mnl168 free download Trade Insurance Market to see Huge Growth by 2030 | Euler Hermes, ZurichPressure is likely to intensify in the new year for Thailand to repeal its abusive criminal defamation laws as flaws in the multiple cases against advocate-journalist Chutima Sidasathian. Many others have exposed the laws' deficiencies. Last month, reports from two international NGOs highlighted the failure of recent reforms aimed at identifying and obliterating the increasing number of SLAPP (strategic lawsuits against public participation) cases. A third well-regarded international organisation, the London-based Index on Censorship, also selected Ms Chutima from the shortlist of three for the Freedom of Expression Awards in the category of journalism. The award, announced on Nov 22 in London, went to Nasim Soltanbeygi, an Iranian journalist and human rights defender. As a journalist, Ms Chutima and an Australian colleague faced down the powerful Royal Thai Navy (RTN) a decade ago and were found to be innocent of charges of criminal defamation and computer crimes. This year, Ms Chutima has also beaten eight of the nine charges laid against her by a local elected official after her investigation exposed a banking loans scandal involving the theft of millions of baht intended as financial aid for farmers. While the local elected official said that his serial charges over Ms Chutima's Facebook posts had nothing to do with the scandal but were "personal and political", her investigation led to checks being made all over Thailand and the arrest of an elected official in another province over the disappearance of 100 million baht. The villagers who became victims of the fraud and theft had been fighting to have the scandal exposed since 2012, but law enforcement officers chose not to investigate. It wasn't until after Ms Chutima revealed what had taken place that officials reacted. Ms Chutima says Thailand should repeal the criminal defamation laws. Those who want to seek justice from libel can still lodge claims of civil defamation. "The laws could be modified so that once a civil case is decided, criminal penalties could be applied in extreme cases involving corruption or other crimes." Criminal defamation itself corrupts the judicial system. Ms Chutima says that police almost always accept criminal defamation allegations -- often without a thorough investigation -- because they see it as "their duty". A global campaign is being mounted to end the misuse of criminal defamation laws and SLAPPs against journalists, advocates and human rights defenders. Thailand, which takes a seat on the United Nations Human Rights Commission next year, is seen to be among the worst offenders. Article 19 -- London-based group advocating freedom of expression -- calculated a 50% increase in the number of criminal defamation cases filed in Thailand from 2015 to 2020, adding that the country has "seen a deluge of criminal defamation cases against individuals, raising concerns about human rights abuses, labour rights violations, corruption, or government or corporate failures". In its September report, "Solving SLAPPs: Identifying and Addressing Gaps in Thailand's Anti-SLAPP Framework", the New York-based Clooney Foundation for Justice spells out across 112 pages the case for repealing criminal defamation, or at least introducing major reforms that upgrade recent flawed anti-SLAPP modifications. "Across the world, the law is being weaponised to silence human rights defenders, activists, and media workers -- Thailand is no exception," the report begins. "Of the 36 criminal defamation SLAPPs identified in this report, [including Ms Chutima's] none were filtered out by recently introduced anti-SLAPP measures or, indeed, by pre-existing screening processes. "While none of the lawsuits identified in this report resulted in convictions, defendants were forced to spend time, money, and energy defending themselves against abusive litigation." In Thailand, more than 25,000 defamation cases have been filed since 2015, according to the recently released report "Silencing Dissent: Defamation Laws and the Fight for Free Expression in Thailand" prepared by Article 19. The group warned that the defamation law "increasingly weaponised to silence critical voices" and urges Thailand to join the global movement towards decriminalising defamation and bring its legislation in line with international human rights standards. "By undertaking comprehensive reforms, Thailand can uphold its commitment to human rights, foster a vibrant democracy, and create a more just and equitable society." The Clooney Foundation report added that Thai law is "failing to prevent judicial process from being turned against freedom of expression and assembly. As such, Thailand finds itself at a crossroads". At a three-day UN regional rights symposium in Bangkok last month, Ms Chutima spoke in a panel that addressed "Lawsuit or Lawfare? Ensuring Access to Justice in the Face of SLAPPs." "It may be that there are other solutions for other democracies, but I am convinced the criminal defamation laws need to be killed in Thailand if the country is to embrace true freedom of speech," Ms Chutima said. She has been declared a human rights defender and the cases against her earmarked as SLAPP cases after an investigation by Thailand's National Human Rights Commission. Although Ms Chutima's unpaid work as a community advocate has freed scores of undereducated and impoverished farmers from ill-judged litigation and the inference of criminal behaviour on their part, Thailand's Ministry of Justice has ruled that she is "not poor enough" to deserve financial assistance. Alan Morison is the other journalist from the online news outlet Phuketwan found not guilty of criminal defamation and computer crimes in 2015.

Wade Financial Advisory Inc lessened its holdings in shares of Amazon.com, Inc. ( NASDAQ:AMZN – Free Report ) by 3.5% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 4,988 shares of the e-commerce giant’s stock after selling 180 shares during the quarter. Wade Financial Advisory Inc’s holdings in Amazon.com were worth $929,000 as of its most recent SEC filing. Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Amazon.com by 9.7% during the 3rd quarter. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC now owns 184,594 shares of the e-commerce giant’s stock worth $34,395,000 after purchasing an additional 16,392 shares in the last quarter. Zhang Financial LLC increased its holdings in Amazon.com by 12.9% during the 3rd quarter. Zhang Financial LLC now owns 51,091 shares of the e-commerce giant’s stock worth $9,520,000 after purchasing an additional 5,828 shares in the last quarter. BayBridge Capital Group LLC increased its holdings in Amazon.com by 51.8% during the 3rd quarter. BayBridge Capital Group LLC now owns 14,368 shares of the e-commerce giant’s stock worth $2,677,000 after purchasing an additional 4,905 shares in the last quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. increased its holdings in Amazon.com by 0.5% during the 2nd quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 2,847,177 shares of the e-commerce giant’s stock worth $550,217,000 after purchasing an additional 14,766 shares in the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC increased its holdings in Amazon.com by 19.2% during the 3rd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 119,205 shares of the e-commerce giant’s stock worth $22,211,000 after purchasing an additional 19,231 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 72.20% of the company’s stock. Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth A number of equities analysts have issued reports on AMZN shares. Monness Crespi & Hardt increased their target price on Amazon.com from $225.00 to $245.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. Cantor Fitzgerald restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $230.00 price objective on shares of Amazon.com in a report on Monday, October 7th. DA Davidson restated a “buy” rating and issued a $235.00 price objective on shares of Amazon.com in a report on Thursday, October 10th. Wells Fargo & Company restated an “equal weight” rating and issued a $197.00 price objective on shares of Amazon.com in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. Finally, Scotiabank raised their price objective on Amazon.com from $245.00 to $246.00 and gave the company a “sector outperform” rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, forty-one have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Amazon.com has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $236.20. Amazon.com Trading Up 2.9 % Shares of AMZN stock opened at $227.03 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $197.39 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $188.12. The company has a quick ratio of 0.87, a current ratio of 1.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21. The company has a market capitalization of $2.39 trillion, a PE ratio of 48.61, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.46 and a beta of 1.16. Amazon.com, Inc. has a 12-month low of $143.64 and a 12-month high of $227.15. Amazon.com ( NASDAQ:AMZN – Get Free Report ) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The e-commerce giant reported $1.43 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.14 by $0.29. Amazon.com had a net margin of 8.04% and a return on equity of 22.41%. The company had revenue of $158.88 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $157.28 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.85 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 11.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts predict that Amazon.com, Inc. will post 5.29 earnings per share for the current year. Insider Activity In other news, CEO Matthew S. Garman sold 15,260 shares of Amazon.com stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $200.19, for a total value of $3,054,899.40. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 349,261 shares in the company, valued at approximately $69,918,559.59. The trade was a 4.19 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link . Also, insider Jeffrey P. Bezos sold 2,996,362 shares of Amazon.com stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $208.85, for a total transaction of $625,790,203.70. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 917,416,976 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $191,602,535,437.60. The trade was a 0.33 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here . Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 6,030,183 shares of company stock worth $1,252,883,795. Corporate insiders own 10.80% of the company’s stock. Amazon.com Company Profile ( Free Report ) Amazon.com, Inc engages in the retail sale of consumer products, advertising, and subscriptions service through online and physical stores in North America and internationally. The company operates through three segments: North America, International, and Amazon Web Services (AWS). It also manufactures and sells electronic devices, including Kindle, Fire tablets, Fire TVs, Echo, Ring, Blink, and eero; and develops and produces media content. Featured Articles Five stocks we like better than Amazon.com What Are Earnings Reports? Fast-Growing Companies That Are Still Undervalued Do Real Estate Investment Trusts Deserve a Place in Your Portfolio? Top Cybersecurity Stock Picks for 2025 Trading Stocks: RSI and Why it’s Useful Archer or Joby: Which Aviation Company Might Rise Fastest? Receive News & Ratings for Amazon.com Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Amazon.com and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter .Algert Global LLC increased its holdings in Kronos Worldwide, Inc. ( NYSE:KRO – Free Report ) by 230.0% during the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 69,215 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after purchasing an additional 48,240 shares during the period. Algert Global LLC’s holdings in Kronos Worldwide were worth $862,000 at the end of the most recent quarter. Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. First Eagle Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in Kronos Worldwide by 136.6% during the 2nd quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC now owns 360,677 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $4,526,000 after buying an additional 208,256 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Kronos Worldwide during the second quarter worth about $783,000. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC acquired a new position in shares of Kronos Worldwide in the third quarter worth approximately $1,521,000. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. bought a new stake in Kronos Worldwide in the first quarter valued at approximately $209,000. Finally, The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company acquired a new stake in Kronos Worldwide during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $131,000. 15.11% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds. Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades Separately, Barclays boosted their price target on shares of Kronos Worldwide from $9.00 to $10.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 25th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and two have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $12.00. Kronos Worldwide Price Performance Shares of KRO opened at $11.32 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $1.30 billion, a PE ratio of 13.98 and a beta of 1.16. Kronos Worldwide, Inc. has a 52-week low of $8.26 and a 52-week high of $14.50. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $11.83 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $12.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56, a quick ratio of 1.30 and a current ratio of 2.68. Kronos Worldwide Announces Dividend The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 12th. Investors of record on Friday, November 29th will be paid a dividend of $0.05 per share. This represents a $0.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.77%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 29th. Kronos Worldwide’s dividend payout ratio is presently 24.69%. Kronos Worldwide Profile ( Free Report ) Kronos Worldwide, Inc produces and markets titanium dioxide pigments (TiO2) in Europe, North America, the Asia Pacific, and internationally. The company produces TiO2 in two crystalline forms, rutile and anatase to impart whiteness, brightness, opacity, and durability for various products, including paints, coatings, plastics, paper, fibers, and ceramics, as well as for various specialty products, such as inks, foods, and cosmetics. See Also Want to see what other hedge funds are holding KRO? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Kronos Worldwide, Inc. ( NYSE:KRO – Free Report ). Receive News & Ratings for Kronos Worldwide Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Kronos Worldwide and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter .

Storm dumps record rain and heavy snow on Northern California. Many in Seattle still without powerAfter-hours movers: Intuit, NetApp, Ross Stores, GAP

WUHAN, Nov. 30: Small plastic particles in water have become one of the most concerning consumer pollutants due to their pervasive presence in water sources. A Chinese team has developed a new strategy to remove those microplastics that adversely affect health. The study published on Saturday in the journal Science Advances described a new reusable and biodegradable foam that can absorb microplastics in water with an efficiency of up to 99.8 per cent in its first use. The researchers from Wuhan University and Huazhong University of Science and Technology employed a sustainable fibrous foam made of chitin from squid bone and cellulose from cotton. The foam has a porous structure that can attract and interact with diverse microplastics commonly found in electronics, food packaging, textiles, and other industrial products. The team evaluated the foam's performance using samples from four real-world water sources -- irrigation water, lake water, seawater and pond water -- to see if the foam would work in water found in a natural setting. The foam absorbed nearly 100 per cent of microplastics in its first cycles in samples, and the removal rates of this biopolymer-based material exceeded 95 per cent after five cycles, demonstrating its good reusability. According to the study, the material's adsorptive capacity remains basically unaffected by inorganic particles, heavy metals, organic pollutants, and microorganisms in water. "Microplastics entering terrestrial and aquatic habitats will continuously increase for thousands of years due to the alarming volumes of plastic waste in the environment," said Deng Hongbing from Wuhan University, the study's corresponding author. The study suggests that biomass materials could be a cost-effective solution for tackling the intricate problem of microplastic contamination in water, said Deng. The team has already applied for a patent for this technology, hoping to bring it into real-world water treatment or home water purifiers in the near future.Cute carnivores

Michkov scores in OT to give Flyers 3-2 victory over BluesTom Homan Sends an Accountability Warning to U.N. and Any Others Complicit in the Border InvasionJimmy Carter, the 39th US president, has died at 100 ATLANTA (AP) — Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter has died. He was 100 years old and had spent roughly 22 months in hospice care. The Georgia peanut farmer served one turbulent term in the White House before building a reputation as a global humanitarian and champion of democracy. He defeated President Gerald Ford in 1976 promising to restore trust in government but lost to Ronald Reagan four years later amid soaring inflation, gas station lines and the Iran hostage crisis. He and his wife Rosalynn then formed The Carter Center, and he earned a Nobel Peace Prize while making himself the most internationally engaged of former presidents. The Carter Center said he died peacefully Sunday afternoon in Plains, Georgia, surrounded by his family. Jimmy Carter: Many evolutions for a centenarian ‘citizen of the world’ PLAINS, Ga. (AP) — The 39th and longest-lived U.S. president, James Earl Carter Jr., died Sunday at the age of 100. His life ended where it began, in Plains, Georgia. He left and returned to the tiny town many times as he climbed to the nation’s highest office and lost it after four tumultuous years. Carter spent the next 40 years setting new standards for what a former president can do. Carter wrote nearly a decade ago that he found all the phases of his life challenging but also successful and enjoyable. The Democrat's principled but pragmatic approach defied American political labels, especially the idea that one-term presidents are failures. Jet crash disaster in South Korea marks another setback for Boeing WASHINGTON (AP) — A machinists strike. Another safety problem involving its troubled top-selling airliner. A plunging stock price. 2024 was already a dispiriting year for Boeing, the American aviation giant. But when one of the company’s jets crash-landed in South Korea on Sunday, killing all but two of the 181 people on board, it brought to a close an especially unfortunate year for Boeing. The cause of the crash remains under investigation, and aviation experts were quick to distinguish Sunday’s incident from the company’s earlier safety problems. Alan Price, an airline consultant, said it would be inappropriate to link the incident Sunday to two fatal crashes involving Boeing’s troubled 737 Max jetliner in 2018 and 2019. South Korean authorities seek warrant to detain impeached President Yoon in martial law probe SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korean law enforcement officials have requested a court warrant to detain impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol as they investigate whether his short-lived martial law decree this month amounted to rebellion. The Corruption Investigation Office for High-Ranking Officials, which is leading a joint investigation with police and military authorities into the power grab that lasted only a few hours, confirmed it requested the warrant on Monday. Investigators plan to question Yoon on charges of abuse of authority and orchestrating a rebellion. Tornadoes in Texas and Mississippi kill 2 and injure 6 as severe weather system moves east HOUSTON (AP) — A strong storm system is threatening to whip up tornadoes in parts of the U.S. Southeast, a day after severe weather claimed at least two lives as twisters touched down in Texas and Mississippi. Strong storms moving eastward Sunday are expected to continue producing gusty, damaging winds, hail and tornadoes through Sunday. That is according to National Weather Service meteorologist Frank Pereira. So far, the line of severe weather has led to about 40 tornado reports from southeastern Texas to Alabama, Pereira said, but those reports remain unconfirmed until surveys of damage are completed. Israeli hospital says Netanyahu has undergone successful prostate surgery TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — An Israeli hospital says Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has undergone successful prostate surgery. Jerusalem’s Hadassah Medical Center said his prostate was removed late Sunday and that he was recovering. Netanyahu’s office had said Justice Minister Yariv Levin, a close ally, would serve as acting prime minister during the procedure. Doctors ordered the operation after detecting an infection last week. Netanyahu is expected to remain hospitalized for several days. With so much at stake, Netanyahu’s health in wartime is a concern for both Israelis and the wider world. Azerbaijan's president says crashed jetliner was shot down by Russia unintentionally Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev says the Azerbaijani airliner that crashed last week was shot down by Russia, albeit unintentionally. Aliyev told Azerbaijani state television on Sunday that the aircraft was hit by fire from the ground over Russia and rendered uncontrollable by electronic warfare. He accused Russia of trying to “hush up” the issue for several days. The crash on Wednesday killed 38 of 67 people on board. Russian President Vladimir Putin apologized to Aliyev on Saturday for what he called a “tragic incident” but stopped short of acknowledging Moscow’s responsibility. Croatia's incumbent president gains most votes for re-election, but not enough to avoid a runoff ZAGREB, Croatia (AP) — Croatia’s incumbent President Zoran Milanovic has swept most votes in the first round of a presidential election, but will have to face a runoff against a ruling party candidate to secure another five-year term. With 99% percent of the vote counted Sunday, Milanovic won 49% while his main challenger Dragan Primorac, a candidate of the ruling HDZ party, trailed far behind with 19%. Pre-election polls had predicted that the two would face off in the second round on Jan. 12, as none of the eight presidential election contenders were projected to get more than 50% of the vote. A fourth infant dies of the winter cold in Gaza as families share blankets in seaside tents DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — A fourth infant has died of hypothermia in Gaza, where hundreds of thousands of Palestinians displaced by nearly 15 months of war are huddled in tents along the rainy, windswept coast as winter arrives. The baby's father says the 20-day-old child was found with his head as “cold as ice” Sunday morning in their tent. The baby’s twin brother was moved to the intensive care unit of Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital. Their father says the twins were born one month premature and spent just a day in hospital, which like other Gaza health centers has been overwhelmed and only partially functions. Syria's de facto leader says it could take up to 4 years to hold elections BEIRUT (AP) — Syria’s de facto leader has said it could take up to four years to hold elections in Syria, and that he plans on dissolving his Islamist group that led the country’s insurgency at an anticipated national dialogue summit for the country. Ahmad al-Sharaa, who leads Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, the group leading the new authority in Syria, made the remarks in an interview Sunday. That's according to the Saudi television network Al-Arabiyya. It comes almost a month after a lightning insurgency led by HTS overthrew President Bashar Assad’s decades-long rule, ending the country’s uprising-turned civil war that started back in 2011.