fb777 website ( MENAFN - GlobeNewsWire - Nasdaq) TORONTO, Dec. 23, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Blockmate Ventures Inc. (TSX.V: MATE) (OTCQB: MATEF) (FSE: 8MH1) (“ Blockmate ” or the“ Company ”) is pleased to announce that it has closed its strategic investment (the“ Offering ”) involving a group of strategic investors led by Antanas Guoga (Tony G) for gross proceeds of $1,400,000. This strategic funding supports Blockmate's pursuit of industry leadership in blockchain innovation and underscores our commitment to sustainable and transformative technology. In connection with completion of the Offering, the Company has issued 14,000,000 units (each, a“ Unit ”) at a price of $0.10 per Unit. Each Unit consists of one common share, and one common share purchase warrant exercisable to acquire a further common share at a price of $0.50 until December 23, 2027. All securities issued in connection with the Offering are subject to statutory restrictions on resale until April 24, 2025, in accordance with applicable securities laws. In addition, Tony G has voluntarily agreed to restrict resale of the 10,000,000 Units he acquired in the Offering until December 23, 2025. No finders' fees or commissions were paid by the Company in connection with completion of the Offering. Incentive Grant The Company also announces that it has granted 5,275,000 incentive stock options (the“ Options ”), 1,200,000 restricted share units (the“ RSUs ”) and 5,000,000 deferred share units (the“ DSUs ”) in accordance with its omnibus incentive plan (the“ Incentive Plan ”) adopted by shareholders at the annual general and special meeting held on November 23, 2023. 625,000 of the Options vest immediately and are exercisable at a price of $0.21 for a period of thirty-six months. The remaining 5,000,000 Options vest quarterly over a twenty-four month period, and are exercisable at a price of $0.21 for a period of forty-eight months. The RSUs vest and will be settled in common shares of the Company after twelve months. The DSUs vest after twelve months but will only be settled in common shares of the Company upon the departure of the holder from the Company. 2,725,000 of the Options and all of the DSUs exceed the available room under the Incentive Plan. The Company intends to seek approval of shareholders to increase the size of the Incentive Plan at the next annual general meeting and will at that time seek ratification from shareholders for the additional Options and the DSUs. Until such time as shareholder ratification has been received, the additional Options and DSUs will not vest and will not be eligible for exercise or settlement. In the event shareholders elect not to ratify the grant, and room within the Incentive Plan is not available at the time, the additional Options and DSUs will be cancelled. Early Warning Disclosure In connection with the incentive grant, Domenic Carosa, a director of the Company, has been issued 5,000,000 Options and 5,000,000 DSUs. Prior to the grant, Mr. Carosa controlled 17,252,400 common shares, 1,500,000 incentive stock options, and 3,000,000 common share purchase warrants, of the Company, all of which are held by Carosa Corporation B.V., a holding company controlled by Domenic Carosa. The common shares controlled by Mr. Carosa prior to the grant represent approximately 15.1% of the issued and outstanding common shares of the Company. Following the grant, Mr. Carosa has control and direction over 17,252,400 common shares, 6,500,000 Options, 3,000,000 common share purchase warrants and 5,000,000 DSUs of the Company. Assuming the exercise and conversion of all of the Options, share purchase warrants and DSUs controlled by Mr. Carosa, he would have control and direction over 31,752,400 common shares of the Company representing approximately 19.8% of the then outstanding common shares of the Company. Mr. Carosa has acquired the securities for investment purposes and in connection with his compensation as a director of the Company and, as disclosed in the accompanying Early Warning Report, may in the future acquire or dispose of securities of the Company, through the market, privately or otherwise, as circumstances or market conditions warrant. A copy of the Early Warning Report filed with the applicable securities regulators regarding the above acquisition will be available under the profile for the Company on SEDAR+ ( ). About Blockmate Ventures Inc. Blockmate is a venture creator focussing on building fast-growing technology businesses relating to cutting edge sectors such as blockchain and renewable energy. Working with prospective founders, projects in incubation can benefit from the Blockmate ecosystem that offers tech, services, integrations and advice to accelerate the incubation of projects towards monetization. Recent projects include Hivello (download our free passive income app at ) and Sunified, digitising solar energy. The leadership team at Blockmate have successfully founded successful tech companies from the Dotcom era through to the social media era. Learn more about being a Blockmate at: . ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS Justin Rosenberg, Chief Executive Officer Blockmate Ventures Inc. href="" rel="nofollow" target="_blank" title="">.. (+1-580-262-6130) Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release Forward-Looking Information This news release contains“forward-looking statements” or“forward-looking information” (collectively,“forward-looking statements”) within the meaning of applicable securities legislation. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, are forward-looking statements and are based on the assumptions, expectations, estimates and projections as of the date of this news release. Forward-looking statements are subject to a variety of known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events or results to differ from those expressed or implied by forward-looking statements contained herein. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Raindrop disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking statements, whether because of new information, future events or otherwise, except as may be required by applicable securities laws. Readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. MENAFN23122024004107003653ID1109025226 Legal Disclaimer: MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.American Healthcare REIT, Inc. ( NYSE:AHR – Get Free Report ) has earned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the eight analysts that are covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. The average 12 month target price among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $25.13. Several research analysts have weighed in on AHR shares. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price target on American Healthcare REIT from $28.00 to $30.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, November 18th. KeyCorp upped their target price on American Healthcare REIT from $16.00 to $27.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, September 16th. JMP Securities raised their price target on American Healthcare REIT from $18.00 to $30.00 and gave the stock a “market outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, September 20th. Truist Financial upped their price objective on shares of American Healthcare REIT from $27.00 to $29.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, November 15th. Finally, Colliers Securities upgraded shares of American Healthcare REIT from a “hold” rating to a “moderate buy” rating in a report on Sunday, October 13th. Read Our Latest Report on American Healthcare REIT Institutional Investors Weigh In On American Healthcare REIT American Healthcare REIT Stock Down 0.5 % Shares of NYSE:AHR opened at $28.48 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $4.36 billion and a P/E ratio of -59.33. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $27.48 and its 200-day simple moving average is $22.36. American Healthcare REIT has a 52-week low of $12.63 and a 52-week high of $29.99. The company has a quick ratio of 0.37, a current ratio of 0.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59. American Healthcare REIT ( NYSE:AHR – Get Free Report ) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, November 12th. The company reported ($0.03) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.32 by ($0.35). The firm had revenue of $523.81 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $474.26 million. American Healthcare REIT had a negative return on equity of 1.87% and a negative net margin of 1.84%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 12.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that American Healthcare REIT will post 1.42 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. American Healthcare REIT Dividend Announcement The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 17th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st will be given a dividend of $0.25 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, December 31st. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.51%. American Healthcare REIT’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is -208.33%. American Healthcare REIT Company Profile ( Get Free Report Formed by the successful merger of Griffin-American Healthcare REIT III and Griffin-American Healthcare REIT IV, as well as the acquisition of the business and operations of American Healthcare Investors, American Healthcare REIT is one of the larger healthcare-focused real estate investment trusts globally with assets totaling approximately $4.2 billion in gross investment value. Further Reading Receive News & Ratings for American Healthcare REIT Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for American Healthcare REIT and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter .

Blake Lively has sued her It Ends With Us costar and director Justin Baldoni for sexual harassment and what she claims is a coordinated effort to destroy her reputation. The director-actor duo did not look eye to eye during promotions and their rift has been confirmed with Blake's move. Amid all this, actor Michele Morrone has expressed his support for Blake Lively. Morrone, who is set to star alongside Lively in the upcoming A Simple Favor sequel, shared a heartfelt video on Instagram supporting the actress. Michele Morrone stands in support of Blake Lively In the video, Morrone can be heard saying, "So it’s usually not my thing to make these types of videos, but I think it’s time to stand up for a person I really love and this person is Blake Lively. I personally met Blake during A Simple Favor 2, we shot this incredible film together, and I felt something was wrong, and I felt the pain and then we had the opportunity to talk, me and her." Michele even added that Blake "was in pain. And I’m really tired to see those kind of cruel and bad comments about her without knowing the situation. So that’s why I want to link right here the article [from] The New York Times so that you can understand before commenting, what happened." According to the Daily Mail, Morrone concluded the video with "That’s all I ask. That’s what I want you to do. Blake, I love you so much. Keep it up and we’re going to see each other very, very soon. Love you." Blake Lively sues Justin Baldoni According to TMZ, the actress cited incidents including inappropriate comments about weight, discussions of sexual topics, and references to Baldoni's "pornography addiction" in front of her and other cast members. She also alleged that Baldoni showed her explicit images and made comments about the cast and crew's genitalia. The suit further claims that Lively demanded certain boundaries during a meeting attended by figures including her husband, Ryan Reynolds. The demands according to the lawsuit cited by TMZ, addressed in the meeting included "no more showing nude videos or images to Blake," "no more adding sex scenes outside the approved script," and "no further comments about Blake's late father." According to TMZ, Sony Pictures, the film's distributor, approved Lively's requests. However, she alleges in the lawsuit that Baldoni later began a "social manipulation" campaign to damage her reputation. Get Latest News Live on Times Now along with Breaking News and Top Headlines from Hollywood, Entertainment News and around the world.

Another factor to keep in mind is the long-term outlook for interest rates. While rates have been on the rise recently, they are still relatively low compared to historical averages. Locking in a mortgage now, even at a slightly higher rate, could still result in significant savings over the life of the loan compared to waiting for rates to climb further.Manchester United's young star Mason Greenwood continues to impress with his remarkable goal-scoring record, this time achieving a milestone that puts him in elite company. In Manchester United's recent Ligue 1 match against Lyon, Greenwood scored his 20th goal in the competition, becoming only the third player this century to reach that mark in just 14 matches.

NoneHowever, despite the growing interest from English clubs, it appears that Bellingham himself has no intention of leaving Dortmund anytime soon. The midfielder has repeatedly expressed his happiness at the club and his commitment to continuing his development under the guidance of coach Marco Rose. Bellingham's decision to join Dortmund in 2020 was driven by a desire for regular first-team football and a chance to grow as a player, and he has certainly thrived in the Bundesliga.

Lopsided loss sinks the reeling Saints further into evaluation modeBy Will Dunham WASHINGTON, 2024 (Reuters) - Jimmy Carter, the earnest Georgia peanut farmer who as U.S. president struggled with a bad economy and the Iran hostage crisis but brokered peace between Israel and Egypt and later received the Nobel Peace Prize for his humanitarian work, has died, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported on Sunday. He was 100. A Democrat, he served as president from January 1977 to January 1981 after defeating incumbent Republican President Gerald Ford in the 1976 U.S. election. Carter was swept from office four years later in an electoral landslide as voters embraced Republican challenger Ronald Reagan, the former actor and California governor. Carter lived longer after his term in office than any other U.S. president. Along the way, he earned a reputation as a better former president than he was a president - a status he readily acknowledged. His one-term presidency was marked by the highs of the 1978 Camp David accords between Israel and Egypt, bringing some stability to the Middle East. But it was dogged by an economy in recession, persistent unpopularity and the embarrassment of the Iran hostage crisis that consumed his final 444 days in office. In recent years, Carter had experienced several health issues including melanoma that spread to his liver and brain. Carter decided to receive hospice care in February 2023 instead of undergoing additional medical intervention. His wife, Rosalynn Carter, died on Nov. 19, 2023, at age 96. He looked frail when he attended her memorial service and funeral in a wheelchair. Carter left office profoundly unpopular but worked energetically for decades on humanitarian causes. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002 in recognition of his "untiring effort to find peaceful solutions to international conflicts, to advance democracy and human rights, and to promote economic and social development." Carter had been a centrist as governor of Georgia with populist tendencies when he moved into the White House as the 39th U.S. president. He was a Washington outsider at a time when America was still reeling from the Watergate scandal that led Republican Richard Nixon to resign as president in 1974 and elevated Ford from vice president. "I'm Jimmy Carter and I'm running for president. I will never lie to you," Carter promised with an ear-to-ear smile. Asked to assess his presidency, Carter said in a 1991 documentary: "The biggest failure we had was a political failure. I never was able to convince the American people that I was a forceful and strong leader." Despite his difficulties in office, Carter had few rivals for accomplishments as a former president. He gained global acclaim as a tireless human rights advocate, a voice for the disenfranchised and a leader in the fight against hunger and poverty, winning the respect that eluded him in the White House. Carter won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002 for his efforts to promote human rights and resolve conflicts around the world, from Ethiopia and Eritrea to Bosnia and Haiti. His Carter Center in Atlanta sent international election-monitoring delegations to polls around the world. A Southern Baptist Sunday school teacher since his teens, Carter brought a strong sense of morality to the presidency, speaking openly about his religious faith. He also sought to take some pomp out of an increasingly imperial presidency - walking, rather than riding in a limousine, in his 1977 inauguration parade. The Middle East was the focus of Carter's foreign policy. The 1979 Egypt-Israel peace treaty, based on the 1978 Camp David accords, ended a state of war between the two neighbors. Carter brought Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin to the Camp David presidential retreat in Maryland for talks. Later, as the accords seemed to be unraveling, Carter saved the day by flying to Cairo and Jerusalem for personal shuttle diplomacy. The treaty provided for Israeli withdrawal from Egypt's Sinai Peninsula and establishment of diplomatic relations. Begin and Sadat each won a Nobel Peace Prize in 1978. By the 1980 election, the overriding issues were double-digit inflation, interest rates that exceeded 20% and soaring gas prices, as well as the Iran hostage crisis that brought humiliation to America. These issues marred Carter's presidency and undermined his chances of winning a second term. HOSTAGE CRISIS On Nov. 4, 1979, revolutionaries devoted to Iran's Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini had stormed the U.S. Embassy in Tehran, seized the Americans present and demanded the return of the ousted shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, who was backed by the United States and was being treated in a U.S. hospital. The American public initially rallied behind Carter. But his support faded in April 1980 when a commando raid failed to rescue the hostages, with eight U.S. soldiers killed in an aircraft accident in the Iranian desert. Carter's final ignominy was that Iran held the 52 hostages until minutes after Reagan took his oath of office on Jan. 20, 1981, to replace Carter, then released the planes carrying them to freedom. In another crisis, Carter protested the former Soviet Union's 1979 invasion of Afghanistan by boycotting the 1980 Olympics in Moscow. He also asked the U.S. Senate to defer consideration of a major nuclear arms accord with Moscow. Unswayed, the Soviets remained in Afghanistan for a decade. Carter won narrow Senate approval in 1978 of a treaty to transfer the Panama Canal to the control of Panama despite critics who argued the waterway was vital to American security. He also completed negotiations on full U.S. ties with China. Carter created two new U.S. Cabinet departments - education and energy. Amid high gas prices, he said America's "energy crisis" was "the moral equivalent of war" and urged the country to embrace conservation. "Ours is the most wasteful nation on earth," he told Americans in 1977. In 1979, Carter delivered what became known as his "malaise" speech to the nation, although he never used that word. "After listening to the American people I have been reminded again that all the legislation in the world can't fix what's wrong with America," he said in his televised address. "The threat is nearly invisible in ordinary ways. It is a crisis of confidence. It is a crisis that strikes at the very heart and soul and spirit of our national will. The erosion of our confidence in the future is threatening to destroy the social and the political fabric of America." As president, the strait-laced Carter was embarrassed by the behavior of his hard-drinking younger brother, Billy Carter, who had boasted: "I got a red neck, white socks, and Blue Ribbon beer." 'THERE YOU GO AGAIN' Jimmy Carter withstood a challenge from Massachusetts Senator Edward Kennedy for the 1980 Democratic presidential nomination but was politically diminished heading into his general election battle against a vigorous Republican adversary. Reagan, the conservative who projected an image of strength, kept Carter off balance during their debates before the November 1980 election. Reagan dismissively told Carter, "There you go again," when the Republican challenger felt the president had misrepresented Reagan's views during one debate. Carter lost the 1980 election to Reagan, who won 44 of the 50 states and amassed an Electoral College landslide. James Earl Carter Jr. was born on Oct. 1, 1924, in Plains, Georgia, one of four children of a farmer and shopkeeper. He graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1946, served in the nuclear submarine program and left to manage the family peanut farming business. He married his wife, Rosalynn, in 1946, a union he called "the most important thing in my life." They had three sons and a daughter. Carter became a millionaire, a Georgia state legislator and Georgia's governor from 1971 to 1975. He mounted an underdog bid for the 1976 Democratic presidential nomination, and out-hustled his rivals for the right to face Ford in the general election. With Walter Mondale as his vice presidential running mate, Carter was given a boost by a major Ford gaffe during one of their debates. Ford said that "there is no Soviet domination of Eastern Europe and there never will be under a Ford administration," despite decades of just such domination. Carter edged Ford in the election, even though Ford actually won more states - 27 to Carter's 23. Not all of Carter's post-presidential work was appreciated. Former President George W. Bush and his father, former President George H.W. Bush, both Republicans, were said to have been displeased by Carter's freelance diplomacy in Iraq and elsewhere. In 2004, Carter called the Iraq war launched in 2003 by the younger Bush one of the most "gross and damaging mistakes our nation ever made." He called George W. Bush's administration "the worst in history" and said Vice President Dick Cheney was "a disaster for our country." In 2019, Carter questioned Republican Donald Trump's legitimacy as president, saying "he was put into office because the Russians interfered on his behalf." Trump responded by calling Carter "a terrible president." Carter also made trips to communist North Korea. A 1994 visit defused a nuclear crisis, as President Kim Il Sung agreed to freeze his nuclear program in exchange for resumed dialogue with the United States. That led to a deal in which North Korea, in return for aid, promised not to restart its nuclear reactor or reprocess the plant's spent fuel. But Carter irked Democratic President Bill Clinton's administration by announcing the deal with North Korea's leader without first checking with Washington. In 2010, Carter won the release of an American sentenced to eight years hard labor for illegally entering North Korea. Carter wrote more than two dozen books, ranging from a presidential memoir to a children's book and poetry, as well as works about religious faith and diplomacy. His book "Faith: A Journey for All," was published in 2018. (Reporting and writing by Will Dunham; Editing by Bill Trott and Diane Craft)

Full list of what's open on Christmas Day and Boxing DayTEL AVIV, Israel — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu underwent successful surgery Sunday to have his prostate removed, hospital officials said, a procedure that came as he manages multiple crises including the war in Gaza and his trial for alleged corruption. Netanyahu, who has had a series of health issues in recent years, has gone to great lengths to bolster a public image of himself as a healthy, energetic leader. During his trial this month, he boasted about working 18-hour days, accompanied by a cigar. But as Israel’s longest-serving leader, such a grueling workload over a total of 17 years in power could take a toll on his well-being. Netanyahu, 75, is among older world leaders including U.S. President Joe Biden, 82, President-elect Donald Trump, 78, Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, 79, and Pope Francis, 88, who have come under scrutiny for their age and health issues. Netanyahu’s latest condition is common in older men, but the procedure has had some fallout. The judges overseeing his trial accepted a request from his lawyer on Sunday to call off three days of testimony scheduled this week. The lawyer, Amit Hadad, had argued that Netanyahu would be fully sedated for the procedure and hospitalized for “a number of days.” Jerusalem’s Hadassah Medical Center announced late Sunday that the procedure had been “completed successfully.” Justice Minister Yariv Levin, a close ally, served as acting prime minister during the operation. Netanyahu is expected to remain hospitalized for several days. With so much at stake, Netanyahu’s health in wartime is a concern for both Israelis and the wider world. A turbulent time in the region As Israel’s leader, Netanyahu is at the center of major global events that are shifting the Middle East. With the dizzying pace of the past 14 months, being incapacitated for even a few hours can be risky. Netanyahu will be in the hospital at a time when international mediators are pushing Israel and Hamas to reach a ceasefire in Gaza and as fighting between Israel and Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels intensifies. Prostate issues are common and in many cases easily treatable. Still, the procedure puts a dent in Netanyahu’s image of vigor at a time when he would want to project strength more than ever, both to an Israeli audience navigating constant threats as well as to Israel’s enemies looking to expose its weaknesses. Previous health issues, including a heart condition Netanyahu insists he is in excellent health. His office releases footage of him touring war zones in full protective gear flanked by military officers, or meeting with defense officials on windswept hilltops in youthful dark shades and puffer jackets. But that image was shattered last year when Netanyahu’s doctors revealed that he had a heart condition, a problem that he had apparently long known about but concealed from the public. A week after a fainting spell, Netanyahu was fitted with a pacemaker to control his heartbeat. Only then did staff at the Sheba Medical Center reveal that Netanyahu has for years experienced a condition that can cause irregular heartbeats. The revelation came as Netanyahu was dealing with massive anti-government protests. The news about a chronic heart problem stoked further anger and distrust during extreme political polarization in Israel. Last year, Netanyahu was rushed to the hospital for what doctors said likely was dehydration. He stayed overnight, prompting his weekly Cabinet meeting to be delayed. Earlier this year, Netanyahu underwent hernia surgery, during which he was under full anesthesia and unconscious. Levin served as acting prime minister during the operation. Recovery can be quick According to Netanyahu’s office, the Israeli leader was diagnosed with a urinary tract infection on Wednesday stemming from a benign enlargement of his prostate. The infection was treated successfully with antibiotics, but doctors said the surgery was needed in any case. Complications from prostate enlargement are common in men in their 70s and 80s, Dr. Shay Golan, head of the oncology urology service at Israel’s Rabin Medical Center, told Israeli Army Radio. Golan spoke in general terms and was not involved in Netanyahu’s care or treatment. He said an enlarged prostate can block proper emptying of the bladder, leading to a build-up of urine that can lead to an infection or other complications. After medicinal treatment, doctors can recommend a procedure to remove the prostate to prevent future blockages, Golan said. In Netanyahu’s case, because the prostate is not cancerous, Golan said doctors were likely performing an endoscopic surgery, carried out by inserting small instruments into a body cavity, rather than making surgical cuts in the abdomen to reach the prostate. The procedure lasts about an hour, Golan said, and recovery is quick. He said that aside from catheter use for one to three days after the procedure, patients can return to normal activity without significant limitations. AP correspondent Isaac Scharf contributed reporting.

Qatar tribune Dr Ramzy Baroud The story of the Israeli war on Gaza can be epitomized in the story of the Israeli war on Beit Lahia, a small Palestinian town in the northern part of the Strip. When Israel launched its ground operations in Gaza, Beit Lahia was already largely destroyed due to many days of relentless Israeli bombardment which killed thousands. Still, the border Gaza town resisted, leading to a hermetic Israeli siege, which was never lifted, even when the Israeli military redeployed out of much of northern Gaza in January 2024. Beit Lahia is largely an isolated town, a short distance away from the fence separating besieged Gaza from Israel. It is surrounded mostly by agricultural areas that make it nearly impossible to defend. Yet, a year of grisly Israeli war and genocide in Gaza did not end the fighting there. To the contrary, 2024 has ended where it started, with intense fighting on all fronts in Gaza, with Beit Lahia, a town that was supposedly ‘conquered’ earlier, still leading the fight. Beit Lahia is a microcosm of Israel’s failed war in the Strip, a bloody grind that has led nowhere, despite the massive destruction, the repeated ethnic cleansing of the population, the starvation and the genocide. Every day of Israel’s terrible war on the Palestinians serves as a reminder that there are no military solutions and that the Palestinian will cannot be broken, no matter the cost or the sacrifice. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, however, remains unconvinced. He entered the new year with more promises of ‘total victory’, and ended it as a wanted criminal by the International Criminal Court (ICC). The issuing of an arrest warrant for the Israeli leader was a reiteration of a similar position taken by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) at the start of 2024. The ICJ’s position, however, was hardly as strong as many had hoped or wanted to believe. The world’s highest court had, on 26 January, ordered Israel “to take action to prevent acts of genocide”, but stopped short of ordering Israel to halt its war. The Israeli objectives of the war remained unclear, although Israeli politicians provided clues as to what the war on Gaza was really all about. Last January, several Israeli ministers, including 12 from Netanyahu’s Likud party, took part in a conference calling for the resettlement of Gaza and the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians. “Without settlements, there is no security,” extremist Israeli minister of finance, Bezalel Smotrich, said. For that to happen, the Palestinian people themselves, not merely those fighting on the ground, had to be tamed, broken and defeated. Thus, the ‘flour massacres‘, a new Israeli war tactic that was centered around killing as many Palestinians as possible while waiting for the few aid trucks that were allowed to reach northern Gaza. On 29 February, more than 100 Gazans were killed while queueing for aid. They were mowed down by Israeli soldiers, as they desperately tried to lay their hands on a loaf of bread, baby milk or a bottle of water. This scene was repeated, again and again in the north, but also in other parts of the Gaza Strip throughout the year. The aim was to starve the Palestinians in the north so that they would be forced to flee to other parts of the Strip. Famine actualized as early as January, and many of those who tried to flee south were killed, anyway. From the early days of the war, Israel understood that to ethnically cleanse Palestinians, they must target all aspects of life in the Strip. This includes hospitals, bakeries, markets, electric grids, water stations, and the like. The Gaza hospitals, of course, received a large share of Israeli attacks. In March, once more, Israel attacked the Al-Shifa Medical Complex in Gaza City with greater ferocity than before. When it finally withdrew, on April 1, the Israeli army destroyed the entire compound, leaving behind mass graves with hundreds of bodies, mostly medical staff, women and children. They even executed several patients. Aside from a few statements of concern by western leaders, little was done to bring the genocide to an end. Only when seven international aid workers with the charity, the World Central Kitchen, were killed by Israel, a global outcry followed, leading to the first and only Israeli apology in the entire war. Desperate to distract from its failure in Gaza, but also Lebanon, and keen on presenting the Israeli public with any kind of victory, the Israeli military began escalating its war beyond Gaza. This included the strike on the Iranian Embassy in Syria on 1 April. Despite repeated attempts, which included the assassination in Iran of the head of Hamas’s Political Bureau, Ismail Haniyeh, on 31 July, an all-out regional war has not yet come to pass. Another escalation was taking place, this time not by Netanyahu but by millions of people around the world, demanding an end to the Israeli war. A focal point of the protests were student movements that spread across US campuses and, ultimately, worldwide. Instead of allowing free speech to flourish, however, America’s largest academic institutions resorted to the police, who violently shut down many of the protests, arresting hundreds of students, many of whom were not allowed to return to their colleges. Meanwhile, the US continued to block international efforts aimed at producing a ceasefire resolution at the United Nations Security Council. Ultimately, on 31 May, US President Joe Biden delivered a speech conveying what he termed an “Israeli proposal” to end the war. After some delay, Hamas accepted the proposal, but Israel rejected it. In his rejection, Netanyahu referred to Biden’s speech as “incorrect” and “incomplete”. Strangely, but also unsurprisingly, the White House blamed the Palestinians for the failed initiative. Losing faith in the American leadership, some European countries began changing their foreign policy doctrines on Palestine, with Ireland, Norway and Spain recognizing the State of Palestine on 28 May. The decisions were largely symbolic but indicated that western unity around Israel was faltering. Israel remained unfazed and, despite international warnings, invaded the Rafah area in southern Gaza on May 7, seizing control of the Philadelphi Corridor – a buffer zone between Gaza and the Egyptian border that extends for 14 kilometers. Netanyahu’s government insisted that only war can bring their captives back. There was very little success in that strategy, however. On June 8, Israel, with logistical support from the US and other western countries managed to rescue four of its captives held in the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza. To do so, Israel killed at least 276 Palestinians and wounded 800 more. In August, another heart-wrenching massacre took place, this time in the Al-Tabaeen school in Gaza City, where 93 people, mostly women and children, were murdered in a single Israeli strike. According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, women and children were the main victims of the Israeli genocide, accounting for 70 per cent by 8 November. An earlier report by the Lancet Medical Journal said that if the war stopped in July, “186,000 or even more” Palestinians would have been killed. The war, however, went on. The rate of genocide in Gaza seemed to maintain the same killing ratio, despite the major regional developments including the mutual Iranian-Israeli tit-for-tat strikes and the major Israeli ground operation in Lebanon. In October, Israel returned to the policies of targeting or besieging hospitals, killing doctors and other medical staff, and targeting aid and civil defence workers. Still, Israel would not achieve any of its strategic goals of the war. Even the killing of Hamas’ leader, Yahya Sinwar, in battle on 16 Octoberwould not, in any way, alter the course of the war. Israel’s frustration grew by leaps and bounds throughout the year. Its desperate attempt to control the global narrative on the Gaza genocide largely failed. On 19 July, and after listening to the testimonies of over 50 countries, the ICJ issued a landmark ruling that “Israel’s continued presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory is illegal.” That ruling, which expressed international consensus on the matter, was translated on 17 September to a UN General Assembly resolution “demanding an end to Israel’s occupation of Palestine within the next twelve months”. All of this effectively meant that Israel’s attempt at normalizing its occupation of Palestine, and its quest to illegally annex the West Bank was considered null and void by the international community. Israel, however, doubled down, taking its rage against West Bank Palestinians, who, too, were experiencing one of the worst Israeli pogroms in many years. According to the Palestinian Health Ministry, by 21 November, at least 777 Palestinians have been killed since 7 October 2023, while thousands more were wounded and over 11,700 arrested. To make matters worse, Smotrich called, on November 11, for the full annexation of the West Bank. The call was made soon after the election of Donald Trump as the next US President, an event that initially inspired optimism amongst Israeli leaders, but later concerns that Trump may not serve the role of the saviour for Israel after all. On 21 November, the ICC issued its historic ruling to arrest Netanyahu and his Defence Minister Yoav Gallant. The decision represented a measure of hope, however faint, that the world is finally ready to hold Israel accountable for its many crimes. 2025 could, indeed, represent that watershed moment. This remains to be seen. However, as far as Palestinians are concerned, even with the failure of the international community to stop the genocide and reign in Israel, their steadfastness, sumoud, will remain strong until freedom is finally attained. (Ramzy Baroud is a journalist and the Editor of the Palestine Chronicle. He is the author of five books.) Copy 30/12/2024 10A young woman in China recently made headlines after a video of her attempting to ride an electric scooter with her father as a passenger went viral online. In the video, the woman can be seen struggling to keep the scooter balanced as it suddenly lifts off the ground and crashes back down. The incident has sparked a wave of amusement and mixed reactions from netizens, with many attributing the mishap to the father's weight rather than the driver's lack of skill.PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — The United Nations raised the death toll of a recent massacre in which dozens of older people and Vodou religious leaders were killed by a gang in Haiti, and called on officials to bring the perpetrators to justice. The U.N. Integrated Office in Haiti said in a report published on Monday that between Dec. 6 and 11 more than 207 people were killed by the Wharf Jeremie gang. The gang took people from their homes and from a place of worship, interrogated them and then executed them with bullets and machetes. Earlier this month, human rights groups in Haiti had estimated that more than 100 people were killed in the massacre, but the new U.N. investigation doubles the number of victims. “We cannot pretend that nothing happened” said María Isabel Salvador, the U.N. secretary-general’s special representative in Haiti. “I call on the Haitian justice system to thoroughly investigate these horrific crimes and arrest and punish the perpetrators, as well as those who support them," she said in a statement. Human rights groups in Haiti said the massacre began after the son of Micanor Altès, the leader of the Wharf Jeremie gang, died from an illness. The Cooperative for Peace and Development, a human rights group, said that according to information circulating in the community, Altès accused people in the neighborhood of causing his son’s illness. “He decided to cruelly punish all elderly people and (Vodou) practitioners who, in his imagination, would be capable of casting a bad spell on his son,” the group said in a statement released shortly after news of the massacre emerged. In Monday's report, the United Nations said that people were tracked down in their homes and in a place of worship by Altès’ gang, where they were first interrogated and then taken to an execution site. The United Nations said that the gang tried to erase evidence of the killings by burning bodies, or by dismembering them and throwing them into the sea. The massacre is the latest humanitarian tragedy in Haiti, where gang violence has intensified since the nation’s president was killed in a 2021 coup attempt . Haiti has struggled to organize an election that will fill the power vacuum and restore democratic rule. The Caribbean nation is currently governed by a transitional council that includes representatives from the business community, civil society and political parties, but its government has no control over many areas of the capital city, and gangs are constantly fighting over ports, highways and neighborhoods. According to the United Nations, more than 5,350 people have been killed in Haiti’s gang wars this year. The Haitian government acknowledged the massacre against older people in a statement issued earlier this month, and promised to persecute those responsible for this act of “unspeakable carnage.”

The loan deal includes an option for Ferencvaros to make the move permanent at the end of the season. This gives the Hungarian club the flexibility to assess Keita's performance over the course of the year and decide whether to make a long-term commitment to the player.In the end, Krunić's journey from AC Milan to FC Empoli and back to San Siro is a testament to his resilience, hard work, and love for the game. As he steps onto the hallowed turf once again, he carries with him the memories of his time at AC Milan and the hopes of a bright future ahead with FC Empoli. Americans are more optimistic about 2025 than they were about 2024 — in large part because of President-elect Donald Trump, according to new polling. In a December CBS News/YouGov poll, 57% of respondents said that, when looking ahead to 2025, they feel more hopeful than discouraged . Meanwhile, 23% said they feel more discouraged, and 20% said they feel both equally. In contrast, a poll taken during December 2023 found that 47% of respondents were hopeful about 2024 — marking a 10-point difference. An additional 22% said they were discouraged, and 31% said they felt both equally. The latest poll — fielded between Dec. 18-20 with a sample of 2,244 adults — asked the hopeful respondents what makes them feel mostly optimistic about the new year. It provided them with seven options. Sixty percent said “Trump becoming president” made them feel mostly hopeful, making it the most popular choice. Following that, 55% said family and personal relationships, 51% said personal finances and opportunities, and 51% said the U.S. economy, according to the poll, which has a margin of error of 2.4 percentage points. Slightly less than half, 47%, said personal health, 34% said American politics generally and 33% said “the state of the world.” The poll, using the same seven choices, then asked the discouraged respondents what makes them feel mostly pessimistic about 2025. The vast majority, 85%, said Trump becoming president made them mostly disheartened, again making it the most popular choice. Meanwhile, 74% said American politics generally, 71% said the state of the world and 58% said the American economy. Less than half, 46%, said personal finances and opportunities, while 28% said personal health, and 17% said family and personal relationships. The responses were largely skewed based on partisan affiliation, with 85% of Republicans saying they feel hopeful and 38% of Democrats saying the same.

However, despite the controversy surrounding her statements, the student's personal life took a tragic turn when she decided to move to Japan for further studies. Living alone in a foreign country, she struggled to make ends meet and eventually succumbed to starvation. Her death, a stark reminder of the harsh realities of life and the consequences of one's actions and words, has sent shockwaves through both Chinese and Japanese communities.Tottenham Hotspur fans will undoubtedly be relieved by the agent's clarification, as Son Heung-min has become a fan favorite at the club since his arrival in 2015. The South Korean star has been instrumental in Spurs' success in recent years, playing a crucial role in their run to the Champions League final in 2019.

Teddy Roosevelt was hardly a shrinking violet. The Rough Rider, outdoorsman and survivor of an assassination attempt in 1912 (he famously continued delivering a speech being shot), was a contradiction; the man who never met an animal he didn’t wish to shoot was also an intellectual. Equal parts thoughtful and heedless, Roosevelt was a president for a nation rising to take its place among the leaders of the nascent 20th century. It was Roosevelt who fulfilled the long-held industrialist dream of shortening the shipping routes for goods flowing between the Atlantic and Pacific coasts by overseeing the construction of a 51-mile-long engineering impossibility known as the Panama Canal. In 1999, the Canal reverted to the Panamanian people. Now, another American president . Oh, and apparently he also wants and . It’s a surprising Christmas list for a landlord who will soon, once again, oversee a nation that has enough trouble managing the real estate portfolio already in its possession. While seeking consent has never been ’s strong suit, I find it galling that he’s making noises about violating even more boundaries. Trump possesses all of Roosevelt’s bluster but none of his subtlety. One president advised the nation to “speak softly and carry a big stick.” The other told Billy Bush that when you’re a star, . I don’t expect Panama, Greenland, or Canada will allow Donald to grab what isn’t his. (Nor do I think to the man in the long red tie.) But while his territorial ambitions may be mystifying to many of us, I’m more concerned by what it says about the man, and the nation he’s just been elected to lead, that he would even make these threats. It’s one thing for loud Americans to traipse across the world in brash slogan T-shirts demanding . It’s quite another for that country’s leader to behave in a similarly boorish fashion. We are a powerful nation; the idea that we are the “leader of the so-called ‘Free World’” has never been quite apt. We are, and have been for the better part of a hundred years, the leader of the entire world. As such, it’s mortifying to watch this ham-fisted grotesquerie flap his tongue in ways unbefitting the leader of the “indispensable nation.” Teddy Roosevelt understood this. The “big stick” he carried was only ever a last resort. Roosevelt deployed America’s assets strategically and diplomatically. He had no need of a Truth Social account. With Trump, though, there is no speaking softly. There is hardly coherent thought at all. It’s a jumble of bizarre and outlandish threats; the whipsaw nature of his demands insults the world, though I worry it insults our nation more. Not because we should not compete to achieve our ends, but because we are more likely to achieve those ends through cooperation and mutual understanding than through threat, particularly because Trump’s threats are so often utterly devoid of substance. I do not subscribe to America First if it means America Only. I do not subscribe to threatening to punch one’s neighbor in the nose if they do not give me their garage. Our might is, well, mighty. But it is limited. And it is often ineffective when operating against the wishes of those in its sights. Foreign leaders do not have the luxury of ignoring the United States. We are too big. Too disruptive. Our influence is too great for them to simply turn a blind eye to any single president’s ambitions. Instead, they must suffer the indignity of dealing with, as our former president’s former favorite North Korean once called him, . There’s a reason Teddy Roosevelt’s face is on Mt. Rushmore while Trump’s is on . The reason is that we are at our best when we are at our most humble. When we bumble and wave our arms around like madmen, we are more apt to get the world’s attention but less apt to be taken seriously. Perhaps it’s not credibility Trump craves at all, only headlines. If that’s the case, hopefully the leaders of Canada, Panama, and Greenland give him all the attention he wishes and none of the land. At best, perhaps they’ll give him some souvenir candy. It’s more than he deserves, but what he deserves cannot be printed here. Instead, I choose to speak softly.

Shares of SSR Mining Inc. ( NASDAQ:SSRM – Get Free Report ) (TSE:SSO) have earned an average rating of “Hold” from the six ratings firms that are covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 12-month target price among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $5.18. SSRM has been the subject of a number of research reports. StockNews.com raised shares of SSR Mining from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. UBS Group increased their price objective on SSR Mining from $6.30 to $6.80 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 15th. Get Our Latest Stock Report on SSRM SSR Mining Stock Up 1.0 % Institutional Trading of SSR Mining A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Hsbc Holdings PLC acquired a new position in shares of SSR Mining during the second quarter valued at $3,289,000. National Bank of Canada FI boosted its stake in SSR Mining by 73.7% during the 2nd quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 2,636,902 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $11,815,000 after purchasing an additional 1,118,417 shares during the period. Two Sigma Advisers LP grew its position in SSR Mining by 16.2% in the 3rd quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP now owns 3,320,384 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $18,860,000 after purchasing an additional 462,000 shares during the last quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp increased its stake in shares of SSR Mining by 25.5% in the second quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 883,581 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $3,992,000 after purchasing an additional 179,601 shares during the period. Finally, Verition Fund Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of SSR Mining by 177.5% during the third quarter. Verition Fund Management LLC now owns 105,763 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $601,000 after buying an additional 67,657 shares during the last quarter. 68.30% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds. About SSR Mining ( Get Free Report SSR Mining Inc, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the operation, acquisition, exploration, and development of precious metal resource properties in the United States, Türkiye, Canada, and Argentina. The company explores for gold doré, copper, silver, lead, and zinc deposits. Its mines include the Çöpler, located in Erzincan province, Turkey; the Marigold, located in Nevada, the United States; the Seabee, located in Saskatchewan, Canada; and the Puna, located in Jujuy province, Argentina. Featured Articles Receive News & Ratings for SSR Mining Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for SSR Mining and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter .

Stingray Acquires Loupe Art to Enhance Connected TV and Digital Signage OfferingsAs the refund process continues and more players receive compensation, it is essential for consumers to be vigilant and informed when making in-app purchases or engaging with online games. Parents, in particular, play a crucial role in monitoring their children's online activities and setting clear boundaries to prevent unauthorized purchases.

For Krunić, this match is more than just a reunion with his old club – it's a chance to prove himself once again on one of the biggest stages in Italian football. His determination to succeed and his love for the game are evident in every match he plays, and this game will be no exception.The rapid development of e-commerce in China has significantly changed the way people shop and consume goods. With the rise of online shopping platforms, consumers now have access to a wide range of products from the comfort of their homes. This shift towards online consumption has not only transformed the retail industry but also created new opportunities for businesses to reach a larger market.

In the crypto market, nothing is more exciting than buying cryptocurrencies early before they become a hit. This is why investors are always on the lookout for the next big thing. 1Fuel (OFT) has been touted by many analysts as the next big crypto project offering innovative DeFi solutions. 1Fuel’s ongoing presale has already caught the eyes of investors, as over 77 million tokens have been sold. 1Fuel tokens are available for as low as $0.012/token during presale. Experts expect a 100x surge after the OFT launch. Don't pass up the chance to sign up for 1Fuel's presale today. Why 1Fuel Is a DeFi Game Changer 1FUEL provides a complete solution that addresses the flaws of current wallets while incorporating their benefits. 1FUEL offers a better user experience that is safe and simple to use by including cutting-edge features like disposable wallets, a P2P exchange, an inbuilt mixer for privacy, and one-click cross-chain transactions. When buying cryptocurrencies, holding several coins for transactions on various networks will no longer be necessary thanks to 1FUEL. For all of your transactional purposes, you just need to hold 1FUEL. A decentralized order-matching engine and smart contracts underpin 1FUEL's peer-to-peer exchange. The 1FUEL P2P exchange lowers the friction associated with centralized exchanges and does away with the requirement for traditional order books by allowing direct transactions between users. Users can easily spend their cryptocurrency in the real world thanks to the 1FUEL Wallet's integration with both virtual and physical debit and credit cards. Users don't have to manually convert their cryptocurrency into fiat to make purchases at any retailer that takes major payment networks like Visa or Mastercard. 1FUEL's application of AI guarantees that users can conduct transactions with ease, efficiently manage their portfolios, and take advantage of improved privacy and security. All while reducing expenses, optimizing productivity, and automatically monitoring transactions and tax filing. With as little as $0.012, you can gain early access to all these features by buying 1Fuel tokens from the ongoing presale. This is a unique opportunity to experience the power of blockchain while gaining massive returns on a modest investment. 1Fuel vs. JetBolt: Which is a better investment? There are emerging rivals to 1Fuel, one of which is JetBolt (JBOLT). Jumping on their presales could be the best way to invest in cryptocurrency, but their utilities always set them apart. This is where 1Fuel shines bright with its cross-chain tech and real-world utility. JetBolt offers an invisible layer between apps and Blockchain. The goal of JetBolt is to power the upcoming wave of cryptocurrency applications. So, how do JetBolt utilities compare to those of 1Fuel? In terms of simplicity, 1Fuel’s seamless cross-chain technology sets it apart from other projects like JetBolt, which are still plagued with the complexity associated with crypto transactions. JetBolt’s main focus is the transaction speed, which will be actualized by leveraging the Skale network. 1Fuel blends speed with revolutionary security features like verified smart contracts and cold storage. For both new and seasoned investors, 1Fuel is a more alluring choice due to its performance and safety balance. Conclusion With its cutting-edge cross-chain technology and real-world utility, 1Fuel is positioned to completely transform the cryptocurrency market in ways that emerging rivals like JetBolt cannot match. Joining a project early remains the best way to invest in cryptocurrency, and the 1Fuel presale does that. Join the 1Fuel presale today! More about 1Fuel’s presale: Presale: https://www.1fuel.io Telegram: https://t.me/Portal_1Fuel X: https://x.com/1fuel_?s=21 Join our WhatsApp Channel to get the latest news, exclusives and videos on WhatsApp _____________ Disclaimer: Analytics Insight does not provide financial advice or guidance. Also note that the cryptocurrencies mentioned/listed on the website could potentially be scams, i.e. designed to induce you to invest financial resources that may be lost forever and not be recoverable once investments are made. You are responsible for conducting your own research (DYOR) before making any investments. Read more here.As the international community grapples with the complex dynamics of the Syrian-Israeli conflict, there is a growing recognition of the need for dialogue and negotiation to prevent further escalation. Both Syria and Israel must demonstrate restraint and a commitment to peaceful resolution in order to avoid a disastrous and unnecessary conflict.

English Media reports that Manchester United has not yet discussed the possibility of selling Marcus Rashford. Manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has expressed satisfaction with the player's performance and contributions to the team, dispelling any rumors of an imminent departure.

The weather outside may be frightful but the new books inside are delighful Lechatnoir/Getty Images An Increasingly divisive politics. Media technologies that reinforce and radicalise every fleeting opinion. An absolute tsunami of conspiracy theories. Out of the noise and anxiety of our current moment comes a slew of new books that may make 2025 the moment humanity turned a corner, and replaced the heat of partisanship and tribalism with enlightened discourse and real debate. Many of them explain why we think the way we do about the world, and show us how we can change our minds without losing them...