gaming electronics near me Prime Minister Robert Abela on Monday avoided addressing the scandal involving two ministers who were found to have breached ethics by the Standards Commissioner. Abela was speaking in Parliament during the debate on the budget estimates regarding the Office of the Prime Minister. Rebutting accusations of fraud listed by Opposition Leader Bernard Grech in his earlier address, Abela described his political opponent as the prime tax evader, making reference to Grech's tax controversy of four years ago. Abela accused the Opposition of wanting to obscure the benefits emanating from the budget, which aims to put the country on the road towards better quality. The tax cut delivered in the budget intended to provide reprieve to the middle class, he said, saying that the measure the government undertook was more than double what Labour had promised in its electoral manifesto. "This was possible because public finances are on a sound footing," Abela said. The Opposition was unable to present a finished pre-budget document in time, let alone be responsible for public finances, Abela said, saying the PN should not be trusted with the administration of public finances. Abela said the budget, apart from introducing tax cuts, had improved social benefits, higher pensions, and described the government's plans for more green spaces without compromising economic growth. The government was able to do this by the third budget in this legislature and new targets will now be set as the country needs to continue moving forward, "and this is why we are embarking on Vision 2050," Abela said. "We are committed to create new prosperity for all Maltese and Gozitans and this is why we are working for better quality," Abela said. Abela said that the 2025 Budget not only builds on previous budgets but is of the best presented by a Labour government, more so during the midterm of his legislature. Abela added that under the PN government, their midterm budget actually raised duties whilst they bragged about increasing the COLA. In light of recent positive results from financial authorities such as Moody's, Abela said that the EU commission is set to revise the Maltese economic forecasts for the better partially due to the country's use of AI and digitization. "This faith puts a greater responsibility on us, since on the other side is absolutely empty," Abela said pointing out that the PN's pre-budget document wasn't published. "It is easy to come and criticise but when you cannot complete a pre-budget document that shows the incompetence. Their own friends said 'It needs more beef' and they are still looking for it." Abela said that whilst abroad, in countries with greater economies, tax rates are booming, "We didn't present a budget of burden but one which gives peace of mind to everyone in society." He said that in the last few months the PN tried to scare people that the Labour's energy economy wasn't sustainable but he pointed out, "We were always clear that this policy was the best measure we took to buffer against inflation and keep up the economy's competition," adding that the government was "the biggest cushion against inflation". Abela said that the labour government was a "shield to our businesses and families from great economic shocks". He added that due to the COVID-19 pandemic, "We were in a situation worse than back then but we still came out on top." With regards to the PN's income tax proposals, Abela said that they were poorly and quickly made and with "regressive measures" which would set parents back if implemented.THE HAGUE (AP) — The world’s top war-crimes court issued arrest warrants Thursday for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his former defense minister and Hamas’ military chief, accusing them of crimes against humanity in connection with the 13-month war in Gaza. The warrants said there was reason to believe Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant have used “starvation as a method of warfare” by restricting humanitarian aid and have intentionally targeted civilians in Israel’s campaign against Hamas in Gaza — charges Israeli officials deny. The action by the International Criminal Court came as the death toll from Israel’s campaign in Gaza passed 44,000 people, according to local health authorities, who say more than half of those killed were women and children. Their count does not differentiate between civilians and combatants. Experts say hunger has become widespread across Gaza and may have reached famine levels in the north of the territory, which is under siege by Israeli troops. Israel says it has been working hard to improve entry of aid, though the trickle of supplies into Gaza remains near the lowest levels of the war. Netanyahu condemned the warrant against him, saying Israel “rejects with disgust the absurd and false actions” by the court. In a statement released by his office, he said: “There is nothing more just than the war that Israel has been waging in Gaza.” Gallant, in a statement, said the decision "sets a dangerous precedent against the right to self-defense and moral warfare and encourages murderous terrorism.” The warrant marked the first time that a sitting leader of a major Western ally has been accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity by a global court of justice. TH(backslash)he decision turns Netanyahu and the others into internationally wanted suspects, putting them at risk of arrest when they travel abroad and potentially further isolating them . Israel and its top ally, the United States, are not members of the court. But others of Israel's allies, including some of its close European friends, are put in an awkward position. Several, including France, welcomed the court's decision and signaled they might arrest Netanyahu if he visited. The move “represents the most dramatic step yet in the court’s involvement in the conflict between Israel and Hamas," said Anthony Dworkin, senior policy fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations. Israeli leaders, politicians and officials across the spectrum denounced the warrants and the ICC. The new defense minister, Israel Katz, who replaced Gallant earlier this month, said Thursday’s decision is “a moral disgrace, entirely tainted by antisemitism, and drags the international judicial system to an unprecedented low.” Human rights groups applauded the move. The warrants against both sides “break through the perception that certain individuals are beyond the reach of the law,” the associate international justice director at Human Rights Watch, Balkees Jarrah, said in a statement. The decision came six months after ICC Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan requested the warrants. The court issued a warrant for Mohammed Deif, head of Hamas’ armed wing, over the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks that triggered Israel’s offensive in Gaza. It said it found reasonable grounds to believe Deif was involved in murder, rape, torture and the taking of hostages amounting to war crimes and crimes against humanity. In the Hamas-led attack, militants stormed into southern Israel, killing 1,200 people — mostly civilians — and taking some 250 others hostage. Around 100 Israelis remain captive in Gaza, around a third of them believed to be dead. Khan withdrew requests for warrants for two other senior Hamas figures, Yahya Sinwar and Ismail Haniyeh , who have both since been killed. Israel says it also killed Deif in an airstrike, but Hamas has never confirmed his death. The warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant were issued by a three-judge panel in a unanimous decision. The panel said there were reasonable grounds to believe that both men bear responsibility for the war crime of starvation and the crimes against humanity of murder, persecution and other inhumane acts. The judges said the lack of food, water, electricity, fuel and specific medical supplies created conditions “calculated to bring about the destruction of part of the civilian population in Gaza,” including the deaths of children due to malnutrition and dehydration. They also found that by preventing hospital supplies and medicine from getting into Gaza, doctors were forced to operate, including performing amputations, without anesthesia or with unsafe means of sedation that led to “great suffering.” Israeli diplomatic officials said the government is lobbying the international community to speak out against the warrants and is considering an appeal to the court. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity pending a formal decision on how the government will proceed. Despite the warrants, none of the suspects is likely to face judges in The Hague anytime soon. Member countries are required to detain suspects facing a warrant if they set foot on their soil, but the court has no way to enforce that. For example, Russian President Vladimir Putin, wanted on an ICC warrant for alleged war crimes in Ukraine, recently visited Mongolia, a member state in the court but also a Russian ally. He was not arrested. Still, the threat of arrest now complicates any travel abroad by Netanyahu and Gallant. EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said the warrants are binding on all 27 members countries of the European Union. France signaled it could arrest Netanyahu if he came to its territory. Foreign Ministry spokesman Christophe Lemoine called it a “complex legal issue” but said France supports the court’s actions. “Combating impunity is our priority,” he said. “Our response will align with these principles.” Hamas in a statement welcomed the warrants against Netanyahu and Gallant but made no mention of the one against Deif. Israel’s opposition leaders fiercely criticized the ICC’s move. Benny Gantz, a retired general and political rival to Netanyahu, said it showed “moral blindness” and was a “shameful stain of historic proportion that will never be forgotten.” Israel’s campaign has caused heavy destruction across Gaza and driven almost the entire population of 2.3 million people from their homes, leaving most dependent on aid to survive. Two days after Hamas’ attack on southern Israel, Gallant announced a total seal on Gaza, vowing not to let in food, fuel or other supplies. Under U.S. pressure, Israel began allowing a trickle of humanitarian aid to enter a few weeks later. Israel now says it puts no limit on the supplies permitted into Gaza, and it blames the U.N. distribution system. But Israel's official figures show the amount of aid it has let in has plunged since the beginning of October. The U.N has blamed Israeli military restrictions, along with widespread lawlessness that has led to theft of aid shipments. The case at the ICC is separate from another legal battle Israel is waging at the top U.N. court, the International Court of Justice, in which South Africa accuses Israel of genocide , an allegation Israeli leaders staunchly deny. Lawyers for Israel argued in court that the war in Gaza was a legitimate defense of its people and that it was Hamas militants who were guilty of genocide. Associated Press journalists Raf Casert in Brussels, Mike Corder in The Hague and Josef Federman in Jerusalem contributed to this report.None

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Top war-crimes court issues arrest warrants for Netanyahu and others in Israel-Hamas fighting

As the Biden administration winds down, the US Food and Drug Administration has submitted a proposed rule that could significantly lower the amount of nicotine in tobacco products and potentially prompt more people to quit smoking. The FDA has been signaling its intentions to limit nicotine levels at least since 2018 , during the first Trump administration. In 2022, President Joe Biden’s FDA commissioner, Dr. Robert Califf, took it a step further and announced that the agency was developing a rule that would require tobacco companies to significantly reduce the amount of nicotine in traditional cigarettes. The next regulatory step, which the FDA took Tuesday by submitting the proposal to the Office of Management and Budget , would not mean overnight change. But if the government did set a limit on nicotine levels, experts say, it could significantly improve public health. “A proposed product standard to establish a maximum nicotine level to reduce the addictiveness of cigarettes and certain combusted tobacco products, when finalized, would be among the most impactful population-level actions in the history of US tobacco product regulation,” the FDA said in a statement Wednesday. The number of people who smoke has been declining for more than a decade, but smoking is still the leading cause of preventable death, disease and disability in the country, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. More than 16 million Americans are living with a smoking-related disease. As of 2021, about 28.3 million US adults were considered current smokers, the CDC says. Surveys show that most want to quit, but nicotine is highly addictive, changing the brain in ways that make people want to smoke more. Half of smokers say they’ve tried to quit in the past year, but fewer than 1 in 10 were successful. Studies show that when the nicotine content of cigarettes is reduced, people smoke less and make more attempts to quit. Cigarettes with lower nicotine levels seem to be effective in alleviating withdrawal, research shows. When the FDA announced its initial plans to reduce nicotine in 2022, it estimated that reducing nicotine levels could keep more than 33 million people from becoming regular smokers, that about 5 million additional smokers would quit within a year, and that 134 million years of life would be gained. In the draft proposal from 2018, which the FDA has since refined, it cited a 2013 survey that found that reducing the total nicotine content of cigarettes to 0.5 milligrams per rod would minimize addictiveness, but it also said that questions remain with respect to the precise level of nicotine in cigarettes. The agency’s proposal was met with high praise Wednesday. “Once finalized, this rule could be a game-changer in our nation’s efforts to eliminate tobacco use,” said Harold Wimmer, president and CEO of the American Lung Association. “Making tobacco products non-addictive would dramatically reduce the number of young people who become hooked when they are experimenting. To fully address the toll of tobacco on our nation’s health and across all communities, it is critical to reduce nicotine levels to non-addictive levels in all commercial tobacco products, including e-cigarettes.” Not all smokers would quit if nicotine levels were limited, experts say, nor would all smoking-related diseases disappear, since tobacco products contain other chemicals that can be harmful for health. “Certainly, there would be individuals who would benefit from substantially lower nicotine levels and find it easier to quit,” said Dr. Rose Marie Robertson, a cardiologist and chief science officer at the American Heart Association. “It’s really hard to quit. I’ve seen patients over many years who have gotten the wake-up call with a heart attack or a stroke and really want to improve their health and reduce their risk, but it’s just very, very hard to do.” There won’t be any immediate changes to tobacco products. The Office of Management and Budget’s approval process can take months. There will also be a public comment period, and the tobacco industry often sues the government to stop new regulations. It’s also unclear what the FDA will do with such a proposal under President-elect Donald Trump. During his first term, the agency signaled that it wanted to limit nicotine, but the tobacco industry donated heavily to Republicans ahead of this year’s elections, and Trump’s pick for chief of staff worked as a tobacco lobbyist . Robertson says her association wants this last-minute FDA effort to work. “We’re hopeful, but we’ll be there if it doesn’t move forward, and we’ll continue to be there,” she said. CNN’s Deidre McPhillips contributed to this report.

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Mohamed Salah’s landmark goal pulls Liverpool clear in Champions LeagueWith another major snow event expected to start Wednesday night, New York Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services is increasing preparations accordingly. Between two and three feet of snow are projected in Chautauqua and Cattaraugus counties, and into southern Erie County, with wind gusts up to 40 miles per hour. Wind levels are expected to be worse than in past snow events of recent weeks, said Executive Deputy Director Pete Cichetti of the NYS Homeland Security Office of Emergency Management. “That really means two major impacts. The first is blowing and drifting snow on roadways, which will really, really reduce visibility and could create whiteout conditions for people on the road," he said. "We urge people, if you don't have to drive, please don't drive. If you do have to drive, please pay really close attention to your local forecast.” Anyone who has to drive should give snow plows extra room and should never try to pass a plow, Cichetti said. Residents should also take extra precautions to make sure they have emergency supplies at home, he said. “We encourage people to have a cache of both water and nonperishable food that they can utilize in the event that they have a power outage or pipes freeze or something similar," Cichetti said. There have been discussions with New York State Thruway Authority, but no current plans to close Interstate-90, Cichetti said.Thai Lion Air is considering operating flights to Nakhon Phanom as part of the government's policy of promoting tourism in secondary tourism cities. Deputy Transport Minister Manaporn Charoensri said yesterday that she had assigned the Department of Airports (DoA) to find ways to add more flights to less visited cities and turn them into primary tourism hubs. This initiative aligns with the ministry's "Transport for Thailand's Opportunities" policy, which aims to enhance the country's economic and social development through travel and transport, she said. Ms Manaporn said that in a recent meeting with the DoA, the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand expressed a willingness to relax regulations to favour airlines interested in serving secondary cities. She also said Thai Lion Air, which is looking to add a new route to Nakhon Phanom, may be allowed to do so by cutting red tape. The airline has affirmed it can operate flights to the northeastern province and is discussing the feasibility of this with local agencies. Meanwhile, the Aeronautical Radio of Thailand (Aerothai) confirmed its commitment to support domestic flight routes with a 25% service fee discount. It will also organise short-haul routes linking Laos, Vietnam and Nakhon Phanom if airlines want to add new international flights. Currently, flights between Bangkok and Nakhon Phanom are operated exclusively by Thai AirAsia, at the rate of three a day. Due to limited options, many passengers choose to fly to Sakon Nakhon, a nearby province, before travelling by land to Nakhon Phanom to save on fares, which are sometimes as high as 5,500 baht for a one-way ticket. With Thai Lion Air set to add four aircraft to its fleet by the end of this year and 14 more in 2025, the airline said it sees Nakhon Phanom as a promising tourist destination.

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Top war-crimes court issues arrest warrants for Netanyahu and others in Israel-Hamas fighting

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