter, but the Clippers’ size and spacing helped them secure the win. Bridget Emery scored 20 points and Portsmouth won, 46-37. “Anytime you can get in a facility like this, on a court like this, play teams that you don’t normally play at the holidays, it’s just perfect,” Portsmouth coach Tim Hopley said. Hopley’s teams have come Portland the last three years, facing Brunswick each time. He always looks forward to the bus rides from New Hampshire to Maine, because that’s when he receives one of his favorite gifts — more time with his players and learning about their respective holiday traditions. “When we went down trying to get ourselves squared away and mentally focused to come back after a day full of eating and presents or whatever, they’re still down in the locker room talking about, ‘I’ve got to return this gift,’ and ‘I want to get this, and I want to get that,'” Hopley said. “I’m laughing, and I’m like, ‘We got to go play a game in a minute.’ And obviously, you know, the way we shot (in a 50-41 loss against Portland on Thursday morning), we were still thinking about returning gifts.” Farrell said his favorite basketball-related gift is a custom metal clipboard given to him by assistant coach Rian Sachs when she played for Farrell in 2015. It may be very scratched and dented, but it’s still not broken. It’s possible the clipboard saw one of its last games with Farrell in the Expo. If the MPA’s reclassification plan for 2025 were to stay as proposed, Brunswick is set to move from A South to AA North during the regular season and from the Portland Expo to the Augusta Civic Center during tournament time. “I’ll miss this next year, because if it goes the way they’re saying, and we’re moving to AA North, I’ll miss playing tournament games here,” Farrell said. “Augusta has nothing on the Expo.” We invite you to add your comments. We encourage a thoughtful exchange of ideas and information on this website. By joining the conversation, you are agreeing to our commenting policy and terms of use . More information is found on our FAQs . You can modify your screen name here . Comments are managed by our staff during regular business hours Monday through Friday as well as limited hours on Saturday and Sunday. Comments held for moderation outside of those hours may take longer to approve. Please sign into your Press Herald account to participate in conversations below. If you do not have an account, you can register or subscribe . Questions? Please see our FAQs . Your commenting screen name has been updated. Send questions/comments to the editors. « Previous

NEW YORK , Dec. 26, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Grid Dynamics Holdings Inc. (NASD: GDYN) will replace Revelyst Inc. (NYSE: GEAR) in the S&P SmallCap 600 effective prior to the opening of trading on Thursday, January 2 . Strategic Value Partners is acquiring Revelyst in a deal expected to close soon pending final conditions. Following is a summary of the change that will take place prior to the open of trading on the effective date: Effective Date Index Name Action Company Name Ticker GICS Sector Jan 2, 2025 S&P SmallCap 600 Addition Grid Dynamics Holdings GDYN Information Technology Jan 2, 2025 S&P SmallCap 600 Deletion Revelyst GEAR Consumer Discretionary For more information about S&P Dow Jones Indices, please visit www.spdji.com ABOUT S&P DOW JONES INDICES S&P Dow Jones Indices is the largest global resource for essential index-based concepts, data and research, and home to iconic financial market indicators, such as the S&P 500® and the Dow Jones Industrial Average®. More assets are invested in products based on our indices than products based on indices from any other provider in the world. Since Charles Dow invented the first index in 1884, S&P DJI has been innovating and developing indices across the spectrum of asset classes helping to define the way investors measure and trade the markets. S&P Dow Jones Indices is a division of S&P Global (NYSE: SPGI), which provides essential intelligence for individuals, companies, and governments to make decisions with confidence. For more information, visit www.spdji.com . FOR MORE INFORMATION: S&P Dow Jones Indices index_services@spglobal.com Media Inquiries spdji.comms@spglobal.com View original content: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/grid-dynamics-holdings-set-to-join-sp-smallcap-600-302339444.html SOURCE S&P Dow Jones Indices

The U.N. General Assembly overwhelmingly approved resolutions Wednesday demanding an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and expressing support for the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees that Israel has moved to ban. General Assembly resolutions are not legally binding, although they reflect world opinion. Israel has faced growing international criticism over its conduct in Gaza as it fights Hamas militants, especially when it comes to humanitarian aid for desperate people in the besieged and heavily destroyed territory. Israeli airstrikes in northern and central Gaza killed at least 33 people overnight and into Wednesday, Palestinian medical officials said. Hospital records show one Israeli strike in northern Gaza killed 19 people in a home, including a family of eight — four children, their parents and two grandparents. The Israeli military said it targeted a Hamas militant in the vicinity of the hospital, part of a blistering offensive in Gaza’s isolated and heavily destroyed north . The war in Gaza began when Hamas-led militants stormed into Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting around 250 people, including children and older adults. Around 100 hostages are still inside Gaza, at least a third of whom are believed to be dead. Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed more than 44,800 Palestinians in Gaza, according to local health officials. They say women and children make up more than half the dead but do not distinguish between fighters and civilians in their count. Israel says it has killed over 17,000 militants, without providing evidence. Here's the latest: JERUSALEM — Israeli hospital officials say a young boy is fighting for his life after a shooting attack in the occupied West Bank. An Israeli bus came under fire from a suspected Palestinian attacker late Wednesday, the military said, and Israeli forces are searching for the shooter. Hadassah Hospital in Jerusalem says at least three people were wounded in the shooting, which took place just outside the city in an area near major Israeli settlements. The hospital says the boy, who is about 10, is in grave condition. It says two other people, ages 24 and 55, were also hurt. 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. BEIRUT — Israeli forces withdrew from a strategic town in southern Lebanon and handed it back to the Lebanese army in coordination with U.N. peacekeepers, the two militaries said Wednesday, marking an important test of the recent ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah militants. It appeared to be Israel's first pullout from a Lebanese border town captured during this fall’s ground invasion, and comes as part of the initial phase of the ceasefire. The Lebanese army said Wednesday it has deployed units to five positions around the town of Khiam coinciding with the Israeli army’s withdrawal. Israel's military confirmed this was the first town it has turned over to the Lebanese army under the truce, which — if it endures — would end nearly 14 months of fighting between Israel and Hezbollah. Israel has said the truce deal gives it the right to use military force against perceived ceasefire violations. Israel has launched near-daily strikes, mostly in southern Lebanon, that have killed at least 28 people and wounded 25 others since the ceasefire took effect on Nov. 27. Still, the shaky truce appears to be holding. Five people were killed Wednesday by at least three Israeli strikes in different towns in the southern municipality of Bint Jbeil, Lebanon’s Health Ministry and state news agency said. The Lebanese army warned civilians to stay out of Khiam until it can clear the area of any unexploded munitions. The strategic hilltop town, located less than 3 miles (5 kilometers) from the border with Israel, saw some of the most intense fighting during the war. Thousands of Lebanese displaced by the war returned home two weeks ago after a ceasefire took hold , driving cars stacked with personal belongings and defying warnings from Lebanese and Israeli troops to avoid some areas. WASHINGTON — All Russian naval ships that were docked at the Syrian port of Tartus have left and it appears Moscow is now looking for a new base along the coast now that its key ally, Bashar Assad, has been ousted a ruler of Syria, a U.S. official said. It’s not clear where the ships will go, but Russia may seek a new port on the Mediterranean Sea along the African shoreline, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss U.S. assessments. The official did not say how many vessels Russia had in Syria at the time Assad was overthrown. Moscow has dedicated the bulk of its military assets to the war in Ukraine. Asked about Tartus on Wednesday, Sabrina Singh, a Pentagon spokeswoman, said that the U.S. is seeing some Russian forces and naval vessels leaving Syria. “They just had one of their key political allies, ousted,” said Singh. “We’re seeing Russia consolidate assets.” — By Lolita C. Baldor UNITED NATIONS – The Palestinians are urging United Nations member countries to vote in favor of resolutions demanding an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and supporting the U.N. agency helping Palestinian refugees, which Israel has moved to ban in Palestinian territories. The Palestinian mission to the United Nations issued the urgent appeal to the 193 U.N. member nations ahead of Wednesday afternoon’s votes on the resolutions in the General Assembly, whose members have has been listening to two days of speeches overwhelmingly supporting the measures. Israel and close ally the United States have spoken against the resolutions. The Palestinians and their supporters went to the General Assembly after the U.S. vetoed a Security Council resolution last month demanding an immediate ceasefire in the war in Gaza. It was supported by the 14 other Security Councilmember nations, but the U.S. objected because the resolution did not include a link to an immediate release of Israeli hostages held by Hamas. The General Assembly resolution being voted on Wednesday mirrors the Security Council language: It “demands an immediate, unconditional and permanent cease-fire to be respected by all parties, and further reiterates its demand for the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages.” Unlike the Security Council, there are no vetoes in the General Assembly. But while council resolutions are legally binding, assembly resolutions are not, though they do reflect world opinion. The second resolution being voted on supports the mandate of the U.N. agency caring for Palestinian refugees known as UNRWA which was established by the General Assembly in 1949. It “deplores” legislation adopted by Israel’s parliament, the Knesset, on Oct. 28 banning UNRWA’s activities in the Palestinian territories, which takes effect in 90 days. It calls on the Israeli government “to abide by its international obligations, respect the privileges and immunities of UNRWA and uphold its responsibility to allow and facilitate full, rapid, safe and unhindered humanitarian assistance in all its forms into and throughout the entire Gaza Strip.” JERUSALEM — Israel has lifted restrictions on public gatherings and outdoor activities in areas near the Lebanese border in the northern Golan Heights, two weeks after a ceasefire with Hezbollah. The army’s Home Front Command said it was changing its public safety guidelines to “full activity” from “partial activity.” Israel had tightened restrictions on Nov. 25, reflecting concerns that fighting could intensify ahead of any possible cease-fire between Israel and Lebanese militants. The truce went into effect on Nov. 27. In recent days, Israeli tanks and troops have advanced out of Israeli-held territory in the Golan Heights and pushed into a buffer zone inside Syria — a move Israel said it took to prevent attacks on its citizens. Israel captured the Golan Heights from Syria in the 1967 Mideast war and annexed it in a move not recognized internationally, except by the United States. BEIRUT - Syria-based Palestinian factions have formed a unified delegation to meet with the country's new rebel-led authorities. The factions said in a statement after their meeting Wednesday at the Palestinian Embassy that they stand by the side of the Syrian people. The factions condemned Israel’s airstrikes on Syria over the past few days that have destroyed much of the assets of the Syrian army. The factions decided to form a joint committee to run the affairs of Palestinians in Syria as well as to be in contact with the new insurgent-led transitional government, following the ouster of President Bashar Assad. Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians live in Syria, many of them refugees, and the factions that have been based in Damascus were close to Assad’s government. Hamas was based in Syria until it left in 2012 a year after the county's civil war began. PRETORIA, South Africa — The United Nations chief says the fall of Syria’s authoritarian government has brought hope to the troubled Middle East, and pledged the global body’s support to the country's new leaders to ensure a smooth transition. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Wednesday that the U.N. wants to see “an inclusive political process in which the rights of all minorities will be fully respected, and paving the way towards a united sovereign Syria, with its territorial integrity fully re-established.” The jihadi-led Syrian rebels took control of the capital Damascus after the Syrian army withdrew from much of southern part of the country, leaving many areas, including several provincial capitals, under the control of opposition fighters. A Kurdish-led, U.S.-backed force also controls large parts of northeastern Syria. Guterres said he fully trusts the people of Syria to be able “to choose their own destiny”. “I think it is our duty to do everything to support the different Syrian leaders in order to make sure that they come together and are able to guarantee a smooth transition, an inclusive transition in which all Syrians can feel that they belong," Guterres said. “The alternative does not make any sense.” Guterres is in South Africa to discuss the country’s role as it takes over the G20 presidency, among other issues. DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — An Israeli strike in central Gaza Strip killed four people and injured 16 others Wednesday, health officials said. Those killed and injured were taken to Awda Hospital after the strike hit a house in the urban Nuseirat refugee camp, according to the press center at the hospital. Since Israel’s war in Gaza began in October last year, at least 44,805 people have been killed and 106,257 others have been injured, according to the latest update by the Gaza Health ministry. BEIRUT — The top U.S. military commander for the Middle East was in Lebanon on Wednesday meeting with the head of the Lebanese army. In the wake of shocking overthrow of the government in neighboring Syria, the two military leaders discussed the security situation in Lebanon, a statement from the country's army said. U.S. Army Gen. Erik Kurilla, who leads U.S. Central Command, met with the head of the Lebanese army Gen. Joseph Aoun to discuss ongoing American support for the implementation of the U.S.-and French-brokered ceasefire agreement, which ended more than a year of war between Israel and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah. Israel has said the truce deal gives it the right to use military force against perceived ceasefire violations. Israel has launched near-daily strikes, mostly in southern Lebanon, that have killed at least 28 people and wounded 25 others since the ceasefire took effect on Nov. 27. Still, the shaky truce appears to be holding. Five people were killed Wednesday by at least three Israeli strikes in different towns in the southern municipality of Bint Jbeil, Lebanon’s Health Ministry and state news agency said. On Tuesday, Kurilla was in eastern Syria visiting U.S. military bases and meeting with members of a Kurdish-led Syrian force that is backed by the U.S. He was assessing what CENTCOM described as efforts to counter a resurgence of the Islamic State group. He also visited Baghdad for talks with Iraqi officials on regional security and counter-IS operations. DAMASCUS — With the fall of Damascus, security forces of the deposed Bashar Assad government and staff withdrew from the Damascus International airport, grounding flights and stranding passengers. The airport has not been functional since. Now, security members of the rebel alliance in control of Syria have taken control of the airport, hoping to restore security, a sense of confidence, and the legitimacy needed to restart flights out of the capital, and from one of the country’s three international airports. “Damascus international airport is the heart of the city because it is the gateway for international delegations and missions,” Omar al-Shami, a security official with Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, the faction that led the shock offensive that led to the fall of Assad, told The Associated Press, calling it "the passage for Syria to breathe.” Al-Shami said security was restored at the international airport nearly 12 hours after the fall of Damascus. The factions entered the capital before dawn, and security members of the rebel alliance took charge before sunset on Sunday. He said he hoped the airport would be operational in less than a week. On Wednesday, a handful of engineers were inspecting four planes that were on the tarmac. Cleaning staff were removing broken furniture, glass windows, and trash from ransacking by looters following the fall of Damascus. The attack, reportedly by mobs and looters from the neighboring areas, left parts of the airport halls destroyed, with smashed furniture and merchandise. “There was a lot damage in the airport’s equipment and facilities in 90% of the sections,” Anis Fallouh, the head of the airport, told the AP. Fallouh said the operations to clean up the airport aim to convince international airlines to resume their flights to Damascus. “Soon in the coming days, flights will resume when we reopen air traffic to Syria and inform countries that Damascus airport is operational. We may start with domestic or test flights to ensure that everything in the airport is operational and avoid any mistakes. Then we can resume international flights.” Engineers were inspecting the four planes on the tarmac, from two Syrian airlines. Some administrative staff were visiting the airport as the new administrators of Damascus work to convince state officials to return to their posts. “We are on the Airbus 320, the technical team. Because of the security vacuum that happened on Sunday, some ill-intentioned people tried to cause damage but thank God the plane is fine — the body, the engines and its systems. Some things are missing and we are trying to fix that,” said Bassam Radi, the engineer in charge of maintenance, said. BERLIN — German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock on Wednesday addressed Berlin's reservations but also willingness to work the Syrian militant group in control of Damascus, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, or HTS. “Nobody overlooks the origins of HTS in the al-Qaeda ideology. It is therefore clear that we will measure HTS by its actions,” Baerbock told reporters in Berlin. “Any cooperation presupposes that ethnic and religious minorities are protected, women’s rights are respected and acts of revenge are prevented.” She said that “whether we like it or not, the HTS militia ... is one of the decisive actors for the future of Syria.” “Together with our partners, we are therefore looking for an adequate way of dealing with HTS, with whom many have had no direct contact for good reasons,” she added. Ahmad al-Sharaa, the insurgent leader also known by his nom de guerre Abu Mohammed al-Golani, has renounced longtime ties to al-Qaida and depicted himself as a champion of pluralism and tolerance. BEIRUT — An Israeli airstrike near the southern Lebanese town of Bin Jbeil killed one person and wounded another, the state news agency reported. National News Agency said Wednesday’s airstrike hit a home. It gave no further details and there was no immediate comment from Israeli military. More than a dozen people have been killed in Israeli airstrikes since a ceasefire went into effect on Nov. 27, ending the 14-month Israel-Hezbollah war. WASHINGTON — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is returning to the Middle East this week on his 12th visit since the Israel-Hamas war erupted last year but his first since the ouster of Syrian President Bashar Assad . Assad's departure has sparked new fears of instability in the region now wracked by three conflicts despite a ceasefire agreement in Lebanon. Blinken will travel to Jordan and Turkey on Thursday and Friday for talks expected to focus largely on Syria but also touch on long-elusive hopes for a deal to end the fighting in Gaza that has devastated the territory since October 2023. The State Department said Blinken would meet Jordanian officials, including King Abdullah II, in the port of Aqaba on Thursday before flying to Ankara for meetings with Turkish officials Friday. Other stops in the region are also possible, officials said. Blinken “will reiterate the United States’ support for an inclusive, Syrian-led transition to an accountable and representative government,” department spokesman Matthew Miller said in a statement. BEIRUT — Insurgents have set on fire the tomb of Syria’s former President Hafez Assad in his hometown in the northwest, a war monitor and a local journalist said Wednesday. Hafez Assad had ruled Syria for 30 years until his death in 2000, when his son, Bashar, succeeded him. Both ruled Syria with an iron fist and were blamed for crackdowns that left tens of thousands dead, mainly in the central city of Hama in 1982, and in much of the country since the civil war in 2011. Bashar Assad was ousted over the weekend and fled to Russia where he was given political asylum. Rami Abdurrahman of the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and Syrian journalist Qusay Noor told The Associated Press that the tomb was set on fire Wednesday in the town of Qardaha in Latakia province. JERUSALEM — The United Nations is asking donors for over $4 billion to fund humanitarian operations in the Palestinian territories, most of it earmarked for war-ravaged Gaza. The U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs also called for the “lifting all impediments to the entry of aid” in its appeal issued Wednesday. U.N. agencies say aid operations in Gaza are hindered by Israeli restrictions and the breakdown of law and order. Israel says it allows enough aid to enter and blames the U.N. for not distributing it within the territory. The appeal for 2025 includes $3.6 billion for Gaza and about $450 million for Palestinians in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Israel’s offensive, launched after Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack, has destroyed vast areas of the besieged territory and displaced around 90% of its population of 2.3 million. Many have been displaced multiple times and are now crammed into squalid tent camps with little in the way of food or other essentials. Most of the population relies on international aid. JERUSALEM — The president of Paraguay addressed the Israeli parliament Wednesday ahead of the reopening of the country’s embassy in Jerusalem. The decision to reopen the embassy in Jerusalem and recognize the city as the capital of Israel is a diplomatic win for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and puts Paraguay in a small group of countries that have taken the move. 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. “Without Jerusalem, the land of Israel is a body without a soul,” President Santiago Peña said in a speech to the Knesset. “So I say here today that without an embassy in Jerusalem, diplomatic relations with Israel do not have a real heart.” He said he hoped the move would inspire other countries to do the same. The embassy is set to open Thursday. Pena’s move was welcomed by Netanyahu, Israeli President Isaac Herzog, along with other Israeli leaders. “Tomorrow we will inaugurate together the embassy of Paraguay in our eternal capital, and that will happen not for the first time, but for the second time,” Netanyahu said. 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. Israel reopened its embassy in September. MOSCOW — Russia said Wednesday it has maintained contacts with the new authorities in Syria. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that “we are monitoring most closely what is happening in Syria.” “We, of course, maintain contacts with those who are currently controlling the situation in Syria,” Peskov said in a conference call with reporters. “This is necessary because our bases are located there, our diplomatic mission is located there and, of course, the issue related to ensuring the security of these facilities is extremely important and of primary significance.” Peskov wouldn’t give details of those contacts, saying only that Russia has contacted “those who are controlling the situation on the ground.” He wouldn’t give the number of Russian troops in Syria. Asked to comment about Israel’s seizure of a buffer zone on the border with Syria, Peskov called them destabilizing. “The strikes and actions in the Golan Heights area, in the buffer zone area, are unlikely to help stabilize the situation in an already destabilized Syria,” he said. Russia has granted political asylum to ousted Syrian President Bashar Assad and his family after they fled rebels who seized Damascus over the weekend. TEHRAN, Iran — Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei says the recent events in Syria, including the fall of its government, were part of a joint plan by the United States and Israel. “There should be no doubt that what has happened in Syria is the result of a joint American and Zionist plan," Khamenei said in a speech in Tehran on Wednesday that was broadcast on state TV. “We have evidence, and this evidence leaves no room for doubt.” The Supreme leader added: “A neighboring state of Syria has played a clear role in this matter, and it continues to do so. Everyone can see this.” Khamenei also rejected speculation by analysts who have said that Iran will be weakened by the fall of Syrian President Bashar Assad's government. “Those ignorant analysts are unaware of the meaning of resistance. They think that if resistance weakens, Islamic Iran will also weaken. But I say, with the help and power of God — by the will of Almighty Allah — Iran is powerful and it will become even more powerful," he said.

KUWAIT: Souq Al-Mubarakiya has become a top destination for football fans attending Khaleeji Zain 26, the regional football tournament bringing together the eight Gulf nations. Taking place from December 21 to January 3 in Kuwait, the tournament has attracted supporters from Kuwait, Iraq, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Yemen, the UAE, and Qatar. These fans have come not only to enjoy the football matches but also to immerse themselves in the rich culture of Kuwait. While the tournament is the main attraction, many visitors have also explored Kuwait’s famous landmarks, such as The Avenues Mall and the newly developed Blajat waterfront project. However, Souq Al-Mubarakiya in the heart of Kuwait City remains one of the most popular spots. Located in the Qibla area, the souq is a vibrant historical market that showcases Kuwait’s cultural heritage. As Kuwait’s oldest and most famous market, Souq Al-Mubarakiya holds a special place in the hearts of locals. The market offers a wide variety of goods, from spices and textiles to perfumes, antiques, and jewelry. Visitors can wander through its winding alleys, enjoying the traditional atmosphere and shopping for unique items. During Khaleeji Zain 26, the souq has become even more lively, as fans from across the Gulf bring their passion for football into the market. Many have been posting videos on social media, showing themselves supporting their teams, singing chants, and even playing impromptu games of football in the alleys of the market. These playful moments have added to the festive atmosphere, blending the excitement of the tournament with the market’s rich cultural backdrop. The videos shared online highlight the unity and enthusiasm of the fans, with many showcasing the community spirit that defines the tournament. In addition to its role as a popular tourist destination, Souq Al-Mubarakiya is a symbol of Kuwait’s history as a trade and cultural hub in the Gulf. The market, which dates back over 120 years, has preserved much of its traditional charm, making it a bridge between Kuwait’s past and present. For visitors attending Khaleeji Zain 26, a trip to Souq Al-Mubarakiya is a great way to experience both the excitement of the tournament and Kuwait’s cultural heritage. Whether it’s sampling local dishes, shopping for souvenirs, or simply enjoying the atmosphere, the market offers a memorable cultural experience.

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