bookmaker toast
Sira Thienou scores 16 points, No. 18 Ole Miss women coast to 89-24 win over Alabama StateATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) — New Jersey gambling regulators have handed out $40,000 in fines to two sportsbooks and a tech company for violations that included taking bets on unauthorized events, and on games that had already ended. In information made public Monday, the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement fined DraftKings $20,000. It also levied $10,000 fines on Rush Street Interactive NJ and the sports betting technology company Kambi. According to documents released by the state, Rush Street accepted 16 bets worth $1,523 in Nov. 2021 on a college basketball game between the University of North Carolina-Asheville and Tennessee Tech University after the game had already concluded with a UNC victory. Kambi told the enforcement division that a trader had failed to manually remove that game from its betting markets, saying it had stopped receiving messages from its own sports data provider due to a network connectivity error. Kambi said it has updated its guidelines and retrained its traders to prevent a recurrence. Kambi, which is based in Malta, did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment Monday. Rush Street declined comment, and DraftKings had no immediate comment Monday. DraftKings stopped using Kambi in 2021. In March 2022 Rush Street took seven bets totaling just under $2,900 on three Magic City Jai Alai games after the results were already known. Kambi told the division it experienced a connectivity issue that allowed the bets to be accepted after the games were over. An explanation of what Kambi did to address the situation was blacked out in documents released by the division. A month earlier Rush Street took 13 wagers worth $8,150 with pre-match odds on a Professional Golf Association match after the event had already begun. In this case, Kambi told the division a newly hired trader failed to enter the correct closing time time for bets on the event. The trader and a supervisor underwent retraining. DraftKings was fined for taking bets on unapproved events including Russian basketball for nine months in 2020 and 2021. It eventually voided over $61,000 in bets and returned the money to customers after being directed to do so by the state. In this case, Kambi told the division it misidentified this particular Russian basketball league as one that was approved for wagering in New Jersey. DraftKings told the state it did not catch the error, either. In 2020, DraftKings accepted 484 wagers on unapproved table tennis matches. Kambi incorrectly enabled the events for wagering without conditions required by the state, the division said. In Feb. 2022, the division said DraftKings took pre-season NFL bets involving specific players but did not give the state specific information on what information was to be included in the bets, drawing 182 wagers worth nearly $7,000 that were later voided and refunded to customers. Follow Wayne Parry on X at www.twitter.com/WayneParryAC"I want it to belong to Ukraine." Maguchikh aims to break Russian record
Stellar vs. Litecoin: Battle for Top 20 Crypto Spot Intensifies as Lunex Network Token Joins the RaceLANDOVER, Md. (AP) — For the second time this season, the Washington Commanders gave up points in the final two minutes of regulation and came back to win on a last-gasp touchdown. It was not a Hail Mary this time. Instead, it was rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels engineering a 57-yard drive and finding Jamison Crowder in the end zone with six seconds left on the clock to beat Philadelphia and get the Commanders to 10-5. “Just a regular Sunday afternoon again,” coach Dan Quinn said moments later. Quinn's team is now on the verge of making the playoffs after again showing its mettle in wacky, back-and-forth games with wild finishes. Playing in and winning those has sort of become Washington's calling card. “We didn’t flinch at all,” receiver Terry McLaurin said. “We didn’t panic. Not to say we did that in the past, but it was like, we’ve been here before. When you've been through something, you know what it looks like. You know what it feels like. You do everything it takes to get over the hump.” The Commanders have won three in a row, including holding on at New Orleans by stopping the Saints on a 2-point conversion attempt at the end of the fourth quarter. They're in the postseason if they beat Atlanta on Sunday night or if Tampa Bay loses to Carolina earlier in the day. But what has gotten this team so accustomed to falling behind, huddling up and getting the job done when it matters most? “I think we just believe in one another,” said six-time All-Pro linebacker Bobby Wagner , a Super Bowl champion in Seattle who's in his first season with Washington. “Coach Quinn puts in a lot of positions at practice, and we have confidence in everybody to make those plays. I think it just shows our confidence in one another and our confidence to pull the game out.” Daniels is an X-factor in that. The 2023 Heisman Trophy winner , No. 2 draft pick out of LSU and runaway favorite for AP Offensive Rookie of the Year may be from Southern California but seems to have ice water in his veins colder than the 31 degree Fahrenheit temperature during his comeback. “He was poised: cool, calm, collected under pressure,” Crowder said. “A lot of times you don’t get that from a lot of quarterbacks.” What’s working Practice makes perfect, apparently. When Daniels connected with Noah Brown on the Hail Mary TD to beat Chicago on Oct. 27, it went exactly as the offense planned after rehearsing it in practice the previous Friday. Daniels to Crowder was the same thing. “It’s crazy,” Crowder said. “Friday we actually ran it, and I caught the same pass. We got the same look that we thought we were going to get.” Crowder knew he needed to slip past the linebacker covering him and found a wide-open spot in the end zone. Then the muscle memory took over. “I had already hit this in practice, so it was time to just make the throw in the game,” Daniels said. “I just put the ball in the air, and he made the grab.” What needs help It's hard to turn the ball over five times and win a game, especially against a first-place team with the NFL's top defense, but that's exactly what the Commanders did. Daniels threw two interceptions — including one that set up Jake Elliott's field goal to put the Eagles up 33-28 with 1:58 left — while Brian Robinson Jr. fumbled twice rushing and Dyami Brown once after making a catch and turning to run upfield. “That’s not our standard at all,” McLaurin said. “We’ll get that cleaned up.” Stock up Crowder made one catch on one target for 5 yards in the season opener and played a combined 12 snaps in Weeks 1-3. A calf injury put him on injured reserve in early October, and that easily could have been it for the 31-year-old wideout in his second stint with Washington. Instead, Crowder rehabbed to get back on the active roster, and a kidney injury to Noah Brown opened the door for real playing time. After making three receptions for 27 yards in the victory at New Orleans, his two catches against the Eagles were touchdowns. “Being on the IR for as long as Jamison had been, it takes a lot of grit to stay in it,” Quinn said. "He might have been out of football technically for 2-3 months, and this is not an easy thing to do, so for him to come back and make the impact he’s had, that’s a man I respect a lot.” Crowder was a fourth-round pick in 2015 and played his first four seasons in Washington before three with the New York Jets, one with Buffalo and a return in the fall of 2023. He thinks watching from the sideline helped him dissect football better to give him a chance to make an impact on the field again. “I knew once I got my opportunity I’d be able to just fit right in,” Crowder said. Stock down Cornerback Marshon Lattimore affected the Saints game by not being thrown at once in 31 passing attempts in his Commanders debut against his former team. He struggled defending Philadelphia's A.J. Brown and was flagged three times for pass interference before aggravating the hamstring injury that kept him out since the trade from New Orleans and leaving the game. “I love his competitive nature, honestly, down on the field,” Quinn said. “It’d be good to see what the NFL says about one of the ones that they called a PI. Let’s find out, but he’s the type of person you want to put on that player.” Injuries Dyami Brown also left with a hamstring injury in the fourth quarter, and starting right tackle Andrew Wylie was sidelined by a groin injury. Those bear watching. Key number 1991 — The last year Washington started a season 10-5. It ended with the franchise's third Super Bowl championship. Next steps Get ready for prime time with No. 8 pick Michael Penix Jr. and the Falcons coming to town. The Commanders opened as a 4-point favorite on BetMGM Sportsbook. ___ AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl Stephen Whyno, The Associated PressEnvisioning India as a global skill supplier
None
Elias Cato scores 23 as Central Arkansas tops UNC Asheville 92-83 in double OTDaizen Maeda stunner continues Celtic Champions League charge as calamitous Carter Vickers bailed out - 5 talking points
Amazon’s Teamsters strike enters 5th day at 4 Southern California warehouses
Kobe Sanders, Nevada beat Oklahoma St. for fifth place in Charleston
None
NoneWhen COP29 President Mukhtar Babayev stepped to the podium at the closing meeting of the Baku climate summit on Sunday morning, hoping to clinch a hard-fought agreement on global climate finance, he carried with him two speeches. One was crafted around a hoped-for deal being struck, while the other for the possibility of a summit-collapsing impasse, according to two sources familiar with the matter who spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity. One of the sources — a person in the COP29 presidency — told Reuters that they worked through challenging negotiations until the last minute to ensure what it called the Baku Breakthrough, but still prepared different versions of the final speech for different possible outcomes. In the end, Babayev managed to gavel through the $300 billion finance plan to help developing nations cope with the soaring costs of global warming over the next decade before critics had time to object, allowing him to read the more positive speech. He praised the agreement as a breakthrough and shamed the deal’s doubters as “wrong,” even as many of the climate deal’s intended recipients slammed it as woefully inadequate . Babayev’s preparation for different outcomes at the divisive summit in the Caspian Sea nation of Azerbaijan reflected what many in the audience had already known before it began: the Baku climate talks were never going to go smoothly. Expectations for a deal were depressed by worries of a looming U.S. withdrawal from global climate cooperation, geopolitical turmoil, and a rise of isolationist politics that had shunted climate change off much of the world’s top priorities list. Those obstacles loomed large in Baku and will continue to overshadow global climate efforts in the months ahead as Brazil prepares for next year’s much broader conference in the Amazon rainforest city of Belem — where the world will plot a years-long course for steeper emission cuts and building resilience in the fight against climate change. “Multilateralism as a whole is under threat,” said Eliot Whittington, chief systems change officer at the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership. “Indeed, the UNFCCC is probably the bright spot — proving that even in the face of incredibly hostile geopolitics and on fundamentally difficult questions, a deal can be made,” he said, referring to the U.N. body sponsoring the annual climate summit. But the slow pace of progress, with global emissions still rising, has raised tensions and calls for reform. “This is something that needs to be looked at, when just a handful of countries, based on their own economic interests, can almost wreck the entire process,” Sierra Leone Environment Minister Jiwoh Abdulai told Reuters. Trump effect Among the biggest factors clouding the negotiations in Baku was the looming return of climate skeptic Donald Trump as president of the United States, the world’s biggest economy, largest historical emitter of greenhouse gases, and top producer of oil and gas. Trump, who takes office in January, has pledged to withdraw the United States from the global Paris Agreement on climate change, as he did during his first 2017-2021 term in the White House, and has called climate change a hoax. Negotiators at the Baku conference said that while the U.S. delegation had helped in coming up with the climate finance deal, the country was unable to take a high-profile leadership role like it has in past climate summits, and it could not provide assurances the next administration would honor its pledges. “With the United States, well, the voters have voted and that’s the way it is. What they’re going to do, we do not know,” South African Environment Minister Dion George said. U.S. officials at the COP29 conference sought to reassure global partners that market forces, existing federal subsidies, and state mandates would ensure continued renewable energy deployment even if Trump disengages from the global process. The war in Ukraine and rising conflict in the Middle East, meanwhile, have diverted global attention to security and energy availability, and led many governments to tighten their purse strings, experts said. That made getting a bigger climate finance number hard, observers to the talks said. “Even maintaining climate finance at current levels in the current political environment is a huge fight,” said Joe Thwaites, senior advocate on international climate finance at the Natural Resources Defense Council, an environmental group. The agreement to provide $300 billion annually by 2035 would theoretically triple rich countries’ previous commitments to provide $100 billion by 2020. That earlier goal was reached in full only in 2022, and expires in 2025. The unwillingness of wealthy countries to offer more money and the pressure to conclude even a weak deal ahead of more political turbulence became a major source of frustration for the least developed countries and small island states, who told the Baku conference they felt sidelined in the negotiations. At one point in the summit’s final stretch, negotiating blocs representing both groups walked out of talks in protest, delaying a deal by hours. “We came in good faith, with the safety of our communities and the well-being of the world at heart,” Tina Stege, the climate envoy for the Marshall Islands, said at the closing plenary. “Yet, we have seen the very worst of political opportunism here at this COP, playing games with the lives of the world’s most vulnerable people.” India’s envoy, Chandni Raina, used her time to roundly reject the climate finance deal gaveled through by Babayev. “We are disappointed in the outcome which clearly brings out the unwillingness of the developed country parties to fulfil their responsibilities,” she told the summit. Climate advocates said that, while the deal is better than an outright impasse, the rifts exposed by the conference as well as the loss of trust in the process among poorer countries will pose a problem for Brazil as it prepares for COP30. “I think this is a toxic chalice for Belem, and it’s going to be up to Brazil how they’re going to restore the trust,” said Oscar Sorria, director of the Common Initiative, a think tank focused on global financial reform.
In my role as the Word Man for Sky News I have been asked repeatedly to explain the word “woke”. And I have done my best—on ‘Credlin’ and elsewhere. But the same question keeps coming up. I have explained the history of the word (and I’ll summarise that history below) and talked about how the word is used. But still people remained puzzled, and keep asking me the question—so clearly more explanation is needed. Now, after much thought, I think I’ve nailed it. The word “woke” now means “snob”. “Wokeness” is the new snobbery. Anyone who is comfortable with the label “woke” feels superior, and looks down on the rest of as intellectually (and morally) inferior. Next to them we are mental and moral midgets. The “woke” believe they can see far more than us mere peasants, and that while we are driven by dumb, narrow-minded prejudice, they (and they alone) are morally enlightened. They are superior—we are inferior. Hence, the “woke” are the new snobs. How do I reach that conclusion? Well, it starts with the history of the word. This word (originally the past participle of the verb “to wake”) means ‘fully alert; awake to the world around us; aware.’ Used in this way “woke” comes from Black American English. It’s first recorded in this way in 1891. The earliest citation is from Joel Chandler Harris (the man who gave us Uncle Remus, Br’er Rabbit and the tar baby). Writing in 1891 in a story called ‘Balaam’s Ass’ he spoke of an unaware person by saying “he ain’t woke good yet”. For the next 60 or 70 years it remained exclusively part of Black English in America. Then it was taken up by trendy left-wing white people— “politically correct” people— around the world. They now use the term “woke” to describe themselves to claim they see more than others, they are aware of more than others, and know more than others. The rest of us peasants are not “a wake up” to what’s really going on, and that makes the “woke” the smartest people in the room. To give you an example: when “woke” people defend the right of biological males to compete in women’s sport—they believe they have a better grasp than their opponents of the intellectual truth about the concept of ‘gender’ and they are disgusted by what they see as the immorality of a trans-gender person (born male, now identifying as female) being denied the right to anything less than total acceptance in the world of women (including women’s sports, change rooms, toilets and so on). Anyone who disagrees with them is dismissed as being blind to the moral rights (to the basic human rights) of trans people. Such opponents, the “woke” believe, are morally and intellectually inferior. In other words “woke” now equals ‘snob’! That’s my new definition. The dominant form of snobbery, the most fashionable form of snobbery, is being “woke”. And the “woke” know how good they are, and feel smug, and superior and quite comfortable with their snobbery. When Tanya Plibersek cancels a $1 billion dollar gold mine, costing thousands of jobs and costing the New South Wales economy enormous benefits, she does so feeling smug and superior. The reason she gives is an Aboriginal mythological belief, but she knows better than the rest of us peasants and knows that she is right, and we are wrong. That’s the new snobbery. If an Aboriginal mythology says that a certain place is the home of the ‘sprit of the blue banded bee’ then all economic and industrial development in that place must come to halt. If you can’t understand that then you have the intellectual and moral reasoning capacity of a lizard—and a fairly dumb lizard at that. She is superior, you are inferior. You must accept your place in society and submit to wiser and smarter judgement. That is the new snobbery. And that is the meaning of the word “woke”. In much the same way, Chris Bowen is a snob when it comes to renewable power. He speaks as if he is vastly superior to anyone who is dumb enough to disagree with him. If you can’t understand that millions of solar panels, tens of thousands of wind turbines, and a re-build of most of the energy grid is cheap—if you can’t understand that then then there is something wrong with you. You are inferior. You must leave such decisions to your moral and intellectual superior—Chris Bowen. That is the new snobbery. There are two classes in our society—the woke and the rest. And the “rest” have second-rate status, no brains and no moral compass. That’s us. We are “the rest”. The “rest” are the inferior class — the woke are superior. They are the new snobs. Listen carefully next time someone from this smart, smug, arrogant, superior class is speaking—you will hear a voice dripping with superiority, with snobbery, expressing (in their tone) complete contempt for anyone who fails to see the world exactly as they do. So, whenever you encounter this mysterious word “woke” just think to yourself: “Ah, yes, that just means the snobs among us” — and you’ll be on exactly the right track. Kel Richards is a veteran Australian broadcaster and author whose distinguished media career includes hosting the ABC current affairs show AM and his own talkback commercial radio shows. He is also a frequent on-air contributor for Sky News Australia.
, /PRNewswire/ -- The Salvation Army invites communities across the country to join in the spirit of giving with the launch of its 134th Red Kettle Campaign, officially kicking off during the Dallas Cowboys Thanksgiving Day game tomorrow against the New York Giants, airing on Fox at . This year's Red Kettle Kickoff will feature a halftime performance by Grammy Award-winning ACM and CMA Entertainer of the Year country music star and a special guest, marking the start of a season dedicated to helping those in need through various Salvation Army programs. Experience the full interactive Multichannel News Release here: Wilson will perform hits from her new album, "Whirlwind," to highlight both the need for giving this holiday season and the impact of The Salvation Army's work in communities across the country. Since teaming up in 1997, The Salvation Army and the Cowboys have helped raise more than for the campaign. "It's an honor to be part of the Red Kettle Kickoff tradition with The Salvation Army and the Dallas Cowboys. The holiday season is about giving back and coming together, so we can make a real difference in people's lives this Christmas," said Wilson. "Bring your bell-bottoms and some bells for ringing because we're about to get this show on the road!" For nearly three decades, the Dallas Cowboys and The Salvation Army have joined forces on Thanksgiving Day to amplify the mission of the Red Kettle Campaign, which funds vital services for individuals and families facing hardship. Last year alone, funds raised through the campaign supported over 27 million people with resources such as food, shelter, holiday gifts, and emergency financial assistance throughout the year. "The Red Kettle Campaign is a wonderful reminder that small acts of generosity can make a big difference," said , chief brand officer and co-owner of the Dallas Cowboys and former national advisory board chairperson for The Salvation Army. "Every dollar donated helps The Salvation Army bring hope and support to those in need, and we couldn't be more appreciative to for helping us kick off this important effort. She perfectly captures the heart of this campaign, inspiring fans to make a difference for those who need it most." As the nation's largest private provider of social services, The Salvation Army faces a unique challenge this year. "With five fewer kettle giving days this year, donations are needed more than ever to meet the increasing demand for essential resources, especially as families continue to face economic challenges," said Commissioner , national commander of The Salvation Army. " heart for giving back resonates deeply with the spirit of the Red Kettle Campaign. We hope her performance inspires people to come together to support those facing hardship this season." The official launch of the Red Kettle Campaign means that thousands of volunteers will be ringing bells at kettles across the country located outside storefronts at Walmart, Sam's Club, Kroger Family of Stores, Hobby Lobby, Mardel, Walgreens, Rite-Aid, Bass Pro Shops, Cabela's, JCPenney, Food Lion, Redner's Markets, Boscov's, Dillard's, Big Lots, Macerich Shopping Centers, and hundreds of local partners. At each location, people can donate cash, coins, and checks or digitally with Apple Pay, Google Pay, PayPal, and Venmo. Additionally, people can support their neighbors through their local Salvation Army by: Signing up to volunteer at a at . Giving a sustaining gift of a month at . Donating , such as or . Every donation stays in the community to provide help and hope for those in need. To learn more, give help, or get help, please visit . The Salvation Army annually helps more than 27 million people in America overcome poverty, addiction, and economic hardships by preaching the gospel of and meeting human needs in His name without discrimination in nearly every ZIP code. By providing food, shelter, eviction prevention assistance, emergency disaster relief, rehabilitation, after-school and summer youth programs, spiritual enrichment, and more, The Salvation Army is doing the most good at 6,400 centers of operation around the country. For more information, visit . Follow us on X and #DoingTheMostGood. In the area of community service, the mission of the Dallas Cowboys and Jones Family Foundation is built upon the philosophy of helping those who don't have the strength, resources, or means to help themselves, with a primary focus on a partnership with The Salvation Army. Because the Cowboys organization has enjoyed immense and unprecedented success, the Jones family feels a very strong obligation to take the visibility, energy, and celebrity of one of the world's most powerful sports franchises and channel these dynamic forces toward the bigger purpose of making a difference. Recognized as one of the world's most generous families, the Joneses enlist the talents, skills, and resources of all the Cowboys players, coaches, cheerleaders, and members of the organization to provide a unique and cutting-edge approach to community outreach. More information about the Dallas Cowboys and the Gene and Jerry Jones Family Foundation can be found at . Country music trailblazer has captured the hearts of music fans, the excitement of the industry and the recognition of her peers, while keeping her boots firmly planted on the ground. In the midst of a landmark year, Wilson won Female Vocalist of the Year and Music Video of the Year ("Wildflowers and Wild Horses") at the 58th Annual CMA Awards, which she also hosted with and , and is nominated for Best Country Album at the upcoming Grammy Awards for her acclaimed new album, . "The best release of her career" ( ), debuted at #8 on the all-genre 200 chart, and #13 on the U.K. Official Albums Chart, marking Wilson's first top 10 and top 15 entry respectively. The prolific, sought-after songwriter has also scored seven No. 1 hits and has become a triple threat within entertainment as singer, songwriter and actor, making her acting debut in season 5 of Paramount's hit series . Earlier this year, Wilson was also inducted into The Grand Ole Opry and recently wrote and recorded "Out of ," her original song for Universal's blockbuster . 940.363.0336 Cell View original content: SOURCE The Salvation ArmyThis is one thing Marc Andreessen says you shouldn't do at work
U.S. Retailers Maximize Week of Black Friday, Leading to Softer Day-Of TrafficIceland votes for a new parliament amid disagreements on immigration, energy policy and the economy
TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Israel said Sunday that the body of an Israeli-Moldovan rabbi who went missing in the United Arab Emirates has been found after he was killed in what it described as a “heinous antisemitic terror incident.” The UAE's Interior Ministry later said authorities arrested three perpetrators involved in the killing of Zvi Kogan. The statement from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said Israel “will act with all means to seek justice with the criminals responsible for his death.” Israeli authorities did not say how they determined the killing of Kogan was a terror attack and offered no additional details. Kogan, 28, an ultra-Orthodox rabbi who went missing on Thursday, ran a kosher grocery store in the futuristic city of Dubai, where Israelis have flocked for commerce and tourism since the two countries forged diplomatic ties in the 2020 Abraham Accords . The agreement has held through more than a year of soaring regional tensions unleashed by Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023 attack into southern Israel . But Israel's devastating retaliatory offensive in Gaza and its invasion of Lebanon, after months of fighting with the Hezbollah militant group, have stoked anger among Emiratis, Arab nationals and others living in the the UAE. Iran, which supports Hamas and Hezbollah, has also been threatening to retaliate against Israel after a wave of airstrikes Israel carried out in October in response to an Iranian ballistic missile attack. The Emirati government did not respond to a request for comment. However, senior Emirati diplomat Anwer Gargash wrote on the social platform X in Arabic on Sunday that “the UAE will remain a home of safety, an oasis of stability, a society of tolerance and coexistence and a beacon of development, pride and advancement.” Early on Sunday, the UAE’s state-run WAM news agency acknowledged Kogan’s disappearance but pointedly did not acknowledge he held Israeli citizenship, referring to him only as being Moldovan. The Emirati Interior Ministry described Kogan as being “missing and out of contact.” “Specialized authorities immediately began search and investigation operations upon receiving the report,” the Interior Ministry said. The ministry later said that three “perpetrators” had been arrested “in record time” without giving additional details. Netanyahu told a regular Cabinet meeting later Sunday that he was “deeply shocked” by Kogan's disappearance and death. He said he appreciated the cooperation of the UAE in the investigation and that ties between the two countries would continue to be strengthened. Israel's largely ceremonial president, Isaac Herzog, condemned the killing and thanked Emirati authorities for "their swift action." He said he trusts they “will work tirelessly to bring the perpetrators to justice.” Israel also again warned against all nonessential travel to the Emirates after Kogan's killing. “There is concern that there is still a threat against Israelis and Jews in the area,” a government warning issued Sunday said. Kogan was an emissary of the Chabad Lubavitch movement, a prominent and highly observant branch of ultra-Orthodox Judaism based in Brooklyn's Crown Heights neighborhood in New York City. It said he was last seen in Dubai. The UAE has a burgeoning Jewish community, with synagogues and businesses catering to kosher diners. The Rimon Market, a kosher grocery store that Kogan managed on Dubai’s busy Al Wasl Road, was shut Sunday. As the wars have roiled the region, the store has been the target of online protests by supporters of the Palestinians. Mezuzahs on the front and back doors of the market appeared to have been ripped off when an Associated Press journalist stopped by on Sunday. Kogan’s wife, Rivky, is a U.S. citizen who lived with him in the UAE. She is the niece of Rabbi Gavriel Holtzberg, who was killed in the 2008 Mumbai attacks. The UAE is an autocratic federation of seven sheikhdoms on the Arabian Peninsula and is also home to Abu Dhabi. Local Jewish officials in the UAE declined to comment. While the Israeli statement did not mention Iran, Iranian intelligence services have carried out past kidnappings in the UAE. Western officials believe Iran runs intelligence operations in the UAE and keeps tabs on the hundreds of thousands of Iranians living across the country. Iran is suspected of kidnapping and later killing British Iranian national Abbas Yazdi in Dubai in 2013, though Tehran has denied involvement. Iran also kidnapped Iranian German national Jamshid Sharmahd in 2020 from Dubai, taking him back to Tehran, where he was executed in October . ___ Gambrell reported from Dubai, United Arab Emirates Tia Goldenberg And Jon Gambrell, The Associated PressREYKJAVIK, Iceland (AP) — Icelanders will elect a new parliament Saturday after disagreements over immigration, energy policy and the economy forced Prime Minister Bjarni Benediktsson to pull the plug on his coalition government and call early elections. This is Iceland’s sixth general election since the 2008 financial crisis devastated the economy of the North Atlantic island nation and ushered in a new era of political instability. Opinion polls suggest the country may be in for another upheaval, with support for the three governing parties plunging. Benediktsson, who was named prime minister in April following the resignation of his predecessor, struggled to hold together the unlikely coalition of his conservative Independence Party with the centrist Progressive Party and the Left-Green Movement. Iceland, a nation of about 400,000 people, is proud of its democratic traditions, describing itself as arguably the world’s oldest parliamentary democracy. The island’s parliament, the Althingi, was founded in 930 by the Norsemen who settled the country. Here’s what to look for in the contest. How does the election work? Voters will choose 63 members of the Althingi in an election that will allocate seats both by regional constituencies and proportional representation. Parties need at least 5% of the vote to win seats in parliament. Eight parties were represented in the outgoing parliament, and 10 parties are contesting this election. Turnout is traditionally high by international standards, with 80% of registered voters casting ballots in the 2021 parliamentary election. Why now? A windswept island near the Arctic Circle, Iceland normally holds elections during the warmer months of the year. But on Oct. 13 Benediktsson decided his coalition couldn’t last any longer, and he asked President Halla Tómasdóttir to dissolve the Althingi. “The weakness of this society is that we have no very strong party and we have no very strong leader of any party,’’ said Vilhjálmur Bjarnson, a former member of parliament. “We have no charming person with a vision ... That is very difficult for us.” Why is Iceland's politics so fractured? The splintering of Iceland's political landscape came after the 2008 financial crisis, which prompted years of economic upheaval after its debt-swollen banks collapsed. The crisis led to anger and distrust of the parties that had traditionally traded power back and forth, and prompted the creation of new parties ranging from the environment focused Left-Green Alliance to the Pirate Party, which advocates direct democracy and individual freedoms. “This is one of the consequences of the economic crash,’’ said Eva H. Önnudóttir, a professor of political science at the University of Iceland. “It’s just the changed landscape. Parties, especially the old parties, have maybe kind of been hoping that we would go back to how things were before, but that’s not going to happen.” What are the issues? Like many Western countries, Iceland has been buffeted by the rising cost of living and immigration pressures. Inflation peaked at an annual rate of 10.2% in February 2023, fueled by the fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. While inflation slowed to 5.1% in October, that is still high compared with neighboring countries. The U.S. inflation rate stood at 2.6% last month, while the European Union’s rate was 2.3%. Iceland is also struggling to accommodate a rising number of asylum-seekers, creating tensions within the small, traditionally homogenous country. The number of immigrants seeking protection in Iceland jumped to more than 4,000 in each of the past three years, compared with a previous average of less than 1,000. What about the volcano? Repeated eruptions of a volcano in the southwestern part of the country have displaced thousands of people and strained public finances. One year after the first eruption forced the evacuation of the town of Grindavik, many residents still don’t have secure housing, leading to complaints that the government has been slow to respond. But it also added to a shortage of affordable housing exacerbated by Iceland’s tourism boom. Young people are struggling to get a foot on the housing ladder at a time when short-term vacation rentals have reduced the housing stock available for locals, Önnudóttir said. “The housing issue is becoming a big issue in Iceland,'' she said. —— Kirka reported from London. Marco Di Marco And Danica Kirka, The Associated Press
- Previous: bookmaker tips
- Next: bookmaker uk
