pagcor online slot machine
Notre Dame will have its hands full tonight defending Army's No. 1 ranked rushing attack, and the Irish will be without All-American defensive tackle . Notre Dame announced before the game that Cross was ruled out for the game, as was sophomore wide receiver . Cross was injured in the 52-3 victory over Florida State and he missed last week's 35-14 win over Virginia. Head coach said Cross was questionable early in the week, but the team has made the decision that the standout defensive tackle would not play in the game. Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Thanks for the feedback.
The closer a Prince Rupert woman looked at the deer in her yard, the stranger things became for her. “It was the first time I’ve seen anything like that; it was pretty bizarre,” said Joan Dudoward. Dudoward is a senior residing on 11th Avenue East in Prince Rupert. A flash of movement caught her eye as she scrubbed her breakfast plates on a typical Wednesday morning. Peeking out the window above her sink, she gasped— a majestic buck with massive antlers stood gracefully in her yard. “As soon as I noticed the huge buck, I ran and grabbed my camera to photograph it. I’ve been taking photos since I was a teenager...I photograph everything,” she said. She says he cozied up to lie on the grass and stayed for about half an hour. “He was wiggling his ears so I zoomed in and noticed a tag clipped on him,” she said. “I thought, why is this dear clipped? I got very concerned.” Dudoward, driven by her curiosity, noted that one side of the clip was labelled “BC WILDLIFE 06-529,” while the other read “CALL RAP: 877-952-7227.” It was suspicious because the number displayed is very similar but different from the official number of B.C.’s Conservation Officer Service, which is 1-877-952-7277. Also, the legitimate acronym for their hotline, Report All Poachers and Polluters, is “RAPP,” not “RAP,” as indicated on the tag. She called the number on the neon green tag to inquire about the buck, but reached a woman who spoke to her very hurriedly, she said. The woman, who identified herself as Jessica, wanted to send Dudoward a “free medical alert device” that she could wear around her neck. “We’re very excited to tell you about a special promotion for select callers,” Dudoward recalls the woman saying. She was then asked questions such as her age to check eligibility. Jessica then explained that as a senior, the device would help her in emergencies, such as falls, by alerting her immediate contacts. To proceed with delivery, she said she needed some personal information from Dudoward, such as her address. Then, Dudoward was abruptly transferred to another agent who continued the call. But when she tried to ask her about the buck and why the agency had clipped its number on his ear, they wouldn’t respond but instead continued to promote their products “That’s just cruelty to animals. They are targeting seniors for sure, and hurting the deer in the process,” said Dudoward. She wondered how they must have handled the wild animal to dart him. She questioned, “Did they sedate him? What exactly happened there?” She was absolutely shocked. Dudoward couldn’t comprehend why B.C. Wildlife, a legitimate organization, would have put this company’s number on the buck’s ear. The incident reminded her of this continued pattern of companies attempting to target elderly and vulnerable individuals. “I also have my mother’s old number, and it gets scam calls all the time,” she said. “How can they do that? Especially to seniors. They are trying to decide if they should pay the rent or get medication,” said Dudoward in frustration. She proceeded to contact the legitimate conservation officer’s number, who, like the local RCMP, didn’t pay much heed to her situation, she said. The next day, Dudoward called the agency’s number on the tag again, and the conversation took a completely different turn. Now, the agent asked if she was 18 and was promoting products aimed at youth. They informed her that she needed to pay $3 through a call paywall to proceed to the next step, during which she would be directed to the free products for which she was eligible. “The message keeps changing; this is so strange,” said Dudoward. The Northern View investigated the call and found that it was an intricately designed AI automated voice call. The system guides the caller through different phases by detecting both their spoken responses and the number keys they press. Contrary to Dudoward’s initial belief, it wasn’t a live human speaking to her, but a pre-recorded one. In fact, similar cases of fraud involving medical alert devices have happened in the U.S. before, prompting the New York State Department of State and the Minnesota Attorney General to issue cautionary alerts for consumers regarding these “robocalls.” The authorities advised seniors to immediately hang up, not press any keys when prompted, and avoid sharing personal information. “Fraud is the number one crime against older Canadians. Though people of all ages can be victims of fraud, older people get targeted more than others,” states the Canadian Government on its website. The Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre (CAFC) says that there have been 40,623 reports of fraud this year up to Oct. 31, resulting in a loss of $503 million. Vishing is a social engineering technique that uses voice communication technology. It involves fraudulent phone calls to trick the victim into revealing personal data. The CAFC advises caution during phone calls. They urge people not to hesitate to say no if something feels off and not to feel pressured by urgency or time limits. They also encourage taking enough time to research before sharing personal information. The Northern View contacted the B.C. Wildlife Federation for a comment regarding the tag on the buck. “The Conservation Officer Service darted this deer Nov. 5 to remove wires wrapped around its antlers. The tag is legitimate, but unfortunately has the wrong number on it for RAPP. The new versions of the tag have the correct number and COS will stop using these older tags,” said Jesse Zeman, executive director at B.C. Wildlife Federation. Although the exact cause of this mistake is unclear, anyone who suspects fraud should contact CAFC at 1-888-495-8501 or their local police.
But alongside his stark warning of the threats facing Britain and its allies, Admiral Sir Tony Radakin said there would be only a “remote chance” Russia would directly attack or invade the UK if the two countries were at war. The Chief of the Defence Staff laid out the landscape of British defence in a wide-ranging speech, after a minister warned the Army would be wiped out in as little as six months if forced to fight a war on the scale of the Ukraine conflict. The admiral cast doubt on the possibility as he gave a speech at the Royal United Services Institute (Rusi) defence think tank in London. He told the audience Britain needed to be “clear-eyed in our assessment” of the threats it faces, adding: “That includes recognising that there is only a remote chance of a significant direct attack or invasion by Russia on the United Kingdom, and that’s the same for the whole of Nato.” Moscow “knows the response will be overwhelming”, he added, but warned the nuclear deterrent needed to be “kept strong and strengthened”. Sir Tony added: “We are at the dawn of a third nuclear age, which is altogether more complex. It is defined by multiple and concurrent dilemmas, proliferating nuclear and disruptive technologies and the almost total absence of the security architectures that went before.” He listed the “wild threats of tactical nuclear use” by Russia, China building up its weapon stocks, Iran’s failure to co-operate with a nuclear deal, and North Korea’s “erratic behaviour” among the threats faced by the West. But Sir Tony said the UK’s nuclear arsenal is “the one part of our inventory of which Russia is most aware and has more impact on (President Vladimir) Putin than anything else”. Successive British governments had invested “substantial sums of money” in renewing nuclear submarines and warheads because of this, he added. The admiral described the deployment of thousands of North Korean soldiers on Ukraine’s border alongside Russian forces as the year’s “most extraordinary development”. He also signalled further deployments were possible, speaking of “tens of thousands more to follow as part of a new security pact with Russia”. Defence minister Alistair Carns earlier said a rate of casualties similar to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine would lead to the army being “expended” within six to 12 months. He said it illustrated the need to “generate depth and mass rapidly in the event of a crisis”. In comments reported by Sky News, Mr Carns, a former Royal Marines colonel, said Russia was suffering losses of around 1,500 soldiers killed or injured a day. “In a war of scale – not a limited intervention, but one similar to Ukraine – our Army for example, on the current casualty rates, would be expended – as part of a broader multinational coalition – in six months to a year,” Mr Carns said in a speech at Rusi. He added: “That doesn’t mean we need a bigger Army, but it does mean you need to generate depth and mass rapidly in the event of a crisis.” Official figures show the Army had 109,245 personnel on October 1, including 25,814 volunteer reservists. Mr Carns, the minister for veterans and people, said the UK needed to “catch up with Nato allies” to place greater emphasis on the reserves. The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said Defence Secretary John Healey had previously spoken about “the state of the armed forces that were inherited from the previous government”. The spokesman said: “It’s why the Budget invested billions of pounds into defence, it’s why we’re undertaking a strategic defence review to ensure that we have the capabilities and the investment needed to defend this country.”
Meliá Hotels International, S.A. ( OTCMKTS:SMIZF – Get Free Report ) saw a large decline in short interest in December. As of December 15th, there was short interest totalling 3,600 shares, a decline of 28.0% from the November 30th total of 5,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 100 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 36.0 days. Meliá Hotels International Price Performance Shares of OTCMKTS SMIZF opened at $7.79 on Friday. Meliá Hotels International has a 12 month low of $6.00 and a 12 month high of $8.54. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $7.27 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $7.27. About Meliá Hotels International ( Get Free Report ) Further Reading Receive News & Ratings for Meliá Hotels International Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Meliá Hotels International and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter .Syrian opposition fighters have reached the suburbs of the capital, Damascus, and government forces are withdrawing from the strategic city of Homs as the rebels' surprising offensive picks up speed and President Bashar Assad's whereabouts are unknown. Homs is an important intersection between Damascus and Syria’s coastal provinces that are the Syrian leader’s base of support. In Damascus, residents described a city on edge, with security forces on the streets and many shops running out of staple foods. The rapidly developing events have shaken the region. Lebanon said it was closing all its land border crossings with Syria except for one that links Beirut with Damascus. Jordan closed a border crossing with Syria, too. Eight key countries gathered with the U.N. special envoy on Syria on the sidelines of the Doha Summit for two hours of discussions Saturday night, and more will follow. The U.N. envoy seeks urgent talks in Geneva to ensure an “orderly political transition.” Here's the Latest: The mother of an Israeli man held hostage in Gaza and seen in a newly released video by Hamas says “enough with the games” and calls for more pressure on the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Einav Zangauker told a demonstration in Tel Aviv on Saturday night that like her son Matan, “there are a few dozen who are currently alive. Don’t allow them to be brought back dead in bags. Take to the streets.” Matan Zangauker, speaking under duress, appealed to the public to protest in front of Netanyahu’s home and “not let him sleep even for a minute.” Zangauker also referred to 420 days of being held by Hamas militants and said “isolation is killing us.” Police used a water cannon on the demonstrators as thousands took to the streets for the weekly anti-government protests. Two officials with Iran-backed Iraqi militias in Syria say the militias are monitoring the situation and have not made a decision to enter in support of Iran’s ally, Syrian President Bashar Assad. One of the officials said Iranian militias had withdrawn to Iraq from their positions in Syria. “All the militias are waiting to see what Bashar Assad will do in Damascus. If he resists and does not allow Damascus to fall, it is possible that the Iraqi factions will intervene for the purpose of support,” he said. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly about the matter. -- Qassim Abdul-Zahra in Baghdad Multi-country discussions on Syria have ended on the sidelines of the Doha Summit. Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein says the countries will issue a statement, and there will be follow-up talks “taking into consideration the practical and real situation on the ground.” He said the talks, which lasted over two hours Saturday evening, focused on how to stop the fighting. Eight key countries including Saudi Arabia, Russia, Egypt, Turkey and Iran gathered with the U.N. special envoy for Syria, Geir Pedersen. When asked where Syrian President Bashar Assad is, Iraq's foreign minister replied, “I don’t know.” He declined to speculate on whether Assad would be overthrown. Opposition fighters have reached the Damascus suburbs. BEIRUT — Lebanon’s Health Ministry says two Israeli airstrikes in southern Lebanon on Saturday killed six people and wounded five others. The ministry said an airstrike on the village of Beit Leif killed five people and wounded five, while a drone strike on the village of Deir Serian killed one person. Israel’s military said it was looking into the report. Despite a ceasefire that went into effect on Nov. 27 to end the 14-month fighting between Israel and Lebanon-based Hezbollah militants that had escalated into all-out war, violations of the truce have continued. The director of Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza says the facility came under heavy Israeli bombardment again on Saturday and three medical staff were killed. Dr. Hussam Abu Safia in a statement posted by Gaza’s Health Ministry said the hospital was hit by over 100 projectiles and bombs, and electricity was cut off. He said the surgery department and neonatal unit were hit, and he pleaded for “immediate coordination for repair operations.” Kamal Adwan is one of the last remaining hospitals in northern Gaza. Israeli forces are pressing an offensive that has almost completely sealed off the area from humanitarian aid for two months. Israel’s military said it wasn’t aware of any attack Saturday. The hospital director on Friday said Israeli strikes had killed at least 29 people including four medical staff. Israeli Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi says the military is monitoring the Syrian border to make sure that “local factions do not direct actions towards us,” adding that Israel is not intervening in the events in Syria. Israel’s military has said it is reinforcing its deployment along the border with Syria. Halevi said if “confusion” arises and actions are directed toward Israel by “local factions” taking control of parts of Syria, Israel has a strong “offensive response.” The United Nations humanitarian coordinator in Syria says the U.N. is relocating non-critical staff outside the country. Adam Abdelmoula in a statement Saturday called it a precautionary measure to protect U.N. teams. “Let me emphasize—this is not an evacuation and our dedication to supporting the people of Syria remains unwavering,” Abdelmoula said. The statement did not say how many U.N. staffers were leaving Syria as opposition fighters reached the suburbs of Syria’s capital, Damascus. The statement said the fighting in Syria has displaced over 370,000 people as the humanitarian situation deteriorates, “with many seeking refuge in the northeast and others trapped in frontline areas, unable to escape.” Foreign ministers and senior diplomats from eight key countries including Saudi Arabia, Russia, Egypt, Turkey and Iran have gathered on the sidelines of the Doha Summit along with the U.N. special envoy for Syria, Geir Pedersen, to discuss the situation in Syria. The talks continued late Saturday and no details were immediately available. Qatar, Jordan and Iraq also were part of the discussions as opposition fighters closed in on the Syrian capital, Damascus. BAGHDAD — An Iraqi government spokesperson says about 2,000 Syrian army soldiers have crossed into Iraq seeking refuge as opposition forces advance in Syria. Bassem al-Awadi said the soldiers’ equipment and weapons were registered and taken into custody by the Iraqi army. “We dealt with them according to the principle of good neighborliness and humanity,” he said Saturday. Al-Awadi also said Iraqi officials are concerned about the security of the al-Hol camp and other facilities in northeast Syria where suspected Islamic State group members and their families are detained. The facilities are guarded by U.S.-backed Kurdish forces. Al-Awadi said there is “high security coordination” between Iraqi officials and those forces to “prevent the prisoners from escaping.” Syria's army says it is fortifying its positions in the suburbs of Damascus and in the country’s south, as opposition fighters close in on the capital. The army statement on Saturday also asserted that Syria is being subjected to a “terrorist” and propaganda campaign aiming to destabilize and spread chaos. The statement also said the military is continuing with operations in areas including the central provinces of Hama and Homs, and that it has killed and wounded hundreds of opposition fighters. At least two people were wounded in a car-ramming attack in the West Bank on Saturday, according to the Israeli army and rescue services. The army said the attack took place in the area of the Fawwar refugee camp, near the city of Hebron. It said a soldier was severely wounded, and security forces were looking for the attacker. Israel’s Magen David Adom rescue service said another man in his 40s suffered light injuries from shrapnel. The West Bank has seen a surge in violence since Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023 attack out of Gaza sparked the war there. Israel has intensified its military raids in the West Bank, targeting what it says are militants planning attacks, and there has also been a rise in Palestinian attacks on Israelis. The Israeli military says it is helping United Nations forces to head off an attack on a U.N. position in Syria close to the Israeli border. The army said in a statement Saturday that an attack was carried out by “armed individuals” on a U.N. post near the Syrian town of Hader and it was “assisting U.N. forces in repelling the attack.” On Friday, Israel’s military said it would reinforce its forces in the Golan Heights and near the border with Syria, where civil war has reignited between the government and opposition fighters. Hamas has released a video showing Israeli hostage Matan Zangauker making an emotional plea for his release and describing the conditions he and other hostages face in Gaza after being seized in the Oct. 7, 2023 attack on Israel. His mother, Einav, has become a symbol of the fight to bring back the hostages and is an outspoken critic of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government. Matan Zangauker, speaking under duress, appealed to the public to protest in front of Netanyahu’s home and “not let him sleep even for a minute.” Zangauker also referred to 420 days of being held by Hamas militants. “We want to return before we go crazy. Isolation is killing us, and the darkness here is frightening,” he said, describing having little food and medicine and “undrinkable” water. President-elect Donald Trump has made his first extensive comments on dramatic advances by opposition fighters in Syria, saying the besieged President Bashar Assad didn’t deserve U.S. support to stay in power. “THIS IS NOT OUR FIGHT,” Trump posted on the Truth Social platform on Saturday. Syrian opposition activists and regional officials have been watching closely for any indication from both the Biden administration and the incoming Trump administration of how the U.S. would handle the sudden advances against Syria’s Russian- and Iranian-allied leader. Trump condemned the overall U.S. handling of the 13-year civil war in Syria, but spoke favorably of the routing of Assad and Russian forces. ISTANBUL — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Saturday that there was “now a new reality in Syria” following the rapid advance of rebel forces. Speaking in Gaziantep, a city less than 30 miles (48 kilometers) from the Syrian border, Erdogan said that “increasing attacks on civilians” in Syria’s northwest Idlib province “triggered the latest events like the straw that broke the camel’s back.” It was not possible for Turkey to ignore developments in a country with which it shares a lengthy border and it would not allow any threats to its national security, he added in a televised speech. “Our wish is for our neighbor Syria to attain the peace and tranquility it has been longing for for 13 years,” he told a rally of supporters. “We want to see a Syria where different identities live side by side in peace. We hope to see such a Syria in the very near future.” Erdogan claimed President Bashar Assad had erred in rebuffing Turkey’s previous efforts to establish relations, saying Damascus “could not appreciate the value of the hand Turkey extended.” Ankara has supported anti-Assad rebel groups since the early months of the conflict and hosts 3 million refugees dislodged by the fighting. While Turkey lists HTS, the group leading the latest offensive, as a terrorist organization, the Turkey-backed Syrian National Army has worked alongside it. BEIRUT — A resident of the Syrian capital of Damascus says the city is very tense as troops and members of security agencies are deployed on main streets and intersections. The resident told The Associated Press that many shops are closed and those that are open have run out of main commodities such as sugar. He added that if food products are available, some shops are selling them for a price three times higher than usual. “The situation is very strange. We are not used to that,” the resident said on condition of anonymity, fearing retributions. “People are worried whether there will be a battle (in Damascus) or not.” — Bassem Mroue in Beirut DOHA, Qatar — Russia’s foreign minister says he has met his Turkish and Iranian counterparts in Doha and that all three countries were calling for an “immediate end to hostile activities” in Syria. Russia and Iran are the chief supporters of Syria’s government, while Turkey backs opposition fighters trying to remove President Bashar Assad from power. Speaking at the annual Doha Forum, Sergey Lavrov said Russia continues to help the Syrian army confront insurgents, military via airstrikes. Asked whether Assad’s rule is threatened by the fast-moving rebel offensive, he said, “We are not in the business of guessing what’s gong to happen.” He blamed the United States and the West for the events in Syria and said, “We are very sorry for the Syrian people who became a subject of another geopolitical experiment. “We are doing everything we can not to make terrorists prevail, even if they say they are not terrorists,” Lavrov said, referring to the de facto leader of the Syrian insurgents, Abu Mohammed al-Golani, who says he has cut links with al-Qaida. His group, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, is listed as a terrorist organization by the U.S. and United Nations. He said Russia, Iran and Turkey want the full implementation of a U.N. resolution, which endorsed a road map to peace in Syria. Resolution 2254 was adopted unanimously in December 2015. The measure called for a Syrian-led political process, starting with the establishment of a transitional governing body, followed by the drafting of a new constitution and ending with U.N.-supervised elections. Lavrov also downplayed reports that Moscow had withdrawn ships from Russia’s base in Syrian city of Tartus, saying that the vessels had left to take part in naval exercises in the Mediterranean. DOHA, Qatar — The U.S. envoy who brokered the ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah says the deal has created a new opportunity for Lebanon to reshape itself. Amos Hochstein told the Doha Forum that the weakness of Hezbollah after nearly 14 months of fighting along, along with blows to its Syrian and Iranian allies, give the Lebanese military and government a chance to reassert itself. “Now is the moment with this ceasefire to rebuild Lebanon again for a much more prosperous future and stronger state institutions,” Hochstein told The Associated Press on the sidelines of the conference. He said Lebanon needs “to do its part” by rebuilding its economy, choosing a president after years of delays and strengthening its central government to attract investors. “And the international community has a requirement and a responsibility to support Lebanon after this devastating conflict and after years of Hezbollah control,” he said. Hochstein told the conference that the turning point in ceasefire efforts was Hezbollah dropping its pledge to keep fighting as long as the war in Gaza continues. He said the change in position was the result of the heavy losses inflicted on Hezbollah, and Lebanese public opinion in favor of delinking the two conflicts. He said key tests for the ceasefire will be whether Israel carries out its promised phased withdrawal from southern Lebanon over the coming two months and whether the Lebanese army is able to move into those areas. BEIRUT — Insurgents and a war monitor say opposition fighters are taking over military posts evacuated by Syrian government forces in the country’s south, bringing them closer to the capital, Damascus. An insurgent official known as Maj. Hassan Abdul-Ghani posted on the Telegram messaging app that opposition fighters are now in the town of Sanamein, about 20 kilometers (12 miles) from the southern outskirts of Damascus, President Bashar Assad’s seat of power. Rami Abdurrahman, who heads the Britain-based opposition Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said insurgents have entered the town of Artouz, which is about 10 kilometers (6 miles) southwest of Damascus. Opposition fighters have captured wide parts of Syria, including several provincial capitals, since they began their offensive on Nov. 27. BEIRUT — Lebanon’s government has approved a plan to deploy more troops along the border with Israel, part of the ceasefire deal that ended the Israel-Hezbollah war. In a rare Cabinet meeting outside of Beirut, held Saturday at a military base in the southern port city of Tyre, the government also approved a draft law to reconstruct buildings destroyed during the Israel-Hezbollah war that broke out in October 2023 and ended with a U.S.-brokered ceasefire last week. Information Minister Ziad Makary told reporters after the meeting that the committee whose job is to monitor the ceasefire that went into effect on Nov. 27 will hold its first meeting on Monday. The committee is made up of military officials from the U.S., France, Israel and Lebanon as well as the U.N. peacekeeping force deployed along the border. As part of the ceasefire deal, during the first 60 days Israeli troops will have to withdraw from Lebanon, while Hezbollah will have to pull its heavy weapons away from the border area to north of the Litani river. The Lebanese army said this week it will begin recruiting more soldiers, apparently to deploy them along the border with Israel. BEIRUT — The Syrian army withdrew from much of southern Syria on Saturday, leaving more areas of the country, including two provincial capitals, under the control of opposition fighters, the military and an opposition war monitor said. The redeployment away from the provinces of Daraa and Sweida came as Syria’s military sent large numbers of reinforcements to defend the key central city of Homs, Syria’s third largest, as insurgents approached its outskirts. The rapid advances by insurgents are a stunning reversal of fortunes for Syria’s President Bashar Assad , who appears to be largely on his own, with erstwhile allies preoccupied with other conflicts. His chief international backer, Russia, is busy with its war in Ukraine, and Lebanon’s powerful Hezbollah, which at one point sent thousands of fighters to shore up his forces, has been weakened by a yearlong conflict with Israel. Iran, meanwhile, has seen its proxies across the region degraded by Israeli regular airstrikes. JERUSALEM — Israeli security forces killed a Palestinian man after he attacked them at a border crossing in the Israeli-occupied West Bank on Saturday morning, police said. The man shot firecrackers at security forces at the checkpoint and threatened them with a knife, the police statement said. The man wore a t-shirt emblazoned with a symbol of the Islamic State militant group, according to an Associated Press reporter Israeli fire has killed at least 700 Palestinians in the West Bank since the Israel-Hamas war began last year, Palestinian health officials said. In that time, Palestinian militants have launched a number of attacks on soldiers at checkpoints and within Israel. DOHA, Qatar — The prime minister of Qatar says he has seen new momentum in Gaza ceasefire efforts since the U.S. presidential election, with the incoming Trump administration seeking an end to the conflict before it takes office. Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, a key mediator in the ceasefire efforts, declined to give specifics of the negotiations but told an international conference in Doha that the gaps between the sides are not large. Qatar, which has served as a mediator throughout the 14-month war, suspended its efforts last month in frustration over the lack of progress. But Sheikh Mohammed said his government has re-engaged in recent days after determining a new willingness by both parties to reach a deal. ’We have sensed after the election that the momentum is coming back,” he told the Doha Forum on Saturday. He said has been in touch with both the outgoing Biden administration and the incoming Trump administration and found that while there are some differences in approach, both are committed to the same goal of ending the war. ’We have seen a lot of encouragement from the incoming administration in order to achieve a deal, even before the president comes to the office,” Sheikh Mohammed said. He declined to discuss details, saying he wanted to “protect the process,” but expressed hope for a deal “as soon as possible.” ’If you look at the gaps and the disagreements, they are not something substantial that really affects the agreement,” he said. CAIRO — At least 29 people were killed, including four medical staff, when Israeli strikes pummeled the area around one of the last remaining hospitals in northern Gaza, Palestinian officials said. The situation in and around the Kamal Adwan hospital is “catastrophic,” according to Dr. Hussam Abu Safia, the director of the hospital. The dead included five children and five women, according to the hospital casualty list, which was obtained by The Associated Press. Friday’s strikes also wounded 55 people including six children and the five women, according to the hospital. Kamal Adwan Hospital in Beit Lahiya is one of the few hospitals still partially operating in the Gaza’s northernmost province , where Israeli forces are pressing an offensive that has almost completely sealed off the area from humanitarian aid for two months. Israel’s military denied that its forces had struck the hospital or operated inside it. The army said that in the past few weeks, “coordinated efforts with international organizations have been underway in order to transfer patients, companions, and medical staff to other hospitals.” An Indonesian medical team which had been assisting in Kamal Adwan for the past week was forced to evacuate on foot after the area was surrounded by Israeli soldiers, according to a statement from the team. The Israeli military did not immediately comment on the medical team’s expulsion. Dr. Rik Peeperkorn, the World Health Organization representative in the Palestinian territories, said an Israeli tank approached the hospital at around 4 a.m. Friday. Although no official Israeli evacuation order was issued, “people started to climb the wall to escape, and this panic attracted IDF (Israeli) fire,” he said. He spoke by video from Gaza to journalists in Geneva. Kamal Adwan Hospital has been struck multiple times over the past two months since Israel launched a fierce military operation in northern Gaza against Hamas militants. In October, Israeli forces raided the hospital, saying that militants were sheltering inside and arrested a number of people, including some staff. Hospital officials denied the claim. MANAMA, Bahrain — Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister has reiterated the kingdom’s call for an end to the war in the Gaza Strip. Prince Faisal bin Farhan described Israel as acting with “impunity and is getting away without punishment” in its war on Hamas there. The prince said that any permanent solution requires a two-state solution, with the Palestinians having east Jerusalem as their capital. After the speech, Prince Turki al-Faisal, a prominent royal in the kingdom who led Saudi intelligence for more than two decades and served as ambassador to the U.S. and Britain, took the stage. He harshly criticized Israel’s conduct in the wars. “Israel has become an apartheid, colonial and genocidal state,” Prince Turki said. “It is about time for the world to address that issue and take the necessary steps to bring those who are thus charged by the International Criminal Court to justice.” Israeli officials could not be immediately reached for comment on Prince Turki’s remarks. The Saudis spoke at the International Institute for Security Studies’ Manama Dialogue in Bahrain.
After his team's 102-89 home win on Wednesday night over Purdue Fort Wayne, Penn State coach Mike Rhoades challenged his team's fan base to show up and make more noise. "Sweat with us," he said at one point. At 5-0, the Nittany Lions haven't had to sweat much to get off to a fast start. They might not have to expend much perspiration to make it 6-0 on Monday when they meet Fordham in a semifinal matchup at the Sunshine Slam tournament in Daytona Beach, Fla. Penn State hasn't played a strong schedule so far, but the team has been impressive. It's averaging 98.2 points per game and 13.8 steals per game, both of which ranked second in Division I through Saturday's play. The Nittany Lions were seventh per kenpom.com in turnover rate, forcing 25.3 per 100 possessions. Point guard Ace Baldwin Jr. is leading the charge, scoring 16.4 points and dishing out 7.8 assists while chipping in 2.6 steals. Zach Hicks has nearly doubled his scoring average from 8.4 last season to 15.8 this season, while Northern Illinois transfer Yanic Konan Niederhauser has beefed up the interior, tallying 12.2 points and 7.2 rebounds. Meanwhile, Fordham (3-3) is coming off a 73-71 home loss Friday night against Drexel in New York. The Rams blew a seven-point lead early in the second half and missed a chance to force overtime when leading scorer Jackie Johnson III missed a layup as time expired. Johnson, a UNLV transfer, is averaging 19 points per game and is making nearly 48 percent of his shots as one of three Rams with double-figure scoring averages. Jahmere Tripp scores at an 11.0 clip while Japhet Medor is contributed 10.5, but Fordham is struggling to make shots, canning only 41.5 percent from the field. The Rams were picked for a 14th-place finish in the Atlantic 10 despite returning more scoring than any team in the league except for VCU. Third-year coach Keith Urgo thinks his team can defy low external expectations. "We're experienced and I think we're poised to have a tremendous year," he said. --Field Level MediaIn the News
Welltower Inc. stock underperforms Thursday when compared to competitorsIs Tesla’s Stock the New Goldmine? Discover What Gamers Need to Know
NoneNoneNone
BEIRUT (AP) — Insurgents' stunning march across Syria accelerated Saturday with news that they had reached the gates of the capital and that government forces had abandoned the central city of Homs. The government was forced to deny rumors that President Bashar Assad had fled the country. The loss of Homs is a potentially crippling blow for Assad. It stands at an important intersection between Damascus, the capital, and Syria’s coastal provinces of Latakia and Tartus — the Syrian leader’s base of support and home to a Russian strategic naval base. The pro-government Sham FM news outlet reported that government forces took positions outside Syria’s third-largest city, without elaborating. Rami Abdurrahman who heads the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said Syrian troops and members of different security agencies have withdrawn from the city, adding that rebels have entered parts of it. The insurgency announced later Saturday that it had taken over Homs. The city's capture is a major victory for the rebels, who have already seized the cities of Aleppo and Hama , as well as large parts of the south, in a lightning offensive that began Nov. 27. Analysts said rebel control of Homs would be a game-changer. The rebels' moves around Damascus, reported by the monitor and a rebel commander, came after the Syrian army withdrew from much of southern part of the country, leaving more areas, including several provincial capitals, under the control of opposition fighters. For the first time in the country’s long-running civil war, the government now has control of only three of 14 provincial capitals: Damascus, Latakia and Tartus. The advances in the past week were among the largest in recent years by opposition factions, led by a group that has its origins in al-Qaida and is considered a terrorist organization by the U.S. and the United Nations. In their push to overthrow Assad's government, the insurgents, led by the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group, or HTS, have met little resistance from the Syrian army. The rapid rebel gains, coupled with the lack of support from Assad's erstwhile allies, posed the most serious threat to his rule since the start of the war. The U.N.’s special envoy for Syria, Geir Pedersen, on Saturday called for urgent talks in Geneva to ensure an “orderly political transition.” Speaking to reporters at the annual Doha Forum in Qatar, he said the situation in Syria was changing by the minute. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, whose country is Assad's chief international backer, said he feels “sorry for the Syrian people.” In Damascus, people rushed to stock up on supplies. Thousands went to Syria's border with Lebanon, trying to leave the country. Many shops in the capital were shuttered, a resident told The Associated Press, and those still open ran out of staples such as sugar. Some were selling items at three times the normal price. “The situation is very strange. We are not used to that,” the resident said, insisting on anonymity, fearing retributions. “People are worried whether there will be a battle (in Damascus) or not.” It was the first time that opposition forces reached the outskirts of Damascus since 2018, when Syrian troops recaptured the area following a yearslong siege. The U.N. said it was moving noncritical staff outside the country as a precaution. Syria’s state media denied social media rumors that Assad left the country, saying he is performing his duties in Damascus. He has had little, if any, help from his allies. Russia, is busy with its war in Ukraine . Lebanon’s Hezbollah, which at one point sent thousands of fighters to shore up Assad's forces, has been weakened by a yearlong conflict with Israel. Iran has seen its proxies across the region degraded by regular Israeli airstrikes. U.S. President-elect Donald Trump on Saturday posted on social media that that the United States should avoid engaging militarily in Syria. Pedersen said a date for talks in Geneva on the implementation a U.N. resolution, adopted in 2015, and calling for a Syrian-led political process, would be announced later. The resolution calls for the establishment of a transitional governing body, followed by the drafting of a new constitution and ending with U.N.-supervised elections. Later Saturday, foreign ministers and senior diplomats from eight key countries, including Saudi Arabia, Russia, Egypt, Turkey and Iran, along with Pederson, gathered on the sidelines of the Doha Summit to discuss the situation in Syria. In a statement issued late Saturday, the participants affirmed their support for a political solution to the Syrian crisis “that would lead to the end of military activity and protect civilians.” They also agreed on the importance of strengthening international efforts to increase aid to the Syrian people. Rami Abdurrahman, who heads the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition war monitor, said insurgents were in the Damascus suburbs of Maadamiyah, Jaramana and Daraya. Opposition fighters were marching toward the Damascus suburb of Harasta, he added. A commander with the insurgents, Hassan Abdul-Ghani, posted on the Telegram messaging app that opposition forces had begun the “final stage” of their offensive by encircling Damascus. HTS controls much of northwest Syria and in 2017 set up a “salvation government” to run day-to-day affairs in the region. In recent years, HTS leader Abu Mohammed al-Golani has sought to remake the group’s image, cutting ties with al-Qaida, ditching hard-line officials and vowing to embrace pluralism and religious tolerance. The shock offensive began Nov. 27, during which gunmen captured the northern city of Aleppo, Syria’s largest, and the central city of Hama , the country’s fourth largest city. Opposition activists said Saturday that a day earlier, insurgents entered Palmyra, which is home to invaluable archaeological sites had been in government hands since being taken from the Islamic State group in 2017. To the south, Syrian troops left much of the province of Quneitra including the main Baath City, activists said. Syrian Observatory said government troops have withdrawn from much of the two southern provinces. The Syrian army said in a statement that it carried out redeployment and repositioning in Sweida and Daraa after its checkpoints came under attack by “terrorists." The army said it was setting up a “strong and coherent defensive and security belt in the area,” apparently to defend Damascus from the south. The Syrian government has referred to opposition gunmen as terrorists since conflict broke out in March 2011. The foreign ministers of Iran, Russia and Turkey, meeting in Qatar, called for an end to the hostilities. Turkey is a main backer of the rebels. Qatar's top diplomat, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, criticized Assad for failing to take advantage of the lull in fighting in recent years to address the country’s underlying problems. “Assad didn’t seize this opportunity to start engaging and restoring his relationship with his people,” he said. Sheikh Mohammed said he was surprised by how quickly the rebels have advanced and said there is a real threat to Syria’s “territorial integrity.” He said the war could “damage and destroy what is left if there is no sense of urgency” to start a political process. Karam reported from London. Associated Press writers Albert Aji in Damascus, Syria; Qassim Abdul-Zahra in Baghdad; Josef Federman and Victoria Eastwood in Doha, Qatar; and Ellen Knickmeyer in Washington contributed to this report.
NEW ORLEANS , Dec. 4, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Jones Walker LLP is pleased to announce the addition of 16 associates to the firm. The firm welcomes the following new associates: Holland Aucoin , Litigation Buddy Bardenwerper , Maritime Hailey Dennis , Maritime Brandon DeRojas , Tax Ryan Flood , Corporate Tyler Hays , Corporate Jordan Heath , Litigation Caitlin Kicklighter , Litigation Grant Krag , Litigation and Corporate Tamra Manfredo , Corporate Stephen Reynolds , Maritime Sydney Rusovich , Corporate Katie Schimmel , Litigation Katie Beth Simmons , Corporate Patrick Van Burkleo , Litigation Amelie Zimmer , Tax Holland Crain Aucoin is an associate in the Litigation Practice Group and a member of the property and personal injury team in the Lafayette office. While earning her JD and DCL from Louisiana State University Paul M. Hebert Law Center, Holland served as a judicial extern at the US District Court for the Middle District of Louisiana and as a legal clerk at various firms. She served as managing editor of the LSU Law Journal for Social Justice & Policy , as a research assistant, and as an academic tutor. Holland was also the recipient of several notable scholarships. Prior to law school, she worked as a litigation paralegal. Thomas (Buddy) Bardenwerper is an associate in the Maritime Practice Group and a member of the litigation, arbitration, and dispute resolution team in the Miami office. As a former US Coast Guard officer who served both at sea and ashore, he has unique insight into marine casualty and dispute investigations, with hands-on experience with vessel and crew operations under domestic and international maritime law. Before joining Jones Walker , Buddy served as a staff attorney for Justice John D. Couriel of the Florida Supreme Court and as a law clerk to Judge Roy K. Altman of the US District Court for the Southern District of Florida . He earned his JD from Harvard Law School . Hailey Dennis is an associate in the Maritime Practice Group and a member of the litigation, arbitration, and dispute resolution team in the Miami office. While earning her JD from Tulane Law School, Hailey served as president of the Maritime Law Society. Prior to joining Jones Walker , she interned with the US Coast Guard, researching maritime law and policy, and spent a summer working with Carnival Australia's legal team in Sydney , handling corporate risks, claims, and contracts. Hailey has also clerked for maritime law firms and presented at conferences on topics including the Safer Seas Act and the International Maritime Organization's 2050 decarbonization initiatives. Before law school, she worked shipboard for Carnival Cruise Line, where she gained firsthand knowledge of the inner workings of the maritime industry. Brandon DeRojas is an associate in the Tax Practice Group and a member of the state and local tax team in the New Orleans office. While earning his JD cum laude from Tulane Law School, Brandon interned at the US Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana and was an active member of the Business Law and Sports Law societies. He also received the CALI Award for the state and local tax class and the highest grade for the federal income taxation class. Additionally, Brandon was inducted into the 2024 Tulane Pro Bono Krewe for completing over 150 hours of pro bono services. H. Ryan Flood is an associate in the Corporate Practice Group in the New Orleans office. Ryan advises clients on a broad range of corporate law, governance, transactional, and related matters. He earned his JD from Loyola University New Orleans College of Law in 2024, where he graduated first in his class. While in law school, Ryan was published twice in the Loyola Law Review , where he was the editor-in-chief, and competed in multiple Moot Court competitions. Ryan worked as a summer associate for various firms, where he gained legal experience in real estate, criminal defense, and constitutional law and worked on issues involving obligations, successions, and donations; insurance; personal injury; and medical malpractice. Tyler Hays is an associate in the Corporate Practice Group in the Baton Rouge office. Tyler advises clients on a broad range of corporate law, governance, transactional, and related matters. While earning his JD and DCL magna cum laude from Louisiana State University Paul M. Hebert Law Center, he served as a senior editor of Volume 84 of the Louisiana Law Review. Jordan M. Heath is an associate on the Construction Industry Team in the Atlanta office. Jordan represents a variety of clients in the construction industry, ranging from owners and general contractors to subcontractors and suppliers. While earning his JD cum laude at the University of Georgia School of Law (UGA Law), he served as an extern with multiple public defense offices in Georgia and was an active participant in UGA Law's Mock Trial program and the Clarke-Carley Inn of Court. Prior to and during law school, Jordan assisted with litigation work at various law firms. Caitlin R. Kicklighter is an associate on the Construction Industry Team in the Atlanta office. Caitlin represents a variety of clients in the construction industry, ranging from owners and general contractors to subcontractors and suppliers. While earning her JD with honors from Emory University School of Law, Caitlin externed at the US District Court for the Northern District of Georgia . Prior to law school, Caitlin worked with Jones Walker's construction team as a construction litigation case clerk. R. Grantham Krag is an associate in the Litigation and Corporate practice groups and a member of the commercial dispute resolution and arbitration team in the Jackson office. Before joining Jones Walker , Grant completed clerkships with Judge Taylor B. McNeel of the US District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi and Presiding Judge Jack L. Wilson of the Mississippi Court of Appeals. Prior to his clerkships, Grant spent nearly three years as in-house counsel for a Mississippi state agency, where he worked alongside the agency's special assistant attorney general and handled legislative drafting, employment disputes, contract review, and policy implementation. He earned his JD cum laude from the Mississippi College School of Law. Tamra J. Manfredo is an associate in the Corporate Practice Group in the Baton Rouge office. Tamra advises clients on a broad range of corporate law governance, transactional, and related matters. While earning her JD and DCL magna cum laude from Louisiana State University Paul M. Hebert Law Center, she was a research assistant and served as the production editor of the Louisiana Law Review , where she was a published author. Additionally, Tamra received multiple academic merit scholarships, was a top 16 finalist in the Tullis Moot Court Competition, and served as a judicial extern at the US District Court for the Middle District of Louisiana . Stephen B. Reynolds, Jr. , is an associate in the Maritime Practice Group and a member of the litigation, arbitration, and dispute resolution team in the New Orleans office. Stephen earned his JD from Tulane Law School, where he also achieved a Certificate in Maritime Law. While in law school, he served as the senior notes and comments editor of the Tulane Maritime Law Journal . Prior to earning his law degree, Stephen worked as a paralegal. Sydney G. Rusovich is an associate in the Corporate Practice Group in the New Orleans office. Sydney advises clients on a broad range of corporate law, governance, transactional, and related matters. While earning her JD summa cum laude from Loyola University New Orleans College of Law, she served as managing editor of the Loyola Law Review and earned awards for her contributions. Additionally, Sydney co-founded the Catholic Law Student Society, served as vice president of the Loyola Law Chapter of the Federal Bar Association, and was a research assistant. Prior to starting her legal career, she served as project coordinator for the University of Mississippi's Arabic Language Flagship program, one of six US Department of Defense-sponsored foreign language programs in the country. Kathryn E. Schimmel is an associate in the Litigation Practice Group and a member of the Energy, Environmental & Natural Resources Industry Team in the New Orleans office. While earning her JD magna cum laude at Tulane Law School, Kathryn served as senior associate editor of the Tulane Law Review , where she was also published, and as a student attorney at the Tulane Environmental Law Clinic. She also earned a Certificate in Environmental Law. Katie Beth Simmons is an associate in the Corporate Practice Group in the Jackson office. Katie advises clients on a broad range of corporate law, governance, transactional, and related matters. While earning her JD summa cum laude from the Mississippi College School of Law, Katie interned at the Neshoba County District Attorney's Office of the Eighth Judicial District of Mississippi and at the Office of the State Treasurer of Mississippi . Patrick M. Van Burkleo is an associate in the Litigation Practice Group and a member of the dispute resolution team in the New Orleans office. While earning his JD and DCL cum laude from Louisiana State University Paul M. Hebert Law Center, Patrick externed for Chief Judge Shelly Dick of the US District Court for the Middle District of Louisiana . He also served as an academic tutor for Federal Civil Procedure and Obligations and was on the editorial board as the notes and comments editor for Volume XII of the LSU Journal of Energy Law and Resources, where he is also a published author. Prior to his career in law, he was a client manager and consultant at a healthcare technology and consulting company with a multinational presence. Amelie J. Zimmer is an associate in the Tax Practice Group and a member of the trusts and estates team in the New Orleans office. Amelie focuses her practice on estate and tax planning for high net worth individuals, families, and closely held businesses. She earned an LLM in taxation from New York University School of Law , where she was awarded several notable scholarships, and a JD from Loyola University New Orleans College of Law, where she graduated first in her class and served as a research assistant and the casenote and comment editor for the Loyola Law Review . Additionally, Amelie has completed the certified public accountant examination and is awaiting licensure. About Jones Walker Jones Walker LLP ( joneswalker.com ) is among the largest 145 law firms in the United States . With offices in Alabama , Arizona , the District of Columbia , Florida , Georgia , Louisiana , Mississippi , New York , and Texas , we serve local, regional, national, and international business interests. The firm is committed to providing a comprehensive range of legal services to major multinational public and private corporations, Fortune® 500 companies, money center banks, worldwide insurers, and emerging companies doing business in the United States and abroad. Contact : Ryan Evans 504.582.8209 [email protected] Savannah Kirk 225.248.3435 [email protected] SOURCE Jones Walker LLPDolphins Handle Business in Win Vs PatriotsIt may be the smallest official royal palace in the UK but Kew Palace, nestling in the middle of London’s stunning botanical gardens, packs a mighty punch as the real-life stage for Regency romance, madness and Bridgerton betrayal. Kew Palace in the famed botanical Gardens. A place where things go bump in the night. Credit: Getty Images With a history as triumphant and tragic as that of any monarchy worldwide, it’s a building soaked in memories of past lives, which sometimes still leak out from the fabric. “We sometimes hear children running in the corridors even though there’s no-one else here,” says Emma Dearing, the operations manager at Kew Palace. “At other times, there’s the odd smell of tobacco or of a sweet sherberty lemon, possibly from the perfumes the women used to wear. “And I was here in 2022 when the Queen passed away. All the music had been turned off for the mourning period but when we came to check one morning, we could hear music... but the player wasn’t plugged in.” Historic Royal Palaces conservators arrange artefacts and furniture in the Queen’s Boudoir. Credit: Getty Images Kew Palace started out in 1631 as a City of London merchant’s handsome Palladian-style home until it was developed into a royal palace in the 18th Century. Four storeys high, with its exterior painted in a red ochre colour wash, it was used by successive generations of rulers and their families as a weekend country retreat. King George III was no different, taking it as a refuge for himself and his young bride, Queen Charlotte, and, as the years passed, their 15 children. Visits to the palace have surged since Netflix drama Bridgerton became a massive hit around the world. It tells the story of life in that era and how, as George’s demons spiralled him into despair, Charlotte set the social standards and the feckless Prince Regent became ever more powerful. With the show’s fourth season now in production, it seems everyone has been captivated by the story of the royals in one of the most turbulent times in history, and Kew Palace has been the staunch witness to it all. A dust cover is removed from a piano in the Queen’s Drawing Room. Credit: Getty Images If only the walls could talk. But this palace has so much atmosphere, and so many personal objects on display, it’s not too difficult to imagine life as it was in the day. The king’s flute is in the first room. He was a man with a tremendous appetite for all the finer things in life – books, music and art. Charlotte’s harpsichord is also there. The two often played together, while a visiting Mozart famously duetted with her. A 1761 portrait of George’s young bride glows on one wall. It was painted before she arrived from Germany as a 17-year-old, considered young, innocent and unworldly enough to make a suitable match. George’s former tutor and close advisor Lord Bute was charged with finding a perfect match. “She had to be not too clever, not too beautiful, not too political and not too outspoken,” says Dearing. “Several young women missed out for saying or doing the wrong thing. “But Charlotte knew to be careful in front of Lord Bute... and she waited until after the marriage to show her true colours.” She certainly turned out to be wise, with their marriage lasting 57 years until her death. A painting in the Queen’s Bedroom. Credit: Getty Images In another room, there are life-size models of the couple with all of their children – one pregnancy a year still failed to dim Charlotte’s light – while the dining table is laid for dinner that you can imagine being served any moment. Upstairs, the queen’s boudoir is a sumptuous room, with an elaborate plaster ceiling with figures representing each of the five senses. It’s been decorated according to the snatches of the original furnishings that survived, so now has a lively teal wallpaper, gold and black curtains and thick carpets. It’s here that Charlotte and her maids would spend their time sewing and gossiping. There are also the rooms for all the children, with the girls’ rooms the most fascinating. As females, they were allowed to do little, beyond reading, sewing, walking and playing cards. But there’s also an astonishing large dolls’ house on display, with each of the rooms decorated as they are in the real palace with miniature versions of all the furniture. It’s painstaking work, but it makes you appreciate that, in the absence of little else, this is what the life of a female royal would be. There are plenty of memories of even darker days, too, when George first faltered with a mystery illness in 1788. He took sanctuary in Kew Palace at that time, where he was treated with a mix of leeches, cold baths, laxatives and threats, often being contained in a straitjacket and allowed to do nothing for himself. He recovered a year later, but then descended into what was popularly called “madness” again in 1810. Today, it’s thought it could have been the illness porphyria, a metabolic disorder, or he could have been bipolar. It was then that his son, George IV, took power. The palace was then used by the royals as an elaborate weekender in the midst of the fabulous Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, which was set on the path to becoming one of the world’s foremost gardens by Sir Joseph Banks, who bankrolled Captain Cook’s expedition to Australia and then masterminded transportation to the colony. If walls could talk... The King’s Dining Room. Credit: Historic Royal Palaces But the royal home fell out of favour with George IV, back into prominence with William IV, and then, finally, into disuse before Queen Victoria, George III’s granddaughter, opened it to the public. She would have known that Kew Palace’s incredible history, and its amazing location – quite apart from the advent of TV streaming – would continue to attract visitors, as a true jewel of London, forever more. FIVE OTHER ROYAL PALACES OPEN FOR VISITORS The Tower of London The city’s most splendid fortress, royal palace, home of the Crown Jewels and notorious prison that was once jail to the two little princes. Adults £34.80 ($67.20); children up to 15 £17.40 ($33.60) Hampton Court Palace The palace of Tudor King Henry VIII, his six wives and their various children, set in 24 hectares of magnificent gardens. Adults £27.50; children up to 15 £13.60 Kensington Palace The birthplace of Queen Victoria, and the home of young royals, as well as Princess Diana who had her home and office there. Adults £20.00; children up to 16 £10.00 Hillsborough Castle A splendid castle in Northern Ireland, County Down, used by presidents and royals through the ages, with 40 hectares of ornamental lawn. Adults £20.20; children up to 15 £10.10 Banqueting House The site of Charles I’s execution in Whitehall with a magnificent Rubens’ ceiling. Prices will be set in 2025 after a refurbishment. All these palaces are run by the Historic Royal Palaces. See hrp.org.uk THE DETAILS VISIT Access to Kew Palace is included with a Kew Gardens ticket and is open 10am-3.15pm. Last entry 2.30pm. Tickets: peak February 1-October 31 - Weekdays adults £22 (online £20) and children £6 (online £5); Weekends adults £24 (online £22) and children £7 (online £6). Off Peak November 1- January 31. Weekdays adults £14 (online £12) and children £5 (online £4); Weekends adults £16 (online £14) and children £6 (online £5). See kew.org The writer travelled at her own expense.