fish game Opposition fighters are closing in on Syria’s capital in a swiftly developing crisis that has taken much of the world by surprise. Syria’s army has abandoned key cities in the west and south with little resistance. Nervous residents in Damascus describe security forces on the streets. The state news agency has been forced to deny rumors that President Bashar Assad has left the country. Who are these ? If they enter Damascus after taking , what then? Here’s a look at the stunning reversal of fortune for Assad and his government in just the past 10 days, and what might lie ahead as Syria’s 13-year . The aim? Overthrow the government This is the first time that opposition forces have reached the outskirts of the Syrian capital since 2018, when the country’s troops recaptured the area following a yearslong siege. The approaching fighters are led by the most powerful insurgent group in Syria, , or HTS, along with an umbrella group of Turkish-backed Syrian militias called the Syrian National Army. Both have been entrenched in the northwest. They launched the shock offensive on Nov. 27 with gunmen capturing Aleppo, Syria’s largest city, and the central city of Hama, the fourth largest. The HTS has its origins in al-Qaida and is considered a terrorist organization by the U.S. and the United Nations. But the group said in recent years it cut ties with al-Qaida, and HTS has sought to remake itself in recent years by focusing on promoting civilian government in their territory as well as military action. HTS leader Abu told CNN in an exclusive interview Thursday from Syria that the aim of the offensive is to overthrow Assad’s government. Possible rifts ahead The HTS and Syrian National Army have been allies at times and rivals at times, and their aims might diverge. The Turkish-backed militias also have an interest in creating a buffer zone near the Turkish border to keep away Kurdish militants at odds with Ankara. has been a main backer of the fighters seeking to overthrow Assad but more recently has urged reconciliation, and Turkish officials have strongly rejected claims of any involvement in the current offensive. Whether the HTS and the Syrian National Army will work together if they succeed in overthrowing Assad or turn on each other again is a major question. Others take advantage While the flash offensive against Syria’s government began in the north, armed opposition groups have also mobilized elsewhere. The southern areas of Sweida and Daraa have both been taken locally. Sweida is the heartland of Syria’s Druze religious minority and had been the site of regular anti-government protests even after Assad seemingly consolidated his control over the area. Daraa is a Sunni Muslim area that was widely seen as the cradle of the uprising against Assad’s rule that erupted in 2011. Daraa was recaptured by Syrian government troops in 2018, but rebels remained in some areas. In recent years, Daraa was in a state of uneasy quiet under a Russian-mediated ceasefire deal. And much of Syria’s east is controlled by the Syrian Democratic Forces, a Kurdish-led group backed by the United States that in the past has clashed with most other armed groups in the country. Syria’s government now controls just four of 14 provincial capitals. What’s next? Much depends on Assad’s next moves and his forces’ will to fight. A commander with the insurgents, Hassan Abdul-Ghani, posted on the Telegram messaging app that opposition forces have started carrying out the “final stage” of their offensive by encircling Damascus. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Syrian troops have withdrawn from much of the two southern provinces and are sending reinforcements to Homs. If that city is captured, the link would be cut between Damascus, Assad’s seat of power, and the coastal region where he enjoys wide support. “Homs to the coastal cities will be a very huge red line politically and socially. Politically, if this line is crossed, then we are talking about the end of the entire Syria, the one that we knew in the past,” said a Damascus resident, Anas Joudeh. Assad appears to be as allies Russia and Iran are distracted by other conflicts and the Lebanon-based Hezbollah has been weakened by its war with Israel, now under a fragile ceasefire. The U.N. special envoy for Syria, Geir Pedersen, is calling for urgent talks in Geneva to ensure an “orderly political transition,” saying the situation is changing by the minute. He met with foreign ministers and senior diplomats from eight key countries including Saudi Arabia, Russia, Egypt, Turkey and Iran on the sidelines of the Doha Summit. President-elect Donald Trump in his on the developments in Syria said the besieged Assad didn’t deserve U.S. support to stay in power. “THIS IS NOT OUR FIGHT,” Trump posted on social media.US House passes measure that could punish nonprofits Treasury Department decides are ‘terrorist’

Jayson Tatum added 26 points and eight rebounds to help Boston post a season-high fifth straight victory. Anthony Edwards had 28 points and nine rebounds for Minnesota, which has lost five of its last seven. Julius Randle added 23 points, and Rudy Gobert finished with 10 points and 20 rebounds, his eighth double-double of the season. Minnesota got within 55-54 early in the third quarter, before a 14-0 run by Boston. The spurt featured four 3s by the Celtics, including two by Tatum. The lead grew to 79-60 with 4:26 to play in the period. But the Timberwolves chipped it all the way down in the fourth, getting within 107-105 with 34 seconds left on a driving layup by Randle. Timberwolves: Minnesota will be looking to for some wins at home, after dropping four of its last five on the road. Celtics: The Celtics have struggled at home at times this season but improved to 6-2 at the Garden. The Timberwolves had the ball with 7.1 seconds and a chance to win. Edwards got the inbounds and tried to drive on Brown. But he was cut off, and the ball swung to Naz Reid, who failed to get off a 3 as time expired. Boston assisted on 25 of its 37 made field goals. The Timberwolves host Houston in NBA Cup play on Tuesday, beginning a four-game homestand. The Celtics host the Los Angeles Clippers on Monday night. AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba

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PNC Financial Services Group Inc. grew its position in MSCI Inc. ( NYSE:MSCI – Free Report ) by 6.3% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 17,534 shares of the technology company’s stock after buying an additional 1,046 shares during the period. PNC Financial Services Group Inc.’s holdings in MSCI were worth $10,221,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period. A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in MSCI. Rothschild Investment LLC bought a new stake in shares of MSCI during the second quarter worth approximately $26,000. HWG Holdings LP bought a new stake in shares of MSCI during the 2nd quarter valued at $27,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new position in shares of MSCI in the 3rd quarter valued at $40,000. Planning Capital Management Corp boosted its position in shares of MSCI by 35.1% in the 3rd quarter. Planning Capital Management Corp now owns 77 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $45,000 after purchasing an additional 20 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ridgewood Investments LLC acquired a new stake in shares of MSCI during the second quarter worth $40,000. Institutional investors own 89.97% of the company’s stock. Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades A number of brokerages recently weighed in on MSCI. Redburn Atlantic upgraded shares of MSCI from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $680.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, October 9th. Argus lifted their price target on shares of MSCI from $520.00 to $600.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, July 26th. Barclays boosted their price target on shares of MSCI from $650.00 to $700.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, September 13th. Evercore ISI assumed coverage on MSCI in a research note on Wednesday, October 2nd. They set an “outperform” rating and a $690.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on MSCI from $570.00 to $600.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, October 11th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, MSCI has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $631.83. MSCI Stock Up 1.4 % Shares of MSCI opened at $589.25 on Friday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $586.39 and a 200-day moving average of $541.49. The stock has a market capitalization of $46.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.69, a P/E/G ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 1.11. MSCI Inc. has a twelve month low of $439.95 and a twelve month high of $631.70. MSCI ( NYSE:MSCI – Get Free Report ) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 29th. The technology company reported $3.86 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.77 by $0.09. MSCI had a negative return on equity of 162.06% and a net margin of 43.06%. The firm had revenue of $724.70 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $716.15 million. During the same period last year, the company earned $3.45 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 15.9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that MSCI Inc. will post 14.98 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. MSCI Dividend Announcement The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 29th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 15th will be paid a $1.60 dividend. This represents a $6.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.09%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 15th. MSCI’s dividend payout ratio is currently 42.02%. About MSCI ( Free Report ) MSCI Inc, together with its subsidiaries, provides critical decision support tools and solutions for the investment community to manage investment processes worldwide. The Index segment provides indexes for use in various areas of the investment process, including indexed financial product, such as ETFs, mutual funds, annuities, futures, options, structured products, and over-the-counter derivatives; performance benchmarking; portfolio construction and rebalancing; and asset allocation, as well as licenses GICS and GICS Direct. Featured Articles Receive News & Ratings for MSCI Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for MSCI and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter .

TikTok will soon block anyone under 18 years old from using filters on the social media platform that dramatically alter their facial features, according to a press release. Filters that alter a person’s appearance in ways like giving fuller lips or larger eyes will no longer be accessible to minors but funny filters that add things like bunny ears will reportedly be acceptable. The change will be rolled out globally in the next few weeks, according to a TikTok press release, and stems from concerns about the mental health of minors on the internet. Kids who’ve used facial “beauty” features can report feelings of depression and anxiety about their appearance and there’s growing concern about how social media may be altering the mental health of kids around the world. Questions emailed to TikTok about which filters specifically will be limited to adults did not receive a response, but the Guardian reports a filter like Bold Glamour will be unavailable to kids. The filter was introduced in early 2023 and became controversial for creating unrealistic beauty standards, according to NPR . Filters that only apply makeup but don’t make what look like structural changes to a person’s face will still be allowed for teens, according to the news outlet. The announcement is part of a crackdown on kids under the age of 13 using social media, which TikTok says it’s trying to stop. The 1-billion-user social media platform has a minimum age requirement of 13, which is pretty standard in the U.S. for similar tech. The company has also announced a plan to utilize artificial intelligence to make sure kids under 13 aren’t using TikTok. “This technology will help detect accounts that may belong to someone under 13 so that a specially trained moderator can review the account and remove it if they believe someone doesn’t meet our minimum age,” TikTok said in a statement . “Like today, people will be able to appeal if they think we’ve made a mistake.” The changes come as the fate of TikTok still remains unclear in the U.S., as former and future president Donald Trump prepares to take office on Jan. 20, 2025. Trump had previously railed against TikTok’s parent company ByteDance for being based in China, even going so far as to sign an executive order to force the company to divest or be banned in the U.S. But that order was challenged in court and dropped by the Biden administration before a new law banning the site was passed. Now, nobody knows what will happen since Trump himself has pulled a 180 and now supports TikTok being allowed to operate in the country. Trump insists it’s all about competition with social media platforms like Facebook, but there’s reasonable speculation it might have more to do with a Republican megadonor having a huge stake in ByteDance. It looks like we’ll find out soon.

3 Monster Stocks to Hold for the Next 10 YearsBy Hadriana Lowenkron | Bloomberg Billionaire Elon Musk called for eliminating the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, highlighting the renewed threat under President-elect Donald Trump to a regulatory agency that has long been a target of Republicans and business advocacy groups. “Delete CFPB. There are too many duplicative regulatory agencies,” Musk wrote in a post on his social-media platform X early Wednesday. Musk’s criticism is notable because he, alongside technology entrepreneur and fellow businessman Vivek Ramaswamy, has been tapped by Trump to run a new effort, dubbed the Department of Government Efficiency, which aims to slash the federal bureaucracy and reduce government spending. And Musk’s move signals a new stage in a long-running Washington fight over the agency’s powers and very existence. The CFPB — the brainchild of progressive Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren — was created as part of the 2010 Dodd-Frank Act in the wake of the financial crisis and given the job of overseeing parts of the financial industry that interact with consumers. The agency, though, has endured a rocky political tenure, facing multiple legal challenges since its onset. During his first term, Trump took steps to largely neutralize the agency, easing the CFPB’s enforcement of banks. But under President Joe Biden and Director Rohit Chopra, the agency has taken an aggressive regulatory approach to consumer finance, cracking down on home foreclosures and bank overdraft fees. Earlier this year, the agency also scored a win in the courts when the US Supreme Court upheld its funding system. Project 2025, a controversial blueprint for a second Trump term crafted by the conservative Heritage Foundation, calls for abolishing the agency, calling it “highly politicized, damaging, and utterly unaccountable,” and “returning the consumer protection function of the CFPB to banking regulators and the Federal Trade Commission.” Related Articles Business | LA County supervisors start the ‘how’ of reform, led by a 13-member task force Business | CalOptima audits Andrew Do’s tenure with the agency following corruption plea Business | 2024 election results: Thursday update for Congress, Assembly, state Senate representing LA County Business | A year after the Tustin hangar fire: no cause determined and tough choices ahead Business | LA County OKs supplemental spending; budget rises to $49.2 billion Chopra’s own future as head of the CFPB is in jeopardy. Since a 2020 Supreme Court ruling making the role at-will, the incoming president will have the power to fire Chopra if he doesn’t resign first. Removing him would be a victory for businesses that have sought to weaken independent federal regulators. Musk has already demonstrated his influence over the incoming administration, including sitting in on transition meetings and calls with foreign leaders. But it is unclear how much power his Department of Government Efficiency will wield in its efforts to scale back the federal government. Trump has said it will “provide advice and guidance from outside of Government, and will partner with the White House and Office of Management & Budget to drive large scale structural reform.”

UCF, LSU face off with improved focus in mind

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Strictly fans stunned by shock elimination as they fume the ‘wrong’ person wentAlpheus Medical Announces Positive Phase 1/2 Trial Results for the Treatment of Recurrent High-Grade Gliomas

Look to your left. Look to your right. One of those people is about to discover Balatro for the first time . The other has already been secretly playing it every spare moment they get. Balatro was one of 2024's early breakout hits on Steam . Its roguelike twist on traditional poker combined clever deckbuilding mechanics with an incredibly satisfying and click-y presentation. By the summer it seemed like the “just one more round” sensation may have peaked. It now feels like Balatro -pilling has just gotten started. For anyone who hasn’t already played it, Balatro tasks players with using poker hands to score points . Players need to hit certain thresholds to progress, and earn gold for successful rounds that can then be spent on customizing their decks and acquiring powerful jokers that boost how their hands are scored in all kinds of ways. There’s no actual betting, but the constant risk-reward analysis required at every turn provides the stakes and tension associated with real games of chance. After exploding back in February, Balatro ’s second wave began in September. Developer LocalThunk brought the card game to mobile, which turned out to be a perfect platform for chasing rare jokers and high scores. App Magic reported that the game made $1 million in its first week, a small fortune for a $10 game in the App Store world of microtransaction- and ad-fueled free-to-play hits. Then in November, Balatro scored multiple nominations at The Game Awards 2024 , sending the whole thing into overdrive. It was represented not just in the best indie and mobile game categories, but in best direction and debut as well. It even snagged the most coveted prize of all, a 2024 GOTY nod, for five nominations in total. In a testament to both the impact of host Geoff Keighley’s awards show and how small Balatro ’s footprint still was, tons of new players began to take notice. Sales spiked on mobile, with Balatro reportedly raking in $4.4 million since it launched on smartphones and over $727,000 last week alone following the Game Awards 2024 nominees reveal earlier this month. The game has also seen a resurgence in its concurrent player counts on Steam, as well as thousands of fresh reviews on the Valve-owned storefront (where the game is also currently 15 percent off). But Balatro is clearly on the move in the popular gamer conscience as well. A common encounter with the name from a newbie goes like this . Someone who has never heard of Balatro finds out about it. They think the game can’t possibly be that hype and then they give it a try. The next thing they know, it’s all they can think about. Fans new and old have taken to expressing this obsessive quality by posting explanation-less images of the game’s iconic joker face under any mention of the game on social media. Possibly adding to the renewed zeitgeist around the game is a bit of reactionary controversy surrounding its official GOTY nomination. While some players have been griping about Elden Ring ’s Shadow of the Erdtree DLC getting a nomination instead of full games released this year like Stellar Blade or Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 , others have been denigrating Balatro as “ just a card game ” or a shallow splash in the mobile pan. It seems like a good bet that Balatro will win at least one prize at the Game Awards, which will raise its profile even further. And deservedly so. Balatro is a masterclass in how a game can get its hooks in a player and then never let go. It helps that LocalThunk has been prodigious with updates the last few months, adding crossovers with popular properties ranging from The Witcher 3 to Dave the Diver . I wouldn’t be surprised if we get at least a couple more before the year is out. Balatro cannot be stopped. .

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio (AP) — EJ Farmer's 22 points helped Youngstown State defeat Oakland 66-50 on Saturday. Farmer shot 7 for 13 (5 for 8 from 3-point range) and 3 of 3 from the free-throw line for the Penguins (5-5, 2-0 Horizon League). Nico Galette scored 11 points and added nine rebounds and six assists. Juwan Maxey and Jason Nelson both added 11 points. Allen David Mukeba Jr. led the Golden Grizzlies (3-5, 1-1) in scoring, finishing with 17 points. Tuburu Niavalurua added 12 points for Oakland. D.Q. Cole had 11 points. NEXT UP Up next for Youngstown State is a Saturday matchup with Toledo at home, and Oakland plays Michigan State on Tuesday. The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar .Cementing its position as an industry leader in sustainability and innovation TABUK, Saudi Arabia , Dec. 16, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Abdullah Abdin Ready-Mix Concrete is proud to announce its achievement of the Concrete Sustainability Council (CSC) certification, a milestone that establishes it as a leader in sustainable construction in the MENA region. This recognition makes Abdullah Abdin Ready-Mix Concrete the first ready-mix concrete company in the MENA region-and the first outside Europe , South America , and Turkey-to receive this esteemed certification. Abdullah Abdin CSC Award Ceremony Launched in 2017 as a global initiative to support the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the concrete sector, the Concrete Sustainability Council (CSC) is the only globally applicable certification system for ready-mixed and precast concrete. With 1,288 active certified plants in 25 countries, CSC certification is recognized by leading green building labels such as LEED and BREEAM. To celebrate the achievement, an award ceremony took place today at the company's premises in Sharma, NEOM, where notable attendees from the industry and the company's partners gathered to mark this significant accomplishment, which is expected to inspire similar efforts across the region. "This milestone demonstrates our commitment to advancing Saudi Arabia's leadership in sustainable development," said Tariq Abdullah Abdin , CEO of Abdullah Abdin Ready-Mix Concrete. "As the first company in the region to achieve this certification, we aim to set the standard for environmentally responsible construction while contributing to the Kingdom's ambitious Vision 2030 goals and fulfilling the aspirations of our partners, particularly in Giga projects with NEOM leading the way." Cynthia Imesch , Coordinator and Sustainability Manager at the Concrete Sustainability Council, remarked: " Abdullah Abdin's achievement represents a significant step forward for the region's construction industry. By integrating sustainability into their operations, they exemplify the transformative role businesses can play in achieving global climate objectives. Their leadership paves the way for broader industry adoption of these critical standards." Rabih Fakih , Managing Director at Grey Matters, the regional system operator for CSC, added: "We are proud to support Abdullah Abdin in achieving this certification as it reflects the growing momentum for sustainable construction in the Middle East . This milestone not only highlights their leadership but also serves as an inspiration for other companies to adopt practices that align with the environmental aspirations of Vision 2030 and NEOM." In addition to achieving CSC certification, Abdullah Abdin recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with MENA region Cryo and CarbonCure Technologies. This collaboration focuses on deploying carbon capture and utilization technologies across its facilities, aiming to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and enhance the sustainability of concrete production. By leveraging innovative solutions such as injecting captured CO2 into concrete mixes, the partnership aligns with Abdullah Abdin's broader mission to lead in eco-friendly construction practices and actively contribute to the Kingdom's decarbonization goals. For more information about Abdullah Abdin and its sustainability initiatives, please visit https://aabdin-sa.com/ . About Abdullah Abdin Ready Mix Concrete Founded in 1981 in the Tabuk region, Abdullah Abdin Ready-Mix Concrete has become a trusted name in construction materials, known for its quality, innovation, and sustainability. The company's contributions to major projects across Saudi Arabia underscore its reputation as a leader in building the Kingdom's future.

One side-effect of the polarising effect of nationalism and populism around the world in recent years has been a decrease in the political stability and mandate enjoyed by incumbent regimes. From the erosion of nationalist hegemony in Malaysia or India to the rise of populism in the United States and pockets of Europe, swings in both directions have led to fragile coalitions, divided legislatures and a rise in uncertainty. One of the few silver linings to emerge from this cloud of political uncertainty was Sri Lanka’s spritely Anura Kumara Dissanayake, who, at age 55, became the youngest president elected by Sri Lankans in 30 years in a runoff to a closely contested election in October. Dissanayake, colloquially known as AKD, and his National People’s Power (NPP) went before the electorate once more the following month and secured a two-thirds majority in Sri Lanka’s parliament, sweeping the polls and for the first time erasing the ethnic and xenophobic calculations that have plagued Sri Lanka since the island’s independence. The resounding majorities secured by Dissanayake across Lankans young and old, male and female, Buddhist, Christian or Hindu, and Sinhalese, Tamil or Muslim, are the first ever sign that Sri Lankans are eager to put populism, nationalism and sectarianism in the rearview mirror and unite on the painful journey of rebuilding their proud island nation. This week, President Dissanayake will be in India for his first State visit, including bilateral talks with another politician who came up from the grassroots and surpassed all political expectations, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Having just secured his third term through a coalition arrangement, Modi has dealt with four Sri Lankan presidents since taking the reins of India in May 2014. However, in meeting President Dissanayake this week, Prime Minister Modi will for the first time come face to face with a Sri Lankan head of state who can credibly speak to the concerns and aspirations of every constituency in the country, who leads a Sri Lanka that less than three years after declaring insolvency is fast emerging as the most stable democracy in South Asia. In sweeping the Parliamentary polls with a two-thirds majority, AKD proved that he has his finger on the pulse of not just a single ethnic group or constituency, but of all Sri Lankans. Prime Minister Modi and President Dissanayake face many similar geopolitical challenges today. India remains a political football, with the United States and Russia each vying to bring India closer in a way that very much resembles the tussle Sri Lanka often finds itself in between the competing interests of India and China. During Modi’s tenure at the helm of India, his government has been careful not to pick sides. He and his right hand for foreign affairs, S. Jaishankar deftly played up India’s value to the United States as an economic and strategic regional counterweight to China, forcing successive US administrations to turn a blind eye to the erosion of liberties in Modi’s India, while tolerating India’s warm relations with Russia. For its part, Russia, eager to retain a market for their sanctioned oil and military surplus, trades more oil and military technology with India than it would with any other country that retains such close nuclear, military and intelligence ties to the US. This week, Modi will learn that under AKD’s tenure, Sri Lanka too will seek to strike the right balance of partnerships between India, China and other global powers, in a manner that is ultimately calibrated towards the best long-term interests of Sri Lanka. Dissanayake has the savvy to appreciate the importance of maintaining strong ties with India, but is extremely unlikely to compromise his principles in doing so. The most recent example of this was how the President handled the controversy around the academic qualifications of AKD’s close political ally, Speaker Asoka Ranwala. When challenged about whether or not he could prove he had earned a doctoral degree, Ranwala first asserted that he would need a few weeks to produce the evidence. As a longtime senior JVP member with deep connections in Parliament, he had every reason to expect that at minimum, his comrades would help him stall for time and shield him from any attempt to remove him from office. However, just hours after the President made a thinly veiled reference to his party’s intolerance for even the appearance of impropriety, Ranwala voluntarily stepped down, leaving no doubt that his party has zero appetite for distraction as it sets about to fulfil its ambitious mandate. Ranwala knew as well as any senior member of the NPP does, just how serious President Dissanayake is about his vision for a ‘Clean Sri Lanka’ program, seeking to drive Sri Lankans to aspire to not just environmental, but also social and ethical ‘cleanliness’. This vision was the cornerstone of his electoral campaign. By the time President Dissanayake leaves office, he has made it clear that he wants to leave Sri Lankans with pride in keeping their country tidy, orderly and free of corruption. As Prime Minister Modi seeks Sri Lanka’s support with India’s priorities, this initiative can serve as a blueprint for collaboration between the countries in a way that could set India apart among Sri Lanka’s other strategic allies. India is uniquely positioned to support Sri Lanka, whether from coming to the table to address the concerns raised in the Sri Lankan courts on India-backed wind energy projects or to support the President in building the infrastructure and incentives required to drive the rest of the program forward. It would be a mistake to presume that Dissanayake’s way of governing is not here to stay. Despite his own left wing populist roots, AKD’s most surprising achievement was building confidence among respected private sector luminaries and entrusting them with some of the most significant levers of power in his Government. The momentum that his leadership team have established to lift Sri Lanka out of the doldrums is unlike anything we have seen in Sri Lanka’s history. Never has Sri Lanka had a leader who seemed so loved by the masses while also being feared by those who would seek to exploit or manipulate those masses. There is an opportunity for India to proactively recognise this trend and bring his Government to the table to help Dissanayake drive towards a cleaner Sri Lanka. If Modi can convince President Dissanayake that his Government will support Sri Lanka’s domestic priorities, that would be the clearest opportunity to build up trust in our ‘big brother’ across the Palk Strait.