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Girona, Dec 11 (IANS) Liverpool manager Arne Slot has said he is pleased with the result that his side made six wins in six games but not the performance in Liverpool's away win over Girona in the Champions League on Tuesday evening.

Liverpool made it six straight victories in the league phase thanks to a converted penalty from Mohamed Salah in the 63rd minute at Estadi Montilivi.

Alisson Becker marked his return from a two-month lay-off due to injury by producing a number of crucial saves during the first half to deny the La Liga side and ensure the game was goalless at the break.

"If you ask me about all six games, I'm really pleased with all the results. I am really pleased with the five (other) games with the way we played. I'm far from pleased about the performance tonight," Slot said in a post-match press conference.

"If you play against a team that has such a good idea about football, knows how to bring the ball out from the back – like some other teams we faced recently, like (Manchester) City or Real Madrid – then you need to be so intense if you want to make it difficult for them. But if every time you are waiting a few seconds before you press, and if you do press you are so easily outplayed, then this team can cause you a lot of problems," he said.

"The other part was every time we lost the ball we were not aggressive enough, so every time we lost the ball they could almost every time go all the way to our goal, having a shot or a blocked shot, and then we could attack again. Hardly any control at all over the game; maybe the second half was a bit better, but then I am trying to be positive," he added.

Already guaranteed a spot in the knockout rounds, the win puts Liverpool on the brink of a definite top-eight finish, which would see them progress straight to the last 16 and bypass the playoffs.

--IANS

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Los Angeles, Dec 11 (IANS) A large wildfire in Malibu in Southern California has grown to over 2,700 acres (10.9 square kilometres) prompting evacuations due to dangerous fire conditions.

The fire, codenamed Franklin Fire, was reported Monday night. It started near Malibu Creek State Park in Los Angeles County, Xinhua news agency reported.

Power to tens of thousands of people had been shut off by Monday night as utilities worked to mitigate the impacts of the winds, as strong gusts can damage electrical equipment and spark wildfires, according to local media reports.

The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire) has issued evacuation orders. The fire area is closed to public access.

There are approximately 18,000 people and 8,100 homes and businesses under evacuation orders or warnings, Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna told reporters Tuesday. There are several shelters for displaced residents, he said.

"Widespread Red Flag conditions across much of Southern California due to Santa Ana Winds will continue to be a threat to residents and property throughout the week," said Cal Fire.

Cal Fire asked people to stay up to date with weather and fire conditions in their areas, and be prepared to evacuate if notified.

Currently the fire is active with no containment at all, according to Cal Fire live report.

The Santa Ana Winds peaked in strength Tuesday morning, fanning the fire and worsening conditions.

"Critical fire weather conditions are expected through at least Wednesday as a strong Santa Ana wind event continues across the burn area," according to the fire spot forecast of the US National Weather Service (NWS).

It will not be until Wednesday afternoon that winds and other fire weather conditions will begin to improve significantly, according to NWS.

Due to the ongoing fire and safety concerns, all Malibu schools were closed Tuesday, the city of Malibu announced.

More than 60,000 customers in California are without power, according to PowerOutage.us.

Pacific Coast Highway was closed between Carbon Canyon and Corral Canyon Road to evacuees only, according to Cal Fire.

Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone said in a news briefing on Tuesday that "a minimal number" of homes had been destroyed. No serious injuries or fatalities have been reported so far.

The state of California secured a grant from the US Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to support fire response, Governor Gavin Newsom announced Tuesday.

A state of local emergency has also been declared in Los Angeles County due to "conditions of disaster" or "extreme peril to the safety of persons and property," said county board of supervisors chair Kathryn Barger.

--IANS

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Mumbai, Dec 11 (IANS) Bollywood fashionista Sonam Kapoor revealed that one dish that reminds of her home includes Sindhi delicacies.

Sonam, whose mother Sunita is a Sindhi, took to Instagram stories, where she shared a reel about “one dish that always reminds of home” is “Sindhi koki with dahi and papad.” She also shared a video of “masala bread.”

The actress in her stories also shared that she is on her way back to home in London after her stay in Dubai.

Sonam shared a picture of a Christmas tree and wrote: “Back home in London coming back to this lovely @dior.”

On December 8, Sonam shared glimpses of her family by the sea. In the first picture, Sonam can be seen sitting with her husband, Anand Ahuja, on the seashore, enjoying the sunset view.

In the next few pictures, Sonam and her son Vayu can be seen playing by the sea.

Along with the pictures, Sonam added a caption that reads: "A friend recently asked me, 'If I had to drive to meet the person I wanted to be in my wildest dreams, who would that be?'

“The answer was so clear: it's just me. The best version of me—a diamond in the rough that experiences and life keep polishing and refining, making me better every day. Everything I've ever wanted, everything I've dreamed of being, is already here. This picture says it all.

“It's not about becoming someone else—it's about embracing who I am, completely, and trusting the journey to keep shaping me. @anandahuja, love you #everydayphenomenal is only with you by my side."

Sonam Kapoor and Anand Ahuja tied the knot in 2018 in Mumbai in a lavish ceremony. They dated for five years before getting married. The couple welcomed their son, Vayu, in August 2022. Post marriage Sonam divides her time between London, Delhi, and Mumbai.

Sonam will next be seen in "Battle of Bittora", produced by her father Anil Kapoor and sister Rhea Kapoor.

--IANS

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Damascus, Dec 11 (IANS) Syrian ministers from the newly formed transitional government met with members of the ousted Bashar al-Assad's administration to organise the transfer of state institutions and ensure the continuity of public services, according to the Syrian national TV.

Mohammad al-Bashir, the Prime Minister overseeing the transitional government, said his cabinet, composed of ministers from the transitional government, has been tasked by the general leadership to manage Syria's affairs until March 2025, during which the transitional government aims to assume control of ministries, reintroduce employees to their posts, and restore essential services across the country, Xinhua news agency reported.

"Our responsibility is to maintain security, protect the integrity of institutions, and prevent the fragmentation of the state," al-Bashir told reporters. "We want to ensure that Syrians receive the services they deserve during this interim phase until a new government is formed that meets the aspirations of Syrian society."

Al-Bashir underscored the need for cooperation from outgoing ministers, particularly in handing over files and responsibilities.

"We hope the ministers from the deposed regime will assist their successors," he said, emphasising that a smooth transition is crucial to delivering uninterrupted public services to the Syrian people.

--IANS

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Seoul, Dec 11 (IANS) Yann LeCun, the chief artificial intelligence (AI) scientist at global tech giant Meta Platforms, said that the "real AI revolution" has yet to come, calling on the governments not to make laws that will hinder the development of the technology.

"The real AI revolution has not yet arrived," LeCun said in an opening speech for the 2024 K-Science and Technology Global Forum in Seoul, hosted by South Korea's science ministry, reports Yonhap news agency.

"In the near future, every single one of our interactions with the digital world will be mediated by AI assistants ... and what we need eventually are systems that basically have the same level of intelligence as humans,” he noted.

The pioneer of modern AI said generative AIs based on large language models (LLMs), such as OpenAI's ChatGPT and Meta's Llama, have limits in understanding the physical world as well as reasoning and planning like humans do.

LLMs can deal with language because it is simple and discrete, but it cannot deal with the complexity of the real world, he explained.

To overcome the limits, Meta is working to build an objective-driven AI based on a new type of architecture that can understand the physical world by observing it like babies do and make predictions based on the understanding.

LeCun also stressed the importance of an open source AI ecosystem to create AI models that comprehend different languages, cultural contexts and value systems of the world.

"We can't have a single entity somewhere on the west coast of the United States train those models," he said, calling for the need for an AI system that can be trained collaboratively across the world.

The AI expert said "regulation can kill open source," urging the governments not to make laws prematurely that will hinder the advancement of the technology. "There is zero demonstration that any AI system is intrinsically dangerous, he added.

—IANS

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New Delhi, Dec 11 (IANS) The proceedings in the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday may witness chaos as the INDIA bloc has submitted a notice to bring a motion for removing House Chairman Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar.

The opposition bloc has accused Dhankhar of "partisan" conduct as the chairman of the Upper House and submitted the notice for motion on Tuesday.

The move, spearheaded by the Congress, comes in the wake of verbal clashes between opposition parties and RS Chairman Dhankhar.

If the motion is moved, the opposition needs a simple majority to get it passed, but they do not have the requisite numbers in the 243-member House.

On behalf of the opposition, Congress leaders Jairam Ramesh and Naseer Hussain submitted the notice signed by 60 opposition MPs under Article 67-B of the Constitution. These MPs include those from the Congress, RJD, Trinamool Congress, CPI, CPI(M), JMM, AAP, DMK, and Samajwadi Party.

Congress members maintained that such biased handling of Rajya Sabha proceedings undermines the democratic process, prompting the INDIA bloc parties to collectively bring the motion forward. They insisted that it was a "strong message to fight for parliamentary democracy".

Congress MP Randeep Singh Surjewala criticised the ruling party, alleging that it is disrupting Parliament to avoid debates on critical issues like corruption, inflation, and unemployment. "This is a black chapter in parliamentary history. The government is running away from discussions and wasting Parliament's time," he said.

Surjewala claimed this marked the first instance in India's 75-year history where the government itself is allegedly obstructing Parliament's functioning.

The opposition parties, including the Congress, have also raised concerns about unequal treatment in the Rajya Sabha. They allege that while the ruling party is allowed to express its views even amidst disruptions, the opposition is denied the same opportunity. Congress MP Pramod Tiwari stated that the opposition has always been willing to engage in debates and discussions but accused the BJP of deliberately adjourning the House to avoid addressing pressing issues such as unemployment and recent violence in UP's Sambhal.

The opposition's no-confidence motion signals escalating tensions in Parliament, with both sides accusing each other of obstructing democratic functioning.

Union Minister Kiren Rijiju on Tuesday, responding to the Opposition's no-confidence motion against Chairman Dhankhar, said the NDA government holds the majority in the House. "We have a lot of respect for Jagdeep Dhankhar. He is a very knowledgeable person. The notice that has been served against him, which has been signed by 60 MPs, I condemn it. The NDA government has a full majority and the majority has trust in the Vice President,” said Rijiju.

--IANS

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Beirut, Dec 11 (IANS) Members of the Lebanese army fired warning shots at unknown gunmen who crossed the border from the Syrian side into Lebanon in the outskirts of the village of Kfar Qouq, eastern Lebanon, according to a statement by the Lebanese army.

"Unknown gunmen coming from Syrian territory crossed the border and approached one of the army's border posts and fired into the air," said the statement published on social media platform X.

"The Lebanese army fired warning shots, which forced the gunmen to return to Syrian territory," added the statement.

A Lebanese military source told Xinhua that "the Lebanese army summoned additional forces to this axis, where they carried out a large-scale combing operation that reached meters from the borderline with Syria."

The Lebanese army had strengthened its presence and deployment along the borderline separating Lebanon and Syria, Xinhua news agency reported.

Syria's al-Assad's government collapsed on Sunday amid a major offensive waged by militant groups led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham.

--IANS

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Mumbai, Dec 11 (IANS) The Indian stock market continued its flattish opening trajectory this week, as selling was seen in Nifty's financial service and private bank sector in early trade on Wednesday.

At around 9:27 am, Sensex was trading at 81,515.06 after gaining 5.01 points or 0.01 per cent, while the Nifty was trading at 24,623.8 after rising 13.75 points or 0.06 per cent.

The market trend remained positive. On the National Stock Exchange (NSE), 1,634 stocks were trading in green, while 565 stocks were in red.

According to market experts, "Nifty is in a consolidation range and is likely to remain in this consolidation phase with a mild upward bias in the near-term."

"The biggest positive for the market is the return of the FIIs and the consequent strength in the large caps, particularly in banking and IT," they added.

Nifty Bank was down 122.45 points or 0.23 per cent at 53,455.25. Nifty Midcap 100 index was trading at 59,129.95 after failing 5.45 points or 0.01 per cent. Nifty Smallcap 100 index was at 19,636.65 after gaining 53.45 points or 0.27 per cent.

Akshay Chinchalkar of Axis Securities said that Nifty ended down a third day, but the late-session rebound has traced a candlestick with a long lower shadow, showing demand near 24500.

“Note that this level represents a so-called ‘polarity' zone which was formerly resistance,” he informed.

In the Sensex pack, UltraTech Cement, Nestle, Infosys, Maruti, Adani Ports, Tata Motors, Asian Paints, Sun Pharma and L&T were the top gainers. ICICI Bank, HCL Tech, Tech Mahindra, Hindustan Unilever, HDFC Bank and Kotak Mahindra Bank were the top losers.

In Asian markets, the markets of Hong Kong and Japan were trading in red. while Jakarta, Bangkok, China, and Seoul were trading in green. The US stock markets closed in red on the previous trading day.

Foreign institutional investors (FIIs) bought equities worth Rs 1,285.96 crore on December 10, while domestic institutional investors bought equities worth Rs 605.79 crore on the same day.

--IANS

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New Delhi, Dec 11 (IANS) Mohamed Salah's second-half penalty maintained their perfect record in the Champions League this season by beating Girona 1-0 away from home.

The Egyptian international's 63rd-minute penalty at Estadi Montilivi made it six victories from six in the league phase for Arne Slot's side, who top the standings.

Already guaranteed a spot in the knockout rounds, the win puts the Reds on the brink of a definite top-eight finish, which would see them progress straight to the last 16 and bypass the play-offs.

Meanwhile, an attacking masterclass from Jamal Musiala and Michael Olise's double led Bayern to a 5-1 win over Shakhtar Donetsk to mark their first away win of the league phase.

Shakhtar had led through Kevin in Gelsenkirchen, but the visitors did not look back after Konrad Laimer equalised with a powerful shot.

Elsewhere, Real Madrid returned to winning ways as they edged Atalanta 3-2 in an entertaining contest in Bergamo. Kylian Mbappe put the visitors ahead early on with his 50th goal of the competition, only for Atalanta to draw level via Charles De Ketelaere's emphatic penalty on half-time.

Vinicius Junior pounced ten minutes after the interval, then turned provider for Jude Bellingham, but Ademola Lookman squeezed a shot inside Thibaut Courtois' right post with 25 minutes left. La Dea pushed for an equaliser, and in added time substitute Mateo Retegui scooped over from close range.

In another match, Nordi Mukiele's 90th-minute winner helped Leverkusen beat Inter Milan 1-0 and extended their perfect home record. Inter were the only side yet to concede in the league phase, although Nathan Tella’s shot against the crossbar almost changed that after three minutes at the BayArena.

Florian Wirtz's angled drive tested Yann Sommer as Leverkusen had all three attempts on target before the break, but the reigning Italian champions' No. 1 was rarely troubled before Mukiele fired in from close range to secure victory.

The outstanding Musiala then combined with Thomas Muller, setting his captain up to put Bayern ahead just before half-time. Olise's penalty extended Bayern's lead, before Musiala pounced to score a late goal of his own. There was still time for Olise to weave through the Shakhtar defence to add a stunning fifth.

Ross Barkley's late deflected drive earned Aston Villa their fourth win of the league phase. The visitors dominated the early stages and took the lead when John McGinn fired in Ollie Watkins' cushioned header, though Leipzig levelled when Loïs Openda capitalised on a mix-up in the Villa defence.

Jhon Duran, who replaced Watkins at half-time, restored the visitors' advantage with a looping, long-range drive. Christoph Baumgartner's volley restored parity for a second time, but Barkley struck late on to move Villa onto 13 points. With it, Leipzig's elimination has been confirmed.

--IANS

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Tehran, Dec 11 (IANS) Iranian Oil Minister Mohsen Paknejad was elected as the rotating president of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) for 2025.

In a press release on its website, OPEC confirmed the election of its president for the upcoming year and thanked Marcel Abeke, Gabon's minister of petroleum, for his leadership as the organisation's rotating president in 2024, Xinhua news agency reported quoting Iran's official news agency IRNA.

According to IRNA, the newly elected OPEC president, Paknejad, emphasised his commitment to using all his capacities to uphold the organisation's consistency, solidarity, and progress.

The OPEC conference has renewed the term of office for Haitham Al Ghais as secretary general for an additional three years, effective August 1, 2025, according to the OPEC press release.

Iran is set to assume the presidency of the organisation on January 1, 2025. The OPEC presidency rotates annually among OPEC member countries.

The OPEC is a permanent intergovernmental organisation of 12 oil-exporting developing nations that coordinates and unifies the petroleum policies of its member countries.

--IANS

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