nn777 net After Chinmoy Krishna Das , another Hindu priest and Iskon member, Shyam Das Prabhu , was arrested in Bangladesh's Chattogram on Saturday, said Radharamn Das, vice-president and spokesperson of Iskon Kolkata. Shyam Das Prabhu was reportedly taken into custody without an official warrant while visiting Chinmoy Krishna Das in jail, according to a ToI report. "Another Brahmachari Sri Shyam Das Prabhu was arrested by Chattogram Police today," said Radharamn Das in a post on X. "No respite in sight," he wrote in a post on X. Chinmoy Krishna Das, a former member of ISKCON Bangladesh, was arrested earlier this week on sedition charges and denied bail on Tuesday. 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Even though ISKCON Bangladesh's unit has rejected allegations linking the religious organisation to the killing of lawyer in Chattogram, protests continue in the country. The Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said that India has consistently raised issues of minorities being targeted in the country with Bangladesh. "India has consistently and strongly raised with the Bangladesh government the threats and targeted attacks on Hindus and other minorities... The interim government must live up to its responsibility of protecting all minorities. We are concerned about the surge of extremist rhetoric. Increasing incidents of violence and provocation cannot be dismissed merely as media exaggerations. We call upon Bangladesh to take steps for the protection of minorities..." he said The MEA also called for a fair judicial process in cases involving minority leaders like Chinmoy Krishna Das. "Cases against individuals, these legal process are underway and we hope these process will be dealt with fair just and transparent manner," the MEA spokesperson said. Addressing a weekly briefing in New Delhi today, Jaiswal said, "We see ISKCON as a globally well-regarded organisation with a strong record of social service. As far as the arrest of Chinmoy Das is concerned, we have made our statement on that... Cases against individuals and legal processes are underway. We hope and expect that these processes will be dealt with in a fair, just and transparent manner ensuring full respect for these individuals and all those who are concerned..." (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel )King Charles' health continuing to decline? Kate Middleton's big New Year’s resolution, wants family to reconcile and bring Harry home

Simon Harris said he has apologised to a woman for not giving her enough time to speak about carers and disability services while he was out canvassing in Cork on Friday. The Taoiseach and Fine Gael leader said he spoke to Charlotte Fallon, a worker with St Joseph’s Foundation, on the phone on Saturday after a clip of an exchange between them on Friday went viral. RTE footage posted to the social media site X shows Mr Harris on a canvass in Kanturk when Ms Fallon tells the Taoiseach carers “were ignored” and the Government has “done nothing for us”. “The disability sector is a joke,” she says. “You’ve done nothing for us, our people are suffering. I’m very passionate about my job.” Mr Harris responds by saying: “No, not at all,” and: “I’m very passionate about disability too.” Ms Fallon says: “But there’s no mention of (them in the) Budget. You ignored them, you ignore the carers,” to which Mr Harris says: “That’s not true,” several times before shaking her hand and walking away. While out canvassing at a Christmas market in Rathfarnham in Dublin on Saturday afternoon, Mr Harris said he was annoyed with himself and had called Ms Fallon to apologise. “I called Charlotte this morning because she was absolutely owed an apology from me,” he said. “We had a very good conversation, a very good conversation. I was very grateful to her for her time and her kindness. “We spoke about a number of issues, we spoke about disability services, we spoke about the issue of pay parity for people in Section 39 organisations, and we also spoke about the issue of the means test for carers. “I was grateful to have a chance to listen to Charlotte and also talk through with her some of my own plans and views and vision in relation to disability services. Really grateful for the conversation, learned a lot from it, and I’ve also said that I’d love to call in to where she works in Cork in the coming weeks, and she said I’d be very welcome. “I’m annoyed with how I didn’t give that person, Charlotte, the time last night, she deserved that time. “I’ve been around the country and I’ve had hundreds of conversations some days, and I’ve learned a lot and always learned a lot from listening to people and I’m very sorry that didn’t happen last night.” Asked what happened last night, he said: “There’s no excuse for it, I’m annoyed with myself in relation to it, disability is what makes me tick. “It will always be my passion, and it’s Charlotte’s passion too, and I’m really grateful to her for giving me the opportunity to speak with her today.” Asked whether he thought people would doubt his sincerity on wanting to reform the State’s disability services after seeing the video, Mr Harris said: “I hope not. “All I can do is really double my efforts to convince people of the facts that we have a plan for the future of this country, and very much at the heart of that plan is better services, better delivery and better empowerment of people with disabilities. “I’ve tried to bring a focus to it since I’ve become Taoiseach, and it’s something that I will continue to work on intensively and even more intensively as a result of this.” On Saturday morning, Mr Harris posted a video on Instagram where he said he was spurred on to become a politician after seeing his parents fight for access to services for his brother Adam, who has autism. He said the interaction happened at the end of a “very long day” and he felt “really bad” about it. Mr Harris then outlined his party’s plans for carers and the disability sector, including removing the means testing for the Carers’ Allowance and to ensure that there are therapies in special schools and special classes. Sinn Fein’s housing spokesperson Eoin O Broin said that Mr Harris’ reaction “showed the true face of Fine Gael” and showed “a contempt for working people”. Speaking at a press event in Dublin on Saturday, Fine Gael ministers Helen McEntee and Paschal Donohoe defended their party leader. “I think the Taoiseach himself has been very clear that he wished the encounter had gone differently. It had been the end of a very, very long day,” Ms McEntee said. “What he said very clearly is that he should have given her more time, and should have engaged for longer with her, but this is the reason he got into politics.” Mr Donohoe said: “In the course of an election campaign, in all the interactions that we have with people, of course, we sometimes feel within ourselves ‘that could have gone differently’ and ‘could have gone better’. I think it’s particularly the case for somebody who is so committed to looking at how we can support those who need more.”

Target of the Beirut strike: Hezbollah's acting Chief of StaffOn the evening of December 23, 2024, Idaho Fish and Game officers received a report from the Cassia County Sheriff that an infant had been attacked and injured by a raccoon in his parents’ home south of Burley. Officers from both agencies responded and determined the infant was in an infant carrier while the mother was settling in after returning home. She heard a loud noise in the home and ran to the infant’s location. The mother found a raccoon attacking her infant. She was able to grab the animal to stop the attack. It is unknown how the raccoon gained access to the home. The infant was taken by the parents to Cassia Regional Hospital in Burley for treatment of undisclosed injuries and then transferred to a hospital in Salt Lake City, Utah. The father of the infant and a sheriff’s deputy returned to the home, found the raccoon still in the home and killed it. No other raccoons were found in the home. Fish and Game is confident that the raccoon killed by the infants’ father was the one involved in the attack. Fish and Game took possession of the raccoon carcass and coordinated with staff from South Central Public Health District to get the raccoon tested for rabies. Fish and Game staff transported the carcass to Boise for testing by the Idaho Bureau of Laboratories. The rabies test was negative. Fish and Game activates response team Once notified of the incident, staff from the Fish and Game Magic Valley Region activated their Wildlife Human Attack Response Team. This specially trained team of department staff has the responsibility to act to protect the safety of the public and incident responders; attempt to identify, locate, and control the animal(s) involved in a human-wildlife incident; and conduct, document and report investigative findings. Raccoon attacks on people are rare While raccoons are a common species across Idaho, reports of attacks on humans are extremely rare. And while raccoons have a reputation as a potential carrier of rabies, only one case of raccoon rabies has been documented in Idaho. Raccoons are generally shy and will typically avoid humans, but they can become aggressive if they feel threatened. As with all wildlife that can be found around homes in Idaho, the best course of action to avoid raccoon encounters is to take preventative actions before a problem starts. Raccoons can live in a variety of habitats, but an area with access to water and food will attract them. Never purposefully feed a raccoon. A homeowner can limit food sources by securing residential garbage, removing any fallen fruit or rotten produce from your yard or garden, feeding pets indoors, keeping pet food securely stored, and removing or securing bird feeders. Blocking raccoon access to hiding places in sheds and outbuildings and sealing off potential entryways and exits in and around a home will also discourage raccoon use.

NoneHyderabad: A total of 11,55,993 civil and criminal cases were settled across the state in the 4th National Lok Adalat which was held in all courts on Saturday, December 14. An award of Rs 161.05 crore was passed in the cases taken up for settlement in Telangana. Among the cases settled were 2,702 civil and 6,11,038 criminal cases that were pending in various courts, in addition to the settlement of 5,42,253 pre-litigation cases that had not yet been brought before the courts. The pending cases were from categories including motor accident compensation cases, civil suits, compoundable criminal cases, traffic challan cases, drunken driving criminal cases, check bounce cases and matrimonial disputes which came for settlement. In Warangal and Medchal-Malkajgiri districts, the National Lok Adalat helped settle the matrimonial disputes of four couples, who vowed to lead their married life for the future of their children’s sake. As many as 337 Lok Adalat benches have been constituted across the state, including the Telangana High Court.

Judge hears closing arguments on whether Google's advertising tech constitutes a monopoly ALEXANDRIA, Va. (AP) — The Justice Department and Google have made their closing arguments in a trial alleging Google’s online advertising technology constitutes an illegal monopoly. The arguments in federal court Monday in northern Virginia came as Google already faces a possible breakup of the company over its ubiquitous search engine. The Justice Department says it will seek the breakup of Google to remedy its search engine monopoly. The case in Virginia focuses not on the search engine but on technology that matches online advertisers to consumers on the internet. A judge is expected to rule by the end of the year. ‘Busiest Thanksgiving ever’: How the TSA plans to handle record air travel DALLAS (AP) — The Thanksgiving travel rush is expected to be bigger than ever this year. AAA predicts that nearly 80 million people in the U.S. will venture at least 50 miles from home between Tuesday and next Monday — most of them by car. Thanksgiving Day falling so late this year has altered traditional travel patterns. At airports, the Transportation Security Administration says it could screen a record number of U.S. air travelers on Sunday. Meanwhile, the head of the Federal Aviation Administration says a shortage of air traffic controllers could cause flight delays. Transportation analytics company INRIX says roads could be congested on Monday with both commuters and returning holiday travelers. Macy’s says employee hid up to $154 million in expenses, delaying Q3 earnings Macy’s says it’s delaying the release of its fiscal third-quarter earnings results after it discovered an up to $154 million accounting-related issue. The company did provide some preliminary results for its third quarter, including that net sales fell 2.4% to $4.74 billion. It anticipates reporting its full third-quarter financial results by Dec. 11. Newsom says California could offer electric vehicle rebates if Trump eliminates federal tax credit SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California could offer state tax rebates for electric vehicle purchases if the incoming Trump administration eliminates the $7,500 federal EV tax credit. Gov. Gavin Newsom says Monday he'll propose creating a new version of the state’s successful Clean Vehicle Rebate Program, which was phased out in 2023 after funding nearly 600,000 new cars and trucks. Officials didn’t say how much the program would cost or how the rebates would work. Newsom’s proposal is part of his plan to protect California’s progressive policies ahead of Republican President-elect Donald Trump’s second term. But a budget shortfall could complicate California’s resistance efforts. Warren Buffett gives away another $1.1B and plans for distributing his $147B fortune after his death OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Investor Warren Buffett renewed his Thanksgiving tradition of giving by announcing plans Monday to hand more than $1.1 billion of Berkshire Hathaway stock to four of his family's foundations, and he offered new details about who will be handing out the rest of his fortune after his death. Buffett has said previously that his three kids will distribute his remaining $147.4 billion fortune in the 10 years after his death, but now he has also designated successors for them because it’s possible that Buffett’s children could die before giving it all away. Buffett said he has no regrets about his decision to start giving away his fortune in 2006. Stock market today: Dow hits another record as stocks rise NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks rose, with those benefiting the most from lower interest rates and a stronger economy leading the way. The S&P 500 climbed 0.3% Monday to pull closer to its record set two weeks ago. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 440 points to its own record set on Friday, while the Nasdaq composite rose 0.3%. They got a boost from easing Treasury yields after President-elect Donald Trump said he wants hedge-fund manager Scott Bessent to be his Treasury Secretary. Smaller companies can feel a big boost from easier borrowing costs, and the Russell 2000 index of small stocks finished just shy of its record. Workers at Charlotte airport, an American Airlines hub, go on strike during Thanksgiving travel week CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — American Airlines says it doesn’t expect significant disruptions to flights this week as a result of a labor strike at its hub in Charlotte, North Carolina. Service workers there walked out Monday during a busy week of Thanksgiving travel to protest what they say are unlivable wages. Employees of ABM and Prospect Airport Services authorized the work stoppage. Union spokesperson Sean Keady says the strike is expected to last 24 hours. The companies contract with American Airlines to provide services such as cleaning airplane interiors, removing trash and escorting passengers in wheelchairs. The companies have acknowledged the seriousness of a strike during the holiday travel season. At the crossroads of news and opinion, 'Morning Joe' hosts grapple with aftermath of Trump meeting The reaction of those who defended “Morning Joe” hosts Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski for meeting with President-elect Trump sounds almost quaint in the days of opinionated journalism. Doesn't it makes sense, they said, for hosts of a political news show to meet with such an important figure? But given how “Morning Joe” has attacked Trump, its viewers felt insulted. Many reacted quickly by staying away. It all reflects the broader trend of opinion crowding out traditional journalist in today's marketplace, and the expectations that creates among consumers. By mid-week, the show's audience was less than two-thirds what it has typically been this year. Eggs are available -- but pricier -- as the holiday baking season begins Egg prices are on the rise again as a lingering outbreak of bird flu coincides with high demand during the holiday baking season. The average price for a dozen eggs in U.S. cities was $3.37 in October, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That was up 63% from October 2023, when a dozen eggs cost an average of $2.07. Avian influenza is the main culprit. The current bird flu outbreak that began in February 2022 has led to the slaughter of more than 111 million birds, mostly egg-laying chickens. But the American Egg Board says egg shortages at grocery stores have been isolated and temporary so far. ‘Buy now, pay later’ is more popular than ever. It can cost more than you think NEW YORK (AP) — More shoppers are using ‘buy now, pay later’ plans heading into Black Friday and the holiday season, as the ability to spread out payments looks attractive at a time when Americans still feel the lingering effect of inflation and already have record-high credit card debt. Experts say the short-term loans can lead consumers to overextend themselves and warn that those who use credit cards for the service face higher interest expenses. The data firm Adobe Analytics predicts shoppers will spend 11.4% more this holiday season using buy now, pay later than they did a year ago.

The Nasdaq-100 Just Announced Its Latest Addition. The Stock Soared 1,090% Since Early Last Year, and It's Still a Buy Heading Into 2025, According to a Certain Wall Street Analyst.

Toys for Tots event in Abbotsford collects donations for Christmas BureauOur community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info Pitch Perfect star Hailee Steinfeld has announced her engagement to boyfriend Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen with an adorable Instagram post. On the social media site, the couple shared a snapshot of the magical moment, which saw Josh, 28, get down on one knee in front of Hailee, surrounded by an arch of pink and red roses in front of a body of water. Captioning the post with the date they made their promises, they penned: “11•22•24.” Making the surroundings even more romantic were an array of candles placed over the green grass as Josh pulled out a ring for his now fiancée. The post was filled with well wishes from fans and celebrity friends as one penned: “I just fell to my knees in the middle of target.” Another comment read: “This is my Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce,” while a third exclaimed: “YES!!!! CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!” Actor Chad Michael Murray , who grew up in the Buffalo area gushed: “Congrats brother!!!" Kansas City Chiefs star and boyfriend of Taylor Swift, Travis Kelce also sent his well wishes to the couple as he penned in the caption: “Congratulations,” alongside two applauding emojis and a couple of raised-hands icons. Hailee and Josh were first linked May 2023 after rumours had circulated that the NFL quarterback had split up with his now ex girlfriend, Brittany Williams. In October, the couple made their first public appearance together at a National Hockey League game at the KeyBank Center in Buffalo, where they were pictured together in the stands. It wasn’t until this July when the couple finally went Instagram official, as they posted an adorable picture outside the Eiffel Tower on a romantic getaway to Paris. It’s been a busy time for Hailee, in both her professional and her personal life. In her latest role, the star had a cameo as Kate Bishop in the 2023 superhero movie The Marvels. In her next role, she’ll be starring alongside Black Panther star Michael B Jordan in the thriller, Sinners. Before Hailee started dating Josh, she was linked to former One Direction star Niall Horan . It’s believed the pair dated for around a year starting from January 2018, when they were seen getting cozy at a West End production of Hamilton. The pair were good friends before that as Niall posted an adorable happy birthday post to the actress on Instagram in 2017, which he captioned: “Happy birthday to the loveliest person on the planet and one of my best friends @haileesteinfeld . Have no idea what the hell is going on in this photo. Love ya hails.”DALLAS — The UT System is upping its endowment funds to increase the number of students who can attend tuition-free. But even though it is an expansion of existing programs, a group of Texas lawmakers accuse the UT Board of Regents of trying to "out-socialize" even the state of California. The expansion of the Promise Plus endowment will provide UT undergraduates attending any of its nine academic institutions, a tuition-free education if their families have an adjusted gross income (AGI) of $100,000 or less. The previous standard, in 2019, created a $167 million endowment at UT Austin to cover tuition and mandatory fees for undergrad students from families with adjusted gross income of $65,000 or less. In 2022, the UT System Regents offered a second endowment near $300 million to extend that program to all UT academic institutions in the state. As of next fall, a student from a family with $100,000 or less in gross income will be able to attend any UT academic institution without being charged tuition or mandatory fees. "This year, 49% of all UTA undergraduate students had their tuition and fees fully covered. Thanks to the Board of Regents, even more Texans will be able to experience the transformative power of a UTA education tuition-free," said UT Arlington President Jennifer Cowley. "We are thrilled to create the opportunity to help even more students achieve their dreams of a college degree." But a group of 10 state lawmakers issued a letter Thursday to the Board of Regents blasting the expansion and asking specific questions about how the money and in which education programs it will be used. "Nothing is free. This outrageous abuse of power by unelected, executive branch bureaucrats makes higher education in Texas more socialist than California," said State Rep. Brian Harrison. "A decision this consequential should only be made by the legislature." "California offers free college for those making up to $80,000 a year. That's outrageous enough," Harrison told WFAA. "Well Texas, we are now more socialist than California." Among the questions the lawmakers sent to the Board of Regents asked whether "LGBTQ/Sexualities Studies" are included in the free tuition plan. "This is outrageous," Harrison alleged. "Public higher education in Texas is off the rails." According to the UT System, 56% of all UT students receive some form of financial aid. "The Regents are not only addressing immediate needs of our current students, but they are taking the long view, ensuring that future generations will continue to benefit from this remarkable program," UT System Chancellor James B. Milliken said. "Across UT institutions, enrollment is growing, and student debt is declining, indicating success in both access and affordability. That's a rare trend in American higher education, and I'm proud the UT System is in a position to be a leader." "To be in a position to make sure our students can attend a UT institution without accruing more debt is very important to all of us, and as long as we are here, we will continue our work to provide an affordable, accessible education to all who choose to attend a UT institution," said UT Board of Regents Chairman Kevin P. Eltife. "By making both immediate campus allocations as we did today, as well as continued long-term investments in our Promise Plus endowments, we want hard-working Texas families and students to know that we will do everything in our power to support their higher education aspirations today and always." As for private education institutions in 2019, more than 2,500 Baylor University students and more than 27,000 students statewide received a tuition equalization grant, a program started decades ago by the Texas Legislature. Students can receive up to $5,000 per year through that program.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR 3

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Investor Warren Buffett renewed his Thanksgiving tradition of giving by handing out more than $1.1 billion of Berkshire Hathaway stock to four of his family's foundations Monday, and he offered new details about who will be handing out the rest of his fortune after his death. Buffett has said previously that his three kids will distribute his remaining $147.4 billion fortune in the 10 years after his death, but now he has also designated successors for them because it's possible that Buffett's children could die before giving it all away. He didn't identify the successors, but said his kids all know them and agree they would be good choices. “Father time always wins. But he can be fickle – indeed unfair and even cruel – sometimes ending life at birth or soon thereafter while, at other times, waiting a century or so before paying a visit,” the 94-year-old Buffett said in a letter to his fellow shareholders Monday. “To date, I’ve been very lucky, but, before long, he will get around to me. There is, however, a downside to my good fortune in avoiding his notice. The expected life span of my children has materially diminished since the 2006 pledge. They are now 71, 69 and 66.” Buffett said he still has no interest in creating dynastic wealth in his family — a view shared by his first and current wives. He acknowledged giving Howard, Peter and Susie millions over the years, but he has long said he believes “hugely wealthy parents should leave their children enough so they can do anything but not enough that they can do nothing.” The secret to building up such massive wealth over time has been the power of compounding interest and the steady growth of the Berkshire conglomerate Buffett leads through acquisitions and smart investments like buying billions of dollars of Apple shares as iPhone sales continued to drive growth in that company. Buffett never sold any of his Berkshire stock over the years and also resisted the trappings of wealth and never indulged in much — preferring instead to continue living in the same Omaha home he'd bought decades earlier and drive sensible luxury sedans about 20 blocks to work each day. “As a family, we have had everything we needed or simply liked, but we have not sought enjoyment from the fact that others craved what we had,” he said. If Buffett and his first wife had never given away any of their Berkshire shares, the family's fortune would be worth nearly $364 billion — easily making him the world's richest man — but Buffett said he had no regrets about his giving over the years. The family's giving began in earnest with the distribution of Susan Buffett's $3 billion estate after her death in 2004, but really took off when Warren Buffett announced plans in 2006 to make annual gifts to the foundations run by his kids along with the one he and his wife started, as well as the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Warren Buffett's giving to date has favored the Gates Foundation with $55 billion in stock because his friend Bill Gates already had his foundation set up and could handle huge gifts when Buffett started giving away his fortune. But Buffett has said his kids now have enough experience in philanthropy to handle the task and he plans to cut off his Gates Foundation donations after his death. Buffett always makes his main annual gifts to all five foundations every summer, but for several years now he has been giving additional Berkshire shares to his family's foundations at Thanksgiving. Buffett reiterated Monday his advice to every parent to allow their families to read their will while they are still alive — like he has done — to make sure they have a chance to explain their decisions about how to distribute their belongings and answer their children's questions. Buffett said he and his longtime investing partner Charlie Munger, who died a year ago, “saw many families driven apart after the posthumous dictates of the will left beneficiaries confused and sometimes angry.” Today, Buffett continues to lead Berkshire Hathaway as chairman and CEO and has no plans to retire although he has handed over most of the day-to-day managing duties for the conglomerates dozens of companies to others. That allows him to focus on his favorite activity of deciding where to invest Berkshire's billions . One of Buffett's deputies who oversees all the noninsurance companies now, Greg Abel, is set to take over as CEO after Buffett's death. Even after converting 1,600 Class A shares into 2.4 million Class B Berkshire shares and giving them away, Buffett still owns 206,363 Class A shares and controls more than 30% of the vote.