bookmaker synonym

Ukraine must be placed in the “strongest possible position for negotiations” to end the war with Russia, Sir Keir Starmer has said. The Prime Minister insisted the UK will back Ukraine “for as long as it takes” as he made a speech at the Lord Mayor’s Banquet in London, but for the first time acknowledged the conflict could move towards a negotiated end. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has in recent weeks suggested he is open to a possible ceasefire with Vladimir Putin’s Russia. Kyiv and its European allies meanwhile fear the advent of Donald Trump’s return to the White House could result in American aid being halted. President-elect Trump has said he would prefer to move towards a peace deal, and has claimed he could end the conflict on “day one” of his time in power. As he attempts to strike up a good relationship with the incoming president, Sir Keir revealed he had told Mr Trump the UK “will invest more deeply than ever in this transatlantic bond with our American friends in the years to come”. In his speech at London’s Guildhall, the Prime Minister said there is “no question it is right we support Ukraine”, as the UK’s aid to Kyiv is “deeply in our self-interest”. Allowing Russia to win the war would mean “other autocrats would believe they can follow Putin’s example,” he warned. Sir Keir added: “So we must continue to back Ukraine and do what it takes to support their self-defence for as long as it takes. “To put Ukraine in the strongest possible position for negotiations so they can secure a just and lasting peace on their terms that guarantees their security, independence, and right to choose their own future.” Mr Zelensky told Sky News over the weekend he would be open to speaking with Mr Putin, but branded the Russian president a “terrorist”. He also suggested Ukrainian territory under his control should be taken under the “Nato umbrella” to try to stop the “hot stage” of the war with Russia. In a banquet speech focused on foreign affairs, the Prime Minister said it was “plain wrong” to suggest the UK must choose between its allies, adding: “I reject it utterly. “(Clement) Attlee did not choose between allies. (Winston) Churchill did not choose. “The national interest demands that we work with both.” Sir Keir said the UK and the US were “intertwined” when it came to commerce, technology and security. The Prime Minister added: “That’s why, when President Trump graciously hosted me for dinner in Trump Tower, I told him that we will invest more deeply than ever in this transatlantic bond with our American friends in the years to come.” He also repeated his commitment to “rebuild our ties with Europe” and insisted he was right to try to build closer links with China. “It is remarkable that until I met President Xi last month there had been no face-to-face meeting between British and Chinese leaders for six years,” the Prime Minister said. “We can’t simply look the other way. We need to engage. To co-operate, to compete and to challenge on growth, on security concerns, on climate as well as addressing our differences in a full and frank way on issues like Hong Kong, human rights, and sanctions on our parliamentarians,” he added. The Prime Minister said he wants Britain’s role in the world to be that of “a constant and responsible actor in turbulent times”. He added: “To be the soundest ally and to be determined, always, in everything we do. “Every exchange we have with other nations, every agreement we enter into to deliver for the British people and show, beyond doubt, that Britain is back.” Ahead of Sir Keir’s speech, Lord Mayor Alastair King urged the Prime Minister and his Government to loosen regulations on the City of London to help it maintain its competitive edge. In an echo of Sir Keir’s commitment to drive the UK’s economic growth, the Lord Mayor said: “The idealist will dream of growth, but the pragmatist understands that our most effective machinery to drive growth is here in the City, in the hands of some of the brightest and most committed people that you will find anywhere in the world.” We do not moderate comments, but we expect readers to adhere to certain rules in the interests of open and accountable debate.Daniel Silva of Buchalter Law Firm believes that the Adani Group is likely to face significant restrictions, including the exclusion from raising capital in US markets due to the indictment order. In an interview to CNBC-TV18, Silva highlighted that financial institutions, particularly in the US, are likely to be reluctant to lend or maintain banking relationships due to the heightened risks associated with the criminal and securities fraud investigations. A US court has indicted Gautam Adani , his nephew Sagar Adani, and several other officials for allegedly bribing Indian government officials to secure solar energy contracts. The indictment claims that Adani paid over ₹2,000 crore in bribes, including ₹1,750 crore to a senior official in the Andhra Pradesh government. The Adani group is also accused of hiding information regarding an FBI investigation to Indian financial institutions and investors. Silva noted that Adani Group has already experienced substantial financial repercussions, including a decline in stock value and the cancellation of major contracts, such as a key deal in Kenya post the indictment. However, drawing parallels to past high-profile cases like Siemens and Oracle, Silva suggests that the Adani Group could eventually face large financial settlements as part of a potential resolution to the charges. Below is the verbatim transcript of the interview. Q: Give us a sense of the seriousness of these charges. And when do you think ordinarily, this investigation would have begun, and would all the defendants in this case have already been notified about this investigation and given a notice to join the probe. Silva: The investigation would have started years ago, most likely two or three years ago. Some of these international investigations of complex international frauds, which are what the allegations show, take a very long time. In this case, based on the indictment and the other public information, it's clear that the investigators and prosecutors have obtained co-operators. This is individuals who may have engaged in some type of criminal conduct or assisted in the criminal conduct, and have assisted by providing information, communications, financial transactions and other insights into the alleged bribery scheme. In terms of how serious this is, it really does not get any more serious than this. There is a widespread multi 100-million-dollar bribery scheme, fraud scheme, securities fraud scheme, and obstruction of the actual investigation in the United States. Regarding your question about whether or not all of the individuals indicted would have been contacted in advance of the indictment. Typically, yes, they would have, but at this point, it's unclear whether or not they would have been, especially in light of the allegation that there was a conspiracy to obstruct the investigation. Typically, when that happens, they won't reach out to the people who themselves are attempting to undermine that investigation. Q: I would also like to ask you about the manner in which some of these cases have been settled in the past, Siemens, Oracle for example, these are companies which had been charged for bribing officials across the world, including in India, those cases were eventually settled for millions of dollars. How do you think this could proceed? And do you think eventually this would also reach a settlement? Silva: What's interesting is no entity, no company, whether in the United States, India, or anywhere where else in the world, is named in the indictment. What that suggests to me is that the resolution, as you propose, in the same vein as Siemens, there might be an additional conversation happening separately from the individual indictments. What that means is, in the United States, an entity has its own liability, has its own potential criminal exposure, and so it will have its own attorneys who will most likely be negotiating with the US authorities to resolve that. One extra point is it's not only the company's criminal liability and the individual's criminal liability. There's also an SEC complaint that was filed, and so there's also securities issues, so there's most likely very complex, expansive negotiations happening, both on the criminal level and at the securities level. Q: How does this impact the future possibility of the companies of the defendants mentioned in the indictment and in the SEC investigation their ability to raise capital globally, and will the banks which have given them capital in the US, do you think they will also be brought into this investigation, and would documents and evidence be sought from them as well? Silva: Yes, there is no doubt that the financial institutions involved in the underlying financing or promoting the securities in this indictment have already been contacted and are already providing information - these are the financial transactions, these are the communications, these are any interactions with the defendants or the unindicted co-conspirators in this case. In terms of the Adani Group, they have already suffered financial impacts in terms of the reduction of their stock price. I believe one contract in Kenya was already cancelled. So there's hundreds of millions of dollars of revenue that will be lost. In addition, because of the nature of the securities allegations, there is also the potential that they will be restricted or excluded from raising money on US markets. And then the final issue is similar to the Kenyan government's desire to no longer engage in any contracts with the Adani Group. A lot of financial institutions, particularly in the United States, will be concerned with financing or any type of lending or banking relationship with any company affiliated with the Adani Group, for the simple reason that they are potentially in the middle of a criminal and securities fraud investigation and prosecution, meaning that increases the risks massively for the financial institutions who never want to take very many risks, more than they have to and tend to be much more conservative in issues like this.Wordle hint and answer today #1290 (December 30 2024)bookmaker synonym 。

None

THE Covid-19 pandemic was one of the darkest periods in modern day history. And yet the lightning speed at which people have resumed their lives has given the illusion that the global outbreak along with the periods of lockdown, isolation, social distancing, vaccination drives, high mortality rates and daily Covid updates were just all part of a bad distant memory. First-time author and Covid-19 survivor Allan Rai is determined never to forget, but to honour the lives lost and inspire persons like him who were once at death’s door and were fortunate enough to get a second lease on life. PERSONAL MEMOIR: Allan Rai’s personal memoir Breath of Resilience in the Face of Death. In his deeply personal memoir Breath of Resilience in the Face of Death which was launched on December 8, Rai gives a harrowing, behind-the-scenes account of his weeks-long hospitalisation. The pages of his book are like an emotional exploration of the delicate balance between life’s fragility and the resilience of the human spirit. Rai was employed as an essential worker when the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared Covid-19 a global pandemic. He received one shot of the Sinopharm vaccine but shortly before he was due to receive his second dose, Rai fell sick with flu-like symptoms. “I was struggling to breathe and couldn’t walk or stand up and I had this violent cough,” he tells the Express. That was the beginning of the longest day in Rai’s life. He and his family got tested for Covid and about four hours later he received a call and an e-mail informing him that the tests were negative. Rai googled his symptoms and the results all pointed to pneumonia, but when a friend of his who is also a doctor visited Rai, she urged him to go to the hospital immediately. After a private hospital refused to admit anyone with flu-like symptoms, Rai ended up at the Arima District Hospital where it was confirmed that he had Covid. He was placed in a wheelchair with an oxygen tank before being transferred to a room. The last thing he remembers from that 24-hour ordeal was a prisoner, also sick with flu-life symptoms, being led into the room and handcuffed to a bed by a prison officer whose parting words to him were: “I’m not getting sick because of you.” In the days that followed, it was impossible for Rai to breathe on his own, he was hooked up to a ventilator and eventually transferred to Caura hospital where he drifted in and out of consciousness. Rai lost all motor skills and developed blood clots in his lungs and kidneys; on two occasions the medical staff told his family to prepare for the worst. Teens from a nearby children’s home were recruited to assist patients and take them to the washrooms but Rai recalls that sometimes fights would break out among the boys and drip stands were used as weapons. One night while Trinidad was under a tropical storm watch, lightning struck a tree which brought down an electrical cable, plunging the hospital in darkness. With the power cut off, there was no oxygen supply for him and others whose survival depended on it. After 18 days, doctors determined that Rai could go home and continue his recovery. But his feelings of joy at having cheated death were deflated when he learned that his father was admitted into the Intensive Care Unit at the Arima District Hospital with Covid-19. After spending three months in the ICU, his father returned home and made a full recovery, he resumed driving and exercising around the savannah. As for Rai, his mortal enemy is anything more than two flights of stairs; as a result of Covid-19, he still has difficulties breathing. Even though he almost lost his life to Covid, Rai does not regret having the virus. In fact, he says his life and mindset have changed for the better since 2021. “Covid humbled me,” he says. “When I was on oxygen and couldn’t move my legs or hands, all I cared about were my loved ones, not the bills, my vehicle or loans.” It also taught Rai to be grateful for life — he remembers persons dressed in hazmat suits removing the bodies of patients who just hours earlier were talking to Rai about their lives and families. Rai also emerged from his ordeal with a greater appreciation for the medical staff who cared for him. He recalls that while suffering from a terrible fever, one of the nurses wheeled him to the washroom at midnight and put him under a cold shower before wrapping him in a wet towel to break his fever. “I will never forget that nurse for saving my life,” he says. However, Rai believes that in the years since the pandemic, the world has moved on too quickly and has for the most part forgotten what happened during those dark days, weeks and months. The word “pandemic” has become somewhat taboo, he says. At the start of 2024, Rai, who always had ambitions of becoming a writer, made a promise to himself that he would start writing his experiences and publish his book by the end of the year. “My memoir provides closure to families who have lost loved ones,” says Rai. “The pandemic must never be forgotten, we must make sure that the people who died, did not die in vain. My experiences could also be relatable to persons who have been through the same things. I also want to remind people that at a time when our health and freedom were at risk, when lives were being lost, we as a nation survived. And we should be proud of that.” Rai is convinced that his mental resilience, his refusal to never take “no” for an answer, and the moral support he received via encouraging messages from his family and friends, are what helped him survive. “I hope my story encourages people to never give up. Whatever trials you are going through, view it as a lesson and use it to make yourself a better person. Appreciate your loved ones and try to be more kind and understanding towards others,” he says. Breath of Resilience in the Face of Death is available on Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble. Hardcopies will also be available from January 17, 2025. For more info, e-mail Allan Rai at allanrai54@gmail.com or contact him on Instagram, Facebook or TikTok: @allan_n_rai

Meta shares hit record high after US appeals court upholds TikTok banRetailers anticipating big Cyber Monday after record Black Friday sales