swerte99 slot casino login BOSTON (AP) — Two men, including a dual Iranian American citizen, have been arrested on charges that they exported sensitive technology to Iran that was used in a drone attack in Jordan that killed three American troops early this year and injured dozens of other service members, the Justice Department said Monday. The pair were arrested after FBI specialists who analyzed the drone traced the navigation system to an Iranian company operated by one of the defendants, who relied on technology funneled from the U.S. by his alleged co-conspirator, officials said. “We often cite hypothetical risk when we talk about the dangers of American technology getting into dangerous hands,” said U.S. Attorney Joshua Levy, the top federal prosecutor in Massachusetts. “Unfortunately, in this situation, we are not speculating.” The defendants were identified as Mahdi Mohammad Sadeghi, who prosecutors say works at a Massachusetts-based semiconductor company, and Mohammad Abedininajafabadi, who was arrested Monday in Italy as the Justice Department seeks his extradition to Massachusetts. Prosecutors allege that Abedininajafabadi, who also uses the surname Adedini and operates an Iranian company that manufactures navigation systems for drones, has connections to Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard. They allege that he conspired with Sadeghi to circumvent American export control laws, including through a front company in Switzerland, and procure sensitive technology into Iran. Both men are charged with export control violations, and Abedini separately faces charges of conspiring to provide material support to Iran. A lawyer for Sadeghi, a naturalized U.S. citizen who was arrested Monday in Massachusetts, did not immediately return an email seeking comment. U.S. officials blamed the January attack on the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, an umbrella group of Iran-backed militias that includes Kataib Hezbollah. Three Georgia soldiers — Sgt. William Jerome Rivers of Carrollton, Sgt. Breonna Moffett of Savannah and Sgt. Kennedy Sanders of Waycross — were killed in the Jan. 28 drone attack on a U.S. outpost in northeastern Jordan called Tower 22. In the attack, the one-way attack drone may have been mistaken for a U.S. drone that was expected to return back to the logistics base about the same time and was not shot down. Instead, it crashed into living quarters, killing the three soldiers and injuring more than 40. Tower 22 held about 350 U.S. military personnel at the time. It is strategically located between Jordan and Syria, only 10 kilometers (6 miles) from the Iraqi border, and in the months just after Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel, and Israel’s blistering response in Gaza, Iranian-backed militias intensified their attacks on U.S. military locations in the region. Following the attack, the U.S. launched a huge counterstrike against 85 sites in Iraq and Syria used by Iran's Revolutionary Guard and Iranian-backed militia and bolstered Tower 22’s defenses. ____ Tucker and Copp reported from Washington. Steve Leblanc, Eric Tucker And Tara Copp, The Associated Press

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Linq Blue Automates and Personalizes iMessage Outreach to Boost Engagement and Efficiency BIRMINGHAM, Ala. , Nov. 22, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Linq, the world's leading mobile CRM and lead capture platform, announces Linq Blue — an iMessage automation tool designed to revolutionize sales communication. This breakthrough feature empowers businesses to automate and personalize customer outreach via iMessage—without requiring an iPhone. Launching January 2025 , Linq Blue offers seamless messaging capabilities that drive higher response rates and unlock new levels of sales efficiency. Why Linq Blue is a Game-Changer Enhanced Engagement : iMessage campaigns have been shown to increase response rates by 29% over traditional SMS outreach. Seamless CRM Integration : Linq Blue integrates with popular CRM platforms such as Salesforce, HubSpot, and Microsoft Dynamics, allowing users to manage iMessage communications directly from their existing workflows. Device-Agnostic iMessage Campaigns : Users can send blue text campaigns from any device, including Android, by utilizing a dedicated phone number provided by Linq. Advanced Automation : Users can schedule messages, create sequences and campaigns, and automate confirmation messages to streamline customer interactions. Unlimited Messaging : Linq Blue offers unlimited messaging capabilities, enhancing communication. Reserve Your Spot Today Linq Blue is now open for early access reservations to a closed beta. Learn more and reserve your spot at https://linqapp.com/s/imessage-automation/ About Linq: Founded in Birmingham, AL , Linq is a rapidly growing tech company that transforms the way businesses manage contacts, relationships, and workflows. With a focus on mobile-first solutions, Linq integrates seamlessly with existing CRM platforms like Salesforce and HubSpot, offering an easy-to-use interface that enables teams to work effectively, no matter where they are. For more information, visit www.linqapp.com . View original content to download multimedia: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/linq-launches-blue-messages-for-sales-302314658.html SOURCE LinqBarcelona returned to action from the international break and have temporarily increased their lead at the top of the La Liga table to seven points thanks to a wild 2-2 draw away to Celta Vigo at Balaídos on Saturday night. Barça were not even close to their best and still found themselves up two goals at the hour mark, but went down to 10 men and gave away the lead late to drop two big points on the road. FIRST HALF Celta made a very good start, with Iago Aspas missing a giant chance just three minutes in and the home team putting real pressure on Barça’s buildup, forcing the Blaugrana into bad passes in midfield and quite a few dangerous attacking trips when the Catalans’ offside trap didn’t work. But the away side weathered the early storm and were able to take the lead in the 15th minute, when a mistake by Óscar Mingueza put Raphinha through and the Brazilian found the back of the net to put Barça in front. The visitors played well after going ahead, with good passing and movement in the final third, but couldn’t create good enough chances to score a second. Meanwhile Celta remained a danger despite going behind, with long balls from the back beating the Barça offside trap and creating even more dangerous attacks that needed some key interventions by Iñaki Peña and the center-back duo of Pau Cubarsí and Iñigo Martínez. Barça left-back Gerard Martín, who had an early yellow card, almost got himself sent off when he brought down Aspas inside the box, but he and Barça were very lucky that the referee did not point to the spot and denied the hosts a pretty strong penalty shout. Martín was the story of the rest of the period as the young defender was targeted time and time again, and it was his tackle on Aspas on the very last play of the half that once again went unpunished and sent both the Celta captain and the home crowd into an absolute frenzy, and set the stage for a very tense second half as the halftime whistle came to end an absolutely chaotic opening period. SECOND HALF Hansi Flick looked to solve the Gerard Martín problem by taking off the left-back at halftime, replacing him with Héctor Fort and hoping that the young right-footed full-back could play the role well in the final period. Fort did just that, playing with poise with and without the ball, but the rest of his teammates continued to struggle to keep possession as the game remained wide open with constant turnovers of possession and scary moments for the Barça defense denied either by timely individual interventions or the offside flag. Then at the hour mark came a much-needed sigh of relief for the visitors: Mingueza gave the ball away to Raphinha in midfield, and the Brazilian found Robert Lewandowski who was able to fight off a challenge from Javi Rodríguez and pass the ball into the net to double the Barça lead at a crucial moment in the game. Celta were not done yet and kept going forward looking for a way back in the game, and Hugo Álvarez had a monster one-on-one chance that was denied by a brilliant save from Iñaki Peña. The action stayed back and forth with no semblance of control from either side, and chaos continued to reign supreme as we reached the final 20 minutes. Barça almost clinched the win when Raphinha found himself all alone inside the box, but his right foot shot somehow hit both the inside of the post and the back of the goalkeeper and stayed out. Flick inserted Frenkie de Jong and Fermín López looking to add more control and fresh legs in his midfield, and Barça were fully invested in securing the win and the clean sheet entering the last 10 minutes. Then all of a sudden the game completely shifted in a span of four minutes: first Barça found themselves down to 10 men as Marc Casadó was shown a second yellow for a tactical foul on Ilaix Moriba, and 90 seconds after that Alfon González was given a gift thanks to an awful mistake by Jules Kounde and brought Celta and the crowd back in. Two minutes after that, Kounde made another error by keeping Borja Iglesias onside, and that started a move that ended with a great dribble and finish by Álvarez to equalize and set up a wild ending. Neither team managed to create a late chance to win it at the death, and the final whistle came to give each side a point in what feels like a fair result given what we saw on the night. Celta were excellent, Barça were not great but took their chances, and both teams put on quite the wild show. But speaking from a Barça perspective, this isn’t a good result at all. This was another poor performance without Lamine Yamal, which is a concern, and Real Madrid now have two games in hand and can cut Barça’s lead at the top of the table to four points with a win on Sunday, which is another concern. Barça need a strong victory against Brest in the Champions League in midweek more than ever, or the noise will begin to increase as the team has now struggled for a second game in a row. Celta Vigo : Guaita; Rodríguez, Starfelt, Alonso, Mingueza; Álvarez, Beltrán (Sotelo 75’), Moriba, Bamba (Alfon 62’); Aspas (Durán 90’), Douvikas (Iglesias 75’) Goals: Alfon (84’), Álvarez (86’) Barcelona : Peña; Kounde, Cubarsí, Iñigo, Martín (Fort 46’); Pedri (Fermín 75’), Casadó, Gavi (De Jong 75’); Raphinha, Lewandowski (Víctor 89’), Olmo (Torre 89’) Goals: Raphinha (15’), Lewandowski (61’) Red Card: Casadó (82’)

(CNN) — Top telecom executives met with US national security officials Friday as concerns mount over a long-running Chinese cyber-espionage campaign that has targeted some of the most senior US political figures in the country. The hackers burrowed deep into some major US telecom providers to spy on phone calls and text messages and have proved difficult to kick out of some networks, people briefed on the matter said. The meetings were a chance for telecom executives to advise the government on how it could boost its defenses against sophisticated hacks, according to the White House. The groups also shared intelligence on the operation with one another. The hack is shaping up to be one of the biggest cyber and national security challenges facing the incoming Trump administration. It is “by far” the “worst telecom hack in our nation’s history,” Sen. Mark Warner, Democrat of Virginia and chairman of the intelligence committee, told CNN. But the full scope of the hack, who it affects and its impact on national security are still being investigated. The FBI has notified fewer than 150 victims, most in the Washington, DC, area, according to Warner. But all of those victims have likely called or sent texts to numerous people, meaning the number of records accessed by the hackers is likely far greater. The hackers could listen to the calls of specific targets for certain periods of time, according to Warner. US officials and private cyber experts are keeping a running tally of the number of telecom firms breached. US broadband and internet providers AT&T, Verizon and Lumen have all been targeted in the hacking effort, CNN previously reported. The hackers have targeted the phone communications of senior figures in both the Republican and Democratic parties, including President-elect Donald Trump, Vice President-elect JD Vance, Jared Kushner and Eric Trump, CNN has previously reported. China has denied the hacking allegations. US intelligence agencies also have vast hacking capabilities and have targeted China’s telecommunications sector, according to documents leaked by former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden over a decade ago. US officials have sounded the alarm for years about China’s hacking program, which FBI Director Christopher Wray says is bigger than those of all other major countries combined. But those warnings have grown more dire over the past year as concerns mount about a possible Chinese invasion of Taiwan. Chinese government-linked hackers “will not and are not stopping because it is part of their overarching national objectives and cyber has become one of their most powerful levers of national power,” Morgan Adamski, executive director of US Cyber Command, the military’s offensive and defensive cyber unit, said in a speech on Friday. The US government, including Cyber Command, has carried out offensive and defensive operations that are focused on “degrading and disrupting” China’s cyber operations worldwide, Adamski said at the CYBERWARCON conference in Arlington, Virginia. The-CNN-Wire TM & © 2024 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.

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Ex-College Hoops Star Being Investigated For 'Point Shaving'

TOPEKA — On Nov. 19, a Republican-led interim committee of the Kansas Legislature and out-of-state deregulation lobbyists endorsed the introduction of a new bill allowing exemption of businesses from state laws, rules or regulations hindering delivery of products or services. Under the proposal, Kansas would follow Arizona, Kentucky, Utah and Missouri by creating an innovation “sandbox” for businesses across the spectrum to operate for two or more years under a lighter regulatory framework. A state agency or official would be responsible for approving applications for exemptions. Core objectives would include giving businesses more maneuvering space, attracting entrepreneurial investment and identifying regulatory barriers to profitability. “A sandbox invites the business community to the table to highlight troublesome rules and regulations, prove they’re not working as intended and, as a result, the state is better welcoming to the innovations of tomorrow,” said Rees Empey of the Utah libertarian think tank Libertas Institute. “It’s a living and breathing approach to regulatory reform that possesses safeguards to protect consumers and the environment.” Americans for Prosperity policy analyst James Czerniawski, who previously worked for Libertas Institute, said government regulations often forced businesses to fit a square peg in a round hole. “Many regulations that are currently on the books were designed decades ago, and do not necessarily account for the new and emerging industries,” he told legislators. “It is fair to ask how many companies are crushed before they even get off the ground because regulations got in the way.” Only advocates of bringing the sandbox model to Kansas offered testimony to the interim committee. During the 2024 legislative session, however, the Kansas Sierra Club and Kansas State Board of Healing Arts raised objections to the concept. ‘Closer to a solution’ In the 2024 session, the Republicans’ sandbox bill died in the Kansas House due to questions about justification, and ramifications of reform. Issues were raised about the constitutionality of a program supervised by the state’s attorney general. Objections were made by health care regulators and environmentalists. There were questions about unfairness of state government picking which businesses could sidestep regulations. “It didn’t go anywhere,” said Rep. Sean Tarwater, a Stilwell Republican who chairs the House commerce committee. “There was a lot of confusion around that bill. I feel like we’re getting much closer to a solution.” Tarwater embraced the interim House and Senate committee’s recommendation to revamp the stalled bill and press ahead in the 2025 session. Instead of an industry-specific approach tied to insurance, technology or banking, the legislation wouldn’t exclude any type of business from Kansas’ sandbox. It didn’t make sense to forbid certain businesses from applying, he said. Wichita Democratic Rep. John Carmichael, among members of the committee opposed to the sandbox, said it was alarming the Republican majority was intent on creating two classes of businesses — those with regulatory exemptions and those without. “Do you find anything objectionable that under this scheme some businesses are subject to regulation and others aren’t?” Carmichael said. “Is that a fair and level playing field?” Dane Ishihara, director of the Utah Office of Regulatory Relief, told legislators that Utah’s system generally required at least two business applicants to step forward and apply for an exemption. If there was a single applicant, he said, the state was likely to deny the application unless it was the only player in that piece of the state’s economy. The Kobach factor In 2024, the Kansas House considered a bill placing Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach in charge of a division of regulatory overreach in which laws, regulations or rules could be suspended up to 24 months for the benefit of select businesses. The attorney general’s division also would be responsible for identifying regulations ripe for repeal by the Legislature and governor. Rep. Rui Xu, a Westwood Democrat on the interim committee, said he saw potential in state regulatory reform. However, the idea of placing Kobach in charge would alarm his constituents. “It’s harder to say, especially in my district, that ‘Oh, Kris Kobach has an agency that’ll review and he’ll make sure it’s okay.’ That’s a hard sell for my district,” Xu said. Robert Hutchison, deputy attorney general in the civil rights division of Kobach’s office, said the GOP attorney general was supportive of the deregulation initiative. He said Kobach didn’t want responsibility for the program because it could raise conflicts of interest. The attorney general’s office currently reviews about 1,000 state regulatory changes annually and provides lawyers who serve as general counsel to as many as 30 state government entities. It would be a problem for a member of Kobach’s staff to consult with a business fighting for a waiver from a state agency while another member of the attorney general’s staff represented the targeted agency. Hutchison said legislation placing the program within the attorney general would need to include “significant firewalling” provisions. At the suggestion of Wichita GOP Sen. Renee Erickson, the interim committee agreed to seek from the attorney general a nonbinding legal opinion about constitutionality of the sandbox model. She said the opinion should end speculation about the legal framework. “We’ve done a cursory review and didn’t initially identify any constitutional issues,” Hutchison said. Under last session’s bill, an 11-person advisory council would be appointed by Republican politicians to make recommendations on exemptions. That bill required Kobach to appoint the regulatory office’s director. That individual would appoint six members with business backgrounds and three from government to the council. The Kansas House and Kansas Senate leadership would fill the other two slots, leaving no voice for Democrats. Applications would be exempt from disclosure under the Kansas Open Records Act and deliberations of the advisory council would be conducted behind closed doors beyond reach of the Kansas Open Meetings Act.New limb-lengthening breakthrough for young children in Finland

Investors with a lot of money to spend have taken a bullish stance on Spotify Technology SPOT . And retail traders should know. We noticed this today when the positions showed up on publicly available options history that we track here at Benzinga. Whether these are institutions or just wealthy individuals, we don't know. But when something this big happens with SPOT, it often means somebody knows something is about to happen. Today, Benzinga's options scanner spotted 12 options trades for Spotify Technology . This isn't normal. The overall sentiment of these big-money traders is split between 75% bullish and 25%, bearish. Out of all of the options we uncovered, there was 1 put, for a total amount of $41,945, and 11, calls, for a total amount of $416,620. Predicted Price Range After evaluating the trading volumes and Open Interest, it's evident that the major market movers are focusing on a price band between $105.0 and $500.0 for Spotify Technology, spanning the last three months. Volume & Open Interest Trends In terms of liquidity and interest, the mean open interest for Spotify Technology options trades today is 39.0 with a total volume of 65.00. In the following chart, we are able to follow the development of volume and open interest of call and put options for Spotify Technology's big money trades within a strike price range of $105.0 to $500.0 over the last 30 days. Spotify Technology Option Activity Analysis: Last 30 Days Largest Options Trades Observed: Symbol PUT/CALL Trade Type Sentiment Exp. Date Ask Bid Price Strike Price Total Trade Price Open Interest Volume SPOT CALL TRADE BEARISH 07/18/25 $77.4 $76.0 $76.0 $460.00 $60.8K 0 0 SPOT PUT SWEEP BULLISH 06/20/25 $41.95 $41.9 $41.9 $460.00 $41.9K 40 13 SPOT CALL TRADE BULLISH 06/18/26 $385.55 $382.2 $385.55 $105.00 $38.5K 0 2 SPOT CALL TRADE BULLISH 06/18/26 $385.35 $382.0 $385.35 $105.00 $38.5K 0 2 SPOT CALL TRADE BULLISH 06/18/26 $381.2 $378.0 $381.2 $110.00 $38.1K 0 2 About Spotify Technology Spotify is the leading global music streaming service provider, with over 600 million monthly active users and 250 million paying subscribers, with the latter comprising the firm's premium segment. most of the firm's revenue and nearly all its gross profit come from the subscribers, who pay a monthly fee to access a very comprehensive music library that consists of most of the most popular songs ever recorded, including all from the major record labels. The firm also sells separate audiobook subscriptions and integrates podcasts within its standard music app. Podcast content is not exclusive and is typically free to access on other platforms. Ad-supported users can access a similar music catalog but cannot customize a similar on-demand experience. In light of the recent options history for Spotify Technology, it's now appropriate to focus on the company itself. We aim to explore its current performance. Present Market Standing of Spotify Technology With a trading volume of 1,016,422, the price of SPOT is up by 1.15%, reaching $482.38. Current RSI values indicate that the stock is may be approaching overbought. Next earnings report is scheduled for 54 days from now. What Analysts Are Saying About Spotify Technology A total of 5 professional analysts have given their take on this stock in the last 30 days, setting an average price target of $500.0. Turn $1000 into $1270 in just 20 days? 20-year pro options trader reveals his one-line chart technique that shows when to buy and sell. Copy his trades, which have had averaged a 27% profit every 20 days. Click here for access .* An analyst from Macquarie persists with their Outperform rating on Spotify Technology, maintaining a target price of $500. * Consistent in their evaluation, an analyst from Barclays keeps a Overweight rating on Spotify Technology with a target price of $475. * An analyst from Phillip Securities downgraded its action to Accumulate with a price target of $485. * Consistent in their evaluation, an analyst from B of A Securities keeps a Buy rating on Spotify Technology with a target price of $515. * An analyst from Canaccord Genuity persists with their Buy rating on Spotify Technology, maintaining a target price of $525. Trading options involves greater risks but also offers the potential for higher profits. Savvy traders mitigate these risks through ongoing education, strategic trade adjustments, utilizing various indicators, and staying attuned to market dynamics. Keep up with the latest options trades for Spotify Technology with Benzinga Pro for real-time alerts. © 2024 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.

US to require passenger vehicles to sound alarms if rear passengers don't fasten their seat beltsTHE Presidential Security Command (PSC) on Saturday said it had "heightened and strengthened its security protocols" for President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and the first family following an "active threat" made by Vice President Sara Duterte. In a statement, the PSC said it was also closely coordinating with law enforcement agencies "to detect, deter, and defend against any and all threats to the president and the first family." Register to read this story and more for free . Signing up for an account helps us improve your browsing experience. OR See our subscription options.