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‘Elon Musk’s drug use concerns Tesla, SpaceX leaders’

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Elon Musk’s drug use has worried executives and board members at businesses he runs, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing unidentified people familiar with the billionaire and the companies.
Musk has used LSD, cocaine, ecstasy and psychedelic mushrooms, often at private parties, the Journal said, citing unnamed witnesses and others with knowledge of the matter. People close to the Tesla Inc and SpaceX chief executive officer told the newspaper his drug use is ongoing, and that in particular he’s consuming ketamine. Musk said in August he has a prescription to use the drug as an antidepressant.
After Musk puffed on a blunt containing marijuana on Joe Rogan’s podcast in September 2018, the Pentagon reviewed the federal security clearance tied to his role as CEO of Space Exploration Technologies Corp., which is certified to launch military spy satellites, Bloomberg News first reported in March 2019.
“After that one puff with Rogan, I agreed, at Nasa’s request, to do 3 years of random drug testing,” Musk, 52, posted Sunday on X, the social media company he owns. “Not even trace quantities were found of any drugs or alcohol.”
Musk didn’t respond to a request for comment from Bloomberg News. Alex Spiro, an attorney for the billionaire, told the Journal that his client is “regularly and randomly drug tested at SpaceX and has never failed a test,” and referred to “false facts” in the article but didn’t detail them.
SpaceX is now the only US company approved to transport Nasa astronauts to and from the International Space Station. The Pentagon also has stepped up purchases of launches from the closely held company in recent years, and in June contracted with SpaceX’s satellite communications business Starlink to support Ukraine’s military.
The Journal reported that Linda Johnson Rice, who became a Tesla director in 2017, didn’t stand for reelection two years later out of frustration with Musk’s behavior and her concerns about his drug use.
Musk oversees six companies: Tesla, SpaceX and X, the social media company formerly known as Twitter; the tunneling venture The Boring Co; brain implant developer Neuralink; and artificial intelligence startup xAI. His $219.4 billion net worth ranks No. 1 on the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.

Govt of Gujarat and Global Leader ‘Calculus’ Forge Five-Year Cybersecurity Alliance

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Highlights:

PHOTO Sooraj Vasudevan CEO Calculus Group
PHOTO Sooraj Vasudevan CEO Calculus Group
Calculus Group White Background Logo
Calculus Group White Background Logo

PM Modi Backs India’s Cybersecurity Pact with Global Tech Leader

Gujarat Gears Up for Digital Age with $5-Year Tech Partnership

India’s Innovation Hub Gujarat, Calculus Ink MoU for Robust Cybersecurity Infrastructure

Gujarat and Calculus Partner to Empower Youth, Drive Economic Growth Through Secure Digital Transformation

PM Modi’s Vibrant India Vision Gets Tech Boost as Calculus Signs Landmark MoU with State

Gujarat and Calculus Team Up to Train Future Cybersecurity Workforce

Global Tech Giant Calculus to Help Build Gujarat’s Secure Digital Gateway

AHMEDABAD, India–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Calculus, a leading global technology solutions provider, proudly announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Government of Gujarat, India. This landmark agreement between Government of Gujarat and Calculus effective December 2023, signifies a strategic move towards fostering innovation, particularly in the cybersecurity infrastructure domain, for the state of Gujarat.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and the Chief Minister of Gujarat, Shri Bhupendrabhai Patel, have played instrumental roles in catalyzing innovation across the nation, enabling the Vibrant Gujarat platform for global enterprises. This MoU reflects their commitment to propelling Gujarat into a secure digital future marked by robust cybersecurity measures over the next five years.

Key Highlights of the MoU:

Cybersecurity Infrastructure Development: The memorandum underscores a joint commitment to bolstering cybersecurity infrastructure in Gujarat. Recognizing the critical role that cybersecurity plays in ensuring a secure digital future, both Calculus and the Government of Gujarat will collaborate to implement state-of-the-art technologies and practices.

Youth Empowerment: A primary focus of the collaboration is to create new and highly skilled employment opportunities for the youth of Gujarat. Through specialized training programs, workshops, and initiatives, the partnership aims to equip the youth with the knowledge and expertise needed for the evolving digital landscape.

Economic Growth: The MoU aims to drive economic growth in Gujarat by harnessing the power of innovation and technology. By fostering a conducive environment for tech-driven businesses, startups, and enterprises, the collaboration seeks to contribute significantly to the state’s economic prosperity.

Global Digital Leadership: The joint efforts of Calculus and the Government of Gujarat aspire to elevate the state’s position in the global digital landscape. By implementing cutting-edge cybersecurity measures and fostering innovation, Gujarat aims to be a trailblazer in digital excellence on the world stage.

Commenting on the occasion, Sooraj Vasudevan, CEO of Calculus group of companies, said, “We are honored to partner with the Government of Gujarat under the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi. This collaboration aligns with our commitment to driving technological innovation that positively impacts society. Together, we aim to build a secure and prosperous digital future for the people of Gujarat.”

The MoU signing ceremony, held in Gujarat, was attended by key representatives from Calculus and the Government of Gujarat, symbolizing the joint commitment towards realizing the vision of a digitally empowered state.

About Calculus

Founded in 2016, The Calculus group offers 360° of end-to-end value-added solutions and services for ICT service providers, enterprises, and all levels of government. Calculus is an ICT systems integrator focused on branded independent solutions and professional services worldwide. For more information on Calculus, visit www.calculusbusiness.com or email info@calculusbusiness.com.

Contacts

For media inquiries:
Calculus Business Solutions Inc.

Ms. Lupita Círigo, Media & Public Relations Officer, Email: lupita@calculusbusiness.com

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The content is by Business Wire. Headlines of Today Media is not responsible for the content provided or any links related to this content. Headlines of Today Media is not responsible for the correctness, topicality or the quality of the content.

Death toll in Japan quake rises to 161, 103 people missing, say authorities

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The death toll from Japan’s New Year’s Day earthquake has jumped to 161 from 128 overnight, authorities said Monday as snow complicated rescue efforts.

Issued on:

2 min

The number of people unaccounted for fell to 103 from 195, according to authorities in the central Ishikawa region hit by the 7.5-magnitude quake.

The shock waves toppled buildings, sparked a major fire and triggered tsunami waves over a metre high.

Thousands of rescuers have been drafted in from all over Japan, their work complicated by roads being cut off by the quake and an estimated 1,000 landslides.

In the last two days, the region has been blanketed in snow, making the operation harder still.

Against the odds, a woman in her 90s survived five days under the wreckage of a collapsed house in the city of Suzu on the hard-hit Noto Peninsula before being saved on Saturday.

“Hang in there!” rescuers were heard calling to the woman, in police footage from the rainy scene published by local media.

“You’re gonna be OK!” they shouted. “Stay positive!”

Not all were so lucky. In the town of Anamizu, a 52-year-old man who lost his 21-year-old son and his parents-in-law waited to hear news of his wife, his other three children and more family members.

“I want them to be alive. It’s unthinkable that I could be left alone,” he told NHK.

The colder weather is also likely to worsen conditions for more than 28,800 people in 404 government shelters.

Continuous rain has increased the risk of fresh landslides, while heavy snow could cause more buildings to collapse under its weight, the regional government warned.

At least 2,000 people in many communities on the remote peninsula have been cut off by damaged roads, with some of an estimated 1,000 landslides also blocking aid vehicles.

That means relief materials have been slow to reach areas suffering water and power outages.

Around 20,700 households in the wider Ishikawa region remained without electricity on Sunday. More than 66,100 households were without water.

“The first priority has been to rescue people under the rubble, and to reach isolated communities,” Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said in an interview with NHK on Sunday.

The military has sent small groups of troops to each of the isolated communities on foot, he said.

The government has also “deployed various police and fire department helicopters” to reach them, Kishida added.

Japan experiences hundreds of earthquakes every year, though most cause no damage because of strict building codes in place for more than four decades.

But many structures are older, especially in rapidly ageing communities in rural areas like Noto.

The country is haunted by the monster quake of 2011 that triggered a tsunami, left around 18,500 people dead or missing and caused a nuclear catastrophe at the Fukushima plant.

(AFP)

Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 684 | Russia-Ukraine war News

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As the war enters its 684th day, these are the main developments.

Here is the situation on Monday, January 8, 2024.

Fighting

  • Ukraine’s Air Force said it shot down 21 out of 28 Russian drones aimed at the south and east of the country. Russia also launched three cruise missiles, the Air Force added, without offering further details.
  • Dnipropetrovsk regional authorities said 12 people were injured in a Russian drone attack on the city of Dnipro.
  • Local officials said two people were killed in the city of Kherson after Russian forces occupying the opposite bank of the Dnipro River hit the city with numerous shelling attacks. Roman Mrochko, the head of the Kherson city administration, said several people were also injured.
  • In the northeast, the Kharkiv Regional Prosecutor’s Office said one man was killed and two other civilians, including a child, injured in Russian shelling of Kupiansk.
  • Russia’s Defence Ministry said soldiers fighting on the front line in Ukraine marked Orthodox Christmas with military priests leading prayer services.

Politics and diplomacy

  • Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa, on an unannounced trip to Kyiv, promised $37m to NATO to help Ukraine avert Russian drone strikes. She also said Japan would donate five mobile gas turbine generators and seven transformers to maintain power supplies. Kamikawa was forced to hold her press conference with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba underground after an air raid alert. “Japan is determined to continue to support Ukraine so that peace can return,” she said.
Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba guides Japan's Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa through an underground corridor. There are large pipes above them.
VIsiting Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa had to hold her press conference in a bomb shelter because of an air raid [Evgeniy Maloletka/AP]
  • Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told a security conference in Sweden that the situation on the battlefield remained relatively stable and that Russia could be defeated.
  • Speaking at the same event, Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom said the primary task of Sweden’s foreign policy in the coming years would be to support Ukraine.

Weapons

  • Zelenskyy said the war in Ukraine had shown the need for Europe to develop joint weapons production to ensure it can “preserve itself” and defend its freedoms.

প্রাইজমানিতে চ্যাম্পিয়ন আইপিএল, রানারআপ এসএ টোয়েন্টি, বিপিএল কোথায়

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তালিকায় আইপিএল, এসএ টোয়েন্টি, বিগ ব্যাশের পরেই আছে পাকিস্তান সুপার লিগ (পিএসএল)। পাকিস্তান ক্রিকেট বোর্ড (পিসিবি) গত আসরে ৩৮ কোটি টাকা অর্থ পুরস্কার দিয়েছে।

এর পরের অবস্থানে থাকা লিগকে চমকই বলতে হবে। ১৪ কোটি টাকা ২০ লাখ টাকা (১৩ লাখ মার্কিন ডলার) অর্থ পুরস্কারে পাঁচে আছে সংযুক্ত আরব আমিরাতের ইন্টারন্যাশনাল লিগ টি–টোয়েন্টি বা আইএল টি–টোয়েন্টি। গত বছর থেকে যাত্রা শুরু করা আইএল টি–টোয়েন্টি এরই মধ্যে বিপিএল কর্তৃপক্ষের জন্য মাথাব্যথার কারণ হয়ে দাঁড়িয়েছে। এই লিগের সূচি বিপিএলের সঙ্গে সাংঘর্ষিক হওয়ায় এবং বিপিএলের চেয়ে অর্থ পুরস্কার বেশি হওয়ায় বেশির ভাগ বিদেশি ক্রিকেটার বাংলাদেশে আসতে অনীহা প্রকাশ করে আরব আমিরাতে খেলতে যাচ্ছেন। ফলে শীর্ষ সারির বা তারকা ক্রিকেটারের সংকটে ভুগছে বিপিএল।

আইএল টি–টোয়েন্টির পর যথাক্রমে ছয়ে ও সাতে আছে ওয়েস্ট ইন্ডিজের ক্যারিবিয়ান প্রিমিয়ার লিগ (২৩ কোটি টাকা) ও ইংল্যান্ডের টি–টোয়েন্টি ব্লাস্ট (১৩ কোটি ৯০ লাখ টাকা বা ১০ লাখ ব্রিটিশ পাউন্ড)। প্রশ্ন উঠতে পারে, ইংল্যান্ড অ্যান্ড ওয়েলস ক্রিকেট বোর্ড (ইসিবি) বিশ্বের শীর্ষ ধনী তিন বোর্ডের একটি হয়েও টি-টোয়েন্টি ব্লাস্টে এত কম অর্থ পুরস্কার দেয় কেন? এর কারণ হলো ইংল্যান্ডের শীর্ষ ঘরোয়া টি–টোয়েন্টি প্রতিযোগিতা টি-টোয়েন্টি ব্লাস্ট আদতে ফ্র্যাঞ্চাইজিভিত্তিক লিগ নয়, দেশটির ১৮টি কাউন্টি ক্লাব এই প্রতিযোগিতায় অংশ নেয়।

ইংল্যান্ড ফ্যাঞ্চাইজি লিগ আকারে যে টুর্নামেন্ট আয়োজন করে, সেটা দ্য হানড্রেড। এই প্রতিযোগিতার প্রাইজমানিও বিপিএলের চেয়ে বেশি—৪ কোটি ১৭ লাখ টাকা (৩ লাখ ব্রিটিশ পাউন্ড)। তবে এটি ১০০ বলের টুর্নামেন্ট হওয়ায় এ তালিকায় রাখা হয়নি।

Qraft Technologies Announces Rita Lin as Director of Business Development

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SEOUL, South Korea & HONG KONG–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Qraft Technologies, a leading invest-tech company developing artificial intelligence (AI) solutions, has announced the hiring of Rita Lin, a senior financial services executive, who will serve as Director of Business Development.

Rita Lin
Rita Lin
Qraft Logo
Qraft Logo

As veteran in the industry with 15 years in finance, Lin brings a wealth of expertise, particularly from her over decade-long focus in prime brokerage at industry-leading institutions including Citigroup and Bank of America Merrill Lynch. During her career Lin has played important roles in prime brokerage and collaborated with hedge funds at these institutions. As Director of Business Development, Lin will continue working closely with hedge funds, which positions her as an invaluable asset to Qraft.

“We are delighted to have Rita Lin on our team at Qraft,” said Francis Oh, Chief Operating Officer at Qraft Technologies. “Her valuable experience in finance, particularly in prime brokerage, aligns seamlessly with our vision for growth and innovation. Rita’s expertise, coupled with her deep connections in both traditional finance and fintech, will contribute to the continued success of Qraft.”

With a passion for technology and a firm belief in the transformative power of AI solutions in trading and investing, Lin is eager to be part of the industry evolution. “I am excited to join Qraft at this pivotal moment in the evolution of the finance and technology landscape,” said Lin. “The potential for AI in investment management is immense, and I look forward to leveraging my experience and connections to drive growth internally and externally for the company.”

In her role, Lin’s key focus will be on expanding Qraft’s presence in the APAC markets, particularly in hedge funds and global banks. Lin will be based in Qraft’s Hong Kong office.

About Qraft Technologies

Qraft Technologies is a fintech company aiming to drive growth in the asset management industry through its innovations in artificial intelligence (AI) and investing. Qraft offers a variety of AI-powered investment solutions, including a security selection engine, asset allocation engine, robo-advisory solution and an AI order-execution system. From data processing to alpha research and portfolio execution, Qraft has an established track record in developing cutting-edge AI solutions that have been adopted by over 20 financial institutions worldwide. In 2022, Qraft received a US$146 million investment from SoftBank Group, entering into a strategic partnership to accelerate AI in the asset management industry.

Contacts

Trevor Davis

Gregory FCA for Qraft Technologies

Email: trevor@gregoryfca.com
Phone: 443-248-0359

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The content is by Business Wire. Headlines of Today Media is not responsible for the content provided or any links related to this content. Headlines of Today Media is not responsible for the correctness, topicality or the quality of the content.

Inside £15bn airport that’s SINKING as experts battle to stop ‘wet sponge’ artificial island slipping beneath the sea

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AN AIRPORT touted as the world’s most unique is sinking into the sea at an alarming rate.

The Kansai International Airport serves Japan’s second largest metropolitan area, Osaka, and has sunk more than 38ft since it opened 30 years ago.

Kansai is sinking into the sea at an alarming rate

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Kansai is sinking into the sea at an alarming rateCredit: Getty
The busy airport continues to be used every day

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The busy airport continues to be used every dayCredit: Getty
The Sayonara bridge which leads out to the airport cost £786,000

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The Sayonara bridge which leads out to the airport cost £786,000Credit: Shutterstock

The enormous £15billion airport occupies two artificial islands in Osaka Bay and serves as a hub for Asian airlines including All Nippon Airways, Japan Airlines, and Nippon Cargo Airlines.

It is also sinking – quickly – and moving further and further away from the city.

Engineers predicted Kansai’s islands would evenly settle over a 50-year period before stabilising at 13ft above sea level – the minimum elevation needed to prevent flooding in case of a breach in the encircling seawall.

The threshold was reached within just six years and £117million was spent raising the seawall, which some would say was a futile attempt to prevent the inevitable.

More on sinking infrastructure

A number of engineers have predicted that sections of the two artificial islands may sink another 13ft – to sea level – by 2056.

Yukako Handa, a representative of Kansai Airports was quoted by Smithsonian Mag in 2018 as saying: “When the Kansai airport was constructed, the amount of soil to reclaim the land was determined based on necessary ground level and subsidence estimation over 50 years after the construction.”

The reclaimed land was like a wet sponge and needed to be transformed into a dry and dense foundation before it could support the weight of airport buildings.

Construction crews laid sand five feet deep atop the clay seabed then installed 2.2 million vertical pipes, each nearly 16 inches in diameter.

The pipes were then pounded into the clay and filled with sand, with soil used to create a stiffer floor.

Workers excavated below the passenger terminal, inserted plates beneath the hydraulic jacks, and raised the columns to try and save the airport from the sea.

And yet it continues to sink – at different rates, too, because the airport isn’t actually even.

Kansai is the world’s first airport to be built on water and attracts an average of 20 million jetsetters every year.

Isolated and without shelter or protection, it has been repeatedly struck by extreme weather conditions.

The worst came in 2018, when the deadly typhoon Typhoon Jebi struck, wreaking havoc across Japan and causing the airport to close temporarily.

Thousands of terrified passengers became stranded as the storm flooded the building and shook the infrastructure.

The typhoon then grabbed hold of a tanker and repeatedly slammed it against a bridge, leaving millions of pounds worth of damage.

Kansai recently announced it will be carrying out an earthquake and tsunami drill so its staff are prepared for weather-related emergency situations.

Engineers expect Kansai will sink to sea level by 2056

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Engineers expect Kansai will sink to sea level by 2056Credit: Shutterstock
It was initially thought the airport would settle over a 50-year period

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It was initially thought the airport would settle over a 50-year periodCredit: Shutterstock

Sheikh Hasina wins fifth term in Bangladesh amid turnout controversy | Elections News

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Sheikh Hasina has secured her fifth term as Bangladeshi prime minister in an election whose outcome was decided the moment its schedule was announced in early November when the main opposition boycotted the poll.

The surprise was who came second.

Instead of any political party, independent candidates secured a total of 63 seats, the second highest after Hasina’s Awami League (AL), which won 222, creating a problem of finding a parliamentary opposition.

The current opposition, the Jatiya Party, managed to secure just 11 of the 300 parliamentary seats, according to the Elections Commission.

Almost all the winning independent contenders were people who had been rejected by the AL but were asked by the party leadership to stand as “dummy candidates” to give the election a competitive veneer in front of the world.

“This is a bizarre outcome of a bizarre election,” Shahidul Alam, a renowned Bangladeshi rights activist and photographer, told Al Jazeera. “Dummy candidates in a dummy election will now lead to a dummy parliament.”

Shunned by the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) – the AL’s main political opponent – which wanted the balloting held under a neutral entity instead of Hasina’s administration, Sunday’s “one-sided election” was just a “mere formality” to put Hasina back in power again, analysts say.

The only suspense, they added, was voter turnout, after Western governments put pressure on Hasina’s government to ensure a free, fair and participatory poll.

After polling closed at 4pm (10:00 GMT on Sunday), the Election Commission (EC) said turnout was 40 percent.

But many were doubtful it was even that high.

“I don’t know about the rest of the country but I think I have not seen such an empty Dhaka in years,” Abdullah Yusuf, an engineer in the Dhanmondi area of the capital, told Al Jazeera.

“It felt like the initial COVID days. I crossed two polling centres midday and didn’t see many people besides Awami League activists who were wearing badges. EC’s claim of 40 percent is quite absurd.”

‘Ridiculous’

Some analysts, meanwhile, pointed to confusion at the EC announcement.

“It’s hard to believe the turnout was 40 percent, especially given the fact that the chief election commissioner himself uttered 28 percent first while briefing the media and then changed it to 40 percent all of a sudden,” said Sakhawat Hossain, a former election commissioner.

The turnout figure, which was shown on the dashboard at the EC headquarters hours after the briefing, was 28 percent, and a photo of it was widely circulated in the country’s social media and received criticism. Al Jazeera checked and verified that figure.

EC earlier declared at an hour before the poll closing that the turnout was about 27 percent. Al Jazeera visited at least 10 polling stations across the capital Dhaka in the last hour and did not see any voters.

Sharmin Murshid, the head of the reputed election observer organisation Brotee, told Al Jazeera that a jump from 27 to 40 in a span of an hour or so was “ridiculous” and had “tainted the EC reputation severely”.

“It was a sure way to further lose the confidence of the people and credibility which it did not have to start with,” she said. “This was not an election, rather it was an exercise in casting votes by one party for one party,” she added.

Activists of Bangladesh's opposition alliance march holding a banner with the words "Hartal" meaning strike
Activists from Bangladesh’s opposition called a “hartal”, or strike, over the election weekend [Mahmud Hossain Opu/AP]

BNP leaders, meanwhile, termed even 28 percent very high, saying that most of the polling booths across the country had been empty throughout the day. The opposition party earlier declared a 48-hour “hartal”, equivalent to a total strike, from Saturday morning, which it believed also reduced turnout.

“In most pictures and footage shared in media and social platforms, you would find photos of dogs standing, lying down and basking in the sun along with police and a few Awami League activists,” said Abdul Moyeen Khan, a senior BNP leader, while briefing journalists after the election, “But no voters.”

Khan said people had heeded their call to boycott ballots and show a “red card” to the election.

“Even Awami League supporters didn’t bother to go to booths to cast their votes because they knew their candidates would win anyway,” he added.

Concerns on legitimacy

AL leaders, however, said the BNP’s plan to foil the election through “hartal” and “arson attacks” had not paid off because people did turn out to vote.

“This is a victory for our democracy,” Obaidul Quader told the media after finding a clear lead in poll results, “People give BNP’s terrorism befitting reply through balloting.”

Quader also said most people voted for their preferred candidates without any intimidation or interference in voting. “This was one of the most peaceful elections of the country,” he said.

While the last two national elections were tainted with dozens of deaths and severe violence, Sunday’s poll saw only one death and very few clashes, making it one of the most peaceful polls in the South Asian nation’s history.

“People of your country should be proud of holding such a peaceful election,” Hisham Kuhail, the CEO of the Central Election Commission of Palestine, one of several foreign observers of the poll, told a media briefing afterwards.

Election officials sitting around as they wait for voters in a polling station in Dhaka. There are four women seated on benches along a corridor. One is sitting on a cupboard
Election officials at Armanitola Government High School in Dhaka wait for voters [Mohammad Ponir Hossain/Reuters]

Kuhail, however, avoided questions about voter turnout and said he was assessing only the technicalities of the voting process – whether voters were allowed access and whether voting took place systematically.

“I cannot comment on the political scenario here. For that I need to stay at least a month,” he added.

Russian observer Andrei Shutov also said the voting process was systematic and peaceful. “This election is legitimate,” he added.

AKM Wahiduzzaman, the information and technology affairs secretary of the BNP, said there was no question it was peaceful because “there were no voters”.

“But it is obviously not legitimate,” he said.

The Awami League’s victory, he added, was “illegal and illegitimate” because people did not “legitimise them through votes”.

Congressional leaders announce an agreement on spending levels, a key step to averting shutdown

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WASHINGTON: Congressional leaders have reached an agreement on overall spending levels for the current fiscal year that could help avoid a partial government shutdown later this month.
The agreement largely hews to spending caps for defense and domestic programs that Congress set as part of a bill to suspend the debt limit until 2025. But it does provide some concessions to House Republicans who viewed the spending restrictions in that agreement as insufficient.
In a letter to colleagues, House Speaker Mike Johnson said Sunday the agreement would secure $16 billion in additional spending cuts from the previous agreement brokered by then-Speaker Kevin McCarthy and President Joe Biden and is about $30 billion less than what the Senate was considering.
“This represents the most favorable budget agreement Republicans have achieved in over a decade,” Johnson writes.
The most conservative House Republicans opposed the earlier debt ceiling agreement and even brought House proceedings to a halt for a few days to show their displeasure. Many were surely wanting additional concessions, but Democrats have been insistent on abiding by debt ceiling spending caps, leaving Johnson in a difficult spot.
Biden said the agreement “moves us one step closer to preventing a needless government shutdown and protecting important national priorities.”
“It reflects the funding levels that I negotiated with both parties and signed into law last spring,” Biden said in a statement. “It rejects deep cuts to programs hardworking families count on, and provides a path to passing full-year funding bills that deliver for the American people and are free of any extreme policies.”
The agreement speeds up the roughly $20 billion in cuts already agreed to for the Internal Revenue Service and rescinds about $6 billion in Covid relief money that had been approved but not yet spent, according to Johnson’s letter.
Lawmakers needed an agreement on overall spending levels so that appropriators could write the bills that set line-by-line funding for agencies. Money is set to lapse January 19 for some agencies and February 2 for others.
The agreement is separate from the negotiations that are taking place to secure additional funding for Israel and Ukraine while also curbing restrictions on asylum claims at the US border.
In a joint statement, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries also voiced their support for the agreement.
“It will also allow us to keep the investments for hardworking American families secured by the legislative achievements of President Biden and Congressional Democrats,” Schumer and Jeffries said. “Finally, we have made clear to speaker Mike Johnson that Democrats will not support including poison pill policy changes in any of the twelve appropriations bills put before the Congress.

Four years after downing of Flight PS 752, families say Iran regime still trying to silence them

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Jan. 8 marks four years since the downing of Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752.

Fifty-five Canadians and 30 permanent residents were killed when Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corp shot down the passenger plane in the skies over Tehran with a pair of surface-to-air missles.

While families deal with the ongoing sorrow, the Iranian regime has ramped up its campaign to try to silence those who speak out for the victims of Flight PS 752.

Canadian Iranian human rights activist Hamed Esmaeilion — whose wife and daughter were killed in the downing of the flight — says his mother has been banned from leaving Iran for at least six months.

“She was in distress. I have heard that she was shivering when she heard the news,” Esmaeilion says.

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Photo of Tooran Shamsollahi at the airport in Tehran with her husband Ahmad Esmaeilion after she was told she couldn’t leave the country. Photo captured by a witness.


Hamed Esmaeilion

His mother, Tooran Shamsollahi, was stopped at Tehran’s airport on her way to Canada to be with Esmaeilion to mark the anniversary of the deaths of his wife, Parisa, and nine-year-old daughter, Reera.


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Esmaeilion says he believes the ban is a form of revenge for his activism, following his calls for action after a former senior minister of the regime was seen vacationing in Canada.

Seyed Hassan Ghazizadeh Hashemi is believed to have visited Canada after being spotted in the background of a TV news report on Quebec tourism and then caught on video visiting Casa Loma in Toronto in August 2023.

Global Affairs Canada posted to X that it is deeply concerned about the intimidation of family members of victims of Flight PS 752.

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“We appreciate that. But that is not enough,” Esmaeilion says.

Kaveh Shahrooz, a Toronto-based human rights lawyer, activist and senior fellow with the Macdonald-Laurier Institute, who has been providing legal advice to the victims’ families, says Iran’s regime “has a long history of trying to intimidate members of the diaspora.”

Shahrooz says an account like Esmaeilion’s is not unusual, with threats from the regime — even on Canadian soil.

“Instead of giving him justice, the Iranian regime is now harassing other members of his family and putting him under threat. It really speaks to how despicable and evil the Iranian regime is,” Shahrooz says.

A recent Global News investigation uncovered reports of more than 700 regime-linked associates living in Canada.


Click to play video: '‘You will be shocked’: How Iran’s regime is threatening Canadians here at home'


‘You will be shocked’: How Iran’s regime is threatening Canadians here at home


“The threat from the Iranian regime is very real and it’s multifaceted. There’s transnational repression that happens in this country,” Shahrooz says.

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Esmaeilion says it was really important to have his mother by his side for the fourth anniversary.

While regime-linked insiders are living in Canada, Esmaeilion’s mother can’t even leave Iran, denied access to her son at a time when he needs her the most.

Hamed Esmaeilion lost his wife Parisa, and nine-year-old daughter Reera, when the IRGC shot down Flight 752 on Jan. 8, 2020.


Hamed Esmaeilion lost his wife Parisa, and nine-year-old daughter Reera, when the IRGC shot down Flight 752 on Jan. 8, 2020.


Hamed Esmaeilion

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