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Staten Island lawmakers, baffled by the lack of information regarding large drones spotted in the tri-state area skies, are demanding action from the New York Police Department and Federal Bureau of Investigation. Staten Island President Vito Fossella claimed a drone flew over his house last night — but said he’s just as concerned about drones being spotted over critical city infrastructure like the Verrazano Bridge. Officials want to know why federal officials have been unable to answer questions about the drones. If the troubling situation is not some major international conspiracy , they said, it’s certainly at least a safety risk . “We believe there was a drone flying over the [Verrazano] bridge ... and we’re supposed to let it go? They [the feds] have an obligation to let us know what is going on,” Fossella told reporters on Friday morning. Fossella went as far as to say “there should be an executive order to let people shoot them down .” Staten Island officials reached out to the FBI and FAA last week after the first reported sighting of the drones, which have mostly been spotted over neighboring New Jersey in recent weeks, according to Fossella Congresswoman Nicole Malliotakis (R-NY) told The Post she was briefed on the situation yesterday. Federal authorities believe some of the reports are airplanes, but many of the lower-flying objects remained a mystery. She proposed flight restrictions in some of the sensitive areas but “quite frankly got a cookie cutter response.” Malliotakis is convinced that it’s either the US government testing some military or law enforcement technology — or the drones are a foreign entity. “I don’t believe that the United States of America, with its capabilities, does not know what is going on,” she said. “The best way to address this is just be honest. It’s our government or there is a foreign nexus. Either our government is doing some surveillance or surveying or some foreign government.” the congresswoman said. White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby dismissed concerns Wednesday , telling reporters that federal investigators have been unable to verify any of the 3,000-plus reports of car-size drones hovering in the night skies over the past several weeks. Staten Islanders first reported the strange objects in the sky last week, officials said. The aircraft have now been spotted above half the island. Multiple drones were spotted in the Bronx before dawn Thursday, leading frightened Big Apple residents to flood 911 with calls, police sources told The Post . New York Gov. Kathy Hochul confirmed her office was aware of drones flying over the city Friday. She echoed New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy’s comments saying there is no safety threat at this time. “We know New Yorkers have spotted drones in the air this week & we are investigating,” Hochul tweeted . “At this time, there’s no evidence that these drones pose a public safety or national security threat.”TOMS RIVER, N.J. (AP) — Gov. Phil Murphy has asked the Biden administration to put more resources into an investigation of mysterious drone sightings that have been reported in New Jersey and nearby states. Murphy, a Democrat, made the request in a letter Thursday, noting that state and local law enforcement remain “hamstrung” by existing laws and policies in their efforts to successfully counteract any nefarious activity of unmanned aircraft. He posted a copy of the letter on the social media platform X . “This leaves action surrounding the (drones) squarely on the shoulders of the federal government,” Murphy said. “More federal resources are needed to understand what is behind this activity.” Murphy and other officials have repeatedly stressed that there is no evidence that the aircraft pose a national security or a public safety threat, or have a foreign nexus. The Pentagon also has said they are not U.S. military drones. The drones have drawn intense public concern and curiosity since residents first reported seeing them last month. Assemblywoman Dawn Fantasia said from four to 180 aircraft have been reported to authorities since Nov. 18, appearing from dusk till 11 p.m. The flying objects have been spotted near the Picatinny Arsenal, a U.S. military research and manufacturing facility, and over President-elect Donald Trump’s golf course in Bedminster, but the number of reported sightings has grown greatly since then. Drones were also spotted in Pennsylvania, New York, Connecticut and other parts of the Mid-Atlantic region. The FBI, Federal Aviation Administration and other state and federal agencies involved in the investigation have not corroborated any of the reported sightings with electronic detection, and reviews of available images appear to show many of the reported drones are actually manned aircraft. They also say there have been no confirmed sightings in restricted air space. It’s also possible that a single drone has been seen and reported more than once, officials said. Some federal lawmakers have called on the military to “shoot down” the drones. The drones also appear to avoid detection by traditional methods such as helicopter and radio, according to a state lawmaker who was briefed by the Department of Homeland Security. In one case, a medevac helicopter was unable to pick up a seriously injured car accident victim in Branchburg Township in Somerset County late last month due to drones hovering near the planned landing zone, according to NJ.com. The FAA said Thursday that it does not have a report on this incident. Drones are legal in New Jersey for recreational and commercial use but are subject to local and FAA regulations and flight restrictions. Operators must be FAA certified. Witnesses say the drones they think they have seen in New Jersey appear to be larger than those typically used by hobbyists.
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The 17-year-old forward was introduced in the 78th minute of the Blues’ 3-1 victory over Astana, replacing Guiu. Mheuka joined Chelsea’s development squad in 2022 from Brighton and Hove Albion. Chelsea announced his arrival on their website and social media platforms. “As @TheSecretScout_ first reported last month, England youth international forward Shumaira Mheuka has completed his move from Brighton to Chelsea. “Mheuka is an Under-15 for the coming season but, having already played up at Under-18 level for Brighton, will continue on that accelerated trajectory at Chelsea. “He is not eligible for this season’s FA Youth Cup though,” Chelsea wrote. Following his impressive performances at Youth level, Mheuka has quickly risen through the ranks finding himself being named in the senior team’s match day squad. Mheuka, who is nicknamed Shim, was born in England to Zimbabwean parents. His father is the former Zimbabwe Saints attacking midfielder, Malcolm Mheuka.Lowey Dannenberg Notifies PACS Group, Inc. ("PACS Group", or the "Company") (NYSE: PACS) Investors of Securities Class Action Lawsuit and Encourages Investors with more than $100,000 in Losses to Contact the FirmMiddle East latest: Syrians celebrate Assad's fall as US seeks a peaceful political transition
Column: Belichick hire ignores 'The Carolina Way,' some UNC fans saySocial media users are misrepresenting a report released Thursday by the Justice Department inspector general's office, falsely claiming that it's proof the FBI orchestrated the Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021. The watchdog report examined a number of areas, including whether major intelligence failures preceded the riot and whether the FBI in some way provoked the violence. Claims spreading online focus on the report's finding that 26 FBI informants were in Washington for election-related protests on Jan. 6, including three who had been tasked with traveling to the city to report on others who were potentially planning to attend the events.
'Is This A Joke?': Don Lemon Slams Time For Making Trump 'Person Of The Year'DAMASCUS — Thousands of Syrians gathered Friday in Damascus' historic main mosque for the first Muslim Friday prayers since the ouster of President Bashar Assad, while giant crowds celebrated in the capital's largest square and across the country. The gatherings were a major symbolic moment for the dramatic change of power in Syria, nearly a week after insurgents swept into Damascus, ousting the Assad-led state that had ruled the country for a half century with an iron grip. It came as U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with allies around the region looking to shape the transition, calling for an “inclusive and non-sectarian” interim government. Blinken arrived in Iraq on a previously unannounced stop after talks in Jordan and Turkey — which backs some of the Syrian insurgent factions. So far, U.S. officials have not talked of direct meetings with Syria's new rulers. The main insurgent force, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, has been working to establish security and start a political transition after seizing Damascus early Sunday. The group has tried to reassure a public both stunned by Assad's fall and concerned over extremist jihadis among the rebels. The insurgents' leadership says it has broken with its extremist past, though HTS is still labeled a terrorist group by the United States and European countries. HTS's leader, Ahmad al-Sharaa, formerly known as Abu Mohammed al-Golani, appeared in a video message Friday congratulating “the great Syrian people for the victory of the blessed revolution.” “I invite them to head to the squares to show their happiness without shooting bullets and scaring people,” he said. “And then after we will work to build this country and as I said in the beginning, we will be victorious by the help of God.” Huge crowds, including some insurgents, packed Damascus' historic Umayyad Mosque in the capital's old city, many waving the rebel opposition flag — with its three red stars — which has swiftly replaced the Assad-era flag with with its two green stars. According to Arab TV stations, the Friday sermon was delivered by Mohammed al-Bashir, the interim prime minister installed by HTS this week. The scene resonated on multiple levels. The mosque, one of the world's oldest dating back some 1,200 years, is a beloved symbol of Syria, and sermons there like all mosque sermons across Syria had been tightly controlled under Assad's rule. Also, in the early days of the anti-government uprising in 2011, protesters would leave Friday prayers to march in rallies against Assad — before he launched a brutal crackdown that turned the uprising into a long and bloody civil war. “I didn’t step foot in Umayyad Mosque since 2011," because of the tight security controls around it, said one worshipper, Ibrahim al-Araby. “Since 11 or 12 years, I haven’t been this happy.” Another worshipper, Khair Taha, said there was “fear and trepidation for what’s to come — but there is also a lot of hope that now we have a say and we can try to build.” Blocks away in Damascus' biggest roundabout, named Umayyad Square, thousands gathered, including many families with small children — a sign of how, so far at least, the country's transformation has not seen violent instability. “Unified Syria to build Syria,” the crowd chanted. Some shouted slurs against Assad and his late father, calling them pigs, an insult that would have previously led to offenders being hauled off to one of the feared detention centers of Assad’s security forces. One man in the crowd, 51-year-old Khaled Abu Chahine — originally from the southern province of Daraa, where the 2011 uprising first erupted — said he hoped for “freedom and coexistence between all Syrians, Alawites, Sunnis, Shiites and Druze.” The interim prime minister, al-Bashir, had been the head of a de facto administration created by HTS in Idlib, the opposition's enclave in northwest Syria. The rebels had been bottled up in Idlib for years before fighters broke out in a shock offensive and marched across Syria in 10 days. Similar scenes of jubilation took place in major cities across Syria, including in Aleppo, Homs, Hama, Latakia and Raqqa. Al-Sharaa, HTS' leader, has promised to bring a pluralistic government to Syria, seeking to dispel fears among many Syrians — especially its many minority communities — that the insurgents will bring a hard-line, extremist rule. Another key factor will be winning international recognition for a new government in Syria, a country where multiple foreign powers have their hands in the mix. The Sunni Arab insurgents who overthrew Assad did so with vital help from Turkey, a longtime foe of the U.S.-backed Kurds . Turkey controls a strip of Syrian territory along the shared border and backs an insurgent faction uneasily allied to HTS — and is deeply opposed to any gains by Syria's Kurds. The U.S. has troops in eastern Syria to combat remnants of the Islamic State group and supports Kurdish-led fighters who rule most of the east. Since Assad's fall, Israel has bombed sites all over Syria, saying it is trying to prevent weapons from falling into extremist hands, and has seized a swath of southern Syria along the border with the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, calling it a buffer zone. After talks with Turkey’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Blinken said there was “broad agreement” between Turkey and the U.S. on what they would like to see in Syria. That starts with an "interim government in Syria, one that is inclusive and non-sectarian and one that protects the rights of minorities and women” and does not “pose any kind of threat to any of Syria’s neighbors,” Blinken said. Fidan said the priority was “establishing stability in Syria as soon as possible, preventing terrorism from gaining ground, and ensuring that IS and the PKK aren’t dominant” — referring to the Islamic State group and the Kurdistan Workers Party. Ankara considers the PKK within Turkey's borders a terrorist group — as it does the Kurdish-backed forces in Syria backed by the U.S. A U.S. official said that in Ankara, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Fidan both told Blinken that Kurdish attacks on Turkish positions would have to be responded to. The official spoke to reporters on condition of anonymity to discuss private diplomatic talks. The U.S. has been trying to limit such incidents in recent days and had helped organize an agreement to prevent confrontations around the northern Syrian town of Manbij, which was taken by Turkey-backed opposition fighters from the U.S.-backed Kurdish forces earlier this week. In Baghdad, Blinken met with Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed al-Sudani, saying both countries wanted to ensure the Islamic State group — also known by its Arabic acronym Daesh — doesn't exploit Syria's transition to re-emerge. “Having put Daesh back in its box, we can’t let it out, and we’re determined to make sure that that doesn’t happen," Blinken said. The U.S. official who briefed reporters said that Blinken had impressed upon al-Sudani the importance of Iraq exercising its full sovereignty over its territory and airspace to stop Iran from transporting weapons and equipment to Syria, either for Assad supporters or onward to the militant Hezbollah group in Lebanon. Lee reported from Ankara, Turkey. Associated Press writer Suzan Fraser in Ankara contributed to this report.New Jersey governor wants more federal resources for probe into drone sightingsNew Jersey governor wants more federal resources for probe into drone sightings
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UnitedHealth Group CEO admits more transparency is needed in insurance industryThe Seattle Seahawks placed leading rusher Kenneth Walker III on injured reserve due to an ankle injury and signed George Holani off the practice squad on Thursday afternoon. Walker had been ruled out earlier in the day ahead of Thursday's game against the host Chicago Bears. He returned from a two-game absence due to an ailing calf on Sunday before injuring his ankle in the Seahawks' 27-24 loss to the Minnesota Vikings. Zach Charbonnet is set to shoulder the load in the backfield for the Seahawks (8-7), who have lost two in a row heading into Thursday's game against the Bears (4-11). Seattle is in a must-win situation. Even if the Seahawks can top Chicago and beat the Los Angeles Rams in Week 18, they still might miss out on the postseason because of the strength-of-victory tiebreaker. Walker, 24, leads Seattle in carries (153) and rushing yards (573) to go along with seven rushing touchdowns. Charbonnet, 23, has a team-best eight rushing touchdowns to go along with 106 carries for 453 yards. Holani, who turned 25 on Dec. 16, has three carries for 10 yards in three games this season. He is an undrafted rookie out of Boise State. The Seahawks also ruled out tight end Brady Russell (foot) and safety K'Von Wallace (ankle) for Thursday's game. Cornerback Artie Burns was elevated from the practice squad to the active roster for the contest. The Bears will be without defensive backs Elijah Hicks (ankle/foot) and Tarvarius Moore (knee), running back Travis Homer (hamstring) and offensive lineman Teven Jenkins (calf). --Field Level MediaDelhi: The Centre will continue to make budgetary allocations , keeping in mind the goal to make India a developed nation by 2047, as set by Prime Minister Narendra Modi , as it has already done in recent years, minister of state for finance Pankaj Chaudhary said on Friday. The Budget for 2025-26 is expected to be presented on February 1 next year. The Modi government, he stressed, has consistently raised its capital spending to bolster infrastructure creation over the past five years and aims to realise the 2024-25 capex target of ₹11.11 lakh crore. In fact, the Centre's capex outlay has more than doubled since 2021-22, Chaudhary told reporters in the capital. According to a Niti Aayog vision document for a developed India, the country needs to emerge as a $30 trillion economy with a per capita income of $18,000 a year by 2047. This will mean India's GDP would have to grow nine times and the per capita income 8 times from the current levels, Chaudhary said India's road, air and rail connectivity has seen substantial improvement over the past decade, accelerating economic growth and benefiting the public directly. 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View Program The national highway network has grown 1.6 times since 2014 to 1,46,195 km by November 2024, he said. Under phase 1 of the Bharatmala Project, national highways of 18,714 km have been completed, of the 34,800-km target. The length of high-speed corridors jumped to 2,474 km in 2024 from just 93 km a decade ago. Similarly, the total length of four-lane or wider national highways surged to nearly 45,900 km from 18,300 km during this period. The government has also identified 35 strategic locations for development to bolster transportation efficiency and strengthen seamless freight movement. These steps highlight the government's bid to create world-class transportation infrastructure, boost economic progress and improve the ease of living for citizens, the minister said. Nominations for ET MSME Awards are now open. The last day to apply is December 15, 2024. Click here to submit your entry for any one or more of the 22 categories and stand a chance to win a prestigious award. (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel )