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Threat to artificially propped up economy will persist: Imran PTI founder says, “2025 is year of real freedom, God willing, 2024 was difficult year for Pakistan" Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan. — Facebook@Imrankhanofficial/File ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder chairman Imran Khan Thursday said though the government stabilised the economy, threat to artificially stabilised economy would persist. googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1700472799616-0'); }); In a conversation with reporters at Adiala Jail, Rawalpindi, when asked if he admits that the government has stabilised the economy, the former prime minister replied that the economy stabilised and avoided bankruptcy, but there was no development. He said the threat of default would stay there if the economy is stabilised through artificial means. Imran posted a message on the social networking website ‘X’ and said: “2025 is the year of real freedom, God willing, 2024 was a difficult year for Pakistan, obviously freedom is difficult to achieve!” He claimed that has received a message of deal with him and the message was that “we will give your party political space but you will be placed under house arrest and shifted to Bani Gala”. The PTI founder chairman said that he had replied to the offer that first release all the remaining political prisoners. “I will remain in jail but will not accept any deal, I will not go to house arrest or any jail in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa,” he said. Imran said that he had asked his nation that they did not have to panic, as “your captain is steadfast, I will tell my overseas Pakistanis to join the campaign to boycott remittances”. He contended that right now, only ‘committee, committee’ is being played regarding PTI demands; however, if the negotiations yield positive results, the campaign to boycott remittances would be stopped, adding that it was a protest for the restoration of ‘true’ freedom and democracy. He emphasised that if there was rule of law, investment would come to the country and the economy would recover, but no attention was paid to it, capitalists were withdrawing their capital and factories were closing down. Reacting to the sentences handed down by military courts, he said that arbitrary trials were conducted in the military court regarding May 9, saying if trials were conducted in an open court, the video footage of May 9 would have had to be produced. He said that the video record of the attack on him in the Judicial Complex, Islamabad on March 18, 2023, was deliberately hidden. He insisted that a transparent trial was a fundamental constitutional right of citizens. The PTI supremo believed that conducting cases in military courts had deprived citizens of their fundamental rights and Pakistan had been severely reprimanded internationally. He suggested a review of policies, adding that Afghanistan was bombed twice. Earlier, it was claimed that forcibly sending back refugees would reduce terrorism, but that method increased hatred, which was not good for regional peace and order. Imran claimed that when Pakistan Peoples Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari became the foreign minister, he did not visit Afghanistan even once, while it should have been a priority. The former prime minister said that he had also told former army chief General Bajwa that after the US withdrawal from Afghanistan, the situation was not such that the then ISI chief General (retd) Faiz should be replaced immediately, but he was making all the decisions for his own expansion plan instead of Pakistan, which harmed Pakistan and increased terrorism. Meanwhile, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur and the PTI negotiation committee met separately with Imran in the jail. Opposition Leader Omar Ayub, NA former Speaker Asad Qaiser, Salman Akram Raja, Senator Allama Raja Nasir Abbas and Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) chief Sahibzada Hamid Raza, who were part of the PTI negotiation committee, met the PTI founder. After the meeting, talking to the media, Hamid Raza said that they want to bring the talks to a logical conclusion by January 31. He said that there was a clear position on November 26 that “shots were fired and that 13 of our workers were martyred on that day; the workers were tortured; and those who ordered the shooting are responsible for the May 9 incident”. He revealed that the party founder said that for the survival of Pakistan, he was ready to forgive all the ill-treatment done to him and that he was ready to forgive everyone for the sake of Pakistan. Hamid Raza said that they have only two demands, as, while the other side is accusing us of the May 9 issue, a judicial commission consisting of the three most senior judges of the Supreme Court should be formed, an investigation be conducted to find out who were the people who were inciting the people on May 9. “Our demand is that the PTI founder should be released, we do not want the founder’s release as a result of any deal, as he wants the courts to decide all the cases against him,” he maintained. He said that the party founder had a special conversation with Gandapur on the issue of Kurram. Hamid Raza emphasised PTI founder Imran’s unwavering stance on resolving key issues through dialogue rather than conflict. He reiterated Imran’s condemnation of external aggression, particularly regarding Afghanistan, and stressed the importance of negotiations to address disputes. “Imran Khan believes Afghanistan-related matters must be resolved through dialogue, not violence. He remains firmly against engaging in external wars,” said Hamid Raza. Meanwhile, PTI spokesperson Shaikh Waqas Akram denied the party founder Imran Khan’s statement about economy and said in fact he had termed the related government steps as cosmetic ones and an artificial bubble. In a video message, shared with the media, he claimed that the party leader had been misquoted, who said that the government had ‘shut down’ the entire economy in order to bring down inflation and interest rate. He said the party founder believed the economy was on the verge of collapse and could fall any time, as economic stability could come by job creation and investment, whereas the rule of law and political stability were its pre-requisites, which were not there to be seen. Waqas emphasised that his party leader had fixed January 31 for the things to reach to their logical conclusion this way or that way. “To show seriousness towards talks, the government should have put on hold its ministers’ statements and news conferences and military trials,” the party information secretary contended. Regarding latest sentences given by the military courts to the persons, related to May 9, he said that their party position was the same, which was expressed when such reports surfaced a few days back. “Imran Khan had rejected civilians’ trials in military courts, as this is not a proper thing,” he pointed out. About the civil disobedience campaign, he said that no one had neither withdrawn the call, nor anyone could do so, as the call was given by the party founder and only he could withdraw it. The PTI spokesperson said that the call given to the overseas Pakistanis to halt remittances to the country could be withdrawn by Imran, if he sees positive progress in talks between the opposition and the government allies committees’ meetings.
Bashar al-Assad is mocked as rebels unearth photo of Syrian president in a tiny pair of Speedos after seizing family palace in Aleppo - as officials say government could fall 'in the next week' By MILO POPE Published: 09:14 AEDT, 8 December 2024 | Updated: 09:39 AEDT, 8 December 2024 e-mail 1 View comments Bashar al-Assad has been mocked after rebels unearthed a photo of the Syrian president wearing nothing but a tiny pair of Speedos. Following a lightning rebel advance in Syria, Jihadi rebels came across a photo of a scantily clad Syrian leader as a young man last week. The image shows the dictator posing alongside three other people in swimsuits as they are perched on the side of a boat in the night. The picture quickly gained attention on social media, with one person writing: 'A picture found in the palace of the idiot and criminal Bashar al-Assad in Aleppo.' The funny reaction online comes amid reports from Western officials that Assad's government could fall within the next week. Earlier today, it was reported that Syrian opposition fighters reached the suburbs of the Damascus capital for the first time since the region was recaptured by government troops in 2018, as Assad's regime nears collapse. One resident said the city was on edge, with security forces on the streets and many shops running out of staple foods. The Syrian army withdrew from much of the country's south on Saturday but later said it was fortifying positions in the Damascus suburbs and in the south. A picture believed to be showing Syrian President Bashar al-Assad wearing only speedos is taken by Rebels following the capture of his palace in Aleppo The images of Assad wearing speedos has generated ridicule on social media Western officials have claimed that Assad's government could fall within the next week Residents in Hama set ablaze a large banner bearing a picture of Syria's President Bashar al-Assad hanging on the facade of a municipal building Syria's state news agency denied reports that Assad had already fled to Russia claiming he continued to govern from Damascus. However, following the statement claiming it was 'false news', a source has told CNN that Assad was 'nowhere to be found' at his usual residences in the capital. Lebanon said it is closing all its land border crossings with Syria except for a main one that links Beirut with Damascus. Jordan closed a border crossing with Syria because of the security situation on the Syrian side. Read More Syria rebels reach edge of Damascus as Russia and Iran abandon Assad The rapidly developing events in Syria have again put the region on edge. Government forces reportedly withdrew as rebel groups amassed in the city's suburbs, wrestling for control after more than a week of intensified fighting. Armed groups reached the suburb of Darayya this afternoon, some five miles from the centre, according to the Turkish Anadolu Agency . 'Our forces have begun the final phase of encircling the capital, Damascus,' said rebel commander Hassan Abdel Ghani today, with the Islamist-led alliance that launched the offensive 10 days ago. 'Damascus awaits you,' HTS leader Ahmed al-Sharaa, also known as Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, said in a statement Saturday addressed to rebel fighters on Telegram. Syrians still in the nominally government-controlled territory of Jaramana seized the opportunity to pull down a statue of Assad's father as the regime faces collapse. A giant portrait of Syrian president Bashar Assad sets on a building, as empty streets seen in Damascus, Syria A military vehicle belonging to the Syrian regime forces and seized by anti government forces burn after it was hit by regime forces in the Hama governorate A military vehicle belonging to the Syrian regime forces is pictured abandoned on the side of a road in the Hama governorate, on December 7 People ride a tank in the Syrian southern city of Daraa on December 7 People ride a tank in the Syrian southern city of Daraa on December 7 A government armoured vehicle burns as rebels ride along the road south of Hama, in the south of Syria Anti-regime armed rebels fire their weapons into the air in victory after capturing Hama To the north, rebel troops made a lunge towards the strategic city of Homs, just days after they proclaimed a major victory in the taking of the city of Hama on Thursday. The staggering assault has seen rebels opposed to the regime make the fastest battlefield advance by either side since the civil war began almost 13 years ago. Assad's office said today that the President was staying put in the capital and continuing his duties after his children and British-born wife fled to Russia last week, and his brothers-in-law allegedly travelled to the UAE, per Syrian security officials. Assad's allies in Russia , Iran and Hezbollah, distracted or worn-down by other conflicts, meanwhile showed no signs of intervening . Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told CNN that Turkey wishes that neighboring Syria can 'quickly attain the peace and tranquility it has longed for' during 13 years of civil conflict. He said: 'I want to say this openly: We do not have our eyes on land — not even a pebble — that belongs to another country.' Charles Lister, director of the Syria and countering terrorism and extremism programs at the Middle East Institute, told Bloomberg that Assad's future has 'never looked more fragile' as the opposition encroaches on Homs and allied support withers. While capturing Homs could close the land route between the government and Tartus, home to Russia's only Mediterranean port, Russia appears not to be in a position to help Assad regain ground with focus and resources directed to Ukraine. 'Russia doesn't have a plan to save Assad and doesn't see one emerging as long as the Syrian president's army continues to abandon its positions,' a source 'close to the Kremlin' told Bloomberg. Iran , likewise, has been hesitant, or unable, to funnel its support to Syria. On Friday, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said he would would only help Assad 'to the extent necessary', but previously promised to 'consider' sending troops. The fall of Bashar al-Assad's routine appeals all but assured (pictured: rebels ride past a damaged government vehicle in Hama) Local residents celebrate after opposition forces led by HTS (Hayyet Tahrir al-Sham) took control of Hama city center and surrounding villages on December 6 Rebel forces pressing a lightning offensive in Syria aim to overthrow President Bashar al-Assad's rule, their Islamist leader said in an interview published on December 6 Russian president Vladimir Putin meets with Assad at the Kremlin in Moscow in July Asma al-Assad, wife of Syria's President Bashar al-Assad, casts her vote during the country's presidential elections in Douma, Syria, with her husband in this file photo taken in 2021 People in Damascus topple a statue of Hafez al-Assad and wave a Druze flag as rebel forces approach the capital, on December 7 The capture of Hama has given rebel forces, led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), control of a strategic central city they never managed to seize before. Homs is the next target for the rebels, deemed crucial for Assad's hopes of staying in power. 'Assad now cannot afford to lose anything else. The big battle is the one coming against Homs. If Homs falls, we are talking of a potential change of regime,' Jihad Yazigi, editor of the Syria Report newsletter, told Reuters . It follows a staggering effort to seize Aleppo, the main northern city in Syria, last week as part of a blitz offensive beginning on November 27. The collapse of Syrian government control in the north has sharply illustrated a shift in the balance of power since Lebanon's Hezbollah group, a lynchpin of Assad's forces, suffered catastrophic losses in its war with Israel. While Hezbollah has reportedly sent 2,000 fighters to Syria, per a source close to the Iran-backed proxy group today, Assad's backing from allies continues to wither. Rebel forces were just 12 miles (20km) from Damascus by 11am GMT on Saturday, posing an imminent threat to the capital, according to a war monitor and rebels. The Syrian army reportedly withdrew its forces from all towns about 10km (6.2 miles) from the capital, a monitor reported soon after. The Syrian defence ministry, loyal to Assad, denied the army had fled positions. 'There is no truth to news claiming our armed forces, present in all areas of the Damascus countryside, have withdrawn,' it said. The Syrian government was also forced to evacuate from its positions in Quneitrea, near the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights. The Syrian Democratic Forces, the main ally of the US against the regime, meanwhile seized key areas in Deir ez Zor and Raqqa on December 6, making it harder for Iran to move forces in to help Assad or resupply Iranian-backed forces like Hezbollah. Iran Syria Russia Share or comment on this article: Bashar al-Assad is mocked as rebels unearth photo of Syrian president in a tiny pair of Speedos after seizing family palace in Aleppo - as officials say government could fall 'in the next week' e-mail Add commentMULGRAVE — With expanded services and a renewed commitment to community good works in the new year, Eastern Counties Regional Library (ECRL) is re-writing the rulebook on building relationships with the municipalities it serves, says its chief executive officer. “I think everybody is interested in doing better and more for the community,” Laura Emery told The Journal in a recent year-end interview. “I think the province has a real understanding of the reach of public libraries. Strengthening relations with [our] municipal partners [ensures] that we [bring] the best that we can to the community.” According to ECRL’s 2023-24 annual report, released last month, the signs are promising. In one year, the number of new users at its nine branches in Cape Breton and northeastern Nova Scotia communities – including Guysborough, Canso and Sherbrooke – has jumped by 871, which included 57 at the Cyril Ward Memorial Public Library in Guysborough town, 41 at the Canso Public Library and 89 at the Sherbrooke Public Library. As well, the report shows, circulation (books and other reading materials) was 16 per cent higher in all locations – to 95,000 units, from 80,000, in 2022-23. That included a 20 per cent increase in Guysborough alone – to 11,131 from 9,207. Meanwhile, branch hours increased to 14,227, from 13,041, system wide. Even more notable was the growth in the number of public library programs – to 328 from 164 – and their growing attendance – to 2,000 from just more than 1,000 between 2022-23 and 2023-24. Wrote ECRL board chair Clair Rankin in the annual report: “Increased in-person programming [provided] more opportunities for community members to engage and learn ... demonstrating the value of flexible learning options. Increasing partnerships and better supporting local library staff helped to make these changes happen. Clearly, working with the community and our municipal partners is the way foreword.” This hasn’t always been easy. The oldest and one of the largest regional library systems, by geographic area, in Nova Scotia – catering to more than 32,000 residents the counties of Guysborough, Inverness, and Richmond, as well as the Town of Port Hawkesbury – ECRL receives two-thirds of its roughly $1-million annual budget from the provincial government. It gets the rest from four municipal councils, with which it’s in regular contact but, historically, not always in agreement. One well-publicized dispute with the Municipality of the District of St. Mary’s council over funding, for example, actually went to provincial mediation in 2022. The issue was resolved in April of this year when both parties signed a memorandum of understanding to enhance collaboration and communications between them. “To create such a specific agreement with one of our partners and really formalize ways that we can always be working together, always be communicating and bringing the best to the community, is historic,” Emery told local media at the announcement in Mulgrave at the time. Today, she’s even more adamant about making things work collaboratively. “Positive actions organically lead to a more positive and encouraging environment,” she told The Journal. “I think we’re certainly heading in a good direction.” Much of that may have to do with the provincial government’s growing realization that at a time of rising costs and housing shortages, rural libraries in general and ECRL, in particular, have important roles to play in shoring up the social and even economic well being of their communities. Additional provincial funding – not related to core programming – is helping ECRL position itself as a community hub. Over the past year, Rankin noted in the annual report, “Eastern Counties Regional Library expanded its role in supporting community well-being. Special funding from the province [has] allow[ed] ECRL to give away menstrual products, diapers and incontinence pads to help with the increasing cost of living. We’ve been distributing COVID-19 test kits for a few years, so these new offerings easily fit into our library locations. Items are on display, and people can drop by and pick up what they or their family and friends need.” The library has also established seed banks at its branches and recently received a $42,000 contribution from the Department of Communities, Culture, Tourism, and Heritage to conduct strategic planning and community engagement on potential, new initiatives. “It is a tremendous example of how public libraries can do so much more to benefit the community if they have the funding,” Rankin concluded in his message. “My hope is this trend of special project funding will continue.” Certainly, ECRL’s efforts have not gone unnoticed among some of its municipal partners. At the Nov. 20 Municipality of the District of Guysborough regular council meeting, Councillor Mary Desmond (district #2) praised the “vibrancy” and “informative” content of this year’s annual report. Warden Paul Long added: “There seems to be a greater sense of cooperation and collegiality between the library and municipalities.” Said Emery: “I am very happy to hear that. I think provincial funding for community initiatives ... has demonstrated the additional value that a library can bring to a community. And, that’s probably helping with the positive perception of the Eastern Counties Regional Library. Things are starting to turn around and, you know ... that’s great.”
Specifications and Classification of Optical Modules 12-26-2024 07:40 PM CET | IT, New Media & Software Press release from: ABNewswire Distinction between SFF/SFP/SFP+ and XFP optical modules If it is classified according to the type of package, PON optical modules can be divided into two types SFF optical module [ https://www.hdv-fiber.com/ ] (this module is small in size, generally fixed, welded on a fixed PCBA, can not be removed and inserted, performance related stability, reducing the influence factors caused by the removal process), SFP (This module is small in size, but can be plugged in, the rate is from 100M to gigabit for choice, the most mature program, the highest market share at present.) The best optical module brands of this module are: Shenzhen HDV, Hisense, Huawei Hisilicon, New Yisheng and so on SFP+ (Enhanced module, size is small, can be plugged, speed can exceed 10G, much higher than SFP module, which also has eSFP module before this module) XFP (standard small size pluggable, pluggable, serial transmission rate can exceed 10G) Optical modules [ https://www.hdv-fiber.com/ ] include but are not limited to the above types, if there is demand, Shenzhen HDV can meet all your customized needs. Among them, SFP+ with its miniaturization (almost equivalent to the size of the SFP module) low cost and other advantages to meet the device's demand for optical module density, has gradually replaced XFP to become the mainstream of the 10G market. The above is Shenzhen HDV Phoeletron Technology Ltd. [ https://www.hdv-fiber.com/contact-us/ ] brought the optical module classification explanation, the company's module products cover optical fiber module, Ethernet module, optical transceiver module, optical access module, SSFP optical module, SFP optical module and so on. The above module class products can provide support for different network scenarios. For the above products, it is paired with a professional and strong R & D team to provide technical support for customers, and a thoughtful and professional business team to provide quality service for customers in the early consultation and later work. Image: https://www.hdv-fiber.com/uploads/Classification-of-optical-modules.png Media Contact Company Name: Shenzhen HDV Phoelectron Technology LTD Email:Send Email [ https://www.abnewswire.com/email_contact_us.php?pr=classification-of-optical-modules ] Country: China Website: https://www.hdv-fiber.com/ This release was published on openPR.Trump Cabinet picks, appointees targeted by bomb threats and swatting attacks
LA Galaxy win record 6th MLS CupNetflix knows how to tell a good story. For millions of living room sleuths, the network’s recent three-part documentary series — “Cold Case: Who Killed JonBenét Ramsey?” — has reignited the 28-year-old unsolved child murder case. JonBenét, who participated in child beauty pageants, was 6-years-old when her parents reported her missing from their Boulder home the day after Christmas in 1996. She was found in the afternoon of Dec. 26 in the basement of the family’s home, strangled, with a garrote around her neck. An autopsy later revealed she had suffered a blow to the head. A police officer sits in her cruiser Jan. 3, 1997, outside the home in which 6-year-old JonBenét Ramsey was found murdered in Boulder on Dec. 26, 1996. Those who rode the investigation from the beginning watched the much-anticipated show to see if there was anything new. Some who didn’t know much about the case are going down the social media rabbit hole, hungry for more. And a new generation is discovering the fascinating investigation for the first time. Minds were changed. Minds are still set. Even the program’s director has chosen a side. In an interview with Netflix, Joe Berlinger said he thinks “there is zero chance that the family had anything to do with this horrendous crime.” There was some new information introduced in the docu-series, which took a couple of years to produce. What was fresh? For the first time, viewers heard the voice of detective Lou Smit from an audio diary he left behind after he died. In a steady voice, he recorded his thoughts as he investigated the case and the documentary did a nice job clarifying dates and times. Netflix tracked down an old interview with the district attorney who oversaw the case in the early days. Alex Hunter said he was at peace and that he did the right thing when he opted not to take the case to trial immediately after a grand jury recommended that the kindergartner’s parents be indicted on charges of child abuse resulting in death and being accessories to a crime Also new were details about JonBenét’s mother, Patsy, who died of cancer in 2006. Never before on television had John Ramsey opened up about what those last sad days were like for the family. It was good to see some investigators come forward. Producers were able to convince an always-wary Michael Kane, the special Ramsey grand jury prosecutor, to give a rare interview. Kane revealed he advised Hunter that 13 months of intense investigation behind closed doors did not shake enough evidence loose to establish probable cause to convict anyone should the case have gone to trial at that time. Kane was interviewed side-by-side with Ramsey DNA expert and former Denver District Attorney Mitch Morrissey. Smit, a respected, longtime El Paso County detective who resigned from the Ramsey case when he realized that a grand jury would focus on JonBenét’s parents, devoted the last years of his life to investigating the murder using his own money and evidence, which he brought out of the Justice Center. The Colorado Springs detective died in 2010, but he made sure that reams of detailed spreadsheets listing at least 100 suspects who could have possibly killed the little girl were overseen by his family and friends. They still run those possible suspects down one by one using DNA technology and private labs. The production value of “Cold Case: Who Killed JonBenét Ramsey” was rich, with well-written narration woven in and out of Ramsey home videos, decades-old interviews, and an ornate reproduction of the family’s 6,500-square-foot four-level Boulder home. John Ramsey, who will be 81 in a few days, was the central character of the series. A home video likely supplied by the family showed them on a sledding holiday. At the very end of the series, Ramsey turned JonBenét’s small black-and-white cowboy boots in his hands, which were placed on a bookcase among treasures from his grandchildren. His interview appeared genuine, his explanations those of a father who has resigned himself to a mindset of enjoying the short time he had with his child whose life was cut short so violently in the family’s own home. The Netflix crew unloaded plenty of criticism on how the local and national media — especially tabloids — centered on JonBenét’s own family in the first months and years that followed. Charlie Brennan, a Rocky Mountain News reporter who often led the charge as information was leaked, admitted that as pressure mounted to stay ahead in the news wars, he frequently used only one trusted source. That method, he said, led to at least one untrue headline — that John Ramsey piloted the plane that took the family to Atlanta for JonBenét’s burial, which was untrue. It was a vulnerable moment that gave Brennan credibility. On the heels of Brennan’s admission, Geraldo Rivera, who ran a mock trial against the Ramseys on his cable show, apologized on live television to Ramsey. Because of the documentary, journalists and talk show hosts are rethinking their own biases and what they could have done differently with their coverage. The Ramseys did not talk to the press, likely on advice of their lawyers. As a reporter who was on the case within the first few days of JonBenét’s death, I have seen and been on the production side of many of these kinds of television shows. When I was asked to be interviewed for this Netflix series, I had some reservations about it because it’s never easy for me to open up about personal work experiences. However, I liked the producers and grew to trust that they were not going to create yet another sensational program, as has been done so many times in the last nearly 30 years. The horrific death of a little girl has been lost in the sensationalism. As it turns out, this series struck gold with viewers because it was well-told. Neighbors stop me while I’m walking my dog, and old friends have texted, wondering about why the case was never solved. As former 20th Judicial District Attorney Stan Garnett explained it: “There is a reason so much debate continues to swirl around the case. The evidence is complex and confusing.” Boulder’s district attorney for nearly three terms, Garnett was the first at the helm of the office to build a strong relationship with the Boulder Police Department in the place of a rift and where there was little trust for years. He said he’s never heard a decent explanation as to why an intruder would have left the two-and-a-half page ransom note, which Patsy Ramsey said she found on the spiral staircase. Garnett said he also believes that the case should be solved by the totality of the evidence. “There’s too much emphasis on the DNA,” Garnett said. “You’re not going to solve this case by just a DNA hit, unless you can explain all the other evidence, including the note.” Though it’s very hard to get every piece of information of a nearly 30-year-old case into a three hour show, it is my opinion that Netflix omitted important evidence — perhaps by design. The following are three examples. First, the show spent 10 precious minutes concentrating on one of the greatest debacles in a case full of confounding twists — the investigation of a deranged school teacher on the run in Thailand from child pornography charges out of California. Netflix showed John Mark Karr’s disturbing emails and played phone conversations he had with a University of Colorado Boulder journalism professor, which left viewers wondering if he and several other mentally disturbed persons of interest might still be guilty of JonBenét’s murder. In truth, the expensive trip investigators took to Thailand where Karr lived should never have happened. The formal investigation into Karr started in April 2006, 10 years after JonBenét’s death. Then-District Attorney Mary Lacy and her team so distrusted the Boulder police, they left them out of the loop. In fact, Lacy did not bring in local law enforcement until Lacy’s team was on the plane, according to sources familiar with the investigation. When the police and sheriffs asked Lacy if she had simply checked Karr’s whereabouts to find out if he was in Boulder Christmas Eve and Christmas Day in 1996, she admitted she had not. Within 24 hours, police discovered through Karr’s ex-wife and witnesses that he was in Georgia on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day and could not have made the drive to Boulder to watch JonBenét “die by accident,” as he had claimed. Secondly, the documentary played the infamous 911 call that Patsy Ramsey made just before 6 a.m. on Dec. 26, 1996. But for some reason, Netflix producers decided to cut the call short, instead of letting it play in its entirety. The last six seconds, which the docu-series omitted, were critical. The Ramsey 911 call could be one of the most investigated six-second snippets in crime scene history. Police believe that Mrs. Ramsey did not immediately hang up the phone and the ensuing conversation was recorded on a still-rolling dispatch tape. The 911 operator, Kim Archuletta, stayed on the phone during that time and thought she heard Patsy Ramsey change her tone from distress to business-like and ask someone what to do next. When Archuletta first told police about the extra seconds, she said that they didn’t take her seriously. When investigators realized she had uncovered an important clue, they investigated further. To the naked ear, the audio sound like gibberish. However, Boulder police sent the tape to the U.S. Secret Service and to the Aerospace Corporation, a California technical analysis company, to have it enhanced. Audio experts thought they heard a conversation between John Ramsey and his 9-year-old son, Burke, whom the Ramseys had always contended was in bed asleep. Though it’s unclear exactly what was heard, the 911 call was played for the Boulder grand jury, according to a grand juror who wished to remain anonymous. Thirdly, Netflix would have viewers believe that JonBenét did not wet the bed the night she was killed, a major pillar in the police theory that the parents had been involved in her death. The production backed that up when it showed Smit explaining that JonBenét’s sheets were not soiled on the night she was killed. Smit used a crime scene photo of her room to bolster his case, and insisted that there were no urine stains on the sheets. Investigators have stressed that Smit came into the case four months late so he never held the evidence and instead had to rely on crime scene photos. When Smit showed me the photo of JonBenét’s Beauty and the Beast-themed sheets on her bed, I agreed they looked clean. It was worth a call to the Colorado Bureau of Investigation, where I knew one of the administrators. “What about these sheets? They don’t look urine-stained,” I asked him. “Carol, you should smell ‘em. The ammonia would knock you out,” he said. I am not identifying the CBI supervisor because he is no longer with the organization and he asked me not to. Similarly, Mark Beckner confirmed the presence of urine on JonBenét’s sheets in a Reddit interview after he retired as chief from the Boulder force after 16 years. Was urine found anywhere in the victims room bathroom or on her clothes? Reddit thread asked. “Her clothes and bed appeared to be stained,” he answered. Boulder has a new police chief. Last week, Stephen Redfearn, an outsider who came from the Aurora Police Department, made a 5:45-minute video assuring citizens that the agency is not sitting on valuable evidence. “We are doing everything we can to bring justice to JonBenét and hold her killer responsible,” he said. Redfearn acknowledged the mistakes that were made by police early on. Will this latest documentary put renewed pressure on the Boulder police to solve the case? Redfearn indicated the police don’t need a production to make them do their jobs. In his video, Redfearn said investigators are utilizing outside forensic labs and experts in the latest DNA technology, but didn’t expand what that meant. He said that open-minded investigators most recently met with the Ramsey family in mid-2024. They’ve digitized the voluminous case file, which includes 21,000 tips, 1,000 interviews, 200 reports, and they also looked at the handwriting, DNA, fingerprints and shoe prints of 200 people. JonBenét Ramsey would have been 34-years-old today had she lived. Editor’s note: Denver Gazette reporter Carol McKinley covered the JonBenét Ramsey murder case from the beginning. She has followed the case through her journalism career at KOA Radio, Fox News Channel, and ABC national news. She joined The Denver Gazette in 2021.
WASHINGTON — Russell Vought is well-known on Capitol Hill and thus far at least looks like a shoo-in to be confirmed as President-elect Donald Trump’s budget director, as he was during Trump’s first term on a party-line vote in 2020. The hard-charging Vought is a revered figure on the right with his pledges to upend the “deep state” and dismantle “woke and weaponized government,” including by refusing to spend all the money Congress appropriates. He’ll need to be vetted again in the new year, where Democrats on the Senate Budget and Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs panels will be poring over Vought’s writings and speeches since leaving the Trump administration to found a new pro-Trump think tank, the Center for Renewing America. Vought is also one of many contributors to the Heritage Foundation-led Project 2025, which Trump disavowed during his presidential campaign and is a major lightning rod on the left. Since Trump’s Nov. 22 announcement that Vought was his choice to once again lead his Office of Management and Budget, a parade of conservative GOP senators have come out in support, such as Mike Lee of Utah, Rick Scott of Florida, Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee and Tommy Tuberville of Alabama. Incoming Senate Appropriations Chairwoman Susan Collins, R-Maine, is not among those openly praising Vought. “I would not have anticipated that choice, because wasn’t he associated with the Heritage study that the president very much stepped away from? So, seems unusual to choose him,” Collins told reporters last month. But Collins didn’t rule out supporting him either as she has twice before — in 2020 as well as in 2018, when he was confirmed as deputy OMB director on a tie-breaker vote by then-Vice President Mike Pence. “I give deference to all presidents as they try to build their Cabinets,” Collins said. “But there are certain standards, and that’s why the advice and consent role of the Senate is so important.” Collins’ Democratic counterpart on Appropriations, Sen. Patty Murray of Washington, has made her opposition to Vought clear. She called him a “far-right ideologue” seeking to unlawfully expand executive spending powers, fire “tens of thousands” of federal workers and “gut programs that help working families” in a statement after Trump announced his selection. ‘Grinding halt’ If confirmed, Vought would play a key role in next year’s budget reconciliation and appropriations debates, as well as in a new set of negotiations to lift the debt limit. Senators are sure to scrutinize Vought’s past commentary, including his no-compromise approach to spending deals. He’s called for shutting down the government rather than accepting a bipartisan stopgap funding bill the last two years, for instance. “The Biden regulatory agenda comes to a grinding halt with a government shutdown,” he posted on X in September 2023. Vought called the 2023 debt ceiling and spending caps deal “terrible,” and backed Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, for speaker later that year. “The American people deserve a Speaker that represents them and not the DC Cartel,” Vought wrote. After Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., was elected and cut a deal to continue spending levels negotiated by Biden and former Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., Vought bashed “Mike Johnson’s spending deal” that Democrats were “celebrating.” Here’s a look at what Vought has proposed, including as part of Project 2025 and in a budget blueprint he and his think tank drafted in 2022 that could become a template for Trump’s new budget due early next year. Project 2025 President Joe Biden put apportionments back into the hands of the career officials after Trump OMB officials signed off on the Ukraine aid holds that became the basis for Trump’s first impeachment, in 2019. Vought and his team always held that the moves were lawful uses of apportionment authority, and further, they want to push the envelope of what constitutes an illegal “impoundment” of federal funds under a 1974 law. Trump has suggested that could involve vast clawbacks of previously-signed spending laws. The first Trump administration implemented the policy on its own, where Vought is said to have used it to discourage pricey rulemakings by the Department of Health and Human Services, for instance. Republicans criticize the Biden administration for expanding food-stamp benefits and student debt relief via regulatory actions and believe a tighter “administrative pay-as-you-go” policy would keep regulatory spending in check. And his agency will work hand in hand with the new, informal “Department of Government Efficiency” advisory group, with a stated goal of reducing the federal employee headcount through return-to-office mandates, building relocations and more. “There certainly is going to be mass layoffs and firings, particularly at some of the agencies that we don’t even think should exist,” Vought said in an interview last month with Tucker Carlson. ‘Fiscal brokenness’ Lost amid the focus on Trump’s other prospective nominees and Project 2025 is the detailed budget blueprint Vought and his team at the Center for Renewing America released in December 2022. It’s a clear rejection of traditional GOP orthodoxy calling for higher defense budgets and overhauling Social Security and Medicare, though it’s more aligned on tax policy. But virtually every other entitlement and discretionary program would be on the cutting board, with a stated goal to “consciously and indelibly link the efforts of getting our nation’s finances in order with removing the scourge of woke and weaponized bureaucracy aimed at the American people,” Vought wrote. The budget compares its proposed fiscal 2023 spending agency by agency to enacted spending in fiscal 2021, so its numbers are not up to date. Nevertheless, the scale of reductions gives a sense of the magnitude of changes Vought contemplates. Here are some highlights of Vought’s budget plan, which he wrote in a preface would cure “America’s fiscal brokenness” by cutting trillions of dollars from federal spending. Vought makes no secret of his views on this budget category. “When families decide to get on a budget, they do not target the largest and immovable items of their spending, like their mortgage, first. They aim to restrain discretionary spending — they eat out less, shop less, and find cheaper ways of entertaining themselves,” Vought writes. “Politically, a similar approach is the only way the American people will ever accept major changes to mandatory spending.” The blueprint doesn’t outline all of the cuts over a decade, but in the first year of implementation, nearly every domestic agency would see double-digit appropriations cuts: a 54% reduction at the National Science Foundation, 45% to the State Department and foreign assistance, 43% at the Department of Housing and Urban Development; 40% to the Labor Department and more. Cuts would be more muted at NASA and the Justice Department, while the only nondefense agencies receiving discretionary increases are Homeland Security, Veterans Affairs and Transportation. He would downsize the “bloated overhead of the Pentagon, the general officer corps, the civilian workforce, and the Office of the Secretary of Defense,” and shift responsibility for Ukraine’s defense to a European-led effort. And it would slash about $1 trillion, or 7%, from Medicare payments to providers, which could cause them to limit access and pare back services, as well as through pharmaceutical price restraints opposed by many in Trump’s own party. A small piece of the cost savings would come from charging new user fees to cover the cost of USDA meat, poultry and egg inspections. The plan would keep in place the current $10,000 cap on state and local tax deductions, unlike Vought’s boss who has called for some level of unwinding for the “SALT” cap. And it says nothing of Trump’s new campaign trail innovations like eliminating taxes on tips and overtime pay. The budget also assumes the tax cuts would pay for themselves through economic growth — an assumption that isn’t shared by nonpartisan budget scorekeepers and most mainstream economists.
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Boxing Day shopper footfall was down 7.9% from last year across all UK retail destinations up until 5pm, MRI Software’s OnLocation Footfall Index found. However, this year’s data had been compared with an unusual spike in footfall as 2023 was the first “proper Christmas” period without Covid-19 pandemic restrictions, an analyst at the retail technology company said. It found £4.6 billion will be spent overall on the festive sales. Before the pandemic the number of Boxing Day shoppers on the streets had been declining year on year. The last uplift recorded by MRI was in 2015. Jenni Matthews, marketing and insights director at MRI Software, told the PA news agency: “We’ve got to bear in mind that (last year) was our first proper Christmas without any (Covid-19) restrictions or limitations. “Figures have come out that things have stabilised, we’re almost back to what we saw pre-pandemic.” There were year-on-year declines in footfall anywhere between 5% and 12% before Covid-19 restrictions, she said. MRI found 12% fewer people were out shopping on Boxing Day in 2019 than in 2018, and there were 3% fewer in 2018 than in 2017, Ms Matthews added. She said: “It’s the shift to online shopping, it’s the convenience, you’ve got the family days that take place on Christmas Day and Boxing Day.” People are also increasingly stocking-up before Christmas, Ms Matthews said, and MRI found an 18% increase in footfall at all UK retail destinations on Christmas Eve this year compared with 2023. Ms Matthews said: “We see the shops are full of people all the way up to Christmas Eve, so they’ve probably got a couple of good days of food, goodies, everything that they need, and they don’t really need to go out again until later on in that week. “We did see that big boost on Christmas Eve. It looks like shoppers may have concentrated much of their spending in that pre-Christmas rush.” Many online sales kicked off between December 23 and the night of Christmas Day and “a lot of people would have grabbed those bargains from the comfort of their own home”, she said. She added: “I feel like it’s becoming more and more common that people are grabbing the bargains pre-Christmas.” Footfall is expected to rise on December 27 as people emerge from family visits and shops re-open, including Next, Marks and Spencer and John Lewis that all shut for Boxing Day. It will also be payday for some as it is the last Friday of the month. A study by Barclays Consumer Spend had forecast that shoppers would spend £236 each on average in the Boxing Day sales this year, but that the majority of purchases would be made online. Nearly half of respondents said the cost-of-living crisis will affect their post-Christmas shopping but the forecast average spend is still £50 more per person than it was before the pandemic, with some of that figure because of inflation, Barclays said. Amid the financial pressures, many people are planning to buy practical, perishable and essential items such as food and kitchenware. A total of 65% of shoppers are expecting to spend the majority of their sales budget online. Last year, Barclays found 63.9% of Boxing Day retail purchases were made online. However, a quarter of respondents aim to spend mostly in store – an 11% rise compared with last year. Karen Johnson, head of retail at Barclays, said: “Despite the ongoing cost-of-living pressures, it is encouraging to hear that consumers will be actively participating in the post-Christmas sales. “This year, we’re likely to see a shift towards practicality and sustainability, with more shoppers looking to bag bargains on kitchen appliances and second-hand goods.” Consumers choose in-store shopping largely because they enjoy the social aspect and touching items before they buy, Barclays said, adding that high streets and shopping centres are the most popular destinations.
A gunman fatally shot UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson on December 4 in New York City. The NYPD launched a manhunt but has so far failed to capture the suspect. The suspect's evasion has revealed holes in surveillance, but police say it's just a matter of time. The gunman's ability to evade capture so far has highlighted the limits of surveillance, even in a city like New York, where authorities have access to that can track millions of people daily. "You have got to remember, he was running around a city of 9 million people," Joseph Giacolone, a former NYPD Sergeant and professor at the John Jay School of Criminal Justice, told Business Insider. "You know, it's not that easy to pick somebody up the street, especially if they're all buttoned up." After the in 2001, expanded surveillance across the country. Bush signed the Aviation and Transportation Act that November, creating the . That same year, the Bush administration ushered in the USA Patriot Act, which expanded law enforcement's ability to use surveillance. The US Congress later created the . The department launched a nationwide campaign — "If You See Something, Say Something" — encouraging citizens to report suspicious activity to law enforcement to prevent terrorism and other criminal acts. Since then, the emphasis on has spread nationwide, including in New York City, where cameras are now everywhere. Amnesty International, a human rights organization, said there were over 25,500 surveillance cameras in New York City in a 2022 report. The NYPD has used images from the ubiquitous cameras to track crimes and for use in software. The NYPD's "Facial Identification Section" received 9,850 requests for comparison and returned 2,510 possible matches in 2019 — a roughly 25% match rate. The agency said it's unaware of cases in NYC in which a person was falsely arrested due to a facial recognition match. This May, New York City Mayor Eric Adams launched a pilot program focused on using technology to increase public safety. The "community-based security camera integration platform" will allow businesses to "voluntarily share information in real-time with the NYPD through existing closed-circuit television cameras," according to a press release. The emergence of and smartphones has added another layer of monitoring. In 2022, the NYPD said it would join and monitor the , where residents share information on crime and safety. "While the NYPD will not monitor the app around the clock, it will have the capacity to view, post and respond to crime- and safety-related information posted publicly by the users of the app," a press release said. Commissioner Jessica Tisch told CNN on Friday that the department had already collected "lots of forensic evidence" and was "processing a tremendous amount of evidence in this case." She said there is also a "massive camera canvass" of the suspect's movements through the city. Additionally, a law enforcement official told CNN that investigators found a backpack in Central Park they believe belonged to the suspect but had not officially confirmed where it came from. Authorities took the backpack for tests. Giacolone told BI that while the shooting suspect has evaded capture for now, it will be difficult for him to elude authorities as they collect more evidence. The NYPD will be looking for what he called "the three horsemen of forensics" to solve the case, which are video surveillance, cellphone records, and internet records. "I've been on these investigations," Giacolone said. "They know what hole he crawled out of, what hole he went back into. As far as I'm concerned, they already know who he is. They just got to find him." Read the original article onBluesky has growing pains. Here's what it can learn from X/Twitter
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