promo code jilibet LOS ANGELES (AP) — The leader of a Southern California white supremacist group was sentenced Friday to two years in federal prison for inciting violence at California political rallies in 2017. Robert Paul Rundo, 34, pleaded guilty in September to one count of conspiracy to violate the federal Anti-Riot Act, the U.S. attorney's office in Los Angeles said. “Hate and violence are antithetical to American values and tear at our community. It is therefore critical that we protect the civil and constitutional rights of our community against those who promote divisiveness," U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada said in a statement. Rundo's attorney didn't immediately respond to an email seeking comment. Prosecutors say Rundo co-founded the Rise Above Movement, which they describe as “a combat-ready, militant group of a new nationalist white supremacy and identity movement.” He and two others were accused of planning and engaging in violence at gatherings in Huntington Beach, Berkeley and San Bernardino in 2017. Rundo was arrested in 2018 for inciting violence at California protests and at a deadly riot in Charlottesville, Virginia. A federal court dismissed the charges in 2019, but they were reinstated by a federal appeals court in 2021. Rundo had left the United States after the charges were dismissed and was extradited last year from Romania when they were reinstated.FLAGSTAR FINANCIAL, INC. APPOINTS BRIAN CALLANAN TO BOARD OF DIRECTORS

BISMARCK — The North Dakota Game and Fish Department closed the river otter trapping season Tuesday after the statewide season’s predetermined harvest limit of 25 was reached. Game and Fish announced the season closure Tuesday afternoon in a news release. ADVERTISEMENT Only North Dakota residents were eligible to participate in the season, with a season limit of one otter per trapper.Global stock markets mostly retreated Tuesday as traders eyed looming US inflation data and a key European interest rate call amid global political upheaval. After winning numerous records in the weeks since the November 5 US presidential election, US stocks fell for the second straight day as analysts pointed to profit-taking. Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Please enable it in your browser settings.

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Portage Biotech Announces Receipt of Nasdaq Noncompliance LetterStock indexes closed mixed on Wall Street at the end of a rare bumpy week. The S & P 500 ended little changed Friday. The benchmark index reached its latest in a string of records a week ago. It lost ground for the week following three weeks of gains. The Dow Jones Industrial Average slipped 0.2%. The Nasdaq composite edged up 0.1%. Broadcom surged after the semiconductor company beat Wall Street’s profit targets and gave a glowing forecast, highlighting its artificial intelligence products. RH, formerly known as Restoration Hardware, surged after raising its revenue forecast. Treasury yields rose in the bond market. On Friday: The S & P 500 fell 0.16 points, or less than 0.1%, to 6,051.09. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 86.06 points, or 0.2%, to 43,828.06. The Nasdaq composite rose 23.88 points, or 0.1%, to 19,926.72. The Russell 2000 index of smaller companies fell 14.19 points, or 0.6%, to 2,346.90. For the week: The S & P 500 is down 39.18 points, or 0.6%. The Dow is down 814.46 points, or 1.8%. The Nasdaq is up 66.95 points, or 0.3%. The Russell 2000 is down 62.10 points, or 2.6%. For the year: The S & P 500 is up 1,281.26 points, or 26.9%. The Dow is up 6,138.52 points, or 16.3%. The Nasdaq is up 4,951.37 points, or 32.7%. The Russell 2000 is up 319.82 points, or 15.8%.Global stock markets mostly retreated Tuesday as traders eyed looming US inflation data and a key European interest rate call amid global political upheaval. After winning numerous records in the weeks since the November 5 US presidential election, US stocks fell for the second straight day as analysts pointed to profit-taking. But Alphabet jumped more than five percent after Google showed off a new quantum computing chip that it described as a significant breakthrough in the field, arguing it could lead to advances in drug discovery, fusion energy and other areas. The Paris stock market retreated as French party leaders gathered at President Emmanuel Macron's Elysee Palace office to chart a route towards a new government. The euro also fell ahead of the European Central Bank's monetary policy meeting on Thursday. The ECB is expected to lower interest rates by 25 basis points amid weak eurozone growth. Independent analyst Andreas Lipkow said traders were taking a cautious approach ahead of the ECB meeting. The main US indexes struggled as traders eyed US consumer price inflation (CPI) data due Wednesday, which could play a role in whether the US Federal Reserve decides to cut interest rates next week. On Wall Street, "tomorrow's CPI report is in full focus with a looming rate-decision from the Fed coming," analyst Bret Kenwell of trading platform eToro said in a note. Following recent spending and jobs data "traders have felt even more emboldened to bet on a December rate cut, while the Fed has done little... to quiet that expectation," he added. Earlier, stock markets weighed "concerns that China's economic stimulus measures might not have a long-lasting effect", noted Dan Coatsworth, investment analyst at AJ Bell. The growth plan comes as Beijing contemplates Donald Trump's second term in the White House. The US president-elect has indicated he will reignite his hardball trade policies, fueling fears of another standoff between the economic superpowers. The Shanghai stock market ended higher but Hong Kong fell. Seoul's Kospi index rallied more than two percent after tumbling since President Yoon Suk Yeol declared short-lived martial law on December 3. On the corporate front, shares in Stellantis rose around one percent on the Paris stock exchange after the car giant and Chinese manufacturer CATL announced plans for a $4.3-billion factory making electric-vehicle batteries in Spain. Walgreens Boots Alliance soared 17.7 percent following reports that it could be acquired by private equity firm Sycamore Partners. Boeing jumped 4.5 percent as it announced it was resuming production at two Seattle-area plants that had been shuttered for nearly three months due to a labor strike. New York - Dow: DOWN 0.4 percent at 44,247.83 (close) New York - S&P 500: DOWN 0.3 percent at 6,034.91 (close) New York - Nasdaq Composite: DOWN 0.3 percent at 19,687.24 (close) Paris - CAC 40: DOWN 1.1 percent at 7,394.78 (close) Frankfurt - DAX: DOWN 0.1 percent at 20,329.16 (close) London - FTSE 100: DOWN 0.9 percent at 8,280.36 (close) Hong Kong - Hang Seng Index: DOWN 0.5 percent at 20,311.28 (close) Shanghai - Composite: UP 0.6 percent at 3,422.66 (close) Tokyo - Nikkei 225: UP 0.5 percent at 39,367.58 (close) Seoul - Kospi: UP 2.4 percent at 2,417.84 (close) Euro/dollar: DOWN at $1.0529 from $1.0554 on Monday Pound/dollar: UP at $1.2773 from $1.2757 Dollar/yen: UP at 151.92 yen from 151.21 yen Euro/pound: DOWN at 82.42 from 82.73 pence West Texas Intermediate: UP 0.1 percent at $68.59 per barrel Brent North Sea Crude: UP 0.1 percent at $72.19 per barrel burs-jmb/nro Get any of our free email newsletters — news headlines, sports, arts & entertainment, state legislature, CFD news, and more.TORONTO, Dec. 13, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Edesa Biotech, Inc. (Nasdaq:EDSA), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing host-directed therapeutics for immuno-inflammatory diseases, today reported financial results for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2024 and provided an update on its business. During the fiscal year, the company pivoted the in-house development of its anti-TLR4 drug candidate, EB05 (paridiprubart), to a U.S. government-funded study investigating novel threat-agnostic host-directed therapeutics in patients with Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS). Given this opportunity, Edesa is also amending a development and drug manufacturing project for the same asset that is supported by the Government of Canada. The company said that the goal is to maximize synergies between the two government-funded projects. For its anti-CXCL10 program, Edesa intends to manufacture EB06 and submit related data to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration as part of an investigational new drug (IND) application. The manufacturing of clinical-grade drug batches and initiation of the patient enrollment is subject to funding. Edesa anticipates topline results for this Phase 2 study could be available within as few as 12 to 18 months following regulatory clearance in the U.S. The study is currently approved in Canada. “This year, Edesa maintained its momentum despite the headwinds in the drug development sector, and we once again validated our TLR4 technology with a third competitive government award,” said Par Nijhawan, MD, Chief Executive Officer of Edesa Biotech. “I have maintained my strategic support financially and I believe that our team can continue to advance and expand our development pipeline and partnerships.” Edesa's Chief Financial Officer Stephen Lemieux reported that financial results for the fiscal year benefited from prudent use of working capital and effective financial management, including a more than 20% decrease in operating expenses. “Following the end of the fiscal year, we strengthened our balance sheet, and with two governments now funding the advancement of our anti-TLR4 technology, we have improved our position for future financing, potential strategic arrangements as well as other opportunities to advance our pipeline.” Financial Results for the Fiscal Year Ended September 30, 2024 Total operating expenses decreased by $2.2 million to $7.0 million for the year ended September 30, 2024 compared to $9.2 million for the prior year: Research and development expenses decreased by $1.9 million to $2.9 million for the year ended September 30, 2024 compared to $4.8 million for the prior year primarily due to decreased external research expenses related to the company’s completed dermatitis study and a reduction in labor costs and noncash share-based compensation, which were partially offset by an increase in expenses related to manufacturing of paridiprubart. General and administrative expenses decreased by $0.3 million to $4.1 million for year ended September 30, 2024 compared to $4.4 million for the prior year primarily due to a decrease in noncash share-based compensation, which was partially offset by an increase salaries and related costs. Total other income was unchanged at $0.8 million for the years ended September 30, 2024 and September 30, 2023 as a $0.1 million increase in reimbursement funding from the Canadian government's Strategic Innovation Fund was offset by a $0.1 million decrease in interest income. For the year ended September 30, 2024, Edesa reported a net loss of $6.2 million, or $1.93 per common share, compared to a net loss of $8.4 million, or $2.93 per common share, for the year ended September 30, 2023. Working Capital At September 30, 2024, Edesa had cash and cash equivalents of $1.0 million and negative working capital of $0.2 million. Subsequent to the fiscal year end, the company received $1.5 million in gross proceeds under a securities purchase agreement with an entity affiliated with Edesa’s Chief Executive Officer and Founder, and $0.6 million in net proceeds, after deducting sales agent commissions, from common shares sold under an at-the-market offering program. Calendar Edesa management plans to participate in one-on-one meetings during JP Morgan week, which begins on January 13, 2025, in San Francisco, California. Attendees interested in meeting with management can request meetings through the conference organizers or by contacting Edesa directly at investors@edesabiotech.com . About Edesa Biotech, Inc. Edesa Biotech, Inc. (Nasdaq: EDSA) is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing innovative ways to treat inflammatory and immune-related diseases. Its clinical pipeline is focused on two therapeutic areas: Medical Dermatology and Respiratory. In Medical Dermatology, Edesa is developing EB06, an anti-CXCL10 monoclonal antibody candidate, as therapy for vitiligo, a common autoimmune disorder that causes skin to lose its color in patches. Its medical dermatology assets also include EB01 (1.0% daniluromer cream), a Phase 3-ready asset developed for use as a potential therapy for moderate-to-severe chronic Allergic Contact Dermatitis (ACD), a common occupational skin condition. The company’s most advanced Respiratory drug candidate is EB05 (paridiprubart), which is being evaluated in a U.S. government-funded platform study as a treatment for Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS), a life-threatening form of respiratory failure. The EB05 program has been the recipient of two funding awards from the Government of Canada to support the further development of this asset. In addition to EB05, Edesa is preparing an investigational new drug application (IND) in the United States for EB07 (paridiprubart) to conduct a future Phase 2 study in patients with pulmonary fibrosis. Sign up for news alerts . Connect with us on X and LinkedIn . Edesa Forward-Looking Statements This press release may contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Forward-looking statements may be identified by the use of words such as "anticipate," "believe," "plan," "estimate," "expect," "intend," "may," "will," "would," "could," "should," "might," "potential," or "continue" and variations or similar expressions, including statements related to: Edesa’s ability to pivot the in-house development of its anti-TLR4 drug candidate; the company’s plans to amend its contribution agreement with the Government of Canada; the company’s goal to maximize synergies between two government-funded projects; Edesa plans to manufacture EB06 and submit related data to the FDA as part of an IND application; the company’s plans to manufacture clinical-grade drug and initiate patient enrollment; the company’s plans to finance clinical and manufacturing activities; the company’s estimate that topline results for its Phase 2 vitiligo study could be available within as few as 12 to 18 months following regulatory clearance; the company’s belief that in 2024 it maintained its momentum despite the headwinds in the drug development sector and once again validated its TLR4 technology with a third competitive government award; the company’s belief that its team can continue to advance and expand its development pipeline and partnerships; the company’s belief that its fiscal year financial results benefited from prudent use of working capital and effective financial management; the company’s belief that with two governments funding the advancement of its anti-TLR4 technology, it has improved its position for future financing, potential strategic arrangements and alternatives as well as other opportunities to advance its pipeline; and the company's timing and plans regarding its clinical studies in general. Readers should not unduly rely on these forward-looking statements, which are not a guarantee of future performance. There can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate, as all such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause actual results or future events to differ materially from the forward-looking statements. Such risks include: the ability of Edesa to obtain regulatory approval for or successfully commercialize any of its product candidates, the risk that access to sufficient capital to fund Edesa's operations may not be available or may be available on terms that are not commercially favorable to Edesa, the risk that Edesa's product candidates may not be effective against the diseases tested in its clinical trials, the risk that Edesa fails to comply with the terms of license agreements with third parties and as a result loses the right to use key intellectual property in its business, Edesa's ability to protect its intellectual property, the timing and success of submission, acceptance and approval of regulatory filings, and the impacts of public health crises. Many of these factors that will determine actual results are beyond the company's ability to control or predict. For a discussion of further risks and uncertainties related to Edesa's business, please refer to Edesa's public company reports filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and the British Columbia Securities Commission. All forward-looking statements are made as of the date hereof and are subject to change. Except as required by law, Edesa assumes no obligation to update such statements.

ST. JOHN'S, N.L. — Two former premiers of Newfoundland and Labrador say a draft energy agreement signed Thursday with Quebec shattered a political standoff that leaders had been trying to end for decades. Brian Tobin, a Liberal premier from 1996 to 2000, said the shift in political alignment will be good for the provinces, and for the entire country. "I think it is a long-awaited breaking of a gridlock in the relationship between Newfoundland and Labrador and Quebec," he said in an interview Friday. "I think that this is really important." The tensions stem from a contract signed by the two provinces in 1969, which allowed Quebec to buy hydroelectric power from the Churchill Falls plant in Labrador for just 0.2 cents per kilowatt hour. The contract was set to expire in 2041, and there was no allowance for the price to change with the market. On Thursday, Newfoundland and Labrador Liberal Premier Andrew Furey literally tore up a copy of that contract as he sat beside Quebec Premier François Legault in St. John's, N.L. They inked a new agreement in principle stipulating that Quebec will pay more, beginning with one cent per kilowatt hour in 2025, and increasing in subsequent years. The province will also shell out an average of $1 billion a year until 2041, with increases to follow, and pay a $3.5-billion fee to partner on new energy projects in the Churchill River. Ultimately, Quebec will pay an average of 5.9 cents per kilowatt hour for energy from all Labrador sources over the 50-year contract. The deal comes with stipulations that prices can change along with the market, officials said Thursday. Tobin dismissed questions about whether one cent per kilowatt hour in the first year was enough of an improvement. He pointed to Newfoundland and Labrador's past unsuccessful attempts to challenge the 1969 deal in court, including in the Supreme Court of Canada. Under those rulings, Quebec has a legal right to continue paying next to nothing for Churchill Falls energy until 2041, Tobin said. Instead, after decades of bickering, they've chosen to turn the page. "One of the things that's important in this agreement is that it was not done with Newfoundland and Labrador's back to the wall," he said. "Many other premiers, myself included, tried to address this issue. In my case, there was still 42 or 43 years left in the agreement. So not much incentive for Quebec to become too creative in trying to address our needs." But Quebec needs energy, and new power projects take at least 10 years to build, so it was time for the province to act, he said. Former Newfoundland and Labrador Liberal premier Roger Grimes was also impressed by the end of the deal that has haunted the province since it was signed in 1969. "Every premier since then wished that they had found a partner in Quebec, like Premier Legault, who was willing to give some redress for (Churchill Falls)," said Grimes, who governed from 2001 to 2003. "And Premier Furey did. And thank God that he seized the moment." The 1969 contract isn't the only hydroelectric black eye in Newfoundland and Labrador's past. The province is still deep in debt because of the Muskrat Falls development, which is also on the Churchill River. The project was approved in 2012 with a price tag of about $7.4 billion, but by the time it was finally commissioned last year after years of delay, the price had nearly doubled. Grimes said the agreement signed Thursday not only rights the wrongs of 1969, but it reflects lessons learned from Muskrat Falls. Under the deal, Quebec will manage the construction of the two new projects and it will absorb all cost overruns while Newfoundland and Labrador will be the majority owner, he said. The Progressive Conservative government under Danny Williams pushed for Muskrat Falls, and Grimes believes Williams was driven by an anger toward Quebec and a need to prove that Newfoundland and Labrador didn't need them. Now, after Thursday's agreement, the two provinces are willing partners, in an arrangement that benefits them both, he said. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 13, 2024. Sarah Smellie, The Canadian Press

TORONTO - Canada’s main stock index fell more than 100 points Friday, led by losses in base metal and telecom stocks, while U.S. stock markets were mixed ahead of next week’s interest rate decision from the U.S. Federal Reserve. This week, the Bank of Canada announced another outsized interest rate cut of half a percentage point while also signalling it plans to slow the pace of cuts going forward. Allan Small, senior investment adviser at iA Private Wealth,said the central bank is juggling a lot of balls heading into the new year, including a faltering economy, a housing market that’s poised to heat up, and a U.S. Fed likely to cut much slower next year. “If (the Bank of Canada) continues to cut when the U.S. doesn’t, where does that leave our dollar?” asked Small. “They’re flying by the seat of their pants.” The S&P/TSX composite index closed down 136.41 points at 25,274.30. In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was down 86.06 points at 43,828.06. The S&P 500 index was down 0.16 points at 6,051.09, while the Nasdaq composite was up 23.88 points at 19,926.72. The Fed has done a better job of tamping down inflation while not harming the economy too much, said Small. The Fed is expected to cut by a quarter-percentage point next week, and its path is clearer than the Bank of Canada’s, said Small. “I don’t think they have much room to cut more,” he said, noting this week saw U.S. inflation data tick up from the month before. “Most people think they’ll go 25 (basis points) and pause for a little while,” said Small. “Would I be surprised to see them not cut at all? No, but I think the market would take that negatively.” Heading into the last few weeks of the year, Small said if there’s a so-called Santa Claus rally, it may be more muted than usual. “It’s quite possible we’ve taken some gains that we normally would have had in December, brought them forward into November, and now December might not be as strong as we normally see,” he said. On Wall St., the Nasdaq did a little better than its U.S. peers as semiconductor company Broadcom saw its stock gain more than 24 per cent after reporting earnings. “I think the commentary on the conference call really caused the stock to shoot up,” said Small. The company gave a bright forecast for investors on the back of expected growth in artificial intelligence. This week, Broadcom and Apple also announced a deal to develop a chip for AI. The Canadian dollar traded for 70.27 cents US compared with 70.48 cents US on Thursday. The January crude oil contract was up US$1.27 at US$71.29 per barrel and the January natural gas contract was down 18 cents at US$3.28 per mmBTU. The February gold contract was down US$33.60 at US$2,675.80 an ounce and the March copper contract was down five cents at US$4.15 a pound. — With files from The Associated Press This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 13, 2024. Companies in this story: (TSX:GSPTSE, TSX:CADUSD)Last year, beer company Heineken introduced the Gaming Fridge, a PC with a fridge installed, but now it wants to put the power to get a Heineken 0.0--its non-alcoholic beer--into players' hands with its Cool Down Controller. Heineken 0.0 launched the controller at CCXP24, a Comic-Con event in Brazil, where fans could see the device in action. Designed and conceptualized by creative agency LePub Sao Paulo and Milan in partnership with Heineken 0.0, the control is said to know when to "refresh" players during high-pressure moments via advanced sensors that monitors both button pressure and movement intensity. When things become too heated, the controller's light shifts from green to red, triggering a special delivery service that automatically sends a Heineken 0.0 to everyone on the player's team. "We considered every detail to address a common challenge faced by players: the pressure that can occasionally affect the enjoyment of the entire team," explained Felipe Cury, CCO at LePub Sao Paulo in a press release. "Our goal was to offer a fun and sociable solution that lightens the mood, bringing the excitement back to the forefront and giving everyone a reason to pause, reconnect, and dive back into the game together." To develop this technology, Heineken 0.0 partnered with LeGarage, the innovation center of LePub, which developed the advanced sensor technology. This responsive system allows the controller to react in real-time, signaling a cooldown moment just when it’s needed. There are no details on how the delivery system would work on a local level, but the company said that the Cool Down Controller will be featured in several activations over the coming months. While you likely won't ever be able to buy a Cool Down Controller, there are great deals on DualSense PS5 controllers and Xbox Elite Series 2 controllers going on now, with the latter at an all-time low price.Former U.S. Rep. Anthony Weiner has filed to run for a seat on the New York City Council, launching a potential political comeback after his once-promising career was destroyed by sexting scandals and later a criminal conviction for having illicit online contact with a child. Read this article for free: Already have an account? To continue reading, please subscribe: * Former U.S. Rep. Anthony Weiner has filed to run for a seat on the New York City Council, launching a potential political comeback after his once-promising career was destroyed by sexting scandals and later a criminal conviction for having illicit online contact with a child. Read unlimited articles for free today: Already have an account? Former U.S. Rep. Anthony Weiner has filed to run for a seat on the New York City Council, launching a potential political comeback after his once-promising career was destroyed by sexting scandals and later a criminal conviction for having illicit online contact with a child. Campaign finance records list a campaign committee that was set up on Friday for Weiner called Weiner 25, in addition to listing him as a candidate for a council seat in lower Manhattan. In a phone conversation Tuesday with The Associated Press, Weiner, a Democrat, said he is “still exploring” whether to actually campaign for the office. He said he opened the committee late last week so he could participate in a forum held by the Downtown Independent Democrats later this week. He referred additional questions to recent statements he made on his weekly radio show, “The Middle with Anthony Weiner,” where he said: “I haven’t decided if I want to do this yet” while considering the personal dynamics of a return to politics. Weiner represented a congressional district in New York City for about 12 years before he resigned in 2011 after sending lewd photos to several women. He tried to make a comeback in 2013 to run for mayor but was damaged by new revelations of explicit photos Weiner had sent under the online alias “Carlos Danger.” Weiner pleaded guilty in 2017 to having illicit online contact with a 15-year-old girl and was sentenced to 21 months in federal prison. He was released in 2019 and was ordered to register as a sex offender. 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. ___ Izaguirre reported from Albany, N.Y. Advertisement Advertisement

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This holiday season, we’ve put together a list of books that would make a great gift for the critical thinker on your shopping list. Each book on the list connects with a past episode of Don’t Call Me Resilient , and is written or edited by a guest from that episode. To accompany our book picks, we’ve put together a playlist of our episodes that correspond with each book. So, bring the scholar and their ideas to life by listening to the episode alongside reading their book. This 17-episode playlist captures the essence of the podcast’s back catalogue, with episodes ranging from Season 1 to Season 7 on a range of topics that represent some of the most compelling issues of our times, from the climate crisis, to Gaza, to why the far-right is on the rise in the United States. 16 books for the critical thinker on your holiday gift list Here’s the full book list, alongside links to the episodes that relate to its topic. Uncle: Race, Nostalgia, and the Politics of Loyalty by Cheryl Thompson, associate professor in performance at The Creative School, Toronto Metropolitan University RELATED EPISODES What’s in a word? How to confront 150 years of racial stereotypes — We keep hearing stories about white and non-Black people – including academics — somehow thinking it’s ok to use the n-word. Cheryl Thompson joins us to discuss how North American society spent the last 150 years creating racist stereotypes and language, how they continue to persist today – and what we might do to help stop it. (February 2021) Will Smith’s Oscar slap reveals fault lines as he defends Jada Pinkett Smith against Chris Rock — Cheryl Thompson reflects on how “the slap heard around the world” is part of a layered story of racism, sexism, power and performance. (November 2022) About the Queen, the Crown’s crimes and how to talk about the unmourned — In the middle of the tremendous outpouring of love and grief for the Queen and the monarchy she represented, not everyone wants to take a moment of silence. And there are a lot of reasons why. With Prof. Veldon Coburn, editor of Capitalism and Dispossession: Corporate Canada at Home and Abroad (Fernwood) . (September 2022) When the Pine Needles Fall: Indigenous Acts of Resistance by Ellen Gabriel, with Sean Carleton, foreword by Pamela Palmater, afterword by Audra Simpson RELATED EPISODE Indigenous land defenders — Two Indigenous land defenders join us to explain why they work to protect land against invasive development and why their work is necessary for everyone’s survival. Ellen Gabriel, a human rights activist and artist well known for her role as a spokesperson during the 1990 Oka crisis, and Anne Spice, assistant professor at Toronto Metropolitan University, discuss the importance and urgency of defending land. (March 2021) In Your Face: Law, Justice, and Niqab-Wearing Women in Canada by Natasha Bakht, professor of law at the University of Ottawa RELATED EPISODE Niqab bans boost hate crimes against Muslims and legalize Islamophobia — Many people have an idealized vision of Canada as a gentle, kind and accepting society. But anti-Muslim sentiment has been on the steady rise since 9/11. According to a 2021 report , more Muslims have been killed in Canada in targeted attacks and hate crimes than in any other G7 country. (May 2022) Refracted Economies: Diamond Mining and Social Reproduction in the North by Rebecca Jane Hall, associate professor, Department of Global Development Studies at Queeen’s University RELATED EPISODE Diamond mines are not a girl’s best friend — When you think diamonds, you probably think of romance, weddings and Valentine’s Day. It’s no accident we think this way: A century of marketing has pushed those ideas. But the marketing hides the fact that people living near the mines have experienced enormous social problems. This includes some of Canada’s highest rates of violence against women. (June 2022) Capitalism and Dispossession: Corporate Canada at Home and Abroad edited by David P. Thomas and Veldon Coburn Coburn, who is an assistant professor, Institute of Indigenous Research and Studies and Political Studies at the University of Ottawa, has been on the podcast a handful of times, including as a guest on our episodes about “pretendians” , unmarked graves found at residential schools , the Vatican’s repudiation of the Doctrine of Discovery , and as a guest host on our episode about Indigenous languages. RELATED EPISODE About the Queen, the Crown’s crimes and how to talk about the unmourned — In the middle of the tremendous outpouring of love and grief for the Queen and the monarchy she represented, not everyone wants to take a moment of silence. And there are a lot of reasons why. Also with Prof. Cheryl Thompson, author of Uncle: Race, Nostalgia, and the Politics of Loyalty . (September 2022) Decolonizing Journalism: A Guide to Reporting in Indigenous Communities by Duncan McCue, associate professor at Carleton University’s School of Journalism and Communication, and an award-winning CBC broadcaster and leading advocate for fostering the connection between journalism and Indigenous communities. RELATED EPISODE How to decolonize journalism — For decades, Canadian media have covered Indigenous communities with a heavy reliance on stereotypes - casting Indigenous Peoples as victims or warriors. This deep-seated bias in the news can have unsettling consequences for both how a community perceives itself as well as how others perceive them. (November 2022) Why We Can′t Have Nice Things: Social Media’s Influence on Fashion, Ethics, and Property by Minh-Ha T. Pham, professor of media studies at Pratt University in Brooklyn, New York RELATED EPISODE Fast Fashion: Why garment workers’ lives are still in danger 10 years after Rana Plaza — We look back to the 2013 Rana Plaza garment factory collapse in Bangladesh that killed 1,124 people and discuss how much — or how little — has changed for garment-worker conditions today. (April 2023) Mott Street: A Chinese American Family’s Story of Exclusion and Homecoming by Ava Chin, journalist and professor of creative nonfiction and journalism at the CUNY Graduate Center in New York City RELATED EPISODE A 5th generation New Yorker traces her family history and finds the roots of anti-Asian violence — and Asian resistance — Author Ava Chin poetically and adeptly traces the roots of today’s high rates of anti-Asian violence back to 19th-century U.S. labour and immigration laws. (May 2023) Until We Are Free: Reflections on Black Lives Matter in Canada edited by by Rodney Diverlus, Sandy Hudson and Syrus Marcus Ware. Ware, who was a guest on Don’t Call Me Resilient, is an artist, activist and assistant professor in the School of the Arts at McMaster University. RELATED EPISODE A trans scholar and activist explains why trans rights are under attack – In 2023, there were more than 400 active anti-trans bills across the U.S. What do things look like in Canada? Are we a safe haven or are we following those same trends? (June 2023) Producers, Parasites, Patriots: Race and the New Right-Wing Politics of Precarity by Daniel Martinez HoSang and Joseph E. Lowndes. HoSang, who was a guest on Don’t Call Me Resilient, is an associate professor of ethnicity, race, and migration at Yale University. RELATED EPISODE Why are brown and Black people supporting the far right? — Why are racialized people upholding white supremacist ideologies that work against them? Daniel Martinez HoSang explains the rising popularity of the far right with people of colour — what he calls multicultural white supremacy. (October 2023) Beauty in a Box: Detangling the Roots of Canada’s Black Beauty Culture by Cheryl Thompson, associate professor in Performance at The Creative School, Toronto Metropolitan University RELATED EPISODE Detangling the roots and health risks of hair relaxers — In this reflective and personal episode, Cheryl Thompson untangles the complicated history of hair relaxers for Black women — and the health risks now linked to them. (October 2023) Hungry Bengal: War, Famine and the End of Empire by Janam Mukherjee, an associate professor of history at Toronto Metropolitan University. Clearing the Plains: Disease, Politics of Starvation, and the Loss of Aboriginal Life by James Daschuk, an assistant professor in the Faculty of Kinesiology and Health Studies at the University of Regina. RELATED EPISODES Colonialists used starvation as a tool of oppression — Vinita speaks to two famine scholars about the use of starvation as a tool in the colonizer’s playbook through two historic examples — the decimation of Indigenous populations in the Plains, North America and the 1943 famine in Bengal, India. (March 2024) From Blues to Beyoncé: A Century of Black Women’s Generational Sonic Rhetorics by Alexis McGee, an assistant professor of research in the School of Journalism, Writing, and Media at the University of British Columbia. RELATED EPISODE Beyoncé’s ‘Cowboy Carter’ transmits joy, honours legends and challenges a segregated industry — Beyoncé’s country-inspired album, Cowboy Carter, caused a stir. The country music scene has long been white dominated, with a history of segregation that has erased its Black roots and gatekept it from Black artists. (April 2024) Producing Sovereignty: The Rise of Indigenous Media in Canada by Karrmen Crey, an assistant professor of Aboriginal communication and media studies in the School of Communication at Simon Fraser University. RELATED EPISODE From stereotypes to sovereignty: How Indigenous media makers assert narrative control — Indigenous media in North America have rapidly expanded over the last 30 years with Indigenous media makers gaining greater control of their own narratives, including the ability to subvert colonial representations. (April 2024) “Are You Calling Me a Racist?”: Why We Need to Stop Talking about Race and Start Making Real Antiracist Change by Sarita Srivastava, a professor of sociology and dean of the Faculty of Arts and Science at OCAD University in Toronto (and sister to host Vinita). RELATED EPISODE A different way to address student encampments — Student protests on campuses are calling attention to atrocities in Gaza and challenging university administrators to divest. What is the best way forward that avoids unnecessary violence? With Prof. Pratim Sengupta. (May 2024) Ruin Their Crops on the Ground: The Politics of Food in the United States, from the Trail of Tears to School Lunch by Andrea Freeman, a professor of law at Southwestern Law School focusing on intersections between food policy and health. RELATED ARTICLE Frybread: Comfort food or colonial byproduct? The episode featuring Andrea Freeman will be published in 2025. In the meantime, you can read a fascinating excerpt from her book on our website about the Frybread , which she says embodies the contradictions that have dictated Indigenous food and health in North America since colonization. As we head into the New Year, you may also want to revisit last year’s Don’t Call Me Resilient music playlist — a collection of songs on the theme of resilience, reflection and revolution, inspired by the topics we cover, co-created by our production team and former podcast guests across seasons. These are songs that light us up, and help get us through tough moments. We wish you a restful holiday and hope you get a moment to sit on your couch — or perhaps move about with your headphones on — while reading — or listening — to some inspiring and insightful words from these amazing scholars.

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. (AP) — Despite dealing with his share of injuries and learning a new offense, Justin Herbert is on one of the NFL's longest streaks without throwing an interception. Herbert enters the Los Angeles Chargers' game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday having thrown 335 passes without a pick. That's the fifth-longest run in league history. Aaron Rodgers holds the record of 402 for Green Bay in 2018. “It’s one of those things where you go play quarterback and you’re not worried about it. If I throw an interception, it is what it is,” Herbert said. “I’m doing everything I can to take care of the ball and make sure that I’m not putting the team in harm’s way. At the end of the day, you got to be aggressive downfield and you got to take your shots.” Herbert suffered a sprained left ankle and bruised left leg in last Sunday's 19-17 loss at Kansas City , but was a full participant in practice Friday. He sat out Wednesday on the advice of trainers and took part in some drills Thursday. Herbert — whose last interception came midway through the first quarter on Sept. 15 at Carolina — has also joined Tom Brady as the only players who have not thrown an interception in 11 straight games with a minimum of 15 attempts in each. Brady accomplished the feat with New England in 2010. “It's pretty amazing. I said to him the other day, ‘Thank you for not having us overcome some interceptions.’ It's huge and has kept us in a lot of games,” offensive coordinator Greg Roman said. “You have a smart quarterback that is trying to win the game. He's not trying to win stats and understands the importance of taking care of the football.” Herbert will face a Tampa Bay defense that has only six interceptions, tied for sixth fewest in the league. “He does a great job taking care of the football and understanding the offense," Tampa Bay coach Todd Bowles said. “If it’s not there, he can use his legs; if it’s there, he’s got a cannon of an arm. He can zip it in. He trusts his receivers — they do a good job of mixing it up.” The Chargers (8-5) have dropped two of their past three, but hold the second wild card spot in the AFC. The Bucs (7-6) have won three straight since their Week 11 bye, which gave them a chance to regroup following a stretch in which they lost five of six. All of the victories, which have carried them back to the top of the NFC South, have come against last-place teams (Giants, Panthers, Raiders). Tampa Bay’s Baker Mayfield has already matched a career high with 28 touchdown passes, but he hasn’t done as good a job of protecting the ball as he did a year ago. He’s thrown more interceptions through 13 games (13) than he did in 17 games (10) a year ago. He threw for 295 yards and three TDs during last week’s 28-13 win over Las Vegas , yet also turned the ball over three times to help the Raiders keep it close until the fourth quarter. “We have to understand, especially when we’re in the red zone and we’re in the scoring territory, we can’t turn it over. That’s No. 1,” Bowles said. “You don’t like the turnovers, period. Every now and then they can happen, but we have to do a better job taking care of the football as an offensive staff, period,” Bowles added. “Between the coaches and the players, we need to do a better job of focusing on exactly what we want to get done, how we need to get it done, and make sure we execute it every play. It’s not just on Baker, it’s on everybody.” Los Angeles leads the league in scoring defense, allowing 15.9 points per game. It is also fifth in sacks (39) and three-and-out percentage (24.3%) and seventh in third-down defense. “They’re really gap sound,” Mayfield said. “They don’t get bad eyes down there. Everybody does their part in whatever the play's called. Nobody tries to do too much and then like I said earlier, they fly to the ball. They don’t let you get explosives. Obviously, in the red zone, they’re closing windows pretty quick.” The Bucs are 7-1 in December and January regular-season games dating to last season and 19-5 in those games going back to 2020. The Chargers are the only opponent with a winning record that Tampa Bay will face over the final seven weeks of the season. Tampa Bay's running backs catching the ball out of the backfield. The Bucs are second in the league in receptions by running backs (85), first in receiving yards (726) and tied for the league lead with six touchdowns. Rachaad White is fourth among backs in yards after the catch with 420. He has 41 catches, and Bucky Irving has 36. “They're similar in the sense they can do the same things but different in style. They're both really shifty,” Chargers defensive coordinator Jesse Minter said. “The goal of offense is to get the ball to people in space with angles on blockers. They do a good of that.” AP Sports Writer Fred Goodall in Tampa, Florida, contributed to this report. AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nflAn Israeli airstrike flattened a multistory building in central Gaza, killing at least 25 people and wounding dozens more, according to Palestinian medical officials, after strikes Thursday across the Gaza Strip killed at least 28 others. The latest deadly strike hit the urban Nuseirat refugee camp just hours after U.S. President Joe Biden’s national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, told reporters in Jerusalem that the recent ceasefire in Lebanon has helped clear the way for a potential deal to end the war in Gaza between Israel and Hamas. The Israeli military did not immediately comment on the deadly strike in Nuseirat. Israel says it is trying to eliminate Hamas, which led the attack on southern Israel in October 2023 that sparked the war in Gaza . The Israeli military says Hamas militants hide among Gaza’s civilian population. The fighting has plunged Gaza into a severe humanitarian crisis, with experts warning of famine in some of the hardest-hit parts of the territory. Israel’s offensive has killed over 44,800 Palestinians in Gaza, more than half of them women and children, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which does not say how many were combatants. The Israeli military says it has killed over 17,000 militants, without providing evidence. The Oct. 7, 2023 attack by Hamas killed some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and around 250 others were taken hostage. Some 100 hostages are still inside Gaza, at least a third of whom are believed to be dead. Here's the latest: DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — An Israeli airstrike hit the central Gaza Strip on Thursday, killing at least 25 Palestinians and wounding dozens more, Palestinian medics said, just hours after President Joe Biden’s national security adviser raised hopes about a ceasefire deal to end the war in Gaza. Photos from the scene of the blast that circulated on social media showed a completely collapsed building with people walking through its mangled and charred remains, smoke rising from piles of belongings strewn over the rubble. Officials at two hospitals in the Gaza Strip, al-Awda Hospital in the north and al-Aqsa Hospital in central Gaza, reported they received a combined total of 25 bodies from an Israeli strike on a multistory residential building in the urban Nuseirat refugee camp. Palestinian medics also reported that over 40 people, most of them children, were receiving treatment at the two hospitals. The al-Aqsa Hospital said that the Israeli attack also damaged several nearby houses in Nuseirat. There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military on the deadly strike. Israel is trying to eliminate Hamas, which led the attack on southern Israel in October 2023 that sparked the war in Gaza . The Israeli military says Hamas militants hide among Gaza’s civilian population. Israel’s war against Hamas has killed over 44,800 Palestinians in Gaza, more than half of them women and children, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which does not say how many were combatants. The Israeli military says it has killed over 17,000 militants, without providing evidence. The fighting has plunged Gaza into a severe humanitarian crisis, with experts warning of famine. Israel says it allows enough aid to enter and blames U.N. agencies for not distributing it. The U.N. says Israeli restrictions, and the breakdown of law and order after Israel repeatedly targeted the Hamas-run police force, make it extremely difficult to operate in the territory. UNITED NATIONS – The U.N. food agency is trying to deal with massive needs in Syria not only from escalating war-related food insecurity and an upsurge in displaced people fleeing Lebanon but also the dramatically new environment following the ouster of Bashar Assad, a senior U.N. official says. “It’s a triple crisis and the needs are going to be massive,” said Carl Skau, deputy executive director of the World Food Program, in an interview with The Associated Press late Wednesday. The WFP estimated that 3 million people in Syria were “acutely food insecure” and very hungry. However, that estimate was made before the Israel-Hezbollah war in Lebanon pushed many Syrian refugees back to their home country, plus the instability caused by the overthrow of Assad. Due to funding cuts, the WFP had been targeting only 2 million of those people, he said. Because WFP has been working in Syria during the 13-year civil war, he said, it has pre-positioned food in the country. It has 500 staff in seven offices nationwide and has operated across conflict lines, across borders, and with all different parties, he said. Skau said Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, the main rebel group now in control of Syria, has promised to provide security for WFP warehouses. Humanitarian aid supplies had been looted at U.N. warehouses in the disorder after Assad fell. “We’re not really up and running in Damascus because of the continued kind of uncertainty there,” he said. WFP initially thought of relocating non-essential staff but the situation in Aleppo, Syria’s largest city, has been “quite calm and orderly," he said. In the short term, Skau said, “what we’re seeing is that markets are disrupted, the value of the currency dropped dramatically, food prices are going up, transport lines don’t work,” and it’s unclear who will stamp required papers for imports and exports. This means that a bigger humanitarian response is needed initially, he said, but in the next phase, the U,N. will be looking at contributing to Syria’s recovery, and ultimately the country will need reconstruction. Skau said he expects a new funding appeal for Syria and urged donors to be generous. JERUSALEM — President Joe Biden’s national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, told reporters in Jerusalem on Thursday that Israel’s ceasefire in Lebanon has helped clear the way for another deal to end the war in Gaza. He plans to travel next to Qatar and Egypt — key mediators in the ceasefire talks — as the Biden administration makes a final push on negotiations before Donald Trump is inaugurated. Sullivan said “Hamas’ posture at the negotiating table did adapt” after Israel decimated the leadership of its ally Hezbollah in Lebanon and reached a ceasefire there. “We believe it puts us in a position to close this negotiation,” he said. Sullivan dismissed speculation that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was waiting for Trump to take office to finalize a deal. He the U.S. believes there are three American hostages still alive in Gaza, but it’s hard to know for sure. He also said “the balance of power in the Middle East has changed significantly” since Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel, especially with the overthrow of former Syrian President Bashar Assad, a key ally of Hezbollah and Iran. “We are now faced with a dramatically reshaped Middle East in which Israel is stronger, Iran is weaker, its proxies decimated, and a ceasefire that is new and will be lasting in Lebanon that ensures Israel’s security over the long term,” he said. KHIAM, Lebanon — An Israeli strike killed at least one person Thursday in the Lebanese border town of Khiam, the Health Ministry said, less than a day after Israeli troops handed the hilltop village back to the Lebanese army in coordination with U.N. peacekeepers, Khiam is the first Lebanese town Israel has pull out of since a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah militants began two weeks ago, and marks an important test of the fragile truce . Lebanon's Health Ministry and state news agency did not provide details on who was killed, and did not report airstrikes elsewhere on Thursday. The Israeli military said an airstrike targeted Hezbollah fighters in southern Lebanon, without saying if the strike was in Khiam. Lebanese troops deployed in the northern section of the town on Thursday morning and were coordinating with U.N. peacekeepers to finalize Israel’s withdrawal before fully entering into other neighborhoods. An Associated Press reporter who visited Khiam on Thursday observed widespread destruction, with most houses reduced to rubble. Entire neighborhoods were flattened, with collapsed walls and debris scattered across the streets. Lebanon’s caretaker prime minister, Najib Mikati, sharply criticized Israel for striking the town less than 24 hours after the Lebanese army returned, saying it was “a violation of the pledges made by the parties that sponsored the ceasefire agreement, who must act to curb Israeli aggression.” The truce was brokered by the U.S. and France. Israel has previously said the ceasefire deal allows it to use military force against perceived violations. Near-daily attacks by Israel during the ceasefire, mostly in southern Lebanon, have killed at least 29 people and wounded 27 others. Khiam, which sits on a ridge less than 3 miles (5 kilometers) from the border with Israel, saw some of the most intense fighting during the war. The Lebanese army was clearing debris and reopening roads in the northern section of the town. Civilian access to other areas remained challenging as the army clears roads and works alongside the U.N. peacekeepers to ensure the area is free of unexploded ordnance. AQABA, Jordan -- U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is urging the many players in Syria to avoid taking any steps that could lead to further violence. Blinken spoke to reporters in Jordan on Thursday shortly after meeting King Abdullah II as he opened a trip in the region to discuss Syria's future after former President Bashar Assad's ouster. Blinken will next visit Turkey, a NATO ally and a main backer of Syrian rebel groups. Blinken called this “a time of both real promise but also peril for Syria and for its neighbors.” He said he was focused on coordinating efforts in the region “to support the Syrian people as they transition away from Assad’s brutal dictatorship” and establish a government that isn’t dominated by one religion or ethnic group or outside power. Blinken was asked about Israel’s incursion into a buffer zone that had been demilitarized for the past half century. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says the move is temporary and defensive, but also indicated Israel will remain in the area for a long time. Blinken declined to say whether the U.S. supports the move, but said the U.S. would be speaking to Israel and other partners in the region. “I think, across the board, when it comes to any actors who have real interests in Syria, it’s also really important at this time that, we all try to make sure that we’re not sparking any additional conflicts,” he said. ANKARA, Turkey — Turkey’s intelligence chief, Ibrahim Kalin, arrived in Damascus on Thursday, according to Turkish media reports. Kalin was seen arriving at the Umayyad Mosque to pray, surrounded by a large crowd, according to video shown on Turkish television. The visit is highly symbolic. Turkish officials, who supported the opposition against Syria’s government, had predicted at the start of the civil war in 2011 that President Bashar Assad’s government would fall, allowing them to pray at the Umayyad Mosque. JERUSALEM — Paraguay reopened its embassy in Jerusalem Thursday, becoming one of a small handful of nations to recognize the city as Israel’s capital and marking a diplomatic victory for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Israel’s international isolation has increased as the war in Gaza drags on, and Paraguay was the first country to move its embassy to Jerusalem since the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attack that kickstarted the war. The United States, Honduras, Guatemala, Kosovo, and Papua New Guinea are among the few countries with Jerusalem embassies. Israel annexed east Jerusalem in 1967 but it wasn’t recognized by the international community, and most countries run their embassies out of Tel Aviv. Spirits were high at the ceremony marking the embassy’s inauguration Thursday, with Netanyahu and Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Saar lavishing praise on Paraguayan President Santiago Pena. “My good friend Santiago,” said Netanyahu, addressing Pena. “We’re a small nation. You’re a small nation. We suffered horrible things but we overcame the odds of history...we can win and we are winning.” Paraguay had an embassy in Jerusalem in 2018, under Former President Horacio Cartes. That embassy was moved back to Tel Aviv by Cartes’ successor, Mario Abdo Benitez, prompting Israel to close its embassy in Asuncion. Saar said Israel and Paraguay shared a “friendship based not only on interests but also values and principles.” He and the Paraguayan foreign minister, Rubén Ramírez Lezcano, signed a series of bilateral agreements and Saar said he would soon visit Asunción with a delegation from the Israeli private sector. “Israel is going to win and the countries we are standing next to Israel, we are going to win," Pena said. AQABA, Jordan — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is renewing calls for Syria’s new leadership to respect women and minority rights, prevent extremists from gaining new footholds in the country and keeping suspected chemical weapons stocks secure as he makes his first visit to the Mideast since the weekend ouster of Syrian President Bashar Assad . Making his 12th trip to the Middle East since the Israel-Hamas war erupted lasted year but amid fresh concerns about security following the upheaval in Syria, Blinken emphasized Thursday to Jordan’s King Abdullah II U.S. “support for an inclusive transition that can lead to an accountable and representative Syrian government chosen by the Syrian people,” the State Department said. Blinken also repeated the importance the outgoing Biden administration puts on respect for human rights and international law, the protection of civilians and stopping terrorist groups from reconstituting. Blinken met with the monarch and Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi in Aqaba before traveling to Turkey for talks with Turkish officials on the situation in Syria and the urgency of securing a long-elusive deal to release hostages and end the fighting in Gaza that has devastated the Palestinian territory since October 2023. Abdullah told Blinken that “the first step to reach comprehensive regional calm is to end the Israeli war on Gaza." GENEVA — The U.N. envoy for Syria is calling on authorities to save evidence from detention centers that were a hub of “unimaginable barbarity” that Syrians have faced for many years and cooperate with international investigators looking into such crimes. Geir Pederson referred to new images from the notorious Saydnaya military prison north of the capital, Damascus, after President Bashar Assad fled Syria as armed groups stormed in to overthrow his government over the weekend. “The images from Saydnaya and other detention facilities starkly underscore the unimaginable barbarity Syrians have endured and reported for years,” Pedersen said in a statement. Documentation and testimonies “only scratch the surface of the carceral system’s horrors,” he added. Pedersen urged authorities to cooperate with U.N. bodies like an independent Commission of Inquiry on Syria, which was created in 2011, and an independent group known as the IIIM that was set up five years later to also compile evidence of crimes. ROME — Leaders of the Group of 7 industrialized nations offered their full support for an inclusive political transition in Syria and invited all parties to preserve the country’s territorial integrity. In a message released by Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni’s office, the leaders said they were ready to support a transition that “leads to a credible government, inclusive and not sectarian, that guarantees respect for the state of law, universal human rights, including rights for women, (and) the protection of all Syrians, including religious and ethnic minorities.” The leaders also underlined the importance that ousted President Bashar Assad’s government is held responsible for crimes, citing “decades of atrocities.” They said they would also cooperate with groups working to prohibit chemical weapons “to secure, declare and destroy” remaining chemical arms in Syria. Italy currently holds the rotating presidency of the G-7, which also includes Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Japan and the United States. JERUSALEM — The Israeli military says it struck Hamas militants in two locations in the southern Gaza Strip who planned to hijack aid convoys. Palestinian Health officials had earlier said that the two strikes killed 15 men who were part of local committees established to secure aid deliveries. The committees have been organized in cooperation with the Hamas-run Interior Ministry in Gaza. It was not possible to independently confirm either account of the strikes, which occurred overnight into Thursday. Israel has long accused Hamas of hijacking humanitarian aid deliveries, while U.N. officials have said there is no systemic diversion of aid . U.N. agencies and aid groups say deliveries are held up by Israeli restrictions on the entry of aid and movement within Gaza, as well as the breakdown of law and order more than 14 months into the war between Israel and Hamas. Israel has repeatedly targeted the Hamas-run police force, which maintained internal security before the war. The United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees, the main aid provider in Gaza, said a U.N. convoy of 70 trucks carrying humanitarian aid in southern Gaza “was involved in a serious incident,” resulting in just one of the trucks reaching its destination. It did not provide further details on the incident but said the same route had been used successfully two days earlier. Israel’s offensive, launched after Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack, has caused vast destruction and displaced around 90% of Gaza’s population of 2.3 million, leaving the territory heavily reliant on international food aid. DAMASCUS, Syria — An American who turned up in Syria on Thursday says he was detained after crossing into the country by foot on a Christian pilgrimage seven months ago. Travis Timmerman appears to have been among thousands of people released from the country’s notorious prisons after rebels reached Damascus over the weekend, overthrowing President Bashar Assad and ending his family’s 54-year rule. As video emerged online of Timmerman on Thursday, he was initially mistaken by some for Austin Tice, an American journalist who went missing in Syria 12 years ago. In the video, Timmerman could be seen lying on a mattress under a blanket in what appeared to be a private house. A group of men in the video said he was being treated well and would be safely returned home. The Biden administration is working to bring Timmerman home, Secretary of State Antony Blinken told reporters in Aqaba, Jordan, without offering details, citing privacy. Timmerman later gave an interview with the Al-Arabiya TV network, saying he had illegally crossed into Syria on foot from the eastern Lebanese town of Zahle seven months ago, before being detained. He said he was treated well in detention but could hear other men being tortured. AQABA, Jordan — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has arrived in Jordan on his 12th visit to the Mideast since the Israel-Hamas war erupted last year and his first since the weekend ouster of Syrian President Bashar Assad that has sparked new fears of instability in a region wracked by three conflicts despite a ceasefire agreement in Lebanon. Blinken was meeting in Aqaba with Jordan’s King Abdullah II and Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi on Thursday before traveling to Turkey for talks with Turkish officials on Friday. The meetings will focus largely on Syria but also touch on long-elusive hopes for a deal to end the fighting in Gaza that has devastated the Palestinian territory since October 2023. Blinken is the latest senior U.S. official to visit the Middle East in the five days since Assad was deposed as the Biden administration navigates more volatility in the region in its last few weeks in office and as President-elect Donald Trump has said the U.S. should stay out of the Syrian conflict. Other include national security adviser Jake Sullivan and a top military commander who traveled there as the U.S. and Israel have launched airstrikes to prevent the Islamic State militant group from reconstituting and prevent materiel and suspected chemical weapons stocks from falling into militant hands. Blinken “will discuss the need for the transition process and new government in Syria to respect the rights of minorities, facilitate the flow of humanitarian assistance, prevent Syria from being used as a base of terrorism or posing a threat to its neighbors, and ensure that chemical weapons stockpiles are secured and safely destroyed,” the State Department said. The U.S. would be willing to recognize and fully support a new Syrian government that met those criteria. U.S. officials say they are not actively reviewing the foreign terrorist organization designation of the main Syrian rebel group, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, known as HTS, which was once an al-Qaida affiliate, but stressed they are not barred from speaking to its members. JERUSALEM — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Israeli forces will remain in a Syrian buffer zone until a new force on the other side of the border can guarantee security. After the overthrow of Syrian President Bashar Assad, Israeli forces pushed into a buffer zone that had been established after the 1973 Mideast war. The military says it has seized additional strategic points nearby. Israeli officials have said the move is temporary, but Netanyahu’s conditions could take months or even years to fulfill as Syria charts its post-Assad future, raising the prospect of an open-ended Israeli presence in the country. Netanyahu’s office said in a statement Thursday that Assad’s overthrow by jihadi rebels created a vacuum on the border. “Israel will not permit jihadi groups to fill that vacuum and threaten Israeli communities on the Golan Heights with October 7th style attacks,” it said, referring to Hamas’ 2023 attack out of Gaza, which ignited the war there. “That is why Israeli forces entered the buffer zone and took control of strategic sites near Israel’s border.” The statement added that “this deployment is temporary until a force that is committed to the 1974 agreement can be established and security on our border can be guaranteed.” The buffer zone is adjacent to the Golan Heights, which Israel captured from Syria in the 1967 Mideast war and later annexed. The international community, except for the United States, views the Golan as occupied Syrian territory. JERUSALEM — Israel’s military said Thursday that the attacker who fatally shot a 12-year-old Israeli boy in the occupied West Bank overnight turned himself in to authorities. The attacker opened fire on a bus near the Israeli settlement of Beitar Illit, critically wounding the boy, who hospital authorities pronounced dead in the early morning. Three others were wounded in the attack, paramedics said. The shooting took place just outside Jerusalem in an area near major Israeli settlements. JAKARTA, Indonesia — The Indonesian government has evacuated 37 citizens from Syria following the fall of the Bashar al-Assad government, officials said Thursday. The evacuees were taken by land from Damascus to Beirut, where they boarded three commercial flights to Jakarta, said Judha Nugraha, director of citizen protection at the Foreign Affairs Ministry. The Indonesian Embassy in Damascus said all 1,162 Indonesian citizens in Syria were safe. Indonesian Ambassador to Syria Wajid Fauzi said the situation in Syria has gradually returned to normal. “I can say that 98% of people’s lives are back to normal, shops are open, public transportation has started running,” Fauzi said, adding that most Indonesian nationals living in Syria had chosen to stay. DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — Palestinian medical officials say Israeli airstrikes have killed at least 28 people in the Gaza Strip, including seven children and a woman. One of the strikes overnight and into Thursday flattened a house in the built-up Nuseirat refugee camp, according to the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in the nearby city of Deir al-Balah, where the casualties were taken. An Associated Press reporter saw the bodies at the hospital’s morgue. Two other strikes killed 15 men who were part of local committees established to secure aid convoys . The committees were set up by displaced Palestinians in coordination with the Hamas-run Interior Ministry. The Nasser Hospital in the southern city of Khan Younis received the bodies and an AP reporter counted them. The hospital said eight were killed in a strike near the southern border town of Rafah and seven others in a strike 30 minutes later near Khan Younis. The war in Gaza began when Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting around 250 people. Some 100 hostages are still inside Gaza, at least a third of whom are believed to be dead. Israel’s offensive has killed over 44,800 Palestinians in Gaza, more than half of them women and children, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which does not say how many were combatants. The Israeli military says it has killed over 17,000 militants, without providing evidence. The fighting has plunged Gaza into a severe humanitarian crisis, with experts warning of famine. Israel says it allows enough aid to enter and blames U.N. agencies for not distributing it. The U.N. says Israeli restrictions, and the breakdown of law and order after Israel repeatedly targeted the Hamas-run police force, make it extremely difficult to operate in the territory. UNITED NATIONS — The U.N. General Assembly overwhelmingly approved resolutions Wednesday demanding an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and backing the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees that Israel has moved to ban . The votes in the 193-nation world body were 158-9 with 13 abstentions to demand a ceasefire now and 159-9 with 11 abstentions to support the agency known as UNRWA. The votes culminated two days of speeches overwhelmingly calling for an end to the 14-month war between Israel and the militant Hamas group . General Assembly resolutions are not legally binding, though they reflect world opinion. There are no vetoes in the assembly. Israel and its close ally, the United States, were in a tiny minority speaking and voting against the resolutions.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The leader of a Southern California white supremacist group was sentenced Friday to two years in federal prison for inciting violence at California political rallies in 2017. Robert Paul Rundo, 34, pleaded guilty in September to one count of conspiracy to violate the federal Anti-Riot Act, the U.S. attorney's office in Los Angeles said. “Hate and violence are antithetical to American values and tear at our community. It is therefore critical that we protect the civil and constitutional rights of our community against those who promote divisiveness," U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada said in a statement. Rundo's attorney didn't immediately respond to an email seeking comment. Prosecutors say Rundo co-founded the Rise Above Movement, which they describe as “a combat-ready, militant group of a new nationalist white supremacy and identity movement.” He and two others were accused of planning and engaging in violence at gatherings in Huntington Beach, Berkeley and San Bernardino in 2017. Rundo was arrested in 2018 for inciting violence at California protests and at a deadly riot in Charlottesville, Virginia. A federal court dismissed the charges in 2019, but they were reinstated by a federal appeals court in 2021. Rundo had left the United States after the charges were dismissed and was extradited last year from Romania when they were reinstated.

Keyed up for a run fit against Philadelphia Eagles MVP candidate running back Saquon Barkley, the Pittsburgh Steelers defense flies downfield on a third down. The visiting white jerseys swarm Barkley in waves, bringing the big back down before he can use his otherworldly elusiveness to escape. Barkley is obviously short of the line to gain. The Steelers defenders put their fists up to signal fourth down. The defense starts to celebrate. But wait. Philly has them right where they want them. The Eagles line up over the ball, quarterback Jalen Hurts takes the snap from under center and two of his eligible receivers push him from behind, moving the pile forward for an all-too-easy Eagles first down. That scenario isn’t hard to imagine, because the Eagles have done it over and over again. Since Nick Sirianni first came to Philadelphia in 2021 and was paired with quarterback Jalen Hurts and one of the best offensive lines in football, he has used the play to pick up one yard pretty much whenever he needs one. Tush Push TD with Jason Kelce on the call pic.twitter.com/jFM4iaLqxZ The Eagles have been a top-five third-down conversion-rate team in each of Sirianni’s first three seasons, and they’ve also excelled on fourth down and at the goal line. Hurts has rushed for an NFL-leading 13 touchdowns this season, despite only carrying the ball 132 times for 544 yards overall. Almost every team has copied the tush push — or the Brotherly Shove , as they call it in Philly — but almost no one is as good at is as Eagles are. The reason for its popularity is the combination of it being simple for the offense to execute and difficult for the defense to stop. “That’s a hard one,” Steelers defensive coordinator Teryl Austin said on Thursday. “It’s just physics. They know where they’re going, they’ve got a yard to go, they get a head start because they know the count. There’s no way really to get the heads up on them in terms of when we can attack them or get a jump-start on them. That’s probably why that play is so successful.” The Steelers have played the Eagles just once since Sirianni took over, a forgettable game in Philly in 2022 where the Eagles threw the ball so effortlessly that they hardly needed to sneak. But they did. The Eagles lined up on a 3rd and 1 at their own 41 late in the first quarter, and Hurts tried the sneak. The Steelers stood it up for no gain. But Montravius Adams had lined up in the neutral zone. The Steelers defensive linemen say there’s no secret as to what it takes to make a stop. “Get low and push your a-- off,” nose tackle Keeanu Benton said. “That’s what it is. They get low and they push harder than a lot of other teams.” The best way to stop it, he said, is to not let them get into one-yard to-go situations. Another is to just make it as uncomfortable as possible for quarterback Jalen Hurts. Most quarterbacks do everything they can do avoid being in a giant pile with a dozen linemen. Hurts does it willingly multiple times per game. But even though he’s much bigger than the average quarterback at 223 pounds, Hurts can still be punished physically for making the effort. “It’s just a big skirmish, a big pile,” Steelers defensive tackle Isaiahh Loudermilk said. “Who knows what’s going on in it? People ripping at the ball, trying to push him back. It’s just a big skirmish.” This time around, the Steelers also have an added weapon up their sleeve: the 6-foot-1, 238-pound heat-seeking missile of man they call E-Rob, who can singlehandedly destroy almost any running play. Elandon Roberts first joined the Steelers in 2023, so he wasn’t around for that first attempt. In fact, he’s never faced it, having played in the AFC his entire career. Will the Steelers send Roberts flying into the A-gap to dislodge Hurts, the football, or whatever else he might come into contact with? “Man, I think everybody can gives theories about it, but I haven’t had to go against it,” Roberts said. “I’ve seen it on TV, and obviously watching film on it and stuff like that. We’ll see what we came up with.” I asked #Steelers LB Elandon Roberts about the #Eagles tush-push QB sneak and if there's any strategy to it other than just hitting people hard: pic.twitter.com/pC9TdwYdu2 The Steelers are newbies to stopping the tush push. The Eagles are the innovators and the originators. Can the new guys, with a secret weapon, be the ones to shut it down? “Obviously they were the first ones that really came up with this,” Austin said. “They’ve got a level of expertise that others don’t. They just do a great job of it.” Stay tuned. This article first appeared on Steelers Now and was syndicated with permission.European countries put freeze on Syrian asylum claims after Assad's fall, unclear if US will followA New Jersey lottery scratch-off player who was “having a bad day” found himself suddenly feeling like a million bucks Wednesday when he hit a big payday. “I figured I deserved something. You know, like $100,” the man told New Jersey lottery officials Thursday when he arrived to claim his $1 million prize. “I was just hoping for like $500 to be able to buy some Christmas presents for people!” The man, who chose to remain anonymous as permitted under New Jersey law, bought a $20 ticket for the 100X Cash Blitz scratch off game at Wolfson’s Market in Lincoln Park. The win is one of three $1 million top prizes in the game, which began in August. The man, however, was without his reading glasses when he won and a friend had to help confirm the numbers, lottery officials said. “I can’t tell the difference between 4s and 9s without my glasses. I had to look at the card like 10 times,” the player said. “I thought I must be misreading something.” The player elected to accept the $602,300 cash value of the prize, lottery officials said. He is currently collecting disability while recovering from shoulder surgery and is a few months being eligible to retire, lottery officials said. More Lottery News Mega Millions jackpot soars to $695M for Friday’s lottery drawing N.J. retiree wins $500K in lottery scratch-off game Powerball winning numbers, live results for Wednesday’s $30M drawing Thank you for relying on us to provide the local news you can trust. Please consider supporting NJ.com with a subscription.

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