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Washington, Dec 8 (AP) President Joe Biden said Sunday that the sudden collapse of the Syrian government under Bashar Assad is a “fundamental act of justice” after decades of repression, but it was “a moment of risk and uncertainty” for the Mideast. Biden spoke at the White House hours after after rebel groups completed a takeover of the country after more than a dozen years of violent civil war and decades of leadership by Assad and his family. Biden said the United States was unsure of Assad's whereabouts, but was monitoring reports he was seeking refuge in Moscow. The outgoing Biden administration and President-elect Donald Trump were working to make sense of new threats and opportunities across the Middle East. Biden credited action by the US and its allies for weakening Syria's backers — Russia, Iran and Hezbollah. He said “for the first time” that they could no longer defend Assad's grip on power. “Our approach has shifted the balance of power in the Middle East," Biden said, after a meeting with his national security team at the White House. Trump said Sunday that Assad had fled his country, which his family had ruled for decades, because close ally Vladimir Putin, the Russian president, “was not interested in protecting him any longer.” Those comments on Trump's social media platform came a day after he used another post to decry the possibility of the US intervening militarily in Syria to aid the rebels, declaring, “THIS IS NOT OUR FIGHT." The Biden administration had no intention of intervening, according to President Joe Biden's national security adviser. The US has about 900 troops in Syria, including forces working with Kurdish allies in the opposition-held northeast to prevent any resurgence of the Islamic State group. Biden said he intended those for troops to remain, adding that US forces on Sunday conducted “dozens” of what he called “precision air strikes" on Islamic State camps and operations in Syria. The Syrian opposition that brought down Assad is led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham. The Biden administration has designated the group as a terrorist organisation and says it has links to al-Qaida, although Hayat Tahrir al-Sham says it has since broken ties with al-Qaida. “We will remain vigilant,” Biden said. “Make no mistake, some of the rebel groups that took down Assad have their own grim record of terrorism and human rights abuses.” He added that the groups are “saying the right things now.” “But as they take on greater responsibility, we will assess not just their words, but their actions,” Biden said. Assad's fall adds to an already tense situation throughout much of region on many fronts, including Israel's war with Hamas in Gaza and its fragile cease-fire with Hezbollah in Lebanon. Trump, who takes office Jan. 20, 2025, made a connection between the upheaval in Syria and Russia's war in Ukraine, noting that Assad's allies in Moscow, as well as in Iran, the main sponsor of Hamas and Hezbollah, “are in a weakened state right now.” Vice President-elect JD Vance, a veteran of the U.S.-led war in Iraq, wrote on own social media Sunday to express skepticism about the insurgents. “Many of the rebels' are a literal offshoot of ISIS. One can hope they've moderated. Time will tell,” he said, using another acronym for the group. Trump has suggested that Assad's ouster can advance the prospects for an end to fighting in Ukraine, which was invaded by Russia in February 2022. Trump wrote that Putin's government “lost all interest in Syria because of Ukraine” and the Republican called for an immediate cease-fire, a day after meeting in Paris with the French and Ukrainian leaders. Daniel B. Shapiro, a deputy assistant secretary of defense for the Middle East, said the American military presence will continue in eastern Syria but was “solely to ensure the enduring defeat of ISIS and has nothing to do with other aspects of this conflict.” “We call on all parties in Syria to protect civilians, particularly those from Syria's minority communities to respect international military norms and to work to achieve a resolution to include the political settlement,” Shapiro said. “Multiple actors in this conflict have a terrible track record to include Assad's horrific crimes, Russia's indiscriminate aerial bomb bombardment, Iranian-back militia involvement and the atrocities of ISIS," he added. Shapiro, however, was careful not to directly say Assad had been deposed by the insurgents. “If confirmed, no one should shed any tears over the Assad regime,” he said. As they pushed toward the Syrian capital of Damascus, the opposition freed political detainees from government prisons. The family of missing US journalist Austin Tice renewed calls to find him. “To everyone in Syria that hears this, please remind people that we're waiting for Austin,” Tice's mother, Debra, said in comments that hostage advocacy groups spread on social media. "We know that when he comes out, he's going to be fairly dazed & he's going to need lots of care & direction. Direct him to his family please!” Tice disappeared in 2012 outside Damascus, amid intensification of what became a civil war stretching more than a decade. We've remained committed to returning him to his family,” Biden said at the White House. "We believe he's alive, we think we can get him back but we have no direct evidence to that yet. And Assad should be held accountable.” The president added: “We have to identify where he is." (AP) GSP (This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)

Canada Carbon Inc. ( CVE:CCB – Get Free Report ) shares were down 33.3% during trading on Friday . The stock traded as low as C$0.01 and last traded at C$0.01. Approximately 859,726 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 283% from the average daily volume of 224,190 shares. The stock had previously closed at C$0.02. Canada Carbon Price Performance The stock has a 50 day moving average of C$0.02 and a two-hundred day moving average of C$0.02. The stock has a market capitalization of C$2.05 million, a PE ratio of -1.00 and a beta of 0.69. Canada Carbon Company Profile ( Get Free Report ) Canada Carbon Inc engages in the acquisition, exploration, and evaluation of natural resource properties in Canada. The company primarily explores for graphite deposits. It holds interests in the Miller property that covers an area of approximately 100 square kilometers located to the west of Montreal in the Grenville Township; and the Asbury Graphite property, which includes 22 claims covering an area of approximately 1,205.9 hectares located in the Laurentides region of southern Quebec. Further Reading Receive News & Ratings for Canada Carbon Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Canada Carbon and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter .NoneAP: YSRCP slams Naidu-led govt for failures in education sector

How Russia, Iran, China and Israel Responded to Assad's Ouster in Syria

I Use These Stickers to Block Bothersome LED Lights, and There 20% Off Right NowJimmy Carter, the 39th US president, has died at 100

President-elect Donald Trump’s cabinet is proving to be one of the most controversial in recent memory, including a number of people who face sexual misconduct allegations. Trump himself has been accused of sexual misconduct by more than two dozen women. He has bragged about grabbing women “by the p***y.” A jury found him liable for sex abuse against former Elle columnist E. Jean Carroll. Still, he has been elected twice to serve as president . He has denied all the accusations against him. “This is not a good time for survivors or victims. People are not going to speak up because, look, it’s falling on deaf ears. No one cares ,” one of Trump’s accusers previously told The Independent after he was re-elected. Now, he’s nominated a number of individuals who also face claims of engaging in or tolerating sexual misconduct. Karoline Leavitt, Trump-Vance transition spokeswoman said: “The American people re-elected President Trump by a resounding margin giving him a mandate to implement the promises he made on the campaign trail — and his Cabinet picks reflect his priority to put America First. President Trump will continue to appoint highly-qualified men and women who have the talent, experience, and necessary skill sets to Make America Great Again.” Below we look at some of the contentious picks Trump has made for his inner circle. The claims against Matt Gaetz, Trump’s former pick for attorney general, have garnered the most attention so far and finally claimed his scalp after days of backlash. The 42-year-old, who represented Florida’s first congressional district until last week, was once at the center of two probes: one by the Justice Department and the other by the House Ethics Committee. The department — which Gaetz would lead if he had been confirmed — ended its sex trafficking investigation into him last year without pressing any charges. His associate Joel Greenberg pleaded guilty to sex trafficking of a minor and other crimes in 2021; he is serving an 11-year prison sentence. In his plea deal, Greenberg didn’t name Gaetz, but he did admit introducing a minor to “other adult men, who engaged in commercial sex acts,” court documents say. The House panel has not agreed to release the findings, with some saying it’s against the chamber’s rules to release the report since he resigned from the House. However, some of the report has been leaked. Records obtained by the New York Times and ABC News suggest that Gaetz paid over $10,000 to two women who testified before the committee. The Republican made 27 Venmo and PayPal payments bearing descriptions like “being awesome” and “just because” from July 2017 through January 2019, the outlets reported. Both women were over 18 at the time of these transactions. Additionally, Gaetz also made payments to a 17-year-old girl when she attended one of the parties, the Times reported. The committee was probing whether Gaetz had sex with the minor. Records don’t show that Gaetz paid the girl, but do show that Greenberg paid her $450. The girl was a high school student at the time “and there were witnesses,” her lawyer has said. One such witness appears to be one of the two women who testified before the committee; she said that she had seen Gaetz having sex with the 17-year-old but noted that she didn’t think Gaetz knew the girl was underage, her attorney told the Times . Gaetz has denied any wrongdoing. Trump’s communications director Steven Cheung told the Times : “This purposeful leaking of classified investigative materials is the sort of politicized D.O.J. weaponization that Matt Gaetz will end. He added: “The Justice Department investigated Gaetz for years, failed to find a crime and are now leaking material with false information to smear the next attorney general.” Gaetz withdrew from the nomination on November 21. He wrote on X: “I had excellent meetings with Senators yesterday. I appreciate their thoughtful feedback - and the incredible support of so many. While the momentum was strong, it is clear that my confirmation was unfairly becoming a distraction to the critical work of the Trump/Vance.” Trump tapped Fox News host Pete Hegseth to serve as his defense secretary. Hegeseth was accused of sexual assault in Monterey, California in October 2017, a police report obtained by The Independent reveals. The woman, identified in the report as Jane Doe, told police that Hegseth blocked the door to prevent her from leaving his hotel room and took her phone away before sexually assaulting her . She told police she told him “‘no’ a lot” during the assault. Hegseth has denied any wrongdoing and faces no charges related to the allegation. He emphasized at the time “there was ‘always’ conversation and ‘always’ consensual contact,” the police report said. The 44-year-old paid the woman in 2023 as part of a confidential settlement to prevent a potential lawsuit, which he labeled as baseless. The “report corroborates what Mr. Hegseth’s attorneys have said all along: the incident was fully investigated and no charges were filed because police found the allegations to be false,” a Trump transition team spokesperson told the Associated Press on Thursday . While not part of the Cabinet per se, Trump has chosen the world’s richest person to lead the newly created Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) along with billionaire Vivek Ramaswamy. He is also the subject of a June 2024 lawsuit brought by eight former SpaceX employees who claim Musk allegedly fired them after they accused the company of tolerating sexual harassment in the workplace. While working at SpaceX, each plaintiff “experienced exposure to unwanted conduct and comments of a sexual nature by Elon Musk that created a hostile and abusive work environment,” the suit, filed in California, states. Musk “runs his company in the dark ages — treating women as sexual objects to be evaluated on their bra size, bombarding the workplace with lewd sexual banter, and offering the reprise to those who challenge the ‘Animal House’ environment that if they don’t like it they can seek employment elsewhere.” The suit came after a former SpaceX flight attendant accused Musk of offering to give her a horse in exchange for an erotic massage. The company then paid the woman $250,000 to settle a 2018 sexual misconduct claim against Musk, Business Insider reported in 2022. Musk denied the allegation at the time, telling the outlet: “If I were inclined to engage in sexual harassment, this is unlikely to be the first time in my entire 30-year career that it comes to light.” Kennedy, who Trump nominated to serve as secretary of health and human services , is also embroiled in a sexual misconduct allegation. Eliza Cooney told Vanity Fair in July that she was hired by RFK Jr and his then-wife as a part-time babysitter in 1994 to look after the couple’s four kids. The alleged incidents took place years later. In one instance, she recalled him moving his hand up and down her leg under the table during a meeting in his kitchen. “In the back of my mind, I was hoping it wasn’t what it actually was,” she told the outlet. In a separate encounter, she said a shirtless RFK Jr walked into her bedroom and asked him to rub lotion on his back. She reluctantly obliged. “It was totally inappropriate,” she told the magazine . At the time, Cooney was 23 and he was 45. Months later, she said he stood behind her and began groping her, putting his hands on her hips and sliding them up to her rib cage and breasts, as she stood in the kitchen pantry in a bra and leggings after a yoga class. “I was frozen. Shocked,” she said. Two days after the bombshell story was published, the then-independent presidential candidate texted her an apology. \ “I have no memory of this incident but I apologize sincerely for anything I ever did that made you feel uncomfortable or anything I did or said that offended you or hurt your feelings,” Kennedy wrote in texts obtained by the Washington Post . “I never intended you any harm. If I hurt you, it was inadvertent. I feel badly for doing so.” RFK Jr offered to meet face-to-face to “make amends” but she turned him down. “It was disingenuous and arrogant,” Cooney told the Post in response to his message. “I’m not sure how somebody has a true apology for something that they don’t admit to recalling. I did not get a sense of remorse.” Kennedy has never been charged with any crime in connection to this incident. Linda McMahon , Trump’s pick for education secretary , was accused in October of enabling sexual abuse that occurred at WWE, which she co-founded with her estranged husband Vince. She served as the administrator of the Small Business Administration during Trump’s first term. The civil lawsuit, seen by The Independent, details allegations of sexual abuse of underage boys by ringside announcer Melvin Phillips. It accuses the McMahons of allowing a “rampant culture of sexual abuse.” “It was also well known throughout the WWE that Phillips had sexual fetishes for young boys; namely, and only partially, because Phillips didn’t try to hide his recruiting and cavorting with underaged boys,” the suit states. “It was there for the WWE and its leaders to see in plain sight; yet no one did anything to stop Phillips’s rampant and open abuse of young boys.” Linda and Vince knew “at least as early as the early or mid-1980s” that Phillips had what Vince described as a “peculiar and unnatural interest” in young boys, the filing says. The couple fired Phillips after more allegations about his sex abuse of children surfaced, but “inexplicably” rehired him six weeks later — on the condition that he “steer clear from kids” — according to the suit. One former employee said the McMahons “clearly knew what was going on, but really did nothing to stop it. . . . There was not a damn thing we could do about it.” A lawyer for Linda branded the allegations as false, telling CNN : “This civil lawsuit based upon thirty-plus year-old allegations is filled with scurrilous lies, exaggerations and misrepresentations regarding Linda McMahon.” She added: “Ms. McMahon will vigorously defend against this baseless lawsuit and without doubt ultimately succeed.” She, her husband and Phillips do not face criminal charges related to these claims.

Trump Aides Contact Google, Meta, Snap Over Online Drug Sales, the Information Reports

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Creighton point guard Steven Ashworth likely won't play Tuesday in the No. 21 Bluejays' game against San Diego State in the Players Era Festival in Las Vegas. Ashworth sprained his right ankle late in a loss to Nebraska on Friday, and coach Greg McDermott said he didn't know how long he would be out. “He stepped on a guy's foot on a 3-point shot and you're defenseless in that situation," McDermott said after the game. "He torqued it pretty good.” An athletic department spokesman said Monday that Ashworth's status was doubtful for the game against the Aztecs. Ashworth is Creighton's second-leading scorer with 16 points per game and leads the team with 6.4 assists per game. He also is 23 of 23 on free throws. Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here . AP collegebasketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketballDisgraceful and cynical are some of the words Premier Chris Minns has used to describe a reported vote to refer him to the state's corruption watchdog. or signup to continue reading An inquiry into the pitch to sell the Australian Turf Club's Rosehill Racecourse in Sydney's west and turn it into tens of thousands of homes will deliver its report on Friday. But late on Wednesday the NSW premier responded to media reports the committee conducting the inquiry will call for him to be referred to the Independent Commission Against Corruption, describing them as allegations based on no fact or evidence. "It's disgraceful to politicise the ICAC with unsubstantiated rumours," Mr Minns said. "This is an old fashioned smear from a group of politicians opposed to changes at Rosehill," he added. The unsubstantiated allegations were a cynical attempt at political point scoring, Mr Minns said. Independent MP Mark Latham, a member of the committee, and of the turf club, claimed via social media on Thursday there is evidence to justify the ICAC referral, based on a meeting the premier had in October 2023. Mr Minns described the turf club's head of membership and corporate affairs Steve McMahon as a friend of more than 20 years in August, after Mr McMahon appeared at the committee inquiry earlier that month. The committee was told Mr McMahon pitched the idea to the turf club's chairman Peter McGauran on October 26, 2023. The premier had a "meet and greet" with the turf club four days later according to ministerial diaries. Mr McMahon told the inquiry the meeting was to discuss the idea and the process for pitching it to the government, before investing member resources in a proposal. "You want to make sure that (the government) are not going to be automatically opposed to such a thing," he said. Mr Minns told budget estimates in August the proposal was announced before turf club members voted on the sale in the interest of transparency. Advertisement Sign up for our newsletter to stay up to date. We care about the protection of your data. Read our . AdvertisementNational Beverage (NASDAQ:FIZZ) Sets New 1-Year Low – Should You Sell?

Jimmy Carter had the longest post-presidency of anyone to hold the office, and one of the most active. Here is a look back at his life. 1924 — Jimmy Carter was born on Oct. 1 to Earl and Lillian Carter in the small town of Plains, Georgia. 1928 — Earl Carter bought a 350-acre farm 3 miles from Plains in the tiny community of Archery. The Carter family lived in a house on the farm without running water or electricity. 1941 — He graduated from Plains High School and enrolled at Georgia Southwestern College in Americus. 1942 — He transferred to Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta. 1943 — Carter’s boyhood dream of being in the Navy becomes a reality as he is appointed to the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. 1946 — He received his naval commission and on July 7 married Rosalynn Smith of Plains. They moved to Norfolk, Virginia. 1946-1952 — Carter’s three sons are born, Jack in 1947, Chip in 1950 and Jeff in 1952. 1962-66 — Carter is elected to the Georgia State Senate and serves two terms. 1953 — Carter’s father died and he cut his naval career short to save the family farm. Due to a limited income, Jimmy, Rosalynn and their three sons moved into Public Housing Apartment 9A in Plains. 1966 — He ran for governor, but lost. 1967 — Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter’s fourth child, Amy, is born. 1971 — He ran for governor again and won the election, becoming Georgia’s 76th governor on Jan. 12. 1974 — Carter announced his candidacy for president. 1976 — Carter was elected 39th president on Nov. 2, narrowly defeating incumbent Gerald Ford. Democratic presidential candidate Jimmy Carter embraces his wife Rosalynn after receiving the final news of his victory in the national general election, November 2, 1976. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images) New-elected President Jimmy Carter gives a press conference after being elected 39th President of the United States, on November 05, 1976 in Plains, Georgia. (Photo by GENE FORTE / CONSOLIDATED NEWS PICTURES / AFP) (Photo by GENE FORTE/CONSOLIDATED NEWS PICTURES/AFP via Getty Images) Supporters of Democratic presidential candidate Jimmy Carter hold up signs during a rally on may 15, 1976 in New York. – Carter was elected on December 21, 1976 39th President of the United States, 51% voice against 48% for incumbent Republican president Gerald Ford. (Photo by CONSOLIDATED NEWS / AFP) (Photo by -/CONSOLIDATED NEWS/AFP via Getty Images) Chief Justice Warren Burger administers the oath of office to Jimmy Carter (R), flanked by his wife Rosalynn, as the 39th President of the United Sates on January 20, 1977. (Photo by CONSOLIDATED NEWS / AFP) (Photo by -/CONSOLIDATED NEWS/AFP via Getty Images) Democratic presidential candidate Jimmy Carter embraces his wife Rosalynn after receiving the final news of his victory in the national general election, November 2, 1976. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images) 1978 — U.S. and the Peoples’ Republic of China establish full diplomatic relations. President Carter negotiates and mediates an accord between Egypt and Israel at Camp David. 1979 — The Department of Education is formed. Iranian radicals overrun the U.S. Embassy and seize American hostages. The Strategic Arms Limitations Treaty is signed. 1980 — On March 21, Carter announces that the U.S. will boycott the Olympic Games scheduled in Moscow. A rescue attempt to get American hostages out of Iran is unsuccessful. Carter was defeated in his bid for a second term as president by Ronald Reagan in November. 1981 — President Carter continues to negotiate the release of the American hostages in Iran. Minutes before his term as president is over, the hostages are released. 1982 — Carter became a distinguished professor at Emory University in Atlanta, and founded The Carter Center. The nonpartisan and nonprofit center addresses national and international issues of public policy. 1984 — Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter volunteer one week a year for Habitat for Humanity, a nonprofit organization that helps needy people in the United States and in other countries renovate and build homes, until 2020. He also taught Sunday school in the Maranatha Baptist Church of Plains from the mid-’80s until 2020. 2002 — Awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. 2015 — Carter announced in August he had been diagnosed with melanoma that spread to his brain. 2016 — He said in March that he no longer needed cancer treatment. 2024 — Carter dies at 100 years old. Sources: Cartercenter.org, Plains Historical Preservation Trust, The Associated Press; The Brookings Institution; U.S. Navy; WhiteHouse.gov, Gallup