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☆ Harrisburg, Pennsylvania is the No. 1 place to retire in America, recent study shows
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-27 | by ( Celia Fernandez | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

According to a recent U.S. News and World Report ranking, the state of Pennsylvania dominates the list of best place to retire in the U.S. Harrisburg ranked as the best place to retire in the U.S. in 2024, according to U.S. News and World Report. Richard T. Nowitz | The Image Bank | Getty ImagesHarrisburg, Pennsylvania's capital, ranked as the best place to retire in the U.S. Reading, Pennsylvania ranked as the second-best place to retire in the U.S. in 2024, according to U.S. News and World Report. 3 best place to retire in the U.S. in 2024, according to U.S. News and World Report.

Persons: Richard T, Penn ., Alex Potemkin, RentCafe Organizations: . News, U.S . News, U.S, Harrisburg, Bank, Getty Images, Allentown , Penn . New York City, Daytona, Reading Railroad, Monopoly, Istock, Getty Locations: U.S, Florida, Pennsylvania, Northeastern, Puerto Rico, Harrisburg, Penn, Getty Images Harrisburg, New York City, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington, East Coast, Zillow, Reading, Penn . Lancaster, Scranton, Allentown , Penn . New York, Allentown , Penn . New York City York, Daytona Beach, Fla . Youngstown , Ohio Pittsburgh, Reading , Pennsylvania, Lancaster, Reading , PA, Lancaster . Lancaster , Pennsylvania

☆ Huge Turbines Will Soon Bring First Offshore Wind Power to New Yorkers
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-27 | by ( Patrick Mcgeehan | More About Patrick Mcgeehan | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The pier on the Connecticut coast is filled with so many massive oddities that it could be mistaken for the set of a sci-fi movie. It is a launching point, not for spacecraft, but for the first wind turbines being built to turn ocean wind into electricity for New Yorkers. Crews of union workers in New London, Conn., are preparing parts of 12 of the gargantuan fans before shipping them out for final assembly 15 miles offshore. “They’re sort of space-stationesque,” said Christine Cohen, a Democratic state senator who toured the assembly site last week. Recent setbacks to several other offshore projects in the region have raised concerns about whether and when they all will be built.

Persons: Crews, ”, Christine Cohen, it’s, ’ Organizations: Democratic Locations: Connecticut, New London, Conn

☆ Russian forces are crashing headlong into another city using some of the same catastrophic tactics that bloodied its army in Bakhmut
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-26 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Russia has faced a slaughter fighting for the eastern city of Avdiivka. Ukrainian forces say they've destroyed heaps of armor, equipment, and personnel. War experts say the slaughter around Avdiivka bears similar hallmarks to the months-long battle for Bakhmut, where Moscow's catastrophic tactics badly bloodied its army, even though it eventually captured the city. There, it added, Russian forces are suffering "particularly heavy casualties." George Barros, a Russia analyst at the Institute for the Study of War, said Avdiivka presents a similar situation for Ukraine as Bakhmut did.

Persons: —, Mark Cancian, They've, Cancian, George Barros, Avdiivka, Barros, Valerii Zaluzhnyi, they've, It's, Bakhmut, Vladimir Putin Organizations: Service, US Marine Corps, Center, Strategic International Studies, Business, Institute for, Kyiv, Special Operations Forces, Ukraine, Russia, White, Avdiivka, Mechanized Brigade, Connect Locations: Russia, Avdiivka, Moscow, Bakhmut, Ukraine, Izium, Donetsk, —, Ukrainian, Donetsk region, Russian

Muse hosts the 105-Mile Trade Zone and has the greatest volume of trade with China. It is the fourth border crossing seized by the alliance forces in a month of intense fighting. Social media sites associated with the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army displayed photos and video of what they said were its forces at the border gate. Fighting has been raging in the region since the Arakan Army, the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army and the Ta’ang National Liberation Army, calling themselves the Three Brotherhood Alliance, launched a coordinated offensive on Oct. 27. The Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army has made common cause with Beijing by declaring elimination of the cyberscam operations to be one of its goals.

Persons: Le Kyar, “, ” Le Kyar Win, couldn't, hasn't, Zaw Min Tun, Aung, Suu Kyi, Myanmar's, beseiging Laukkaing Organizations: Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army, Associated Press, Muse, Trade, Social, Arakan Army, National Liberation Army, Brotherhood Alliance Locations: BANGKOK, China, Muse, Myanmar, Shan, Maj, Zaw, Arakan, Suu, Laukkaing, Beijing

☆ Thai Mother Danced With Joy After Daughter Released From Gaza
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-25 | by ( Nov. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

By Napat WesshasartarBAN KHOK SAMRAN (Reuters) - When Natthawaree Mulkan's mother saw that her daughter was among the Thai hostages released by Hamas, she was so happy she danced with her 8-year-old granddaughter outside their home in northeastern Thailand. I came out and danced," Bunyarin Srijan, 56, said pointing to her patio. Natthawaree, a mother of two, was one of 10 Thai hostages freed by Hamas during the first truce of a seven-week-old war that started with the Palestinian militant group's Oct. 7 assault on southern Israel. Bunyarin said her daughter had planned to marry her boyfriend, Boonthom Phankhong, who was also abducted by Hamas and released on Friday. Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin said on Saturday that the government was still trying to secure the release of 20 Thai citizens who remain captive.

Persons: Napat, KHOK SAMRAN, Natthawaree, Bunyarin, clasped, Boonthom Phankhong, Srettha Thavisin, Chayut Setboonsarng, Christina Fincher Organizations: Hamas, Thai Locations: Thailand, Israel

Thai Foreign Minister Parnpree Bahiddha-Nukara wrote online that he was “overjoyed.”He had traveled more than three weeks ago to Egypt and Qatar to seek their help in obtaining the hostages’ freedom. “It is our deep hope that all remaining hostages will be taken care of, and will be safely released at the earliest opportunity,” the Thai Foreign Ministry said. The spokesman for the Qatari foreign ministry, Majed al-Ansari, posted on X that the number was 10. Prof. Hagai Levine, head of the medical team at the Hostages and Missing Persons Families Forum, said that getting medical information about the Thai hostages' pre-existing conditions has been trickier than with released Israelis. According to Thailand's foreign ministry, 39 were killed in the Oct. 7 attacks, and 26 abducted.

Persons: Parnpree Bahiddha, Nukara, ”, Thais, Srettha Thavisin, Majed al, Ansari, farmhands, Hagai Levine, Ratana, “, Parnpree Organizations: Thai, International Committee, Thai Foreign Ministry, Qatari, Shamir, Center, Facebook, Hamas, Government, Trade, Labor Ministry Locations: Egypt, Qatar, Thailand, Israel, Iran, Malaysia, Thai, Udon Thani, Tehran, Persia

☆ Midwestern Cities Will Have Highest Winter Heating Bills, Study Finds
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-24 | by ( Eliza Relman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Residents of cities across the Midwest will be hardest hit by home heating costs this winter. A new study ranked US cities based on costs in relation to incomes, energy efficiency, and more. The study ranked heating expenses in the 500 biggest cities in the country based on several factors, including electricity and heating fuel costs relative to average income, home energy-efficiency, and things like weather and average home size and age. Cleveland and Flint have particularly energy inefficient homes, while Independence and St. Joseph ranked high on energy costs, the study reported. During the hot months, places like Florida and Georgia become the most unaffordable when it comes to HVAC costs, the study noted.

Persons: —, Joseph Organizations: Service, Midwest ., Midwestern, Puget, Census Bureau, Department of Energy, National Oceanic, Atmospheric Administration Locations: Midwest, Springfield , Missouri, Cleveland , Ohio, Independence , Missouri, Flint , Michigan, St, Joseph , Missouri, Midwest . Cleveland, Flint, Independence, Northeastern, Southern, Central California, Washington State, Florida, Georgia

CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — South Africa, Colombia and other countries that lost out in the global race for coronavirus vaccines are taking a more combative approach towards drugmakers and pushing back on policies that deny cheap treatment to millions of people with tuberculosis and HIV. The pills are especially important for South Africa, where TB killed more than 50,000 people in 2021, making it the country’s leading cause of death. In July, J&J’s patent on the drug expired in South Africa, but the company had it extended until 2027, enraging activists who accused it of profiteering. Back then, President Nelson Mandela’s government in South Africa eventually suspended patents to allow wider access to AIDS drugs. Bedaquiline was not rolled out as a standard treatment in South Africa until 2018.

Persons: they’ve, ”, Brook Baker, Johnson, Christophe Perrin, Peter Maybarduk, Petro Terblanche, Afrigen, Nelson Mandela’s, “ Mandela, Terblanche, Lynette Keneilwe Mabote, Andy Gray, Gray, Zolelwa, Bedaquiline, “, Sifumba, ___ Cheng Organizations: Health Organization, Northeastern University, One, Johnson, J, Viiv Healthcare, WHO, Public Citizen, Pfizer, Moderna, Terblanche, Big Pharma, South, University of KwaZulu, World Health Organization, AP Locations: CAPE, South Africa, Colombia, Belarus, Ukraine, Colombian, Washington, Africa, Natal, South African, London

☆ US forces attacked 4 times in Iraq, Syria within hours
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BAGHDAD, Nov 23 (Reuters) - U.S. forces were attacked four times in Iraq and Syria on Thursday with rockets and armed drones, but there were no casualties or damage to infrastructure, a U.S military official said. Speaking on condition of anonymity, the official said U.S. and international forces were attacked at two sites in northeastern Syria with multiple rockets and a one-way attack drone. In Iraq, multiple one-way drones were launched at the Ain Al-Asad airbase west of Baghdad and a drone was launched at a base housing U.S. forces near Erbil airport in northern Iraq. A group calling itself the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, which analysts say is a catch-all for several Iran-aligned Iraqi armed groups, had claimed attacks on those locations earlier in the day. As of Thursday, there had been 36 attacks in Iraq and 37 in Syria, the U.S. military official said.

Persons: Asad, Timour, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: U.S, Hamas, Thomson Locations: BAGHDAD, Iraq, Syria, Ain Al, Baghdad, Erbil, Iran, U.S, United States, Israel

☆ A 77-year-old woman was fined for bringing a chicken sandwich into Australia, and she says she had to use her pension to pay it off
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-23 | by ( Marielle Descalsota | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

A passenger was fined $1,995 after she brought a chicken sandwich into Australia. AdvertisementA New Zealand woman traveling to Australia was fined for entering the country with a chicken sandwich, The New Zealand Herald reported on Tuesday. She was fined 3,300 New Zealand dollars, or $1,995, for bringing an uneaten sandwich into Australia. AdvertisementIt's not the first time a passenger has been fined for bringing an undeclared item through an Australian airport. And in August last year, a passenger was fined $1,870 for packing McMuffin sandwiches on a flight from Bali to Australia.

Persons: Armstrong, —, NZH Organizations: Service, New Zealand Herald, Brisbane Airport, Australia's Department of Agriculture, Fisheries, Forestry Locations: Australia, Zealand, Christchurch, New Zealand, Bali

☆ China says no unusual pathogens found after WHO queries respiratory outbreaks
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

The WHO had asked China for more information on Wednesday after groups including the Program for Monitoring Emerging Diseases (ProMED) reported clusters of undiagnosed pneumonia in children in north China. No unusual pathogens have been detected in the capital of Beijing and the northeastern province of Liaoning. The U.N. health agency had also asked China for further information about trends in the circulation of known pathogens and the burden on healthcare systems. WHO China said it was "routine" to request information on increases in respiratory illnesses and reported clusters of pneumonia in children from member states, such as China. The WHO said that while it was seeking additional information, it recommended that people in China follow measures to reduce the risk of respiratory illness.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, pneumoniae, Ben Cowling, Deena Beasley, Andrew Silver, Jennifer Rigby, Emma Farge, Urvi, Robert Birsel, Miyoung Kim, Josie Kao Organizations: REUTERS, World Health Organization, WHO, International, National Health Commission, FTV News, Hong Kong University, Health Commission, Xinhua, Influenza, Thomson Locations: China, Beijing, Liaoning, Wuhan, WHO China, Taiwan, Los Angeles, Shanghai, London, Geneva, Bengaluru

☆ Sudan refugees detail second wave of ethnic purge by Arab forces
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +16 min

After seizing swathes of Khartoum, it has forced retreats by the Sudanese army in parts of the Darfur and Kordofan regions. When they were ambushed by Arab militiamen and came under fire along the route, the vehicle’s occupants scattered. In return, the Arab forces would guarantee the safety of the camp’s occupants and allow safe passage out of El Geneina for those who wanted to leave. He said he watched the Arab forces from his hiding place behind a wall at his home. Multiple eyewitnesses said that RSF and Arab militia forces rounded up hundreds of Masalit men, some of whom were executed.

Persons: Ardamata, Josep Borrell, ”, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, Dagalo, Abdullah Omar Abdullah, Al Fadhl Abdullah, Khamis Hassan, ” Ibrahim Youssef, “, Youssef, Gamareldin Mohammed, Mohammed Ahmed Goma, ” Goma, Goma, Abdelrahim Hamdan Dagalo, Abdul Rahman Juma, ” Dagalo, RSF, El Geneina, Hussein Fayez, Hassan, Hussein, Yassin Ahmed, Abdu Mohammed Ibrahim, Ibrahim, Reuters couldn’t, Adam Mohammed, Mohammed, Ibrahim Youssef, didn’t, Ben Lesser, Grant Smith, Maggie Michael, Ryan McNeill, Mohammad Kawoosa, Han Huang, Edgar Su, Catherine Tai, Peter Hirschberg Organizations: UNICEF, United Nations, European Union, UNHCR, Diplomats, South, Sudanese, Sudanese Alliance, Army, Reuters, Planet Labs Locations: El, Chad, El Geneina, Darfur, Adre, Chad’s, Sudan, Ardamata, “, West Darfur, Khartoum, Sudanese, Kordofan, Nyala, Port Sudan, South Sudan, U.S, Al Mashtal, El Geneina’s, New York

Assistant U.S. Attorney Adam Deitch said in court that Waithe's scheme victimized at least 50 women. Waithe worked at Northeastern from October 2018 to February 2019, when the university fired him, and had previously coached at Penn State University, Illinois Institute of Technology, University of Tennessee and Concordia University Chicago. Prosecutors said Waithe sent the women nude or semi-nude photos he had stolen and requested they send additional ones so he could conduct "reverse image searches." But, with the help of a hacker, Waithe stole nude pictures of one of the Northeastern athletes stored on her Snapchat account and cyberstalked her, Deitch said. While some ignored his emails, at least 17 women responded, sending him 350 nude or semi-nude photos, according to the indictment.U.S.

Persons: Steve Waithe, Adam Deitch, Deitch, Waithe, Prosecutors, Patti Saris, Jane Peachy, Nate Raymond, Will Dunham, Alexia Garamfalvi Organizations: BOSTON, Northeastern University, U.S, Northeastern, Penn State University , Illinois Institute of Technology, University of Tennessee, Concordia University Chicago, Prosecutors, Thomson Locations: Boston, Waithe, Northeastern, U.S

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — The eruption of Papua New Guinea’s tallest volcano subsided Tuesday, but thick ash still billowed into the sky and coated roofs and palm trees nearby. The Volcanic Ash Advisory Center in Darwin, Australia, reported volcanic smoke rising as high as 15,000 meters (50,000 feet) on Monday. The nearest large town is Bialla, which is established among palm oil plantations on Ulawun’s slopes 47 kilometers (29 miles) to the southwest, the division said. Hargy Oil Palm Ltd., a company based in Bialla, did not immediately respond to an email request for comment. The division said heavy coatings of black ash were causing leaves to droop in palm oil plantations near the volcano and were accumulating on roofs.

Persons: Ulawun, Mount Ulawun Organizations: Pacific, Guinea’s Geohazards Management, Ash Advisory, Civil Aviation Safety Authority, Ltd, World Bank, Papua New, ” Locations: CANBERRA, Australia, Papua, New Britain, Darwin, Papua New Guinea, Mount, Port Moresby, Honiara, Solomon, Bialla, Japan, ” Papua New Guinea

☆ The noise from pickleball courts is driving everyone crazy. Scientists are trying to come up with a solution.
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-21 | by ( Marianne Guenot | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

AdvertisementNow, scientists are looking into everything from acoustic fabrics to court spacing in a bid to come up with a solution. Why is pickleball noise so annoying? The engineer founded Pickleball Sound Mitigation LLC, a firm that specializes exclusively in the sport, per The Hustle. AdvertisementThe organization hopes the "quiet category" could soon "encompass a wide range of products, including paddles, balls, paddle covers, and noise mitigation screens for pickleball courts," the statement. USA Pickleball is also compiling a list of acoustic experts trained to help dampen the noise of the game, per Axios.

Persons: —, Sue, Ellen Welfonder, she'd, Nicole Laffan, Laffan, RJ Sangosti, Kausik Sarkar, Braxton Boren, WUSA9, Boren, Bob Unetich, Unetich, Pickleball, Carl Schmits Organizations: Service, Washington Post, Fitness Industry Association, New York Times, Northeastern Global, MediaNews, Denver, Getty, George Washington University, University, Carnegie Mellon University, USA Locations: British Columbia, Washington, Denver , Colorado, USA

☆ The USDA's new plant zone map could change how you garden, including when and what you grow
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-21 | by ( Grace Eliza Goodwin | Jenny Mcgrath | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

According to the new map, central Arkansas shifted half a zone up from zone 7b to zone 8a since the USDA last updated its map in 2012. The 2023 USDA map shows warmer zones in central Michigan, as well as shifts in some Northeastern states. AdvertisementLimitations of the USDA's new plant zone map"The map is a guideline, not a guarantee," Foster wrote, and plants can thrive in several zones. AdvertisementIn the Northwestern US, the 2023 USDA map (left) shows some regions of Montana in new, warmer zones. Sections of the South Central US, including Houston, Texas, and New Orleans, Louisiana, have changed to new zones in the 2023 USDA map (left).

Persons: Megan London, NPR she's, Chris Daly, Daly, Jonathan Foster, The University of Maine's Maine, Foster, you'll, US Department of Agriculture Foster, US Department of Agriculture Daly, " Daly Organizations: USDA, Service, NPR, Better Homes, Gardens, Oregon State University, US Department of Agriculture, North Central, The University of Maine's, The University of Maine's Maine Gardner, Southwestern, Northwestern, South Central Locations: Arkansas, Florida, Montana, Central, Michigan, Northeastern, Omaha , Nebraska, Minnesota, Southwestern US, Maine, Houston , Texas, New Orleans , Louisiana

☆ Is the rule of Myanmar's junta under threat?
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Importantly, they were joined also by members of so-called people's defence forces, a loosely organised movement backed by Myanmar's parallel, National Unity Government (NUG). HOW SERIOUS A THREAT IS THE JUNTA FACING? It is too soon to predict the extent to which the military's rule in the rest of the country could be under threat, analysts say. But the 1027 offensive has given a black eye to a well-equipped military with decades of experience fighting insurgencies. With its reputation at stake, the junta is unlikely to concede easily and risk a domino effect of challenges to its authority in more regions of a country where its rule is deeply unpopular.

Persons: Martin Petty, Robert Birsel Organizations: REUTERS, Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army, National Liberation Army, Arakan Army, National Unity Government, AA, Security, Thomson Locations: Myanmar, Myanmar's Khawmawi, India, Zokhawthar, Champhai district, India's, Mizoram, Shan State, China, Rakhine State, Kayah, Thailand, Sagaing, Chin State

☆ Fact Check: Red lake in Chile falsely said to be the River Nile
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-20 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

A video of a red-coloured lake in Chile has been falsely claimed online to show the River Nile, with some users suggesting it's a sign of “the end times”. “You mean to tell me on November 9, 2023, the Nile river looks like this,” said one person who added a voiceover to the clip and shared it to social media (archived). However, the video shows a lake in Chile that is famed for its red colour, not the River Nile. Reuters found no reports or corroborating visuals of the River Nile, which stretches across northeastern Africa, turning red on Nov. 9. The video show Laguna Roja in Chile, not the River Nile.

Persons: ”, microalgae, Read Organizations: Reuters, Laguna, Chile Travel, Roja, Thomson Locations: Chile, Chilean, Africa

☆ Azerbaijan’s 10 best castles and fortresses
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-20 | by ( Tom Marsden | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

It grew up around a fortress built in the 1750s by Panah Ali Khan, founder of the Karabakh Khanate (1748-1822). Kamilla Rzayeva Tea culture: Azerbaijani tea culture originated in Lankaran and the hospitable locals will often welcome visitors with a refreshing glass. Kamilla Rzayeva Yanar Bulag: Yanar Bulag, meaning "burning spring" is a natural spring which percolates methane gas. Kamilla Rzayeva Hirkan National Park: Home to endangered Persian leopards, Hirkin National Park is a great place for hiking and cooling off. Kamilla Rzayeva Ironwood trees: Hirkan National Park's famous ironwood trees are believed to have survived the last Ice Age.

Persons: ”, Alexander the Great, Timur, Russia –, Elchin Aliyev, who’s, Akhsitan I, Ilisu, Ivan Paskevich, Imam Shamil, Potemkin, Sergei Einstein’s, Panah Ali Khan, Persian Shah, Agha Mohammad Khan Qajar, Joseph Stalin, Kamilla, Stalin, Yanar, Zindan Organizations: CNN, UNESCO, Sheki, of Sheki, Zaqatala Locations: Europe, Asia, Azerbaijan, Russia, USSR, jostle, Old City, Baku, Mardakan, Shabran, Persia, Chirag, Sheki, Caucasus, Ilisu, Ilisu Sultanate, Soviet, Zaqatala, Lesser Caucasus, Shusha, Karabakh, Persian, Alinja, Azerbaijan’s, Nakhchivan, Armenia, Iran, Turkey, Machu Picchu, Azerbaijani, Lankaran, Ironwood, ironwood, Talysh

☆ With drones and dawn assault, Myanmar's Chin rebels open new front
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The ethnic Chin fighters said they used drones to drop bombs on the military bases, and junta soldiers fought back - especially fiercely at Khawmawi - occasionally firing mortars. At least nine Chin fighters were killed in the assault, along with six junta soldiers, two Chin rebels said, asking not to be named. Suan and Lawma's account of the battle, which was corroborated by a rebel commander and six residents who witnessed some of the fighting, provides a rare ground-level insight into a widening assault against Myanmar's military junta. After the two military camps were overrun, 43 junta soldiers crossed over to India seeking shelter and most were subsequently flown back to Myanmar. On the other side stood armed Chin rebels, under a billowing Chin flag.

Persons: Suan, Chin, Min Tun, Sui Khar, Zaw Min Tun, Krishn Kaushik, Devjyot, Robert Birsel Organizations: REUTERS, Arakan Army, Brotherhood Alliance, Chin, Thomson Locations: Khawmawi, India, Myanmar, Zokhawthar, Champhai district, India's, Mizoram, Chin State, Rihkhawdar, India's Champhai, Shan State, Myanmar's, China, Rakhine State, Kayah State, Thailand

☆ Luis Díaz inspires Colombia to emotional victory as his father watches from stands after kidnap release
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-17 | by ( Ben Church | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Luis Díaz scored two goals to help Colombia stun Brazil in a World Cup qualifier on Thursday, as his father watched on from the stands just a week after being released by kidnappers. On October 28, Díaz Sr. was abducted along with his wife, Cilenis Marulanda, by ELN gunmen in his hometown of Barrancas, northeastern Colombia. Marulanda was rescued later that day, but Díaz Sr. was handed over just under two weeks later to a mixed commission of UN personnel and Catholic priests on Thursday in nearby city Valledupar. Footage once again showed Díaz Sr. passionately celebrating with tears in his eyes. The five-time World Cup champion has now slipped to fifth in the qualifying standings, with Colombia up to third.

Persons: CNN — Luis Díaz, Luis Manuel Díaz, Díaz, Cilenis, Marulanda, Gabriel Martinelli, Allison, Luis Díaz, Juan Barreto, “ I’m, ” Díaz, –, Ronald Araújo, Darwin, Lionel Messi, Ballon, “, ” Messi, TyC Organizations: CNN, Estadio Metropolitano, UN, Liverpool, Brazil, Getty, BBC Sport, Messi’s, TyC Sports, Reuters, “, ”, FIFA Locations: Colombia, Brazil, Barrancas, Valledupar, Barranquilla, Brazilian, AFP, Messi’s Argentina, Argentina, Uruguay, Saudi Arabia, ” Argentina

☆ Indian authorities contact Thai cave rescue team as urgency increases to reach trapped men
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-16 | by ( Rhea Mogul | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Rescue teams inside the Uttarakhand tunnel on November 14, 2023. Uttarakhand State Disaster Response Force/Handout/ReutersAuthorities said they were exploring all options to reach the men, including contacting teams experienced in delicate rescue missions. “The rescue team has contacted the Thailand company which had rescued the children trapped in the cave,” it added. Twelve boys and their soccer coach were rescued after nearly three weeks trapped inside the flooded Tham Luang cave by a specialist cave diving team in 2018. Indian authorities have also reached out to the Norwegian Geotechnical Institute (NGI) to get advice, the statement said.

Persons: ”, Kirti Panwar, NGI, “, –, Manish Khalkho, ” Khalkho, B.S, Pokriyal, Narendra Modi’s Char Organizations: New, New Delhi CNN, Thai, soccer, Disaster, Reuters Authorities, Uttarkashi, CNN, Institute, Indian Railways, Authorities, India’s, Management Authority, Rescuers, National Highways, Infrastructure Development Corporation Locations: New Delhi, Uttarakhand, Norway, Thailand, Thai, Narendra Modi’s Char Dham, China, India, Mizoram, Bihar

☆ A boomer moved from Silicon Valley to a small city in Texas' Hill Country. He said the people are friendlier and his community is much more peaceful.
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-16 | by ( Noah Sheidlower | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Bill Ross moved from the mountains of Silicon Valley to a city half an hour north of San Antonio. Leaving Silicon Valley behindRoss was born in Philadelphia and was raised in northern New Jersey. He worked at large companies and startups in Silicon Valley, and he tried starting his own company. He got married, had kids, and raised them in a home 20 minutes from the heart of Silicon Valley in the Santa Clara Mountains. By comparison, a study by Joint Venture Silicon Valley released in October found Silicon Valley's median home price was $1.53 million in 2022.

Persons: Bill Ross, —, Ross, Boerne, — Ross, he's, couldn't, didn't, Dallas, Austin, Realtor.com Organizations: Service, Oaks, Boerne Independent, . Census, Texans, Northeastern University, Texas Hill Country, Joint Venture Locations: Silicon, San Antonio, Texas, Silicon Valley, California, Boerne , Texas, Philadelphia, New Jersey, Boston, Santa Clara, Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, Galveston, Texas Hill, Boerne, San Francisco, Bay, Antonio

☆ Pedro Sánchez Secures New Term to Lead a Divided Spain
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-16 | by ( Jason Horowitz | More About Jason Horowitz | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Pedro Sánchez, the Spanish progressive leader, secured a second term as prime minister on Thursday after a polarizing agreement granting amnesty to Catalan separatists gave him enough support in Parliament to govern with a fragile coalition over an increasingly divided nation. With 179 votes, barely more than the 176 usually required to govern, Mr. Sánchez, who has been prime minister since 2018, won a chance to extend the progressive agenda, often successful economic policies and pro-European Union posture of his Socialist Party. The outcome was the result of months of haggling since an inconclusive July election in which neither the conservative Popular Party, which came in first, or the Socialist Party, which came in second, secured enough support to govern alone. But the fractures in Spain were less about left versus right and more about the country’s very geographic integrity and identity. Mr. Sánchez’s proposed amnesties have breathed new life into a secession issue that last emerged in 2017, when separatists held an illegal referendum over independence in the prosperous northeastern region of Catalonia.

Persons: Pedro Sánchez, Sánchez, Sánchez’s Organizations: Socialist Party, Popular Party Locations: Spanish, European, Spain, Catalonia

☆ Myanmar junta says facing 'heavy assault' from insurgents in three states
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Junta spokesperson Zaw Min Tun said the military was facing "heavy assaults from a significant number of armed rebel soldiers" in Shan State in the northeast, Kayah State in the east and Rakhine State in the west. Zaw Min Tun said some military positions had been evacuated and the insurgents had been using drones to drop hundreds of bombs on military posts. "We are urgently taking measures to protect against drone bomb attacks effectively," the junta spokesperson said late on Wednesday. Western governments have re-imposed sanctions on the Myanmar junta in response to the coup and crackdowns on protests and demanded the release of Suu Kyi and other pro-democracy politicians and activists. The junta spokesperson denounced the group saying it was "destroying" Rakhine State.

Persons: Zaw Min Tun, Tin, Swe, Nobel, Aung, Suu Kyi, General Antonio Guterres, Kanupriya Kapoor, Robert Birsel Organizations: REUTERS, Naypyitaw, Reuters, military's, Administration Council, SAC, Arakan Army, AA, National Defence Force, Thomson Locations: Myanmar, Zokhawthar, Champhai, India's, Mizoram, India, Shan State, Kayah State, Rakhine State, Zaw, Naypyitaw, Suu, Chin State, Rakhine

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