Thursday, October 17, 2024
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5 States You Should Avoid Relocating To If Trump Wins In November

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In any presidential election, different states are impacted in different ways depending on the winner. That will hold true in the 2024 presidential election as well. Some states will likely get an…
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Five takeaways from Trump’s Michigan town hall

OCBC invests $500m in new Punggol Digital District hub housing up to 4,000 staff, Singapore News

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OCBC will invest $500 million in the Punggol Digital District with the set-up of its new innovation hub and a strategic partnership with the Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT), the bank said in a joint statement with Jurong Town Corporation (JTC) and SIT on Wednesday (Sept 18). When completed in the first quarter of 2027
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OCBC invests $500m in new Punggol Digital District hub housing up to 4,000 staff, Singapore News

MPR Set to Return to the Stage in Paris, Amplifying Their Call for Peace and Social Justice

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As their fanbase grows, so does their influence. The group’s followers recognize the importance of keeping these issues in the public eye. “Someone has to keep hammering on about this war because if everyone stays quiet, it will keep going,” said one fan passionately…
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MPR Set to Return to the Stage in Paris, Amplifying Their Call for Peace and Social Justice

Nearly 25% of Audio Listening Time Among 13-34 Year-Olds is Spoken Word Content

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While music publishers are quick to decry the devaluation of music through bundling plans implemented by Spotify and other DSPs—data shows consumers enjoy spoken word content and its consumption is on the rise. The Edison Research ‘Share of the Ear’ report highlights how much the age group 13-34 has embraced spoken word audio content…
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Nearly 25% of Audio Listening Time Among 13-34 Year-Olds is Spoken Word Content

Man Utd line-up: Ten Hag risks his job with Eriksen call after 4-0 thrashing

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Erik ten Hag is confident Casemiro will bounce back from his calamitous Liverpool display and is ready to compete with new boy Manuel Ugarte – but neither are starting v Southampton as Christian Eriksen is bizarrely recalled. The 32-year-old Brazilian star arrived from Real Madrid shortly after the Dutchman’s appointment in 2022 and enjoyed an …
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Man Utd line-up: Ten Hag risks his job with Eriksen call after 4-0 thrashing

Unlocking How Amyloid and Tau Proteins Drive Brain Changes Before Alzheimer’s Symptoms

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Researchers have shed new light on how amyloid-beta and tau proteins influence brain activity and cognitive decline in Alzheimer’s patients. Through a study involving brain scans and cognitive tests of individuals predisposed to Alzheimer’s, they found that the presence of these proteins alters brain activity. This change…
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Lille, 3 minutes qui résument tout : “Il va falloir apprendre vite”

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Lille su0027est incliné pour son premier match de la saison en Ligue des champions, sur la pelouse du Sporting (2-0). Une quatrième défaite de rang pour des Dogues bien trop tendres ce mardi, et qui ont vu le match leur échapper en trois minutes, avec un but évitable et un carton rouge qui lu0027était tout autant…
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Lille, 3 minutes qui résument tout : “Il va falloir apprendre vite”

How we can Cut Terrorism Financing in Nigeria – NFIU Boss

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The Director/CEO of the Nigeria Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU), Hafsat Abubakar Bakari, has said the only way to end insecurity in the country and other parts of Africa is to demobilise terror groups by cutting off their sources of funding.
The post How we can Cut Terrorism Financing in Nigeria – NFIU Boss appeared first on Economic Confidential…
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How we can Cut Terrorism Financing in Nigeria – NFIU Boss

 

More devices exploding across Lebanon: What’s happening?

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One day after thousands of pagers exploded across Lebanon, more explosions of handheld devices, including walkie-talkie radios, mobile phones, laptops and even solar power cells, have killed at least 20 people and injured 450.

Reports on Wednesday of several blasts quickly spread on messaging apps with people sharing images of exploded walkie-talkies and residential buildings on fire.

On Tuesday, some 4,000 pagers belonging to Hezbollah members had exploded over the course of an hour. Twelve people were killed and nearly 3,000 injured.

Here’s what we know:

So was this attack smaller?

Well, yes and no.

While fewer devices exploded, they were bigger and have caused more injuries.

Firass Abiad, Lebanon’s health minister, told Al Jazeera that “those who sustained serious injuries were severely affected”.

Where in Lebanon did the new explosions happen?

Information is still trickling in, but several blasts were reported in the southern suburbs of Beirut as well as in the southern city of Tyre on Wednesday afternoon.

Images posted on social media showed vehicles on fire and smoke rising from a residential area as reports came in of walkie-talkie radios and even solar cells exploding.

Al Jazeera correspondent Ali Hashem witnessed one car explode during a funeral in southern Lebanon.

He noted that the explosion seemed to come from within the car rather than externally, as would be the case with a drone strike.

He described chaos on the streets with ambulances racing to pick up the injured and reports of more explosions coming in and spreading panic.

“Probably we are witnessing another wave, … really concerning given that yesterday’s incident already overwhelmed the whole health sector,” Hashem added.

What exploded?

There are reports of several different devices blowing up.

Chief among them are walkie-talkie radios, but there was also mention of mobile phones, laptops and even some solar energy systems.

Several cars reportedly exploded as well, but it is not clear if those were caused by the car itself exploding or something inside it.

What are ‘walkie-talkie radios’?

A regular walkie-talkie is a handheld, two-way radio device that allows people to exchange messages with the walkie-talkie base or others holding mobile receivers.

They are short-range devices and need to stay close to their base to transmit.

The devices being called walkie-talkie radios are apparently IC-V82s, manufactured by the Japanese company ICOM, which would have a much bigger range than regular walkie-talkies.

The IC-V82 has not been produced for 10 years, ICOM said after the incidents.

A radio device exploded in the city of Baalbek.
A radio device that exploded in Baalbek, Lebanon, on September 18, 2024 [Suleiman Amhaz/Anadolu]

How do you make walkie-talkie radios explode?

Again, the details are not clear yet.

Some observers have wondered if Wednesday’s blasts were similar to what happened with the pagers.

With those, the supply chain might have been infiltrated and the devices loaded with 1 to 3 grammes (0.04 to 0.11oz) of a powerful explosive.

It seems that at least some Hezbollah members believe the explosions are linked to batteries.

Several of them quickly took the batteries out of their radios and tossed them away after one exploded during a funeral in a southern suburb of Beirut, according to the Reuters news agency.

Pagers use radio transmission and reception as does, of course, a radio.

Most of the impacted devices appeared to be communication systems, but there were also some reports of other devices exploding, like solar panels. At least one such explosion injured a girl.

Hezbollah and the Lebanese government have blamed Israel for the explosions. Israel has not commented.

Hezbollah fighters carry one of the coffins of four fallen comrades.
Hezbollah fighters carry one of the coffins of four fallen comrades who were killed on September 17, 2024, when their handheld pagers exploded in a southern suburb of Beirut, Lebanon [Bilal Hussein/AP]

Why would Israel do this to Lebanon?

Israel’s long-term strategy is unclear, but the attacks are a notable escalation against Hezbollah and Lebanon.

Analysts have long accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of escalating on one front after another to try to avoid facing any repercussions for his security failures and a corruption case he is on trial for.

His latest has been adding a “new war goal”, namely clearing the northern area by the Lebanese border so Israelis who had to evacuate from there could return.

Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said on Wednesday evening that the army would divert forces and resources from its near-yearlong war in Gaza to the north.

How big of a blow is this to Hezbollah?

The attacks were a big security breach for Hezbollah as well as a potent tool of psychological warfare with some analysts wondering if they have shaken the group’s image domestically.

Hezbollah’s communications apparatus appeared to remain operational, according to security and political analyst Elijah Magnier, who said after the first attack that thousands of older pagers were unaffected and the group had alternative secure communications in place.

As panic set in, people in Lebanon started disposing of their devices or taking them into shops to be checked.

On Wednesday, before the latest explosions, Hezbollah said it had attacked Israeli artillery positions with rockets in the first strike on Israel since the initial attacks, according to Reuters.

What’s next?

“This attack by Israel is being seen in Lebanon as a terrorist attack because it has fed terror,” Al Jazeera correspondent Imran Khan said from Beirut. “People are scared.”

Magnier said Israel had successfully managed to “create confusion among Hezbollah and in society”.

He noted the cascading reports and climate of chaos as a sign that Israel’s strategy to wait more than 24 hours before the second detonations had been a successful one.

“This is exactly the objective of Israel – to create such confusion and prepare perhaps for a phase three,” he said.

“We have to wait and see what they are preparing next because this is not the end of it.”

People gather as smoke rises from a mobile shop in Sidon
People look as smoke rises from a mobile phone shop in Sidon, on September 18, 2024 [Hassan Hankir/Reuters]

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‘SNL’ Weekend Update Tackles Trump Assassination Attempt, P Diddy & Eric Adams Indictments

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“I’m starting to worry that bullet got a little more than just the ear,” Jost joked, in reference to Trump’s latest outlandish smear against Kamala Harris.

SNL‘s Weekend Update addressed the assassination attempt of Donald Trump in July, as well as the more recent indictments of New York City Mayor Eric Adams and rapper Sean Combs.

‘SNL’ Weekend Update Tackles Trump Assassination Attempt, P Diddy & Eric Adams Indictments

Co-anchor Colin Jost first called attention to how Trump earlier in the day delivered his latest smear against Vice President Kamala Harris when he called her “mentally disabled.”

“I cannot believe that Trump admitted he lost the debate to a mentally disabled person,” Jost reacted.

“You can really tell Trump is worried about this election because now he’s just lashing out, hoping anything will work,” he went on, before showing a clip of Trump bragging about his “beautiful” body.

“I’m starting to worry that bullet got a little more than just the ear,” Jost joked. He later referred to a Senate report about how technical problems like delays in receiving emails cost the Secret Service valuable time that day.

“Who sees an assassin and is like, ‘I better open outlook!’” Jost quipped. “‘Hey, sorry for the mass email, but there’s a sniper on the roof. Please respond by end of day.’”

Jost also mocked Melania Trump blaming Democrats for having a role in the assassination attempt, saying that notion is “ridiculous.”

“When Democrats want to take out a presidential candidate, they get the job done,” he joked, as a photograph of President Joe Biden showed on screen.

Co-anchor Michael Che then turned to Adams’ indictment this week for bribery, wire fraud, conspiracy, and two counts of soliciting campaign contributions from foreign nationals.

Eric Adams pleaded “don’t hate the player, hate the game,” Che joked.

“After Adams was charged, he said, ‘We are not surprised. We expected this,’” Che continued. “You know, because of all the briberies.”

SNL‘s Devon Walker joined the set to portray Adams as he tried to talk his way out of any problems and brag about his accomplishments, like “inventing the trash can.”

Later, Che mentioned how Combs was indicted for sex trafficking and racketeering, among other charges, earlier this month.

Combs’ attorney, Che noted, said he’s not sure if he will be able to keep his client off the stand if his case goes to trial.

“Because you can’t hold a guy back wearing all that baby oil,” Che joked.

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Jost then riffed on how Combs’ attorney sought to distinguish his actions from those of R. Kelly, who was convicted of racketeering and sex trafficking involving minors.

“First of all, never a great sign when the first person you compare your client to is R. Kelly,” Jost said. “I have to agree, it’s true: Diddy is nothing like R. Kelly. I mean, R. Kelly’s songs are good.”

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