Zelenskiy Says Trump Will Be Alongside Ukraine's Effort To Stop Russia

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said late on Tuesday that no one would give peace to his country as a gift, but he believed the United States would stand alongside Kyiv as it fights to stop Russia's 34-month invasion.

Zelenskiy, in a slick 21-minute New Year video greeting to his compatriots, also said only a strong Ukraine could secure peace and earn worldwide respect.

"We know that peace will not be given to us as a gift, but we will do everything to stop Russia and end the war, something each of us desires," Zelenskiy said against a backdrop of the blue-and-yellow national flag, battlefield scenes and pictures of children.

He recalled conversations with outgoing U.S. President Joe Biden, President-elect Donald Trump and "everyone who supports us in the United States".

"I have no doubt that the new American president wants and will be able to bring peace and end (Russian President Vladimir) Putin's aggression," Zelenskiy said.

"He understands that the former is impossible without the latter. Because this is not a street brawl where the two sides need to be pacified. This is a full-scale aggression by a deranged state against a civilised one. And I believe that, together with the United States, we are capable of the strength to force Russia into a just peace."

Russia, Zelenskiy said, was not to be trusted either in battle or in talks.

"If today Russia shakes your hand, it doesn't mean that tomorrow the same hand will not start killing you," he said. "Russians fear those who are free. What they don't understand. They fear freedom."

Biden's administration has provided by far the most military support for Ukraine among Western nations since the February 2022 full-scale invasion.

Ukraine has been wary of Trump's criticism of aid to Kyiv and his pledge, during the U.S. election campaign, to bring a quick end to the war, but Zelenskiy has expressed optimism about ensuring continuing U.S. support.

Ukraine has endured a difficult year, with Russian forces taking village after village in a quicker advance on the eastern front than since the beginning of the invasion.

In recent months, Zelenskiy has said that any settlement to the conflict is predicated on receiving security guarantees from Western nations and Kyiv securing an invitation to join the NATO alliance, a notion Russia rejects out of hand.

In his greeting, Zelenskiy said that in the past year, Ukraine had launched an incursion into southern Russia's Kursk region, staged long-range drone strikes against distant Russian targets and developed domestically produced drones and other weapons.

"Every day in the coming year, I and all of us must fight so that Ukraine can be strong enough," he said. "Only such a Ukraine is respected and heard - both on the battlefield and at the negotiating table."

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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2024 saw some of the most competitive and captivating cricket being played on the field. While new rivalries developed, the older ones continued to prosper with a new-found intensity. On one side, game's greats retired, a new generation is also slowly taking shape. This year saw India end their 11-year-long ICC title drought and secure the T20 World Cup title win. England, New Zealand and Australia also registered some important wins throughout the year. All this while, some of the world's best cricketers enthralled the crowds, became thorn in the eyes of their rivals and broke several records on the way to victory.

Here are the best cricketers of 2024:

Joe Root (England)

Largely a one-format player nowadays, Root was in monstrous form in Tests this year, leading the run-charts with 1,556 runs at an average of 55.57 and a strike rate of over 63 in 17 matches, with six tons and five fifties in 31 innings and best score of 262.

Root broke two massive Test records this year, becoming England's highest century-maker (36) and Test run-getter (12,972 runs), going past legendary Alastair Cook and touching the 20,000 run mark in international cricket, being the first England player to do so.

Also, he is chasing Sachin Tendulkar's record of highest Test runs (15,921) and is the fifth-highest run-getter this year.

Yashasvi Jaiswal (India)

In 2024, Jaiswal scored 1,478 runs in 15 matches at an average of 54.74, with three centuries (two double tons) and 11 fifties in 29 innings, with the best score of 214. His two double centuries against England in the home series earlier this year, which saw him score 712 runs in five matches was a huge standout. However, his adaptation to Australian conditions is just as stunning, having scored 359 runs in eight innings at an average of 51.50, with a masterclass 161 at Perth and fighting knocks of 82 and 84 at Melbourne being standouts.

Jaiswal's run tally is the highest by an Indian opener during a calendar year and his 36 sixes during this year is also a world record, having beaten legends Virender Sehwag and Brendon McCullum in these aspects respectively. His only low was a mixed IPL 2024 season, with 435 runs at an average of 31 with just one century and fifty in 15 innings.

Including his 293 runs in eight T20Is at an average of 41.85 and two fifties, Jaiswal top-scored for India in international cricket this year and was overall second, with 1,771 runs in 23 matches and 37 innings at an average of 52.08, with three tons and 11 fifties.

Jasprit Bumrah (India)

Mohammed Siraj's post-match interview after T20 WC final saying 'I only believe on Jassi bhai, game changer player he is' in his broken English summarises the country's love affair with the pace spearhead and how important he was to their fortunes. Be it his 19 wickets during England's home series on largely unhelpful surfaces at an average of 16.89 in four matches, his 'Player of the Tournament' winning T20 WC title-capturing performance with 15 crucial scalps at an average of 8.26 or his workhorse, once-in-a-generation run in ongoing BGT with 30 wickets in four matches at an average of 12.83 and three five-wicket hauls, Bumrah is country's newest and rightfully deserving cricketing darling, having captured the minds and hearts of a batting-obsessed nation and making fast bowling, yorkers and swing, cool among masses.

Bumrah is the leading-wicket-taker in international cricket this year, with 86 wickets in 21 matches at an average of 13.76, with four four-wicket hauls and five five-wicket hauls and best figures of 6/45. Also in a disappointing IPL 2024 for five-time champions Mumbai Indians (MI), he topped the charts with 20 scalps in 13 matches at an average of 16.80 and one fifer.

Travis Head (India)

Nominated for the ICC Cricketer of the Year award, Head continued his all-format dominance this year. On more than one occasion, he troubled the Indian cricket team and England, displaying a preference for bullying the blue-coloured teams. While they often got the better of him sometimes, he won the larger battle in favour of his team.

He was Australia's top run-getter this year, scoring 1,399 runs in 29 matches and 35 innings at an average of 42.39. He scored four centuries and five fifties, with best score of 154*.

In nine Tests, he made 608 runs in 15 innings at an average of 40.53, with three centuries and a fifty, with best score of 152. His centuries against India at Adelaide and Brisbane stand out the most. In five ODIs, he made 252 runs at an average of 63.00, with a century and best score of 154* against arch-rivals England.

Travis had an incredible year in T20Is, scoring 539 runs in 15 innings at an average of 38.50, with a strike rate of 178.04 and four half-centuries. His best score was 80. He became the top-ranked T20I batter and also emerged as the third-highest run-getter in the T20 WC with 255 runs at an average of 42.50, the strike rate of 158.38, with two half-centuries and the best knock of 76 against India.

The Indian Premier League (IPL) was where Head made a game-changing impact, breaking numerous batting records with opening partner Abhishek Sharma for Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH). He emerged as the fourth-highest run-getter there with 567 runs in 15 matches at an average of 40.50, with a strike rate of 191.55, a century and four fifties.

Shreyas Iyer (India)

Forced out of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) due to alleged lack of red-ball cricket commitment and dedication, Iyer had a fairytale ending to 2024, winning four trophies, including 42nd Ranji Trophy title, Irani Cup, Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy with Mumbai and IPL 2024 with Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), with latter two as captain.

Not only Iyer thrived as captain, he was also in top form as a batter across all formats, except for a brief dry run with India in England Tests and Sri Lanka ODIs. In 44 matches across all formats, Iyer made 1,841 runs at an average of 43.83, with four centuries and seven fifties and the best score of 233. Also, he secured a deal of Rs 26.75 crores with Punjab Kings (PBKS), becoming the second-most expensive player in the league.

Gus Atkinson (England)

Though Gus Atkinson got some white-ball experience last year last year ahead of the ICC Cricket World Cup in India, the young pacer truly arrived this year when he was included in the West Indies series.

The home series against West Indies was the farewell series for legendary James Anderson, who retired after the first Test at Lords' bringing his career to full circle. In a passing of touch performance, Atkinson took the baton from the 42-year-old, taking 12 wickets in his debut Test, taking not one, but two five-wicket hauls in a Test innings at Lord's, a ten-wicket match haul. Later, during the Sri Lanka series, he scored an attacking 118 in 115 balls, with 14 fours and four sixes, becoming the part of elite company to take a five-wicket haul, ten-wicket haul and a century at Lord's.

Later, during the New Zealand series away from home, a hat-trick made him the fastest player to secure a five-wicket haul, ten-fer, century and hat-trick in Tests in just 10 Tests.

Now in 11 Tests this year, Atkinson took 52 wickets at an average of 22.15, with best figures of 7/45. He secured three five-wicket hauls and one ten-fer. With the bat, he has made 352 runs in 16 innings, averaging 23.46, with a century to his name. His strike rate is 79.10.

Matt Henry (New Zealand)

The Kiwi pacer was a workhorse this year for his side, taking 48 scalps in nine Tests at an average of 18.58, with four five-wicket hauls and best figures of 7/67 in an innings. He was his side's leading Test wicket-taker and overall fourth. His standout spell was 5/15 against India at Bengaluru to skittle them out for just 46, setting the tone for a landmark series win. His best figures of 7/67 came against the Aussies, though in a losing cause.

In 16 matches this year, including 11 wickets in seven T20Is, Henry took 59 wickets in 16 matches averaging 18.98, with three five-wicket hauls. He was Kiwis' highest wicket-taker this year and overall fourth.

Arshdeep Singh (India)

The young left-arm pacer continues to do wonders for India in the T20I format, topping their wicket-charts with 36 scalps in 18 matches at an average of 13.50 and best figures of 4/9. This also included a brilliant performance in India's T20 WC campaign, taking joint-highest wickets with 17 scalps at an average of 12.64 and best figures of 4/9. Including two ODI scalps in two matches, he took 38 scalps in 20 matches at an average of 15.55.

Ravindra Jadeja (India)

Jadeja as an all-rounder can make it to any side as a specialist batter or bowler and he proves this point even in his mid 30s. In 20 international matches this year, he has made 562 runs at an average of 26.76, with a century and three fifties in 23 innings. His best score is 112.

In 20 international matches, he also took 49 wickets at an average of 25.95, with three five-wicket hauls and a 10-wicket haul, with best figures of 5/41.

He also retired from T20Is after capturing the T20 WC with India, scoring 35 runs in five innings and getting just one wicket in eight matches.

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"No One Can Stop...": China's Xi Jinping Ends 2024 With A Threat To Taiwan

Chinese President Xi Jinping has ended the year with a threat over Taiwan, saying "no one can stop the reunification" with China. He said this while addressing the nation on New Year's eve. Beijing has, for long, stated that the entire nation of Taiwan is part of China. It has also shown an overt and muscular posturing by carrying out air force and naval drills around the island nation.

Beijing and Taipei represent two diametrically opposite ways of life. While Taiwan is a democracy, China is a communist country. In recent times, Beijing has intensified pressure on Taipei and has made all possible efforts to isolate the island nation from the rest of the world.

China has also carried out three rounds of major military drills since Taiwan's democratic election saw President Lai Ching-te come to power in May. Irked by the latest election, Beijing has said it will not renounce the use of force to bring Taiwan under its control. The last of these military drills, carried out earlier this month, was the largest in years according to Taiwanese officials, though Beijing has remained quiet over the manoeuvres. China has also violated Taiwan's airspace on several occasions.

In his New Year's speech, Chinese President Xi Jinping said, "Chinese people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait are one family. No one can sever our blood ties, and no one can stop the historical trend of the reunification of the motherland." President Xi's comments come at a crucial time - just three weeks before Donald Trump takes office as US President.

Taiwan is a key point of contention between Beijing and Washington. Taiwan is US's strategic ally in Asia and Washington is Taipei's largest supplier of weapons too. Defending democracy over communism has also been a principled decision of the United States - the Cold War with Russia was entirely based on this principled stand.

A BRIEF HISTORY OF CHINA AND TAIWAN

China and Taiwan are separated by the Strait of Taiwan - a waterway that connects the South China Sea to the East China Sea between the two nations.

Before the communist revolution, led by Communist Party Chairman Mao Zedong, China was, for a brief period a democratic nation. There were three President's in what was then known as the Republic of China (now the official name of Taiwan). The Republic of China became a sovereign nation in 1912 after the fall of the Manchu-led Qing dynasty. This ended China's imperial history.

Between 1912 and 1949 China saw four governments - The provisional or interim government in 1912, the Beiyang government from 1912 to 1928, which was led by the military; the nationalist government from 1925 to 1948 led by the Kuomintang; and Constitutional government from 1948 to 1949. The Constitutional government was overthrown by the civil war in China. The Communist Party, led by Chairman Mao overthrew the government in a crushing revolution, which later spread to Tibet and Xinjiang too. The constitutional government had to flee to Taiwan.

Between the mid-1920s and late 1930s, the Kuomintang had unified what was originally China (without the currently occupied nation of Tibet, and then regions of Xinjiang [part of East Turkestan Republic] in the west, and Soviet-controlled Manchuria in the east - a region separating rest of Russia and Mongolia from current-day North Korea). The Russo-Japan war saw Russia cede southern Manchuria to Japan in 1905, and decades later, in 1931, Japan took over all of Manchuria. Subsequently, during World War-II Japan invaded China.

The Kuomintang was led by Chiang Kai-shek, who was elected President of the Republic of China till the revolution by Mao Zedong forced him and his Kuomintang party to flee to Taiwan in 1948 and set up a government in exile in 1949. The United Nations recognised Chiang Kai-shek's government as the legitimate government of China until 1971. It was Chiang Kai-shek's Republic of China (Taiwan) which originally got a permanent seat to the UN Security Council.

Taiwan today is a democracy, but many nations in the world do not have diplomatic ties with it due to pressure from the People's Republic of China - which, since 1949 was led by Chairman Mao's party, currently led by Xi Jinping.
 

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India batter Yashasvi Jaiswal's controversial dismissal on Day 5 of the 4th Test against Australia has become a hot topic of debate. The incident happened on the fifth ball of the 71st over. Jaiswal was given not out for a caught-behind appeal, following an attempted pull shot. However, the decision was overturned by the TV umpire on visual evidence that the ball had changed direction, even though no spike was picked up by the 'Snicko'. Jaiswal expressed his displeasure over the incident as he was seen confronting the on-field umpire.

It was a crucial moment as far as the result of the match is concerned, with Jaiswal batting on 84 at that time. Following his dismissal, India suffered a late collapse, losing the match by 184 runs.

A section of Indian fans at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) weren't happy with the third umpire's decision. Chants of of 'cheaters' rang around the ground as Wilson was forced to change his decision.

The Jaiswal dismissal. The crowd is not having it. Been chanting non stop for 10 mins now #BGT #BoxingDayTest pic.twitter.com/3WsqHipNbI

— Gaurav Kapur (@gauravkapur) December 30, 2024

In the chase of 340, a draw looked imminent, especially after playing a wicketless second session.

But when it mattered the most, India suffered a batting collapse in the final session by losing their last seven wickets for 34 runs and suffer a 184-run defeat to Australia in the Boxing Day Test at Melbourne Cricket Ground on Monday.

In front of a record 74,362 fans, Australia looked on course for the win after reducing India to 33/3 in the first session. But Jaiswal and Rishabh Pant kept them at bay in the second session, as the old ball began to soften.

But in the final session of the gripping Test match, Pant fell to Travis Head and that opened the door for Australia to barge in as India collapsed from 121/3 to 155 all out. Captain Pat Cummins and Scott Boland picked three wickets in a terrific bowling performance from Australia, who now have a 2-1 lead in the five-match series, ahead of next week's Test match in Sydney.

(With PTI Inputs)

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Five Years On, WHO Urges China To Share Data On Covid Origins

The World Health Organization on Monday implored China to share data and access to help understand how Covid-19 began, five years on from the start of the pandemic that upended the planet.

Covid-19 killed millions of people, shredded economies and crippled health systems.

"We continue to call on China to share data and access so we can understand the origins of Covid-19. This is a moral and scientific imperative," the WHO said in a statement.

"Without transparency, sharing, and cooperation among countries, the world cannot adequately prevent and prepare for future epidemics and pandemics."

The WHO recounted how on December 31, 2019, its country office in China picked up a media statement from the health authorities in Wuhan concerning cases of "viral pneumonia" in the city.

"In the weeks, months and years that unfolded after that, Covid-19 came to shape our lives and our world," the UN health agency said.

"As we mark this milestone, let's take a moment to honour the lives changed and lost, recognise those who are suffering from Covid-19 and Long Covid, express gratitude to the health workers who sacrificed so much to care for us, and commit to learning from Covid-19 to build a healthier tomorrow."

'Same weaknesses'

Earlier this month, the WHO's Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus addressed the issue of whether the world was better prepared for the next pandemic than it was for Covid-19.

"The answer is yes, and no," he told a press conference.

"If the next pandemic arrived today, the world would still face some of the same weaknesses and vulnerabilities that gave Covid-19 a foothold five years ago.

"But the world has also learnt many of the painful lessons the pandemic taught us, and has taken significant steps to strengthen its defences against future epidemics and pandemics."

In December 2021, spooked by the devastation caused by Covid, countries decided to start drafting an accord on pandemic prevention, preparedness and response.

The WHO's 194 member states negotiating the treaty have agreed on most of what it should include, but are stuck on the practicalities.

A key fault-line lies between Western nations with major pharmaceutical industry sectors and poorer countries wary of being sidelined when the next pandemic strikes.

While the outstanding issues are few, they include the heart of the agreement: the obligation to quickly share emerging pathogens, and then the pandemic-fighting benefits derived from them such as vaccines.

The deadline for the negotiations is May 2025.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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Virat Kohli was seen setting the field during Australia's second innings of the 4th Test in Melbourne on Sunday. The former India captain rolled back the glory days as he was actively involved in team discussions. Kohli, who stepped down as Test captain in 2022, was seen helping India skipper Rohit Sharma in making the field changes. He was also constantly on Rohit's ear as Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj stunned Australia's top-order. A video of the same went viral on social media.

Virat kohli has been leading this side today and even changing field without telling rohit sharma
- Adam Gilchrist #INDvsAUS #AUSvIND #BGT2024 #Cricket #ViratKohli
pic.twitter.com/LqhorRbjV8

— (@Stroke0Genius41) December 29, 2024

King Kohli Setting The Field Set .
Virat Kohli Leading The Team #ViratKohli https://t.co/eboOf5NYal pic.twitter.com/jabmi8vqj3

— Bhuuuva (@bhuuuva) December 29, 2024

In another video, Kohli was seen guiding Siraj on where to bowl to Steve Smith, whom the Indian pacer eventually dismissed few balls later.

Kone se... Kone se!!

LEADER KOHLI taking charge & guiding Siraj!!

The energy, the leadership, the passion-Leader Virat Kohli leading by example! His presence and mentorship on the field are priceless. What a sight to see! #LeadershipGoals #TeamIndia #Kohli #Siraj#INDvsAUS pic.twitter.com/GeadOtYQvy

— Kumar:/b (@pan_ghat) December 29, 2024

Siraj and Bumrah dismantled the Aussies top and middle order, but the hosts fought hard on the back of Marnus Labuschagne (70) and Pat Cummins (41).

Tailenders Nathan Lyon (41 not out) and Scott Boland (10 not out) extended Australia's lead to 333 at stumps on Sunday. The duo will resume on Day 5, having already put on a 55-run stand for the final wicket.

India will need the biggest successful fourth-innings run chase at the MCG on Monday if they are to win the Boxing Day Test after a thrilling Day 4 play.

The previous highest successful fourth innings score to win a Test at the MCG was England's 332/7 over Australia back in 1928.

The Border-Gavaskar Trophy series is currently locked at 1-1 as the two teams are fighting for the World Test Championship final spot scheduled to be played at Lord's in June 2025.

Australia are in a strong position to finish in top-two. They will also tour Sri Lanka next year for an additional two Tests, meaning they could theoretically draw 2-2 with India and stay in contention for a place in the final.

India, on the other hand, need to win the ongoing and final Test against Australia to ensure qualification. Any other outcome, however, would leave their fate dependent on other results to reach the finale at Lord's.

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What Is Black Moon And How You Can Experience The Rare Phenomenon

Skywatchers will have the opportunity to close out the year by experiencing a rare astronomical event known as the "black moon". The fascinating-sounding term is often used to describe the second new moon that appears in a single calendar month. It is an occurrence that is not officially recognised in astronomy but over the years, has gained popularity among amateur astronomers and stargazers.

As per the US Naval Observatory, the unique phenomenon will occur on December 30 at 5:27 pm ET (2227 GMT). For those in America, the black moon will be visible on December 30 itself while for those in Europe, Africa and Asia, it will take place on December 31, 2024. In India, the black moon phenomenon can be seen around 3:57 am on December 31.

How does a black moon happen?

A new moon happens when the sun and the moon share the same celestial longitude and the latter's illuminated side faces away from the Earth, making it invisible to the naked eye. As the lunar cycle averages 29.5 days, sometimes a month can have two new moons, leading to the phenomenon of a black moon. It is similar to a blue moon - a phenomenon when two full moons appear in a month. Notably, the moon is not visible during this phase unless there's a solar eclipse.

Also Read | Google Doodle Marks December's Final Half Moon With Special Interactive Game

What to expect?

Although the black moon itself won't be visible, its impact on the night sky is significant. The darkness allows for better visibility of stars, planets, and even distant galaxies. Binoculars or a telescope can enhance the viewing of planets like Jupiter, which will be observable all night, and Venus, which will be bright in the evening sky.

For those living in the Northern Hemisphere, the constellations Orion, Taurus, and Leo will be prominent in the night sky. Additionally, Orion's belt will be an excellent guide, with Sirius, the brightest star in the night sky, shining to its south.

Meanwhile, in the Southern Hemisphere, the Southern Cross (Crux) will be visible, along with Canopus, a standout in the constellation Carina.

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India vs Australia 4th Test Day 4 Live Updates: Nitish Kumar Reddy and Mohammed Siraj didn't manage to hang on for long, with the all-rounder becoming the 10th wicket to fall. Pat Cummins, Scott Boland, and Nathan Lyon picked up three wickets each as India were bowled out for a score of 369 runs on Day 4 of the 4th Test against Australia at the MCG. It was Reddy's gritty century on Saturday that kept the visitors fighting in the game after Australia posted 474 batting first. Australia would now look to build on their 105-run first innings lead. (Live Scorecard)

Here are the Live Score and Updates of India vs Australia 4th Test Day 4 -

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Impressed by Nitish Reddy's sensational maiden century, former coach Ravi Shastri on Saturday advocated for his promotion in the batting order, suggesting that a top-six position would provide better balance to India going into the fifth and final Test. The 21-year-old Reddy showed tremendous grit, scoring a dogged 105 not out at number 8 to virtually bail India out on the third day of the Boxing Day Test. "I feel that the way he's batted, this is the last time he will bat at 7," Shastri told Star Sports. "To get the balance of the side, you need him to go higher up the order, either 5 or 6 and then you have the opportunity of playing 5 bowlers to take the 20 wickets, and he's given that kind of confidence to the selectors and the team management and the captain." India's batting has looked brittle, especially with skipper Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Rishabh Pant struggling to score runs in the five-Test series so far.

Throwing his weight behind Nitish, Shastri added, "Reddy is fully capable of batting in the top 6. Then it changes the whole balance of the game.

"You go to Sydney with him batting in the top 6, and you're playing five bowlers." On Sunday, India will resume at 358 for nine, still trailing by 119 runs against Australia's first-innings score of 474.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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Pakistan opening bowlers Mohammad Abbas and Khurram Shahzad struck three blows late on the third afternoon as South Africa set out in pursuit of 148 runs to win the first Test at SuperSport Park on Saturday. South Africa were reeling at 27 for three at the close, 121 runs short of a victory which would clinch them a place in the World Test championship final in England next June. Abbas took two wickets for three runs in four immaculate overs of swing bowling, dismissing Tony de Zorzi and Tristan Stubbs, while Shahzad trapped Ryan Rickelton.

Aiden Markram, South Africa's top scorer in the first innings, was unbeaten on 22 going into what could be a nervy fourth day for the hosts.

All three wickets were leg before wicket decisions - and all three were reviewed.

De Zorzi batted outside his crease in an attempt to counter the swing which undid him in the first innings - but Abbas beat his inside edge and he was given out.

He reviewed umpire Alex Wharf's decision but replays showed the impact was "umpire's call", with the ball going on to hit the stumps, and he had to go for two runs.

Rickelton failed to score before he was trapped by Shahzad and Stubbs made one before falling to Abbas - with Pakistan successfully reviewing on both occasions after the batsmen were initially given not out.

It was a dramatic end to a day on which the start was delayed by three hours because of rain.

South Africa seemed well on target for victory when Pakistan were bowled out for 237, with left-arm fast bowler Marco Jansen taking six for 52.

Saud Shakeel made 84 for Pakistan.

Resuming at 88 for three, Babar Azam and the left-handed Shakeel batted confidently, adding another 65 runs in 14.5 overs.

Babar made 50, his first half-century in 19 Test innings, before Jansen had a burst of three wickets in 14 balls, starting when Babar slapped a short ball from Jansen to deep point.

Shakeel was ninth man out when he missed a full toss from Jansen after hitting 10 fours and a six in a 113-ball innings.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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A new phenomenon seems to have taken over the world of cricket. Once started by Stuart Broad, the act of switching bails as a form of superstition to change the luck towards yourself has been a tactic now employed by both India and Australia during the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024/25. Now, it seems as if Pakistan stalwart Babar Azam has caught on to the trend, doing a bail-switch during the first Test between Pakistan and South Africa at Centurion.

Yesterday, Mohammed Siraj, and today, Babar Azam

The trend of changing bails continues in Test cricket.#INDvsAUS #AUSvIND #PAKvsSA #BabarAzam #Siraj pic.twitter.com/9JViNzZqRF

— SYEDA NOOR (@3_bukhari) December 27, 2024

After making 211 with the bat, Pakistan were aiming to restrict South Africa to a low total as well. This is when Babar did his own bail switch as a superstition.

In the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, banter between India pacer Mohammed Siraj and Australia batter Marnus Labuschagne has seen the bail-switching ritual take place back and forth.

It resulted in good fortune for India as well, landing them wickets during the series almost immediately after the bail-switch.

South Africa piled up 301 in response to Pakistan's 211, taking a 90-run lead in the end. South Africa were 213/8 at one stage, but a knock of 81 in 93 balls by debutant Corbin Bosch, batting at No. 9, helped South Africa to a big lead.

On Day 3 of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, Mitchell Starc also did the same. Having gone wicketless, Starc tried the bail-switching ritual.

It did not work out for Starc, however, as he went 25 overs without a wicket in the end.

Coming back to the tie between Pakistan and South Africa, a place in the World Test Championship (WTC) 2025 final is at stake for the latter. If South Africa win the series, they'll clinch a spot in the final.

Their qualification would have a big impact on the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, as it would leave India and Australia battling for the other spot.

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Azerbaijan Airlines Laud Pilots Who Died But Saved Half Of The Passengers

A devastating plane crash in Kazakhstan has claimed the lives of 38 people, including both pilots, while half the passengers - 29 people miraculously survived.

The Azerbaijan Airlines Embraer 190 jet, carrying 67 people, was flying from Baku to Grozny when it made an emergency landing near Aktau, Kazakhstan, due to adverse weather conditions.

The Associated Press posted a video of the crash which showed passengers being taken out from the aft section of the aircraft, an area which is generally considered safe in a crash.

According to an analysis in 2015 by Time Magazine of US federal data from 1985 to 2000, the seats in the back of the plane had a fatality rate of 32%, compared to 39% in the middle and 38% in the front. The back middle seats had the lowest fatality rate, at 28%.

The airline's president, Samir Rzayev, praised the pilots' "heroism" and dedication to saving lives, saying, "While this tragic accident brought a significant loss to our nation, the crew's valiant dedication to their duties until the last moment and their prioritization of human life have immortalised their names in history," according to the Azerbaijani news agency report.

The pilots had collectively logged over 15,000 flight hours, and the plane had recently passed a technical inspection.

Investigations are ongoing, but preliminary reports suggest the plane may have been damaged by a Russian anti-missile system. Some experts point to evidence of shrapnel damage to the aircraft's elevator and rudder controls. However, Russian authorities have denied involvement, and the cause of the crash remains unknown.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov had warned against speculating about the cause of the crash before the results of the investigation came.

The crash has raised concerns about air safety in the region, particularly given the recent military activity in the area. Ukrainian drones have targeted Grozny in recent weeks, and there were reports of Ukrainian drone attacks in the North Caucasus Federal District on the day of the crash.

As the investigation continues, the airline and authorities are working to determine the cause of the crash. The plane's black box has been recovered, and its analysis is being conducted in line with international aviation standards.
 

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Quantum Teleportation Now Possible Over Everyday Internet Cable

In a groundbreaking scientific achievement, researchers have figured out a way to achieve the unthinkable: quantum teleportation. While the name may suggest that humans could be teleported through the technology, it is far from the real-life implication of the technology. Quantum teleportation allows the transfer of information instantly and over any distance without needing any future technology. Led by Prem Kumar from Northwestern University, Illinois, US, scientists demonstrated quantum teleportation over standard fibre optic cable that already carries everyday internet traffic, according to a report in ScieneAlert.

In simple terms, quantum teleportation involves sending information from one place to another using something called "quantum entanglement". Think of entanglement like an invisible twin connection where two particles, even if miles apart, are linked in a way that what happens to one instantly affects the other. Unlike sending a physical object, you are sending the state or condition of a particle.

"This is incredibly exciting because nobody thought it was possible. Our work shows a path towards next-generation quantum and classical networks sharing a unified fibre optic infrastructure. Basically, it opens the door to pushing quantum communications to the next level," said Mr Kumar.

The study involved the careful management of light scattering to ensure that the delicate quantum information, carried by photons, could survive amidst the swarm of internet data. To achieve the desired result, the scientists utilised a specific wavelength for the quantum signal and implemented filters to minimise interference from other data streams.

"We carefully studied how light is scattered and placed our photons at a judicial point where that scattering mechanism is minimised. We found we could perform quantum communication without interference from the classical channels that are simultaneously present," added Mr Kumar.

Also Read | Google's Latest Breakthrough A Major Leap In Quantum Computing

The result was a successful teleportation of a quantum state of light, which represents a significant leap towards integrating quantum communication with existing internet infrastructure. Notably, this was not just a simulation; it was done in real-world conditions, showcasing the practical viability of quantum communication alongside traditional data transmission.

One of the biggest appeals of quantum teleportation is that it can occur almost as fast as light travels. The development is a big step towards quantum internet that could revolutionise traditional computing. From secure encryption methods to enhanced sensing capabilities to potentially even connecting quantum computers on a global scale, without needing specialised infrastructure -- the potential for the technology remains immense.

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NDTV Sports-Cricket

Zimbabwe and their veteran batter Sean Williams created Test records on Friday against Afghanistan, who trailed by 491 runs after the second day of the first Test in Bulawayo. Resuming on 363 for four, the home side were all out for 586 at Queens Sports Club in the southern city. Afghanistan were 95 for two off 30 overs in reply when bad light stopped play. The Zimbabwe first innings total was their highest in a Test, bettering 563 for nine against the West Indies in Harare 23 years ago. It was the sixth Zimbabwe innings to exceed 500 runs. Having made 145 runs on the first day, Williams added nine more before being caught by Rahmat Shah close to the boundary line off a Naveed Zadran bouncer.  His 154 overtook a previous best of 151 not out, also against Afghanistan, in Abu Dhabi three years ago. Williams, batting at No. 4, struck three sixes and 10 fours off 174 balls in a 266-minute stand in the city where he was born. It was his fourth century in six Tests. 

His partnerships included 163 for the fifth wicket with captain Craig Ervine, who went on to make 104, including 10 fours, before his inside edge was snapped up by wicketkeeper Afsar Zazai.

"If I can lead by example and not by talking I believe my young teammates will learn quickly," said 38-year-old Williams.

Zimbabwe fielded three debutants, including 68-run opener Ben Curran, and three others are making just their second Test appearances.

Middle-order Brian Bennett was another Zimbabwe centurion, hitting a brisk unbeaten 110 that included four sixes and five fours.

Teenage spinner Allah Ghazanfar was the most successful Afghanistan bowler, but his three wickets proved expensive as he conceded 127 runs.

The Afghanistan innings began disastrously with Test newcomer Sediqullah Atal out for three in the second over after a Trevor Gwandu delivery uprooted his middle stump.

Fellow opener Abdul Malik was dismissed for 23 before Shah patiently built an unbeaten 49 that included a six and five fours. Captain Hashmatullah Shahidi was 16 not out. 

Both teams are seeking a first Test victory since beating each other three years ago.

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

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Israel Strikes Houthi Military Targets In Yemen

Israeli Air Force conducted strikes on military targets belonging to Houthis on the western coast and inland Yemen, the Israel Defence Force (IDF) said on Thursday.

The IDF said that the plan of the airstrike was approved by the Prime Minister, Defence Minister and the Chief of the General Staff of Israel.

The attacks were carried upon the Houthi military infrastructure used for its military activities. The sites targeted include the Al-Hudaydah, Salif and Ras Kanatib ports on the western coast.

"The Houthi terrorist regime has repeatedly attacked the State of Israel and its citizens, including in UAV and surface-to-surface missile attacks on Israeli territory. The targets that were struck by the IDF include military infrastructure used by the Houthi terrorist regime for its military activities in both the Sana'a International Airport and the Hezyaz and Ras Kanatib power stations. In addition, the IDF struck military infrastructure in the Al-Hudaydah, Salif and Ras Kanatib ports on the western coast," the IDF said in a post on X.

The IDF further said that military targets were used by the Houthi terrorist regime to smuggle Iranian weapons into the region and for the entry of senior Iranian officials.

"This is a further example of the Houthis' exploitation of civilian infrastructure for military purposes. The Houthi terrorist regime is a central part of the Iranian axis of terror, and their attacks on international shipping vessels and routes continue to destabilize the region and the wider world. The Houthi terrorist regime operates as an autonomous terrorist group while relying on Iranian cooperation and funding to carry out its attacks. The IDF will not hesitate to operate at any distance against any threat to the State of Israel and its citizens," the IDF concluded.

Following the approval of operational plans by the Chief of the General Staff, the Minister of Defense and the Prime Minister, IAF fighter jets conducted intelligence-based strikes on military targets belonging to the Houthi terrorist regime on the western coast and inland Yemen… pic.twitter.com/GnjyZgZv4m

— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) December 26, 2024

This recent operation comes days after Israel had conducted a similar strike on December 19 on Houthi targets in Yemen.

The IDF had announced that Israeli fighter jets struck Houthi targets in Yemen after the rebel group carried out repeated missile and drone attacks on Israel, The Times of Israel reported.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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Panama President Rules Out Talks With Trump Over Canal Threat

Panamanian President Jose Raul Mulino on Thursday ruled out negotiations with US President-elect Donald Trump over control of the Panama Canal, denying that China was interfering in its operation.

Mulino also rejected the possibility of reducing tolls for US vessels in response to Trump's threat to demand control of the vital waterway connecting the Atlantic and Pacific oceans be returned to Washington.

"There's nothing to talk about," Mulino told a press conference.

"The canal is Panamanian and belongs to Panamanians. There's no possibility of opening any kind of conversation around this reality, which has cost the country blood, sweat and tears," he added.

The canal, inaugurated in 1914, was built by the United States but handed to Panama on December 31, 1999, under treaties signed some two decades earlier by then-US president Jimmy Carter and Panamanian nationalist leader Omar Torrijos.

Trump on Saturday slammed what he called "ridiculous" fees for US ships passing through the canal and hinted at China's growing influence.

"It was solely for Panama to manage, not China, or anyone else," Trump said in a post on his Truth Social platform. "We would and will NEVER let it fall into the wrong hands!"

If Panama could not ensure "the secure, efficient and reliable operation" of the channel, "then we will demand that the Panama Canal be returned to us, in full, and without question," he said.

- 'No Chinese interference' -

An estimated five percent of global maritime traffic passes through the Panama Canal, which allows ships traveling between Asia and the US East Coast to avoid the long, hazardous route around the southern tip of South America.

The United States is its main user, accounting for 74 percent of cargo, followed by China with 21 percent.

Mulino said the canal's usage fees were "not set at the whim of the president or the administrator" of the interoceanic waterway, but under a long-established "public and open process."

"There is absolutely no Chinese interference or participation in anything to do with the Panama Canal," Mulino said.

On Wednesday, Trump wrote on Truth Social alleged, without evidence, that Chinese soldiers were "lovingly, but illegally, operating the Panama Canal."

Mulino denied that allegation, too.

"There are no Chinese soldiers in the canal, for the love of God," he added.

Panama established diplomatic relations with China in 2017, after breaking off ties with Taiwan -- a decision criticized by Trump's first administration.

On Tuesday, dozens of demonstrators gathered outside the US embassy in Panama City chanting "Trump, animal, leave the canal alone" and burning an image of the incoming US president.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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NDTV Sports-Cricket

India's sports fraternity on Thursday joined the nation in mourning the demise of two-time former Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh, paying homage to his "calm leadership and wisdom" in stirring condolence messages. Singh, 92, died at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) here after losing consciousness at his home owing to age-related ailments. "Sad news of the passing of Dr. Manmohan Singh Ji. A visionary leader and a true statesman who worked tirelessly for India's progress. His wisdom and humility will always be remembered. My heartfelt condolences to his loved ones," World Cup-winning former cricketer Yuvraj Singh posted on X.

Sad news of the passing of Dr. Manmohan Singh Ji. A visionary leader and a true statesman who worked tirelessly for India's progress. His wisdom and humility will always be remembered. My heartfelt condolences to his loved ones. #ManmohanSingh ji

— Yuvraj Singh (@YUVSTRONG12) December 26, 2024

Similar sentiments were expressed by his former teammate and Aam Aadmi Party's Rajya Sabha member Harbhajan Singh, who described Singh as a thorough gentleman and visionary leader.

"What truly set him apart was his calm and steady leadership in times of crisis, his ability to navigate complex political landscapes, and his unwavering belief in India's potential," he wrote.

Saddened by the news of sudden demise of former Prime Minister, a thorough gentleman, and a visionary leader, Dr. Manmohan Singh Ji What truly set him apart was his calm and steady leadership in times of crisis, his ability to navigate complex political landscapes, and his... pic.twitter.com/WKbjrnADJQ

— Harbhajan Turbanator (@harbhajan_singh) December 26, 2024

It was during Singh's second tenure that India hosted the 2010 Commonwealth Games in the national capital.

It was the first international multi-sport extravaganza to be held in the country after the 1982 Asian Games, also hosted by Delhi.

Former wrestler Vinesh Phogat, who is now a Congress MLA in Haryana, called Singh a man of "extraordinary wisdom, simplicity and vision." "Dr. Manmohan Singh was not just a Prime Minister, but he was a thinker, economist and a true patriot. His calm leadership style and economic vision gave the country a new direction, from the 1991 economic reforms to establishing India's reputation on the global stage.

"There was depth in his humility and wisdom in his every word. His services and contributions to the country will always be remembered. You will always live in our hearts, Sir," she wrote in her emotional tribute on social media.

1991... pic.twitter.com/JDoXy8PvmV

— Vinesh Phogat (@Phogat_Vinesh) December 26, 2024

Former cricketers Virender Sehwag and VVS Laxman and ex-women's hockey team captain Rani Rampal were also among those who expressed their sadness at his death.

Before serving as Prime Minister from 2004 to 2014, Singh was finance minister in the P V Narasimha Rao-led government and was the brain behind the economic reforms of 1991 that marked the beginning of liberalisation in the country.

Widely respected for his intellect and grace in public life, Singh had retired from active politics in April this year after over a three-decade run as a Rajya Saha MP.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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"Wise, Thoughtful, Honest": When Obama Praised Manmohan Singh In His Memoir

Today, India mourns the loss of its former Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh, who passed away at the age of 92 due to age-related medical conditions. According to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Delhi, where he was admitted, Dr. Singh had a sudden loss of consciousness at home on December 26, 2024.

Dr. Singh is survived by his wife, Gurcharan Singh, and their three daughters. His legacy, however, extends far beyond his family. As a renowned economist and statesman, Dr. Singh played a pivotal role in shaping India's economic transformation. His tenure as Prime Minister from 2004 to 2014 was marked by significant economic reforms, which lifted millions of people out of poverty.

Former US President Barack Obama, in his memoir "A Promised Land," paid tribute to Dr. Singh's exceptional leadership, describing him as a "man with uncommon wisdom". Obama praised Dr. Singh's commitment to economic reform, his dedication to the well-being of the Indian people, and his unwavering integrity.

Mr Obama wrote that Dr. Singh, an eminent economist, had managed to lift millions of people from poverty and that the markings of his Sikh faith made him look "holy" in the eyes of the West. He further added that Dr Singh's tenure as a Prime Minister proved that he was "wise, thoughtful, and scrupulously honest".

Dr. Singh's impact on India's economic landscape is undeniable. He implemented policies that encouraged growth, reduced poverty, and increased access to education and healthcare. His government's initiatives, such as the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) and the Right to Information Act, have had a lasting impact on the country.

Despite facing criticism during his tenure, Dr. Singh remained optimistic about his legacy. In his last press conference as Prime Minister in January 2014, he expressed his faith in history's judgment, saying, "I honestly believe that history will be kinder to me than the contemporary media, or for that matter, the Opposition parties in Parliament".

As India bids farewell to this visionary leader, we remember his remarkable contributions to the nation's growth and development. Dr. Manmohan Singh's legacy will continue to inspire future generations of leaders and policymakers, and his impact on India's history will be remembered for years to come.
 

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NDTV Sports-Cricket

Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC) has announced free entry for spectators to the Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo for the upcoming two-match Test series against Afghanistan, starting with the Boxing Day game on Thursday. In a statement, ZC said the decision comes in the wake of its efforts to celebrate the country's first Boxing Day Test at home in 28 years. It is followed by Zimbabwe's inaugural New Year's Test, scheduled for January 2-6, 2025.

“This is an extraordinary milestone for Zimbabwe Cricket and our fans. By offering free entry, we want to share this historic occasion with as many cricket lovers as possible, creating an electric atmosphere to inspire our players and celebrate the spirit of the game,” said Givemore Makoni, ZC Managing Director.

The last time Zimbabwe played a home Boxing Day Test, it was in 1996, which ended in a rain-affected drawn match against England at Harare Sports Club. Since then, Zimbabwe have only played Boxing Day Tests abroad against New Zealand in 2000 and South Africa in 2017, the latter being a pink-ball day-night fixture in Port Elizabeth.

Meanwhile, Zimbabwe have called up right-arm fast bowler Victor Nyauchi to replace Takudzwa Chataira, who suffered a right-side strain during the team's practice session earlier this week.

Chataira was among the seven uncapped players initially selected for the series. His replacement Nyauchi, an experienced bowler with nine Test matches under his belt and 20 wickets to his name, brings additional depth to the hosts' bowling attack.

Thursday's match, despite a rain threat looming on all five days, will be Zimbabwe's second Test of 2024 after playing in a one-off Test against Ireland at Belfast in July, where they lost by four wickets. Zimbabwe lost T20I series to Afghanistan 2-1, and was followed by them losing ODI series to the visitors' 2-0.

Zimbabwe Test squad: Craig Ervine (captain), Ben Curran, Brian Bennett, Johnathan Campbell, Joylord Gumbie, Trevor Gwandu, Takudzwanashe Kaitano, Tadiwanashe Marumani, Brandon Mavuta, Nyasha Mayavo, Blessing Muzarabani, Dion Myers, Richard Ngarava, Newman Nyamhuri, Victor Nyauchi, Sikandar Raza, Sean Williams

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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An AI Just Reached Human Level On 'General Intelligence'. What That Means

A new artificial intelligence (AI) model has just achieved human-level results on a test designed to measure “general intelligence”.

On December 20, OpenAI's o3 system scored 85% on the ARC-AGI benchmark, well above the previous AI best score of 55% and on par with the average human score. It also scored well on a very difficult mathematics test.

Creating artificial general intelligence, or AGI, is the stated goal of all the major AI research labs. At first glance, OpenAI appears to have at least made a significant step towards this goal.

While scepticism remains, many AI researchers and developers feel something just changed. For many, the prospect of AGI now seems more real, urgent and closer than anticipated. Are they right?

Generalisation and intelligence

To understand what the o3 result means, you need to understand what the ARC-AGI test is all about. In technical terms, it's a test of an AI system's “sample efficiency” in adapting to something new – how many examples of a novel situation the system needs to see to figure out how it works.

An AI system like ChatGPT (GPT-4) is not very sample efficient. It was “trained” on millions of examples of human text, constructing probabilistic “rules” about which combinations of words are most likely.

The result is pretty good at common tasks. It is bad at uncommon tasks, because it has less data (fewer samples) about those tasks.

Until AI systems can learn from small numbers of examples and adapt with more sample efficiency, they will only be used for very repetitive jobs and ones where the occasional failure is tolerable.

The ability to accurately solve previously unknown or novel problems from limited samples of data is known as the capacity to generalise. It is widely considered a necessary, even fundamental, element of intelligence.

Grids and patterns

The ARC-AGI benchmark tests for sample efficient adaptation using little grid square problems like the one below. The AI needs to figure out the pattern that turns the grid on the left into the grid on the right.

An example task from the ARC-AGI benchmark test. ARC Prize

Each question gives three examples to learn from. The AI system then needs to figure out the rules that “generalise” from the three examples to the fourth.

These are a lot like the IQ tests sometimes you might remember from school.

Weak rules and adaptation

We don't know exactly how OpenAI has done it, but the results suggest the o3 model is highly adaptable. From just a few examples, it finds rules that can be generalised.

To figure out a pattern, we shouldn't make any unnecessary assumptions, or be more specific than we really have to be. In theory, if you can identify the “weakest” rules that do what you want, then you have maximised your ability to adapt to new situations.

What do we mean by the weakest rules? The technical definition is complicated, but weaker rules are usually ones that can be described in simpler statements.

In the example above, a plain English expression of the rule might be something like: “Any shape with a protruding line will move to the end of that line and ‘cover up' any other shapes it overlaps with.”

Searching chains of thought?

While we don't know how OpenAI achieved this result just yet, it seems unlikely they deliberately optimised the o3 system to find weak rules. However, to succeed at the ARC-AGI tasks it must be finding them.

We do know that OpenAI started with a general-purpose version of the o3 model (which differs from most other models, because it can spend more time “thinking” about difficult questions) and then trained it specifically for the ARC-AGI test.

French AI researcher Francois Chollet, who designed the benchmark, believes o3 searches through different “chains of thought” describing steps to solve the task. It would then choose the “best” according to some loosely defined rule, or “heuristic”.

This would be “not dissimilar” to how Google's AlphaGo system searched through different possible sequences of moves to beat the world Go champion.

You can think of these chains of thought like programs that fit the examples. Of course, if it is like the Go-playing AI, then it needs a heuristic, or loose rule, to decide which program is best.

There could be thousands of different seemingly equally valid programs generated. That heuristic could be “choose the weakest” or “choose the simplest”.

However, if it is like AlphaGo then they simply had an AI create a heuristic. This was the process for AlphaGo. Google trained a model to rate different sequences of moves as better or worse than others.

What we still don't know

The question then is, is this really closer to AGI? If that is how o3 works, then the underlying model might not be much better than previous models.

The concepts the model learns from language might not be any more suitable for generalisation than before. Instead, we may just be seeing a more generalisable “chain of thought” found through the extra steps of training a heuristic specialised to this test. The proof, as always, will be in the pudding.

Almost everything about o3 remains unknown. OpenAI has limited disclosure to a few media presentations and early testing to a handful of researchers, laboratories and AI safety institutions.

Truly understanding the potential of o3 will require extensive work, including evaluations, an understanding of the distribution of its capacities, how often it fails and how often it succeeds.

When o3 is finally released, we'll have a much better idea of whether it is approximately as adaptable as an average human.

If so, it could have a huge, revolutionary, economic impact, ushering in a new era of self-improving accelerated intelligence. We will require new benchmarks for AGI itself and serious consideration of how it ought to be governed.

If not, then this will still be an impressive result. However, everyday life will remain much the same.

(Authors: Michael Timothy Bennett, PhD Student, School of Computing, Australian National University and Elija Perrier, Research Fellow, Stanford Center for Responsible Quantum Technology, Stanford University)

(Disclosure Statement: Michael Timothy Bennett receives funding from the Australian government. Elija Perrier receives funding from the Australian government)

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
 

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15 Killed In Pakistani Airstrikes In Afghanistan

A series of Pakistani airstrikes on the Barmal district of Paktika province in Afghanistan has resulted in the death of at least 15 people, including women and children, with the toll expected to rise.

The attacks, which took place on the night of December 24, targeted seven villages, including Laman, where five members of a family were killed, as reported by Khaama Press.

Local sources claim that Pakistani jets were responsible for the bombings. Reports indicate that the Murg Bazaar village in Barmal was destroyed, exacerbating the ongoing humanitarian crisis.

The airstrikes have caused severe civilian casualties and widespread destruction, further escalating tensions in the region. As recovery efforts continue, further investigation is required to confirm details and clarify responsibility for the attacks, Khaama Press reported.
The Taliban's Ministry of Defence has vowed to retaliate following the airstrike on Barmal, Paktika.

The Ministry stated that defending their land and sovereignty is their legitimate right, and condemned the attack, claiming that "Waziristani refugees" were among those targeted.

While Pakistani officials have not officially confirmed the airstrike, security sources close to the military suggested that the attack was aimed at Taliban hideouts near the border.

This comes amid escalating tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan, particularly regarding the presence of Pakistani militants in Afghanistan.

The Pakistani Taliban, or Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), has increased its attacks on Pakistani forces in recent months, with Pakistan accusing the Afghan Taliban of providing shelter to these militants, Khaama Press reported.

Enayatullah Khwarazmi, a spokesperson for the Taliban Ministry of Defence, denied the Pakistani claims and posted on X (formerly Twitter) that "civilian people, mostly Waziristani refugees," had been killed in the airstrike.

Khwarazmi added that "several children and other civilians were martyred and wounded" in the attack, though no official casualty figures were provided. Sources reported that at least 15 bodies, including women and children, have been recovered, and the death toll is expected to rise as search efforts continue.

The Waziristani refugees are civilians who had been displaced by military operations in Pakistan's tribal areas. However, Pakistan maintains that many TTP commanders and fighters have fled to Afghanistan, where they are reportedly being protected by the Afghan Taliban in border provinces., Khaama Press reported.

Tensions between Pakistan and the Afghan Taliban have been building for some time, fuelled by the ongoing presence of TTP militants in Afghanistan. While Pakistan accuses the Afghan Taliban of harbouring these militants, the Taliban insists it is not collaborating with the group.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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Top 10 Things To Look Foward To In 2025

New Year is always such a overwhelming time, full of anxieties regarding what's about to come, what's about to change, what's the next thing to happen, however, it is important to hold a neutral position about what's to come, and it would be even better if one finds things to look forward to. Here are the top 10 things you can await with pleasure over the next year.

Future of TikTok?

Congress has overwhelmingly passed legislation for TikTok to be banned from US app stores by January 19 unless Beijing-based ByteDance sells its stake. However, after they appealed to the Supreme Court on grounds that the ban violates First Amendment rights to free speech, the court will hear the case on January 10th.

Yet, with Trump's aligned conservatives in the court and Trump himself batting for the app saying, "We got to keep this sucker around for a little while", it will be interesting to see if both US and ByteDance's concerns could be satisfied.

Photo Credit: Reuters

Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams returning back

NASA announced that the stranded astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore will be coming back to Earth by March 2025, after yet another delay.

The astronauts had left for the ISS on June 5th 2024, aboard Boeing's Starliner spacecraft as a part of a test flight, with plans to return back to Earth a week later, but technical issues in the spacecraft delayed their return.

Photo Credit: Reuters

Oasis reunion

Brothers Noel and Liam Gallagher are reuniting for an Oasis Live 2025 tour after a 15-year-long feud between them. The tour will begin on July 4th, 2025 in Cardiff, Wales, although the band has promised more dates outside the UK later in the year.

This finally answers one of rock's biggest will-they-won't-they questions.

In a release, they stated, "There has been no great revelatory moment that has ignited the reunion - just the gradual realisation that the time is right."

Photo Credit: @Oasis on Instagram

Grand Theft Auto VI release

Although the release date of Grand Theft Auto VI has not been disclosed, it is expected to fall sometime in fall 2025. The game has already broken a Guinness World Record for most-viewed video game reveal with its trailer with more than 168 million views.

Grand Theft Auto V, has sold over 190 million units.

Photo Credit: @gta6ixofficial on Instagram

COP 30 in Brazil

The 2025 UN Climate Change Conference (UNFCCC COP 30) will convene in November 2025 in Belém, Brazil, and will include the 30th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 30). but ironically, the meeting might harm the environment.

A new highway, Avenida Liberdade, has been approved for the facilitation of traffic into and out of Belém, that will cut through its protected area, and disturb wildlife movement.

Session of COP 28 in Dubai, where COP 30 was formalized in Brazil, in Belém

Jubilee of 2025

Italy's capital is gearing up for a spectacular celebration as the Catholic Church's Jubilee returns in 2025. This momentous event, which occurs every 25 years, is expected to draw millions of devout pilgrims to the city.

The festivities will commence on December 24, 2024, with a symbolic ceremony: the Opening of the Holy Door.

One of the highlights of the Jubilee is the historic Seven Churches Pilgrimage. This revered tradition, which dates back to the 16th century, involves a 25km journey on foot through the city and surrounding countryside, visiting seven major basilicas along the way.

Photo Credit: Reuters

World Expo 2025

Osaka is preparing to host the World Expo in 2025, 55 years after setting a record for the best-attended Expo of the 20th century in 1970. The city is determined to surpass its previous success, and its plans are nothing short of impressive.

Renowned Japanese architect Sou Fujimoto has designed a breathtaking centerpiece for the Expo: a 20-meter-high, 2-kilometer-long Grand Ring that will encircle the entire site. Visitors will be able to walk along the ring, taking in stunning views of the Expo and Osaka Bay.

With its unique blend of architecture, technology, and international collaboration, Expo 2025 is shaping up to be an unforgettable experience.

Photo Credit: @expo2025japan on Instagram

TV Shows

2025 will be an exciting year for television shows as the most anticipated shows are returning after quite some gap. Be it comedies, mysteries or dramas, the year will be a jam-packed one.

• Yellowjackets (survival thriller and drama) will be returning with a Season 3 of the show. The show will premiere on February 16th, 2025.
• The White Lotus (dark comedy, social satire) will be returning in February 2025, and will be set in Thailand.
• The Handmaid's Tale (dystopian fiction), based on the novel by Margaret Atwood, will also be released in 2025 with Season 6 of the show. This will be the final season for the show.
• The Last Of Us (post-apocalyptic drama) is a zombie drama series based on a video game of the same name, which became HBO's most watched debut season.
• Stranger Things (supernatural action-drama) will wrap up its final season on Netflix. The series pays homage to Stephen King and Steven Spielberg. The fourth season was the second-most-streamed Netflix show of all time.

Photo Credit: @strangerthingstv on Instagram

Movies

• Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning, the eight movie of the franchise sees the 62 year old Tom Cruise reprise his role as Ethan Hunt. It will pick up from where 2022's Dead Reckoning Part One left off.
• Superman, which sees David Corenswet play the 25-year-old version of DC character, is given the title "Chapter One: Gods and Monsters". Rachel Brosnahan stars as Lois Lane in the movie.
• 28 Years Later, starring Cillian Murphy, is a zombie apocalypse movie bringing the undead to run. This is the first in a planned trilogy.
• Snow White, co-written by Greta Gerwig stars Rachel Zegler in the titular role with Gal Gadot playing the Evil Queen.
• Michael, Lionsgate's most anticipated movie of the year, is a biographical film chronicling the life of Michael Jackson. The movie stars the pop icon's nephew, Jaafar Jackson.

Photo Credit: @28yearslatermovie on Instagram

Books

• How to Sleep at Night by Elizabeth Harris; the book follows a couple who have grown apart because of their political differences. The book is about romantic and sibling love, how identities evolve over time, ambition and monogamy.
• Three Days in June by Anne Tyler; this is the Pulitzer prize winning author's 25th novel, which revolves around a marriage story, not something one would quite expect.
• Tilt by Emma Pattee, is a natural disaster adventure novel that anxieties surrounding motherhood, marriage and career.
• The Next Day by Melinda French Gates; a memoir in which she explores themes of life's changes, becoming a parent and recent departure from a foundation she started with her ex-husband Bill Gates.
• Matriarch: A Memoir by Tina Knowles; Beyonce and Solange's mother tells her story through this book, about how she raises superstar daughters and the challenges that come along the way, basically how she came to be one of the most famous moms in the world.

Photo Credit: @melindafrenchgates on Instagram

from NDTV News-World-news https://ift.tt/1FIa47h

Afghan Staffer At Indian Consulate In Jalalabad Injured: Report

A local Afghan staff working at the "closed" Indian Consulate in Afghanistan's Jalalabad, sustained minor injuries following an incident, MEA Sources told ANI on Tuesday.

According to the sources, they are in touch with Afghan authorities on the matter and are also awaiting a report on the incident.

"We are in touch with Afghan authorities and awaiting a report on the incident," the MEA source said.

India had closed its Consulate in Jalalabad in 2020 itself.

As per the Ministry of External Affairs, The diplomatic presence of Afghanistan in Delhi and the Consulates of Afghanistan in Mumbai and Hyderabad continue to function in India. Between 2021-22, some Afghan diplomats left India since they obtained residency in third countries. However, the remaining Afghan diplomats based in India have taken over the responsibility for the continued diplomatic functioning of the Afghanistan.

India has also partnered with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in Afghanistan to provide assistance for the welfare of Afghan drug user population, especially women. Under this partnership, India has, since 2022, supplied 11,000 units of hygiene kits, baby food, blankets, clothing, medical aid and other miscellaneous items to UNODC, Kabul, as per MEA.

India's approach to Afghanistan continues to be guided by its historical relations, friendship with its people and relevant UN Resolutions, including UNSCR 2593. The India based personnel of the Embassy in Kabul returned to India in the aftermath of the takeover by the Taliban.

Since June 2022, an Indian technical team is positioned in the Embassy and is active in respect of humanitarian assistance and other situations. India's stance in regard to recognition of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan is in consonance with that of the international community.

Keeping in mind the deteriorating situation in that country, India decided to assist Afghan people by supplying humanitarian aid. In this endeavor, India supplied several shipments of humanitarian assistance consisting of 50,000 MTs of wheat, 250 tons of medical aid and 28 tons of earthquake relief aid. These consignments were handed over to the United Nations World Food Programme (UNWFP), United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA), Indira Gandhi Institute of Child Health (IGICH) and Afghan Red Crescent Society (ARCS), as per MEA.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

from NDTV News-World-news https://ift.tt/muKXexo

Scarlett Johansson Shocked As Husband Colin Jost Jokes About Her On SNL

Scarlett Johansson was left shocked as she made a surprise appearance on the latest episode of Saturday Night Live (SNL) with her husband, Colin Jost, making numerous jokes about the Hollywood star's age, their child and their sex life. During the "Weekend Update" of SNL's Christmas edition, anchors, Mr Jost and Michael Che were doing their annual "joke exchange" where they both write jokes for each other. The prompts are designed to land either of them in hot water and this year, Mr Jost received the short end of the stick.

“I want to dedicate this next joke to my boo, Scarlett Johansson,” said Mr Jost, reading the joke from the teleprompter as the Avengers star looked on nervously from the backstage.

“Oh my gosh, she's so genuinely worried,” said Mr Jost, briefly breaking his on-screen character.

“Y'all know Scarlett just celebrated her 40th birthday, which means I'm about to get up out of there,” he added, with the camera quickly panning away to Ms Johansson, who was both simultaneously laughing and gobsmacked.

“Shiz! Nah, nah. I'm just playin',” he added.

“We just had a kid together, and y'all ain't see no pictures of him yet, because he's Black as hell!” said Mr Jost as a photoshopped image of himself and Ms Johansson was displayed on the screen.

Just when Mr Jost thought the segment had ended, another joke popped up which he reluctantly began to read.

“Costco has removed their roast beef sandwich from its menu, but I ain't tripping. I be eating roast beef every night since my wife had the kid,” said Jost causing an eruption of laughter from the entire cast and crew.

Ms Johansson looked shocked, mouthing, “Oh my gosh".

Colin Jost and Michael Che just did their annual SNL joke-swap where they write each other's jokes

this joke about Scarlett Johansson...and then the camera cutting to her for her shocked reaction...omg pic.twitter.com/q7CKknJB1q

— Spencer Althouse (@SpencerAlthouse) December 22, 2024

2024 Christmas Joke Swap with Colin and Che! pic.twitter.com/0uExTX8MHL

— Saturday Night Live - SNL (@nbcsnl) December 22, 2024

Internet reacts

The jokes left the audience as well as social media users in split who said Mr Che had landed his colleague in trouble with the brutal jokes.

"Scarlett is either a fantastic actress or was truly genuinely shocked," said one user, while another added: "Haven't laughed like this watching Saturday Night Live in a while. Che definitely got Colin this year. Lol."

A third commented: "The Weekend Update joke swap has become the best part of the show and tonight did not disappoint."

Notably, this is not the first instance when Mr Jost has been forced to make such jokes about her wife. In July, earlier this year, during another joke swap segment, Mr Che made his colleague say:

“ChatGPT has released a new voice assistant feature inspired by Scarlett Johansson's AI character in Her,” a nervous Mr Jost told viewers. “Which I've never bothered to watch, because without that body what's the point of listening?”

While the jokes are made at the expense of both anchors, the segment is often the most-watched part of SNL.

from NDTV News-World-news https://ift.tt/qlV9A2z

Can Elon Musk Become US President? Donald Trump Says...

Could Elon Musk, who holds major sway in the incoming Trump administration, one day become president? On Sunday, Donald Trump answered with a resounding no, pointing to US rules about being born in the country.

"He's not gonna be president, that I can tell you," Trump told a Republican conference in Phoenix, Arizona. 

"You know why he can't be? He wasn't born in this country," Trump said of the Tesla and SpaceX boss, who was born in South Africa.

The US Constitution requires that a president be a natural-born US citizen.

Trump was responding to criticism, particularly from the Democratic camp, portraying the tech billionaire and world's richest person as "President Musk" for the outsized role he is playing in the incoming administration.

As per ceding the presidency to Musk, Trump also assured the crowd: "No, no that's not happening."

The influence of Musk, who will serve as Trump's "efficiency czar," has become a focus point for Democratic attacks, with questions raised over how an unelected citizen can wield so much power.

And there is even growing anger among Republicans after Musk trashed a government funding proposal this week in a blizzard of posts -- many of them wildly inaccurate -- to his more than 200 million followers on his social media platform X.

Alongside Trump, Musk ultimately helped pressure Republicans to renege on a funding bill they had painstakingly agreed upon with Democrats, pushing the United States to the brink of budgetary paralysis that would have resulted in a government shutdown just days before Christmas.

Congress ultimately reached an agreement overnight Friday to Saturday, avoiding massive halts to government services.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

from NDTV News-World-news https://ift.tt/2FHTDor

Jeff Bezos Denies Report Of $600 Million Lavish Wedding: "Completely False"

Jeff Bezos has categorically denied media reports that his upcoming wedding to fiancee Lauren Sanchez will cost a staggering $600 million. Taking to X, the billionaire founder of Amazon set the record straight, dismissing the rumours as "completely false". The report, picked up by several outlets across the world, alleged that the couple is set to exchange vows on December 28 and spend over half a billion dollars on the extravagant event.

Mr Bezos' reaction was sparked by a post from billionaire investor Bill Ackman, who expressed scepticism about the reported $600 million wedding. "This is not credible. Unless you are buying each of your guests a house, you can't spend this much money," he wrote on X. 

Reacting to Mr Ackman's tweet, the Amazon founder wrote, "Furthermore, this whole thing is completely false — none of this is happening. The adage "don't believe everything you read” is even more true today than it ever has been. Now lies can get around the world before the truth can get its pants on. So be careful out there folks and don't be gullible. Will be interesting to see if all the outlets that "covered" and re-reported on this issue a correction when it comes and goes and doesn't happen."

See the tweet here:

Furthermore, this whole thing is completely false — none of this is happening. The old adage “don't believe everything you read” is even more true today than it ever has been. Now lies can get ALL the way around the world before the truth can get its pants on. So be careful out… https://t.co/wz2SWp6wBZ

— Jeff Bezos (@JeffBezos) December 22, 2024

His fiancee, Lauren Sanchez, also weighed in on the matter, sharing Mr Bezos' post on her Instagram stories and adding a clear rebuttal: "Not true".

Initial reports from the Daily Mail and the New York Post alleged that Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez were planning an extravagant winter wonderland-themed wedding in Aspen, Colorado. According to the reports, the couple had booked Matsuhisa, an upscale sushi restaurant, as the exclusive venue for their celebration. The reports claimed that the luxury restaurant would be reserved from December 26 to 27, hosting around 180 guests including big names like Bill Gates, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Queen Rania of Jordan. 

Notably, Ms Sanchez started dating the Amazon boss in 2018. The couple went public with their relationship on July 14, 2019, after Mr Bezos' divorce from his first wife MacKenzie Scott was finalised. 

from NDTV News-World-news https://ift.tt/A0zYnaU