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NoneThe mysterious black box in Pargin’s novel may contain something that triggers an American apocalypse, or, you know, it may just be nothing. Either way, what’s inside is the mystery propelling this provocative, rambunctious, comedic cultural rant of a novel that’s fueled by internet paranoia, conspiracy theories and outlandish action scenes. Abbott Coburn, a Lyft driver, reluctantly helps Ether get the black box to Washington, D.C. No peeking inside. No cellphones. A lot of cash. Socially awkward Abbott has spent most of his time online. Ether, on the other hand, lives off the grid. She’s determined, pragmatic and, despite what her name implies, far from soporific. A posse of eccentric characters chase them cross country, cheered on by a virtual torch-waving mob. “We’ve been looking at this from the wrong angle,” says Nora in Dave’s latest touching family drama. Dave’s trademark emotional twists and compelling characters, caught in the aftermath of loss, are in fine form in this latest mystery. It’s the story of the Noone family patriarch’s death and the unanswered questions it raises for his ex-wives, business partners and rivals, as well as his two sons and daughter Nora. Liam Noone was the founder of a boutique hotel empire, a company that appears to be at the center of his mysterious death. He appeared to everyone to be “smart, eager, solid,” a man who always showed his family “the best version of himself.” But what were the other versions? The reader is privy to revelations in a parallel narrative from Liam’s past, but Nora and her estranged stepbrother are on their own. Helgi Reykdal, one of the characters in Jónasson’s delightfully fiendish “Death at the Sanatorium,” is a collector of Golden Age mysteries, like those by Patrick Quentin and Agatha Christie. Set in Iceland, Jónasson’s slowly unfolding plot twists and his overly suspicious characters make for an engaging homage to those classics. The story opens in 1983 when Tinna, a new nurse at a sanatorium, finds the murdered body of the head nurse, then cuts back and forth to 2012, when Helgi is writing his dissertation on the 1983 murders. The novel is cleverly constructed around the perspective of the main characters from both time periods. But Tinna was my favorite. A delusional romantic, she enjoys “exaggerating her stories” because “life was easier if you tweaked the facts a little in your favor.” Against the backdrop of America’s “fascism under the guise of a return to better days,” Locke’s remarkable ”Guide Me Home,” the final book in her moving Highway 59 trilogy, finds Darren Mathews no longer a Texas Ranger, which informed his identity as a Black Texan for most of his life. A choice he made years before haunts him, eventually sending him into a nihilistic funk where “managing his sense of doom” is “nearly a full-time job.” When a young Black woman goes missing from an all-white sorority, no one is concerned except Darren’s estranged mother. The investigation forces Mathews to consider that the “men who had raised him had deceived him his whole life.” This realization makes Mathews worry “his cynicism, home-brewed over the years of living in a culture of double-dealing and dishonesty, was clouding his judgment.” Get local news delivered to your inbox!
Some elite US universities favor wealthy students in admissions decisions, lawsuit allegesGermany’s chancellor appears to be heading for defeat; France’s president is mired in crisis. But while Europe’s traditional power duo are in the doldrums , there is a strong, stable and pro-EU leader east of Paris and Berlin – Poland’s prime minister, Donald Tusk. For European officials, it’s a helpful gift of the calendar that Poland takes charge of the EU Council rotating presidency from 1 January. Tusk, a former European Council president, returned as Poland’s prime minister in 2023, leading a broad coalition that defeated the rightwing populist party Law and Justice (PiS). One of his first acts was to end a long-festering dispute with Brussels with a pledge to restore constitutional norms, which unlocked billions of frozen EU funds. Tusk later showed his influence inside the European Council of EU leaders, helping to orchestrate the return of his centre-right ally Ursula von der Leyen as European Commission president. An EU presidency is a technical business: chairing hundreds of meetings, setting agendas. Tusk has no formal role. But symbolism matters. The presidency logo, a Polish flag entwined with the letters “E” and “U”, is intended to project Poland’s return to the European mainstream. Tusk’s government, which has pledged to prioritise security during its six-month stint, is an especially welcome contrast after the Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orbán’s rogue diplomacy during his country’s presidency. Michał Wawrykiewicz, a centre-right MEP, affiliated to the governing Civic Coalition, said: “We are just after the presidency of Hungary, which is the biggest violator of all of the fundamentals of the European Union . So it is a good time slot for my country to prove that we are one of the leaders of the European Union.” But the image of harmony regained is not quite what it seems. First, Poland’s democratic restoration is incomplete. As many as a third of Poland’s 10,000 judges are so-called “neo judges”, according to the Council of Europe – ie politicised appointees who took office through processes introduced by PiS that were widely deemed to violate the rule of law. Tusk’s government faces a legal minefield in restoring independent judges , while the PiS-aligned President Andrzej Duda is blocking many reforms. “It shows how difficult it is to reverse the country on the democratic path after such a huge devastation,” said Wawrykiewicz, a lawyer who campaigned to restore the rule of law before he was elected as an MEP in 2024. Duda is nearing the end of his term limit, so presidential elections likely in May will be critical in determining whether Tusk’s government can fulfil its promise to restore the rule of law in Poland. That could affect how Poland runs its presidency. Some EU insiders contend that Poland’s government is playing it safe by avoiding putting controversial topics on the EU agenda, such as 2040 carbon reduction targets. Before Duda stands down, he could be a helpful bridge to Donald Trump’s White House. Anna Wójcik, of Kozminski University in Warsaw, said Tusk’s government could use the “surprising card of President Duda, who has good relations with the president-elect of the United States”. More broadly, Warsaw has a good story to tell Trump, who has fiercely criticised Nato allies for “not paying their bills” . Poland, already the biggest defence spender in GDP terms in Nato, is expected to spend 4.7% of its economic output on defence in 2025. This will be an advantage in Washington and “a way of proving that Europe can well commit and even over-commit” to Nato goals, Wójcik said. During its EU presidency, Poland is expected to make the case for more European defence spending, including via EU financing, which could entail joint borrowing. The European Commission has put the cost of boosting EU defences at a minimum of €500bn and has promised an options paper on how to raise these funds early in 2025. Any agreement on European defence spending will have to go through Europe’s largest contributor to the EU budget, Germany , where political opposition and legal constraints make common borrowing deeply problematic. More broadly, despite the return of a pro-EU government in Warsaw and the epoch-making “turning point”, the Zeitenwende , in Germany, German-Polish relations are weighed down by mistrust and recrimination. Under the previous PiS government, Poland waged a long-running campaign for reparations for damage caused by the Nazi invasion and occupation. Germany, meanwhile, was one of Warsaw’s toughest critics on the politicisation of its courts, helping to broker an agreement in 2020 that meant EU funds could be frozen over rule-of-law violations. In theory, Tusk’s election should have improved relations, but the mood remains sour. Berlin was exasperated when in May Tusk joined forces with the Greek prime minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, to call for a European air defence shield to protect EU airspace against all incoming threats, described as “a bold initiative that will send a clear and strong message to our friends and foes”. Germany dismissed the plan as a nonstarter, objecting to its vast cost and apparent emphasis on it being made in Europe. For Tusk, facing smears from his PiS rivals of being pro-German, that refusal closed down a positive, future-looking project that could have put relations on a better path. “There is no agreement on how to solve this conundrum in the Polish-German relations,” said Piotr Buras, the head of the European Council on Foreign Relations’ office in Warsaw. “This is a major problem for Tusk because he is the one who faces accusations that he is too pro-German, so he needs to make himself more credible to the Polish public opinion by being tough on Germany.” Buras thinks the rest of the EU underestimates how far PiS “redefined the parameters of the Polish European debate”. Polish support for the EU remains high but has fallen back from the stratospheric enthusiasm of the recent past: a survey for the Warsaw-based pollster CBOS showed 77% of respondents in favour of the EU in April 2024, down from 92% less than two years earlier. Opposition to Ukrainian refugees in Poland is growing. “Tusk is very much under pressure from the opposition, from the PiS, and he needs to be very, very cautious and he is very cautious,” Buras said. “That sets limits for some major pro-European, courageous initiatives.”
RecycLiCo Battery Materials Announces Results of 2024 Annual General Meeting of ShareholdersBOSTON (AP) — Boston Celtics center Kristaps Porzingis is slated make his season debut Monday night against the Los Angeles Clippers following offseason ankle surgery. The 7-foot-2 Latvian center was upgraded from probable to available about an 90 minutes before tipoff, though Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla said how much he'd play was to be determined. Veteran center Al Horford, who has started 14 of the Celtics 17 games this season, is out Monday with an illness. Fellow big man Luke Kornet is also sitting out as he continues to deal with hamstring tightness. “He has worked hard, he's in good shape. We'll put him in position to be healthy and be successful and do what's best for the team,” Mazzulla said. “He's been pretty consistent, just based on his work ethic and what he's done to get to this point.” Porzingis had surgery to fix a tear in the tissue that holds the ankle tendons in place. The issue limited him to seven playoff games during the Celtics' NBA championship run last season. Boston is 14-3 this season, but has missed his presence on the inside, with teams routinely outscoring the defending champions in the paint. Mazzulla acknowledged that how Porzingis plays on the offensive end, particularly how he operates sometimes out of the high and low post, will force some adjustment from how the team has played this season without him on the floor. “I think last year we had an opportunity to see how teams were guarding him,” Mazzulla said. "That'll take a little bit of time to figure out what the coverages are, just get used to that spacing. That'll take some time. ... Then we'll figure out how we go from there." The original window for Porzingis' return following surgery was five to six months. But Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens said before the season that they didn't want to hold to a specific timeline because of the uniqueness of the injury. Porzingis injured his ankle in Game 2 of the NBA Finals against the Dallas Mavericks and missed the next two games. He returned for Game 5, contributing five points and one rebound in 16 minutes as the Celtics beat Dallas 106-88 to clinch their record 18th title. Porzingis averaged 20 points and seven rebounds in 57 games for last season. He signed a $60 million, two-year extension with Boston in the summer of 2023 after the Celtics acquired him in a trade with Washington. AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba
PRINCIPAL REAL ESTATE INCOME FUND CONTINUES SHARE REPURCHASE PROGRAM
Private sector economists raise forecasts for Singapore’s 2025 economic growthGiants release quarterback Daniel Jones just days after benching him EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — The Daniel Jones era in New York is over. The Giants quarterback was granted his release by the team just days after the franchise said it was benching him in favor of third-stringer Tommy DeVito. New York president John Mara said Jones approached the team about releasing him and the club obliged. Mara added he was “disappointed” at the quick dissolution of a once-promising relationship between Jones and the team. Giants coach Brian Daboll benched Jones in favor of DeVito following a loss to the Panthers in Germany that dropped New York's record to 2-8. Conor McGregor must pay $250K to woman who says he raped her, civil jury rules LONDON (AP) — A civil jury in Ireland has awarded more than $250,000 to a woman who says she was raped by mixed martial arts fighter Conor McGregor in a Dublin hotel penthouse after a night of heavy partying. The jury on Friday awarded Nikita Hand in her lawsuit that claimed McGregor “brutally raped and battered” her in 2018. The lawsuit says the assault left her heavily bruised and suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. McGregor testified that he never forced her to do anything and that Hand fabricated her allegations after the two had consensual sex. McGregor says he will appeal the verdict. Week 16 game between Denver Broncos and Los Angeles Chargers flexed to Thursday night spot The Los Angeles Chargers have played their way into another prime time appearance. Justin Herbert and company have had their Dec. 22 game against the Denver Broncos flexed to Thursday night, Dec. 19. Friday’s announcement makes this the first time a game has been flexed to the Thursday night spot. The league amended its policy last season where Thursday night games in Weeks 13 through 17 could be flexed with at least 28 days notice prior to the game. The matchup of AFC West division rivals bumps the game between the Cleveland Browns and Cincinnati Bengals to Sunday afternoon. NBA memo to players urges increased vigilance regarding home security following break-ins MIAMI (AP) — The NBA is urging its players to take additional precautions to secure their homes following reports of recent high-profile burglaries of dwellings owned by Milwaukee Bucks forward Bobby Portis and Kansas City Chiefs teammates Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce. In a memo sent to team officials, a copy of which was obtained by The Associated Press, the NBA revealed that the FBI has connected some burglaries to “transnational South American Theft Groups” that are “reportedly well-organized, sophisticated rings that incorporate advanced techniques and technologies, including pre-surveillance, drones, and signal jamming devices.” Red Bull brings wrong rear wing to Las Vegas in mistake that could stall Verstappen's title chances LAS VEGAS (AP) — Max Verstappen is suddenly in jeopardy of being denied a fourth consecutive Formula 1 title Saturday night. Red Bull apparently brought the wrong rear wing to Las Vegas and GPS data showed its two cars to be significantly slower on the straights than both McLaren and Mercedes, which led both practice sessions. Red Bull says it doesn’t have a replacement rear wing in Las Vegas to fix the issue and little chance of getting two flown in from England ahead of the race. Caitlin Clark to join Cincinnati bid for 16th National Women's Soccer League team WNBA star Caitlin Clark has joined Cincinnati’s bid for an expansion National Women’s Soccer League team. Major League Soccer franchise FC Cincinnati is heading the group vying to bring a women’s pro team to the city. The club issued a statement confirming Clark had joined the bid group. NWSL Commissioner Jessica Berman has said the league plans to announce the league’s 16th team by the end of the year. The league's 15th team will begin play in 2026 in Boston. Aaron Judge won't be bothered if Juan Soto gets bigger contract from Yankees than his $360M deal NEW YORK (AP) — Aaron Judge won’t be bothered if Juan Soto gets a bigger deal from the New York Yankees than the captain’s $360 million, nine-year contract. Speaking a day after he was a unanimous winner of his second MVP, Judge says “It ain’t my money” and adds "that’s never been something on my mind about who gets paid the most.” Judge led the major leagues with 58 homers, 144 RBIs and 133 walks while hitting .322. Soto batted .288 with 41 homers, 109 RBIs and 129 walks in his first season with the Yankees, then became a free agent at age 26. In a 'Final Four-type weekend,' two top-6 clashes put women's college basketball focus on West Coast LOS ANGELES (AP) — Two games featuring four powerhouse teams has put the focus in women's college basketball on the West Coast this weekend. JuJu Watkins and No. 3 Southern California host Hannah Hidalgo and No. 6 Notre Dame on Saturday. Top-ranked South Carolina visits Lauren Betts and fifth-ranked UCLA on Sunday. Both games are nationally televised and the arenas are expected to be packed. WNBA scouts will be on hand to check out some of the nation's top talent. Two teams will come away with their first losses of the season. USC coach Lindsay Gottlieb calls it “a Final Four-type weekend.” A documentary featuring Watkins will air on NBC ahead of USC's game, which leads into the Army-Notre Dame football game. Noodles and wine are the secret ingredients for a strange new twist in China's doping saga Blame it on the noodles. That's what one Chinese official suggested when anti-doping leaders were looking for answers for the doping scandal that cast a shadow over this year's Olympic swim meet. Earlier this year, reports that 23 Chinese swimmers had tested positive for a banned heart medication emerged. None were sanctioned because Chinese authorities determined the swimmers were contaminated by traces of the drug spread about a hotel kitchen. In a strange twist, the leader of China's anti-doping agency suggested this case could have been similar to one in which criminals were responsible for tainting noodles that were later eaten by another Chinese athlete who also tested positive for the drug. Athletes see climate change as threatening their sports and their health. Some are speaking up BAKU, Azerbaijan (AP) — Pragnya Mohan has been a professional triathlete for nearly a decade, but summers in her native India are now so hot that she can’t train there anymore. And she worries about a day when heat around the world kills her sport entirely. She was among athletes who spoke at the United Nations climate summit in Azerbaijan about the threat global warming poses to them, to fans and to sport itself. They described how extreme weather is making training and competing difficult or impossible. With billions of fans worldwide, some athletes and leagues are trying to get more people to care, and act, on climate change.
Ruben Amorim says Man Utd must find way to end struggles
Why A 11-Minute Clip Of Roughskin Dog Fish Shark Is A Big Deep Sea BreakthroughHicks 6-9 1-1 16, Konan Niederhauser 4-6 4-7 12, Baldwin 2-8 8-8 12, Dilione 3-6 0-2 6, P.Johnson 5-8 3-4 15, Kern 9-12 2-5 20, Nzeh 1-2 1-1 3, Dunn 0-4 0-0 0, Carter 0-2 0-2 0, Stewart 0-0 1-2 1. Totals 30-57 20-32 85. Dean 5-10 1-2 13, Tsimbila 0-0 0-0 0, J.Johnson 5-11 5-6 15, Medor 3-6 1-2 8, Richardson 0-2 0-0 0, Rivera 7-12 1-5 15, Tripp 5-9 2-2 13, Smith 0-1 0-2 0, Riley 0-1 0-1 0, Pettis 0-1 0-0 0, Zona 1-1 0-0 2. Totals 26-54 10-20 66. Halftime_Penn St. 42-34. 3-Point Goals_Penn St. 5-14 (Hicks 3-5, P.Johnson 2-3, Carter 0-1, Dilione 0-1, Dunn 0-1, Kern 0-1, Baldwin 0-2), Fordham 4-18 (Dean 2-5, Tripp 1-1, Medor 1-2, Pettis 0-1, Smith 0-1, Richardson 0-2, Rivera 0-2, J.Johnson 0-4). Fouled Out_Tsimbila. Rebounds_Penn St. 37 (Kern 13), Fordham 27 (Dean 9). Assists_Penn St. 13 (Baldwin 7), Fordham 16 (Medor, Richardson, Tripp 3). Total Fouls_Penn St. 19, Fordham 24.
FOCUS: Social media changing Japan election landscape with risks
RADNOR, Pa., Dec. 26, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The law firm of Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check, LLP ( www.ktmc.com ) informs investors that a securities class action lawsuit has been filed in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida against Celsius Holdings, Inc. (“Celsius”) (NASDAQ: CELH) on behalf of those who purchased or otherwise acquired Celsius common stock between February 29, 2024, and September 4, 2024, inclusive (the “Class Period”). The lead plaintiff deadline is January 21, 2025. CONTACT KESSLER TOPAZ MELTZER & CHECK, LLP: If you suffered Celsius losses, you may CLICK HERE or go to: https://www.ktmc.com/new-cases/celsius-holdings-inc?utm_source=PR&utm_medium=link&utm_campaign=celh&mktm=r You can also contact attorney Jonathan Naji, Esq. by calling (484) 270-1453 or by email at info@ktmc.com . DEFENDANTS’ ALLEGED MISCONDUCT: The complaint alleges that, throughout the Class Period, Defendants made false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (1) Celsius materially oversold inventory to Pepsi far in excess of demand, and faced a looming sales cliff during which Pepsi would significantly reduce its purchases of Celsius products; (2) as Pepsi drew down significant amounts of inventory overstock, Celsius’ sales would materially decline in future periods, hurting Celsius’ financial performance and outlook; (3) Celsius’ sales rate to Pepsi was unsustainable and created a misleading impression of Celsius’ financial performance and outlook; (4) as a result, Celsius’ business metrics and financial prospects were not as strong as indicated in Defendants’ Class Period statements; and (5) consequently, Defendants’ statements regarding Celsius’ outlook and expected financial performance were false and misleading at all relevant times. THE LEAD PLAINTIFF PROCESS: Celsius investors may, no later than January 21, 2025, seek to be appointed as a lead plaintiff representative of the class through Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check, LLP or other counsel, or may choose to do nothing and remain an absent class member. A lead plaintiff is a representative party who acts on behalf of all class members in directing the litigation. The lead plaintiff is usually the investor or small group of investors who have the largest financial interest and who are also adequate and typical of the proposed class of investors. The lead plaintiff selects counsel to represent the lead plaintiff and the class and these attorneys, if approved by the court, are lead or class counsel. Your ability to share in any recovery is not affected by the decision of whether or not to serve as a lead plaintiff. Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check, LLP encourages Celsius investors who have suffered significant losses to contact the firm directly to acquire more information. CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR THE CASE OR GO TO : https://www.ktmc.com/new-cases/celsius-holdings-inc?utm_source=PR&utm_medium=link&utm_campaign=celh&mktm=r ABOUT KESSLER TOPAZ MELTZER & CHECK, LLP: Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check, LLP prosecutes class actions in state and federal courts throughout the country and around the world. The firm has developed a global reputation for excellence and has recovered billions of dollars for victims of fraud and other corporate misconduct. All of our work is driven by a common goal: to protect investors, consumers, employees and others from fraud, abuse, misconduct and negligence by businesses and fiduciaries. The complaint in this action was not filed by Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check, LLP. For more information about Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check, LLP please visit www.ktmc.com . CONTACT: Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check, LLP Jonathan Naji, Esq. (484) 270-1453 280 King of Prussia Road Radnor, PA 19087 info@ktmc.com May be considered attorney advertising in certain jurisdictions. Past results do not guarantee future outcomes.Israel strikes Houthi rebels in Yemen's capital while the WHO chief says he was meters away JERUSALEM (AP) — A new round of Israeli airstrikes in Yemen have targeted the Houthi rebel-held capital of Sanaa and multiple ports. The World Health Organization’s director-general said the bombardment on Thursday took place just “meters away” as he was about to board a flight in Sanaa. He says a crew member was hurt. The strikes followed several days of Houthi attacks and launches setting off sirens in Israel. Israel's military says it attacked infrastructure used by the Houthis at the international airport in Sanaa, power stations and ports. The Israeli military hasn't responded to questions about the WHO chief's statement. The US says it pushed retraction of a famine warning for north Gaza. Aid groups express concern. WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. officials say they asked for — and got — the retraction of an independent monitor's warning of imminent famine in north Gaza. The internationally Famine Early Warning System Network issued the warning this week. The new report had warned that starvation deaths in north Gaza could reach famine levels as soon as next month. It cited what it called Israel's “near-total blockade” of food and water. The U.S. ambassador to Israel, Jacob Lew, criticized the finding as inaccurate and irresponsible. The U.S. Agency for International Development, which funds the famine-monitoring group, told the AP it had asked for and gotten the report's retraction. USAID officials tell The Associated Press that it had asked the group for greater review of discrepancies in some of the data. Trump has pressed for voting changes. GOP majorities in Congress will try to make that happen ATLANTA (AP) — Republicans in Congress plan to move quickly in their effort to overhaul the nation’s voting procedures, seeing an opportunity with control of the White House and both chambers of Congress. They want to push through long-sought changes such as voter ID and proof-of-citizenship requirements. They say the measures are needed to restore public confidence in elections. That's after an erosion of trust that Democrats note has been fueled by false claims from Donald Trump and his allies of widespread fraud in the 2020 election. Democrats say they are willing to work with the GOP but want any changes to make it easier, not harder, to vote. Americans are exhausted by political news. TV ratings and a new AP-NORC poll show they're tuning out NEW YORK (AP) — A lot of Americans, after an intense presidential election campaign, are looking for a break in political news. That's evident in cable television news ratings and a poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. The poll found nearly two-thirds of Americans saying they've found the need recently to cut down on their consumption of political and government news. That's particularly true among Democrats following President-elect Donald Trump's victory, although a significant number of Republicans and independents feel the same way. Cable networks MSNBC and CNN are really seeing a slump. That's also happened in years past for networks that particularly appeal to supporters of one candidate. Aviation experts say Russia's air defense fire likely caused Azerbaijan plane crash as nation mourns Aviation experts say that Russian air defense fire was likely responsible for the Azerbaijani plane crash the day before that killed 38 people and left all 29 survivors injured. Azerbaijan is observing a nationwide day of mourning on Thursday for the victims of the crash. Azerbaijan Airlines’ Embraer 190 was en route from Azerbaijan’s capital of Baku to the Russian city of Grozny in the North Caucasus on Wednesday when it was diverted for reasons yet unclear and crashed while making an attempt to land in Aktau in Kazakhstan. Cellphone footage circulating online appeared to show the aircraft making a steep descent before smashing into the ground in a fireball. India's former prime minister Manmohan Singh, architect of economic reforms, dies aged 92 NEW DELHI (AP) — India’s former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, widely regarded as the architect of India’s economic reform program and a landmark nuclear deal with the United States, has died. He was 92. The hospital said Singh was admitted to New Delhi’s All India Institute of Medical Sciences late Thursday after his health deteriorated due to “sudden loss of consciousness at home." He was “being treated for age-related medical conditions,” the statement added. A mild-mannered technocrat, Singh became one of India’s longest-serving prime ministers for 10 years and earned a reputation as a man of great personal integrity. But his sterling image was tainted by allegations of corruption against his ministers. Ukraine's military intelligence says North Korean troops are suffering heavy battlefield losses KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine's military intelligence says North Korean troops are suffering heavy losses in Russia's Kursk region and face logistical difficulties as a result of Ukrainian attacks. The intelligence agency said Thursday that Ukrainian strikes near Novoivanovka inflicted heavy casualties on North Korean units. Ukraine's president said earlier this week that 3,000 North Korean troops have been killed and wounded in the fighting in the Kursk region. It marked the first significant estimate by Ukraine of North Korean casualties several weeks after Kyiv announced that North Korea had sent 10,000 to 12,000 troops to Russia to help it in the almost 3-year war. How the stock market defied expectations again this year, by the numbers NEW YORK (AP) — What a wonderful year 2024 has been for investors. U.S. stocks ripped higher and carried the S&P 500 to records as the economy kept growing and the Federal Reserve began cutting interest rates. The benchmark index posted its first back-to-back annual gains of more than 20% since 1998. The year featured many familiar winners, such as Big Tech, which got even bigger as their stock prices kept growing. But it wasn’t just Apple, Nvidia and the like. Bitcoin and gold surged and “Roaring Kitty” reappeared to briefly reignite the meme stock craze. Holiday shoppers increased spending by 3.8% despite higher prices New data shows holiday sales rose this year even as Americans wrestled with still high prices in many grocery necessities and other financial worries. According to Mastercard SpendingPulse, holiday sales from the beginning of November through Christmas Eve climbed 3.8%, a faster pace than the 3.1% increase from a year earlier. The measure tracks all kinds of payments including cash and debit cards. This year, retailers were even more under the gun to get shoppers in to buy early and in bulk since there were five fewer days between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Mastercard SpendingPulse says the last five days of the season accounted for 10% of the spending. Sales of clothing, electronics and Jewelry rose. Why this Mexican American woman played a vital role in the US sacramental peyote trade MIRANDO CITY, Texas (AP) — Amada Cardenas, a Mexican American woman who lived in the tiny border town of Mirando City in South Texas, played an important role in the history of the peyote trade. She and her husband were the first federally licensed peyote dealers who harvested and sold the sacramental plant to followers of the Native American Church in the 1930s. After her husband's death in 1967, Cardenas continued to welcome generations of Native American Church members to her home until her death in 2005, just before her 101st birthday.
The People's Vice President: What to Expect from JD Vance
With special counsel Jack Smith’s decision to drop his election case and classified documents appeal against President-elect Donald Trump, the soon-to-be 47th president’s legal woes appear to be mostly behind him. In the case, Smith had charged Trump in Washington over his alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 election results and for his activity around the breach of the U.S. Capitol building on Jan. 6, 2021. “Working with a team of private co-conspirators, the defendant acted as a candidate when he pursued multiple criminal means to disrupt, through fraud and deceit, the government function by which votes are collected and counted—a function in which the defendant, as President, had no official role,” Smith’s office wrote. Trump had pleaded not guilty to the charges, arguing they are politically driven and designed to interfere with the Nov. 5 election. At the time, Trump spokesman Steven Cheung said the brief was “falsehood-ridden” and accused Smith of being “hell-bent on weaponizing the Justice Department in an attempt to cling to power.” On Truth Social, meanwhile, Trump said the case would end with his “complete victory” during the 2024 election. “In ruling otherwise, the district court deviated from binding Supreme Court precedent, misconstrued the statutes that authorized the Special Counsel’s appointment, and took inadequate account of the longstanding history of Attorney General appointments of special counsels,” Cannon wrote at the time. Weeks later, Smith filed an appeal in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit to reverse her order, which Trump’s lawyers had opposed in subsequent court filings. Cannon wrote in her order, which came after U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas had cast doubt in July about Smith’s appointment, that Smith was an officer of the United States, which requires that Congress authorize the attorney general to appoint Smith as special counsel. Before Smith was named special counsel, the FBI searched Trump’s Mar-a-Lago property in August 2022 in a bid to look for classified materials. Around the same time, Trump argued that, as president, he had declassified the documents. During most of the trial, Judge Juan Merchan had a gag order in place that barred Trump from speaking about certain witnesses, the judge’s family, court staff, and Bragg’s staff—which Trump said was election interference. The president-elect had written on social media that Merchan’s daughter was a consultant for several Democratic Party heavyweights, including Vice President Kamala Harris. Late last week, Merchan indefinitely delayed sentencing for Trump in the business records case, after the president-elect’s attorneys called for its immediate dismissal due to the election results. Sentencing in the case was initially scheduled for mid-July but was postponed until Nov. 26. In his order on Nov. 22, Merchan wrote that he was granting a request to adjourn that sentencing date as well. Other notable co-defendants listed in the Georgia case include several former Trump advisers and lawyers, including former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani and former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows. Trump and several of his co-defendants appealed McAfee’s order to the Georgia Court of Appeals, which placed the matter on pause while it hears arguments on whether to dismiss Willis. Trump had appealed Judge Arthur Engoron’s Feb. 16 decision. The judge found that Trump, his company, and executives, including his sons Eric and Donald Trump Jr., schemed to pad his net worth by billions of dollars on financial statements given to banks, insurers, and others to make deals and secure loans. In oral arguments held in September, several New York appeals court judges signaled that Engoron’s ruling could be reversed. Members of the five-judge panel on the Appellate Division, the mid-level state appellate court hearing arguments in Trump’s appeal, had appeared concerned about possible overreach by New York Attorney General Letitia James, who brought the case. “Every case that you cite involves damage to consumers, damage to the marketplace,” Justice David Friedman told Judith Vale, the attorney arguing on behalf of James’s office. “We don’t have anything like that here,” Friedman said, saying that nobody “lost any money.”
Award Winning Independent Agency Recognized for High Paced Growth ATLANTA , Dec. 18, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Independent full-service advertising agency Chemistry has been recognized as one of Adweek's "2024 Fastest Growing Agencies" and as a 2025 "Agency of the Year" by Chief Marketer . With experimentation as the foundation of its methodology, the agency "blows up boring" with its rapid test-and-learn 'everything is an experiment' approach that embraces the state of constant evolution and learning. This led to massive market share wins and high cultural relevance for its clients, as well as an influx of new clients and organic growth for the agency. One of the agencies to be honored by Adweek on its list of Adweek's "Fastest Growing Agencies," Chemistry has been recognized for its significant revenue growth and its "willingness to dive headfirst into curiosity - and encourage clients to do the same" which Adweek notes has been a boon for business. Additionally, the agency has been recognized by Chief Marketer as a 2025 "Agency of the Year," as one of the top marketing and advertising firms worldwide. The agency's impressive growth rate in billings and staff, as well as work for top leading brands, were noted. With offices in Atlanta , Pittsburgh , New York , Miami , and Phoenix , the 173-person independent agency provides a comprehensive range of services, including creative, production, strategy, branding, design, social, research, analytics, media buying, web, and tech solutions. Already deeply respected for its creative work, Chemistry doubled down on its media offerings, including its proprietary Media Catalyst platform, which offers clients mark-up free programmatic plans, increasing their working budgets by as much as 40%. This resulted in Chemistry tripling its media revenue and introducing a slew of new media clients. The firm also grew its Hispanic arm, Chemistry Cultura, its digital arm, REACT, and its production unit, Test Tube Productions, which contributed to its massive growth. "We love a CMO that is ready to play offense, not defense, steal market share and kick some ass. It's time to embrace emerging technology and the new creative revolution. Too many brands are wasting money on boring ads that get no response. The smart CMOs find creative culture-shifting agencies, like Chemistry," said Tim Smith , President of Chemistry. "We squeeze creativity out of every discipline, so we learn quicker and blow shit up for our clients. We really appreciate Adweek and Chief Marketer recognizing our people for the work." MEDIA CONTACT : Caitlin Burke : caitlin@kempnercommunications.com 203-733-4085 About Chemistry : Chemistry ( www.Chemistryagency.com ) builds cultural brands with creative ideas that can't be ignored. The independent agency offers fully integrated advertising and marketing services for clients like Five Guys, Netflix, the NBA, and GoTo Foods. The shop has been named an Adweek Fastest Growing Agency, a Chief Marketer Agency of the Year, an Ad Age A-List Agency, a finalist for Campaign US' Independent Agency of the Year, and Adweek's Midsize Agency of the Year. View original content to download multimedia: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/chemistry-named-a-2024-adweek-fastest-growing-agency-and-a-2025-chief-marketer-agency-of-the-year-302335506.html SOURCE Chemistry
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Criminal cases against incoming president Trump being droppedMore than 200 classrooms in Winnipeg public schools don’t meet the provincial target for teacher-to-student ratios in kindergarten through Grade 3, and that number is likely far higher due to incomplete data. Read this article for free: Already have an account? To continue reading, please subscribe: * More than 200 classrooms in Winnipeg public schools don’t meet the provincial target for teacher-to-student ratios in kindergarten through Grade 3, and that number is likely far higher due to incomplete data. Read unlimited articles for free today: Already have an account? More than 200 classrooms in Winnipeg public schools don’t meet the provincial target for teacher-to-student ratios in kindergarten through Grade 3, and that number is likely far higher due to incomplete data. the end of November, all city school divisions had published online dashboards in line with the provincial directive to make class size averages available to the public. The Kinew government asked divisions to meet a 1:20 ratio for all K-3 classes in 2024-25. Grade 4 to 8 class sizes have more leeway, with the goal of 1:25. Where those ratios were not met, school leaders were asked to devise a plan to bolster support for children — be it via reassigning educational assistants, introducing rotational teachers or otherwise — and submit it to the province before Nov. 30. From a divisionwide standpoint, River East Transcona, Seven Oaks and Winnipeg are meeting or come under the targets for both groups. Louis Riel and St. James-Assiniboia K-3 averages are slightly higher, at 20.3 and 20.2. Pembina Trails is an outlier with an average of 21.3 students in K-3 classes and 25.4 in the older elementary grades. Cameron Hauseman, an associate professor at the University of Manitoba with expertise in educational governance, called the rollout of new dashboards and their utility “very disappointing.” Hauseman noted the NDP initiative sought to make divisions more accountable to the public, but some are releasing high-level information and there is little consistency among the datasets. The Winnipeg School Division has launched an interactive hub that breaks down Sept. 30 enrolment at each school by grade with an option to review immersion-specific statistics. River East Transcona, the second largest in the province after WSD, has posted a PDF with Oct. 3 data. Others refresh their websites with real-time data. “The fact that they’ve just let their divisions run rampant and left them to their own devices in this regard (has) created a bit of a transparency sinkhole.” Given class sizes affect student outcomes, public reporting is valuable because parents can take ratios into account when enrolling children, and teachers can use it when job hunting, Hauseman said. The researcher said it can also help inform and explain decisions about changes to catchments and division boundaries. “In the event that class sizes are being seen to grow beyond (ratios), it could result in important conversations related to space in schools and/or the availability of teachers and (education assistants),” Sandy Nemeth, president of the Manitoba School Boards Association, said in an email. Along with sharing the annual school funding announcement in February, Education Minister Nello Altomare said divisions were to begin reporting publicly on average class sizes this fall. At the time, Altomare – who has been on medical leave for the last two months – said his vision was for all divisions to run similar dashboards to the one operated by the Louis Riel School Division. The St. Vital board is known for its extensive data collection and reporting. Its online class size tracker, which is updated at the end of every school day, allows users to sort through building-level data and grade-specific averages at each site. As of Monday, the tracker shows 14 of LRSD’s 33 buildings with early and middle years programming have average ratios that surpass provincial targets. “The number only tells one part of the story.” Lavallee School has the lowest K-3 average with 17 students. École Sage Creek School is home to the division’s highest average – 22.9 pupils in those grades. Nemeth, a longtime trustee in LRSD, said some divisions would need additional technological or staff capacity to implement detailed dashboards. Superintendents and trustees were sent a reporting template on Sept. 23, and asked to make data public on their respective websites by the end of November. Hauseman said leaders appear to need more direction so there can be apple-to-apple comparisons. “The province has an obligation to step up and show some leadership in regards to transparency,” he said, noting that both Ontario and B.C. have impressively detailed reporting requirements in contrast to Manitoba. “It’s what they ran on as part of their policy platform, as part of their election campaign – and the fact that they’ve just let their divisions run rampant and left them to their own devices in this regard (has) created a bit of a transparency sinkhole.” Winnipeg Jets Game Days On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop. The leader of the Manitoba Teachers’ Society welcomed the public datasets and their potential to be used by members to advocate for fair working conditions. DARRYL DYCK / THE CANADIAN PRESS FILES However, union president Nathan Martindale suggested classroom composition is just as important as class size. “The number only tells one part of the story... More often than not, students in any given classroom are presenting with a lot more challenges and needs than in previous years,” Martindale said. In a statement, Tracy Schmidt, acting minister of education, said the data reporting is “a first step” to help her office better understand where there are larger class sizes so officials can work with divisions to reduce them. maggie.macintosh@freepress.mb.ca Maggie Macintosh reports on education for the . Originally from Hamilton, Ont., she joined the newsroom as a reporter in 2019. . Funding for the education reporter comes from the Government of Canada through the . Every piece of reporting Maggie produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the ‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about , and . Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider . Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support. Maggie Macintosh reports on education for the . Originally from Hamilton, Ont., she joined the newsroom as a reporter in 2019. . Funding for the education reporter comes from the Government of Canada through the . Every piece of reporting Maggie produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the ‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about , and . Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider . Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support. Advertisement Advertisement Updated on Tuesday, December 10, 2024 6:13 PM CST: Clarifies when reports were submittedFOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — If Los Angeles Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh has given any thought to the possibility of clinching a playoff berth in his first season with the team with a win at New England on Saturday, he isn't letting it show. “Just attacking, that’s our mindset. Win the next game," he said. Harbaugh's relative silence on the topic isn't a total departure from his usual business-first approach, but there could also be something else at play. Aside from wrapping up what would be Harbaugh’s fourth postseason trip in five years as an NFL head coach, since the Chargers (9-6) have the tiebreaker over the Denver Broncos but not against the Pittsburg Steelers, Los Angeles would appear destined to be the sixth seed in the postseason. That would mean a trip to Baltimore and a possible Harbaugh Bowl 4 matchup opposite older brother and Ravens coach John Harbaugh. The Ravens beat the Chargers earlier this season 30-23. But first things first. And that's taking care of the Patriots (3-12), who have lost five straight games but showed several signs of offensive improvement during their 24-21 loss at Buffalo last week. Jim Harbaugh sees a dangerous group. And his players say they are locked in on the present. “Always one week at a time. We’ve got a lot of respect for this Patriots team," Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert said. "We know we’re going on the road and have to be prepared for everything.” If the Patriots are going to play the role of spoiler, it must start with rookie quarterback Drake Maye. He has thrown a touchdown pass in seven consecutive games, tied with Jim Plunkett (1971) for the longest such streak by a rookie in franchise history. But he has also thrown at least one interception in each of the past seven games. Overall, the Patriots have a minus-9 turnover margin. The Patriots did score 14 points in the first half during last week’s loss at Buffalo. Still, New England's offense has had trouble finishing drives, scoring touchdowns on only 47.7% of its chances in the red zone. Maye said that doesn't mean he plans to be timid over the final two games. “I think there’s definitely a way we need to cut down turnovers,” he said. “That starts with me protecting the football and throwing it incomplete or throwing it in the dirt or little things like that. I’m still going to be aggressive.” The Chargers could have a major weapon return in running back J.K. Dobbins, who has been on injured reserve after suffering a knee injury against Baltimore on Nov. 25. With Dobbins out of the lineup, the Bolts have struggled to have any consistency on offense. Los Angeles has averaged only 74.8 rushing yards in the past four games, which is quite a drop from the 118.1 they were generating before Dobbins’ injury. Dobbins was listed as questionable, while Gus Edwards — who rushed for two touchdowns and a season-high 68 yards in last Thursday’s win over Denver — was ruled out with an ankle injury. Kimani Vidal and Hassan Haskins would likely take over in the backfield if Dobbins also can't play. Justin Herbert, who has 20,466 career passing yards, needs 153 yards to surpass Peyton Manning for the most in a player's first five seasons in league history. Ladd McConkey is 40 yards away from becoming the first Chargers rookie receiver to reach 1,000 yards since Keenan Allen in 2013. The Chargers have won 11 of their past 13 when playing in the Eastern time zone, including last year’s 6-0 victory over the Patriots. Los Angeles has five of its nine games on Eastern time this season for the first time since 2005. They are trying to become the ninth team since 1988 on Pacific time to win at least four games when having to travel at least three time zones. The Chargers have given up two touchdowns and a field goal on the first possession in the last three games. They allowed only one touchdown on an opening drive in the first 12 games. Another cause for concern is that the Bolts have given up scores on the first two series in back-to-back games. AP Sports Writer Joe Reedy in Los Angeles contributed to this report. AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL