Thousands of Afghans on Thursday attended the funeral of the refugees minister, AFP journalists saw, after he was killed in a suicide bombing in Kabul the day before in an attack claimed by the Islamic State group. The Minister for Refugees and Repatriation, Khalil Ur-Rahman Haqqani, was killed on Wednesday afternoon in a suicide bombing at the ministry's offices in the Afghan capital. Thousands of men, many of them armed, gathered for Haqqani's funeral in his home village of Sarana, in a mountainous area of Paktia province, south of Kabul. The funeral included heavy security, with armoured vehicles, snipers and personnel manning the area and the road from Kabul, which was jammed with hundreds of cars as mourners travelled from surrounding provinces. Senior Taliban officials, including the Chief of Army Staff Qari Fasihuddin Fitrat, and Maulawi Abdul Kabir, political deputy of the prime minister's office, attended the funeral, according to an AFP team on site. The deceased's nephew, the powerful interior minister, Sirajuddin Haqqani, also attended, along with foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi. In a speech there, Muttaqi said the latest IS attacks had been planned "abroad", denouncing, without naming them, "countries harbouring" the organisation. "We call on all nations to work together to stop the common enemy, which does not recognise any kind of morality." In September, the Taliban authorities said IS had training camps in Balochistan province of Pakistan, which also regularly faces jihadist attacks. Haqqani, the highest ranked member of the Taliban government to be killed in an attack since their return to power, "was a big loss for us, the system and the nation", said Paktia resident Hedayatullah, 22. "May God protect our other leaders and keep them victorious." "Our leader... who had his life brutally taken away, achieved martyrdom," said Bostan, 53, haranguing the "cowardly attack" that killed Haqqani. The United Nations mission in Afghanistan condemned the attack on Thursday, offering condolences to the victims' families. "There can be no place for terrorism in the quest for stability," the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) said on X. The European Union and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation also condemned the attack, along with Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Iran. Haqqani -- who is on US and UN sanctions lists and never appeared without an automatic weapon in his hand -- was the brother of Jalaluddin Haqqani, founder of the feared Haqqani network responsible for some of the most violent attacks during the Taliban's two-decade insurgency. The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the attack, saying a bomber detonated an explosive vest inside the ministry, according to a statement on its Amaq news agency, as translated by the SITE Intelligence Group. Taliban authorities had already blamed IS for the "cowardly attack" -- the first targeting a minister since the Taliban returned to power in 2021. Violence has waned in Afghanistan since the Taliban forces took over the country that year, ending their war against US-led NATO coalition forces. However, the regional chapter of IS, known as Islamic State Khorasan, is active in Afghanistan and has regularly targeted civilians, foreigners and Taliban officials with gun and bomb attacks. bur-qb-sw/nroEFF snubs MKP’s first anniversary rally celebrationlodibet com login app 。

Specialty Board Certification Error Causes Headaches for Doctors MedPage Today story. Some doctors had a sleepless night when the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology's (ABPN) online certification program locked them out earlier than the expected deadline -- leading some to believe they would lose their board certification. Physicians were working on their quizzes to maintain board certification late on the evening of Saturday, Dec. 14, when the online tool shut down -- ahead of the expected deadline of 11:59 p.m. Central Time on Sunday, Dec. 15. "I almost had a heart attack thinking that I would no longer be board certified," one physician told MedPage Today. "I was laying in bed at 4 a.m. with chest pain. I thought I was either going to have a heart attack or a panic attack." By the morning of Dec. 15, some physicians had taken to social media channels, posting that... ABC NewsTyrese Haliburton had 31 points, six rebounds and seven assists as the visiting Indiana Pacers pulled away late for a 123-114 victory over the Boston Celtics on Sunday night. Six players scored in double figures for Indiana, which beat Boston in two of the teams' three regular-season meetings. Andrew Nembhard returned from a one-game absence (left knee) and added 17 points, eight rebounds and eight assists for the Pacers, who also got 17 points, eight boards and six assists from Pascal Siakam. Bennedict Mathurin scored 14 points, Myles Turner netted 13 and Jarace Walker contributed 12 points off the bench to help Indiana snap its two-game losing streak. Jaylen Brown led the Celtics with 31 points and six assists. Jayson Tatum added 22 points, nine rebounds and six assists but was just 2-of-10 from 3-point range. Al Horford went just 1-of-10 from deep and finished with five points. Reserve Payton Pritchard scored 19 of his 21 points in the first half for Boston, which has lost three of its last four games. A three-point play by Tatum completed a 9-0 spurt that pulled the Celtics within 105-103 with 7:38 left, but the Pacers scored the next 13 points to put the game out of reach. Although Indiana led by 11 early, Boston had a 29-27 advantage after one quarter. The Pacers scored 38 points in the second quarter and had a 65-58 halftime lead. Indiana shot 59.5 percent from the field in the first half (25-of-42). Each team scored 33 points in the third quarter, which gave the Pacers a 98-91 edge entering the fourth. The Celtics were again without Jrue Holiday (right shoulder impingement) and Kristaps Porzingis (left ankle), both of whom didn't play in Friday's 142-105 home victory over Indiana. Holiday has missed the last three games, and Porzingis turned his angle during a loss to Philadelphia on Wednesday. The Pacers' Obi Toppin missed his second straight game with a left ankle sprain. --Field Level Media/ReutersStock market today: Wall Street edges back from its records as bitcoin briefly pops above $100,000

SAN DIEGO , Dec. 5, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Sempra (NYSE: SRE) (BMV: SRE) today announced it has been recognized by Newsweek as one of "America's Most Responsible Companies" for 2025, earning this distinction for the sixth consecutive year. The annual list ranks companies based on their commitment to corporate responsibility in the areas of corporate governance and responsible social and environmental practices. Sempra has been included since the list's inception. "At Sempra, we believe our responsible business practices improve the value of our franchise. By strengthening governance and risk management and improving the safety and resiliency of our business operations, it allows us to better meet the needs and expectations of our customers, while also adding scale to our business," said Lisa Larroque Alexander , senior vice president of corporate affairs and chief sustainability officer for Sempra. "We will continue to approach global energy challenges with an entrepreneurial mindset, steadfast optimism and confidence in our vision of delivering energy with purpose." Newsweek's recognition of Sempra as one of "America's Most Responsible Companies" is based on publicly available key performance indicators derived from the company's Corporate Sustainability Report and an independent survey that asked U.S. citizens about their perception of Sempra's commitment to corporate social responsibility. Details of Sempra's approach to responsible stakeholder engagement and corporate governance can be found in the company's most recent Corporate Sustainability Report, which is available here . In addition to being recognized on Newsweek's America's Most Responsible Companies list, Sempra is included in the FTSE4Good Index and JUST 100 list, has been named one of TIME Magazine's World's Best Companies and one of Fortune Magazine's World's Most Admired Companies , and earned a perfect score on the CPA-Zicklin Index of Corporate Political Disclosure and Accountability , among other accolades. About Sempra Sempra (NYSE: SRE ) is a leading North American energy infrastructure company focused on delivering energy to nearly 40 million consumers. As owner of one of the largest energy networks on the continent, Sempra is electrifying and improving the energy resilience of some of the world's most significant economic markets, including California , Texas , Mexico and global energy markets. The company is recognized as a leader in sustainable business practices and for its high-performance culture focused on safety and operational excellence, as demonstrated by Sempra's inclusion in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index North America and in The Wall Street Journal's Best Managed Companies. More information about Sempra is available at sempra.com and on social media @Sempra . View original content to download multimedia: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/sempra-named-among-newsweeks-most-responsible-companies-302324298.html SOURCE Sempra