lottery schedule

European Central Bank (ECB) President Christine Lagarde said Europe’s continuing struggle to innovate and the souring geopolitical backdrop make it even more imperative to unite its capital markets. Addressing the Frankfurt European Banking Congress yesterday, she said the region’s inaction has cost it valuable time since she appeared at that same event in 2023 with much the same message. “Since last year, Europe’s declining innovation position has come more clearly to light,” she said. “The technology gap between the United States and Europe is now unmistakable. The geopolitical environment has also become less favourable, with growing threats to free trade from all corners of the world.” Since that 2023 speech, Donald Trump has regained the White House, while repeated European Union efforts to revive its longstanding initiative for a Capital Markets Union have effectively stalled. Now both its two biggest economies, Germany and France, face political stasis, with Berlin inching toward elections early next year. “The urgency to integrate our capital markets has risen,” Lagarde said. “This growing urgency has not been matched by tangible progress.” She recounted a tale of Brussels quagmire over the project, with “55 regulatory proposals and 50 non-legislative initiatives” devoted to the matter since 2015. “Breadth has come at the expense of depth,” she said. “It has allowed CMU to be picked apart by national vested interests that see one or another initiative as a threat.” This sentiment was echoed later at the same event by Bundesbank President Joachim Nagel. “While I know the devil is in the detail here, it is still frustrating to see how slow progress has been,” he said, criticising “member states’ reluctance to subordinate national interests to the common cause.” “We have to overcome this mindset and tear down the invisible walls obstructing financial market integration,” he said. The current backdrop is one where Europeans still save about a third of their total financial assets, compared with a 10th in the US, making them “much less wealthy than they could be,” Lagarde said. The region’s financial markets are “extraordinarily fragmented,” she observed, noting that last year the EU had 295 trading venues. The ECB president showed a map of them to leaders at a recent summit. “Some of them were flabbergasted,” she said. “If leaders can bypass the vested interests that are protected like a fortress in the ancient ages, we might have a chance.” Alongside creating a “European SEC,” Lagarde said that regulatory fixes could emulate the two-tier supranational approach adopted for competition or banking supervision. Another option would be to create “a separate EU legal regime that firms can opt into sitting alongside the various national regimes.” Nagel and Bank of France Governor Francois Villeroy de Galhau also wrote a joint op-ed for the Friday editions of Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung and Le Monde to urge action in Europe. Lagarde also said that Europe needs to “fully harness the potential of our public development banks, especially the European Investment Bank, to pool risks and crowd in private capital.” “More can be done to unlock the EIB’s potential and enable us to catch up with our peers faster,” she said. “In particular, the EIB should be allowed to use its resources more effectively and provide a wider variety of instruments to support breakthrough innovations, especially when it comes to supporting early-stage startups.”ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) — In a season that began with many questions and lowered expectations , it was apt watching Bills quarterback Josh Allen join coach Sean McDermott lay on the cold, wet sideline to make snow angels in celebrating Buffalo’s earliest clinching of a division title in team history. That Allen took part was no surprise. The newly engaged 28-year-old has maintained the happy-go-lucky approach he brought with him to Buffalo as a raw-talented athlete in 2018, while gradually blossoming into one of the NFL’s elite quarterbacks. For McDermott, it was a pleasant surprise to see the usually reserved eight-year coach finally let his hair down — figuratively, because the few jokes he does make are usually about being bald. With his latest do-it-all three-TD outing — one rushing, one receiving and, the coup de grace, being credited with receiving his own pass for a score off a lateral from Amari Cooper — in a 35-10 win over San Francisco on Sunday night , Allen continued making his strongest NFL MVP case. What’s also becoming apparent is how much McDermott deserves consideration for coach of the year honors. Without the two, the Bills (10-2) wouldn’t be in this position in becoming just the eighth NFL team — and first since Indianapolis in 2009 — to clinch a division title with at least five games remaining in their schedule. It’s reflective of how the two have grown together in what, on the outside, could be perceived as an odd couple relationship between an offensive-minded, swashbuckling quarterback and a defensive-minded coach, too often knocked for being too conservative. Perhaps, it’s Allen’s boyish nature that has brought out the risk-taker in McDermott, who has carried over the aggressive approach he takes to defense by placing trust in his quarterback. It’s become apparent in everything the Bills have accomplished so far in having at least 10 wins through 12 games for just the fifth time in team history, and first since 1991, when Buffalo was led by eventual Hall of Famers in coach Marv Levy and quarterback Jim Kelly. Buffalo has won seven straight since consecutive losses to Baltimore and Houston. And the Bills have scored 30 or more points in six straight outings, matching the team record set in 2004. Allen is doing more with less on an offense that was supposed to be hampered following the offseason departures of receivers Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis and center Mitch Morse. The Bills are more balanced in leaning on their running attack, while Allen has also curtailed his turnover-prone ways. He's lost two fumbles and thrown just five interceptions after being picked off a career-worst 18 times last season. Meantime, McDermott has taken a different approach to fourth down situations. The Bills have converted 13 of 15 fourth down attempts after going 9 of 16 last season and 7 of 13 in 2022. The most fourth down attempts during McDermott’s tenure came in 2021, when Buffalo converted just 11 of 22. This is but an example of the bond the quarterback and coach have built in a shared objective of overcoming past playoff failures. Clinching a division title is but one step, with the Bills now focused on catching the Kansas City Chiefs (11-1), whom they’ve beaten already , for the AFC’s top seed. In calling it the team’s next goal, McDermott went off script from his usual game-at-a-time message by noting the importance of celebrating a division-clinching win, if only for one day. “Being 50 years old and 20-plus years in this league, I’ve learned to try and enjoy the moments,” McDermott said. “And this is a moment, right?” It certainly was. What’s working Turnover differential. Buffalo’s defense forced three fumbles, including one at its goal line, while the offense didn’t commit a giveaway. The Bills upped their league-leading turnover differential entering Monday to plus-17. What needs help Run defense. Though the conditions were snowy and slick, the Bills allowed 119 yards rushing in the first half before the 49ers were forced to start passing the ball once the score became lopsided. Buffalo particularly struggled in stopping Christian McCaffrey, who had 53 yards on seven carries before leaving the game with a potential season-ending knee injury . Stock up LB Matt Milano was in on five tackles while playing 37 of 48 defensive snaps in his first outing in nearly 14 months after being sidelined by a broken right leg and torn left biceps. Stock down CB Kaiir Elam, the 2022 first-round pick was a healthy inactive for a second straight outing, and still having difficulty finding a regular role. Injuries None reported. Key number 9-0 — The Bills' home record going back to last season, marking their second-longest run in team history. Next steps Hit the road for two outings, starting with a trip to face the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday. AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

US President Joe Biden on Sunday said deposed Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad should be "held accountable" but called the nation's political upheaval a "historic opportunity" for Syrians to rebuild their country. In the first full US reaction to Assad's overthrow by an Islamist-led coalition of rebel factions, Biden also warned that Washington will "remain vigilant" against the emergence of terrorist groups, announcing that US forces had just conducted fresh strikes against militants from the Islamic State organization. "The fall of the regime is a fundamental act of justice," Biden said, speaking from the White House. "It's a moment of historic opportunity for the long-suffering people of Syria." Asked by reporters what should happen to the deposed president, who reportedly has fled to Moscow, Biden said that "Assad should be held accountable." Biden -- set to step down in January and make way for Republican Donald Trump's return to power -- said Washington will assist Syrians in rebuilding. "We will engage with all Syrian groups, including within the process led by the United Nations, to establish a transition away from the Assad regime toward independent, sovereign" Syria "with a new constitution," he said. However, Biden cautioned that hardline Islamist groups within the victorious rebel alliance will be under scrutiny. "Some of the rebel groups that took down Assad have their own grim record of terrorism and human right abuses," Biden said. The United States had "taken note" of recent statements by rebels suggesting they had since moderated, he said, but cautioned: "We will assess not just their words, but their actions." Biden said Washington is "clear eyed" that the Islamic State extremist group, often known as ISIS, "will try to take advantage of any vacuum to reestablish" itself in Syria. "We will not let that happen," he said, adding that on Sunday alone, US forces had conducted strikes against ISIS inside Syria. The US military said the strikes were conducted by warplanes against Islamic State operatives and camps. Sign up to get our free daily email of the biggest stories! Strikes were carried out against "over 75 targets using multiple US Air Force assets, including B-52s, F-15s, and A-10s," the US Central Command said on social media. Earlier, Biden met with his national security team at the White House to discuss the crisis. Assad's reported departure comes less than two weeks after the Islamist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) group challenged more than five decades of Assad family rule with a lightning rebel offensive that broke long-frozen frontlines in Syria's civil war. They announced Sunday they had taken the capital Damascus and that Assad had fled, prompting celebrations nationwide and a ransacking of Assad's luxurious home. A Kremlin source told Russian news agencies that the deposed leader was now in Moscow, along with his family. The US military has around 900 troops in Syria and 2,500 in Iraq as part of the international coalition established in 2014 to help combat the Islamic State jihadist group. It has regularly struck targets in the country including those linked to Iranian-backed militias. Tehran was a major backer of Assad's government. Biden also confirmed US authorities believe the American journalist Austin Tice, who was abducted in Syria in 2012, still lives. "We believe he's alive," Biden said, but the US has yet "to identify where he is." bur-sms/mlmThe Member of Parliament for Atiwa East, Abena Osei Asare has stated that President-elect, John Mahama’s Operation Recover All Loots (ORAL) committee is unlawful and unconstitutional. The MP who doubles as the Minister of State at the Finance Ministry has also questioned the basis for the establishment of the five-member committee chaired by North Tongu Member of Parliament, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa. She has asserted that the committee there are already various state agencies that are mandated to supervise corruption-related issues, hence a parallel committee is unnecessary. The MP wonders how the NDC government intends to implement their interest-based committee findings which will have no effect. She said the incoming government should not be in haste in pursuing an agenda that is not legally accepted by the Constitution. The Minister made these remarks during a thank-you tour in her constituency in the Eastern region. She said she has enjoyed goodwill from the constituent although Ghanaians may have been disappointed and voted against the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the 2024 election. The MP noted that the party accepts the will of the people but expressed confidence they will bounce back. The committee is non-partisan, operating on pro bono, with no associated budget or financial burden, and is designed to ensure accountability and fairness. Despite the opposition particularly from some NPP members, former Obuasi East NPP MP, Edward Ennin has expressed readiness to give evidence of where looted assets are kept while former NPP General Secretary, Nana Obiri Boahen has also commended the initiative.With a little less than three months to go until the National Hockey League's trade deadline, it's going to get busy, especially with rumors involving the Vancouver Canucks and forward Nils Hoglander. It's been a tough season for Vancouver Canucks forward Nils Hoglander, there's no question about that, especially after an incredible 2023-24 campaign. Hoglander has seen his production dip quite a bit and as a result of that, his ice time has dropped, including a season-low 6:28 during Vancouver's game on Black Friday against the Buffalo Sabres. It's gotten to a point where even Nils Hoglander's agent Alain Roy got involved , along with the Canucks, to try and help get him going on the right path. Heading into Sunday afternoon's clash with the Tampa Bay Lightning, Hoglander has gone 20 games without a goal and 15 games without a point. It's hard to see where this goes from here if Nils Hoglander continues on this path of not producing, but there's a few likely scenarios - reducing his ice time further, making him a healthy scratch or even trading him, the latter of which the Canucks probably don't want to do, especially considering what he did last year. Metropolitan Division team has 'real interest' in Nils Hoglander, insider says In this week's 32 Thoughts article , Sportsnet insider Elliotte Friedman shared that the Pittsburgh Penguins have 'real interest' in Nils Hoglander and mentioned that their General Manager, Kyle Dubas has shoppers for forward Drew O'Connor. It's unclear if one of those shoppers for Drew O'Connor is the Vancouver Canucks, but it would be an interesting fit if Patrik Allvin and Kyle Dubas are able to swing a deal. O'Connor, 26, is also having a bit of a down year like Nils Hoglander, registering nine points (three goals, six assists) in 29 games, while the Canucks forward has just two goals and three assists in 25 contests. With both Nils Hoglander and Drew O'Connor struggling, perhaps they both need a change of scenery, but it likely wouldn't be just a one-for-one trade as the Vancouver Canucks have have been linked to defenseman Marcus Pettersson and that could lead to an even bigger deal, if, and it's a big if, the two sides are willing to move these pieces. This article first appeared on Canucks Daily and was syndicated with permission.

Budimir extends La Liga scoring streak but Osasuna heldI’m still visiting every museum in NYC. Here are 9 of my favorites from 2024.

● St. Katharine Drexel Catholic High School teacher Cynthia Bettio has received Esri Canada’s Making a Difference Award. ● Esri Canada provides geographic information system (GIS) mapping tools used by municipalities like Stouffville to analyze and display geographic data. ● Bettio was recognized for an urban planning project where students created land-use plans for hypothetical Stouffville development sites. ● Students presented their concepts, which utilized Esri’s GIS software, to Stouffville’s Council in June. ● Bettio emphasizes connecting coursework to real-world and local issues to foster critical thinking and deeper understanding in students. Cynthia Bettio, head of Canadian and World Studies at St. Katharine Drexel Catholic High School (SKD), received Esri Canada’s Making a Difference Award for innovative use of GIS technology in education. Esri Canada provides geographic information system mapping and analytics solutions to more than 14,000 organizations. GIS enables data analysis and allows for the geographic display of information. Municipalities such as Stouffville use Esri’s services for a variety of purposes, including public-facing tools like the Town’s Development Activity Map. The award recognizes individuals and organizations that use Esri’s ArcGIS tools “to make a positive impact on their communities,” according to a recent Esri Canada press release. Bettio was honoured for her role in a multi-class urban planning project that utilized the company’s software during the 2023-2024 school year. After months of study, 24 SKD students presented Town Council with land-use plans for three hypothetical Stouffville development sites. Their work included collaboration with Town Staff, and final renderings and virtual tours were showcased to Councillors and the public during a packed June 2024 meeting. Their concepts were informed by investigation into surrounding land uses and focused on housing, parkland, and community amenities. Climate change mitigation strategies and renewable energy sources were also considered and implemented within their designs. “By incorporating Esri’s cloud-based mapping and analysis software...into her geography and history classes, Ms. Bettio transforms abstract subjects into dynamic, hands-on learning experiences,” the press release detailed. “She engages students with projects that integrate real-world data and local history, encouraging them to think critically, tackle complex problems, and make meaningful connections between their coursework and the world around them.” Bettio was also recognized for her efforts in a Grade 10 Advanced Placement Canadian History class project that tracked the evolution of various Richmond Hill parcels over more than a century. Students presented their final deliverables to the Richmond Hill Historical Association in 2023 using GIS tools. “If we want kids to care about the subjects that they are learning, we have to be able to show them where they connect to them,” Bettio said. “If we focus on local issues that are relevant to students’ lives, we can ask them to step back and examine the bigger picture with greater depth and understanding.”

Penn State wins trademark case over retailer's use of vintage logos, imagesParents slam Netflix's Spellbound for 'inappropriate' theme By RACHEL BOWMAN FOR DAILYMAIL.COM Published: 16:51 EST, 25 November 2024 | Updated: 17:30 EST, 25 November 2024 e-mail View comments Parents have slammed Netflix 's new animated film for 'normalizing' divorce which that believe is not appropriate for children. Spellbound is an hour and 49 minute flick starring Rachel Zegler , Nicole Kidman , Javier Bardem , John Lithgow, Jenifer Lewis and Jordan Fisher. As the film starts, tenacious teen princess Ellian (voiced Zegler) is desperately seeking a cure for the mysterious spell that has transformed her parents , Queen Ellsmere (Kidman) and King Solon (Bardem). To make matters worse, she must hide the whole mess from the oblivious citizens of Lumbria. When the secret gets out , and panic spreads throughout the kingdom, Ellian is forced on a dangerous quest to undo the curse. But even if she succeeds, she soon learns that her family may never go back to the way it once was. To make Ellian's reaction to her - literally - monstrous parents believable and accurate, filmmakers employed the consulting services of a family psychologist and therapist who specializes in divorce. On film review site Rotten Tomatoes, Spellbound has a 65 percent audience score with critics flooding the comments expressing their frustration with the topic. Spellbound follows the adventures of Ellian, a princess who must go on a quest to save her family and kingdom after a mysterious spell transforms her parents into monsters Spellbound is an hour and 49 minute flick starring Rachel Zegler , Nicole Kidman , Javier Bardem , John Lithgow, Jenifer Lewis and Jordan Fisher 'Just bad. Divorce should not be normalized,' one critic said. 'It pretends to promote familial love, forgiveness and growth, but instead pushes for family separation, holding on to unforgiveness and making selfish choices,' said another. 'What looks like a cute animated movie about a young girl trying to save her parents who've been turned into monsters is just a moronic ploy to help normalize divorce to children. Don't normalize divorce. It's not normal,' a third person said. On social media people talked about how they were disappointed in the approach and even stopped their children from watching the film. 'My niece hated me for turning Spellbound off about 10 minutes in. Thank God I googled the ending. Why would anybody sign up to do a movie that normalizes divorce? Divorce should be rare, not normalized,' said one person. 'It just felt like they could have shown the parents trying to work through the problems. Not just oh we argue too much let's end it,' said another. A recent report from the U.S. Census Bureau show that overall divorce rates in the country are down, but marriage rates are stagnant. The U.S. marriage rate in 2012 was 16.6 compared to 16.7 in 2022, according to the American Community Survey. During the same period, divorce rates dropped from 9.8 to 7.1. Marriage and divorce rates are based on the number of women who married or divorced in the last year per 1,000 women age 15 and over. From 2008 to 2022, the national divorce rate declined from just over 10.0 to about 7.0. In contrast, the national marriage rate has generally remained between 16.0 and 18.0 since 2008, with the exception of 2021 when the rate fell below 15.0. Javier Bardem Netflix Rachel Zegler Share or comment on this article: Parents slam Netflix's Spellbound for 'inappropriate' theme e-mail Add comment

None

Former pro taps into Newcastle's basketball boom with coaching business

Police release two more photos of UnitedHealthcare CEO’s shooterUkraine must be in strong position for negotiations, Starmer says

Formula 1 on Monday at last said it will expand its grid in 2026 to make room for an American team that is partnered with General Motors. “As the pinnacle of motorsports, F1 demands boundary-pushing innovation and excellence. It’s an honor for General Motors and Cadillac to join the world’s premier racing series, and we’re committed to competing with passion and integrity to elevate the sport for race fans around the world,” GM President Mark Reuss said. “This is a global stage for us to demonstrate GM’s engineering expertise and technology leadership at an entirely new level.” The approval ends years of wrangling that launched a U.S. Justice Department investigation into why Colorado-based Liberty Media, the commercial rights holder of F1, would not approve the team initially started by Michael Andretti. Andretti in September stepped aside from leading his namesake organization, so the 11th team will be called Cadillac F1 and be run by new Andretti Global majority owners Dan Towriss and Mark Walter. The team will use Ferrari engines its first two years until GM has a Cadillac engine built for competition in time for the 2028 season. Towriss is the the CEO and president of Group 1001 and entered motorsports via Andretti’s IndyCar team when he signed on financial savings platform Gainbridge as a sponsor. Towriss is now a major part of the motorsports scene with ownership stakes in both Spire Motorsports’ NASCAR team and Wayne Taylor Racing’s sports car team. Walter is the chief executive of financial services firm Guggenheim Partners and the controlling owner of both the World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers and Premier League club Chelsea. “We’re excited to partner with General Motors in bringing a dynamic presence to Formula 1,” Towriss said. “Together, we’re assembling a world-class team that will embody American innovation and deliver unforgettable moments to race fans around the world.” Mario Andretti, the 1978 F1 world champion, will have an ambassador role with Cadillac F1. But his son, Michael, will have no official position with the organization now that he has scaled back his involvement with Andretti Global. “The Cadillac F1 Team is made up of a strong group of people that have worked tirelessly to build an American works team,” Michael Andretti posted on social media. “I’m very proud of the hard work they have put in and congratulate all involved on this momentous next step. I will be cheering for you!” The approval has been in works for weeks but was held until after last weekend’s Las Vegas Grand Prix to not overshadow the showcase event of the Liberty Media portfolio. Max Verstappen won his fourth consecutive championship in Saturday night’s race, the third and final stop in the United States for the top motorsports series in the world. Grid expansion in F1 is both infrequent and often unsuccessful. Four teams were granted entries in 2010 that should have pushed the grid to 13 teams and 26 cars for the first time since 1995. One team never made it to the grid and the other three had vanished by 2017. There is only one American team on the current F1 grid — owned by California businessman Gene Haas — but it is not particularly competitive and does not field American drivers. Andretti’s dream was to field a truly American team with American drivers. The fight to add this team has been going on for three-plus years and F1 initially denied the application despite approval from F1 sanctioning body FIA. The existing 10 teams, who have no voice in the matter, also largely opposed expansion because of the dilution in prize money and the billions of dollars they’ve already invested in the series. Andretti in 2020 tried and failed to buy the existing Sauber team. From there, he applied for grid expansion and partnered with GM, the top-selling manufacturer in the United States. The inclusion of GM was championed by the FIA and president Mohammed Ben Sulayem, who said Michael Andretti’s application was the only one of seven applicants to meet all required criteria to expand F1’s current grid. “General Motors is a huge global brand and powerhouse in the OEM world and is working with impressive partners,” Ben Sulayem said Monday. “I am fully supportive of the efforts made by the FIA, Formula 1, GM and the team to maintain dialogue and work towards this outcome of an agreement in principle to progress this application.” Despite the FIA’s acceptance of Andretti and General Motors from the start, F1 wasn’t interested in Andretti — but did want GM. At one point, F1 asked GM to find another team to partner with besides Andretti. GM refused and F1 said it would revisit the Andretti application if and when Cadillac had an engine ready to compete. “Formula 1 has maintained a dialogue with General Motors, and its partners at TWG Global, regarding the viability of an entry following the commercial assessment and decision made by Formula 1 in January 2024,” F1 said in a statement. “Over the course of this year, they have achieved operational milestones and made clear their commitment to brand the 11th team GM/Cadillac, and that GM will enter as an engine supplier at a later time. Formula 1 is therefore pleased to move forward with this application process.” Yet another major shift in the debate over grid expansion occurred earlier this month with the announced resignation of Liberty Media CEO Greg Maffei, who was largely believed to be one of the biggest opponents of the Andretti entry. “With Formula 1’s continued growth plans in the US, we have always believed that welcoming an impressive US brand like GM/Cadillac to the grid and GM as a future power unit supplier could bring additional value and interest to the sport,” Maffei said. “We credit the leadership of General Motors and their partners with significant progress in their readiness to enter Formula 1.” ___ AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing Lawyers for a voting machine company that’s suing Fox News Egg prices are rising once more as a lingering outbreak Federal authorities have released an update on the investigation into Formula 1 on Monday at last said it will expandVDH: The Immorality Of Illegal Immigration

StealthGas: A Strategically Growing Firm Offering A Prime Buying Opportunity

WASHINGTON (AP) — A lead organization monitoring for food crises around the world withdrew a new report this week warning of imminent famine in north Gaza under what it called Israel's “near-total blockade,” after the U.S. asked for its retraction, U.S. officials told the Associated Press. The move follows public criticism of the report from the U.S. ambassador to Israel. The rare public dispute drew accusations from prominent aid and human-rights figures that the work of the U.S.-funded Famine Early Warning System Network , meant to reflect the opinion of unbiased international experts, has been tainted by politics. A declaration of famine would be a great embarrassment for Israel, which has insisted that its 15-month war in Gaza is aimed against the Hamas militant group and not against its civilian population. U.S. ambassador to Israel Jacob Lew earlier this week called the warning by the internationally recognized group inaccurate and “irresponsible ." Lew and the U.S. Agency for International Development, which funds the monitoring group, both said the findings failed to properly account for rapidly changing circumstances in north Gaza. Humanitarian and human rights officials expressed fear of U.S. political interference in the world's monitoring system for famines. The U.S. Embassy in Israel and the State Department declined comment. FEWS officials did not respond to questions. “We work day and night with the U.N. and our Israeli partners to meet humanitarian needs — which are great — and relying on inaccurate data is irresponsible,” Lew said Tuesday. USAID confirmed to the AP that it had asked the famine-monitoring organization to withdraw its stepped-up warning issued in a report dated Monday. The report did not appear among the top updates on the group's website Thursday, but the link to it remained active . The dispute points in part to the difficulty of assessing the extent of starvation in largely isolated northern Gaza. Thousands in recent weeks have fled an intensified Israeli military crackdown that aid groups say has allowed delivery of only a dozen trucks of food and water since roughly October. FEWS Net said in its withdrawn report that unless Israel changes its policy, it expects the number of people dying of starvation and related ailments in north Gaza to reach between two and 15 per day sometime between January and March. The internationally recognized mortality threshold for famine is two or more deaths a day per 10,000 people. FEWS was created by the U.S. development agency in the 1980s and is still funded by it. But it is intended to provide independent, neutral and data-driven assessments of hunger crises, including in war zones. Its findings help guide decisions on aid by the U.S. and other governments and agencies around the world. A spokesman for Israel's foreign ministry, Oren Marmorstein, welcomed the U.S. ambassador's public challenge of the famine warning. “FEWS NET - Stop spreading these lies!” Marmorstein said on X . In challenging the findings publicly, the U.S. ambassador "leveraged his political power to undermine the work of this expert agency,” said Scott Paul, a senior manager at the Oxfam America humanitarian nonprofit. Paul stressed that he was not weighing in on the accuracy of the data or methodology of the report. “The whole point of creating FEWS is to have a group of experts make assessments about imminent famine that are untainted by political considerations,” said Kenneth Roth, former executive director of Human Rights Watch and now a visiting professor in international affairs at Princeton University . “It sure looks like USAID is allowing political considerations -- the Biden administration’s worry about funding Israel’s starvation strategy -- to interfere." Israel says it has been operating in recent months against Hamas militants still active in northern Gaza. It says the vast majority of the area’s residents have fled and relocated to Gaza City, where most aid destined for the north is delivered. But some critics, including a former defense minister, have accused Israel of carrying out ethnic cleansing in Gaza’s far north, near the Israeli border. North Gaza has been one of the areas hardest-hit by fighting and Israel’s restrictions on aid throughout its war with Hamas militants. Global famine monitors and U.N. and U.S. officials have warned repeatedly of the imminent risk of malnutrition and deaths from starvation hitting famine levels. International officials say Israel last summer increased the amount of aid it was admitting there, under U.S. pressure. The U.S. and U.N. have said Gaza’s people as a whole need between 350 and 500 trucks a day of food and other vital needs. But the U.N. and aid groups say Israel recently has again blocked almost all aid to that part of Gaza. Cindy McCain , the American head of the U.N. World Food Program, previously called for political pressure to get food flowing to Palestinians there. Israel says it places no restrictions on aid entering Gaza and that hundreds of truckloads of goods are piled up at Gaza’s crossings and accused international aid agencies of failing to deliver the supplies. The U.N. and other aid groups say ongoing combat, looting and insufficient security by Israeli troops make it impossible to deliver aid effectively. Lew, the U.S. ambassador, said the famine warning was based on “outdated and inaccurate” data. He pointed to uncertainty over how many of the 65,000-75,000 people remaining in northern Gaza had fled in recent weeks, saying that skewed the findings. FEWS said in its report that its famine assessment holds even if as few as 10,000 people remain. USAID in its statement to AP said it had reviewed the report before it became public, and noted “discrepancies” in population estimates and some other data. The U.S. agency had asked the famine warning group to address those uncertainties and be clear in its final report to reflect how those uncertainties affected its predictions of famine, it said. “This was relayed before Ambassador Lew’s statement,” USAID said in a statement. “FEWS NET did not resolve any of these concerns and published in spite of these technical comments and a request for substantive engagement before publication. As such, USAID asked to retract the report.” Roth criticized the U.S. challenge of the report in light of the gravity of the crisis there. “This quibbling over the number of people desperate for food seems a politicized diversion from the fact that the Israeli government is blocking virtually all food from getting in,” he said, adding that “the Biden administration seems to be closing its eyes to that reality, but putting its head in the sand won’t feed anyone.” The U.S., Israel’s main backer, provided a record amount of military support in the first year of the war. At the same time, the Biden administration repeatedly urged Israel to allow more access to aid deliveries in Gaza overall, and warned that failing to do so could trigger U.S. restrictions on military support. The administration recently said Israel was making improvements and declined to carry out its threat of restrictions. Military support for Israel’s war in Gaza is politically charged in the U.S., with Republicans and some Democrats staunchly opposed any effort to limit U.S. support over the suffering of Palestinian civilians trapped in the conflict. The Biden administration’s reluctance to do more to press Israel for improved treatment of civilians undercut support for Democrats in last month’s elections. Sam Mednick and Josef Federman in Jerusalem contributed to this report.US President Joe Biden on Sunday said deposed Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad should be "held accountable" but called the nation's political upheaval a "historic opportunity" for Syrians to rebuild their country. In the first full US reaction to Assad's overthrow by an Islamist-led coalition of rebel factions, Biden also warned that Washington will "remain vigilant" against the emergence of terrorist groups, announcing that US forces had just conducted fresh strikes against militants from the Islamic State organization. "The fall of the regime is a fundamental act of justice," Biden said, speaking from the White House. "It's a moment of historic opportunity for the long-suffering people of Syria." Asked by reporters what should happen to the deposed president, who reportedly has fled to Moscow, Biden said that "Assad should be held accountable." Biden -- set to step down in January and make way for Republican Donald Trump's return to power -- said Washington will assist Syrians in rebuilding. "We will engage with all Syrian groups, including within the process led by the United Nations, to establish a transition away from the Assad regime toward independent, sovereign" Syria "with a new constitution," he said. However, Biden cautioned that hardline Islamist groups within the victorious rebel alliance will be under scrutiny. "Some of the rebel groups that took down Assad have their own grim record of terrorism and human right abuses," Biden said. The United States had "taken note" of recent statements by rebels suggesting they had since moderated, he said, but cautioned: "We will assess not just their words, but their actions." Biden said Washington is "clear eyed" that the Islamic State extremist group, often known as ISIS, "will try to take advantage of any vacuum to reestablish" itself in Syria. "We will not let that happen," he said, adding that on Sunday alone, US forces had conducted strikes against ISIS inside Syria. The US military said the strikes were conducted by warplanes against Islamic State operatives and camps. Strikes were carried out against "over 75 targets using multiple US Air Force assets, including B-52s, F-15s, and A-10s," the US Central Command said on social media. Earlier, Biden met with his national security team at the White House to discuss the crisis. Assad's reported departure comes less than two weeks after the Islamist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) group challenged more than five decades of Assad family rule with a lightning rebel offensive that broke long-frozen frontlines in Syria's civil war. They announced Sunday they had taken the capital Damascus and that Assad had fled, prompting celebrations nationwide and a ransacking of Assad's luxurious home. A Kremlin source told Russian news agencies that the deposed leader was now in Moscow, along with his family. The US military has around 900 troops in Syria and 2,500 in Iraq as part of the international coalition established in 2014 to help combat the Islamic State jihadist group. It has regularly struck targets in the country including those linked to Iranian-backed militias. Tehran was a major backer of Assad's government. Biden also confirmed US authorities believe the American journalist Austin Tice, who was abducted in Syria in 2012, still lives. "We believe he's alive," Biden said, but the US has yet "to identify where he is." bur-sms/mlmNone