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A picture shows the house of Nathan Trevallion and Catherine Birmingham, a couple living in a small house in the woods with their three children in…
The death toll from the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip since Oct. 7, 2023, has risen to 69,775 martyrs in addition to 170,965 wounded.The Palestinian Ministry of Health in the Gaza Strip reported that hospitals in the Strip received the bodies of 17 martyrs in the past 24 hours, including 3 killed by direct fire from the occupation army and 14 that were recovered, along with 16 wounded.The Ministry also indicated that since the ceasefire came into effect on Oct. 11, a total of 345 people have been martyred and 889 injured, while 588 bodies have been recovered from the rubble.It should be noted that even though more than a month has passed since the signing of the ceasefire agreement in Gaza, the Israeli occupation army continues its raids and targeting of various areas in the sector, causing the death of more martyrs and the injury of hundreds of unarmed civilians. ( Source link
Saudi Arabian player Manaf Abushgeer reflects on the pride and responsibility of representing one’s country at the FIFA Arab Cup Qatar 2025As excitement builds ahead of the FIFA Arab Cup Qatar 2025, former Saudi player Manaf Abushgeer says the tournament is a powerful reminder of what it means to represent one’s country on the regional stage.In an interview with the tournament Local Organising Committee (LOC), he said: “It’s a tremendous source of pride for any player to represent their country. Wearing the national team jersey is a major achievement, it’s a feeling you can’t fully describe. The moment you step onto the pitch, you carry a responsibility that you must honour.”Abushgeer, who earned 37 caps for Saudi Arabia and spent over a decade with Al Ittihad during one of the club’s most successful eras, was part of the squad that won the AFC Champions League back-to-back in 2004 and 2005. The team then qualified for the FIFA Club World Cup 2005 in Japan, where they finished in fourth place, marking one of the club’s most significant global achievements.“The passion of our Saudi fans is incredible. We’ve witnessed it time and time again here in Qatar during the 2022 World Cup and even the U-17 World Cup. Our fans always show up and their support creates an atmosphere that any team would be proud to play in.”For Abushgeer, the Arab Cup carries a significance that goes beyond competition: “This tournament puts our teams on the world stage. It’s a chance to prove ourselves, compete at the highest level and show what Arab football is capable of.”Abushgeer also reflected on Qatar’s role in elevating football across the region through hosting world-class events: “We all saw what Qatar achieved during the 2022 World Cup and it was historic. The stadiums, architecture and facilities, everything was impressive.”Saudi Arabia have been drawn into Group B alongside Morocco, the winners of Oman v Somalia and the winners of Yemen v Comoros. The team will kick off their campaign when facing the winner of Oman v Somalia on December 2 at Education City Stadium, 8pm. As the team prepares to compete in this year’s edition, Abushgeer is clear about their objective: “For the Saudi team, simply participating is never the goal. Our aim in any tournament is to compete for the title. No matter who we face in the final, we’re going for the win.”The Arab Cup will take place from December 1–18 across six stadiums used during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022: Al Bayt Stadium, Ahmad bin Ali Stadium, Education City Stadium, Khalifa International Stadium, Stadium 974 and Lusail Stadium.A total of 16 teams will compete for the tournament trophy, with nine of the highest-ranked teams qualifying automatically, while 14 nations will contend for the remaining seven spots during qualifiers on 25–26 November in Qatar.Tickets, starting from QR 25, are available at www.roadtoqatar.qa. Throughout the tournament, fans will also enjoy a diverse programme of cultural and entertainment activities. All venues are connected seamlessly by public transport and offer accessible, barrier-free experiences for disabled fans.The Arab Cup forms part of a series of major tournaments hosted in Qatar this year, including the ongoing FIFA U-17 World Cup Qatar 2025 (3–27 November) and the FIFA Intercontinental Cup (10, 13, and 17 December). Source link
Opening the 14th UN Forum on Business and Human Rights in Geneva on Monday, he said that corporate power has become increasingly influential in terms of…
President Donald Trump isn’t on the ballot in next November’s midterm elections, but he’s plunging into them with his own presidency at stake. He’s calling candidates, making early endorsements, shaping strategy and pushing economic messaging to try to keep Congress in Republican hands, according to nine Republicans involved in election strategy.As early as this summer, 18 months before Election Day 2026, Trump was urging Republican congressmen exploring Senate or gubernatorial runs to stand for reelection instead to avoid party primary fights, according to a White House official, a senior Trump adviser and a party operative.Such an early, hands-on involvement in midterm elections is unprecedented for a president in modern times.”Presidents usually are wheeled into action later in the campaign season,” said Bill Galston, who was a senior adviser in former Democratic President Bill Clinton’s White House. “This is extremely unusual.”Trump’s urgency spiked after state and local elections on November 4 when exit polling showed voters punished Republicans over the rising cost of living. In multiple meetings immediately after the vote, Trump angrily told aides that Republicans should own the affordability message, the White House official told Reuters on condition of anonymity to discuss Trump’s reaction. The president reminded his staff that he had returned to the White House on a promise to tackle inflation. Republicans should not cede ground to Democrats on the issue but highlight where his administration had succeeded in bringing down prices, said the official, who was briefed on the meetings.Trump “has been absolutely clear that affordability is the center of our economic agenda,” the White House official said.Costs have continued to rise in the US, in part because of sweeping tariffs Trump has imposed on foreign imports. Trump scrapped some tariffs this month to reduce prices on beef, coffee, fruit and other groceries.”He’s definitely going to exert more pressure on the administration to move even quicker to provide policy solutions,” the senior Trump adviser said.The White House official said Trump’s involvement includes frequent check-ins with senior advisers, bursts of calls to political allies, and regular sessions where aides walk him through polling, fundraising numbers, and research on voter sentiment.Trump has seen his poll numbers slide in recent weeks, driven in part by voters’ unhappiness with his handling of the economy. His approval rating has fallen to 38%, the lowest this year, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll released on November 18.”The reality is, when a president is unpopular, he takes seats away from his party,” said Doug Heye, a Republican strategist who has been a Trump critic.Trump got a reality check last week on his sway over Republican lawmakers when he was forced to reverse his opposition to releasing Justice Department files on Jeffrey Epstein, the late convicted sex offender, after a rebellion by his supporters and House Republicans.Trump’s poor approval ratings raise uncertainty about whether he can keep Republicans unified heading into the midterms if voter frustration over inflation and living costs persists. White House spokesperson Kush Desai said in a statement to Reuters that Trump has a strong record that he will continue to emphasize.”This month alone President Trump has delivered yet another drug pricing deal, five new trade deals, record-breaking commercial and investment deals with Saudi Arabia, new stock market highs, and a blockbuster jobs report,” Desai said.Trump wants party candidates to run on his package of tax cuts, which was passed in July by the Republican-controlled Congress, six Republican party operatives told Reuters. The aim is to impress on voters that they will receive bigger tax refunds from the Internal Revenue Service after they file their returns next April, putting more money in pockets and offsetting angst over rising prices.The One Big Beautiful Bill Act made permanent many tax cuts Trump passed in 2017 during his first term, including expanded tax credits for parents with children and extra deductions on state and local taxes.The overall average tax cut for an individual taxpayer will be $3,752 in 2026, according to an analysis of the bill by the Tax Foundation, a Washington-based nonpartisan nonprofit.”People are going to get money back in their pocket in April because of the tax cuts,” the Trump adviser said. “That hasn’t connected to the electorate yet.”Kyle Kondik, a nonpartisan elections analyst at the University of Virginia Center for Politics, said tax cuts may not be a winning issue for Republicans.”The tax cuts don’t necessarily mean that prices are lower. People are very pessimistic about the economy,” Kondik said.For Trump, keeping Republican control of Congress next November is also about self-preservation, said a second White House aide. Republicans have narrow majorities in both the House and Senate. If they lose just one chamber, Democrats would likely be able to thwart much of Trump’s agenda in the last two years of his presidency.Losing control of the House would also give Democrats the power to impeach Trump for a third time. House Democrats impeached Trump twice during his 2017-2021 term but on both occasions the Republican-controlled Senate did not vote to remove him from office. Nevertheless, the impeachment process consumes a presidency and can derail policy goals.”This is as much about him (Trump) as it is about the future of the party,” said one Republican operative focused on Senate races. “The Senate is the last line of defense before attacks on the president can move forward in terms of impeachment,” she said.Trump and party operatives will be focused on turning out infrequent voters – a strategy that succeeded for Trump in the presidential election last year. “Republicans have to turn out non-midterm voters to be successful,” the Trump adviser said.In the summer, Trump spoke to three Republican congressmen – Bill Huizenga of Michigan, Zach Nunn of Iowa and Mike Lawler of New York – encouraging them to drop their bids for higher office and run again for their House seats, to lessen the risk of a Democratic takeover in the chamber, the White House official and Trump adviser said. All three have since announced they are running for reelection.A spokesman for Nunn sent a statement the congressman released on July 11, thanking Trump for his support and stating he will run again for his House seat. The offices of Huizenga and Lawler did not respond to a request for comment.Trump has already endorsed at least 16 Senate candidates including in close Senate races in North Carolina and Michigan, and at least 47 House candidates, an unusually large number this early in an election cycle, according to a lobbyist with close ties to the White House.Trump has said publicly he believes one reason his party did poorly in this month’s elections was because he was not on the ballot.As a result, Trump will be front and center in the midterm campaign, hitting the trail to talk up his tax cuts. “President Trump’s hands-on engagement is a decisive advantage heading into 2026,” Kiersten Pels, the Republican National Committee press secretary, said.Democrats relish the idea of a more visible Trump, saying he will help drive turnout among their party members.”Every stop on his midterm campaign tour will remind them of how he has made life harder for everyday Americans,” Kendall Witmer, a spokesperson for the Democratic National Committee, told Reuters. 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Germany said Monday that Russia has to be present at talks on ending the Ukraine war as Europe and Kyiv pressed for more work on a US proposal seen as heavily favouring Moscow.Ukrainian, American and European officials met in Switzerland on Sunday to draft an ‘updated’ plan after a 28-point proposal tabled by Washington on ending the Russian invasion was decried as an effective capitulation by Kyiv.At an EU-Africa summit in Angola, where emergency talks on the US proposal completely overshadowed proceedings, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said that Russia must be involved in any talks.’The next step must be: Russia must come to the table,’ Merz declared.’If this is possible, then every effort will have been worthwhile,’ he added.A new version of a draft worked on in Geneva has not been published but all sides agreed that any deal must ‘uphold Ukraine's sovereignty.’US President Donald Trump initially gave Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky until Thursday to respond to the plan that would see Ukraine give up territory it controls, cap the size of its army and permanently close the door on Nato membership.Merz threw doubt on Trump's deadline, saying discussions would be a ‘lengthy, long-lasting process’.’I don't expect a breakthrough this week.’In a sign of the sensitivities involved, Poland's Prime Minister Donald Tusk said: ‘The issue is delicate because nobody wants to put off the Americans and President Trump.’Zelensky said Monday his country was at a ‘critical moment’, after last week insisting Ukraine risked losing either its ‘dignity’ or Washington as an ally.’To achieve real peace, more, more is needed. Of course we all continue working with partners, especially the United States, and look for compromises that strengthen but not weaken us,’ he added.Russia's President Vladimir Putin has said the original US plan could be a basis for a deal. His country's invasion has decimated eastern Ukraine, forced millions to flee their homes, ravaged towns and cities, and killed tens of thousands in Europe's worst conflict since World War II.As talks continued, the war ground on. Russia, which has fired record numbers of missiles and drones, in recent months, claimed another southern Ukrainian village Monday. A Russian drone strike on the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv late Sunday killed four people and caused widespread damage, officials said.The issue of territory, Zelensky said, remained a major problem in the talks.’Putin wants legal recognition for what he has stolen,’ the Ukrainian leader said.EU chiefs hailed progress towards a deal but also said there were outstanding issues to resolve.’There is a new momentum in peace negotiations,’ European Council President Antonio Costa said on the sidelines of the summit in Angola.’While work remains to be done, there is now a solid basis for moving forward,’ added European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.Putin last week welcomed the first US plan and Washington faced accusations that Moscow helped draft it.In a call with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan Monday, the Russian leader repeated his view that the initial US plan could ‘serve as a basis for a final peace settlement.’The Kremlin said it had not been informed on the results of the Geneva talks, but that it was aware that ‘adjustments’ were made to the US proposal.Putin's spokesman told reporters, including AFP, that so far no Russia-US talks were planned for this week.In Washington, Trump appeared hopeful of a breakthrough.’Don't believe it until you see it, but something good just may be happening,’ Trump said on social media.In Geneva on Sunday, the Ukrainian delegation said a new draft of the plan, ‘already reflects most of Ukraine's key priorities’.US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said ‘tremendous’ progress had been made at the talks.’I honestly believe we'll get there,’ Rubio said, adding: ‘Obviously, the Russians get a vote.’Moscow has captured and occupies large swathes of southern and eastern Ukraine, since it invaded claiming to have annexed five Ukrainian regions, including Crimea which it seized in 2014.The Kremlin is seeking recognition of the territories it occupies and wants Kyiv to pull out of the part of the Donetsk region that remains under its control — demands deemed unacceptable by Ukraine. Source link
A photograph taken Monday shows the new book by Greek former prime minister Alexis Tsipras displayed in a bookshop in Athens on the day of its…
Portugal held their nerve in a tense penalty shootout to overcome Brazil and secure a place in the U-17 World Cup final, where they will face Austria, who earned a composed 2-0 win over Italy in yesterday’s semi-finals at the Aspire Zone in Doha.It is the first time both Portugal and Austria have reached an U-17 World Cup final, and for Austria, it also marks their maiden appearance in a FIFA World Cup final across all age groups.The final will be played on Thursday at the Khalifa International Stadium at 7pm, while Brazil and Italy face off in the third-place play-off at the Aspire Pitch 7 at 3:30pm.An electric atmosphere greeted Portugal and Brazil at the Aspire Zone and both teams delivered an opening half that matched it. Both sides created chances, including Portugal’s Anisio Cabral seeing a shot blocked from inside the area and a Dell chance for Brazil that was cleared off the line.The second half saw the contest become much cagier, with neither defence willing to yield an inch as a spot was at the fingertips of each. A goal could not be found, so matters had to be settled from the spot.Each team converted their first four kicks before Portugal goalkeeper Romario Cunha skied his attempt. Brazil’s Ruan Pablo had the chance to win it, but hit the post. The teams then exchanged successful attempts before Jose Neto converted for Portugal and Angelo of Brazil sent his over the crossbar to give Portugal the win.Earlier, Johannes Moser scored a brilliant double as Austria beat Italy. The attacking midfielder netted his seventh and eighth goals of the tournament to earn his team a famous victory.In a tense first half where both sides struggled to find their fluency, Italy’s Dauda Iddrisa came closest when his rising drive went just over the bar. Austria would strike the first blow 12 minutes after half-time, and in some style.Moser tricked his way into space before playing a pass into Jakob Werner. He brilliantly turned his man and then slipped an inch-perfect return ball into Moser’s path, who fired an unerring finish beyond goalkeeper Alessandro Longoni. Substitute Valerio Maccaroni almost levelled for Italy but Moser’s stunning free-kick – after Italy defender Benit Borasio was sent off – put the result beyond doubt.Moser, who was adjudged as player of the match, was ecstatic to take his side to the final. “I’m so happy. We can’t believe it yet!” he said. “It was a very physical game, now we have to analyse it and look forward to the final. We are a very small country and it means a lot to all of us. But the job is not finished, and we want to win the World Cup.”Austria coach Hermann Stadler was equally elated: “It’s great, it’s amazing, it’s outstanding. It’s a dream for the Austrian football association and especially for all young Austrian footballers. It’s the first time the Austrian team is in the final. It’s incredible, it’s fantastic. The boys worked for each other, and now we are in the final! It’s a dream come true.”Meanwhile Italy captain Luca Reggiani lamented missed opportunities but praised his side’s campaign. “We missed some chances in the beginning and we could not get the win. This is football. We have to be proud because I think we have had a good tournament. We lost one game, but we can keep our heads up. We are a good team, and I think we can do a lot together in the future,” Reggiani said. Source link
Anthropic, the US-based artificial intelligence company, has announced the launch of Claude Opus 4.5, its latest and most advanced large language model to date, featuring substantial improvements in coding performance, agent capabilities, deep research, and handling productivity tools such as spreadsheets and presentation slides.The company described the new model as “the best model in the world for coding, agents, and computer use,” noting that it delivers meaningful gains over previous versions while using significantly fewer tokens. According to Anthropic, Opus 4.5 can use up to 76% fewer output tokens than earlier models while still outperforming them.Anthropic said the release introduces enhanced developer tools within the Claude Code framework and upgrades to user-facing Claude applications. These improvements aim to support more capable autonomous agents and expand practical integrations across Excel, Chrome, and desktop environments, allowing the model to assist directly within familiar software workflows.The company emphasized its focus on security and robustness, highlighting significant progress in mitigating malicious use, particularly prompt-injection and command-injection attacks, which embed harmful instructions into websites or data sources to bypass safeguards. Anthropic said Opus 4.5 is its “most robustly aligned model to date,” though it acknowledged that no system is completely immune to sophisticated attacks. New internal and external testing frameworks have been added to better measure resilience across coding, browser, and desktop scenarios.Claude Opus 4.5 is now available through Anthropic’s applications, APIs, and major cloud platforms, including Google Cloud’s Vertex AI, Amazon Bedrock, and Microsoft’s AI services. Related Story Source link
Clothes are displayed at the Ermenegildo Zegna outlet retail store at Bicester Village in Oxfordshire, Britain. (Reuters) Gildo Zegna, grandson of the eponymous fashion brand’s founder Ermenegildo Zegna, will hand over the reins of the group to its finance director and the fourth generation of family leaders in January, the group announced Monday.But the Italian company’s stock fell in opening trading in New York after the news that chief financial officer Gianluca Tagliabue would take over as chief executive from the 70-year-old Zegna, who has run the group for two decades.It is under Gildo Zegna’s control that the company has taken on the Thom Browne and Tom Ford Fashion brands and in 2021 became the first Italian luxury group to be listed in New York.Gildo Zegna, whose grandfather set up the company in 1910, will remain as executive chairman and oversee the group’s integrated textile production, which is considered one of its strong points.Zegna’s sons, Edoardo and Angelo, will manage the male ready-to-wear Zegna brand, which in 2024 accounted for two-thirds of the group’s revenue.After the group statement came out, Ermenegildo Zegna shares fell by nearly 1% in New York, where 24.6% of the group’s stock is traded.The group’s turnover fell two percent, against 2024, in the first nine months of the year to €1.33bn ($1.49bn).Zegna blamed the fall on lower sales in China and by its Thom Browne brand.It said at a presentation in October that it was counting on its established well-heeled clients, ready to spend more than 50,000 euros a year on clothes, to accelerate growth. It has set the target of almost doubling turnover to 2.2bn to €2.4bn by 2027.The group, which employed 7,400 workers at the end of 2024, is to open a new leather factory near the northern Italian city of Parma in 2026. Source link