xG, xA and a battle for hearts and minds – a friendly debate between a fan and The Athletic's data expert
Mixed reaction from Ottawa business owners, customers on GST exemption
The curtain will soon fall on the R35-generation Nissan GT-R , as the ageing supercar-killing coupe nears retirement almost 18 years after it first broke cover. Launched in 2007, the Nissan GT-R was hailed at the time for being on par with contemporary supercars but for a fraction of the cost, further elevating the status of the GT-R nameplate which had previously been affixed to flagship performance Skylines. Despite the current model being almost old enough to vote in Australia, stories of how it came to be continue to surface – and the latest is the most bizarre yet. 100s of new car deals are available through CarExpert right now. Get the experts on your side and score a great deal. Browse now . In a post on social media platform https://x.com/trucknakanohito/status/1869339548528070671 (formerly known as Twitter), user ‘Trucknakanohito’ – also known as ‘Inside commercial vehicle manufacturers’ – wrote that 80 per cent of the GT-R’s development team were former employees from Isuzu’s passenger car division. The account added: “The former Isuzu employees were mainly in charge of transmissions and suspensions”, arguably two of the GT-R’s most impressive aspects when it launched. However, a twist to the tale was added when Kazutoshi Mizuno, chief engineer for the R35, entered the conversation, clarifying the role and background of the former Isuzu staff. “They started out in the truck division, not the passenger car division, and were virtually novices when it came to developing supercars,” Mizuno-san replied, https://x.com/KazutoshiMizuno/status/1869589855522746408. “However, thanks to strong teamwork, a determination to achieve their goals, and training and practice based on the results (facts) of the comprehensive vehicle measurement system, all of them were transformed into world-class engineers in about 1.5 years.” Regardless of the origins of the GT-R, it’s since become one of the longest-running models still in production, with the GT-R Registry reporting more than 44,000 examples have been built across its 17-year run. The Nissan GT-R was axed from Australian showrooms in November 2021, after new side-impact laws made the all-wheel drive supercar killer and a number of other models non-compliant with local regulations. In March , Nissan Japan announced 2025 updates for the R35 GT-R, saying at the time “production is limited and some orders might not be accepted”. This was followed in June by the unveiling of two sendoff special editions for the US market. It’s still yet to officially announce when GT-R production will end, but Nissan executives have hinted the end of the road is near for its flagship performance car. The Nissan Hyper Force concept at last year’s Tokyo motor show previewed the potential future of the GT-R as a 1000kW electric coupe, with reports from Japan claiming the R36 generation model will feature solid-state batteries. Nissan’s global product chief Pierre Loing told Top Gear in September that regulations will force the end of the R35 GT-R, though the next-generation model could launch as soon as 2028 provided advancements in battery development continue at current rates. He also suggested that it’s not yet clear whether the new GT-R will be an electric vehicle (EV) or a hybrid. “[...] we need to have a gap [in production between R35 and R36], because going into the electrified world, there is a lot of debate about ‘what is a GT-R in an era of electrification?’,” he said. “We don’t have all the answers yet. We are in the middle of all those debates.” MORE: Everything Nissan GT-R MORE: Nissan GT-R’s future comes into focus MORE: Nissan GT-R dies another death as electric switch looms MORE: Goodbye Godzilla: Is this the last petrol-only Nissan GT-R? MORE: Godzilla! Nissan Hyper Force is an electric GT-R in disguise
Pitt QB Eli Holstein carted off with leg injury
Isro PSLV-C60 Spadex launch today: Time, importance, when and where to watchNew head coach Ruben Amorim says Manchester United are "a massive club but not a massive team" as he tries to steer them back towards the top of the English game. United have improved since Erik ten Hag was sacked on 28 October. But Wednesday's 2-0 defeat at Arsenal, combined with results elsewhere, means they have climbed just one place in the Premier League table to 13th since Ten Hag's exit. Amorim, whose team host Nottingham Forest on Saturday (17:30 GMT) admits his side were second best at Arsenal - and that the game provided a reality check. "That is very clear," he said. "We are a massive club but we are not a massive team. We know it, so there is no problem to say it." That, however, does not mean the club should reset their targets, according to Amorim, who began work as United boss on 11 November. He said he accepts the storied history of the club means the demands will always be sky high. "We're not one of the best teams in the league," he said. "We have to say and think that clearly. "But [in] our past, our club is maybe the best one in the league. So here we have a problem. We have to focus on the little details, then we will improve as a team." At the start of his reign, Amorim said he wanted his players to work hard. United's players have, over the past few years, faced accusations of lacking effort, during a turbulent period which has brought the arrival and departure of a series of managers. The issue presently is the number of games they are playing. Amorim has started his time at United with 11 games in 37 days – his old club Sporting have seven in the same period - which makes it impossible to develop fitness. And not until that happens can supporters expect their team to be challenging again. "If we want to win the Premier League, we have to run like mad dogs," said Amorim. "Even with the best starting XI on the planet, without running they will win nothing." Amorim has told his players it is more important to applaud United fans after defeats than victories. Striker Marcus Rashford left the field before the rest of his team-mates after the defeat at Emirates Stadium, sparking criticism. Asked about the incident, without naming Rashford directly, Amorim said it was important to acknowledge supporters who had backed their team. "We have to do it," he said. "Especially when we lose. Everyone has to do it. It has to be like that." Amorim also discussed the last-minute decision before last weekend's victory over Everton not to wear rainbow tracksuits to walk out on to the pitch. The move was set to be part of United's contribution to the Premier League's Rainbow Laces campaign, to show support for the LGBTQ+ community. However, Morocco defender Noussair Mazraoui refused to wear the top on religious grounds. In the past, United have worn shirts with poppies over the Remembrance period when midfielder Nemanja Matic said he would not because of an attack on his home village in Serbia by Nato forces during the Balkan conflict. On this occasion, United's players opted against letting Mazraoui stand out. "There's three difficult things to manage," said Amorim, who revealed he had no part in the decision. "On one side, it's club values. But then you have religion and it's our values to respect other opinions. And the third thing is the group. I won't leave Nous alone, we're a team. "The majority of the players believe in one thing but they saw one guy alone and said: Let's be together. "It's a hard issue to address. There's no doubt what this club believes and fights for. We need to respect everything - but we also need to respect the religion of Nous and his culture."
Palantir Stock and 3 Others That Can Join the AI Party - Barron's'Sonic 3' and 'Mufasa' battle for No. 1 at the holiday box office Two family films are dominating the holiday box office, with “Sonic the Hedgehog 3” winning the three-day weekend over “Mufasa” by a blue hair. According to studio estimates Sunday, the Sonic movie earned $38 million, while “Mufasa” brought in $37.1 million from theaters in the U.S. and Canada. The R-rated horror “Nosferatu” placed third with an unexpectedly strong $21.2 million. Thanksgiving release holdovers “Wicked” and “Moana 2” rounded out the top five. Christmas Day had several big film openings, including the Bob Dylan biopic “A Complete Unknown,” the Nicole Kidman erotic drama “Babygirl” and the boxing drama “The Fire Inside.” 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. Stock market today: Asian shares are mixed after Wall Street slips, led by tech giants Asian shares are mixed after stocks fell broadly on Friday as Wall Street closed out a holiday-shortened week on a down note. Tokyo's benchmark Nikkei 225 index lost 0.9% as the dollar traded near 158 yen. U.S. futures were lower while oil prices were little changed. Shares of Jeju Air Co. lost 8.8% after an air crash on Sunday that killed 179 people. The S&P 500 fell 1.1% Friday and the Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 0.8%. The Nasdaq composite dropped 1.5%. The “Magnificent 7” stocks weighed on the market, led by declines in Nvidia, Tesla and Microsoft. Big Lots reaches deal to keep hundreds of US stores open The discount chain Big Lots has reached a deal that will keep hundreds of its stores open. Big Lots said it will be sold to Gordon Brothers Retail Partners, which specializes in distressed companies. Gordon Brothers will then transfer Big Lots’ stores to other retailers. Variety Wholesalers, which owns more than 400 U.S. discount stores, plans to acquire between 200 and 400 Big Lots stores and operate them under the Big Lots brand. Big Lots filed for bankruptcy protection in September, saying inflation and high interest rates had cut back on consumer demand for its furniture and other products. Charles Dolan, HBO and Cablevision founder, dies at 98 Charles F. Dolan, who founded some of the most prominent U.S. media companies including Home Box Office Inc. and Cablevision Systems Corp., has died at age 98. Newsday reports that a statement issued Saturday by his family says Dolan died of natural causes. Dolan’s legacy in cable broadcasting includes founding HBO in 1972, Cablevision in 1973 and the American Movie Classics television station in 1984. He also launched News 12 in New York City, the first U.S. 24-hour cable channel for local news. Dolan also held controlling stakes in companies that owned Madison Square Garden, Radio City Music Hall and the New York Knicks and New York Rangers sports franchises. Trump asks Supreme Court to delay TikTok ban so he can weigh in after he takes office President-elect Donald Trump has asked the Supreme Court to pause the potential TikTok ban from going into effect until his administration can pursue a “political resolution” to the issue. Trump's request Friday came as TikTok and the Biden administration filed opposing briefs to the court. Oral arguments are scheduled for Jan. 10 on whether the law, which requires TikTok to divest from its China-based parent company or face a ban, unlawfully restricts speech in violation of the First Amendment. The brief said Trump opposes banning TikTok at this junction and “seeks the ability to resolve the issues at hand through political means once he takes office.” Stock market today: Wall Street slips as the 'Magnificent 7' weighs down the market NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks are closing lower as Wall Street ends a holiday-shortened week on a down note. The S&P 500 fell 1.1% Friday and the Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 333 points, or 0.8%. The Nasdaq composite dropped 1.5%. The “Magnificent 7” stocks weighed on the market, led by declines in Nvidia, Tesla and Microsoft. Even with the loss, the S&P 500 had a modest gain for the week and is still headed for its second consecutive annual gain of more than 20%, the first time that has happened since 1997-1998. The yield on the 10-year Treasury rose to 4.62%. 10 tips from experts to help you change your relationship with money in 2025 NEW YORK (AP) — As the calendar changes to 2025, you might be thinking about how to approach your relationship with money in the new year. Whether you’re saving to move out of your parents’ house or pay off student loan debt, financial resolutions can help you stay motivated. If you’re planning to make financial resolutions for the new year, experts recommend that you start by evaluating the state of your finances in 2024. Then, set specific goals and make sure they’re attainable for your lifestyle. Janet Yellen tells Congress US could hit debt limit in mid-January WASHINGTON (AP) — Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen says her agency will need to start taking “extraordinary measures,” or special accounting maneuvers intended to prevent the nation from hitting the debt ceiling, as early as January 14th, in a letter sent to congressional leaders Friday afternoon. The department has taken such action in the past. But once those measures run out the government risks defaulting on its debt unless lawmakers and the president agree to lift the limit on the U.S. government’s ability to borrow. An online debate over foreign workers in tech shows tensions in Trump's political coalition WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — An online spat between factions of Donald Trump’s supporters over immigration and the tech industry has thrown internal divisions in the president-elect’s political movement into public display. The argument previews fissures and contradictory views his coalition could bring to the White House. The rift laid bare tensions between the newest flank of Trump’s movement — that is, wealthy members of the tech world who want more highly skilled workers in their industry — and people in Trump’s Make America Great Again base who championed his hardline immigration policies.
Celta pull off late fightback to draw against 10-man Barcelona
The rollout of ultra-high-speed Starlink Wi-Fi is well underway at the national airline, Qatar Airways, with the carrier exceeding its own previously planned timeline of 14 jets by the end of the year. Starlink can now be found on 16 aircraft, with more joining over the coming weeks as new Starlink kits arrive from SpaceX in the US. Qatar Airways Group CEO Badr Mohammed al-Meer last week explained the rollout would have been even faster if the carrier could receive more Starlink kits at a faster rate. The integration of Starlink Wi-Fi represents a key component of Qatar Airways' "2.0 Vision", spearheaded by al-Meer, which prioritises innovation and digitisation. In terms of connectivity onboard, and the entertainment options it can provide, the move to champion Starlink puts Qatar Airways ahead of the competition in the region, which is one of the most fiercely competitive markets in the world. The first aircraft to be equipped with Starlink Wi-Fi was a Boeing 777-300ER. The airline is intending to roll out Starlink across all of its modern fleet by the end of next year. Qatar Airways’ Starlink Wi-Fi is free to all passengers, regardless of their class of travel, and will remain free. There are no packages or price plans, no data caps or other limitations. It’s free, ultra-high-speed, reliable Wi-Fi. This is a significant departure from the traditional model, where in-flight Wi-Fi is often a premium service, especially on international long-haul flights. Historically, airlines around the world have charged passengers varying rates depending on the class of service, flight duration, and data usage, with costs sometimes exceeding $30 for just a few hours of patchy, unstable internet access. Traditional in-flight Wi-Fi systems typically rely on two types of technologies: air-to-ground and satellite-based connectivity. Air-to-ground networks operate by connecting to cell towers on the ground, with airplanes switching from tower to tower as they fly. However, this type of system is often limited to certain regions and becomes less effective over oceans and remote areas. Satellite-based systems, which have been more commonly used on long-haul international flights, offer wider coverage but have historically been constrained by the capacity and speed of traditional geostationary satellites, resulting in frustratingly slow speeds. Unlike traditional satellites, Starlink utilises a constellation of Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites that are positioned much closer to the Earth's surface. This allows for faster data transfer, lower latency, and a more stable connection. The key advantages of LEO satellites lie in their ability to provide a broader and more consistent coverage compared to the geostationary satellites typically used for inflight Wi-Fi. Because they orbit closer to Earth, they can relay data more quickly, reducing the time it takes for information to travel back and forth. For passengers, this means less buffering, faster page loads, and the ability to engage in bandwidth-heavy activities such as the streaming of live sports, gaming, or even video calls while in the air. Starlink's technology also enables airlines to offer a higher capacity network, which is particularly important for modern travellers who often board flights with multiple connected devices. Whether it's watching Netflix, or gaming, passengers can expect the onboard internet experience to mirror what they would get on the ground, in some cases, even better—an achievement that has, until now, remained elusive. Starlink is installed directly at the airline’s technical facility in Doha, and does not require the aircraft to be out of service for more than a couple of days, speeding up the rollout. Qatar Airways may be the first major international airline to begin rolling out Starlink, but they are not alone in recognising the potential of this SpaceX technology for passengers. In North America, Hawaiian Airlines has made headlines by becoming one of the first US carriers to announce a partnership with Starlink. The airline also offers the service for free to passengers on both its inter-island and transpacific routes. Hawaiian Airlines has stated that Starlink Wi-Fi will allow it to offer a seamless experience for passengers, from streaming video to conducting business while in the air. Another operator is JSX, the semi-private jet service based in the US, which has already started offering Starlink Wi-Fi on select routes. The airline, which operates small jets primarily on shorter routes, was one of the first to showcase Starlink’s capabilities. JSX has highlighted the fact that the low-latency, high-speed internet from Starlink offers a competitive edge, allowing them to appeal to business travelers looking for a more connected, premium experience. From 2025 onwards, Air France will progressively roll out Starlink Wi-Fi connectivity service for a “ground-like” experience. Atlanta-based Delta Air Lines has been exploring the potential of integrating Starlink Wi-Fi into its fleet. While no formal roll-out plan has been announced yet, the airline has been testing the system to evaluate its feasibility for wider deployment. If successful, Delta would join the growing list of global carriers eager to enhance their onboard experience through SpaceX’s revolutionary satellite technology. Airlines are now recognising that offering a robust internet experience is no longer an optional luxury but a core component of the passenger experience. With its global network of LEO satellites, Starlink is positioned to become the go-to provider for airlines that want to offer this premium service. The author is an aviation analyst. X handle @AlexInAir. 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