nice88 apk download for android ios
CLASS ACTION NOTICE: Berger Montague Advises Evolv Technologies (NASDAQ: EVLV) Investors to Inquire About a Securities Fraud Class Action
Samples of 8 medicines fail quality tests in RajasthanPanic buying deepens POL supply crisis amid route disruptions
iCoreConnect CEO McDermott purchases $49,421 in common stockSharjeel chides PTI for holding protest during Belarusian president's visit
Big Ten could place four teams in playoff, thanks to IU's riseBayan al-Hinnawi, who spent years behind bars in Bashar al-Assad's Syria, joined crowds in the heartland of the Druze minority on Friday to celebrate the president's fall, "a dream" come true for the former prisoner. Hundreds of people descended on Sweida's main square, singing and clapping in jubilation, just days after Islamist-led rebels took the capital Damascus, sending Assad fleeing. The Druze-majority city in Syria's south has been a focal point of renewed anti-government demonstrations over the past year and a half. On Friday, residents waved Syria's pre-Assad flag of white, green and black with three stars, and raised olive branches in a sign of peace. Some of them have lost family members during the anti-government uprising that began in 2011 and spiralled into civil war. Others, like Hinnawi, had languished in prison under the Assad family's five-decade rule. "It was a dream," said 77-year-old Hinnawi of Assad's ouster. Decades ago, a few years after Hafez al-Assad seized power -- which he later handed over to his son Bashar -- a 23-year-old Hinnawi was jailed. He was released 17 years later. The grey-haired man said he had "dreamed that one day the regime would fall", but did not believe that he would live to see the day. "It's a wonderful sight. Nobody could have imagined that this could happen", he said. But his joy was incomplete, remembering the many who have died in jail. "I wish that those who died when I was imprisoned in Mazzeh or Saydnaya could see this scene," said Hinnawi. Since Assad's fall, rebel forces and residents have broken into both detention centres, freeing political prisoners and searching for long-missing loved ones. Activists and rights groups say the Assad government tortured and abused inmates at both facilities. "I got out when I was 40, I missed out of my whole life," said Hinnawi, who served in the Syrian army before being jailed. Recalling torture behind bars, he said that "no oppressor in history has done what they did to us." Since Sunday, the ousted government's security forces were nowhere to be seen in Sweida, and the office of Assad's Baath party has been abandoned, as have army checkpoints on the road to Damascus. Local armed men are present, but not the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham which spearheaded the rebel offensive against Assad. Siham Zein al-Din, who lost her son in 2014 after he defected from the national army to join rebel fighters, said he had "sacrificed his life... for freedom, for dignity". The family was still searching for Khaldun's remains, said his 60-year-old mother. Like her son, some members of the Druze community took up arms against Assad's forces during the war. The Druze, who also live in Lebanon, Israel and the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, make up about three percent of Syria's population, around 700,000 people. Beyond defending themselves from attacks in the areas where they live, Syria's Druze largely stayed on the sidelines of the civil war. Many managed to avoid compulsory conscription since 2011. Residents of Sweida have long complained of discrimination and the lack of basic services. Many buildings in the city are constructed from black volcanic stone that can be found in the area, and its roads have fallen into disrepair. Sheikh Marwan Hussein Rizk, a religious leader, said that "Sweida province has been marginalised" for decades, with most of its residents living in poverty. But, surrounded by the joyful protesters, Rizk said better days may be coming. "Today, we look to the future and ask for a helping hand... Our hand is extended to all Syrians." Next to him, resident Hussein Bondok held up a poster of his brother Nasser, a journalist and opposition activist who was last heard from in 2014 when he was arrested. Bondok, 54, said he believes his brother was likely killed under torture in one of Damascus's prisons. Nasser struggled for freedom, Bondok said. "I want to congratulate him now, because the seeds he had planted with his brothers-in-arms has become a tree." lk/ami/itHegseth meets with moderate Sen. Collins as he lobbies for key votes in the Senate
While the global population continues to soar, some countries saw immense population declines this year. According to data from the United Nations, Pacific island nations dominated the countries with the largest losses in 2024, followed by locations in Eastern Europe. High emigration, low immigration, and low birth rates were common contributing factors. Click through to see which nations shrunk the most in 2024. Estonia in Eastern Europe is the tenth fastest shrinking nation in the world in 2024, with a 0.98 per cent population decrease . It's one of many in the region facing population decline, mostly due to political instability, low quality of life, and low immigration and birth rates. According to UN predictions, 9 of the top 10 nations expected to shrink the most by 2050 are in Eastern Europe, including Bulgaria in first place (22.5 per cent decrease). The Czech Republic - most famous for its charming capital, Prague - is a surprising addition this list, with a 1.04 per cent population decline this year. This small decrease follows a population spike between 2021 and 2023, as well as a gradually increasing population since 2001, however the UN predicts this trend will continue next year due to low immigration and fertility. Moldova is the European nation with the fastest declining population, shrinking by 1.22 per cent this year. Since 1990, its population has declined by a third - from 4.5 million to just over 3 million - due to political instability, low quality of life, high mortality rates, and high emigration levels. Landlocked between Romania and Ukraine, it is the second poorest country in Europe based on GDP after Ukraine. American Samoa's population shrunk by 1.61 per cent in 2024, bringing it in seventh. The U.S. territory has an estimated population of around 46,400 at the end of 2024, roughly 1000 less than last year's count. One of a slew of Pacific nations on this list, many are leaving the country to escape poverty and seek opportunities abroad. The Pacific island nation of Tuvalu saw a 1.69 per cent population decrease in 2024, making it sixth on this list. A member of the British commonwealth, Tuvalu comprises 9, sparsely-populated islands that are some of the fastest sinking due to climate change. With this existential threat, its little wonder people are emigrating from the island. The Northern Mariana Islands, a U.S. commonwealth in the North Pacific, is the fifth fastest shrinking nation in 2024, with a 1.76 per cent population decline. It's estimated just under 44,000 people live in the Islands, a number that's been in sharp decline since the year 2000. Like other Pacific Island nations on this list, low immigration and high emigration levels, as well as persistently low fertility, are to blame. Despite being a tourist hotspot that many dream of living in, Greece experienced the fourth largest population decline ( 1.77 per cent ) in 2024. Current projections suggest its population could fall to around 8 million by 2050 from just over 10 million in 2024. Among other factors, the Greek economic crisis of the 2010s is largely to blame, leading to a dramatic reduction in fertility rates and heightened emigration that has driven down the population. The Marshall Islands - a chain of land masses and atolls in the middle of the Pacific - are yet another island nation near the top of this list, with a 3.38 per cent population decrease in 2024. The population fell from around 27,500 at the end of 2023 to 26,100 at the end of 2024. Emigration is largely responsible for this shrinkage, with many leaving for greater opportunities in urban areas, and due to climate change threats. The Cook Islands come in second for the nation with the fastest declining population in 2024, recording a 3.46 per cent population decrease. A cluster of factors including low immigration and high emigration and low fertility are likely responsible for this Pacific nation's shrinkage. The population has been falling since the late 2010s, with further decline expected in the next twenty-five years. It's estimated population at the end of 2024 is over 13,500, according to United Nations estimates. The Caribbean island of Saint Martin had the fastest shrinking population in 2024, with a decline of almost 5 per cent. With a net increase of 1 person every 360 minutes according to estimates, it's hard to believe this tropical paradise was the least desired place to live on earth this year. Its population has been declining since 2015, and will likely continue to fall as people move to urban areas abroad.New cataract and eye specialist facility opens in BridgendSAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Northern California was under a rare and brief tsunami warning alert Thursday that tested local emergency notification systems after a 7.0 magnitude earthquake shook part of the state. The National Weather Service canceled its alert after roughly an hour and before the tsunami was expected to arrive. In that hour, some cities and counties ordered evacuations while others relied on social media and text messages to inform people of the warning. Some people headed for higher ground, while others drove to the beach to get a better view. People took to social media to figure out why a warning was issued and then canceled so quickly, and how the NWS determines when to send alerts. Here are answers to more questions. The word for tsunami comes from the Japanese characters for harbor and wave. It's a series of extremely long waves set in motion when energy from an earthquake causes the ocean floor to suddenly rise or fall, according to the National Weather Service . Since 1800, California's shores have been struck by more than 150 tsunamis, most of them minor, according to the California Geological Survey. Phones buzzed Thursday when the National Weather Service issued its warning just minutes after the quake struck west of Ferndale, a small city in coastal Humboldt County. It read in part: “You are in danger. Get away from coastal waters. Move to high ground or inland now.” The National Weather Service Bay Area posted on the social platform X early Friday that the region doesn't get tsunami alerts often and “there are lot of questions, frustration, and even some anger” about Thursday's event. A warning alert is the most serious of four tsunami alerts, including a watch alert for a possible tsunami and an advisory alert telling people to stay out of the water and away from the shore. The last time California received a warning alert was 2011 when an earthquake in Japan caused about $100 million in damages along the California coast. Basically, a distant, offshore earthquake or other trigger event gives scientists more time to analyze data and confirm that a large tsunami was generated before sounding a warning. But Thursday’s earthquake was local and close to the coast, forcing a hasty high-level alert in order to give people the maximum time to prepare as tsunami waves can travel very fast, up to 500 mph (800 kph) in the deep ocean, the NWS wrote. “By the time we actually observe it, it may be too late, because it's right there in our back doors,” said Dalton Behringer, a meteorologist with NWS Bay Area, on Friday. Scientists used the time Thursday to monitor buoys and get more information on the earthquake itself, he said. They canceled the alert after seeing little sea-level change and determining the quake was a strike-slip type of temblor that shifts more horizontally and is less prone to cause tsunamis, he said. “These things happen so infrequently for us, I think it just caught a lot of people off-guard,” he said. Authorities in Eureka, the biggest city in Humboldt County, sent texts and went door-to-door to order businesses in high-risk areas to evacuate, said City Manager Miles Slattery. He said only a small portion of the city was at risk, and Thursday's test run showed evacuees need to work on leaving by foot, rather than by car. In the San Francisco Bay Area, the commuter light-rail system known as BART stopped traffic in all directions through the underwater tunnel between San Francisco and Oakland, and the San Francisco Zoo’s visitors were evacuated. Responses varied as fire and police in Berkeley evacuated certain areas of the city while in San Francisco, officials sent alerts and messages on social media telling residents to stay away from water, beaches, harbors, marina docks, and piers. “Move at least one block inland,” said the San Francisco Department of Emergency Management. Emergency personnel in vehicles with public address systems also went to make sure no one was on beaches and other low-lying areas. But some critics said San Francisco should have sounded its loud emergency sirens, which have been off-line since 2019 for repairs. In San Mateo County, just south of San Francisco, officials considered but decided against sounding its tsunami warning sirens after receiving more comprehensive information from the NWS that any tsunami would affect coastlines north of the Golden Gate Bridge, said Michelle Durand, a spokesperson for the county. Fire and police cleared the beaches while emergency personnel gathered to monitor the situation, she said, which “prioritized both public safety and the prevention of unnecessary panic.”Bayan al-Hinnawi, who spent years behind bars in Bashar al-Assad's Syria, joined crowds in the heartland of the Druze minority on Friday to celebrate the president's fall, "a dream" come true for the former prisoner. Hundreds of people descended on Sweida's main square, singing and clapping in jubilation, just days after Islamist-led rebels took the capital Damascus, sending Assad fleeing. The Druze-majority city in Syria's south has been a focal point of renewed anti-government demonstrations over the past year and a half. On Friday, residents waved Syria's pre-Assad flag of white, green and black with three stars, and raised olive branches in a sign of peace. Some of them have lost family members during the anti-government uprising that began in 2011 and spiralled into civil war. Others, like Hinnawi, had languished in prison under the Assad family's five-decade rule. "It was a dream," said 77-year-old Hinnawi of Assad's ouster. Decades ago, a few years after Hafez al-Assad seized power -- which he later handed over to his son Bashar -- a 23-year-old Hinnawi was jailed. He was released 17 years later. The grey-haired man said he had "dreamed that one day the regime would fall", but did not believe that he would live to see the day. "It's a wonderful sight. Nobody could have imagined that this could happen", he said. But his joy was incomplete, remembering the many who have died in jail. "I wish that those who died when I was imprisoned in Mazzeh or Saydnaya could see this scene," said Hinnawi. Since Assad's fall, rebel forces and residents have broken into both detention centres, freeing political prisoners and searching for long-missing loved ones. Activists and rights groups say the Assad government tortured and abused inmates at both facilities. "I got out when I was 40, I missed out of my whole life," said Hinnawi, who served in the Syrian army before being jailed. Recalling torture behind bars, he said that "no oppressor in history has done what they did to us." Since Sunday, the ousted government's security forces were nowhere to be seen in Sweida, and the office of Assad's Baath party has been abandoned, as have army checkpoints on the road to Damascus. Local armed men are present, but not the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham which spearheaded the rebel offensive against Assad. Siham Zein al-Din, who lost her son in 2014 after he defected from the national army to join rebel fighters, said he had "sacrificed his life... for freedom, for dignity". The family was still searching for Khaldun's remains, said his 60-year-old mother. Like her son, some members of the Druze community took up arms against Assad's forces during the war. The Druze, who also live in Lebanon, Israel and the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, make up about three percent of Syria's population, around 700,000 people. Beyond defending themselves from attacks in the areas where they live, Syria's Druze largely stayed on the sidelines of the civil war. Many managed to avoid compulsory conscription since 2011. Residents of Sweida have long complained of discrimination and the lack of basic services. Many buildings in the city are constructed from black volcanic stone that can be found in the area, and its roads have fallen into disrepair. Sheikh Marwan Hussein Rizk, a religious leader, said that "Sweida province has been marginalised" for decades, with most of its residents living in poverty. But, surrounded by the joyful protesters, Rizk said better days may be coming. "Today, we look to the future and ask for a helping hand... Our hand is extended to all Syrians." Next to him, resident Hussein Bondok held up a poster of his brother Nasser, a journalist and opposition activist who was last heard from in 2014 when he was arrested. Bondok, 54, said he believes his brother was likely killed under torture in one of Damascus's prisons. Nasser struggled for freedom, Bondok said. "I want to congratulate him now, because the seeds he had planted with his brothers-in-arms has become a tree." lk/ami/it
ZURICH — Saudi Arabia was officially confirmed Wednesday by FIFA as host of the 2034 World Cup in men's soccer, giving the oil-rich kingdom its biggest prize yet for massive spending on global sports driven by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The Saudi bid was the only candidate and was acclaimed by the applause of more than 200 FIFA member federations. They took part remotely in an online meeting hosted in Zurich by the soccer body's president Gianni Infantino. "The vote of the congress is loud and clear," said Infantino, who had asked officials on a bank of screens to clap their hands at head level to show their support. The decision was combined with approving the only candidate to host the 2030 World Cup. Spain, Portugal and Morocco will co-host in a six-nation project, with Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay each getting one of the 104 games. The South American connection will mark the centenary of Uruguay hosting the first World Cup in 1930. The decisions complete a mostly opaque 15-month bid process which Infantino helped steer toward Saudi Arabia without a rival candidate, without taking questions, and which human rights groups warn will put the lives of migrant workers at risk. "We look forward to hosting an exceptional and unprecedented edition of the FIFA World Cup by harnessing our strengths and capabilities to bring joy to football fans around the world," Prince Mohammed said in a statement. FIFA and Saudi officials have said hosting the 2034 tournament can accelerate change, including more freedoms and rights for women, with Infantino on Wednesday calling the World Cup a "unique catalyst for positive social change and unity." "I fully trust our hosts to address all open points in this process, and deliver a World Cup that meets the world's expectations," the FIFA president said. An international collective of rights groups said FIFA made a "reckless decision" to approve Saudi Arabia without getting public assurances, and the Football Supporters Europe group said it was "the day football truly lost its mind." A fast-track path to victory was cleared last year by FIFA accepting the three-continent hosting plan for the 2030 World Cup. It meant only soccer federations in Asia and Oceania were eligible for the 2034 contest, and FIFA gave countries less than four weeks to declare a bid. Only Saudi Arabia did. The win will kick off a decade of scrutiny on Saudi labor laws and treatment of workers mostly from South Asia needed to help build and upgrade 15 stadiums, plus hotels and transport networks ahead of the 104-game tournament. Amnesty International said awarding the tournament to Saudi Arabia represents "a moment of great danger" for human rights. "FIFA's reckless decision to award the 2034 World Cup to Saudi Arabia without ensuring adequate human rights protections are in place will put many lives at risk," said Steve Cockburn, Amnesty International's Head of Labor Rights and Sport." One of the stadiums is planned to be 350 meters (yards) above the ground in Neom — a futuristic city that does not yet exist — and another named for the crown prince is designed to be atop a 200-meter cliff near Riyadh. During the bid campaign, FIFA has accepted limited scrutiny of Saudi Arabia's human rights record that was widely criticized this year at the United Nations. Saudi and international rights groups and activists warned FIFA it has not learned the lessons of Qatar's much-criticized preparations to host the 2022 World Cup. "At every stage of this bidding process, FIFA has shown its commitment to human rights to be a sham," Cockburn said. The kingdom plans to spend tens of billion of dollars on projects related to the World Cup as part of the crown prince's sweeping Vision 2030 project that aims to modernize Saudi society and economy. At its core is spending on sports by the $900 billion sovereign wealth operation, the Public Investment Fund, which he oversees. "It's amazing. The infrastructure, the stadiums, the conditions for the fans and everything. After what I see, I'm more convinced that 2034 will be the best World Cup ever," Cristiano Ronaldo said in a recorded package posted on X. The five-time Ballon d'Or winner has been part of Saudi Arabia's lavish spending on soccer — stunning the sport when agreeing to sign for Al Nassr in 2022 for a record-breaking salary reportedly worth up to $200 million a year. Critics have accused Saudi Arabia of "sportswashing" the kingdom's reputation. The prince, known as MBS, has built close working ties to Infantino since 2017 — aligning with the organizer of sport's most-watched event rather than directly confronting the established system as it did with the disruptive LIV Golf project. The result for Saudi Arabia and FIFA has been smooth progress toward the win Wednesday with limited pushback from soccer officials, though some from women international players. The steady flow of Saudi cash into international soccer is set to increase. FIFA created a new and higher World Cup sponsor category for state oil firm Aramco, and Saudi funding is set to underwrite the 2025 Club World Cup in the United States that is a pet project for Infantino. North American soccer body CONCACAF signed a multi-year deal with PIF, Saudi stadiums host Super Cup games for Italy and Spain, and nearly 50 FIFA member federations have signed working agreements with Saudi counterparts. Lavish spending by PIF-owned Saudi clubs in the past two years buying and paying players – including Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar, Karim Benzema and Sadio Mané – put hundreds of millions of dollars into European soccer. That influence could be key in talks to agree which months to play the 2034 World Cup. The November-December slot taken by Qatar in 2022 to avoid extreme midsummer heat is complicated in 2034 by the holy month of Ramadan through mid-December and Riyadh hosting the multi-sport Asian Games. Still, January 2034 could be an option — and likely better for European clubs and leagues —after the International Olympic Committee said it saw few issues in clashing with the Salt Lake Winter Games opening Feb. 10, 2034. The IOC also has a major commercial deal with Saudi Arabia, to host the new Esports Olympics.The expanded Big Ten is poised to be a major player in this season's College Football Playoff. The 18-team conference had three of the top-four teams in the AP poll this week — No. 1 Oregon, No. 2 Ohio State and No. 4 Penn State. A one-loss Indiana team is ranked 10th but is still very much a contender to make the playoff, given how many Southeastern Conference teams have three defeats or more. Indiana's rise has been perhaps the Big Ten's biggest story this season. Much of the spotlight was on newcomers Oregon, Southern California, UCLA and Washington, but aside from the top-ranked Ducks, that foursome has struggled to impress. Meanwhile, the Hoosiers won their first 10 games under new coach Curt Cignetti before losing at Ohio State last weekend. Oregon beat Ohio State 32-31 back in October, and if the Buckeyes beat rival Michigan this weekend, they'll earn a rematch with the Ducks for the Big Ten title. And it's entirely possible another matchup between those two teams awaits in the CFP. Dillon Gabriel has quarterbacked Oregon to an unbeaten record, throwing for 3,066 yards and 22 touchdowns in 11 games. But don't overlook Iowa's Kaleb Johnson and his 21 rushing TDs, and quarterback Kurtis Rourke has been a big part of Indiana's improvement. Penn State's Abdul Carter has eight sacks and two forced fumbles and could be one of the top edge rushers drafted this year. Oregon (11-0, 8-0), Ohio State (10-1, 7-1), Penn State (10-1, 7-1), Indiana (10-1, 7-1), Illinois (8-3, 5-3), Iowa (7-4, 5-3), Michigan (6-5, 4-4), Minnesota (6-5, 4-4), Washington (6-5, 4-4), Southern California (6-5, 4-5), Nebraska (6-5, 3-5) and Rutgers (6-5, 3-5) have already reached the six-win mark for bowl eligibility. Michigan State (5-6, 3-5) and Wisconsin (5-6, 3-5) can join them. There may not be many firings in general at the top level of college football. The prospect of sharing revenue with athletes in the future might lead schools to be more judicious about shedding one coach and hiring a new one. Who should be most worried in the Big Ten? Well, Lincoln Riley is struggling to stay above .500 in his third season at USC. Purdue is 1-10, but coach Ryan Walters is only in his second season. Maryland's Mike Locksley has been there six years and his Terrapins are 4-7, but this was his first real step backward after guiding the team to three straight bowl wins. Cignetti has shown it is possible for a coaching change to push a previously moribund program to some impressive heights in a short amount of time — but the improvement has been more incremental at Michigan State following Jonathan Smith's arrival. Sherrone Moore wasn't a completely unknown commodity at Michigan after he won some massive games in place of a suspended Jim Harbaugh last year. But in his first season completely at the helm, the Wolverines have declined significantly following their national title a season ago. The Big Ten is home to one of the most dynamic freshmen in the country in Ohio State receiver Jeremiah Smith. He has 52 catches for 899 yards and nine touchdowns. Highly touted quarterback Dylan Raiola has teamed up with fellow freshman Jacory Barney (49 catches) to lead Nebraska to bowl eligibility. Ohio State is on track to land the Big Ten's top class, according to 247 Sports, but the big news recently was quarterback Bryce Underwood flipping from LSU to Michigan. If the Wolverines do in fact keep Underwood in his home state, that would be a big development for Moore.