genie tagalog

A timeline of the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson and the search for his killer NEW YORK (AP) — The search for UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson’s killer has stretched into a fifth day — and beyond New York City. Police say it appears the man left the city on a bus soon after Wednesday's shooting outside the New York Hilton Midtown. The suspect is seen on video at an uptown bus station about 45 minutes later. The FBI is offering a $50,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction. Police believe that words found written on ammunition at the shooting scene, including “deny," “defend” and "depose,” suggest a motive driven by anger toward the healthcare company. The words mimic a phrase used by insurance industry critics. Trump says he can't guarantee tariffs won't raise US prices and won't rule out revenge prosecutions WASHINGTON (AP) — Donald Trump says he can’t guarantee his promised tariffs on key U.S. foreign trade partners won’t raise prices for American consumers. And he's suggesting once more that some political rivals and federal officials who pursued legal cases against him should be imprisoned. The president-elect made the comments in a wide-ranging interview with NBC’s “Meet the Press” that aired Sunday. He also touched on monetary policy, immigration, abortion and health care, and U.S. involvement in Ukraine, Israel and elsewhere. Trump often mixed declarative statements with caveats, at one point cautioning “things do change.” Europe's economy needs help. Political chaos in France and Germany means it may be slower in coming BRUSSELS (AP) — Europe's economy has enough difficulties, from tepid growth to trade tensions with the U.S. Dealing with those woes is only getting harder due to the political chaos in the two biggest European countries, France and Germany. Neither has a government backed by a functioning majority, and France could take a while yet to sort things out. But some problems aren't going to wait, such as what to do about U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's America First stance on trade and how to fund stronger defense against Putin's Russia. ‘Moana 2’ cruises to another record weekend and $600 million globally “Moana 2” remains at the top of the box office in its second weekend in theaters as it pulled in another record haul. According to studio estimates Sunday, the animated Disney film added $52 million, bringing its domestic total to $300 million. That surpasses the take for the original “Moana” and brings the sequel's global tally to a staggering $600 million. It also puts the film in this year's top five at the box office. “Wicked” came in second place for the weekend with $34.9 million and “Gladiator II” was third with $12.5 million. The 10th anniversary re-release of Christopher Nolan's “Interstellar” also earned an impressive $4.4 million even though it played in only 165 theaters. Federal appeals court upholds law requiring sale or ban of TikTok in the US A federal appeals court panel on Friday unanimously upheld a law that could lead to a ban on TikTok as soon as next month, handing a resounding defeat to the popular social media platform as it fights for its survival in the U.S. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ruled that the law - which requires TikTok to break ties with its China-based parent company ByteDance or be banned by mid-January — is constitutional, rebuffing TikTok’s challenge that the statute ran afoul of the First Amendment and unfairly targeted the platform. TikTok and ByteDance — another plaintiff in the lawsuit — are expected to appeal to the Supreme Court. Executive of Tyler Perry Studios dies when plane he was piloting crashes in Florida ATLANTA (AP) — The president of Atlanta-based Tyler Perry Studios has died when the small plane he was piloting crashed on Florida’s Gulf Coast. The studio confirmed on Saturday that Steve Mensch, its 62-year-old president and general manager, had died Friday. The crash happened in Homosassa, about 60 miles north of Tampa. Photos from the scene show the plane having come to rest upside down on a road. Mensch helped advocate for Georgia’s film tax credit of more than $1 billion a year. Perry hired Mensch to run his namesake studio in 2016. Mensch died as Perry released his war drama, “The Six Triple Eight." The film was shot at the Atlanta studio. US added a strong 227,000 jobs in November in bounce-back from October slowdown WASHINGTON (AP) — America’s job market rebounded in November, adding 227,000 workers in a solid recovery from the previous month, when the effects of strikes and hurricanes had sharply diminished employers’ payrolls. Last month’s hiring growth was up considerably from a meager gain of 36,000 jobs in October. The government also revised up its estimate of job growth in September and October by a combined 56,000. Friday’s report also showed that the unemployment rate ticked up from 4.1% in October to a still-low 4.2%. The November data provided the latest evidence that the U.S. job market remains durable even though it has lost significant momentum from the 2021-2023 hiring boom, when the economy was rebounding from the pandemic recession. Stock market today: Wall Street hits more records following a just-right jobs report NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks rose to records after data suggested the job market remains solid enough to keep the economy going, but not so strong that it raises immediate worries about inflation. The S&P 500 climbed 0.2%, just enough top the all-time high set on Wednesday, as it closed a third straight winning week in what looks to be one of its best years since the 2000 dot-com bust. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dipped 0.3%, while the Nasdaq composite climbed 0.8% to set its own record. Treasury yields eased after the jobs report showed stronger hiring than expected but also an uptick in the unemployment rate. Killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO spotlights complex challenge companies face in protecting top brass NEW YORK (AP) — In an era when online anger and social tensions are increasingly directed at the businesses consumers count on, Meta last year spent $24.4 million to surround CEO Mark Zuckerberg with security. But the fatal shooting this week of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson while walking alone on a New York City sidewalk has put a spotlight on the widely varied approaches companies take to protect their leaders against threats. And experts say the task of evaluating threats against executives and taking action to protect them is getting more difficult. One of the primary worries are loners whose rantings online are fed by others who are like-minded. It’s up to corporate security analysts to decide what represents a real threat. Days after gunman killed UnitedHealthcare's CEO, police push to ID him and FBI offers reward NEW YORK (AP) — Nearly four days after the shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, police still do not know the gunman’s name or whereabouts or have a motive for the killing. But they have made some progress in their investigation into Wednesday's killing of the leader of the largest U.S. health insurer, including that the gunman likely left New York City on a bus soon after fleeing the scene. The also found that the gunman left something behind: a backpack that was discovered in Central Park. Police are working with the FBI, which on Friday night announced a $50,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction.Hundreds of millions of customers can't be wrong: Fast food is undeniably delicious while it's also convenient, served up fast, and an usually an inexpensive alternative to sit-down restaurant dining or cooking at home. But the main goal of fast food isn't necessarily to nourish its customers or provide an amazing culinary experience: It's to make as much money as possible. Major, internationally dominant fast food chains drive the $860 billion worldwide quick-serve economy. They'll do whatever they can and whatever it takes to outpace the intense competition or carve out a niche. Attracting customers is tough, and fast food restaurants can't rely on just good food, good service, and good prices to get people through the door or in the drive-through. Creative copywriting, inventive marketing, false advertising, serving phony food, psychological trickery, and underhanded pricing techniques are just of some the tools at their disposal. , such as tricking, cheating, and scamming their customers as a matter of course. Here are some of the most egregious, anti-customer sins ever committed by fast food restaurants. Long John Silver's lobster wasn't the lobster customers thought it was , but not if it's going to obscure the identity of its seafood. In 2005, the seafood-focused chain added what seemed like a luxury item to its menu of fried whitefish, clams, and shrimp: lobster. Synonymous with high-priced formal dining, it was suddenly for sale at Long John Silver's in the form of its Buttered Langostino Lobster Bites, purportedly made from "real langostino lobster." This was all a daring and not fully legal marketing move on the part of Long John Silver's. The Buttered Lobster Bites weren't made with any of the lobster with which consumers are familiar, and there's no such thing as a langostino lobster. is another name for an inches-long shellfish more closely related to the hermit crab than lobster, also known by its unappetizing English name: squat lobster. When Olympia Snowe, a U.S. senator from the lobster-producing state of Maine, found out about the langostino lobster gambit, she asked the Food and Drug Administration to halt sales, calling the product "an insult to Maine and to the lobster industry," per . The Federal Trade Commission stepped in, and Long John Silver's was forced to rebrand Lobster Bites as Buttered Langostino Lobster Bites in order to let customers know that they weren't quite eating lobster. Long John Silver's discontinued the item in 2010. Taco Bell's light taco was heavy on deception in the 2020s, but one item not likely to reappear at the Mexican-inspired fast food chain anytime soon: the Taco Light. An increasingly health conscious population and customer base was a legitimate threat to the bottom line of fast food companies. Various healthy eating trends in the 1970s and 1980s left the peddlers of fat-laden, cheese-covered meals to come up with ideas for how to lure in new, nutritionally-minded diners or keep the customers they had amidst the new trends. In 1983, Taco Bell went the opposite direction, creating a taco longer than its standard crunchy one, adding more calorically dense seasoned ground beef, and utilizing a slightly thinner shell. Taco Bell then marketed the menu item, named Taco Light, to customers seeking lighter fare. emphasized the technology and taste, as Taco Light was made with "a flaky flour tortilla that lets all the delicious flavors inside come bursting through." Very briefly, over a shot of lettuce and tomato, a disclaimer appears in tiny letters on the screen: "Not lower in calories." Its impact on Taco Bell sales was light; the product didn't last very long. A McDonald's miracle low-fat burger was partially made from seaweed In 1991, when the desire to eat "lite," low-calorie, and low-fat was all the rage, McDonald's, the biggest name in greasy fast food, debuted what purported to be an actually healthy hamburger. If it seemed too good to be true, it's because it was, as McDonald's literally filled in some holes with questionable materials in order to make its promise technically true. McDonald's promised that the McLean Deluxe would be just as tasty as its other, full-fat burgers, even the Quarter Pounder that it visually resembled. Along with lettuce, tomato, onions, pickles, and ketchup on a bun, the sandwich featured a beef patty that was 91% fat-free. With 10 grams of fat, the McLean Deluxe contained only about a third of what could be found in a Quarter Pounder with Cheese. So how did McDonald's concoct such a low-fat item? Its suppliers removed a significant portion of fat and then bolstered the weakened protein with water and a seaweed derivative that worked as a binder. The McLean Deluxe didn't exactly taste like seaweed, but it didn't exactly taste like a normal McDonald's burger, either. It faded off the menu by 1996. Subway sold chicken and tuna subs that weren't totally made with chicken and tuna Among an array of freshly sliced meats, Subway shops in the United States offer multiple kinds of chicken — heavily sauced and chopped stuff used for the Sweet Onion Teriyaki, and an Oven Roasted Chicken patty. Subway was somewhat misleading with those names, because according to an investigation, those sandwich fillers were only about half poultry. Reporters from "Marketplace," a Canadian news show from the CBC, submitted samples of both chicken products for multiple rounds of DNA testing, and researchers determined that the Sweet Onion Teriyaki chicken strips were just 42.8% chicken, and Oven Roasted Chicken patty was 53.6% chicken. Not counting trace amounts of seasonings, preservatives, and fillers, the rest of the poultry was really soy, along with more than 10 times as much salt as one would find in chicken purchased at a supermarket. Another Subway luncheon meat alternative also wasn't what the chain said it was. In 2021, two California residents filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court alleging that Subway committed fraud and intentional misrepresentation by selling a surreptitiously tuna-free concoction as tuna. The plaintiffs ordered laboratory testing of tuna filling obtained from several Subway outlets, and the results indicated that the product was made from various proteins and other foods, none of which were tuna. The lawsuit was dismissed in 2023, while Subway added a "Tuna Facts" page to its website, attesting to the authenticity of its seafood. McDonald's left the value out of its Extra Value Meals The modern fast food combo meal — generally consisting of a sandwich, fries, and a soft drink — was introduced by McDonald's in the early 1990s. Instituted partially at the behest of Coca-Cola, which wanted to sell more of its products at McDonald's, a manager named Alan Dimayuga suggested bundling otherwise individually ordered burgers, french fries, and soda, giving each a number that could become shorthand for regular customers. McDonald's made it a national program, and initially kept the price of each "Extra Value Meal" about 15 cents less than what it would cost if the three meal parts were ordered separately. However, that stipulation faded with time. In 2016, Illinois resident James Gertie sued a local multi-unit McDonald's franchisee for false advertising. Customers who purchased the two-cheeseburger Extra Value Meal at Karis Management Company-run McDonald's paid 41 cents more for the combo than if they'd individually purchased the two sandwiches, fries, and soda. Two years later, more McDonald's customers filed an Extra Value Meal lawsuit — a two sausage burritos, hash browns, and coffee meal sold on the breakfast menu was over-priced by 11 cents more than its constituent items at Chicago-area McDonald's. That case was dismissed. Dunkin' used cheap ingredients instead of the nice ones as advertised As terms, "butter" and "margarine" are often used somewhat interchangeably; in the real world, they're quite different. Butter is made from churned cream, a natural product more expensive than margarine, a factory-made imitation butter created from processed vegetable oil. Butter is viewed in a more favorable light, and that's partly why Dunkin', formerly known as Dunkin' Donuts, experienced legal fallout when it presented itself as a restaurant chain that used real butter when it really served margarine. Two lawsuits filed in Massachusetts accused about 20 franchised Dunkin' Donuts of buttering its bagels with margarine, even when it said it used butter and when customers requested real butter be used. The switch-outs all took place between June 2012 and June 2016. Around the time its lawyers were busy with the faux-butter case, Dunkin' Donuts was sued again, this time in a New York City federal court by a local who alleged "false, deceptive, and misleading" practices, per , in how the chain advertised Angus Steak-based breakfast sandwiches but served cheaper, lower quality ground beef on the items instead. And later in 2017, a Chicago Dunkin' customer filed another lawsuit, a class action matter that took issue without how the company's purportedly blueberry doughnuts and some pastries were completely devoid of any true berries. At the time, Dunkin' products were flecked with imitation blueberries, or "flavored crystals" made from blue dye and two kinds of sugar. At Subway, a foot didn't mean 12 inches In 2013, Matt Corby of Perth, Australia bought a foot-long sandwich from Subway. Sensing that it didn't quite measure up to its stated, implied length of a foot, or 12 inches, the customer measured the sandwich and discovered it was an 11-inch-long sub. He griped about it on Facebook, and a photo of the sandwich next to measuring tape confirming its undersized length went viral. Responding to the negative attention, and the notion that it was lying to its many customers and had been for years, Subway explained that its foot-long subs didn't necessarily have to be a foot long. "The length of the bread baked in the restaurant cannot be assured each and every time as the proofing process may vary slightly each time in the restaurant," a representative of the company wrote on the Subway Australia Facebook page, (via ). And furthermore, Subway claimed, "Footlong" was a registered trademark used to describe its general large sandwiches and to not make any promises about its specific size. In the U.S., a team of lawyers put together a class action lawsuit accusing Subway of deception. A judge tossed the case out of court in 2017. Chipotle lied by omission about its nutrition facts Made mostly from heavily spiced pork fat, the traditionally Spanish called chorizo is categorically not a food that is low in calories. And yet when to the list of protein choices customers could order in their burritos, tacos, burrito bowls, and salads in 2016, the Mexican-inspired chain's menu board noted that it contained just 300 calories. This presentation made it seem like any Chipotle entrée with chorizo as its foundation would provide a mere 300 calories — patently false, and the focal point of a lawsuit. Three men filed a case in Los Angeles County Superior Court after eating chorizo burritos at three separate Chipotle outlets in California. All felt way too full after consuming what they were led to believe was just 300 calories — they'd really eaten much more. Deep in Chipotle's nutrition information on its website, the company noted that those 300 calories were just for the chorizo; a nutrition calculator showed that a burrito made with the sausage, rice, black beans, salsa, and cheese in a tortilla came in at 1,055 calories. "Consumers are lulled into a false belief that the items are healthier than they really are, and thereby encouraging repeat patronage by consumers who are concerned about the nutritional values of the food they eat," the lawsuit alleged, (via the ). Burger King's ads for a chicken sandwich were blatantly false In 2010, Burger King added a chicken sandwich to its U.K. menu, the Tendercrisp. Television commercials indicated that the chicken burger (as they're known in England) was a very large product, with a male actor barely able to wrap his hands around the giant sandwich. The advertisement did what it was supposed to — drive traffic to Burger King and increase orders for the Tendercrisp. But when some customers actually got the Tendercrisp into their own hands, they were disappointed by the relatively small stature of the product. Two Burger King patrons reported the commercial to the Advertising Standards Authority, a U.K. fair trade commission and commercial watchdog. Agents investigated by purchasing three Tendercrisp sandwiches and agreed that the real-life product didn't resemble the one depicted on T.V. at all. Ruling that their Tendercrisps's height and width didn't compare favorably than the ones seen on TV, the Advertising Standards Authority ordered Burger King to stop airing the ad. "We concluded that the visuals in the advert were likely to mislead viewers as to the size and composition of the product," the ASA said in a statement, (via ). A roundup on how Chipotle kept rounding up , like the time it essentially instituted a price hike without telling customers. During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the United States briefly weathered a coin shortage — to limit the spread of germs via physical contact, countless merchants stopped accepting (and customers limited their use of) hard metal money. Responding to the lack of coinage in its own way, Mexican-inspired chain Chipotle attempted to make change less of an issue. It simply rounded up its prices and totaled tabs to the next dollar; that way, customers wouldn't have to look in their pockets or purses for coins, and Chipotle wouldn't have to touch as many nickels, dimes, quarters, and pennies. Evidence of this plan led to a customer-filed lawsuit against Chipotle. "It has become very clear that this is a top-down directive form the corporation, this is how they should handle this situation," representing attorney Frank Salpietro told , adding that the practice unfairly targeted and overcharged customers who used cash rather than a debit or credit card. This wasn't the first time that Chipotle tried out the scheme. In 2012, Chipotle restaurants in New York and New Jersey were caught rounding up prices to the next 25-cent mark. How McDonald's skimps on the fries , and it may attempt to provide paying customers with as few of them as possible. It's a relatable, near-universal experience: You open your bag from McDonald's and pull out the small packet or larger box of french fries, and they inevitably seem under-filled or just scant in some way. It turns out, our eyes do not deceive us, as McDonald's may train its employees to purposely under-load french fry containers. A post from a 2017 Reddit thread called "What did your job want to hide from customers" from a former McDonald's employee went viral for seemingly confirming the theory. "I worked at McDonald's and they taught me how to punch the fry carton just right while putting the fries into them so that it looked full, but actually wasn't," the . "I only had one customer call me out on it." Other former McDonald's workers weighed in with their experience, corroborating the first account. When asked to comment on the exposé, McDonald's spokesperson Terri Hickey denied that the fast food giant ever did anything wrong. "The notion of a secret trick is absolutely false. There are strict procedures in place to ensure that fry boxes and bags are appropriately filled," Hickey told . Recommended
Russia's achievements in Brics
Primark fans running to snap up new PJ range -it’ll take you back to the early 2000s & it’s perfect for stocking fillersHow major US stock indexes fared Thursday, 12/26/2024
BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — Justice Shoats had 18 points in Siena's 66-53 victory against Canisius on Sunday. Shoats shot 6 of 15 from the field, including 2 for 5 from 3-point range, and went 4 for 6 from the free-throw line for the Saints (5-5, 1-1 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference). Brendan Coyle scored 17 points and added nine rebounds. Major Freeman had 14 points and shot 5 for 9 (2 for 6 from 3-point range) and 2 of 3 from the free-throw line. Paul McMillan IV led the Golden Griffins (0-10, 0-2) in scoring, finishing with 22 points and four assists. Jasman Sangha added 11 points and two steals for Canisius. Tana Kopa finished with six points. The Golden Griffins have lost 11 consecutive games, dating to a 72-56 defeat at the hands of Quinnipiac in the 2024 MAAC Tournament. The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar .
MAI Capital Management boosted its stake in Wheaton Precious Metals Corp. ( NYSE:WPM – Free Report ) by 4.5% during the third quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 8,054 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 346 shares during the quarter. MAI Capital Management’s holdings in Wheaton Precious Metals were worth $492,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period. A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WPM. Van ECK Associates Corp grew its position in shares of Wheaton Precious Metals by 1.0% in the second quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 19,984,984 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,047,621,000 after purchasing an additional 197,426 shares during the period. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD boosted its stake in shares of Wheaton Precious Metals by 16.0% in the first quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 7,309,175 shares of the company’s stock worth $344,483,000 after acquiring an additional 1,010,307 shares during the last quarter. TD Asset Management Inc increased its position in shares of Wheaton Precious Metals by 22.5% during the second quarter. TD Asset Management Inc now owns 5,950,317 shares of the company’s stock worth $311,920,000 after purchasing an additional 1,092,480 shares in the last quarter. Cibc World Market Inc. raised its stake in Wheaton Precious Metals by 3.1% in the 2nd quarter. Cibc World Market Inc. now owns 3,574,648 shares of the company’s stock valued at $187,490,000 after purchasing an additional 108,976 shares during the last quarter. Finally, CIBC Asset Management Inc lifted its holdings in Wheaton Precious Metals by 10.6% in the 3rd quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 2,273,160 shares of the company’s stock valued at $140,099,000 after purchasing an additional 218,575 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.34% of the company’s stock. Wall Street Analyst Weigh In A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on WPM shares. UBS Group initiated coverage on shares of Wheaton Precious Metals in a report on Monday, November 18th. They set a “buy” rating and a $78.00 target price for the company. Jefferies Financial Group raised their target price on shares of Wheaton Precious Metals from $67.00 to $77.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, October 4th. Stifel Canada lowered Wheaton Precious Metals from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, October 21st. National Bank Financial upgraded Wheaton Precious Metals from a “sector perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 10th. Finally, Scotiabank upped their target price on Wheaton Precious Metals from $66.50 to $72.00 and gave the company a “sector outperform” rating in a report on Monday, August 19th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Wheaton Precious Metals presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $71.67. Wheaton Precious Metals Stock Up 0.5 % NYSE:WPM opened at $63.82 on Friday. Wheaton Precious Metals Corp. has a 52 week low of $38.57 and a 52 week high of $68.64. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $62.99 and its two-hundred day moving average is $59.06. The company has a market capitalization of $28.95 billion, a P/E ratio of 47.63, a P/E/G ratio of 2.28 and a beta of 0.77. Wheaton Precious Metals ( NYSE:WPM – Get Free Report ) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, November 8th. The company reported $0.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.34. The firm had revenue of $308.25 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $324.57 million. Wheaton Precious Metals had a net margin of 50.05% and a return on equity of 8.85%. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.27 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Wheaton Precious Metals Corp. will post 1.44 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. Wheaton Precious Metals Announces Dividend The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 6th. Investors of record on Thursday, November 21st will be given a dividend of $0.155 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, November 21st. This represents a $0.62 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.97%. Wheaton Precious Metals’s payout ratio is currently 46.27%. About Wheaton Precious Metals ( Free Report ) Wheaton Precious Metals Corp. primarily sells precious metals in North America, Europe, and South America. It produces and sells gold, silver, palladium, and cobalt deposits. The company was formerly known as Silver Wheaton Corp. and changed its name to Wheaton Precious Metals Corp. in May 2017. Wheaton Precious Metals Corp. Further Reading Want to see what other hedge funds are holding WPM? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Wheaton Precious Metals Corp. ( NYSE:WPM – Free Report ). Receive News & Ratings for Wheaton Precious Metals Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Wheaton Precious Metals and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter .WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States is expected to announce that it will send $1.25 billion in military assistance to Ukraine, U.S. officials said Friday, as the Biden administration pushes to get as much aid to Kyiv as possible before leaving office on Jan. 20. The large package of aid includes a significant amount of munitions, including for the National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems and the HAWK air defense system. It also will provide Stinger missiles and 155 mm- and 105 mm artillery rounds, officials said. The officials, who said they expect the announcement to be made on Monday, spoke on condition of anonymity to provide details not yet made public. The new aid comes as Russia has launched a barrage of attacks against Ukraine’s power facilities in recent days, although Ukraine has said it intercepted a significant number of the missiles and drones. Russian and Ukrainian forces are also still in a bitter battle around the Russian border region of Kursk, where Moscow has sent thousands of North Korean troops to help reclaim territory taken by Ukraine. Earlier this month, senior defense officials acknowledged that that the Defense Department may not be able to send all of the remaining $5.6 billion in Pentagon weapons and equipment stocks passed by Congress for Ukraine before President-elect Donald Trump is sworn in. Trump has talked about getting some type of negotiated settlement between Ukraine and Russia, and spoken about his relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin . Many U.S. and European leaders are concerned that it might result in a poor deal for Ukraine and they worry that he won't provide Ukraine with all the weapons funding approved by Congress. The aid in the new package is in presidential drawdown authority, which allows the Pentagon to take weapons off the shelves and send them quickly to Ukraine. This latest assistance would reduce the remaining amount to about $4.35 billion. Officials have said they hope that an influx of aid will help strengthen Ukraine’s hand, should Zelenskyy decide it’s time to negotiate. One senior defense official said that while the U.S. will continue to provide weapons to Ukraine until Jan. 20, there may well be funds remaining that will be available for the incoming Trump administration to spend. According to the Pentagon, there is also about $1.2 billion remaining in longer-term funding through the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, which is used to pay for weapons contracts that would not be delivered for a year or more. Officials have said the administration anticipates releasing all of that money before the end of the calendar year. If the new package is included, the U.S. has provided more than $64 billion in security assistance to Ukraine since Russia invaded in February 2022.An Australian teenager who tragically died from suspected methanol poisoning "was on the trip of a lifetime" with one of her best friends, her heartbroken dad has said. Bianca Jones and her pal Holly Bowles, both 19, fell ill after a night out in Vang Vieng, a Laos town popular with tourists. Ms Jones died on Thursday and her friend on Friday. Now, Bianca's father, Mark Jones, has spoken out after the tragedy as he urged the government of Laos to investigate what happened. He also said his daughter "wanted to explore the world , meet new friends, lead and create change for good" and hoped to build "lifelong memories" during her trip which "was to be the first of many." Mr Jones told The Age : "This was meant to be a trip full of lifelong memories, and was to be the first of many. Bianca wanted to explore the world, meet new friends, lead and create change for good." In a plea to the Laos government, the grieving father added: "I would like to take this opportunity to urge the Laos government to investigate this to the fullest extent, to make sure this incident doesn't happen again. We can't have the passing of our daughter ... not lead to change to protect others." It comes after Holly's family said she was "living her best live" while travelling through South East Asia, "meeting new friends and enjoying incredible experiences." They added: "We are so sad to say that our beautiful girl Holly is now at peace. We find comfort and solace in knowing Holly brought so much joy and happiness to so many people." Among the six victims of the suspected poisoning was also 28-year-ol British lawyer Simone White, whose family said in a statement: "We are devastated by the loss of our beautiful, kind and loving daughter Simone. Simone was one of a kind and had the most wonderful energy and spark for life. She was a soul who gave so much to so many and was loved by her family, friends and colleagues. "Simone has been taken from us too soon, she will be sorely missed by her brother, grandmother and entire family. Our hearts go out to all other families who have been affected by this terrible tragedy." The other three travellers who have died are an American and two Danish tourists. Earlier today, the Laos government said it is "profoundly saddened" and is investigating the deaths of six people from suspected methanol poisoning. Police in Laos have detained the manager and owner of a hostel over the six travellers' deaths. In a statement released to the media, the Laos government said it was "profoundly saddened" over the deaths of foreign tourists and offered its condolences to their families. It added that is has been investigating "to find causes of the incident" and to "bring the perpetrators to justice." An officer at Vang Vieng's Tourism Police office said no charges have been filed but a "number of people" have been detained in the case. Staff at the Nana Backpacker Hostel, which is still operating but not accepting new guests, confirmed the manager and owner were among those taken in for questioning. Those poisoned in the incident are believed to have been served drinks tainted with methanol, which is sometimes used by disreputable bars as a cheaper alternative to ethanol, but can cause severe poisoning or death. Duong Duc Toan, manager of the Nana Backpacker Hostel, said staff were told by other guests that the women were unwell after they failed to check out as planned on November 13, and they arranged transport to a hospital for them. He said the women had joined more than 100 other guests for free shots of Lao vodka offered by the hostel two days earlier. He said no other guest reported any issue, adding the alleged victims had then gone for a night out, returning in the early hours of the morning. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told his country's parliament that 19-year-old Bianca died after being evacuated from Vang Vieng for treatment in a Thai hospital. Thai authorities confirmed Ms Jones died because of a "brain swelling due to high levels of methanol found in her system." Landlocked Laos is one of south-east Asia's poorest nations and a popular tourist destination. Vang Vieng is particularly popular among backpackers seeking partying and adventure sports. Officials in Laos have released almost no details about the case, with the government keeping a tight lid on information. The country is a one-party communist state with no organised opposition.
Previous: genie shoes
Next: genie top 100