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6,000 inmates escape from a high-security prison as post-election violence roils Mozambique

AbbVie Inc. stock rises Friday, still underperforms marketMAPUTO, Mozambique. (AP) — At least 6,000 inmates escaped from a high-security prison in Mozambique’s capital on Christmas Day after a rebellion, the country's police chief said, as widespread post-election riots and violence are roiling the country. Police chief Bernardino Rafael said 33 prisoners died and 15 others were injured during a confrontation with the security forces. The prisoners fled during violent protests that have seen police cars, stations and infrastructure destroyed after the country’s Constitutional Council confirmed the ruling Frelimo party as the winner of the Oct. 9 elections. The escape from the Maputo Central Prison, located 14 kilometers (9 miles) southwest of the capital, started around midday on Wednesday after “agitation” by a “group of subversive protesters” nearby, Rafael said. Some of the prisoners at the facility snatched weapons from the guards and started freeing other detainees. “A curious fact is that in that prison we had 29 convicted terrorists, who they released. We are worried, as a country, as Mozambicans, as members of the defense and security forces,” said Rafael. “They (protesters) were making noise, demanding that they be able to remove the prisoners who are there serving their sentences”, said Rafael, adding that the protests led to the collapse of a wall, allowing the prisoners to flee. Story continues below video He called on the escaped prisoners to surrender to authorities and for the population to be informed about the fugitives. Videos circulating on social media show the moment inmates left the prison, while other recordings reveal captures made by military personnel and prison guards. Many prisoners tried to hide in homes, but some were unsuccessful and ended up being detained again. In one video, a prisoner still with handcuffs on his right wrist says he was held n the disciplinary section of the prison and was released by other inmates. Violence has engulfed Mozambique since the country’s highest court confirmed ruling Frelimo party presidential candidate Daniel Chapo as the winner of disputed Oct. 9 elections on Monday. Mozambique's Interior Minister Pascoal Ronda told a news conference in Maputo late Tuesday that the violence was led by mostly youthful supporters of losing candidate Venancio Mondlane, who received 24% of the vote, second to Chapo, who got 65%. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is concerned at the violence and urges all political leaders and relevant parties “to defuse tensions including through meaningful dialogue (and) legal redress,” U.N. associate spokesperson Stephanie Tremblay said Thursday. The U.N. chief also calls for a halt to the violence and redoubled efforts “to seek a peaceful resolution to the ongoing crisis,” she said.

Macron, refusing to resign, struggles on in search for stable French government

"Too many of our people worship a false ideal, and that ideal is called Zionism. It takes our biblical story and turns it into colonialism and genocide. From the start, Zionism has violated human freedom and killed Palestinian children," accuses Naomi Klein, the Canadian activist and author. "October 7 was an act of military resistance. It is neither terrorism nor antisemitism – it was an attack on Israelis," claims prominent American philosopher and gender theorist Judith Butler. Though long associated with feminist values, Butler questioned reports of sexual assaults and rapes during the October attack in Israel, stating: "We want to see proof that these events occurred. It’s not a crime to demand evidence of rape and assault." "The military operation in Gaza goes far beyond self-defense. It enters the realm of collective punishment," analyzes Dr. Norman Finkelstein, a political scientist and outspoken critic of Israel. Finkelstein, who has previously referred to Gaza as a "concentration camp," described the October 7 events as "heroic." What ties these harsh criticisms together is their source: They all come from Jews. These individuals, often labeled "self-hating Jews" or "antisemitic Jews," belong to a phenomenon that has accompanied the Jewish people for generations, reappearing at critical junctions in history. Since the establishment of the State of Israel, anti-Zionist Jews have not hesitated to attack it, questioning the concept of Jewish self-determination and even the legitimacy of Israel's founding. Roots of Anti-Zionist Jewish criticism How can one explain the phenomenon of Jews opposing the legitimacy of Israel? Professor Maoz Azaryahu of the University of Haifa, head of the Herzl Institute for the Study of Zionism, explains: "What we’re seeing now, after the October 7 attack, is the same narrative dominating the global radical left for years – anti-Zionism on steroids. It aligns perfectly with old Catholic ideology, which is why it resonates strongly in countries like Spain and Ireland. Today, anti-Zionism is a socially acceptable stance among educated circles and global academia. From their perspective, Zionism is a moral injustice that should be eradicated." ( Naomi Klein denounces 'false Zionism' ) Azaryahu continues: "When Jews openly and vehemently oppose Zionism, it’s a sign of an antisemitic climate. These are Jews who feel the need to say, ‘We are not them – they are the bad Jews; we are the good ones.’" Why has Zionism become such a global obsession? "I think their obsession with Israel stems from the country’s success," Azaryahu posits. "Israel is one of the last nation-states to emerge, and the radical left is inherently against the idea of the nation-state. According to their thesis, Israel was ‘born in sin.’ That’s their entire story: the sin is the Nakba, and what is born in sin must be erased. In their eyes, there was a Palestinian people here, and suddenly imperialist nations and Jewish-Zionist colonialism collaborated to dispossess the Palestinian Arab people, leading to the establishment of Israel. That’s their narrative." Even if historical events occurred as they claim, what do they expect to happen now, in 2024? What, in their view, could 'correct' this so-called sin? "They want a state of all its citizens, something akin to Syria or Lebanon. Then October 7 comes along, delivering a massive slap in the face, as they see the reality of their ‘dream.’ October 7 proves that their solution – a state where everyone coexists peacefully without a Jewish or Zionist identity – cannot materialize. Perhaps that’s their greatest fear because they’ve received a stark reflection of what would happen here without borders or an IDF. The anti-Zionists have built an 80-story tower of arguments against Israel, but the problem is their theories lack a ground floor. That’s why October 7 is so horrifying for them, and why they try to downplay or deny parts of the attack, shifting the focus to Israel’s response." Naomi Klein and the politics of memory One of the most prominent Jewish voices against Israel is Naomi Klein, a Canadian journalist and author well-known in radical leftist circles. In a recent article in The Guardian, Klein argued that Israel’s "commemoration industry" surrounding the events of October 7 is an attempt to weaponize trauma to justify its actions in Gaza. ( 'October 7 was uprising': Judith Butler ) "To understand her argument, you first need to understand where Klein is coming from," explains Azaryahu. "She belongs to a school of thought that divides the world into two categories: victims and aggressors. The intellectual battle is over who qualifies as the victim, as the victim is seen as the moral victor. In their worldview, Jews in Israel are not allowed to claim victimhood. When we assert that we were the target of a brutal attack, she accuses us of deception because, in her view, we are inherently the aggressors – ‘white colonialists.’ We’re playing a role that, according to her, doesn’t belong to us. Essentially, she’s ordering us: ‘Don’t touch my victims, the Gazans.’" Klein goes further, claiming that Israel’s memorial efforts – such as ceremonies, monuments, songs, tours of affected areas, and exhibitions like the Nova music festival memorial – are merely tactics to shock the public and legitimize Israel's military response. As a scholar of commemoration, Azaryahu sees this as Klein’s attempt to protect her constructed narrative of victimhood. "What she’s saying is that to preserve her victims' narrative, she must deny what happened on October 7. This borders on Holocaust denial. ‘Don’t recount what happened because it detracts attention from the real victims.’" A culture of commemoration Israelis engage in extensive and diverse forms of commemoration, according to Azaryahu. "Commemoration is part of Israel’s cultural DNA," the professor explains. "It’s a deeply ingrained sense of obligation to memory that transcends politics or the current conflict in Gaza. This commitment to remembrance dates back to 1945, immediately after the Holocaust, when Jewish communities sought to document the world that was destroyed and the crimes committed. 1 View gallery Norman Finkelstein ( Photo: A Katz / Shutterstock.com ) "It’s intrinsic to Israeli culture and has nothing to do with Klein’s political critiques. Who is Naomi Klein to dictate to families and communities how they should remember and mourn? Political arguments against the state are one thing, but she has no right to interfere with communal or familial remembrance." Technological advancements have also influenced modern commemoration practices. "In the past, during the Holocaust or the Yom Kippur War, there was no TikTok or WhatsApp. Today, we have tools that allow for one-to-one documentation, creating vivid memorials. These aren’t politically motivated but arise organically from people’s desire to remember and show exactly what happened." Get the Ynetnews app on your smartphone: Google Play : https://bit.ly/4eJ37pE | Apple App Store : https://bit.ly/3ZL7iNv Israel indeed leads the world in commemoration efforts, with more memorials per capita and per square kilometer than any other country. "It’s part of our cultural tradition, perhaps because we are an ancient people with a long memory. The detailed documentation of every incident from October 7 may also stem from a need to counter denial narratives, a lesson learned from Holocaust denial efforts." Jewish schism over Zionism In Israel and the broader Jewish world, many are grappling with the question of why some Jews so aggressively oppose the Jewish state. For Azaryahu, "Jews who publicly and vehemently oppose Zionism are often responding to antisemitic pressures. They feel the need to declare, ‘We aren’t like them – the bad Jews. We’re the good ones.’ Today, the barriers against antisemitism have collapsed, and some Jews feel compelled to align themselves with what they see as the ‘just side.’" Israeli response to such critics often points to a harsh reality: When antisemites come for the Jews, they won’t differentiate between "good" and "bad" Jews. Azaryahu recalls a debate he once had with a Jewish woman from England: "She was criticizing me over various things Israel does. I finally told her, ‘Don’t worry – if things get bad and they come for you in England, you’ll always have a place here under the Law of Return.’ You should’ve seen her face – it was priceless," he laughs. >Biden pledges £472m for rail project to improve access to Africa’s minerals

NoneDecking the halls for the Christmas Cheer Breakfast

A top White House official on Wednesday said at least eight U.S. telecom firms and dozens of nations have been impacted by a Chinese hacking campaign. Deputy national security adviser Anne Neuberger offered new details about the breadth of the sprawling Chinese hacking campaign that gave officials in Beijing access to private texts and phone conversations of an unknown number of Americans. Neuberger divulged the scope of the hack a day after the FBI and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency issued guidance intended to help root out the hackers and prevent similar cyberespionage in the future. White House officials cautioned that a number of telecommunication firms and countries impacted could still grow. The U.S. believes that the hackers were able to gain access to communications of senior U.S. government officials and prominent political figures through the hack, Neuberger said. “We don’t believe any classified communications has been compromised,” Neuberger added during a call with reporters. She added that Biden has been briefed on the findings and that the White House “has made it a priority for the federal government to do everything it can to get to the bottom this.” The Chinese embassy in Washington on Tuesday rejected the accusations that it was responsible for the hack after the U.S. federal authorities issued new guidance. “The U.S. needs to stop its own cyberattacks against other countries and refrain from using cyber security to smear and slander China,” embassy spokesperson Liu Pengyu said. The embassy did not immediately respond to messages on Wednesday.NEW YORK (AP) — Richard Parsons, one of corporate America's most prominent Black executives who held top posts at Time Warner and Citigroup, died Thursday. He was 76. Parsons, who died at his Manhattan home, was diagnosed with multiple myeloma in 2015 and cited “unanticipated complications” from the disease for cutting back on work a few years later. The financial services company Lazard, where Parsons was a longtime board member, confirmed his death. The NBA, where Parsons was interim CEO of the Los Angeles Clippers in 2014, was among organizations offering condolences. “Dick Parsons was a brilliant and transformational leader and a giant of the media industry who led with integrity and never shied away from a challenge,” NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said. Parsons’ friend Ronald Lauder told The New York Times that the cause of death was cancer. Parsons stepped down Dec. 3 from the boards of Lazard and Lauder's company, Estée Lauder, citing health reasons. He had been on Estée Lauder’s board for 25 years. Parsons, a Brooklyn native who started college at 16, was named chairman of Citigroup in 2009, one month after leaving Time Warner Inc., where he helped restore the company’s stature following its much-maligned acquisition by internet provider America Online Inc. He steered Citigroup back to profit after financial turmoil from the subprime mortgage crisis, which upended the economy in 2007 and 2008. Parsons was named to the board of CBS in September 2018 but resigned a month later because of illness. Parsons said in a statement at the time that he was already dealing with multiple myeloma when he joined the board, but “unanticipated complications have created additional new challenges.” He said his doctors advised him to cut back on his commitments to ensure recovery. “Dick’s storied career embodied the finest traditions of American business leadership,” Lazard said in a statement. The company, where Parsons was a board member from 2012 until this month, praised his “unmistakable intelligence and his irresistible warmth.” “Dick was more than an iconic leader in Lazard’s history — he was a testament to how wisdom, warmth, and unwavering judgment could shape not just companies, but people’s lives,” the company said. “His legacy lives on in the countless leaders he counseled, the institutions he renewed, and the doors he opened for others.” Parsons was known as a skilled negotiator, a diplomat and a crisis manager. Although he was with Time Warner through its difficulties with AOL, he earned respect for the company and rebuilt its relations with Wall Street. He streamlined Time Warner’s structure, pared debt and sold Warner Music Group and a book publishing division. He also fended off a challenge from activist investor Carl Icahn in 2006 to break up the company and helped Time Warner reach settlements with investors and regulators over questionable accounting practices at AOL. Parsons joined Time Warner as president in 1995 after serving as chairman and chief executive of Dime Bancorp Inc., one of the largest U.S. thrift institutions. In 2001, after AOL used its fortunes as the leading provider of Internet access in the U.S. to buy Time Warner for $106 billion in stock, Parsons became co-chief operating officer with AOL executive Robert Pittman. In that role, he was in charge of the company’s content businesses, including movie studios and recorded music. He became CEO in 2002 with the retirement of Gerald Levin, one of the key architects of that merger. Parsons was named Time Warner chairman the following year, replacing AOL founder Steve Case, who had also championed the combination. The newly formed company’s Internet division quickly became a drag on Time Warner. The promised synergies between traditional and new media never materialized. AOL began seeing a reduction in subscribers in 2002 as Americans replaced dial-up connections with broadband from cable TV and phone companies. Parsons stepped down as CEO in 2007 and as chairman in 2008. A year later AOL split from Time Warner and began trading as a separate company, following years of struggles to reinvent itself as a business focused on advertising and content. Time Warner is now owned by AT&T Inc. A board member of Citigroup and its predecessor, Citibank, since 1996, Parsons was named chairman in 2009 at a time of turmoil for the financial institution. Citigroup had suffered five straight quarters of losses and received $45 billion in government aid. Its board had been criticized for allowing the bank to invest so heavily in the risky housing market. Citigroup returned to profit under Parsons, starting in 2010, and would not have a quarterly loss again until the fourth quarter of 2017. Parsons retired from that job in 2012. In 2014 he stepped in as interim CEO of the Clippers until Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer took over later that year. Parsons, a Republican, previously worked as a lawyer for Nelson Rockefeller, a former Republican governor of New York, and in Gerald Ford’s White House. Those early stints gave him grounding in politics and negotiations. He also was an economic adviser on President Barack Obama’s transition team. Parsons, who loved jazz and co-owned a Harlem jazz club, also served as Chairman of the Apollo Theater and the Jazz Foundation of America. And he held positions on the boards of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, the American Museum of Natural History and the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. Parsons played basketball at the University of Hawaii at Manoa and received his law degree from Albany Law School in 1971. He is survived by his wife, Laura, and their family. ___ This obituary was primarily written by the late Associated Press reporter Anick Jesdanun, who died in 2020 .

None( ) just reported the fiscal fourth quarter (Q4) and full-year 2024 results that disappointed the market. Investors are wondering if the pullback in the stock on the earnings news is a good opportunity to add BNS stock to a self-directed Tax-Free Savings Account (TFSA) or (RRSP) portfolio. Bank of Nova Scotia share price Bank of Nova Scotia trades near $77 per share at the time of writing. The stock is off the 12-month high near $80 but is still up more than 20% in 2025. The bank is in a transition phase, which was launched by its new chief executive officer last year. Bank of Nova Scotia is shifting its growth strategy away from South America to focus more on Canada, the United States, and Mexico. In the past, the bank spent billions of dollars to acquire assets in Chile, Colombia, and Peru. These countries, along with Mexico, make up the core of the Pacific Alliance trade bloc that enables the free movement of goods, services, and capital among the member markets. The attraction for the bank has always been the growth potential as the middle class expands in these countries. Combined, they have a total population of more than 230 million with low bank services penetration compared to Canada. Economic and political turbulence, however, increases risks in these markets. That’s probably the reason investors have largely preferred the other big Canadian banks for several years. The new strategy of focusing on North American opportunities is designed to boost investors’ returns. In recent months, Bank of Nova Scotia announced a US$$2.8 billion deal to acquire a 14.9% stake in KeyCorp, a U.S. regional bank. The move gives Bank of Nova Scotia a platform to expand its American operations. Bank of Nova Scotia has also created a new executive position to oversee expansion in Quebec. Earnings Bank of Nova Scotia generated adjusted net income of $2.12 billion in fiscal Q4 2024 compared to $1.64 billion in the same period last year. For fiscal 2024, adjusted net income rose to $8.63 billion from $8.36 billion in 2023. Return on equity dipped slightly to 11.3% from 11.6%. Overall, the Q4 and full-year results are solid. Bank of Nova Scotia continues to maintain a strong capital position with a common equity tier-one (CET1) ratio of 13.1%. This gives the bank financial flexibility to ride out turbulence in the markets or to make additional acquisitions. The bank took a $430 million charge in the quarter related to a previous investment in China. Bank of Nova Scotia also reported fiscal Q4 provisions for credit losses (PCL) of $1.03 billion compared to $1.05 billion in the same period last year. Investors might have been hoping for a drop in PCL, given the cuts to interest rates in Canada and the United States in recent months. For fiscal 2024, PCL was $4.05 billion compared to $3.42 billion in 2023. The elevated PCL suggests that customers with too much debt are still struggling despite the decline in interest rates in the second half of this year. Risks High interest rates remain a headwind for the . Inflation rose in October in Canada and the U.S. after a steady decline over the past year. If the Trump administration moves ahead with planned tariffs next year, inflation in the U.S. could surge, potentially forcing the central bank to put rate cuts on hold. Tariffs would also put pressure on the Canadian economy. If the central banks are forced to slow down planned rate cuts or start to raise rates again, Bank of Nova Scotia and its peers might see defaults start to increase next year. Should you buy the dip? BNS stock is due for a pullback after the big gains this year. Given the uncertain outlook over the coming months, it might be best to wait for earnings reports from the other large Canadian banks to get a sense of where they see things headed in 2025. A better entry point might be on the horizon.Minnesota hunters registered 120,675 deer after the third weekend of the firearms deer season, up 6% from 2023, but down 4% from the five-year mean, or average, the Department of Natural Resources reported Tuesday, Nov. 26. Deer Season A opened Saturday, Nov. 9, and ended Nov. 17 in 200- and 300-series deer permit areas (DPAs) and continued through Nov. 24 in 100-series DPAs, which are mainly in the northern and northeastern part of the state. ADVERTISEMENT The Season B firearms deer season in 300-series DPAs opened Nov. 23 and continues through Sunday, Dec. 1. The firearms deer harvest by region after 16 days was as follows: According to Todd Froberg, big game program coordinator for the DNR at Whitewater Wildlife Management Area in Altura, Minnesota, the harvest really only increased in the Northwest, Northeast and Central regions during the rest of the 16-day season and then in the B season in the southeast part of the state. The 200-series DPAs only had the nine-day season, and there is only one DPA in the southwest region open during the ongoing B season, Froberg said. The cumulative harvest to date, which includes archery, firearm, early antlerless, youth and special hunts, was 153,390 deer, the DNR said. That’s up 3% from 2023, but down 6% from the five-year average and down 8% from the 10-year average. Cumulative tallies by region were as follows: In related deer hunting news, Minnesota archery hunters as of Tuesday had harvested 23,047 deer, Froberg said, up 12% from last year. Crossbows, which are legal for all archery hunters in Minnesota, are making up a greater percentage of the archery harvest, Froberg says. ADVERTISEMENT “Crossbows are making up 47% of (the) archery harvest,” he said. “For crossbow-specific harvest, we are up 24% compared to last year’s crossbow harvest. Vertical bow harvest is up 4% compared to last year’s vertical bow harvest.” Minnesota’s muzzleloader opens Saturday, Nov. 30, and continues through Sunday, Dec. 15. Archery season continues through Dec. 31. The DNR posts regular harvest updates, both statewide and by DPA, on its website at dnr.state.mn.us/mammals/deer/management/statistics.html.