GLENS FALLS, N.Y. — The Adirondack Thunder can watch football all day Thursday. Before and after they’ll be busy with a three-game Thanksgiving homestand, starting Wednesday against the Trois-Rivieres Lions before battling the Reading Royals on Friday and Saturday. When it’s over, the Thunder will have played 10 games in 16 days, one of the [...]LONDON , Nov. 27, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — The EY organization announces today the appointment of Joe Depa as the new EY Global Chief Innovation Officer, effective immediately. Within this role, he will spearhead applied innovation to help improve service delivery and guide EY teams to address and solve business challenges. Depa joins the EY organization at a pivotal moment, as a range of emerging technologies are reshaping businesses and industries, creating a multitude of new challenges and opportunities. To keep pace, the EY organization is continuing to make significant investments in areas such as artificial intelligence (AI), quantum computing and blockchain, and most recently formed the EY.ai Global AI Advisory Council. In his new role, Depa will be leading the organization’s global innovation strategy. This will include overseeing efforts to successfully implement emerging technologies for tangible business applications, both internally and across work of EY member firms with clients. Raj Sharma, EY Global Managing Partner of Growth and Innovation, says: “At this time of constant disruption, success would require a forward-thinking approach and willingness to make bold decisions, which are at the heart of an innovative mindset. We’re thrilled to have Joe’s deep experience and knowledge around AI and data to lead on our strategic approach to innovation so that EY teams can help clients shape their future more confidently.” Throughout the last decade, Depa has worked closely with C-suite leaders and boards to bring innovative products and services to market, improve client and employee experiences, and help enhance operational efficiencies through technology. Most recently, he served as the inaugural Chief Data and AI Officer at a leading university and health care organization. At the university, he helped to promote AI literacy, launch a responsible AI governance program and enable a secure data foundation. Prior to that, he acted as Senior Managing Director and Global Lead for Data and AI at a global multinational professional services company, where he led a team of AI strategists and data engineers in developing and implementing new products and services. Joe Depa , EY Global Chief Innovation Officer, says: “I’m truly excited to join an organization that is ‘All in’ on its commitment to the transformative potential of emerging technologies. I look forward to working with the EY teams and clients to help empower them to apply innovation in bold, new ways that help create value for clients through data, AI and emerging technologies to make the world a better place.” A renowned thought leader in the field of AI, Depa has been recognized as one of the “Top 50 Global Leaders” by World Summit AI and has received Fast Company’s “World Changing Idea” award, among other accolades. For more information, visit: ey.com. About EY EY is building a better working world by creating new value for clients, people, society and the planet, while building trust in capital markets. Enabled by data, AI and advanced technology, EY teams help clients shape the future with confidence and develop answers for the most pressing issues of today and tomorrow. EY teams work across a full spectrum of services in assurance, consulting, tax, strategy and transactions. Fueled by sector insights, a globally connected, multi-disciplinary network and diverse ecosystem partners, EY teams can provide services in more than 150 countries and territories. All in to shape the future with confidence. EY refers to the global organization, and may refer to one or more, of the member firms of Ernst & Young Global Limited, each of which is a separate legal entity. Ernst & Young Global Limited, a UK company limited by guarantee, does not provide services to clients. Information about how EY collects and uses personal data and a description of the rights individuals have under data protection legislation are available via ey.com/privacy. EY member firms do not practice law where prohibited by local laws. For more information about our organization, please visit ey.com. This news release has been issued by EYGM Limited, a member of the global EY organization that also does not provide any services to clients. SOURCE EYGS LLPdoes the signature at mgm have a casino 。

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“Facts on the ground” is a term that seeks to distinguish between an abstract principle and reality – such as the situation in previously independent territory recently invaded by a military force. But the term’s definition encompasses many variations, including Connecticut’s “HUSKY for Immigrants” program. And the implications can be seriously sinister. Nearly two years ago, the legislature agreed to make immigrant children eligible for the state’s HUSKY (Health Care for Uninsured Kids and Youth) program, regardless of their immigration status. “When the program ... launched in January 2023, officials predicted 4,250 kids would sign up,” the Connecticut Mirror reported Dec. 2. “But by April 2024, 11,000 children had enrolled. In July 2024, the program expanded to include children up to age 16, by which time 15,000 children had enrolled, more than double the projections of 7,000 sign-ups for fiscal year 2025.” Were the “officials” who proffered this prediction incompetent, or did they lie? There is no middle ground; it’s one or the other. And the legislators who supported this addition to Connecticut taxpayers’ burden are just as culpable. At the time this extension of the HUSKY program was authorized, America’s southern border had been open for two years. Hartford, New Haven, New London and Windham are sanctuary cities, where illegal immigrants enjoy protection from federal agents, and Connecticut is considered a sanctuary state. Is it any surprise that Connecticut is a magnet for people whose immigration status is sketchy or nonexistent? The HUSKY for Immigrants program is defensible on humanitarian grounds, but it is also cruel in its own way. Connecticut is not an ideal environment for people with limited English language and employable skills. Winters can be unforgiving, and the cost of living is daunting even for people who rely on public benefits. As part of a $26 billion state budget, the HUSKY immigrants component is small – $11.5 million this year and $18.9 through the summer of 2025. “(B)ut those figures assumed lower enrollment projections,” the Mirror reported. “The Department of Social Services, which administers the program, still does not have a clear understanding of how much HUSKY for Immigrants cost the state last fiscal year, or what it’s on track to cost this year.” Based on the available data, however, the bill could reach $50 million in 2025 – and activists predictably are calling for HUSKY for all immigrants – children and adults. DSS officials are holding out hope that some beneficiaries qualify for federal Medicaid services. That would ease the burden on state taxpayers, but Uncle Sam, muddling through on borrowed money, is far from fiscally sound. “According to draft estimates from the Office of Fiscal Analysis, the cost of coverage for children was nearly $10 million over budget in fiscal year 2024. In fiscal year 2025, it is on track to run between roughly $12 million and $20 million over budget,” the Mirror reported. The “facts on the ground,” in this case, are these: HUSKY for Immigrants costs at least double what was expected, and the immigrant tide is unlikely to recede. Lawmakers continue to lie about this, and hope their constituents will remain in a state of ignorance, until the dire circumstances state leaders have created finally prove irreversible.

‘The View’ Makes Bold Claim About ‘Apocalyptic’ Presidency: ‘Signs Were There’Draft news Don't miss out on the headlines from Draft news. Followed categories will be added to My News. Blair Hartley’s phone was running hot when it came to pick 23. North Melbourne was desperate for key forward Harry Armstrong and had offered up the Kangaroos’ future first-round pick for the Tigers’ 23 to jag the goal kicker. But Hartley politely declined. No way they were passing up on the goal kicker they had rated inside the top-15 on their own draft board. It was the cream on the cake of a bumper draft night at Punt Rd. At pick 14, Richmond took a pack-crashing forward Jonty Faull (who Sydney Swans loved and tried to trade up to grab) then the rebound jet Luke Trainor at 21, and Armstrong at 23 to build the next generation Richmond spine. Faull is the one who will jump through a brick wall a bit like St Kilda’s Justin Koschitzke did, while Armstrong is the mobile floater and long-kicking left-footer. There have been concerns about Trainor’s concussion history, but the Tigers were happy with the medical report. Alex Rance was the king of the rebound game and Trainor has brilliant aerial skills in the back half. At pick one, Sam Lalor is the Bacchus Marsh bull, who is not yet the full professional product, like perhaps Finn O’Sullivan (North Melbourne) and Jagga Smith (Carlton) already are. But it’s the upside in Lalor the Tigers fell in love with. The Tigers believe Lalor will boom when he commits to a full-time football program, in the same way Dustin Martin did with his aggression and fend-off power. This is Sam Lalor 🔥 #AFLDraft | #gotiges pic.twitter.com/TDy3wee8P9 — Richmond FC 🐠̄ (@Richmond_FC) November 20, 2024 He is a Hartley kind of player. Dangerous and damaging. Aggressive. Physically imposing. Smooth-moving Josh Smillie is perhaps the risk, but with eight picks in hand, the Tigers can afford to take the punt on a 195cm playmaker and beautiful user who can be anything if he makes it as a giant-sized onballer. And the deal with North Melbourne at the end was an extraordinary bonus, when the Roos finally handed over the future first-rounder (which Richmond knocked back only 15 minutes earlier) for pick 27. That is when the Roos got the key forward they were after, landing Matt Whitlock to help partner Nick Larkey in attack, after missing on Armstrong. BOOM OR BUST For North Melbourne, this was as bold as we have seen for some time. They have coughed up a potential top-three pick for the big fella they craved, hoping the club will bounce up the ladder next season like Hawthorn did in its third-year under Alastair Clarkson. But did they pick the right twin? Some clubs had Jack ahead of new Roo Matt. Jack Whitlock celebrates with his twin brother Matt. Picture: Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images The cost looks enormous on the surface of it all, but perhaps it’s a bit of a final play from a club which needs to stop relying on the draft only to bring in talent. They haven’t been able to attract stars as free agents, but perhaps this blue-chip young engine room can be the drawcard for potential recruits if it can flourish in 2025. The midfield already looks stacked but Tasmania will make Colby McKercher a top target. BOMBERS’ BLUNDER? Mick Ablett dropped a bomb on Essendon, labelling their future-first round pick trade with Melbourne a disaster. But there aren’t any alarm bells blaring at Tullamarine. The reality is if Essendon kept pick nine in Wednesday night’s draft, Melbourne and St Kilda were a certainty to bid on him, knowing Essendon would match. It was a tricky position for the Bombers who had to shift their pick into next year to avoid it being effectively wiped out. Isaac Kako with his family after being drafted. Picture: Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images It might have been an unsexy move, but it was the smart one. A patient one. This year is a big one for some of its recent high picks such as Archie Perkins, Nik Cox, Zach Reid, Ben Hobbs and Elijah Tsatas. And next year, if the Bombers and Demons both miss the finals (which could easily happen) they will have a pair of picks inside the first dozen or so. Not quite a disaster. PLOT REJECTED St Kilda was another club which was busy on the phones. The Saints were in a peculiar position as they needed midfield guns but landed two defenders in Alix Tauru and Tobie Travaglia. Travaglia can move into the middle and has a huge tank which Ross Lyon will love, and Tauru can reel in breathtaking marks across half back. St Kilda snapped up Alix Tauru and Tobie Travaglia. Picture: Michael Klein But the Saints also had their eyes on busy left-footed small forward Joe Berry, and were prepared to dangle their future first-round pick for him with clubs in the teens. But there were no takers. Port Adelaide snaffled up the quick and clean goal kicker at pick 15, and that is when the Saints went quiet. They put the first-round pick back in their pocket, and might offer the deal of a lifetime to GWS Giant to Finn Callaghan in a bid to lure him home. The Giants would want multiple early picks in a trade. A little taste of what's to come from Harry Oliver 👀 pic.twitter.com/goO44T2Te9 — GWS GIANTS (@GWSGIANTS) November 21, 2024 BONE-JARRING GIANT The Giants dance to the beat of their own drum at draft time. After pulling out one of the shocks of last year’s draft snaring Phoenix Gothard earlier (pick 12) than most thought, they again did their own thing taking aggressive small forward Oliver Hannaford (18), running defender Harrison Oliver (19) and, in perhaps the biggest surprise, outside midfielder half forward Cody Angove (24). But the Giants’ pick players who meet their chaos game style, and Hannaford might be the best tackler in this year’s crop. Hannaford smashes into opposition defenders, wins the footy forward of the ball, and hits the scoreboard. Hope you're as hyped as we are to see Ollie Hannaford in the orange and charcoal 🔥 pic.twitter.com/nzMorlrisD — GWS GIANTS (@GWSGIANTS) November 21, 2024 Fans will love him, and Giants’ recruiting boss Adrian Caruso has a great record taking gun small forwards like Brent Daniels and Darcy Jones. It all fits Adam Kingsley’s style, and this is a club which had Sydney Swans and Brisbane on toast at times in last year’s finals series. Oliver runs hard from behind the ball and the athletic link-up man Angove was more of a punt. But they pick players for their system, regardless of where others rank them. More Coverage Revealed: Saints’ bold bid to land third first-round talent Jon Ralph, Chris Cavanagh, Jordan Pinto Join the conversation Add your comment to this story To join the conversation, please log in. Don't have an account? Register Join the conversation, you are commenting as Logout More related stories AFL ‘Top of the class’: Blues hail Jagga best player in stacked draft Carlton believes it landed the best player in the stacked 2024 draft class by securing prolific on-baller Jagga Smith with the third pick. Read more Draft news Academy capers: Bassat’s crusade ends with possible triple snub The same club which has led a crusade against other clubs rorting the father-son and academy system overlooked their own talent. And, things remain unclear for a Saints father-son and academy prospect. Read more

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Archer Aviation Stock: Buy, Sell, or Hold?The United States on Saturday announced a new $988 million security assistance package for Ukraine as Washington races to provide aid to Kyiv before President-elect Donald Trump takes office. Trump's November election victory has cast doubt on the future of American aid for Ukraine, providing a limited window for billions of dollars in already authorized assistance to be disbursed before he is sworn in next month. The package features drones, ammunition for precision HIMARS rocket launchers, and equipment and spare parts for artillery systems, tanks and armored vehicles, the Pentagon said in a statement. Trump met in Paris earlier Saturday with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who said any resolution of the war with Russia should be a "just" settlement that includes "strong security guarantees for Ukraine." The meeting was of huge importance to Zelensky, given fears in Kyiv that Trump may urge Ukraine to make concessions to Moscow. The latest aid will be funded via the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, under which military equipment is procured from the defense industry or partners rather than drawn from American stocks, meaning it will not immediately arrive on the battlefield. It follows a $725 million package announced on Monday that included a second tranche of landmines as well as anti-air and anti-armor weapons. The outgoing administration of President Joe Biden is working to get as much aid as possible to Ukraine before Trump -- who has repeatedly criticized US assistance for Kyiv and claimed he could secure a ceasefire within hours -- takes over. Trump's comments have triggered fears in Kyiv and Europe about the future of US aid, and Ukraine's ability to withstand Russian attacks in the absence of further American support. "Our job has been to try and put Ukraine in the strongest possible position on the battlefield so that it is in the strongest possible position at the negotiating table," National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said Saturday. In the closing weeks of Biden's term, the goal is "a massive surge of assistance and to up the economic pressure on Russia," he said. US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Saturday warned that failure to continue opposing Russia's actions would have dire consequences. "We can continue to stand up to the Kremlin. Or we can let (Russian President Vladimir) Putin have his way -- and condemn our children and grandchildren to live in a world of chaos and conflict," said Austin, who like Sullivan was speaking at the Reagan National Defense Forum in California. "This administration has made its choice. And so has a bipartisan coalition in Congress. The next administration must make its own choice." The defense chief also emphasized the importance of US allies and partners in his remarks -- a contrast to Trump's go-it-alone "America first" world view. "Here is the stark military fact: our allies and partners are huge force multipliers," Austin said. "Ultimately, America is weaker when it stands alone. And America is smaller when it stands apart," he said. "There is no such thing as a safe retreat from today's interwoven world." The United States has spearheaded the push for international support for Ukraine, quickly forging a coalition to back Kyiv after Russia launched its full-scale invasion in 2022 and coordinating aid from dozens of countries. Ukraine's international supporters have since then provided tens of billions of dollars in weapons, ammunition, training and other security aid that has been key to helping Kyiv resist Russian forces. wd/mlm/acbDaniel Jones Next Team Odds: Contenders jockeying for QB?

(Continuing Himal Southasian article by Tisaranee Gunasekera) On September 21, 2024, Sri Lanka will hold (Note: this was written before the election) its ninth presidential election. Unlike all previous such polls, which were in effect two-way battles between the governing party and the main opposition party, this is a three-way contest between Wickremesinghe, Premadasa of the SJB and Dissanayake of the JVP – the latter heading a coalition dubbed National People’s Power (NPP). But the election is taking place on a battleground largely of Wickremesinghe’s making. The 21st Amendment he pushed through gave birth to an independent Election Commission. He also enacted a campaign finance law that enables the commission to decide the amounts candidates can spend and to enforce these limits. The commission is conducting this election with unprecedented even-handedness and applying long-ignored election laws – including against Wickremesinghe’s own campaign. Wickremesinghe’s deal with the IMF earlier came under severe opposition criticism; Wickremesinghe’s campaign theme, “Sri Lanka Can”, is a spin on the decades-old “Ranil Can’t”. He claims credit, rightly, for saving Sri Lanka from going the way of Lebanon or Greece, and for achieving an economic turnaround less than two years after the country went bankrupt. It is due to his machinations that the Rajapaksa candidate is vying for third position in this election rather than first. And despite his authoritarian tendencies, he has contributed to the strengthening of Sri Lankan democracy. The 2024 presidential election promises to be Sri Lanka’s most free, fair and non-violent poll in living memory, thanks in the main to the constitutional and legal changes Wickremesinghe effected. And, II. RANIL WICKREMESINGHE got his start in national politics in 1977, when the UNP won a landslide victory in a parliamentary election. He was one of the Young Turks surrounding the new prime minister, J R Jayewardene, though not a front-ranker. After a brief stint as the deputy minister of foreign affairs, he became, at the age of 28, Sri Lanka’s youngest ever cabinet minister to that point, in charge of youth affairs and employment. In this capacity he set up the National Youth Services Council, which provided many talented young men and women with a springboard into prominence and success, especially in the cultural fields. In 1980, Wickremesinghe became the minister of education. By then Jayewardene had introduced two systemic changes which remain in place today. He opened up the economy, doing away with a model of protectionism and state control that had resulted in major shortages and queues in the preceding years. He also replaced the parliamentary form of governance with a particularly authoritarian executive presidency – which, unsurprisingly, he assumed himself. In 1945, Ceylon – still a British colony – introduced free primary and secondary education. Free tertiary education soon followed. But by the late 1960s and early 1970s, free and universal education had given rise to an “inflationary” situation in the labour market, with too many graduates – mostly from the arts stream and largely mono-lingual – chasing too few jobs, mainly in the public sector. In 1971, the JVP launched an insurgency that exposed this contradiction and its political consequences, with educated but unemployed youth forming the main force of a bloody attempt at armed socialist revolution. Wickremesinghe proposed a set of education reforms as a solution to this problem. The main aim of his proposal – known simply as the White Paper – was to reduce unemployment by making future graduates more employable in the private sector. University admissions were to be streamlined based on the needs of the economy, producing fewer graduates in the arts and more in fields like science and technology. Arts students would be taught at least one science subject. Students would be exposed to industry, schools would have career-guidance units, and students would have to choose between academic and vocational or technical education when they reached the eighth grade, leaving the school system if they picked the latter. But the proposals failed to contend with a fundamental fact: an absolute majority of graduates did not want to be employed in the private sector. Most students belonged to the Sinhala rural middle class, and this class had long regarded government jobs, with their permanence and pensions, as the acme of success. More than that, these students regarded government jobs as a right – particularly after the Sinhala Only Act and other reforms in the preceding decades had tilted the balance of public education and employment in the favour of the Sinhala community, while shutting out the country’s Tamil minority. They regarded Wickremesinghe’s reforms as a class-based conspiracy to deprive them of upward social mobility. The White Paper failed to withstand the opposition to it, which crossed party lines, and Wickremesinghe was forced to withdraw it. University student unions played a leading role in securing this outcome. Then, in 1983, democratically-elected student councils were abolished – a decision commonly blamed on Wickremesinghe. This would soon backfire. For as long as they were elected bodies, student councils had to maintain a balance between political and welfare work. The unofficial and unelected action committees which replaced them could focus on politics alone. The ban led to the rapid radicalization of the student movement and its eventual takeover by the JVP. This movement played a key role in a second insurgency, in the latter half of the 1980s, that was even bloodier than the first. Wickremesinghe’s botched attempt at educational reform bestowed on him a lifelong reputation for being inorganic, a socio-political and cultural alien. The UNP, despite commanding a rural support base, was commonly regarded as less of a pro-people party than its main competitor, the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), which called for socialist economic policies (in reality, state capitalism) and championed Sinhala nationalism. Some UNP leaders were able to transcend this to an extent with popular programmes and a populist demeanour – the future president Ranasinghe Premadasa, for example, whose signature scheme was a massive housing programme. Wickremesinghe may have meant his reforms to be a popular platform for his own ambitions, but they achieved the very opposite effect. His stiff public manner, his manifest inability to connect with an audience – already in evidence in his failure to sell his reforms to the populace – further cemented his image as being disconnected and withdrawn. It would come to haunt him at critical points in his career. If Wickremesinghe lacked the gifts of a natural politician, he was amply blessed in social and political pedigree. Born in Colombo in 1949, he was a nephew of J R Jayewardene and the grandson of D R Wijewardene, the country’s pioneering press baron. His father, Esmond Wickremesinghe, was a prominent UNP leader and managing director of the Lake House publications until they were nationalized by an SLFP government in 1973. By then Wickremesinghe had passed through Royal College, one of the country’s most distinguished schools, and then the University of Ceylon, where he studied law and became involved with the UNP’s youth wing. Wickremesinghe got his most important break under Jayewardene’s successor, Ranasinghe Premadasa. Premadasa appointed Wickremesinghe as the leader of the house in 1989, soon after he took over the presidency, bypassing Lalith Athulathmudali and Gamini Dissanayake. Athulathmudali and Dissanayake had been Premadasa’s competitors for the UNP leadership. He did not trust them and felt they would try to undermine his leadership at the first opportunity. Wickremesinghe, by contrast, was younger and thus not a threat. A joint attempt in 1991 by Dissanayake, Athulathmudali and the opposition to impeach Premadasa proved his instincts correct. When Sirisena Cooray, Premadasa’s long-standing companion and UNP general secretary, organized a round of top-secret meetings between the UNP and the rebels, Wickremesinghe was asked to join – a sign of the trust Premadasa reposed in him. The talks failed, as did the impeachment, and Athulathmudali and Dissanayake were expelled from the UNP. Wickremesinghe became, by default, a frontline leader of the UNP. Wickremesinghe remained steadfastly loyal to Premadasa before, during and after the impeachment attempt, defending the president within and outside parliament. And, over the years, he built up a reputation for understated competence. He did not dazzle, but did the job he was given without making unwanted waves. If Wickremesinghe had leadership ambitions, he did not wear them on his sleeve. Instead, he built a close relationship with important Premadasa loyalists – especially Cooray. By inches, he cemented an image of himself, based largely on fact, as a true party-man, a loyal UNP-er who never let the side or the leader down. The seeds of Wickremesinghe’s reputation as a protector of the minorities were also sown during this time. In July 1983, Sri Lanka’s ethnic tensions erupted in a barbaric anti-Tamil pogrom. Militancy escalated in the North and East, and the Sri Lankan state entered a decades-long war against Tamil separatist groups. Premadasa took office while the LTTE was locked in a brutal war with the Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF), which had come to Sri Lanka, at Jayewardene’s invitation, to monitor the implementation of the 1987 Indo-Sri Lanka Accord. Premadasa invited the LTTE for talks, much to India’s chagrin, and the Tigers accepted. In 1989, he publicly asked the IPKF to leave. The move was aimed at neutralising the JVP, which had cast its second insurgency as a national liberation struggle against occupying Indian forces. In mid-1990, the peace talks with the LTTE collapsed and the war resumed. Yet Premadasa kept the door open for negotiations and said so. He also became a proponent of the 13th Amendment, which addressed Tamil demands for self-government to a degree via the devolution of some government powers to provincial councils. On May 1, 1993, Premadasa was killed by an LTTE suicide bomber. D B Wijetunga, Premadasa’s hand-picked prime minister, became the acting president and was soon confirmed by parliament. Wijetunga, at the request of Sirisena Cooray, appointed Wickremesinghe as prime minister. Wickremesinghe was also generally credited with the smooth transfer of power following the assassination, thereby gaining a reputation for a cool head in a crisis and a thorough grounding in constitutional nitty-gritty. Later that year, Wijetunga brought Gamini Dissanayake back into the UNP fold. Dissanayake made no secret about his leadership ambitions. Cooray responded with a highly symbolic gesture; he presented Wickremesinghe with Premadasa’s Colombo-Central constituency – which Premadasa had called his “other child” and had handed over to Cooray when he became president. A tussle for eventual party leadership was in the making, with Wickremesinghe pitted against Dissanayake. In 1994, Wijetunga called a sudden parliamentary election, taking even his own cabinet by surprise. The gambit did not work out well for him or the UNP. The party was roundly beaten by the People’s Alliance (PA), led by Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga of the SLFP. Dissanayake tried to form a minority government with the backing of smaller parties and possible crossovers, with himself as prime minister. Wickremesinghe forestalled him by resigning from his post as acting prime minister and leaving Temple Trees in a highly publicized and choreographed move – a harbinger of much more UNP infighting to come. Kumaratunga formed the government and took the prime minister’s seat. After 17 long and turbulent years in government, the UNP was back in the opposition. (To be continued next Sunday)

Insurgents reach gates of Syria’s capital, threatening to upend decades of Assad rule BEIRUT (AP) — A Syrian opposition war monitor and a pro-government media outlet say government forces have withdrawn from much of the central city of Homs. The pro-government Sham FM reported that government forces took positions outside Syria’s third-largest city, without elaborating. Rami Abdurrahman who heads the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said Syrian troops and members of different security agencies have withdrawn from the city, adding that rebels have entered parts of it. Losing Homs is a potentially crippling blow for Syria’s embattled leader, Bashar Assad. An archbishop's knock formally restores Notre Dame to life as winds howl and heads of state look on PARIS (AP) — France’s iconic Notre Dame Cathedral has formally reopened its doors for the first time since a devastating fire nearly destroyed the 861-year-old landmark in 2019. The five-year restoration is widely seen as a boost for French President Emmanuel Macron, who championed the ambitious timeline, and brings a welcome respite from his domestic political woes. World leaders, dignitaries, and worshippers gathered on Saturday evening for the celebrations under the cathedral's soaring arches. The celebration was attended by 1,500 dignitaries, including President-elect Donald Trump, Britain’s Prince William, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. For Catholics, Notre Dame’s rector said the cathedral “carries the enveloping presence of the Virgin Mary, a maternal and embracing presence.′′ Trump is welcomed by Macron to Paris with presidential pomp and joined by Zelenskyy for their talks PARIS (AP) — French President Emmanuel Macron has welcomed Donald Trump to Paris with a full dose of presidential pomp. And they held a hastily arranged meeting with Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy on a day that's mixing pageantry with attention to pressing global problems. The president-elect's visit to France is part of a global a celebration of the reopening of Notre Dame Cathedral five years after a devastating fire. Macron and other European leaders are trying to win Trump’s favor and persuade him to maintain support for Ukraine in its defense against Russia’s invasion. Trump isn't back in office but he's already pushing his agenda and negotiating with world leaders NEW YORK (AP) — Donald Trump is making threats, traveling abroad, and negotiating with world leaders. He has more than a month-and-a-half to go before he’s sworn in for a second term. But the president-elect is already moving aggressively to not only fill his Cabinet and outline policy goals, but also to try to achieve his priorities. In recent days, Trump has threatened to impose a 25% tariff on goods from Canada and Mexico, two of the country’s largest trading partners. That led to emergency calls and a visit. And he's warned of “ALL HELL TO PAY” if Hamas doesn't release the hostages still being held captive in Gaza. South Korea's president avoids an impeachment attempt over short-lived martial law SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea’s embattled President Yoon Suk Yeol has avoided an opposition-led attempt to impeach him over his short-lived imposition of martial law. Most of Yoon's ruling party lawmakers boycotted a parliamentary vote Saturday to deny a two-thirds majority needed to suspend his presidential powers. The scrapping of the motion is expected to intensify protests calling for Yoon’s ouster and deepen political chaos in South Korea. A survey suggests a majority of South Koreans support the president’s impeachment. Yoon’s martial law declaration drew criticism from his own ruling conservative People Power Party. But the party also apparently fears losing the presidency to liberals. Days after gunman killed UnitedHealthcare's CEO, police push to ID him and FBI offers reward NEW YORK (AP) — Nearly four days after the shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, police still do not know the gunman’s name or whereabouts or have a motive for the killing. But they have made some progress in their investigation into Wednesday's killing of the leader of the largest U.S. health insurer, including that the gunman likely left New York City on a bus soon after fleeing the scene. The also found that the gunman left something behind: a backpack that was discovered in Central Park. Police are working with the FBI, which on Friday night announced a $50,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction. UnitedHealthcare CEO's shooting opens a door for many to vent frustrations over insurance The fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare's CEO has opened the door for many people to vent their frustrations and anger over the insurance industry. The feelings of exasperation, anger, resentment, and helplessness toward insurers aren’t new. But the shooting and the headlines around it have unleashed a new wave of patients sharing such sentiments and personal stories of interactions with insurance companies. Conversations at dinner tables, office water coolers, social gatherings and on social media have pivoted to the topic. Many say they hope the new amplified voices can bring about change for companies often accused of valuing profits over people. 2 Pearl Harbor survivors, ages 104 and 102, return to Hawaii to honor those killed in 1941 attack PEARL HARBOR, Hawaii (AP) — The bombing of Pearl Harbor 83 years ago launched the United States into World War II. Two survivors have returned to the Hawaii military base for a remembrance ceremony on the attack's anniversary. Both are over 100 years old. They joined active-duty troops, veterans and members of the public for an observance hosted by the Navy and the National Park Service. A third survivor was planning to join them but had to cancel due to health issues. The bombing killed more than 2,300 U.S. servicemen. An explosion destroys an apartment block in a Dutch city, killing at least 3 and injuring others THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — An explosion and fire has rocked a neighborhood in the Dutch city of The Hague, killing three people and injuring other people and destroying several apartments. The cause of the disaster is unclear. Emergency authorities said four people were rescued from the rubble and taken to the hospital. The mayor said rescuers were no longer looking for survivors but for eventual bodies, but could not specify how many people might still be unaccounted for. Residents of the northeastern neighborhood of Mariahoeve in The Hague heard a huge bang and screams before dawn. Dutch authorities have deployed a specialized urban search and rescue team to find victims. How 'Mufasa' rose with Aaron Pierre and Blue Ivy's voices along with new Lin-Manuel Miranda music SAN DIEGO (AP) — When Aaron Pierre was cast as Mufasa, the weight of following in the late James Earl Jones’ legendary footsteps was enough to rattle any actor. But instead of letting the pressure roar too loudly, he harnessed his nerves to breathe fresh life into his young lion character. Pierre found parallels between himself and his character while filming his leading role in “Mufasa: The Lion King,” which opens in theaters Dec. 20. He took the reigns as the new voice of Mufasa after Jones played the iconic King Mufasa in both the 1994 and 2019 versions of Disney’s “The Lion King.” The prequel offers a fresh exploration into Mufasa’s origin story.Formula 1 expands grid to add General Motors' Cadillac brand and new American team for 2026 season

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Watts scores 20, Washington State takes down Boise State 74-69OpenAI’s legal battle with Elon Musk reveals internal turmoil over avoiding AI ’dictatorship’

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