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Blinken Shuttles From The West Bank To Iraq Trying To Contain The Fallout From The Israel-Hamas War

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RAMALLAH, West Bank – On Sunday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken traveled to the occupied West Bank to reassure Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas that the Biden administration was stepping up efforts to alleviate the plight of Gaza’s civilians and insisting that Palestinians must have a say in what happens to the territory after the conflict.

Blinken then flew to Baghdad for discussions with Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, as American forces in the region risk an increase in attacks by Iranian-backed militias in Iraq and elsewhere. A US official stated that US forces shot down another one-way attack drone targeting American and coalition troops near their base in neighboring Syria on Sunday. Blinken traveled to Turkey from Baghdad.

President Joe Biden’s senior diplomat traveled through Ramallah, West Bank, in an armored motorcade with tight protection. It was his third day of shuttle diplomacy aimed at limiting the war’s destabilizing regional fallout and overturning Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s refusal to consider a US proposal for intermittent pauses in its attack on Hamas long enough to deliver vital aid to Gaza’s civilians.

Netanyahu rebuffed US demands on Friday to begin implementing cease-fires, saying there would be no interim cease-fire until Hamas released the 240 foreign prisoners it is holding.

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Blinken Shuttles From The West Bank To Iraq Trying To Contain The Fallout From The Israel-Hamas War

“This is a process,” Blinken said to reporters on the subject on Sunday. “Israel has raised serious concerns about how humanitarian pauses would be implemented. We must answer such questions, particularly how pauses will affect Hamas detainees. “We’re working on it right now.”

While the Biden administration remains a staunch supporter of Israel’s military response to Hamas attacks on Oct. 7, it is increasingly seeking to use its clout with Israel to mitigate the impact of Israel’s weeks-long siege and near-round-the-clock air, ground, and sea assaults on Gaza, which is home to 2.3 million civilians.

Blinken’s meeting with Abbas in the West Bank occurred on the same day that Israeli planes bombarded two Gaza refugee camps, killing at least 53 people, according to Gaza health officials. After one of the strikes, an Associated Press reporter witnessed the lifeless bodies of eight children being transported to a neighboring Gaza hospital. Before an expected intensified attack on Hamas sites in the north, Israel’s military stated that its forces had virtually split the Gaza Strip in two.

As word of Blinken’s arrival in Ramallah circulated, Palestinians gathered to protest the United States’ support for Israel’s conflict. Demonstrators brandished signs depicting flowing blood and inscriptions such as “Blinken blood is on your hands.”

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Blinken and Abbas exchanged no words as they greeted each other in front of cameras, and their encounter ended without any public comment.

The Palestinian Authority governs semi-autonomous regions of Israel’s occupied West Bank. It has not been a factor in Gaza since 2007 when Hamas seized authority after winning elections there the previous year. Abbas is unpopular with Palestinians.

In Baghdad, Blinken stated that the Palestinian Authority “plays a very important role right now in the West Bank in trying to maintain stability.” That’s critical because no one wants another front in the West Bank or elsewhere, and they’re stepping up to do the essential work under extremely tough conditions.”

He stated that “what we all agree on” is that “Palestinian voices have to be at the centre of that” in crafting a future for Gaza, the West Bank, and “ultimately” for a Palestinian state. Because the Palestinian Authority represents those views, it must take the lead.”

According to the Palestinians’ official WAFA news agency, Abbas stated that the Palestinian Authority would only seize authority in Gaza as part of a “comprehensive political solution” to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. He also called Israel’s shelling of Gaza a “genocidal war,” and urged Blinken to “immediately stop them from committing such crimes,” according to the news agency.

On his second journey to the Middle East since the war began, Blinken met with Netanyahu on Friday before meeting with Arab ministers in Jordan on Saturday. So far, Netanyahu has rejected humanitarian pauses. Arab rulers demanded an immediate cease-fire. According to Blinken, this would be unproductive and could embolden Hamas to escalate its violence.

US officials believe that if Netanyahu is convinced that it is in Israel’s strategic interests to alleviate the misery of Palestinian civilians in Gaza, he may reconsider his objection to the pause plan. The rising death toll among Palestinians – more than 9,700, according to officials from Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry — has provoked growing worldwide outrage, with tens of thousands flocking to the streets from Washington to Berlin over the weekend to demand an immediate cease-fire.

blinken

Blinken Shuttles From The West Bank To Iraq Trying To Contain The Fallout From The Israel-Hamas War

Arab states are rejecting American recommendations that they take a larger role in crisis resolution, expressing outrage at the human toll of Israeli military operations but seeing Gaza as entirely Israel’s fault.

Blinken stated that among Arab leaders, “everyone would welcome the humanitarian pause.” He stated that it “could advance things that we’re all trying to accomplish,” such as liberating hostages, bringing in aid, and allowing foreign citizens to leave. On that latter point, he stated, “We’ve made significant progress there in recent days, but there are real complications that come with it.” We’re still working on them.”

The negotiations in Baghdad focused on the protection of US personnel.

“I made very clear that the attacks, the threats coming from the militia that are aligned with Iran, are totally unacceptable and we will take every necessary step to protect” the personnel of the United States, Blinken added. He claimed that the prime minister emphasized his intention to end the militia strikes.

The United States is deeply concerned that Iran and its proxies, notably multiple armed groups in Iraq, may use the Gaza situation to further destabilize the Middle East. Already, Iranian-backed militias have increased rocket and other attacks on US military bases in Iraq and Syria, prompting at least one American retaliation strike.

The drone attack on a US location in Syria on Sunday was at least the 32nd targeting US and coalition military sites in Iraq and Syria since Oct. 17. There have been at least 17 assaults in Iraq and 15 in Syria to date. At least 21 service members were hurt in the strikes, but all have returned to duty, according to the Pentagon.

The same US official who confirmed the drone strike said the drone strike was strikingly similar to other recent strikes on US personnel at facilities in Iraq and Syria and is believed to be related to Iranian-backed militia at this time. The official was not authorized to speak publicly about the situation and spoke on the condition of anonymity.

SOURCE – (AP)

Entertainment

Wikipedia, Wrapped. Here Are 2023’S Most-Viewed Articles On The Internet’s Encyclopedia

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NEW YORK – Remember what you were looking for in 2023? Wikipedia, on the other hand, has the receipts.

According to data provided Tuesday by the Wikimedia Foundation, the non-profit behind the free, openly edited online encyclopedia, English Wikipedia received more than 84 billion views this year. The most popular piece was on ChatGPT (the AI chatbot that appears to be everywhere these days).

OpenAI’s ChatGPT has flown into the public eye since its inception just over a year ago, as the technology makes its way into schools, health care, legislation, and even religious preaching. The chatbot has also contributed to developing arguments regarding the possible benefits and risks of generative AI, most of which are detailed on its Wikipedia page.

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Here Are 2023’S Most-Viewed Articles On The Internet’s Encyclopedia

The annual list of fatalities was the second most-read article on Wikipedia in 2023, after taking the #4 and #1 rankings in 2022 and 2021, respectively. Individual entries for important figures who died this year drew much attention, notably those for Matthew Perry and Lisa Marie Presley.

Meanwhile, the highly anticipated 2023 Cricket World Cup came in third place — along with three other cricket-related entries in Wikipedia’s top 25 this year, including the Indian Premier League at #4, marking the first time cricket content has made the list since the Wikimedia Foundation began tracking in 2015.

“Barbenheimer,” Taylor Swift and others also appeared to influence our internet-reading habits in 2023. Here are this year’s top 25 English Wikipedia articles.

According to the Wikimedia Foundation, this top 25 ranking was constructed using English Wikipedia statistics as of November 28. The charity plans to update full-year figures on January 3, 2024.

The United States (33.2 billion) and the United Kingdom (9 billion), along with India (8.48 billion), Canada (3.95 billion), and Australia (2.56 billion), are the top countries that accessed English Wikipedia globally in 2023, according to Wikimedia Foundation data shared with The Associated Press.

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Here Are 2023’S Most-Viewed Articles On The Internet’s Encyclopedia

1. ChatGPT: 49,490,406 pageviews

2. Deaths in 2023: 42,666,860 pageviews

3. 2023 Cricket World Cup: 38,171,653 pageviews

4. Indian Premier League: 32,012,810 pageviews

5. Oppenheimer (film): 28,348,248 pageviews

6. Cricket World Cup: 25,961,417 pageviews

7. J. Robert Oppenheimer: 25,672,469 pageviews

8. Jawan (film): 21,791,126 pageviews

9. 2023 Indian Premier League: 20,694,974 pageviews

10. Pathaan (film): 19,932,509 pageviews

11. The Last of Us (TV series): 19,791,789 pageviews

12. Taylor Swift, 19,418,385: pageviews

13. Barbie (film): 18,051,077 pageviews

14. Cristiano Ronaldo: 17,492,537 pageviews

15. Lionel Messi: 16,623,630 pageviews

16. Premier League: 16,604,669 pageviews

17. Matthew Perry: 16,454,666 pageviews

18. United States: 16,240,461 pageviews

19. Elon Musk: 14,370,395 pageviews

20. Avatar: The Way of Water: 14,303,116 pageviews

21. India: 13,850,178 pageviews

22. Lisa Marie Presley: 13,764,007 pageviews

23. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3: 13,392,917 pageviews

24. Russian invasion of Ukraine: 12,798,866 pageviews

25. Andrew Tate: 12,728,616 pageviews

According to the Wikimedia Foundation, this top 25 ranking was constructed using English Wikipedia statistics as of November 28. The charity plans to update full-year figures on January 3, 2024.

The United States (33.2 billion) and the United Kingdom (9 billion), along with India (8.48 billion), Canada (3.95 billion), and Australia (2.56 billion), are the top countries that accessed English Wikipedia globally in 2023, according to Wikimedia Foundation data shared with The Associated Press.

SOURCE – (AP)

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Rizz Named Word Of The Year 2023 By Oxford University Press

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Are you adept at flirting or chatting up possible partners? If this is the case, you may already have rizz and be unaware of it.

Young folks utilize the Oxford word of the year, internet slang for romantic appeal or charm.

It was one of eight words chosen from a shortlist to define the mood, ethos, or preoccupations of 2023.

A public poll was used to narrow down the list before Oxford lexicographers made the ultimate selection.

Swiftie, Beige Flag, and Situationship were among the other contenders.

If you are not a member of Generation Z, the term may be meaningless to you.

However, it is widely utilized online, with billions of views of the hashtag “rizz” on TikTok.

rizz

Rizz Named Word Of The Year 2023 By Oxford University Press

It is described as style, charm, or attractiveness, as well as the ability to attract a romantic or sexual partner, by Oxford University Press [OUP], which publishes the Oxford English Dictionary [OED].

The word “charisma” is assumed to be a shorter variant of “charisma.”

It can also be used as a verb, as in “to frizz up,” which means “to attract, seduce, or chat up someone.”

It’s essentially a modern version of the “game,” described as skill, proficiency, and the capacity to sexually entice people through one’s charm.

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What do the shorlisted words mean?

Beige flag (n.): a character feature that indicates that a partner or possible partner is boring or lacks creativity; (also) a quality or habit, especially of a partner or potential mate, that is very distinctive but not good or bad. [proposed definition]

A situationship (n.) is a romantic or sexual relationship that is not formal or established.

Swiftie (n.): a devoted follower of Taylor Swift. [proposed definition]

Prompt (n.): a command issued to an artificial intelligence program, algorithm, or the like that affects or influences the content it generates [draft definition]

De-influencing (n.): the activity of deterring individuals from purchasing specific things or pushing people to consume less material goods, particularly through social media [draft definition]

The Oxford University Press emphasized that lexicographers are writing a draft definition “for the Word of the Year campaign” and that terms without draft definitions are already in the OED.

rizz

Rizz Named Word Of The Year 2023 By Oxford University Press

The rest of the words will be included in dictionaries “after assessment of their longevity, frequency, and breadth of usage,” according to the statement.

Kai Cenat, a Twitch streamer and YouTuber is widely credited with popularizing the term rizz, which he used with his buddies.

The word’s popularity has grown this year, and in June, actor Tom Holland was asked by Buzzfeed about the secret to his frizz.

Holland responded, “I have no rizz at all.” “I have limited rizz,” he says before detailing how he won his fiancée Zendaya over by playing the “long game.”

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Another slang term characterizing “unapologetically self-indulgent, lazy, slovenly, or greedy” behavior that was last year’s Oxford word of the year was “goblin mode.”

Casper Grathwohl, president of Oxford Languages, stated that while “goblin mode” was popular following the epidemic, “it’s interesting to see a contrasting word like rizz come to the forefront.”

He speculated that the word referred to “a prevailing mood of 2023, where more of us are opening up after a challenging few years and finding confidence in who we are.”

Mr. Grathwohl said that the increased use of the word frizz demonstrated that words and phrases derived from online culture “are increasingly becoming part of the day-to-day vernacular.”

The language specialists at Oxford University Press chose the selection of eight words.

This list was then subjected to a public vote in late November, narrowing the field to four finalists before the experts decided.

Collins Dictionary revealed “artificial intelligence” as the word of 2023 in November.

SOURCE – BBC

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BMW Recalls 2014 Model SUVs After Takata Air Bag Inflator Blows Apart, Hurling Shrapnel And Injuring Driver

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DETROIT, MI — BMW is recalling a small number of SUVs in the United States because the driver’s air bag inflators can rupture in a crash, throwing metal shards and potentially harming or killing passengers.

According to documents issued Saturday by US auto safety regulators, the recall involves 486 X3, X4, and X5 SUVs from the 2014 model year that are fitted with Takata Corp. of Japan airbags.

The recall calls into doubt the safety of around 30 million Takata inflators, which the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is investigating. The vast majority have yet to be recalled.

Takata created a minor explosion using explosive ammonium nitrate to inflate airbags in a crash. However, the chemical might deteriorate over time when exposed to high temperatures and humidity. It can potentially detonate violently, destroying a metal canister and spilling shrapnel.

Takata inflators have killed at least 26 individuals in the United States since May 2009, and at least 30 people have perished globally, including those in Malaysia and Australia. A further 400 persons have been injured.

The risk of a dangerous malfunction prompted the greatest auto recalls in US history, involving at least 67 million Takata inflators. According to the US government, many still need to be restored. Globally, over 100 million inflators have been recalled. Takata declared bankruptcy as a result of the bursting airbags.

takata

BMW Recalls SUVs After Takata Air Bag Inflator Blows Apart, Hurling Shrapnel And Injuring Driver

According to documents, the inflators in the BMWs contain a moisture-absorbing substance known as a desiccant that was not included in earlier recalls.

According to papers, BMW was informed in November of an NHTSA complaint that the driver’s airbag in a 2014 X3 had ruptured. The automaker launched an investigation, but no specific cause has been identified. However, according to the records, preliminary information indicates a production fault from February 22, 2014, to March 7, 2014.

According to records, the German automaker is still investigating but has not yet been able to inspect the X3 with the malfunctioning airbag.

According to NHTSA data, on October 23, the inflator on a 2014 X3 exploded in Chicago, blasting a big piece of metal into the driver’s lung.

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BMW Recalls SUVs After Takata Air Bag Inflator Blows Apart, Hurling Shrapnel And Injuring Driver

According to the complaint, the driver also suffered chest and shoulder injuries that seemed to be caused by shrapnel. According to the lawsuit, which did not identify the driver, a surgeon extracted a gold-colored disc from the driver’s lung.

According to the NHTSA, Takata airbags with desiccant are being investigated because they have the potential to detonate and release shrapnel. The investigation, which began in 2021, involves more than 30 million inflators from 20 car and truck manufacturers, including Honda, Stellantis, General Motors, Ford, Nissan, Tesla, BMW, Toyota, Jaguar Land Rover, Daimler Vans, Mitsubishi, Subaru, Mercedes-Benz, Ferrari, McLaren, Porsche, Mazda, Karma, Fisker, and Spartan Fire vehicles.

In May 2020, the agency decided not to recall the desiccant-containing inflators but to monitor them.

takata

BMW Recalls SUVs After Takata Air Bag Inflator Blows Apart, Hurling Shrapnel And Injuring Driver

“While no current safety risk has been identified, additional work is required to evaluate the future risk of non-recalled dessicated inflators,” the government stated in a paper that launched the investigation.

A NHTSA representative stated Saturday that she would look into the status of the inquiry. BMW was contacted and asked for comment.

Dealers will replace the airbags at no cost to owners, who will be notified via letter beginning January 16.

The BMW recall comes after General Motors recalled approximately 900 vehicles in July due to desiccant-containing Takata inflators. GM also blamed the incident on a Takata manufacturing flaw.

In a statement about the GM recall last summer, the NHTSA stated that it had no data indicating that other desiccated Takata inflators would burst.

source – AP

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