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The 17th death anniversary of Benazir Bhutto is being observed today. Benazir Bhutto (b. June 21, 1953, d. December 27, 2007) was a Pakistani politician who is considered a modern Muslim political leader of South Asia as she became the first woman Prime Minister of the Muslim world. She had been in office as the Prime Minister of Pakistan twice (1988–90 and 1993–96). After a long round of discussions between Pervez Musharraf, the then military ruler, and Benazir, regarding the future power-sharing formula, she managed to return back to Pakistan. She landed in Karachi from Dubai in October 2007 after eight years of self-imposed exile. At the time of her assassination on 27 December 2007 at Rawalpindi, she was making a bid for a third term as the Premier of Pakistan. She was assassinated by a suicide bomber named Bilal, a 15-year-old, who had reportedly been asked to do so by the Pakistani Taliban. Subsequent years since she was assassinated by extremist groups have revealed more about how the Pakistani state apparatus works and who and why some groups of assassins had actually ordered to kill her. It was her commitment to promoting democratic ideals combined with her unweaving conviction to end militancy in Pakistan that contributed to her unfortunate murder. Her commitment to promoting democracy and reconciliation was neither acceptable to the undemocratic forces of Pakistan nor to militant groups within Pakistan and across the borders. Today’s Pakistan is divided on ethno-regional biases. It experiences religious extremism, unstoppable terrorism, political polarisation, and a divided society. Such a divided society has given rise to political instability that eventually contributes to economic instability. In these critical times, what seems an appropriate way to commemorate the death anniversary of Benazir Bhutto is to recall her message of cooperation and reconciliation that is necessary for promoting democratic norms and democratic governance in the country. Bitterness And The Path To Reconciliation She was a stanch supporter of adherence to uphold the essence of the Constitution of Pakistan. Evidence to her commitment to the constitutional supremacy is manifested in her words which she delivered while she was giving her speech at Governor’s House Lahore on December 25, 1988. She resolved that “ the real foundation of a country is its Constitution. It safeguards the rights of the provinces as well as those of the masses .” She not only encouraged the notion of cooperation from within the society and politics of Pakistan but also furthered the idea of reconciliation between Islam and Democracy and between the West and Pakistan to bridge the two polities and to clear the misconceptions that had been bone of contention between the West and East She further denounced coming into power with the support of illegitimate and undemocratic forces. She believed in coming into power with the support of the people of Pakistan as she reinforced that “ I believe in coming into power through people’s power and through the vote of the confidence of the people’s representatives. Therefore, the respect for the office of the Prime Minister is not mere respect for a particular office but denotes respect for the masses that have elected her .” In the same speech, she did not support the politics of confrontation, which for her promotes political instability combined with political hatred, and she always promoted reconciliation and cooperation as she reiterated that “ we do not want confrontation and, we have never, by ourselves, created a situation of confrontation...we want to create unity in the country, which is divided into linguistic groups .” Similarly, she not only encouraged the notion of cooperation from within the society and politics of Pakistan but also furthered the idea of reconciliation between Islam and Democracy and between the West and Pakistan to bridge the two polities and to clear the misconceptions that had been bone of contention between the West and East. She rejected the idea revolving around the inevitability of confrontation between Islam and the West that was triggered by Samuel Huntington’s work The Clash of Civilisations , the thesis that people’s cultural and religious identities will be the primary source of conflict in the post-Cold War world. Benazir resolved to reconcile the West and Islam and she suggested Muslims adopt modernity that will, for her, not only end extremism from within Pakistan but also build friendly relations with religious ‘others’. SCBAP President Pays Tribute To 1971, 2014 Martyrs, Urges National Reconciliation She has been a proponent of eradicating religious extremism from within Pakistani society in particular and from the Islamic world in general She contended in her classic work titled Benazir Bhutto: Reconciliation, Islam Democracy and the West , over the issue of divide between the West and Islam that “ the clash is not certainly over theology...fundamentally, it is all about whether the Muslim people can survive and prosper in a modern ear or whether linkages with traditional interpretations of the sixteenth century will free them in the past...if the Muslims can adjust to the political, social and economic environment we will not only survive but flourish...if modernity is dogmatically resisted, the existence of Muslims as viable community will become vulnerable ,” p., 275. She also desisted from the military rule in the country and always promoted democracy as a system of governance in Pakistan and beyond. She argued that future of the Muslims across the globe depends on promoting democracy because “ it does not only replace the dictatorship but also it weakens the forces of extremism and militancy”. She further opines that “if the extremism and militancy are defeated, our planet can avoid the cataclysmic battle that pessimists predict is inevitable, ” p., 284. She has been a proponent of eradicating religious extremism from within Pakistani society in particular and from the Islamic world in general as she propounded that “ much of what I think needs doing to defeat Islamic extremism centers around what I think must be done to strengthen democracy among Islamic societies, ” p., 284. Another important democratic notion that she continuously advanced was women's emancipation and their economic empowerment. She advocated women's socio-political rights as she believed that the economic empowerment of women was essential for building a vibrant middle class that is considered a backbone of any modern polity for promoting prosperity and democratic governance. She always encouraged women to be educated and to be economically independent. She propounded that “ a true measure of liberation from traditional roles and traditional subordination by the men is the extent to which the women are economically self-sufficient .” To further augment her argument in favour of women’s economic independence, she maintains that “ economic independence brings political independence, and political independence within the family encourages pluralism and democratic expression and organisation outside the family ,” p., 289. Remembering Mummy Jennifer: The Irish Roots Of An Untiring Advocate For Balochistan - II Amongst others, she promoted the right to freedom of expression. In her address to a party in the honor of a journalist at Lahore, she maintained that “ we lay great emphasis on freedom of expression and freedom of thought...let me inform you of our Government policies that we would like to have as little as possible the State interference .” Similarly, she emphasised the equality of all citizens and their equal rights, as embedded in the Constitution of Pakistan, irrespective of their ethno-religious orientation and gender. In addressing medical students at Karachi, she said “ we have no allusions to abstract freedom. There are millions of Pakistanis, whether they are religious minorities or not who are deprived of their necessities of life. We envisage freedom in terms of raising the equality in our people’s life .” Benazir Bhutto stood resolved to promote democratic ideals and to advocate the politics of cooperation and reconciliation. She always desisted from dictatorship, militancy, and religious extremism, whose alliance took her life because she could prove a catalyst force for change and she had greatly forged a conviction to end religious extremism and rediscovered the agenda for tolerance, reconciliation, pluralism and democratic governance in the country. She was a renaissance woman who offered a way out of extremism. Thus, it is high time for the policy-makers in general and the claimants of Benazir’s political legacy to not only recall her democratic ideals but also to take some practical policy measures to overcome the menace of a divided society and polarised politics in Pakistan.
President Emmanuel Macron picked Francois Bayrou to be France’s new prime minister, calling on a longstanding centrist ally to navigate a fractured political landscape that toppled the previous administration. Bayrou, who leads the centrist Democratic Movement party known as MoDem, steps into the breach after far-right leader Marine Le Pen allied with a left-wing coalition of lawmakers last week to oust Michel Barnier from office as he attempted to drive a stringent budget through parliament. To avoid the same fate, Bayrou must quickly rewrite fiscal plans with concessions to buy at least implicit support from some of Macron’s political adversaries. Investors are watching closely after months of political upheaval and uncertainty sparked temporary selloffs of French assets, at one point driving up the country’s borrowing costs as high as Greece’s. “Everyone appreciates the difficulty of the task and I think also that everyone thinks there is a path to be found that unites rather than divides people,” Bayrou told reporters after the announcement. “Reconciliation is necessary.” Macron’s decision to dissolve the National Assembly in June plunged the country into an unusual situation where the French president has scant influence over lawmakers. Since the snap election, the lower house is split into three feuding blocs: the leftist New Popular Front, a shrunken center backing Macron and an expanded nationalist group led by Le Pen. In a post on X following the announcement, Le Pen said Bayrou must work with her party and its proposals to put together a budget. “Any policy that just extends Macronism, which has twice been rejected at the polls, can only lead to impasse and failure,” she said. Jordan Bardella, the president of the National Rally, said his party wouldn’t back a no-confidence vote by default against a prime minister from the center or the right, implicitly giving Bayrou some room to maneuver. Communist leader Fabien Roussel, whose party is part of the leftist bloc, indicated a similar stance. “Naming a prime minister from his own camp sends a bad signal, it’s not what French people want,” Roussel told on BFM TV. “But I won’t say censure outright, we will judge based on evidence.” Currently the high commissioner of government planning, Bayrou ran for president in three consecutive elections starting in 2002. In 2017, he declared that he would stand aside to instead ally himself with Macron as Le Pen rose in the polls. The key to Bayrou’s success or failure as prime minister will be garnering support from both the center left and the center right to avoid a majority forming that would vote him out like Barnier. That will likely require prising apart the New Popular Front to pick off more moderate Socialists from their alliance with Jean-Luc Melenchon’s far-left France Unbowed. If Bayrou can’t find a way to appease parts of the left — or get their agreement not to censure his government outright — he will still be vulnerable to Le Pen’s lawmakers voting him from power. In an open letter to Bayrou after his appointment, the Socialist party demanded the new prime minister quickly meet with the heads of political groups in parliament and pledge to not invoke a constitutional provision to bypass votes on bills. Barnier’s use of the tool — which prime ministers have routinely relied on when they don’t have a majority — triggered the no-confidence vote that toppled him. The socialists also said they would not accept the continuation of Macron’s policies and want guarantees that Bayrou’s government will not depend on the National Rally or push far-right policies. Bayrou has some credit with the National Rally after coming to Le Pen’s aide when she risked not having enough sponsorship from elected officials to run in the 2022 presidential election. Barring her path would have been undemocratic, he said at the time. But France’s new prime minster must tread carefully. Barnier’s short stint as premier also began with courteous relations with Le Pen, before she said he lacked respect for her party and its budget demands, and voted him out of office. The first task for Bayrou will be to name a government that will be able to carry special legislation through parliament to allow the state to continue collecting taxes and carry out the minimal level of spending to avoid a shutdown in France on Jan. 1. Opposition groups have said they would back the emergency legislation, even as it does not allow for any new spending and could push up income taxes if it’s not quickly replaced by a full budget. Bayrou will then have to pick up the pieces of a 2025 budget plan that was derailed by Barnier’s downfall. The initial bill aimed for an unusually sharp adjustment to bring France’s deficit to 5 percent of economic output from 6.1 percent this year with €60 billion ($63.1 billion) of tax hikes and spending cuts. Societe Generale SA trading data shows hedge funds and foreign investors have stepped in over recent weeks and bought French government bonds — also known as OATs — or closed out short positions. It’s a sign that some funds are willing to look through the political gridlock, and that certain key spread levels can trigger buying. Still, the SocGen strategists including Adam Kurpiel say a “slow-burning” move wider is the most likely outcome, arguing the new government is likely to be weak and encounter further political clashes. Fiscal consolidation “is no longer on the horizon,” they added in a note published Thursday. Bayrou on Friday also cited Socialist President Francois Mitterand on the night of his election. “His first word when he received the results was: Finally, trouble is starting,” Bayrou said.Which board games are best? Even with technology taking over much of our day-to-day lives, board games still offer quality entertainment that can’t be beaten. Of course, the popular board games of today are a far cry from the games your parents grew up playing. Board games are perfect for encouraging your family to work together or for bringing your group of friends around the table for an evening. If you’d like to start up a weekly game night, let this helpful list of the most popular board games be your guide. Utter Nonsense Ages 8+ This game will have every player rolling in stitches with each ridiculous phrase that’s uttered. Combine crazy accents and hilarious phrases to impress the Nonsense Judge and win the round. The player with the highest number of wins ultimately wins the game, but the true fun of this card game is listening to your fellow players trying to say some of the most entertaining phrases of all time. This game is perfect for game nights or parties. Speak Out Ages 8+ This hilarious game is perfect if you have teenagers or are hosting a party with all adults. To play, you insert a mouthpiece that alters the sound of your speech, making every word sound silly. Set the timer and read one of the phrases on the cards and try to help your teammate guess what you’re saying. Speak Out easily provides hours of fun that even grandparents will love. Escape Room in a Box Ages 13+ What’s the next best thing to trying to break out of a room? Escape Room in a Box, of course. This thrilling, immersive game involves solving 2D and 3D puzzles in order to prevent a mad scientist from turning you and your friends or family into werewolves. Work together to escape your fate and use Amazon Alexa to enhance the experience. Codenames Ages 14+ This fun strategy game is perfect for anyone with teenagers. Form two teams and select a spymaster on each team. Using clues, spymasters try to help their teammates find all 25 of the agents they’re in contact with, hopefully without selecting the other team’s agents or running into the deadly assassin. This innovative game offers a challenging and rewarding time working together. Harry Potter Clue Ages 9+ Excite your kids on game night with this modern twist on a classic. Play as six recognizable Hogwarts characters — Harry, Hermione, Ron, Luna, Ginny or Neville — to solve the mystery behind a fellow student’s disappearance. It’s up to you to figure out who attacked the student, what bewitching spell they used and where it occurred. Watch out for the Dark Mark, moving staircases and secret passages as you travel along in this magical family game. Pandemic Ages 8+ If you’ve ever wanted to save humanity from a deadly outbreak, you’ll love spending an hour playing Pandemic. You and your teammates must fight to contain four deadly diseases threatening the human race. Players must learn to work with their teammates to control outbreak hotspots and treat diseases. Win the game by curing all diseases without wiping out humanity first. Catan Ages 10+ This tactical 60-minute game will push your imagination to its limits as you embark on a journey across Catan. Acquire crucial resources as you travel, build roads, buildings, and cities, and be wary of the ruthless robber and other players halting you on your own road. Through careful trading and clever decisions, you can lead your travelers to victory in this role-playing game of limitless possibilities. Play again and again. Every game is different. Ticket to Ride Ages 8+ Train lovers will enjoy this innovative board game which has won numerous awards. This cross-country train adventure game mimics the concept of traveling around the world in 80 days. Collect train cars and claim railways across the country. Players earn the most points by establishing long train routes and connecting distant cities. Each game takes roughly 30 to 40 minutes to complete, and every adventure is different. 5 Second Rule Ages 10+ This quick-paced game gives each player five seconds to name items on a certain topic. Although the topics are objectively easy —“Name 3 Mountains,” “Name 3 Types of Hats” or “Name 3 Super Heroes,” the pressure of the time crunch is likely to put you on edge. Race the clock and remain composed to win this game. You can even make up your own topics if you prefer. Half the fun is just hearing what other people blurt out, whether it’s relevant to the topic or not. Prices listed reflect time and date of publication and are subject to change. Check out our Daily Deals for the best products at the best prices and sign up here to receive the BestReviews weekly newsletter full of shopping inspo and sales. BestReviews spends thousands of hours researching, analyzing and testing products to recommend the best picks for most consumers. BestReviews and its newspaper partners may earn a commission if you purchase a product through one of our links.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. - New York City Councilman David Carr (R-Mid-Island/South Brooklyn) announced this morning at New Dorp High School that he has secured city funding for a new Athletic Trainer Pilot Program, which will be implemented at three Staten Island high schools. The program, with a total funding of $360,000, will allocate $120,000 to each of the three schools — Tottenville High School, Port Richmond High School, and Susan Wagner High School — to hire two athletic trainers at each location. These trainers will be available at the schools’ discretion to support athletic programs, practices and events where their services are most needed. “This is going to be a major step forward for the health, wellness and wellbeing of our student athletes here in the borough,‘’ Carr said. ”It’s a pilot program that will hopefully, eventually, be scaled up to benefit high schools across New York City." The program will be modeled after the blueprint developed at New Dorp High School, where they introduced the in-house use of an athletic trainer. Carr added that New York state mandates the presence of a healthcare professional at games and practices, and emphasized that athletic trainers are the truest fulfillment of that requirement because these professionals are with student-athletes throughout the entire season, ensuring they receive top-notch care and addressing any healthcare needs as they arise. It is recommended that a physician be present at all football games and to be readily available during practice sessions in New York state. “There were a number of private schools that were able to afford them on their budget ... so we had a gap that we needed to fill at our other public high schools,” he said. New Dorp High School is one of the few public schools on Staten Island to have an athletic trainer, Amanda Coppola, who has been with the school for over a decade. In addition to training student-athletes, she also provides treatment when needed. Priya Shahi New Dorp High School is one of the few public schools on Staten Island to have an athletic trainer, Amanda Coppola, who has been with the school for over a decade. Coppola is a full-time staff member, teaching science during the day in a medical practice class and covering athletes’ games and practices after school — where she not only trains them but also provides treatment when necessary. In addition, Coppola works with student interns, providing them the opportunity to go out in the field to gain hands-on experience. Athletic training is among the fastest growing professions in health care. Employment of athletic trainers is projected to grow 13% from 2023 to 2033 , much faster than the average for all occupations, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. One of the healthcare professionals the New Dorp High School students have the opportunity to work with is Dr. John Reilly, an orthopedic trauma surgeon with more than 40 years of experience. Dr. John Reilly, an orthopedic trauma surgeon with more than 40 years of experience, shared that he has been involved with sports on Staten Island since 1981 and highlighted the significant improvements in sports care over the years. However, he emphasized that "the job’s not done." (Staten Island Advance/ Priya Shahi) Priya Shahi Reilly shared that he has been involved with sports on Staten Island since 1981 and noted how much sports care has improved over the years. He highlighted advancements, such as the availability of AEDs on the field, concussion protocols, better rehabilitation for athletes, improved care for adolescent athletes, advancements in nutrition, and the introduction of synthetic turf. “The job’s not done,‘’ he said. ”We need to make sure that the funding becomes permanent and it’s permitted in all the public schools. We should be a city and a borough that should be seen as leaders in this effort and we should not always have to pay catch up when it comes to the kids’ health.” He added that while a gym teacher traditionally has a background in athlete physiology and anatomy, they are not typically trained in injury prevention or treatment. In contrast, an athletic trainer is specifically trained in healthcare, with a focus on managing and preventing injuries. “The people that are in these positions as athletic directors, they’re my friends and we talk about this all the time,” said New Dorp High School Athletic Director Rich Rucireto. “I am very lucky that I have an athletic trainer with me at every home event and on the road for football games, lacrosse games, basketball games etc. . . . She treats all the athletes that are injured and we make those phone calls to those parents to let them know. It’s peace of mind for the parents.”Canadian foreign, finance ministers meet Trump's team on tariffsIsrael struck multiple targets in Yemen it said were controlled by Houthis, the last of the Iran-backed groups still fully engaged in the regional war that began 14 months ago. Targets hit Thursday included military infrastructure at the Sanaa International Airport and in the Hezyaz and Ras Kanatib power stations, according to the Israel Defense Forces. They also struck military infrastructure in the Hodeidah, Salif and Ras Kanatib ports on the western coast. At least three deaths were reported so far, according to the Houthi-operated Al-Masirah TV. “We are determined to cut off this terrorist arm of Iran’s evil axis,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said. “We will persist in this until we complete the task.” It was a rebuff to efforts by the Houthis to slowly escalate their attack on Israel with an eye toward avoiding full-out retaliation. Israelis viewed the nature of the attacks — mostly in the early hours of the night over the past week — as evidence that the rebel group was trying to inflict fatigue while keeping a cap on the confrontation. With Hamas on the ropes after losing much of its forces in Gaza since it began the conflict in October 2023 and Hezbollah in an official truce, Houthis are the only ones shelling Israel, although from some 2,000 kilometers (1,200 miles) away. “We are witnessing escalation management by the Houthis,” said Uzi Rubin, an architect of Israel’s air defenses and veteran Defense Ministry adviser. “They vowed to attack Tel Aviv because we attacked Sanaa, but they are not yet ready to inflict major civilian casualties. Pre-dawn strikes mean people aren’t out and about.” In response to earlier attacks, Israel twice bombed the Hodeidah port, a key source of income and a conduit for imported goods for Houthis. It has also threatened to attack Houthi leaders. The U.S. and U.K. have also attacked the militia. “The Houthis have been very, very hard to shut down,” said James Jeffrey, who was the U.S. special representative for Syria engagement during president-elect Donald Trump’s first term, citing U.S. efforts to intercept Houthi missiles in the Red Sea. “Israel can take out capabilities, but as long as the Houthis can get additional supplies from Iran, particularly missile components, they can keep this up,” Jeffrey said on Bloomberg Television’s Balance of Power. Israel may eventually decide “to go after Iran” directly if the Houthis don’t stop their attacks, he said. The equilibrium the Houthis sought proved difficult to maintain. Of four “Palestine-2” ballistic missiles launched at Tel Aviv over the last week, Israel said it shot down three, but one exploded in a vacant playground, shattering the windows of homes and injuring three people. Sirens sounding Perhaps more disruptive for Israelis, hundreds of thousands of people rush to shelters each time sirens sound throughout Israel’s main population center. That’s a precaution not just against direct impacts but also the shower of debris from high-altitude interceptions. A school building hit in one overnight attack was demolished when part of a Houthi missile warhead landed on it. In statements on the launches, Houthis have pledged to keep battling Israel until an end to the war in Gaza, which began last year following surprise raids by Hamas into southern Israel. Houthis, like other Tehran-backed groups Hamas and Hezbollah, are designated as terrorists by the U.S. They have attacked countless ships in the Red Sea and Israel’s port of Eilat in solidarity with Hamas over the past 14 months. In recent strikes, Houthis claimed to be aiming for military installations in Tel Aviv — a relatively new target for the group. The responses of ordinary Israelis have ranged from jittery to jocular. A TV show interviewed experts about the dangers of sleep deprivation. In parliament, a lawmaker reassured her son by phone that she would be there to hug him in the middle of the night, a conversation caught by the podium microphone. A popular social-media meme flayed the Houthis for disrupting couples’ intimacy. “We have long seen that our enemies use our own alert system as a form of psychological pressure against us. Here that works on a large scale,” Rubin, the military adviser, said. Doron Hadar, a former commander of the Israeli military’s Crisis Management Unit, which runs simulations of enemy capabilities and doctrines, also saw a bid to chafe nerves. “They’re trying to drive us nuts, while keeping below a certain threshold in this conflict,” said Hadar, who now heads Critical Impact, a private consultancy. “Iran isn’t in a rush to put its Yemeni branch’s head on the block quite yet.” -------- With assistance from Kateryna Kadabashy, Sherif Tarek, Mohammed Hatem, Natalia Drozdiak and Joe Mathieu. ©2024 Bloomberg L.P. Visit bloomberg.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.By MIKE CATALINI CHATHAM, N.J. (AP) — That buzzing coming out of New Jersey? It’s unclear if it’s drones or something else, but for sure the nighttime sightings are producing tons of talk, a raft of conspiracy theories and craned necks looking skyward. Cropping up on local news and social media sites around Thanksgiving, the saga of the drones reported over New Jersey has reached incredible heights. This week seems to have begun a new, higher-profile chapter: Lawmakers are demanding (but so far not getting) explanations from federal and state authorities about what’s behind them. Gov. Phil Murphy wrote to President Joe Biden asking for answers. New Jersey’s new senator, Andy Kim, spent Thursday night on a drone hunt in rural northern New Jersey, and posted about it on X. But perhaps the most fantastic development is the dizzying proliferation of conspiracies — none of which has been confirmed or suggested by federal and state officials who say they’re looking into what’s happening. It has become shorthand to refer to the flying machines as drones, but there are questions about whether what people are seeing are unmanned aircraft or something else. Some theorize the drones came from an Iranian mothership. Others think they are the Secret Service making sure President-elect Donald Trump’s Bedminster property is secure. Others worry about China. The deep state. And on. In the face of uncertainty, people have done what they do in 2024: Create a social media group. The Facebook page, New Jersey Mystery Drones — let’s solve it , has nearly 44,000 members, up from 39,000 late Thursday. People are posting their photo and video sightings, and the online commenters take it from there. One video shows a whitish light flying in a darkened sky, and one commenter concludes it’s otherworldly. “Straight up orbs,” the person says. Others weigh in to say it’s a plane or maybe a satellite. Another group called for hunting the drones literally, shooting them down like turkeys. (Do not shoot at anything in the sky, experts warn.) Trisha Bushey, 48, of Lebanon Township, New Jersey, lives near Round Valley Reservoir where there have been numerous sightings. She said she first posted photos online last month wondering what the objects were and became convinced they were drones when she saw how they moved and when her son showed her on a flight tracking site that no planes were around. Now she’s glued to the Mystery Drones page, she said. “I find myself — instead of Christmas shopping or cleaning my house — checking it,” she said. She doesn’t buy what the governor said, that the drones aren’t a risk to public safety. Murphy told Biden on Friday that residents need answers. The federal Homeland Security Department and FBI also said in a joint statement they have no evidence that the sightings pose “a national security or public safety threat or have a foreign nexus.” “How can you say it’s not posing a threat if you don’t know what it is?” she said. “I think that’s why so many people are uneasy.” Then there’s the notion that people could misunderstand what they’re seeing. William Austin is the president of Warren County Community College, which has a drone technology degree program, and is coincidentally located in one of the sighting hotspots. Austin says he has looked at videos of purported drones and that airplanes are being misidentified as drones. He cited an optical effect called parallax, which is the apparent shift of an object when viewed from different perspectives. Austin encouraged people to download flight and drone tracker apps so they can better understand what they’re looking at. Nonetheless, people continue to come up with their own theories. “It represents the United States of America in 2024,” Austin said. “We’ve lost trust in our institutions, and we need it.” Federal officials echo Austin’s view that many of the sightings are piloted aircraft such as planes and helicopters being mistaken for drones, according to lawmakers and Murphy. That’s not really convincing for many, though, who are homing in on the sightings beyond just New Jersey and the East Coast, where others have reported seeing the objects. For Seph Divine, 34, another member of the drone hunting group who lives in Eugene, Oregon, it feels as if it’s up to citizen sleuths to solve the mystery. He said he tries to be a voice of reason, encouraging people to fact check their information, while also asking probing questions. “My main goal is I don’t want people to be caught up in the hysteria and I also want people to not just ignore it at the same time,” he said. “Whether or not it’s foreign military or some secret access program or something otherworldly, whatever it is, all I’m saying is it’s alarming that this is happening so suddenly and so consistently for hours at a time,” he added. Associated Press reporter Hallie Golden in Seattle contributed to this report.
Strictly Come Dancing winner and Coronation Street star Ellie Leach will be on hand to help guests win money on Michael McIntyre's The Wheel. The popular quiz show on BBC One on Saturday (November 30) sees several celebrities help contestants answer questions and build up prizes for them to win. Ellie Leach's career is continuing to grow after she won the Glitterball trophy during the 2023 edition of Strictly Come Dancing. Born in Manchester on March 15, 2001, the actress appeared in TV adverts and had minor roles before landing the role of Faye Windass in Coronation Street. Faye's biggest storylines saw her struggle with bullying, teenage pregnancy, finding her birth dad, sexual assault and being diagnosed with premature menopause. Ellie Leach also made her stage debut alongside Casualty's Jason Durr in Cluedo 2, which toured the country earlier this year. Outside of TV, what do we know about Ellie Leach's life and career? Ellie Leach's Strictly Come Dancing Win and Vito 'love' rumours The Corrie actress took part in the BBC series shortly after her exit from the ITV soap. Pairing with Vito Coppola, the duo stood out as the best pairing in the 2023 competition and they went on to win the series. Ellie and Vito soared to success on the dance competition, overcoming opponents such as EastEnders star Bobby Brazier and actor Layton Williams from Bad Education. Their winning American Smooth delivered them a perfect 40 for the first time in the series. Their undeniable chemistry sparked rumours of a romance among fans and on social media, but both firmly denied any romantic involvement. Reflecting on their journey, Ellie told us about the profound impact the show had on her, saying, "The days after were very emotional. "My time at Strictly was life-changing, and to have the bond and friendship I made with Vito was amazing. It's the sort of friendship I'll cherish for the rest of my life. I'm very lucky and grateful for the experience." Despite both getting matching bee tattoos , Ellie and Vito maintain they are just great friends. Ellie explained: "From the moment we met, we just clicked," adding that they found the perfect mix of fun and hard work. They keep in touch regularly, with Ellie revealing, "We message every day," and considers Vito as part of her family now. Is Ellie Leach in a relationship? It is not publicly known if Ellie Leach is in a relationship, but she has had a few famous relationships over the years. Ellie Leach previously Reagan Pettman for five years after they met on an acting course at The Manchester College. They were together for five years as Ellie starred as Faye Windass in the ITV soap. It is understood the pair split up around her departure from Coronation Street. As rumours circled around Ellie and Vito, Ellie entered into a brief relationship with Strictly finalist and EastEnders actor Bobby Brazier. Reports online suggest they grew closer during the Strictly Come Dancing Tour in January 2024. After being seen together in public during the tour, they made their relationship official in March 2024. They later split. Ellie Leach's famous cousin Ellie Leach is a cousin of Brooke Vincent, who played Sophie Webster in Coronation Street between 2004 and 2019. At the time of her casting, Brooke said: "I am chuffed to bits for her. "She has made me so happy. We are all thrilled about it and I can't wait to be with her on set to show her around." The cousins also have a close bond. Referring to herself as Brooke's "mini me", Ellie wrote on Instagram: "All I’ve wanted to do since I was younger is be like you. "To dress like you, to have my hair the way you have yours, to wear them 7inch platform heels you wore which I still have no idea how, but most of all to be the kind of person you are. "You can tell what type of person someone is by how highly people speak of them, and i’ve never heard a bad word said about you! "I think i’ll forever be known as Ellie, Brooke’s cousin but i will always be so proud to be that and to have you by my side through life!" New role after Strictly win Following her Strictly Come Dancing win, Ellie secured the role of Miss Scarlett in the comedy-mystery play Cluedo 2. Cluedo 2, which is based on the popular Hasbro board game, has been written by BAFTA Award winners Laurence Marks and Maurice Gran and directed by Mark Bell, the director of the original hit UK production of Cluedo and the global hit, The Play That Goes Wrong. Ellie, who had been appearing in the show across the country, said that life has been “very, very busy”. She previously said: “I’m very grateful to be working, of course, and to now be doing something new, obviously came straight from Strictly, did the tour, and then started rehearsals for Cluedo whilst doing the Strictly tour. I feel like I'm just constantly running on adrenaline.” According to the actress her Corrie co-stars have been very supportive of her work on-stage in Cluedo 2. She added: “On the opening night of the show, a lot of the cast from Corrie came to watch. It was really nice to see them because I've not seen them for a while. There was a lot of people supporting and I'm really grateful that people are following me around and supporting what I'm doing.”New Delhi, Dec 24 (PTI) AAP ministers, MLAs, and volunteers on Tuesday launched an extensive public outreach campaign to register people for the 'Mukhyamantri Mahila Samman Yojana' and 'Sanjeevani Yojana'. Party leaders, including ministers Saurabh Bharadwaj and Imran Hussain, set up registration camps in Shahpur Jat and Ballimaran, an official statement said. Also Read | Poonch Road Accident: 5 Soldiers Killed As Army Vehicle Falls Into 300-Feet-Deep Gorge in Jammu and Kashmir, Indian Army Rules Out Terror Angle (Watch Video). Raghuvinder Shokeen, Sanjeev Jha, Vishesh Ravi, and Kuldeep Kumar joined the effort by conducting camps in their constituencies, it said. The initiative was kickstarted by AAP National Convenor Arvind Kejriwal on Monday in the New Delhi constituency and Jangpura constituency. Also Read | Karnataka: 14-Year-Old Tigress Rani at Pilikula Biological Park in Mangaluru Gives Birth to 2 Cubs, Reported To Be in Good Health. According to the statement, the registration drive will continue "indefinitely" to ensure no eligible resident is left behind. With an estimated 35-40 lakh women expected to enrol for the 'Mahila Samman Yojana' and around 15 lakh senior citizens likely to benefit from the 'Sanjeevani Yojana,' the scale of the outreach is "unprecedented," the statement said. On Wednesday, former deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia is scheduled to host a registration camp in the Jangpura Assembly constituency, joining several other AAP leaders who will organise similar initiatives across the city, it read. Under the 'Mukhyamantri Mahila Samman Yojana,' Delhi-residing women aged above 18, who are not employed in government or political positions, are eligible for a Rs 2,100 monthly allowance. The 'Sanjeevani Yojana' promises to provide free healthcare for all senior citizens in Delhi, covering treatment costs in both private and government hospitals. (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
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