bmy88 download OTTAWA - NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh says his party will not support a Liberal plan to give Canadians a GST holiday and $250 unless the government expands eligibility for the cheques, saying the rebate leaves out "the most vulnerable." Read this article for free: Already have an account? To continue reading, please subscribe: * OTTAWA - NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh says his party will not support a Liberal plan to give Canadians a GST holiday and $250 unless the government expands eligibility for the cheques, saying the rebate leaves out "the most vulnerable." Read unlimited articles for free today: Already have an account? OTTAWA – NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh says his party will not support a Liberal plan to give Canadians a GST holiday and $250 unless the government expands eligibility for the cheques, saying the rebate leaves out “the most vulnerable.” The Liberals announced a plan last week to cut the federal sales tax on a raft of items like toys and restaurant meals for two months, and to give $250 to more than 18.7 million Canadians in the spring. Speaking after a Canadian Labour Congress event in Ottawa, Singh says he’s open to passing the GST legislation, but the rebate needs to include seniors, students, people who are on disability benefits and those who were not able to work last year. Singh says he initially supported the idea because he thought the rebate cheques would go to anyone who earned under $150,000 last year. But the so-called working Canadians rebate will be sent to those who had an income, leaving out people Singh says need the help. The government intends to include the measures in the fall economic statement, which has not yet been introduced in the House of Commons. The proposed GST holiday would begin in mid-December, lasting for two months. It would remove the GST on prepared foods at grocery stores, some alcoholic drinks, children’s clothes and toys, Christmas trees, restaurant meals, books, video games and physical newspapers. Winnipeg Jets Game Days On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop. A privilege debate has held up all government business in the House since late September, with the Conservatives pledging to continue a filibuster until the government hands over unredacted documents related to misspending at a green technology fund. The NDP said last week they had agreed to pause the privilege debate in order to pass the legislation to usher in the GST holiday. Singh said Tuesday that unless there are changes to the proposed legislation, he will not support pausing the debate. The Bloc Québécois is also pushing for the rebates to be sent to seniors and retirees. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 26, 2024. Advertisement Advertisement

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexico has been taking a bashing lately for allegedly serving as a conduit for Chinese parts and products into North America, and officials here are afraid a re-elected Donald Trump or could try to leave their country out of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada free trade agreement. Mexico’s ruling Morena party is so afraid of losing the trade deal that President Claudia Sheinbaum said Friday the government has gone on a campaign to get companies to replace Chinese parts with locally made ones. “We have a plan with the aim of substituting these imports that come from China, and producing the majority of them in Mexico, either with Mexican companies or primarily North American companies,” Sheinbaum said. While Sheinbaum claimed Mexico had been working on that effort since t — when factories around the world were stalled by a lack of parts and particularly computer chips from Asia — it appears to be an uphill battle. Even the United States has faced big challenges in moving chip production back home despite billions in subsidies and incentives. when U.S. and foreign automakers moved their plants to Mexico under the free trade pact to take advantage of much lower wages. But the idea that Chinese parts — or even whole cars — could be piggybacking on that arrangement to further hollow out the U.S. auto industry has enraged some people north of the border. So Mexico is scrambling with private companies to get them to move parts production here. “Next year, God willing, we are going to start making microchips in Mexico,” Mexican Economy Secretary Marcelo Ebrard said on Thursday. “Of course they’re not yet the most advanced chips, but we are going to start producing them here.” Mexico’s nationalistic ruling party, which is normally , is scrambling in other ways, too. The ruling party is in the process of that were established by former presidents. That includes the anti-monopoly, transparency and energy regulatory bodies. Together with reforms that will make all judges stand for election in Mexico, that has sparked concern in the U.S. and Canada. Countries are required under the agreement to have some independent agencies, in part to protect foreign investors. For example, they could prevent a government from approving a monopoly for a state-owned company that could force competitors out of the market. So ruling-party legislators are actually re-writing the proposed laws to exactly mimic the minimum accepted requirements under the trade accord. “What is being done is to create a reform so that its almost exactly equal to what exists in the United States, so we can clear that up,” Ebrard said. It’s all part of a very legalistic defense of the trade accord, signed in 2018 and approved in 2019. Mexico hopes the rules of the agreement would prevent the U.S. or Canada from simply walking away when the trade pact comes up for review in 2026. Experts agree, saying that totally abandoning the accord is unlikely. Gabriela Siller, director of economic analysis of the financial group Banco Base notes that if a country is dissatisfied with the trade agreement during the periodic reviews, like in 2026, there is a clause in the pact that says they can ask for a review each year to work out a solution, and keep doing that for a decade while the agreement remains in force. “That is, they wouldn’t be able to get out until 2036,” Siller said. “I think they will play hardball with Mexico in the 2026 review.” Like any marriage, when the pact no longer works for one party, it may still drag on for years but it’s death by a thousand cuts. C.J. Mahoney. who served as deputy U.S. trade representative in Trump’s first administration, said in a talk for the Texas-based Baker Institute in September that the United States probably wouldn’t end the trade agreement. But with growingly vocal critics of the pact it could hold up renewing it for years. “The costs of not renewing immediately are actually quite relatively low,” Mahoney said. “I think the inclination to just kick the can down the road will be pretty strong.” Because many companies won’t make big investments in production facilities without certainty, that could be a serious if not fatal blow to the pact. How much does Mexico actually buy from China? Mexican officials say they have fewer imports of Chinese parts and products than the United States does. But given the enormous size difference between the two countries’ economies, it is a true but weak argument. In July, the U.S. on steel and aluminum shipped from Mexico that were made elsewhere, in an attempt to from avoiding import taxes by routing goods through Mexico. It includes a 25% tariff on steel not melted or poured in Mexico and a 10% tariff on aluminum. Sen. Sherrod Brown, an Ohio Democrat, has called for stopping Mexican steel imports, saying “the alarming rise in Chinese steel and aluminum coming into the country through Mexico ... is unsustainable and a threat to American jobs, as well as our economy and national security.” In the end, Mexico may be forced to crack down on Chinese imports, but it won’t be easy. “Reducing the dependence on Chinese imports is not going to be achieved in the short or medium term,” said José María Ramos, a professor of public administration at the Colegio de la Frontera Norte in Tijuana. Mark Stevenson And María Verza, The Associated Press

Afraid of losing the US-Canada trade pact, Mexico alters its laws and removes Chinese partsThe latest development came hours after thousands of his supporters, defying government warnings, broke through a barrier of shipping containers blocking off Islamabad and entered a high-security zone, where they clashed with security forces, facing tear gas shelling, mass detentions and gunfire. Tension has been high in Islamabad since Sunday when supporters of the former PM began a “long march” from the restive north-west to demand his release. Khan has been in a prison for more than a year and faces more than 150 criminal cases that his party says are politically motivated. Khan’s wife, Bushra Bibi, led the protest, but she fled as police pushed back against demonstrators. Hundreds of Khan’s supporters are being arrested in the ongoing night-time operation. Interior minister Mohsin Naqvi told reporters that the Red Zone, which houses government buildings and embassies, and the surrounding areas have been cleared. Leaders from Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party, or PTI, have also fled the protest site. Earlier on Tuesday, Pakistan’s army took control of D-Chowk, a large square in the Red Zone, where visiting Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko is staying. Since Monday, Mr Naqvi had threatened that security forces would use live fire if protesters fired weapons at them. “We have now authorised the police to respond as necessary,” Mr Naqvi said Tuesday while visiting the square. Before the operation began, protester Shahzor Ali said people had taken to the streets because Khan had called for them. “We will stay here until Khan joins us. He will decide what to do next,” Mr Ali said. Protester Fareeda Bibi, who is not related to Khan’s wife, said people have suffered greatly for the last two years. “We have really suffered for the last two years, whether it is economically, politically or socially. We have been ruined. I have not seen such a Pakistan in my life,” she said. Authorities have struggled to contain the protest-related violence. Six people, including four members of the security services, were killed when a vehicle rammed them on a street overnight into Tuesday. A police officer died in a separate incident. Dozens of Khan supporters beat a videographer covering the protest for the Associated Press and took his camera. He sustained head injuries and was treated in hospital. By Tuesday afternoon, fresh waves of protesters made their way unopposed to their final destination in the Red Zone. Mr Naqvi said Khan’s party had rejected a government offer to rally on the outskirts of the city. Information minister Atta Tarar warned there would be a severe government reaction to the violence. The government says only the courts can order Khan’s release. He was ousted in 2022 through a no-confidence vote in Parliament. In a bid to foil the unrest, police have arrested more than 4,000 Khan supporters since Friday and suspended mobile and internet services in some parts of the country. Messaging platforms were also experiencing severe disruption in the capital. Khan’s party relies heavily on social media and uses messaging platforms such as WhatsApp to share information, including details of events. The X platform, which is banned in Pakistan, is no longer accessible, even with a VPN. Last Thursday, a court prohibited rallies in the capital and Mr Naqvi said anyone violating the ban would be arrested. Travel between Islamabad and other cities has become nearly impossible because of shipping containers blocking the roads. All education institutions remain closed.

Up to Manitoba 3,000 health-care workers to get culturally safe training for Indigenous patientsThe S&P 500 rose 0.2% from its all-time high set on Friday to post a record for the 54th time this year. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 128 points, or 0.3%, while the Nasdaq composite gained 1%. Super Micro Computer, a stock that's been on an AI-driven roller coaster, soared 28.7% to lead the market. Following allegations of misconduct and the resignation of its public auditor, the maker of servers used in artificial-intelligence technology said an investigation found no evidence of misconduct by its management or by the company's board. It also said that it doesn't expect to restate its past financials and that it will find a new chief financial officer, appoint a general counsel and make other moves to strengthen its governance. Big Tech stocks also helped prop up the market. Gains of 1.8% for Microsoft and 3.2% for Meta Platforms were the two strongest forces pushing upward on the S&P 500. Intel was another propellant during the morning, but it lost an early gain to fall 0.5% after the chip company said CEO Pat Gelsinger has retired and stepped down from the board. Intel is looking for Gelsinger's replacement, and its chair said it's "committed to restoring investor confidence." Intel recently lost its spot in the Dow Jones Industrial Average to Nvidia, which has skyrocketed in Wall Street's frenzy around AI. Stellantis, meanwhile, skidded following the announcement of its CEO's departure. Carlos Tavares steps down after nearly four years in the top spot of the automaker, which owns car brands like Jeep, Citroën and Ram, amid an ongoing struggle with slumping sales and an inventory backlog at dealerships. The world's fourth-largest automaker's stock fell 6.3% in Milan. The majority of stocks in the S&P 500 likewise fell, including California utility PG&E. It dropped 5% after saying it would sell $2.4 billion of stock and preferred shares to raise cash. Retailers were mixed amid what's expected to be the best Cyber Monday on record and coming off Black Friday. Target, which recently gave a forecast for the holiday season that left investors discouraged, fell 1.2%. Walmart, which gave a more optimistic forecast, rose 0.2%. Amazon, which looks to benefit from online sales from Cyber Monday, climbed 1.4%. All told, the S&P 500 added 14.77 points to 6,047.15. The Dow fell 128.65 to 44,782.00, and the Nasdaq composite climbed 185.78 to 19,403.95. The stock market largely took Donald Trump's latest threat on tariffs in stride. The president-elect on Saturday threatened 100% tariffs against a group of developing economies if they act to undermine the U.S. dollar. Trump said he wants the group, headlined by Brazil, Russia, India and China, to promise it won't create a new currency or otherwise try to undercut the U.S. dollar. The dollar has long been the currency of choice for global trade. Speculation has also been around a long time that other currencies could knock it off its mantle, but no contender has come close. The U.S. dollar's value rose Monday against several other currencies, but one of its strongest moves likely had less to do with the tariff threats. The euro fell amid a political battle in Paris over the French government's budget. The euro sank 0.7% against the U.S. dollar and broke below $1.05. In the bond market, Treasury yields gave up early gains to hold relatively steady. The yield on the 10-year Treasury climbed above 4.23% during the morning before falling back to 4.19%. That was just above its level of 4.18% late Friday. A report in the morning showed the U.S. manufacturing sector contracted again last month, but not by as much as economists expected. This upcoming week will bring several big updates on the job market, including the October job openings report, weekly unemployment benefits data and the all-important November jobs report. They could steer the next moves for Federal Reserve, which recently began pulling interest rates lower to give support to the economy. Economists expect Friday's headliner report to show U.S. employers accelerated their hiring in November, coming off October's lackluster growth that was hampered by damaging hurricanes and strikes. "We now find ourselves in the middle of this Goldilocks zone, where economic health supports earnings growth while remaining weak enough to justify potential Fed rate cuts," according to Mark Hackett, chief of investment research at Nationwide. In financial markets abroad, Chinese stocks led gains worldwide as monthly surveys showed improving conditions for manufacturing, partly driven by a surge in orders ahead of Trump's inauguration next month. Both official and private sector surveys of factory managers showed strong new orders and export orders, possibly partly linked to efforts by importers in the U.S. to beat potential tariff hikes by Trump once he takes office. Indexes rose 0.7% in Hong Kong and 1.1% in Shanghai.Marvell forecasts fourth-quarter revenue above estimates on strong AI-backed demand

YOUR favorite childhood toys might still be on store shelves today - but the price tag could give you sticker shock. While a number of iconic toys from decades past are still being sold, hefty price tags on some beloved items might stop buyers in their tracks this holiday season thanks to rising costs due to inflation . Silly Putty, a stretchy material that debuted in 1955, cost just $1 when it first arrived on the scene in an ounce container. Now, shoppers can get their hands on the blobs for $21.24, which is a 2000% price jump. Today's price adjusted for inflation would be $11.73, meaning it's $9 more than its original cost, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Consumer Price Index inflation calculator. Silly Putty isn't the only nostalgic toy affected by "toyflation," according to ABC affiliate WMTW. READ MORE ON TOYS MOVIE-THEMED TOYS Star Wars action figures were a hit after the first movie came out in 1977. At the time, the toys retailed at an average price of $2.28 per toy, which would come out to $10.68 in today's adjusted price. The individual items now go for about $16 each on Amazon , while sets of three cost about $30. Transformers toys ranged between $3 and $5 in 1984, which would be about $12 adjusted with today's prices. Most read in Money Now, the toys cost about $25 each on Amazon. SILLYBANDZ Even Sillybandz, a more modern toy first released in 2009, has fallen prey to toyflation. The rubber bands cost $2.50, about $3.65 in today's prices, per 12-pack at the height of their popularity when kids would collect different shapes of the bracelets and trade them on playgrounds. A six-pack of Sillybandz now cost $3.95 each. While toyflation has upped the cost of Sillybandz and Transformers, other toys have gotten cheaper throughout the years. RUBIK'S CUBE The famously confusing Rubik's Cube was invented in 1974 by Hungarian puzzler Erno Rubik and immediately found global popularity among kids and adults alike. Beloved toys have become more expensive over the years thanks to rising costs. Some of the nostalgic items hit by toyflation include: Silly Putty Star Wars action figures Transformers Sillybandz Lego sets Source: Hearst Television The puzzle's original price in 1980 was $7.49, which would be $27.65 today. However, shoppers can find it for $9.36 on Amazon. LITE-BRITE The Lite-Brite, which allowed kids to create glowing artwork with light-up pegs, was introduced in 1966. The popular toy was marketed by Hasbro as a "magic light box" and sold for $7.98 in 1967, which would be a whopping $74.53 today. Shoppers can get a Lite-Brite set for $15.49 on Amazon. POTATO HEAD When Mr. Potato Head debuted in 1952, his plastic body parts came with a real potato as a head. After parents complained about their kids' toys rotting, toymakers made the move to plastic in 1964. The iconic toy continued to be popular throughout the years as it was featured in the Toy Story movies, which first came out in 1995 starring Tom Hanks . The toy, including the real spud, cost less than a dollar when it debuted in 1952. Today's adjusted price would be about $11.59. Read More on The US Sun Potato Head , which rebranded and dropped the "Mr." in 2021, is now on Amazon for $7.99 each. The whole family set is available for $19.99.

The risk of railway strikes causing major disruptions to New Year's Eve celebrations was exaggerated by the NSW premier, the head of the state's rail union has said. Amid concerns for Sydney's world-famous New Year's Eve party , the NSW Rail Tram and Bus Union (RTBU) dropped eight major work bans late on Monday, casting the last-minute changes as necessary to help ward off actions to "effectively crush" its bargaining strategy. They include distance limits for drivers and various signalling bans that had forced more than 680 cancellations over the weekend. Cancelled trains, a call for free travel and a warning about NYE fireworks Following a Fair Work Commission (FWC) hearing on Tuesday, NSW RTBU branch secretary Toby Warnes took aim at the state government's recent rhetoric. "We have always said it was a stunt by Premier (Chris) Minns and his friends in the big business community. There was never going to be any rail shutdown or major disruptions on New Year's Eve and now there certainly won't be," Warnes said. "We trust people can now safely assume the fireworks will go ahead. They were never not going to go ahead, but we understand people were uncertain of that because of the government's rhetoric over the past three weeks." The union has also agreed to drop a solidarity action and one other by the Electrical Trades Union to ensure public safety over the holidays. 'Services will now run as planned' NSW Transport Minister Jo Haylen has said she is pleased with the union's decision. "Christmas, New Year and the Sydney Test are too important to the state, and I am pleased to report they are now safe as the union has withdrawn their industrial action," she said. "The holiday period is now safe for passengers and, for businesses. They can plan and provide confidence that we can have staff get to work safely and families can travel around the CBD with confidence, get in and out for the New Year's Eve fireworks. "New Year's Eve train services will now run as planned." Pub and bar operators, a casino and the NSW Labor government had planned to argue at Tuesday's FWC hearing that train driver work bans planned for New Year's would cause significant harm to third parties and potentially endanger life. Organisers say Sydney's NYE fireworks are watched by another 400 million people globally, with an economic impact estimated at $280 million. New Year's Eve is also the busiest day on Australia's largest rail network, with rare all-night running shuttling people across the state. 23/12/2024 01:27 Play Earlier, NSW Police warned of "grave concerns" for safety if the one million people expected to line Sydney Harbour on New Year's Eve struggled to leave after the midnight fireworks. Some 3,200 services run about every five minutes throughout the day, with crunch time coming in the hour after midnight as the masses try to leave together. "While it's frustrating to have to adjust our planned actions, our ability to pivot and respond strategically is crucial in the face of these dishonest and immoral manoeuvres," Warnes told union members on Monday night. Union and government still at odds The union and government remain poles apart after seven months of pay negotiations. Unions continue to demand four annual wage increases of eight per cent but Minns says that's unaffordable and can't happen while he is denying nurses a similarly costly claim. The government has offered 11 per cent across three years, including superannuation increases. Work bans recommenced on Thursday after a court dismissed a government bid to have them made unlawful. The saga could drag on for several more months. The Fair Work Commission cannot be asked to settle the substantive dispute — pay and conditions — until February.

The Gunners delivered the statement Champions League victory their manager had demanded to bounce back from a narrow defeat at Inter Milan last time out. Goals from Gabriel Martinelli, Kai Havertz, Gabriel Magalhaes, Bukayo Saka and Leandro Trossard got their continental campaign back on track, lifting them to seventh place with 10 points in the new-look 36-team table. It was Arsenal’s biggest away win in the Champions League since beating Inter by the same scoreline in 2003. “For sure, especially against opposition we played at their home who have not lost a game in 18 months – they have been in top form here – so to play with the level, the determination, the purpose and the fluidity we showed today, I am very pleased,” said Arteta. “The team played with so much courage, because they are so good. When I’m watching them live they are so good! They were all exceptional today. It was a big performance, a big win and we are really happy. “The performance was there a few times when we have played big teams. That’s the level that we have to be able to cope and you have to make it happen, and that creates belief.” A memorable victory also ended Sporting’s unbeaten start to the season, a streak of 17 wins and one draw, the vast majority of which prompted Manchester United to prise away head coach Ruben Amorim. The Gunners took the lead after only seven minutes when Martinelli tucked in Jurrien Timber’s cross, and Saka teed up Havertz for a tap-in to double the advantage. Arsenal added a third on the stroke of half-time, Gabriel charging in to head Declan Rice’s corner into the back of the net. To rub salt in the wound, the Brazilian defender mimicked Viktor Gyokeres’ hands-over-his-face goal celebration. That may have wound Sporting up as they came out after the interval meaning business, and they pulled one back after David Raya tipped Hidemasa Morita’s shot behind, with Goncalo Inacio netting at the near post from the corner. But when Martin Odegaard’s darting run into the area was halted by Ousmane Diomande’s foul, Saka tucked away the penalty. Substitute Trossard added the fifth with eight minutes remaining, heading in the rebound after Mikel Merino’s shot was saved. A miserable night for prolific Sporting striker Gyokeres was summed up when his late shot crashed back off the post.

A user needed just a few carefully crafted sentences to override an artificial intelligence system’s core directives, manipulating it into transferring $47,000 in cryptocurrency through social engineering and demonstrating how vulnerable AI’s decision-making remains to human psychological tactics. The recent solution of Freysa , an AI game bot explicitly programmed to never transfer funds, reveals how autonomous systems can be tricked through social engineering despite clear instructions. “This wasn’t simply an error within a financial application or a security vulnerability, but rather a crypto game that people would play to try and trick the AI application,” Seth Geftic , Vice President of Product Marketing at Huntress , a cybersecurity company, told PYMNTS. “Funnily enough, the strategy that the person used to finally ‘break through’ the model’s logic was fairly simple: asking it to ignore all previous instructions.” User’s Winning Moves Freysa was an AI agent holding $50,000 in crypto that was programmed never to transfer the funds. Users could pay a fee to try convincing it to break this rule, with one eventually succeeding after 482 attempts. According to an X post by developer Jarrod Watts , the winning user used a three-part strategy: establishing a new “admin session” to override previous rules, redefining the transfer function as meant for receiving rather than sending funds, and finally announcing a fake $100 contribution that triggered the release of the entire prize pool of 13.19 ETH. Watts called the project “one of the coolest projects we’ve seen in crypto.” It was designed as an open challenge in which participants could pay escalating fees to try to convince the AI to break its core directive. Geftic explained that the Freysa AI hack, while dramatic, exploited a known weakness that major AI systems already defend against. Production AI used in finance and healthcare incorporates safeguards that would have blocked such social engineering attempts. “With that in mind, this particular event does not teach us anything new but rather demonstrates how vital it is to follow the best cybersecurity practices, maintain systems at their most recent patches, and be aware of development related to software (AI or not) that a company uses,” he added. Preventing AI Hacks While AI can handle most financial transactions effectively, its vulnerabilities to evolving cyber threats mean it shouldn’t operate alone, Geftic said. The optimal security approach combines automated AI systems for routine operations with human oversight of critical decisions and transactions. “For any interaction that poses a security risk (making a withdrawal or another transaction that has financial implications), the AI system can escalate the request to a human agent,” he added. “This system is already used within customer service chatbots with high success rates. AI can handle the majority of cases, reducing the workload of human agents while passing on any customers that really do need that extra help.” The Freysa game shows how trust remains a major hurdle in AI-cryptocurrency (Defi) integration, CoinDataFlow CEO Alexandr Sharilov told PYMNTS. “The DeFi system itself is not stable, so such cases add to the skepticism,” he added. “It becomes more and more difficult for users to make a choice in favor of new technologies that have not yet been fully trusted.” Sharilov said that to prevent future attacks, security systems need two key defensive layers. First, monetary transactions should require multiple approvers — both AI systems and human verifiers must sign off before funds move. Second, AI systems need ongoing testing through controlled attack simulations. “On the one hand, we have human, financial gatekeepers who can analyze situations from different angles, using not only data and facts but also their own hunches,” he added. “On the other hand, we have a tool that is not overloaded, does not get tired, and has no biases. That’s why I think it’s significant to combine human and machine resources when it comes to cybersecurity and financial protection.”

Number of women who are state lawmakers inches up to a record high

A ceasefire deal that could end more than a year of cross-border fighting between Israel and Lebanon's Hezbollah militant group won backing from Israeli leaders Tuesday, raising hopes and renewing difficult questions in a region gripped by conflict. Hezbollah leaders also signaled tentative backing for the U.S.-brokered deal, which offers both sides an off-ramp from hostilities that have driven more than 1.2 million Lebanese and 50,000 Israelis from their homes. An intense bombing campaign by Israel has killed more than 3,700 people, many of them civilians, Lebanese officials say. But while the deal, set to take effect early Wednesday, could significantly calm the tensions that have inflamed the region, it does little directly to resolve the much deadlier war that has raged in Gaza since the Hamas attack on southern Israel in October 2023 that killed 1,200 people. Hezbollah, which began firing scores of rockets into Israel the following day in support of Hamas, has previously said it would keep fighting until there was a stop to the fighting in Gaza. Here’s what to know about the tentative ceasefire agreement and its potential implications: The agreement reportedly calls for a 60-day halt in fighting that would see Israeli troops retreat to their side of the border while requiring Hezbollah to end its armed presence in a broad swath of southern Lebanon. President Joe Biden said Tuesday that the deal is set to take effect at 4 a.m. local time on Wednesday (9 p.m. EST Tuesday). Under the deal, thousands of Lebanese troops and U.N. peacekeepers are to deploy to the region south of the Litani River. An international panel lead by the U.S. would monitor compliance by all sides. Biden said the deal “was designed to be a permanent cessation of hostilities.” Israel has demanded the right to act should Hezbollah violate its obligations. Lebanese officials have rejected writing that into the proposal. Israel’s Defense Minister Israel Katz insisted Tuesday that the military would strike Hezbollah if the U.N. peacekeeping force, known as UNIFIL , does not provide “effective enforcement” of the deal. A Hezbollah leader said the group's support for the deal hinged on clarity that Israel would not renew its attacks. “After reviewing the agreement signed by the enemy government, we will see if there is a match between what we stated and what was agreed upon by the Lebanese officials,” Mahmoud Qamati, deputy chair of Hezbollah’s political council, told the Qatari satellite news network Al Jazeera. “We want an end to the aggression, of course, but not at the expense of the sovereignty of the state” of Lebanon, he said. The European Union’s top diplomat, Josep Borrell, said Tuesday that Israel’s security concerns had been addressed in the deal also brokered by France. After months of cross-border bombings, Israel can claim major victories, including the killing of Hezbollah’s top leader, Hassan Nasrallah, most of his senior commanders and the destruction of extensive militant infrastructure. A complex attack in September involving the explosion of hundreds of walkie-talkies and pagers used by Hezbollah was widely attributed to Israel, signaling a remarkable penetration of the militant group. The damage inflicted on Hezbollah has come not only in its ranks, but to the reputation it built by fighting Israel to a stalemate in the 2006 war. Still, its fighters managed to put up heavy resistance on the ground, slowing Israel’s advance while continuing to fire scores of rockets, missiles and drones across the border each day. The ceasefire offers relief to both sides, giving Israel’s overstretched army a break and allowing Hezbollah leaders to tout the group’s effectiveness in holding their ground despite Israel’s massive advantage in weaponry. But the group is likely to face a reckoning, with many Lebanese accusing it of tying their country’s fate to Gaza’s at the service of key ally Iran, inflicting great damage on a Lebanese economy that was already in grave condition. Until now, Hezbollah has insisted that it would only halt its attacks on Israel when it agreed to stop fighting in Gaza. Some in the region are likely to view a deal between the Lebanon-based group and Israel as a capitulation. In Gaza, where officials say the war has killed more than 44,000 Palestinians, Israel’s attacks have inflicted a heavy toll on Hamas, including the killing of the group’s top leaders. But Hamas fighters continue to hold scores of Israeli hostages, giving the militant group a bargaining chip if indirect ceasefire negotiations resume. Hamas is likely to continue to demand a lasting truce and a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza in any such deal. Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas offered a pointed reminder Tuesday of the intractability of the war, demanding urgent international intervention. “The only way to halt the dangerous escalation we are witnessing in the region, and maintain regional and international stability, security and peace, is to resolve the question of Palestine,” he said in a speech to the U.N. read by his ambassador.COLUMBIA, South Carolina — Victims’ families and others affected by crimes that resulted in federal death row convictions shared a range of emotions on Monday, from relief to anger, after President Joe Biden commuted dozens of the sentences. Biden converted the sentences of 37 federal death row inmates to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. The inmates include people who were convicted in the slayings of police, military officers and federal prisoners and guards. Others were involved in deadly robberies and drug deals. Three inmates will remain on federal death row: Dylann Roof, convicted of the 2015 racist slayings of nine Black members of Mother Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina; the 2013 Boston Marathon Bomber, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, and Robert Bowers, who fatally shot 11 congregants at Pittsburgh’s Tree of life Synagogue in 2018, the deadliest antisemitic attack in U.S history. Opponents of the death penalty lauded Biden for a decision they’d long sought. Supporters of Donald Trump, a vocal advocate of expanding capital punishment, criticized the move as an assault to common decency just weeks before the president-elect takes office. Donnie Oliverio, a retired Ohio police officer whose partner was killed by an inmate whose death sentence was commuted, said the execution of “the person who killed my police partner and best friend would have brought me no peace.” “The president has done what is right here,” Oliverio said in a statement also issued by the White House, “and what is consistent with the faith he and I share.” Heather Turner, whose mother, Donna Major, was killed in a bank robbery in South Carolina in 2017, called Biden’s commutation of the killer’s sentence a “clear gross abuse of power” in a Facebook post, adding that the weeks she spent in court with the hope of justice were now “just a waste of time.” “At no point did the president consider the victims,” Turner wrote. “He, and his supporters, have blood on their hands.” There has always been a broad range of opinions on what punishment Roof should face from the families of the nine people killed and the survivors of the massacre at the Mother Emanuel AME Church. Many forgave him, but some say they can’t forget and their forgiveness doesn’t mean they don’t want to see him put to death for what he did. Felicia Sanders survived the shooting shielding her granddaughter while watching Roof kill her son, Tywanza, and her aunt, Susie Jackson. Sanders brought her bullet-torn bloodstained Bible to his sentencing and said then she can’t even close her eyes to pray because Roof started firing during the closing prayer of Bible study that night. In a text message to her lawyer, Andy Savage, Sanders called Biden’s decision to not spare Roof’s life a wonderful Christmas gift. Michael Graham, whose sister, Cynthia Hurd, was killed, told The Associated Press that Roof’s lack of remorse and simmering white nationalism in the country means he is the kind of dangerous and evil person the death penalty is intended for. “This was a crime against a race of people,” Graham said. “It didn’t matter who was there, only that they were Black.” But the Rev. Sharon Richer, who was Tywanza Sanders’ cousin and whose mother, Ethel Lance, was killed, criticized Biden for not sparing Roof and clearing out all of death row. She said every time Roof’s case comes up through numerous appeals it is like reliving the massacre all over again. “I need the President to understand that when you put a killer on death row, you also put their victims’ families in limbo with the false promise that we must wait until there is an execution before we can begin to heal,” Richer said in a statement. Richer, a board member of Death Penalty Action, which seeks to abolish capital punishment, was driven to tears by conflicting emotions during a Zoom news conference Monday. “The families are left to be hostages for the years and years of appeals that are to come,” Richer said. “I’ve got to stay away from the news today. I’ve got to turn the TV off - because whose face am I going to see?” Biden is giving more attention to the three inmates he chose not to spare, something they all wanted as a part of what drove them to kill, said Abraham Bonowitz, Death Penalty Action’s executive director. “These three racists and terrorists who have been left on death row came to their crimes from political motivations. When Donald Trump gets to execute them what will really be happening is they will be given a global platform for their agenda of hatred,” Bonowitz said. Biden had faced pressure from advocacy organizations to commute federal death sentences, and several praised him for taking action in his final month in office. Anthony D. Romero, executive director of the ACLU, said in a statement that Biden “has shown our country - and the rest of the world - that the brutal and inhumane policies of our past do not belong in our future.” Republicans, including Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas, on the other hand, criticized the move - and argued its moral ground was shaky given the three exceptions. “Once again, Democrats side with depraved criminals over their victims, public order, and common decency,” Cotton wrote on X. “Democrats can’t even defend Biden’s outrageous decision as some kind of principled, across-the-board opposition to the death penalty since he didn’t commute the three most politically toxic cases.” Liz Murrill, Louisiana’s Republican attorney general, criticized the commuted sentence of Len Davis, a former New Orleans policeman convicted of orchestrating the killing of a woman who had filed a complaint against him. “We can’t trust the Feds to get justice for victims of heinous crimes, so it’s long past time for the state to get it done,” the tough-on-crime Republican said in a written statement to the AP. Two men whose sentences were commuted were Norris Holder and Billie Jerome Allen, on death row for opening fire with assault rifles during a 1997 bank robbery in St. Louis, killing a guard, 46-year-old Richard Heflin. Holder’s attorney, Madeline Cohen, said in an email that Holder, who is Black, was sentenced to death by an all-white jury. She said his case “reflects many of the system’s flaws,” and thanked Biden for commuting his sentence. “Norris’ case exemplifies the racial bias and arbitrariness that led the President to commute federal death sentences,” Cohen said. “Norris has always been deeply remorseful for the pain his actions caused, and we hope this decision brings some measure of closure to Richard Heflin’s family.” Copyright © 2024 The Washington Times, LLC.

Mayo Clinic Minute: How to reduce your risk of respiratory infectionsQatar Charity (QC) has opened a multi-service centre in Abeche, the capital of the Wadai region in Chad. The centre is set to offer educational services, along with providing clean water and healthcare for students and residents. One of QC's flagship projects, the centre includes a primary school, a health centre with multiple medical clinics, a pharmacy, and a laboratory. It also provides healthcare services, including reproductive health and vaccinations. The multi-service centre features an artesian well, a water tank, a mosque, and eight social housing units for teachers. It has been handed over to the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Isesco), which will use it to train 1,000 teachers in Arabic language and Islamic studies, as well as oversee the provision of other services. Related Story Shop Qatar 2025 to be held from Jan 1 to Feb 1