Following the death of former president Jimmy Carter on Sunday, Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank released a statement expressing his heartfelt condolences to the Carter family. Blank called Carter a friend and role model. “I am deeply saddened by the loss of my dear friend and role model, President Jimmy Carter,” Blank wrote. “He was a great American, a proud Georgian and an inspirational global humanitarian. “He lived his life with great civic responsibility and took it upon himself to be the change he wished to see amongst others. On behalf of my family and our family of businesses, we send a heartfelt message of condolence to his loved ones.” Carter, who won the 1976 presidential election, entered home hospice care in Plains, Georgia in February 2023 after a series of hospital stays. In October, Carter celebrated his 100th birthday. His grandson, Jason Carter, spoke out at the time about the blessing living so long was. “Not everybody gets 100 years on this earth, and when somebody does, and when they use that time to do so much good for so many people, it’s worth celebrating,” Jason Carter, chair of The Carter Center governing board, said in an interview, per the Associated Press . “These last few months, 19 months, now that he’s been in hospice, it’s been a chance for our family to reflect and then for the rest of the country and the world to really reflect on him. That’s been a really gratifying time.” Blank also heaped praise on president Carter for the man he was. “President Carter’s kind and uniting spirit touched so many lives,” Blank’s statement read. “He was a man of deep faith, and did everything with principal and grace, doing things the right way for the right reasons. “We first met at The Home Depot, and I will remember him as an enthusiastic do-it-yourselfer who was willing to roll up his own sleeves to build homes for others. He was also an avid sports fan of our Atlanta Falcons and Atlanta United teams.” But where Blank was the most thankful was for Carter’s service to his country, in numerous ways, including in political office. “But mostly, I will remember President Carter as my friend, a guiding light and someone who served humanity day in and day out – a quality he exhibited daily throughout his remarkable life. We will be forever indebted to President Carter for his honorable service as a Navy officer, his tireless diplomatic efforts, his dedicated philanthropic work, and his caring leadership as Georgia’s governor and then as leader of the free world. “I join with the city of Atlanta, the state of Georgia, and a grieving nation in mourning the loss of one of the world’s most compassionate souls. I will miss him dearly.” This article first appeared on 5 GOATs and was syndicated with permission.State Department’s disinformation office to close after funding nixed in NDAA80jili ph withdrawal 。

Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has fired back at the former governor of Rivers State, Dr Peter Odili, saying that “an elder statesman should not be a trader and a sycophant all the time.” Wike, who was speaking at the Special Thanksgiving Service organised by Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Hon. Martin Chike Amaewhule, at the Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion), Oro-Igwe/Eliogbolo Archdeaconry Church of the Holy Spirit, Eliozu Parish, Port Harcourt on Sunday, said it was unfortunate that somebody who is supposed to be seen as an elder statesman and called a father can reduce himself to a sycophant and a trader. A press statement by the Senior Special Assistant to the FCT Minister (Public Communications and New Media), Lere Olayinka, said Wike questioned what the former governor was looking for, warranting his unguarded utterances. He asked; “Must you be a trader all the time? As governor for eight years, what else are you looking for?” The Minister said further; “You know, I didn’t want to say anything. But somebody called me last night, and told me what someone said in the social media. I said until I read it myself. This morning, I read in the newspapers, what our former Governor, Sir Dr Peter Odili said. “What did he say? He said that the present governor has been able to stop one man who wanted to convert Rivers State to his personal estate. “Between him and myself, who has turned Rivers State to his personal estate? His wife is a Chairman of Governing Council, his daughter is a commissioner, his other daughter is a judge and he is the general overseer. Who has now turned Rivers State to his private estate? I am sure if care is not taken, if there is a chance, he can even arrange a marriage for the governor. “It was his nephew, his late senior brother’s son that was recommended for commissioner. He took the slot and gave it to his own daughter. Someone who didn’t remember to stand for the son of his late elder brother, is that an elder statesman?” Speaking further, the FCT Minister said it was painful that Dr Odili, out of political sycophancy, has forgotten all that he said in the past, adding that; “All of you here remember when I was governor, this same Odili praised me to high heaven. In fact, he said then that all past governors in Rivers State combined did not do better than me. “In 2007 after he left office, he couldn’t come near power in the state because Amaechi was the governor then. He was gone! “Like somebody said that God will use someone to lift up someone. When I came in as governor in 2015, I won’t use the word resurrected, but I brought him back to life. “All of us know about PAMO University. But for us, there wouldn’t have been anything called PAMO University. Rivers State was sponsoring 100 students per session and for every semester, each of the students was paying nothing less than N5m. Then, Rivers people were attacking me up and down. “I personally called Julius Berger to build a mansion for him to live. He was calling everyone to the house then, telling them, come and see what Wike has done for me. Wike has shown me love. He was taking them round the house. “Now, because you have organised a Christmas Carol for the governor, I didn’t say you should not do your Christmas Carol. But why reduce yourself to such a laughing stock. People will still see it on television how he was telling the whole world then how God used me to bring him back to life politically. “Why not do your Christmas Carol, collect what you can collect and leave me alone? “The governor that all of us made has not spent one year in office and the same Odili was already saying that the governor has beaten the records of all the past governors of Rivers State. “When I was there, he said I had surpassed the records of all the past governors, including himself. What can he even show that he did in his eight years as governor? But a governor has not spent one year, you are saying he has done more than all the past governors. “You spent eight years as governor and someone who hasn’t spent one year has surpassed your records, what manner of elder talk like that? Is that what an elder statesman should be known for? “When I was governor, my pictures were everywhere in his house. Sitting room, bedroom, kitchen, even in the toilet, my picture was everywhere. But today, all the pictures have been removed.” Asking what can be learned from such a sycophantic elder statesman, Wike said; “What can I learn from this kind of elder? What kind of advice can one get from him. This moment you are saying something, the next moment you are saying something else. “You see, if your children begin to ask you, is this not the same man you were praising before? What would you tell them?” On the state governorship issue, the Minister asked; “When I was plotting who will be governor after me, was he (Odili) there? Then, he was complaining about this governor, saying that he couldn’t stand before the public to talk. But today, he is organising Christmas Carol for the same governor he was against then. “He has forgotten all that he said in the past. I named this after you, I named that after your wife. What have I not done? “You said we should not be part of the government, we have left. We are managing, you have taken assembly money, they are not dying of hunger and they will not die of hunger. We are okay. I’m focusing on my job in Abuja and all these sycophancy won’t take him to the level I have attained. “This is a man who wanted to run for president then, he didn’t have the balls, he chickened out. Simply because Obasanjo said no, he will not contest, he ran away. Because of him, I never invited Obasanjo to Rivers State to commission projects. I felt it will humiliate him.”

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Foreign H-1B visa workers received starting salaries about 10 percent less than their American counterparts at Deloitte, a multinational accounting firm whose wage data was hacked and published. The H-1B visa program, created by former President George H.W. Bush, allows companies to import hundreds of thousands of foreign workers — primarily from India and China — to take white-collar American jobs under the guise that there is a “labor shortage,” particularly in STEM occupations. For years, Breitbart News has chronicled the abuses against white-collar American professionals as a result of the H-1B visa program. Americans are often laid off in the process and forced to train their foreign replacements, as highlighted by Breitbart News. Research, published in the September issue of the Journal of Business Ethics, reviewed wage data that was hacked from Deloitte to compare starting wages for foreign H-1B visa workers with their American counterparts. Deloitte paid foreign H-1B visa workers about 10 percent less than Americans doing the same line of work, the results showed. “We observe that relative to U.S. citizen new hires — matched on office, position, and time of hire — newly hired accountants with H-1B visas receive starting salaries that are lower by approximately 10%,” the researchers found: We find, in line with the cost savings argument, that a Big 4 firm pays H-1B visa holders in tax and audit lower starting wages than U.S. citizen peer hires. There are several other explanations besides a desire to save on wage costs that could drive this wage discount (such as a difference in English communication skills or an attempt to recoup the considerable filing fees involved in hiring an H-1B worker). We are unable to identify the exact driver of this discrepancy, but our results are at least consistent with the pattern predicted by H-1B critics. In our secondary tests, we find no evidence that H-1B workers are substitutes for U.S. citizens in accounting, but rather some weak evidence of complementarities. That is, controlling for office size and growth, U.S. citizen new hires are paid slightly more in offices that have recently hired an H-1B visa holder in a peer role. [Emphasis added] The wage data confirms accusations that the H-1B visa program is used across several industries to cut labor costs for companies while crowding American professionals out of jobs that would otherwise go to them. About a year ago, laid-off American professionals — who say they were replaced with Indian H-1B visa workers — scored a $4.65 million settlement against Indian outsourcing firm Larsen & Toubro Infotech (LTI). The initial lawsuit brought by the laid-off Americans said LTI deployed a “four-pronged policy” of anti-American discrimination to ensure that jobs went to Indian H-1B visa workers: First, LTI allegedly maintains an “inventory” of “visa ready” workers from India to fill positions at the company by petitioning the federal government’s lottery program to obtain a large amount of H-1b visas , and preferences hiring from this pool of applicants over U.S. citizens and visa-ready individuals not from South Asia (in particular, India). [Emphasis added] ... Second, LTI’s internal and third-party recruiters in the United States disproportionately select South Asian and Indian applicants located in the United States over non-South Asian, non-Indian applicants located in the United States, even if applicants are less qualified. [Emphasis added] Third, LTI promotes South Asian, Indian, visa holders at disproportionately high rates, in particular by giving these workers higher scores on their quarterly and annual employee appraisals. [Emphasis added] Fourth, and finally, LTI terminates non-South Asian, non-Indian, and non-visa holders at disproportionately higher rates , in part because these workers are relegated to the “bench” more often and then are not staffed on more projects. [Emphasis added] Most prominently, the Department of Justice (DOJ) settled with Facebook over its lawsuit that the tech corporation had discriminated against qualified Americans for jobs, preferring to hire foreign H-1B visa workers. Recently, Americans detailed to Bloomberg News how Cognizant Technology Solutions Corporation discriminated against Americans using the H-1B visa program. One such insider at Cognizant was Abby Israel, who was hired to ensure that federal anti-discrimination laws were being followed. What she discovered was shocking: In 2018, Israel’s team produced an internal report that found large racial disparities in rates of “involuntary terminations” at Cognizant over the first eight months of the year. Black employees were let go at a rate 23 times that of Asian [mostly Indian] workers, the data showed. For Hispanic or Latino employees, the rate was 16 times the rate of their Asian counterparts. For White workers, it was eight times as high. (The Asian workers were overwhelmingly from India and were working on [H-1B and other] visas, according to the report.) Israel told the jury that those were some of the most extreme racial disparities she’d ever seen. She also said that when she reached out to Cognizant’s hiring managers with those findings, her supervisor told her to stop sharing the data beyond HR leaders. [Emphasis added] In December 2022, the DOJ announced a settlement with Secureapp Technologies, whose Fortune 500 clients include Pfizer, Comcast, Deloitte, JPMorgan Chase, FedEx, and Nike, after the firm was found to have discriminated against qualified Americans, hiring foreign H-1B visa workers from India instead. Another infamous case involved the defunct biotech corporation Theranos, whose founder and CEO, Elizabeth Holmes, was convicted of fraud and conspiracy. Holmes, along with her partner and former boyfriend Ramesh “Sunny” Balwani, had raked in billions in investments from 2003 to 2015 by claiming that Theranos’s nanotechnology could retrieve tiny blood samples from patients and test them for a myriad of illnesses and diseases. Holmes and Balwani used the H-1B visa program to keep their employees quiet and compliant, even as the fraud scheme unraveled, according to John Carreyrou’s bombshell reporting. “For the dozens of Indians Theranos employed, the fear of being fired was more than just the dread of losing a paycheck. Most were on H-1B visas and dependent on their continued employment at the company to remain in the country,” Carreyrou reported in his book. “With a despotic boss like Sunny holding their fates in his hands, it was akin to indentured servitude,” Carreyrou reported. “Sunny, in fact, had the master-servant mentality common among an older generation of Indian businessmen. Employees were his minions.” John Binder is a reporter for Breitbart News. Email him at jbinder@breitbart.com. Follow him on Twitter here .

Cook County tax commissioner Samantha Steele gets license back after DUI arrestNEW YORK (AP) — No ex-president had a more prolific and diverse publishing career than Jimmy Carter . His more than two dozen books included nonfiction, poetry, fiction, religious meditations and a children’s story. His memoir “An Hour Before Daylight” was a Pulitzer Prize finalist in 2002, while his 2006 best-seller “Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid” stirred a fierce debate by likening Israel’s policies in the West Bank to the brutal South African system of racial segregation. And just before his 100th birthday, the Dayton Literary Peace Prize Foundation honored him with a lifetime achievement award for how he wielded “the power of the written word to foster peace, social justice, and global understanding.” In one recent work, “A Full Life,” Carter observed that he “enjoyed writing” and that his books “provided a much-needed source of income.” But some projects were easier than others. “Everything to Gain,” a 1987 collaboration with his wife, Rosalynn, turned into the “worst threat we ever experienced in our marriage,” an intractable standoff for the facilitator of the Camp David accords and winner of the Nobel Peace Prize. According to Carter, Rosalynn was a meticulous author who considered “the resulting sentences as though they have come down from Mount Sinai, carved into stone.” Their memories differed on various events and they fell into “constant arguments.” They were ready to abandon the book and return the advance, until their editor persuaded them to simply divide any disputed passages between them. “In the book, each of these paragraphs is identified by a ‘J’ or an ‘R,’ and our marriage survived,” he wrote. Here is a partial list of books by Carter: “Keeping Faith: Memoirs of a President” “The Blood of Abraham: Insights into the Middle East” (With Rosalynn Carter) “Everything to Gain: Making the Most of the Rest of Your Life” “An Outdoor Journal: Adventures and Reflections” “Turning Point: A Candidate, a State, and a Nation Come of Age” “Always a Reckoning, and Other Poems” (With daughter Amy Carter) “The Little Baby Snoogle-Fleejer” “Living Faith” “The Virtues of Aging” “An Hour Before Daylight: Memories of a Rural Boyhood” “Christmas in Plains: Memories” “The Hornet’s Nest: A Novel of the Revolutionary War” “Our Endangered Values: America’s Moral Crisis” “Faith & Freedom: The Christian Challenge for the World” “Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid” “A Remarkable Mother” “Beyond the White House” “We Can Have Peace in the Holy Land: A Plan That Will Work” “White House Diary” “NIV Lessons from Life Bible: Personal Reflections with Jimmy Carter” “A Call to Action: Women, Religion, Violence, and Power” “A Full Life: Reflections at Ninety”

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NeueHealth to Be Taken Private by NEA and Consortium of InvestorsFERGUS FALLS, Minn. (AP) — A jury convicted two men on Friday of charges related to human smuggling for their roles in an international operation that led to the deaths of a family of Indian migrants who froze while trying to cross the Canada-U.S. border during a 2022 blizzard. Harshkumar Ramanlal Patel, 29, an Indian national who prosecutors say went by the alias “Dirty Harry,” and Steve Shand, 50, an American from Florida, were part of a sophisticated illegal operation that has brought increasing numbers of Indians into the U.S., prosecutors said. They were each convicted on four counts related to human smuggling, including conspiracy to bring migrants into the country illegally. “This trial exposed the unthinkable cruelty of human smuggling and of those criminal organizations that value profit and greed over humanity,” Minnesota U.S. Attorney Andy Luger said. “To earn a few thousand dollars, these traffickers put men, women and children in extraordinary peril leading to the horrific and tragic deaths of an entire family. Because of this unimaginable greed, a father, a mother and two children froze to death in sub-zero temperatures on the Minnesota-Canadian border,” Luger added. The most serious counts carry maximum sentences of up to 20 years in prison, the U.S. Attorney’s Office told The Associated Press before the trial. But federal sentencing guidelines rely on complicated formulas. Luger said Friday that various factors will be considered in determining what sentences prosecutors will recommend. Federal prosecutors said 39-year-old Jagdish Patel; his wife, Vaishaliben, who was in her mid-30s; their 11-year-old daughter, Vihangi; and 3-year-old son, Dharmik, froze to death Jan. 19, 2022, while trying to cross the border into Minnesota in a scheme Patel and Shand organized. Patel is a common Indian surname, and the victims were not related to Harshkumar Patel. The couple were schoolteachers, local news reports said. The family was fairly well off by local standards, living in a well-kept, two-story house with a front patio and a wide veranda. Experts say illegal immigration from India is driven by everything from political repression to a dysfunctional American immigration system that can take years, if not decades, to navigate legally. Much is rooted in economics and how even low-wage jobs in the West can ignite hopes for a better life. Before the jury’s conviction on Friday, the federal trial in Fergus Falls, Minnesota, saw testimony from an alleged participant in the smuggling ring, a survivor of the treacherous journey across the northern border, border patrol agents and forensic experts. Defense attorneys were pitted against each other, with Shand’s team arguing that he was unwittingly roped into the scheme by Patel. Patel’s lawyers, The Canadian Press reported , said their client had been misidentified. They said “Dirty Hary,” the alleged nickname for Patel found in Shand’s phone, is a different person. Bank records and witness testimony from those who encountered Shand near the border didn’t tie him to the crime, they added. Prosecutors said Patel coordinated the operation while Shand was a driver. Shand was to pick up 11 Indian migrants on the Minnesota side of the border, prosecutors said. Only seven survived the foot crossing. Canadian authorities found two parents and their young children later that morning, dead from the cold. The trial included an inside account of how the international smuggling ring allegedly works and who it targets. Rajinder Singh, 51, testified that he made over $400,000 smuggling over 500 people through the same network that included Patel and Shand. Singh said most of the people he smuggled came from Gujarat state. He said the migrants would often pay smugglers about $100,000 to get them from India to the U.S., where they would work to pay off their debts at low-wage jobs in cities around the country. Singh said the smugglers would run their finances through “hawala,” an informal money transfer system that relies on trust. The pipeline of illegal immigration from India has long existed but has increased sharply along the U.S.-Canada border. The U.S. Border Patrol arrested more than 14,000 Indians on the Canadian border in the year ending Sept. 30, which amounted to 60% of all arrests along that border and more than 10 times the number two years ago. By 2022, the Pew Research Center estimates more than 725,000 Indians were living illegally in the U.S., behind only Mexicans and El Salvadorans. Jamie Holt, a Special Agent with Homeland Security Investigations, said the case is a stark reminder of the realities victims of human smuggling face. “Human smuggling is a vile crime that preys on the most vulnerable, exploiting their desperation and dreams for a better life,” Holt said. “The suffering endured by this family is unimaginable and it is our duty to ensure that such atrocities are met with the full force of the law.” One juror Kevin Paul, of Clearwater, Minnesota, told reporters afterward that it was hard for the jurors to see the pictures of the family’s bodies. He said he grew up in North Dakota and is familiar with the kind of conditions that led to their deaths. “It’s pretty brutal,” Paul said. “I couldn’t imagine having to do what they had to do out there in the middle of nowhere.”

FORT MYERS, Fla. (AP) — Dallion Johnson scored 25 points and made seven 3-pointers to help FGCU defeat CSU Bakersfield 74-54 on Friday. Johnson went 9 of 14 from the field for the Eagles (1-4). Zavian McLean scored 12 points, going 4 of 9 from the floor, including 1 for 5 from 3-point range, and 3 for 4 from the line. Jevin Muniz went 3 of 10 from the field (2 for 5 from 3-point range) to finish with 10 points, while adding eight rebounds. Marvin McGhee led the Roadrunners (3-2) in scoring, finishing with 15 points. Fidelis Okereke added 10 points. The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar .New legislation ties HEAP, EPIC applications

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks tiptoed to more records amid a mixed Tuesday of trading, tacking a touch more onto what’s already been a stellar year so far. The S&P 500 edged up by 2 points, or less than 0.1%, to set an all-time high for the 55th time this year. It’s climbed in 10 of the last 11 days and is on track for one of its best years since the turn of the millennium. The Dow Jones Industrial Average slipped 76 points, or 0.2%, while the Nasdaq composite added 0.4% to its own record set a day earlier. AT&T rose 4.6% after it boosted its profit forecast for the year. It also announced a $10 billion plan to send cash to its investors by buying back its own stock, while saying it expects to authorize another $10 billion of repurchases in 2027. On the losing end of Wall Street was U.S. Steel, which fell 8%. President-elect Donald Trump reiterated on social media that he would not let Japan’s Nippon Steel take over the iconic Pennsylvania steelmaker. Nippon Steel announced plans last December to buy the Pittsburgh-based steel producer for $14.1 billion in cash, raising concerns about what the transaction could mean for unionized workers, supply chains and U.S. national security. Earlier this year, President Joe Biden also came out against the acquisition. Tesla sank 1.6% after a judge in Delaware reaffirmed a previous ruling that the electric car maker must revoke Elon Musk’s multibillion-dollar pay package. The judge denied a request by attorneys for Musk and Tesla’s corporate directors to vacate her ruling earlier this year requiring the company to rescind the unprecedented pay package. All told, the S&P 500 rose 2.73 points to 6,049.88. The Dow fell 76.47 to 44,705.53, and the Nasdaq composite gained 76.96 to 19,480.91. In the bond market, Treasury yields held relatively steady after a report showed U.S. employers were advertising slightly more job openings at the end of October than a month earlier. Continued strength there would raise optimism that the economy could remain out of a recession that many investors had earlier worried was inevitable. The yield on the 10-year Treasury rose to 4.23% from 4.20% from late Monday. Yields have seesawed since Election Day amid worries that Trump’s preferences for lower tax rates and bigger tariffs could spur higher inflation along with economic growth. But traders are still confident the Federal Reserve will cut its main interest rate again at its next meeting in two weeks. They’re betting on a nearly three-in-four chance of that, according to data from CME Group. Lower rates can give the economy more juice, but they can also give inflation more fuel. The key report this week that could guide the Fed’s next move will arrive on Friday. It’s the monthly jobs report , which will show how many workers U.S. employers hired and fired during November. It could be difficult to parse given how much storms and strikes distorted figures in October. Based on trading in the options market, Friday’s jobs report appears to be the biggest potential market mover until the Fed announces its next decision on interest rates Dec. 18, according to strategists at Barclays Capital. In financial markets abroad, the value of South Korea’s currency fell 1.1% against the U.S. dollar following a frenetic night where President Yoon Suk Yeol declared martial law and then later said he’d lift it after lawmakers voted to reject military rule. Stocks of Korean companies that trade in the United States also fell, including a 1.6% drop for SK Telecom. Japan’s Nikkei 225 jumped 1.9% to help lead global markets. Some analysts think Japanese stocks could end up benefiting from Trump’s threats to raise tariffs , including for goods coming from China . Trade relations between the U.S. and China took another step backward after China said it is banning exports to the U.S. of gallium, germanium, antimony and other key high-tech materials with potential military applications. The counterpunch came swiftly after the U.S. Commerce Department expanded the list of Chinese technology companies subject to export controls to include many that make equipment used to make computer chips, chipmaking tools and software. The 140 companies newly included in the so-called “entity list” are nearly all based in China. In China, stock indexes rose 1% in Hong Kong and 0.4% in Shanghai amid unconfirmed reports that Chinese leaders would meet next week to discuss planning for the coming year. Investors are hoping it may bring fresh stimulus to help spur growth in the world’s second-largest economy. In France, the CAC 40 rose 0.3% amid continued worries about politics in Paris , where the government is battling over the budget. AP Business Writers Yuri Kageyama and Matt Ott contributed.In January, Acme Theatre Company will present "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time" at the Veterans Memorial Theater, 203 E. 14th St. in Davis. Performances will take place at 7 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, Jan. 3, 4, 10, 11; and at 2 p.m. Sundays, Jan. 5 and 12. Based on the novel by Mark Haddon and adapted by Simon Stephens, the play tells the coming-of-age story of Christopher, an exceptionally intelligent, autistic 15-year-old boy. When the story begins, it is seven minutes after midnight and Christopher (Nico Novick) is under suspicion of killing his neighbor’s dog, Wellington, with a garden fork. Determined to find the true culprit, Christopher carefully records each fact of the crime. In this crime-solving endeavor Christopher is encouraged by his teacher (Gillian Cubbage), haunted by the memory of his mother (Magdalena Knettle), and baffled by his father (Ash Millar). Aloe Eppley, Josh Gleason, Vivienne Jacobs and Matthias Waggoner each assume a plethora of roles as Christopher’s detective work takes him on a deeply personal quest that overturns his world. The fast-moving, time-shifting story will be directed by Acme alum Wren Arellano-Calderon and Acme’s artistic director Emily Henderson. “Acme was a key part of the beginning of both my and Wren’s theater training,” Henderson said, “and I am excited to be working alongside Wren to direct this brilliant play, uplift the voices of autistic youth, and share our passion for theatre with Acme’s current generation of youth actors and designers!” The design team for "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time" includes Robin McNeil (scenic), Darla Tayson (costumes), Sage McCarthy (lighting), Matthias Waggoner (sound), Slade Jacobs (properties), Coral Wittenburg (stage manager), Nico Novick (publicity, Web and social media), Aloe Eppley (dramaturgy) and Deseray Beach (front of house). The first weekend (Jan 3-5) will feature traditional performances. The second weekend (Jan 10-12) will feature sensory-friendly performances with modified lighting, sound, seating and a longer intermission. To increase accessibility to our immunocompromised family and community members, masks are required at both Sunday matinee performances. Following each Sunday matinee performance, a panel discussion will be held with local autistic youths in the arts. More information is available at www.acmetheatre.net . Who: Acme Theatre Company What: "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time" When: 7 p.m., Fridays, Jan 3 and 10; 7 p.m., Saturday, Jan. 4 and 11; 2 p.m., Sunday, Jan 5 and 12 Where: Veterans Memorial Theater, 204 E. 14th St. in Davis Tickets: Free

What’s Happening is a free service of Columbia Gorge News and may be edited for length. Notices run as space allows. Send to kelsiec@gorgenews.com . Community Events Nov. 30 - Jan 3 – Skamania Lodge Holiday Light Walk, 4:30 p.m-9 p.m., nightly, at the Skamania County Lodge, 1131 SW Skamania Lodge Way in Stevenson. Dec. 8 & 15 – Photos with Santa, 10 a.m. – 3 p.m., at Cousin’s Restaurant and Saloon, 2114 West Sixth St. in The Dalles. Dec. 9 — The Wasco County Board of Commissioners Special Session, 1:30 p.m. at 401 E. Third St., The Dalles, or via Zoom, wascocounty-org.zoom.us/j/2919733815 or call in to 1-253-215-8782 Meeting ID: 2919733815#. Dec. 9 – Free Presentation: Get me through the holidays: coping with loss on days that hold special meaning, 1 – 2:30 p.m., at the Hood River Valley Adult Center, 2010 Sterling Place in Hood River. Open to anyone in the community, no registration required. Dec. 9 — Monthly Grief Group, 1:30-2:30 p.m. at the White Salmon Pioneer Center, 501 NE Washington St. For anyone grieving a loss. More info at maggie@maggieconverse.com or 503-395-4738. Dec. 10 — Odell Garden Club Meeting, 10 a.m. at the Hood River County Fairgrounds Community Building. For more info, contact President Norma Curtis, 541-806-1019 or nlcurtis@hrecn.net . Meets second Tuesday of the month. Dec. 10 — Mid-Columbia Center for Living Regular Board Meeting, 11 a.m. in room 107, 1060 Webber St., The Dalles, or via Teams meeting, bit.ly/3VaelHa . Second Tuesday of the month. Dec 10 — Survivors of Suicide Loss Support Group, 5:30-630 p.m. Meets second Tuesday of the month. Email belinda.ballah@hoodrivercounty.gov for more info. Dec. 11 — Back to Life Biochar Hands-On Workshop, noon to 4 p.m. in the Husum area. Underwood Conservation District’s Winter Workshop Series. In person, registration required at www.ucdwa.org . Dec. 11 – Sense of Place 15th Anniversary Season presentation, 7p.m., at Columba Center for the Arts, 215 Cascade Ave., Hood River, or via livestream. “The Wolf Next Door: A Community Perspective on the Return of Wolves,” with Lara Volski, PhD Student of Human-Wildlife Interactions. Season 15 ticket information is available online at senseofplacegorge.org and via a monthly newsletter. Dec. 12 — High Prairie Bingo Night, 6-8 p.m. at 701 Struck Road (between Lyle and Centerville). Food and drinks for sale, cash prizes; minors must be accompanied by an adult 18 or over. Dec. 12 – Mid Columbia Community Choir “A Star is Arising” Benefit Concert, 7 p.m. at Grace Baptist Church, 1280 W. Jewett Blvd in White Salmon. A free will donation to support WAGAP and Fish Food Bank will be accepted at the event. Dec. 12 – Mid-Columbia Community Choir Benefit Concert: Bethlehem Lullaby, 7 p.m. at Grace Baptist Church, 1280 W. Jewett Blvd., in White Salmon. Dec. 13 – CGOA Voic Community Choir Holiday Pops concert, 7 p.m., Hood River Valley Christian Church, 975 Indian Creek Road in Hood River. Dec. 13-14, 20-21 — A Christmas Story, 7 p.m. at The Bingen Theater. Matinee performances Dec. 8 and 15 at 1:30 p.m. Directed by Joe Garoutte; family friendly. Tickets at www.bigbritches.org . Dec. 14 — WAAAM Second Saturday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the museum, 1600 Air Museum Road, Hood River. Different theme each month; see old technology in action. Dec. 14 – Holiday Fun Run, 10 a.m., at the Skamania Lodge, 1131 SW Skamania Lodge Way in Stevenson. Come dressed your festive holiday wear. Admission is $15 for adults, $10 for Children. Tickets available at Skamania.com . Profits support the Stevenson volunteer firefighter association. Dec. 14 – Gateway Christmas Fair/Workshop, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m., Gateway Church, 111 Dry Hollow Road in The Dalles. Event is free and for all ages. Children under 12 must be accompanied by and adult. For more info, contact 541-298-8531. www.gatewaypc.org . Dec. 14 – Santa’s Big Day, 11 a.m. – 7 p.m., at the White Salmon Masonic Lodge. Digital photos with Santa. Event is free and family friendly. For more info, contact Ivy Carpe at hiddengemeventsnmore@gmail.com or visit hiddengemeventsnmore@gmail.com Dec. 14 – Holiday Gift Workshop, 12 – 2 p.m. at The Dalles Public Library meeting room, 722 Court Street in The Dalles. Holiday gift related crafts. Event is all ages. Dec. 14 – 2024 Handel’s Christmas Messiah Concert, 1 p.m. and 6 p.m. at Zion Lutheran Church, 10th and Union St. in The Dalles. Concert is put on by The Dalles Cascade Singers. Dec. 14 – Gift of Music with John Ross, 5 – 7 p.m. in the Gorge Room at Skamania Lodge, at the Skamania County Lodge, 1131 SW Skamania Lodge Way in Stevenson. Dec. 14-15 — Last Chance Holiday Bazaar, 10-4 p.m. Saturday and 10-3 p.m. Sunday at the Hood River County Fairgrounds, 3020 Wy’east Road. Dec. 15. – CGOA Voci Community Choir Holiday Pops concert, 2 p.m. Old St. Peter’s Landmark, 405 Lincoln Street in The Dalles Dec. 15 — Lyle Lions Club Meeting, 6 p.m. at the Lyle Lions Community Center, corner of Fifth and Highway 14. First and third Monday. Dec. 15 – Patrick Lamb’s Charlie Brown Christmas, 6:30 – 8 p.m., at Hood River Middle School auditorium, 1602 May Street in Hood River. Admission is $20. Tickets can be purchased at www.eventbrite.com/e/a-patrick-lamb-charlie-brown-christmas-tickets-1064480322299?aff=oddtdtcreator. Dec 17 — Mid-Columbia Car Club Meeting, 5 p.m. social / 6 p.m. meeting at Spooky’s Pizza, 3320 W. Sixth, The Dalles. Meets third Tuesday of the month. Dec 18 — Columbia Gorge Beekeepers Association Meeting, 6 p.m. at the Hood River Extension, 2990 Experiment Station Drive. All are welcome. Visitors may attend in person or via Zoom; info at admin@gorgebeekeepers.org . Dec. 19 – Hood River Adult Grief Group, 4:30-5:30pm. Meets 1st and 3rd Thursdays, November 2024-February 2025. Registration required. To register or for more information, contact Haley at Providence Hospice of the Gorge at 541-387-6449 Dec. 19 — Heritage Council Board Meeting, 5 p.m. at the History Museum of Hood River County, 300 E. Port Marina Way, Hood River. Public welcome to attend. New board members, volunteers needed. Third Thursday of the month. Dec. 20 & 21 – Gorge Winds Concert Band Christmas Concert, 7 p.m. on Friday, 3 p.m. on Saturday, at The Dalles First Christian Church, 909 Court St. in The Dalles. Donations appreciate. Thru Dec. 22 — Handmade for Holidays at Columbia Center for the Arts, 215 Cascade Ave., Hood River. Artists market; small art pieces of many types on display and for sale in the gallery. Jan. 2 — Criminal Records Expungement Clinic, 2-5 p.m. at The Dalles Public Library, 722 Court St., The Dalles. Free legal assistance to apply to set aside Oregon criminal records. Clinics are every first Thursday. No appointment necessary. For more information, email lynnmarie.crider@gmail.com . Jan. 2 – Hood River Adult Grief Group, 4:30 – 5:30 p.m., meets 1st and 3rd Thursdays, November 2024-February 2025. Registration required. To register or for more information, contact Haley at Providence Hospice of the Gorge at 541-387-6449. Jan. 2 — NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) of the Gorge, 6:15-7:45 p.m. at Dalles-Wasco County Library meeting room. For info, call Barbara at 541-980-7264. Jan. 4 — Lyle Lions Club Pancake Breakfast, 7-10 a.m. at Lyle Lions Community Center, corner of Fifth and Highway 14. Adults $10, children 6-12 $5, under 5 free. Eggs and omelets cooked to order and endless pancakes. Jan. 4 — Leos Club Can and Bottle Collection, 9 a.m. to noon at Rosauers, Hood River. Supports local nonprofits. Jan. 4 – Mt. Adams Little League Christmas Tree Pick-up Fundraiser, 9 – 4 p.m. White Salmon/Bingen, Husum, Underwood, Mill-A and Lyle residents can call or text 360-831-7421, to arrange for pick up for $20. Trees must be free of decorations. Jan. 6 – Hood River Adult Grief Group, 4:30 – 5:30 p.m., meets 1st and 3rd Thursdays, November 2024-February 2025. Registration required. To register or for more information, contact Haley at Providence Hospice of the Gorge at 541-387-6449. Jan. 6 — Lyle Lions Club Meeting, 6 p.m. at the Lyle Lions Community Center, corner of Fifth and Highway 14. First and third Monday. Jan. 8 — Criminal Records Expungement Clinic, 3-6 p.m. at 601 Cascade Ave., Hood River. Free legal assistance to apply to set aside Oregon criminal records. Clinics are typically every first Wednesday. No appointment necessary. For more information, email lynnmarie.crider@gmail.com . Jan. 9 — High Prairie Bingo Night, 6-8 p.m. at 701 Struck Road (between Lyle and Centerville). Food and drinks for sale, cash prizes; minors must be accompanied by an adult 18 or over. Jan. 13 — Friends of the Library, 11 a.m. in the Jean Marie Gaulke Room, Hood River Library; public welcome. More at hoodriverlibrary.org/friends . Jan. 13 — Monthly Grief Group, 1:30-2:30 p.m. at the White Salmon Pioneer Center, 501 NE Washington St. For anyone grieving a loss. More info at maggie@maggieconverse.com or 503-395-4738. Jan 14 — Odell Garden Club Meeting, 10 a.m. at the Hood River County Fairgrounds Community Building. For more info, contact President Norma Curtis, 541-806-1019 or nlcurtis@hrecn.net . Meets second Tuesday of the month. Jan. 14 — Survivors of Suicide Loss Support Group, 5:30-630 p.m. Meets second Tuesday of the month. Email belinda.ballah@hoodrivercounty.gov for more info. Jan. 15 — Columbia Gorge Beekeepers Association Meeting, 6 p.m. at the Hood River Extension, 2990 Experiment Station Drive. All are welcome. Visitors may attend in person or via Zoom; info at admin@gorgebeekeepers.org . Jan. 16 — Heritage Council Board Meeting, 5 p.m. at the History Museum of Hood River County, 300 E. Port Marina Way, Hood River. Public welcome to attend. New board members, volunteers needed. Third Thursday of the month. Jan. 16 — More than Flowers: What your Landscape Needs to Support Pollinators, 6 p.m. at the White Salmon Valley Library. Underwood Conservation District’s Winter Workshop Series; with Matthew Shephard from the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation. Register at www.ucdwa.org/winter-workshop-series . Jan. 20 – Rotary Ski Night at Mt. Hood Meadows, 3 – 9 p.m., at Mt. Hood Meadows, 14040 OR-35, Mt Hood, Oregon. Portion of the ticket sales will be donated to the Hood River Rotary Club. Night lift tickets are on sale with dynamic early pricing at www.skihood.com/explore/Events-and-Activities/Rotary-Night Jan. 20 — Lyle Lions Club Meeting, 6 p.m. at the Lyle Lions Community Center, corner of Fifth and Highway 14. First and third Monday. Jan. 21 — Mid-Columbia Car Club Meeting, 5 p.m. social / 6 p.m. meeting at Spooky’s Pizza, 3320 W. Sixth, The Dalles. Meets third Tuesday of the month. Feb. 19 — Soil! What it is and How it Works, 6 p.m. at the Mountain View Grange, 1085 N. Main Ave., White Salmon. Underwood Conservation District’s Winter Workshop Series; with James Cassidy, instructor of soil science, Oregon State University. Register at www.ucdwa.org/winter-workshop-series . Ongoing First Monday — Adult Writers Group, 5:30-7 p.m. at The Dalles-Wasco County Library. Third Monday — Hands On Maker Monday, 3:30 p.m. at The Dalles Public Library. With OSU Extension and 4-H. For kids, teens and adults. Projects like leatherworking, sewing, candle making, cake decorating and more. Mondays – Cascade Singers Rehearsal, 6:30 p.m. at Zion Lutheran Church, 101 West 10th Street in The Dalles. Mondays — Columbia Gorge Orchestra Association Voci Community Choir Rehearsals, 6:30-8:30 p.m. at Hood River Valley High School. All welcome. Questions to info@gorgeorchestra.org . Monday thru Friday — NU-2-U Shop Open, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Mid-Columbia Senior Center, 1112 W. Ninth St., The Dalles. Shop is a nonprofit store that supports the Mid-Columbia Senior Center. More information at 541-296-4788. Monday & Wednesday — Senior Meals, noon at The Pioneer Center, White Salmon. Doors open at 8 a.m. Suggested donation for seniors 60 and over is $3.50, all others $6.50. All welcome. Monday, Wednesday and Friday — Strong Women, 10-11 a.m. at the Cascade Locks City Hall. Monday thru Friday — Klickitat Senior Services Telephone Support, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Goldendale, 509-773-3757; White Salmon, 509-493-3068; or Toll Free, 1- 800-447-7858. Staff will direct callers to available resources, assist with online benefit applications and issues with Social Security and Medicare. Seniors can also call for essential grocery delivery, prescription pickup or food bank needs. Tuesday — Senior Meals, noon at the Lyle Lions Community Center. Doors open at 10 a.m. Suggested donation for seniors 60 and over is $3.50, all others $6.50. All welcome. Tuesdays — Senior Meals, 11 a.m. at Mt. Hood Town Hall, 6575 Mount Hood Highway, Mt. Hood-Parkdale. Meals served at noon. In conjunction with Hood River Valley Adult Center; suggested $5 donation. Tuesdays — White Salmon-Bingen Rotary Club, noon to 1 p.m. Learn more at www.whitesalmon-bingenrotary.org , www.facebook.com/whitesalmonbingenrotaryclub , or email rotary.club.323@gmail.com . Tuesdays — Overeater’s Anonymous, 5:30-6:30 p.m. at Immanuel Lutheran Church, Ninth and State streets, Hood River. For more info contact Rebecca at 510-861-2212. Tuesdays — Harmony of the Gorge, 6-8 p.m. at Providence Down Manor, Hood River. Please check the website for rehearsal details at www.harmonyofthegorge.com ; info at 541-490-2481. Tuesdays — Al-Anon Meeting, 7 p.m. at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, 400 11th St., Hood River. Tuesdays — Columbia Gorge Orchestra Association Sinfonietta Rehearsals, 7-9 p.m. at Hood River Valley High School (music room). All welcome. Questions to info@gorgeorchestra.org . Tuesday & Thursday — Senior Meals, noon at the Goldendale Community Center. Doors open at 8 a.m. Suggested donation for seniors 60 and over is $3.50, all others $6.50. All welcome. Tuesdays thru Fridays — Senior Chair Yoga, 9:15 a.m. at Zion Lutheran Church, fourth floor, The Dalles. Cost is $4 per class. Contact debra.lutje@gmail.com for info. Wednesdays — Fitness Classes: Mat Pilates, 8:30 a.m. at Lutheran Church, Bingen; Barre 5 p.m. at Mt. View Grange, White Salmon. Loyalty, drop in rates available. ACE certified, longtime local fitness instructor. Call Caroline Elliott, 509-637-3162, for info. Wednesdays — Radio Tierra Storytime, 9:30 a.m. on Radio Tierra 95.1 FM; songs, stories and announcements for all kiddos who haven’t begun school. Wednesdays — The Dalles Rotary Club, noon at Spooky’s; visitors welcome. Wednesdays — Writing Group, 3-4 p.m. at the Hood River County Library, Columbia Room. Second Wednesday — Dufur Recreation District Meeting, 7 p.m. at Dufur City Hall. Visit website www.dufurcitypark.org for agenda and virtual attendance information. Thursdays — Hood River Art Club, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the FISH Food Bank Community Room, 1130 Tucker Road, Hood River. For more information contact Kori Walsh at Heronbird@aol.com . Thursdays — Hood River Toastmasters Club, 6:30-8 a.m. via Zoom and in-person at Bette’s Place, downtown Hood River. Drop in or email HRToastmasters@proton.me for link. Improve public speaking, listening and leadership skills. Thursdays — Take Pounds Off Sensible (TOPS) Support Group, 8:30 a.m. weigh-in and 9 a.m. meeting at Zion Church, 10th and Union, The Dalles. First meeting is free. Thursdays — Family Storytime, 10:30 a.m. at the Hood River Library. Free, open to all ages. Thursdays — Recovery Café, 1-6 p.m. at the White Salmon Grange. Dinner served; recovery circle 5-6 p.m. All welcome. Thursdays — The Dalles Kiwanis Club Meetings, noon at Spooky’s; visitors welcome. For more information go to www.thedalleskiwanis.org/ or The-Dalles-Kiwanis-Club on Facebook. Thursdays — Thursday Night Bingo, 5:30 p.m. at Mid-Columbia Senior Center, 1112 W. Ninth St., The Dalles. Doors open 4 p.m. Must be 18 or over. $10 minimum buy-in. Third Thursday — West Klickitat Regional Fire Authority Board Meeting, 6:30 p.m. at the White Salmon Fire Station at 119 NE Church St. Thursday, Friday and Saturday — Hood River Valley Adult Center Thrift Shop, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Proceeds benefit Meals on Wheels. Third Fridays - Community Game Day, 1 p.m. at the Lyle Lions Community Center, Fifth and Highway 14. Play scrabble, cribbage or bring your own favorite. Coffee and cookies will be offered. Fridays — Community Playgroup, 10-11:30 a.m. at Hood River Early Childhood Center (formerly Pine Grove Elementary). Free, follows school calendar. For children 0-5 and their parents. For info call 541-386-4919. Fridays — Storytime in Cascade Locks and Parkdale, 10:30 a.m. at the library branches in those communities. Includes parent playgroups. Fridays — Reflections on the Life of the Spirit, 1 p.m. at the United Methodist church in White Salmon, 341 N. Main Ave. Hosted by Baha’is of White Salmon. Explore spiritual identity and what it means to be human. For more information, contact White Salmon Bahá’ís at 509-637-3311. Fridays — Fun Friday, 3-4:30 p.m. at The Dalles Library. For kids 5-10 in the John and Jean Thomas Children’s Wing. Arts, crafts, games; each week is different and always fun. Saturdays — Makerspace, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Hood River Library and Crafty Saturdays at the Cascade Locks and Parkdale library branches (same times). Free, for children. Saturdays — Grief Share, 10 a.m. to noon at Tucker Road Baptist Church, 1455 Tucker Road, Hood River. All welcome. Info at 541-386-1049. Saturdays — Chess Lessons, 1 p.m. at The Dalles Library. Free, for all ages and skill levels, beginners to advanced. Register at wascocountylibrary.com/events . Saturdays – Teen Programs, 2 p.m. at the Hood River Co. Library, 502 State St. Pick one or all that look fun and be creative, volunteer, play games, discuss books and eat snacks. Open to ages 12-18. For more info, contact Teen Librarian Rachel or go to hoodriverlibrary.org . Saturdays — Bingo, 5:30-8 p.m. at the Mid-Columbia Senior Center, 1112 W. Ninth, The Dalles. Doors open 4 p.m.; new players should arrive by 5 p.m. Ages 8-18 must be accompanied by legal guardian. Minimum buy-in $6. Cash prizes, dinner concessions. Saturdays — Bingo, 6 p.m. at the Hood River Elks, Third and Cascade. Elks/Knights of Columbus scholarship fundraiser supports scholarships and charities. Progressive blackout prize, dinner available for purchase; 18 and older. Saturdays — Hood River Farmers’ Market, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Fifth and Columbia parking lot, across from Full Sail Brewing. Sundays — Pickup Basketball, 1 p.m. at the Horizon Christian gym, Hood River. Players 18 and older, $3/visit. Sundays — Columbia Gorge Orchestra Association Jazz Collective Rehearsals, 4-6 p.m. at WAAAM. All welcome. Questions to info@gorgeorchestra.org . Sundays — Cascade Singers Rehearsal, 7 p.m. at Zion Lutheran, The Dalles (10th and Union streets).

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Gabbard's bipartisan congressional connections could be crucial to confirmationA former Knights lower-grade player is set to try his hand at American football after being announced as one of five players from the Asia-Pacific to join the NFL's International Player Pathway (IPP) program in 2025. Login or signup to continue reading Laitia Moceidreke, who spent about 18 months at the Knights before being released after last season, is set to test his skills alongside the likes of Australian rugby union player Jordan Petaia in the renowned development system. The NFL confirmed the duo's inclusion in the program on Tuesday morning. The other Asia-Pacific athletes are Laki Tasi, Nathaniel Salmon and Janeiro Wakeham. Moceidreke, after joining the Knights in mid-2023 from North Queensland, played 32 NSW Cup games over the past two years but couldn't crack Newcastle's NRL side. The outside-back was upgraded to a development contract in February , outside the top-30 roster, after a handy showing in in Newcastle's first pre-season trial at Gosford. But the 24-year-old appeared to fall out of favour and played a handful of games for Lakes United in the Newcastle Rugby League first-grade competition towards the back end of the 2024 campaign. The IPP, which was established in 2017, aims to create opportunities for players from other sports to play American football at the highest level. Former South Sydney forward turned Philadelphia Eagles star Jordan Mailata is the most well known Australian to have participated in the program. The 2025 edition will feature 14 athletes representing 13 countries. Starting in January, they'll spend 10 weeks training in Florida before auditioning in front of club scouts. Each NFL club can take an international player as an additional roster spot to further their development. More to come. Max McKinney is a sports reporter with the Newcastle Herald. He previously worked in news, covering mainly local government and transport. Max mostly reports on the Newcastle Knights, but also covers a mix of local sport. Max McKinney is a sports reporter with the Newcastle Herald. He previously worked in news, covering mainly local government and transport. Max mostly reports on the Newcastle Knights, but also covers a mix of local sport. DAILY Today's top stories curated by our news team. Also includes evening update. WEEKDAYS Grab a quick bite of today's latest news from around the region and the nation. WEEKLY The latest news, results & expert analysis. WEEKDAYS Catch up on the news of the day and unwind with great reading for your evening. WEEKLY Get the editor's insights: what's happening & why it matters. WEEKLY Love footy? We've got all the action covered. WEEKLY Every Saturday and Tuesday, explore destinations deals, tips & travel writing to transport you around the globe. WEEKLY Get the latest property and development news here. WEEKLY Going out or staying in? Find out what's on. WEEKDAYS Sharp. Close to the ground. Digging deep. Your weekday morning newsletter on national affairs, politics and more. WEEKLY Follow the Newcastle Knights in the NRL? Don't miss your weekly Knights update. TWICE WEEKLY Your essential national news digest: all the big issues on Wednesday and great reading every Saturday. WEEKLY Get news, reviews and expert insights every Thursday from CarExpert, ACM's exclusive motoring partner. TWICE WEEKLY Get real, Australia! Let the ACM network's editors and journalists bring you news and views from all over. AS IT HAPPENS Be the first to know when news breaks. DAILY Your digital replica of Today's Paper. Ready to read from 5am! DAILY Test your skills with interactive crosswords, sudoku & trivia. Fresh daily!

( MENAFN - GlobeNewsWire - Nasdaq) NEW YORK, Dec. 17, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- WHY: Rosen Law Firm, a global investor rights law firm, reminds purchasers of securities of ASP Isotopes Inc. (NASDAQ: ASPI) between October 30, 2024 and November 26, 2024, both dates inclusive (the“Class Period”), of the important February 3, 2025 lead plaintiff deadline . SO WHAT: If you purchased ASP Isotopes securities during the Class Period you may be entitled to compensation without payment of any out of pocket fees or costs through a contingency fee arrangement. WHAT TO DO NEXT: To join the ASP Isotopes class action, go to or call Phillip Kim, Esq. toll-free at 866-767-3653 or email ... for information on the class action. A class action lawsuit has already been filed. If you wish to serve as lead plaintiff, you must move the Court no later than February 3, 2025. A lead plaintiff is a representative party acting on behalf of other class members in directing the litigation. WHY ROSEN LAW: We encourage investors to select qualified counsel with a track record of success in leadership roles. Often, firms issuing notices do not have comparable experience, resources, or any meaningful peer recognition. Many of these firms do not actually litigate securities class actions, but are merely middlemen that refer clients or partner with law firms that actually litigate the cases. Be wise in selecting counsel. The Rosen Law Firm represents investors throughout the globe, concentrating its practice in securities class actions and shareholder derivative litigation. Rosen Law Firm achieved the largest ever securities class action settlement against a Chinese Company at the time. Rosen Law Firm was Ranked No. 1 by ISS Securities Class Action Services for number of securities class action settlements in 2017. The firm has been ranked in the top 4 each year since 2013 and has recovered hundreds of millions of dollars for investors. In 2019 alone the firm secured over $438 million for investors. In 2020, founding partner Laurence Rosen was named by law360 as a Titan of Plaintiffs' Bar. Many of the firm's attorneys have been recognized by Lawdragon and Super Lawyers. DETAILS OF THE CASE: According to the lawsuit, during the Class Period, defendants made false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (1) ASP Isotopes overstated the potential effectiveness of its enrichment technology; (2) ASP Isotopes overstated the development potential of its high assay low-enriched uranium facility; (3) ASP Isotopes overstated ASP Isotopes' nuclear fuels operating segment results; and (4) as a result of the foregoing, defendants' positive statements about ASP Isotopes' business, operations, and prospects were materially misleading and/or lacked a reasonable basis. When the true details entered the market, the lawsuit claims that investors suffered damages. To join the ASP Isotopes class action, go to or call Phillip Kim, Esq. toll-free at 866-767-3653 or email ... for information on the class action. No Class Has Been Certified. Until a class is certified, you are not represented by counsel unless you retain one. You may select counsel of your choice. You may also remain an absent class member and do nothing at this point. An investor's ability to share in any potential future recovery is not dependent upon serving as lead plaintiff. Follow us for updates on LinkedIn: , on Twitter: or on Facebook: . Attorney Advertising. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Contact Information: Laurence Rosen, Esq. Phillip Kim, Esq. The Rosen Law Firm, P.A. 275 Madison Avenue, 40th Floor New York, NY 10016 Tel: (212) 686-1060 Toll Free: (866) 767-3653 Fax: (212) 202-3827 ... MENAFN17122024004107003653ID1109004639 Legal Disclaimer: MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.

Some tech industry leaders are pushing the incoming Trump administration to increase visas for highly skilled workers from other nations. Related Articles National Politics | In states that ban abortion, social safety net programs often fail families National Politics | Court rules Georgia lawmakers can subpoena Fani Willis for information related to her Trump case National Politics | New 2025 laws hit hot topics from AI in movies to rapid-fire guns National Politics | Trump has pressed for voting changes. GOP majorities in Congress will try to make that happen National Politics | Exhausted by political news? TV ratings and new poll say you’re not alone The heart of the argument is, for America to remain competitive, the country needs to expand the number of skilled visas it gives out. The previous Trump administration did not increase the skilled visa program, instead clamping down on visas for students and educated workers, increasing denial rates. Not everyone in corporate America thinks the skilled worker program is great. Former workers at IT company Cognizant recently won a federal class-action lawsuit that said the company favored Indian employees over Americans from 2013 to 2022. A Bloomberg investigation found Cognizant, and other similar outsourcing companies, mainly used its skilled work visas for lower-level positions. Workers alleged Cognizant preferred Indian workers because they could be paid less and were more willing to accept inconvenient or less-favorable assignments. Question: Should the U.S. increase immigration levels for highly skilled workers? Caroline Freund, UC San Diego School of Global Policy and Strategy YES: Innovation is our superpower and it relies on people. Sourcing talent from 8 billion people in the world instead of 330 million here makes sense. Nearly half our Fortune 500 companies were founded by immigrants or their children. Growing them also relies on expanding our skilled workforce. The cap on skilled-worker visas has hardly changed since the computer age started. With AI on the horizon, attracting and building talent is more important than ever. Kelly Cunningham, San Diego Institute for Economic Research YES: After years of openly allowing millions of undocumented entrants into the country, why is there controversy over legally increasing somewhat the number having desirable skills? Undocumented immigration significantly impacts lower skill level jobs and wages competing with domestic workers at every skill level. Why should special cases be made against those having higher skills? Could they just not walk across the border anyway, why make it more inconvenient to those with desirable skills? James Hamilton, UC San Diego YES: Knowledge and technology are key drivers of the U.S. economy. Students come from all over the world to learn at U.S. universities, and their spending contributed $50 billion to U.S. exports last year. Technological advantage is what keeps us ahead of the rest of the world. Highly skilled immigrants contribute much more in taxes than they receive in public benefits. The skills immigrants bring to America can make us all better off. Norm Miller, University of San Diego YES: According to Forbes, the majority of billion-dollar startups were founded by foreigners. I’ve interviewed dozens of data analysts and programmers from Berkeley, UCSD, USD and a few other schools and 75% of them are foreign. There simply are not enough American graduates to fill the AI and data mining related jobs now exploding in the U.S. If we wish to remain a competitive economy, we need highly skilled and bright immigrants to come here and stay. David Ely, San Diego State University YES: Being able to employ highly skilled workers from a larger pool of candidates would strengthen the competitiveness of U.S. companies by increasing their capacity to perform research and innovate. This would boost the country’s economic output. Skilled workers from other nations that cannot remain in the U.S. will find jobs working for foreign rivals. The demand for H-1B visas far exceeds the current cap of 85,000, demonstrating a need to modify this program. Phil Blair, Manpower YES: Every country needs skilled workers, at all levels, to grow its economy. We should take advantage of the opportunity these workers provide our employers who need these skills. It should be blended into our immigration policies allowing for both short and long term visas. Gary London, London Moeder Advisors YES: San Diego is a premiere example of how highly skilled workers from around the globe enrich a community and its regional economy. Of course Visa levels need to be increased. But let’s go further. Tie visas and immigration with a provision that those who are admitted and educated at a U.S. university be incentivized, or even required, to be employed in the U.S. in exchange for their admittance. Bob Rauch, R.A. Rauch & Associates NO: While attracting high-skilled immigrants can fill critical gaps in sectors like technology, health care and advanced manufacturing, increasing high-skilled immigration could displace American workers and drive down wages in certain industries. There are already many qualified American workers available for some of these jobs. We should balance the need for specialized skills with the impact on the domestic workforce. I believe we can begin to increase the number of visas after a careful review of abuse. Austin Neudecker, Weave Growth YES: We should expand skilled visas to drive innovation and economic growth. Individuals who perform high-skilled work in labor-restricted industries or graduate from respected colleges with relevant degrees should be prioritized for naturalization. We depend on immigration for GDP growth, tax revenue, research, and so much more. Despite the abhorrent rhetoric and curtailing of visas in the first term, I hope the incoming administration can be persuaded to enact positive changes to a clearly flawed system. Chris Van Gorder, Scripps Health YES: But it should be based upon need, not politics. There are several industries that have or could have skilled workforce shortages, especially if the next administration tightens immigration as promised and expected. Over the years, there have been nursing shortages that have been met partially by trained and skilled nurses from other countries. The physician shortage is expected to get worse in the years to come. So, this visa program may very well be needed. Jamie Moraga, Franklin Revere NO: While skilled immigration could boost our economy and competitiveness, the U.S. should prioritize developing our domestic workforce. Hiring foreign nationals in sensitive industries or government-related work, especially in advanced technology or defense, raises security concerns. A balanced approach could involve targeted increases in non-sensitive high-demand fields coupled with investment in domestic STEM education and training programs. This could address immediate needs while strengthening the long-term STEM capabilities of the American workforce. Not participating this week: Alan Gin, University of San DiegoHaney Hong, San Diego County Taxpayers AssociationRay Major, economist Have an idea for an Econometer question? Email me at phillip.molnar@sduniontribune.com . Follow me on Threads: @phillip020TORONTO, Dec. 23, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Blockmate Ventures Inc. (TSX.V: MATE) (OTCQB: MATEF) (FSE: 8MH1) (“ ” or the “ ”) is pleased to announce that it has closed its strategic investment (the “ ”) involving a group of strategic investors led by Antanas Guoga (Tony G) for gross proceeds of $1,400,000. This strategic funding supports Blockmate’s pursuit of industry leadership in blockchain innovation and underscores our commitment to sustainable and transformative technology. In connection with completion of the Offering, the Company has issued 14,000,000 units (each, a “ ”) at a price of $0.10 per Unit. Each Unit consists of one common share, and one common share purchase warrant exercisable to acquire a further common share at a price of $0.50 until December 23, 2027. All securities issued in connection with the Offering are subject to statutory restrictions on resale until April 24, 2025, in accordance with applicable securities laws. In addition, Tony G has voluntarily agreed to restrict resale of the 10,000,000 Units he acquired in the Offering until December 23, 2025. No finders’ fees or commissions were paid by the Company in connection with completion of the Offering. The Company also announces that it has granted 5,275,000 incentive stock options (the “ ”), 1,200,000 restricted share units (the “ ”) and 5,000,000 deferred share units (the “ ”) in accordance with its omnibus incentive plan (the “ ”) adopted by shareholders at the annual general and special meeting held on November 23, 2023. 625,000 of the Options vest immediately and are exercisable at a price of $0.21 for a period of thirty-six months. The remaining 5,000,000 Options vest quarterly over a twenty-four month period, and are exercisable at a price of $0.21 for a period of forty-eight months. The RSUs vest and will be settled in common shares of the Company after twelve months. The DSUs vest after twelve months but will only be settled in common shares of the Company upon the departure of the holder from the Company. 2,725,000 of the Options and all of the DSUs exceed the available room under the Incentive Plan. The Company intends to seek approval of shareholders to increase the size of the Incentive Plan at the next annual general meeting and will at that time seek ratification from shareholders for the additional Options and the DSUs. Until such time as shareholder ratification has been received, the additional Options and DSUs will not vest and will not be eligible for exercise or settlement. In the event shareholders elect not to ratify the grant, and room within the Incentive Plan is not available at the time, the additional Options and DSUs will be cancelled. In connection with the incentive grant, Domenic Carosa, a director of the Company, has been issued 5,000,000 Options and 5,000,000 DSUs. Prior to the grant, Mr. Carosa controlled 17,252,400 common shares, 1,500,000 incentive stock options, and 3,000,000 common share purchase warrants, of the Company, all of which are held by Carosa Corporation B.V., a holding company controlled by Domenic Carosa. The common shares controlled by Mr. Carosa prior to the grant represent approximately 15.1% of the issued and outstanding common shares of the Company. Following the grant, Mr. Carosa has control and direction over 17,252,400 common shares, 6,500,000 Options, 3,000,000 common share purchase warrants and 5,000,000 DSUs of the Company. Assuming the exercise and conversion of all of the Options, share purchase warrants and DSUs controlled by Mr. Carosa, he would have control and direction over 31,752,400 common shares of the Company representing approximately 19.8% of the then outstanding common shares of the Company. Mr. Carosa has acquired the securities for investment purposes and in connection with his compensation as a director of the Company and, as disclosed in the accompanying Early Warning Report, may in the future acquire or dispose of securities of the Company, through the market, privately or otherwise, as circumstances or market conditions warrant. A copy of the Early Warning Report filed with the applicable securities regulators regarding the above acquisition will be available under the profile for the Company on SEDAR+ ( ). Blockmate is a venture creator focussing on building fast-growing technology businesses relating to cutting edge sectors such as blockchain and renewable energy. Working with prospective founders, projects in incubation can benefit from the Blockmate ecosystem that offers tech, services, integrations and advice to accelerate the incubation of projects towards monetization. Recent projects include Hivello (download our free passive income app at ) and Sunified, digitising solar energy. The leadership team at Blockmate have successfully founded successful tech companies from the Dotcom era through to the social media era. Learn more about being a Blockmate at: . Blockmate welcomes investors to join the Company’s mailing list for the latest updates and industry research by subscribing at . ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS Justin Rosenberg, Chief Executive Officer Blockmate Ventures Inc. (+1-580-262-6130) This news release contains “forward-looking statements” or “forward-looking information” (collectively, “forward-looking statements”) within the meaning of applicable securities legislation. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, are forward-looking statements and are based on the assumptions, expectations, estimates and projections as of the date of this news release. Forward-looking statements are subject to a variety of known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events or results to differ from those expressed or implied by forward-looking statements contained herein. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Raindrop disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking statements, whether because of new information, future events or otherwise, except as may be required by applicable securities laws. Readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements.

As the world moves toward more software defined vehicles with connected technologies, automakers are taking a hard look at the components that have long been expected to be on every model and working to advance them. This, combined with new sustainability standards, is the impetus for moving toward an emissions-free future, from manufacturing to tailpipes to brake pads and everything between. Dust from braking systems may be a bigger pollutant than tailpipe emissions and cause more harm to the environment and humans, a recent study by University of California , Irvine scientists hypothesized. "Recent studies of individual cars suggest that brakes emit more particles than the tailpipe, but we know very little about the properties and environmental impacts of these particles," James Smith, Chancellor's Professor in the Department of Chemistry at University of California, Irvine told Newsweek . "Some studies have shown that brake particles have a similar effect on lung inflammation as diesel and wood combustion particles, forming free radicals in lung fluids. These particles can be very small – 500 of these particles stacked up would span the thickness of a strand of your hair – so once they are released into the air, they could impact large areas ... Given their rising dominance, potential health impacts and implications on environmental justice, it's imperative that we control the emissions of these particles at the source," he said. Mercedes-Benz is working to revolutionize how cars brake, changes that would have sustainability and health benefits if introduced into production. In a prototype shown to Newsweek during an event Germany, gone are the brake pads, calipers and disc combinations that have been mainstays on vehicles for the last 100 years. Instead, the company is proposing brakes that fit in their own housing, on the axle, attached to either side of an electric drive unit (alternately, centrally located without a unit). The operation of the new, mechanical brake relies on an operation similar to a traditional brake setup, only the disc is squeezed on both sides to slow the vehicle. The entire unit would be developed with withstand 15 years of use and abuse, what Mercedes-Benz considers to be a vehicle's lifetime. And, it allows for strong, consistent braking that doesn't fade under heavy loads. Brake noise becomes a thing of the past. There would be no particulate emissions into the atmosphere with the small amount of dust the mechanism creates gathering in a sump at the bottom of the device, able to be emptied at the end of the vehicle's life. Because there would be no need for gaps in wheels that are traditionally used to aid in brake cooling, this innovation allows for the creation of solid wheel designs, which would aid in a vehicle's aerodynamics. Without a braking system on the wheels, the corners of the car become lighter, allowing for a gentler ride. The new braking technology is still under development and an official timeline for implementation has not been made public.

LeBron James made his Christmas debut in 2003. Victor Wembanyama was born 10 days later. That’s right: James has been featured on the NBA’s big day for longer than Wembanyama has been alive. And on Wednesday — when the league celebrates Christmas with games for the 77th time — the league’s oldest player and brightest young star will be big parts of the holiday showcase. It’s another Christmas quintupleheader, with Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs visiting the New York Knicks, Minnesota going to Dallas for a Western Conference finals rematch, Philadelphia heading to Boston to renew a storied rivalry, James and the Los Angeles Lakers taking on Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors, and Denver playing at Phoenix in the nightcap. “Very excited, of course,” Wembanyama said of his first Christmas game opportunity. “First of all, spending Christmas in New York, it’s going to be like the movies, I hope. Get a little snow.” His first Christmas wish came true: Light snow fell in Manhattan on Tuesday morning. James said he’s relishing another chance to share the holiday spotlight with Curry — someone he’s played against on Christmas three previous times. “Any time you get an opportunity to be on the court and compete against one of the greatest to ever play this game, you don’t take it for granted,” James — who turns 40 next week — said of facing his U.S. Olympic teammate. “I don’t know how many more opportunities we’ll get to go against each other.” The Christmas games have been looked at for decades as the time when more fans tend to start watching basketball. The NFL — which is going head-to-head against the NBA on Wednesday — is seeing its regular season winding down, and the five NBA games will all be shown nationally either on ABC or ESPN. The Spurs-Knicks game will also have a special alt-cast starring Mickey Mouse and some of his friends, the first animated presentation of an NBA game. It’ll be shown on ESPN2 and stream on Disney+ and ESPN+. “I wish there were more of our great players who had a chance to play on that stage on Christmas Day,” NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said. “It’s been an interesting turnaround from certainly my earlier days in the league when we got a lot of complaints about playing on Christmas — and now it comes the other way, which is, ‘Why aren’t we playing on Christmas?’ I wish we could accommodate even more teams.” Get local news delivered to your inbox!80jili shop register 。

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Some kids see their parents as monsters — making them eat their vegetables, insisting homework be done before dinner, begging them to clean their room, etc. You know, the worst. In the case of Ellian, a princess from the land of Lumbria, her parents literally are monsters — unsightly, rambunctious and uncommunicative creatures — thanks to an encounter with some dark magic. That’s the state of royal play in “Spellbound,” a semi-enchanting film from Skydance Animation on Netflix. The movie had a chance to be a gem thanks to some of the folks who brought it to life. The list starts with director Vicky Jenson, who, most notably, helmed 2001’s beloved romp “Shrek.” Then there’s composer Alan Menken — working herewith lyricist Glenn Slater — who has contributed to animated Disney classics including “The Little Mermaid,” “Aladdin” and “Beauty and the Beast.” And singing the original songs of Menken and Slater is Rachel Zegler, who delighted us in director Steven Spielberg’s 2021 remake of “West Side Story” and last year impressed in “The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes.” These talented people and others — John Lithgow, Nicole Kidman and Javier Bardem contribute voice work — help make “Spellbound” a relative winner even if it falls short of the quality of the aforementioned animated films. As we meet Ellian (Zegler) — on her birthday, flying through mountains, above water and eventually back to the kingdom with her friends riding giant birds — she and a few others, such as Lithgow’s Minister Bolinar, have been keeping the truth about her parents a secret from the citizens and even some important types. Ministers Bolinar and Nazara (Jenifer Lewis) think it is time for Princess Ellian to become the ruler of Lumbria, but she hasn’t given up on the idea of finding a way to break her parents’ curse, which they encountered in the Dark Forest of Eternal Darkness — where it’s, like, seriously dark. She summons to the castle the Oracle of the Moon (Tituss Burgess) and the Oracle of the Sun (Nathan Lane), a pair of little guys who arrive by Uber-like frog. Before they can reveal how the curse can be broken, her mom tries to eat one of them, causing them to bolt. Ellian chases them down, of course, and, with Mom and Dad in tow, sets about her quest to return them to normalcy. As the three spend time together, Ellian is able to communicate, increasingly effectively, with Queen Ellsmere (Kidman) and King Solon (Bardem). It is then that we see the darkness that surrounded them was not just figurative; the more intelligently they can speak, the more they argue with one another. Despite this friction, Ellian continues a search for a source of lightness — again, both literal and metaphorical — to restore things as they should be. Penned by Lauren Hynek, Elizabeth Martin and Julia Miranda, “Spellbound” offers some valuable lessons to young viewers — for whom this film is mainly targeted — including the importance of handling negative feelings in a positive way. There’s also a lesson for parents, however. If nothing else, the not-so-neat-and-tidy resolution of the story isn’t exactly what you’d predict. You just wish the journey were a little more entertaining. The jokes are OK, not hilarious, and the songs are merely fine — certainly below Menken’s best work. Nevertheless, Zegler’s lovely singing voice elevates those songs, and the actress gives a strong performance overall. And Lithgow — who voiced the villainous Lord Farquaad in “Shrek” — is fun, especially after Bolinar runs afoul of some magic himself. With its bright-and-colorful palette (but only so-so design work), “Spellbound” should keep the little ones busy for nearly two hours as you prepare for Thanksgiving. And that’s a real magic trick, isn’t it? Get local news delivered to your inbox!

COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — Tamar Bates had 29 points and five steals to help Missouri beat Hunter Dickinson and No. 1 Kansas 76-67 on Sunday. Read this article for free: Already have an account? To continue reading, please subscribe: * COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — Tamar Bates had 29 points and five steals to help Missouri beat Hunter Dickinson and No. 1 Kansas 76-67 on Sunday. Read unlimited articles for free today: Already have an account? COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — Tamar Bates had 29 points and five steals to help Missouri beat Hunter Dickinson and No. 1 Kansas 76-67 on Sunday. Mark Mitchell scored 17 points in Missouri’s first win over Kansas since a 74-71 victory on Feb. 4, 2012. Anthony Robinson II had 11 points and five steals for the Tigers (8-1), and Josh Gray grabbed a team-leading 10 rebounds. Dickinson had 19 points and 14 rebounds, but he also committed seven turnovers. The Jayhawks (7-2) have lost two straight on the road after falling 76-63 against Creighton on Wednesday night. Missouri opened a 57-33 lead with 14:15 remaining on a jump shot from Tony Perkins. But the Jayhawks outscored the Tigers 30-8 over the next 11:55. Bates scored 18 to help Missouri to a 39-25 lead at the break. The Tigers then opened the second half with a 16-6 run. NO. 2 AUBURN 98, RICHMOND 54 AUBURN, Ala. (AP) — Miles Kelly and Tahaad Pettiford each scored 15 points as No. 2 Auburn beats Richmond. Bouncing back nicely after a loss at Duke, Auburn (8-1) had six players score in double figures. Chad Baker-Mazara had 13 points, six rebounds and five assists. Denver Jones made three 3-pointers and finished with 11 points. Johni Broome had 11 points, six assists and two blocks for the Tigers. Jahki Howard scored a career-high 13 points. Richmond (4-5) was led by Mikkel Tyne’s 16 points. Dusan Neskovic scored 12, and DeLonnie Hunt added 10 points. NO. 8 PURDUE 83, MARYLAND 78 WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (AP) — Braden Smith had 24 points and 10 assists, and No. 8 Purdue held off Maryland for a win. Trey Kaufman-Renn scored 21 points for the Boilermakers (8-2, 1-1 Big Ten), who bounced back after a loss to Penn State on Thursday. Camden Heide added 15 points and Fletcher Loyer finished with 12. Derik Queen led the Terrapins (8-2, 1-1) with 26 points on 11-of-18 shooting and grabbed a team-high 12 rebounds. Ja’Kobi Gillespie scored 18 points and Selton Miguel and Rodney Rice each had 13. Julian Reese fouled out with five points and seven rebounds. Purdue used an 8-0 run to take a 77-67 lead with 2:00 left. Smith sparked the run with a 3-pointer. Heide made three late foul shots to help close it out. The Terrapins led 36-31 at halftime. Both teams made 13 of 35 shots in the first half, but the Terrapins had three more 3-pointers NO. 14 CINCINNATI 84, HOWARD 67 CINCINNATI (AP) — Simas Lukosius scored 18 points, Aziz Bandaogo added 17 and Dillon Mitchell 14 to lead No. 14 Cincinnati to a victory over Howard. Cincinnati (7-1) led by four points after one half and came out firing in the second, hitting three straight baskets to extend its lead to 10 points. The Bearcats outscored Howard Bison (3-6) 48-35 in the second half to seal the win and rebound from Tuesday’s eight-point loss to Villanova. Blake Harper had 23 points and 10 rebounds and Marcus Dockery added 14 points for Howard. 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. NO. 22 TEXAS A&M 72, TEXAS TECH 67 FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — Wade Taylor IV scored 19 points, Zhuric Phelps hit a go-ahead 3-pointer during an 11-0 run and finished with 12 points, and 22nd-ranked Texas A&M beat Texas Tech in the first meeting of the former conference rivals since 2012. Phelps’ 3 with 7 1/2 minutes left made it 54-52 and put the Aggies (8-2) ahead to stay. His step-back jumper after hard contact with Tech’s Kevin Overton capped the game-turning spurt. Jace Carter scored 13 of his 16 points in the first half as Texas A&M won its fourth straight game. Chance McMillian had 23 points with five 3s for Tech (7-2). Overton scored 14 of his 17 points before halftime, when he hit four 3s. Advertisement AdvertisementTabarak Holding Invests EGP 60Bn In Real Estate Development For 2024

Former President Jimmy Carter, the 39th president of the United States who dedicated his life after leaving office to brokering international peace, has died at age 100, his office confirmed Sunday. Carter had been receiving hospice care since February 2023 at his home in Plains, Georgia, where he lived with his wife of , Rosalynn Carter. The Nov. 19, 2023, two days after her family said she . “They are still holding hands,” the couple’s grandson, Josh Carter, told in August 2023. “It’s just amazing.” In February 2023, the Carter Center that the former president had “decided to spend his remaining time at home with his family and receive hospice care instead of additional medical intervention” following a series of short hospital stays. “He has the full support of his family and his medical team,” the statement said. President Joe Biden offered his prayers to Carter at the time, : “We admire you for the strength and humility you have shown in difficult times. May you continue your journey with grace and dignity, and God grant you peace.” Days before his 99th birthday and seven months after he entered hospice, the riding in an SUV at the Plains Peanut Festival in Georgia. In October 2024, for Carter’s 100th birthday, Biden recognized him in shared with CBS News, saying, “Mr. President, you’ve always been a moral force for our nation and the world. I recognized that as a young senator. That’s why I supported you so early. You’re a voice of courage, conviction, compassion, and most of all, a beloved friend of Jill and me and our family.” Carter was to reach their 100th birthday. A Georgia native and a Democrat, Carter was elected president in 1976, defeating the Republican incumbent, Gerald Ford, in the aftermath of the Watergate scandal. Carter served one term before losing re-election in 1980 to Ronald Reagan, his bid hobbled by an inability to resolve the Iran hostage crisis, a standoff that lasted 444 days. Carter also was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002 for his human rights work around the world. The oldest living former president since the death of George H.W. Bush in 2018 at 94, Carter was the first American president to have been . Only 56 years old when he left the Oval Office, Carter would spend the next four decades focusing on good works that made him an almost universally revered figure, sometimes called America’s greatest ex-president — a sharp contrast to his relatively low popularity when he exited the White House in January 1981. For years, he and his wife could be found on construction sites hoisting beams and pounding nails to build homes for the disadvantaged with the nonprofit organization Habitat for Humanity. Around the world, Carter was recognized after his presidency for his tireless work promoting peaceful resolutions to conflict and advancing democracy, human rights and social justice, primarily through the Carter Center, which he and the former first lady established at Emory University in Atlanta in 1982. Working through the center, the Carters traveled to developing countries to monitor elections, help build democratic institutions, lobby for victims of human rights abuses and spearhead efforts to eradicate diseases. In February 1986, Carter secured the release of the journalist Luis Mora and the labor leader José Altamirano from prison in Nicaragua. In 1994, he traveled to North Korea at the request of then-President Bill Clinton and soon announced the negotiation of a “treaty of understanding” with the then-leader of North Korea, Kim Il Sung. Carter was also credited with having helped to persuade Egypt and Tunisia to ease violence in the Great Lakes Region of Africa in 1996, and he helped to negotiate the Nairobi Agreement to end the war between Sudan and Uganda in northern Uganda in 1999. In 2002, Carter was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize “for his decades of untiring effort to find peaceful solutions to international conflicts” and his “outstanding commitment to human rights.” For Carter, the award was something of a mark of rehabilitation after a presidency that ended with one of the , averaging just 45.5% over his single term in office, according to Gallup. In 1978, President Carter brokered the Camp David Accords, a historic peace treaty between Israel and Egypt. The deal, which capped 16 months of negotiations, led to Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin winning the Nobel Peace Prize in 1978. Many historians also credit the Carter administration with having been at the forefront of events that led to the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991. Carter and his hard-line national security adviser, Zbigniew Brzezinski, used human rights to put Moscow on the ideological defensive, and their forceful support for Lech Walesa’s Solidarity movement in Poland helped to fuel a revolutionary wave in Eastern Europe that eventually sparked the fall of communism. But Carter was often characterized as an ineffectual micromanager whose efforts to rally the American people during a time of economic recession and energy shortages landed with a thud. He was mocked for wearing sweaters in the White House to encourage Americans to turn down their thermostats in the winter to conserve energy, and his declaration in a nationally televised address in July 1979 that the United States was suffering a “crisis of confidence” was widely panned, given that it came after 21⁄2 years into his leadership. It came to be known as Carter’s “malaise” speech, even though he never used the word. Reagan would present himself as the sunny alternative to Carter’s scolding demeanor to win the 1980 election in a landslide. In addition, Carter’s decision to boycott the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow in protest of the Russian invasion of Afghanistan was popular domestically, but it remains controversial among historians, with some characterizing it as a missed opportunity to open warmer relations with Moscow and others declaring that it led to a decade of intensified Soviet repression before the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. The final year of Carter’s presidency was dogged by the Iran hostage crisis, which began Nov. 4, 1979, when Iranian students took more than 60 U.S. hostages at the U.S. Embassy in Tehran after Carter had allowed the deposed shah of Iran to receive medical treatment in the United States on humanitarian grounds. In April 1980, Carter sent an elite rescue team into the embassy compound, but a desert sandstorm crippled several of the military helicopters. One of them crashed into a transport plane on takeoff, killing eight U.S. service members and leading Carter to abort the mission. The debacle prompted Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, to order the hostages scattered among numerous locations to prevent another rescue attempt, and it gave him more ammunition with which to denounce the United States as “the Great Satan.” An official investigation into the rescue attempt found major deficiencies in planning, command and control, and identified critical shortcomings in communication and coordination among the U.S. military branches, bolstering perceptions of Carter as a weak leader and leading to the passage of the Goldwater–Nichols Act, which ordered a top-to-bottom reorganization of the Department of Defense in 1986. Fifty-two of the hostages would remain captive for 444 days, each day ticked off by Walter Cronkite at the end of the “CBS Evening News,” until they were released on Jan. 20, 1981 — the day Reagan was inaugurated as president. James Earl Carter Jr. was born Oct. 1, 1924, in the tiny Sumter County town of Plains in southwest Georgia, where he grew up on a peanut farm. His intellect was recognized early, and he was appointed to the U.S. Naval Academy He graduated in 1946 and the same year married Rosalynn Smith, a 19-year-old childhood friend who was a star student at Plains High School. Carter became a submariner in the Navy, where he was spotted by Adm. Hyman Rickover, who is considered the father of the U.S. nuclear submarine program. Rickover selected Carter as an aide and assigned him to Schenectady, New York, where the family relocated while Carter studied reactor technology and nuclear physics at the Union Graduate College. Eventually, Carter would become a senior officer of the USS Seawolf, the United States’ second nuclear submarine. Speaking of Rickover in a 1984 interview with CBS’s “60 Minutes,” Carter said, “There were a few times when I hated him, because he demanded more from me than I thought I could deliver.” Carter appeared set for a stellar military career under Rickover’s tutelage, but in 1953, he left the Navy after the death of his father, returning to Georgia to run the family peanut business. As the company grew, Carter became prominent in south Georgia politics, speaking out as a rare advocate of civil rights in church addresses and as chairman of the Sumter County School Board. He was elected as a Democrat to the state Senate in 1962 in a special election after he challenged his defeat in what an investigation revealed to have been a fraudulent vote. Carter rose quickly, becoming a member of the Democratic Executive Committee and chairman of the Senate Education Committee in just his second two-year term. After just four years in the Senate, Carter launched a campaign for governor, losing the Democratic primary but winning enough votes to force a runoff between the presumed front-runner and an outlandish segregationist chicken-restaurant owner, Lester Maddox. Maddox would win the runoff and the general election. Carter tried again in 1970, this time compromising his civil rights record by declaring himself “basically a redneck” and complimenting the divisive Maddox — who was famous for having used an ax handle as a weapon to drive Black activists from his restaurant in 1964 — for being “steadfast” and “honorable” in his beliefs. “Carter, believe it or not, ran a segregated race, one that he was connected with George Wallace of Alabama,” with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, adding that Carter “hoodwinked enough people to make them believe” that he would work to undermine integration. “I can win this election without a single Black vote,” in July 1970. Carter was forced into a runoff in the Democratic primary, which he easily won. And then he changed strategy to one he would use for the rest of his career — reaching out to Black voters and campaigning in Black churches and easily defeating a Republican news broadcaster in the general election. In his 2014 biography, “ ,” the Dartmouth College religion historian Randall Balmer wrote that Carter regretted the 1970 campaign for the rest of his life. Barred from running for re-election as governor in 1974 and seizing on the opening left by disarray in both major parties after the Watergate scandal, Carter leaped into the 1976 presidential campaign, starting out near the bottom of the polls in a Democratic field of more than a dozen candidates. He was generally derided as “Jimmy who?” Relying on his reputation as a reformer with deep ties in the Baptist church and promising voters “I will never lie to you” — and capitalizing on political cartoonists’ depictions of him as a peanut with a big smile by adopting them in his campaign — Carter entered a record number of state primaries and caucuses. He campaigned tirelessly in Black and other minority communities and slowly chipped away at the opposition. Turning back a liberal “Anybody But Carter” movement led by California Gov. Jerry Brown and Sen. Frank Church, D-Idaho, he had by June wrapped up the nomination. Helped by a colossal blunder by the Republican vice presidential nominee, Sen. Bob Dole of Kansas — who dismissed the U.S.-led victories in both World War I and World War II as “Democrat wars” — Carter defeated President Ford with 50.1% of the vote. Carter took pains to project a modest image to a scandal-weary nation. He walked down Pennsylvania Avenue during his inaugural parade. He carried his own bags on Air Force One. And there were his constant messages to Americans that he couldn’t address the nation’s problems alone, often in self-effacing sweater-wearing public appearances. Throughout his busy post-presidency, Carter wrote — a lot. He wrote more than two dozen books, some with his wife. And as always, his faith, and his humble roots, remained his guides. He continued to teach Sunday school at his hometown church, Maranatha Baptist Church in Plains, until the in early 2020, forcing him and his wife to forgo most public engagements. Carter still participated in church activities by video amid the pandemic. “When I got through being governor, I went back to Plains,” . “When I got through being president, I went back to Plains, and now no matter where we are in the world, you look forward to getting back home to Plains.” Carter was the only living president aside from Donald Trump President Joe Biden’s inauguration in 2021, due to the pandemic. It was the first inauguration Carter had missed as a former president. President Biden and first lady Jill Biden to the Carters in Georgia in April 2021. “We sat and talked about the old days,” Biden said afterward. Carter was diagnosed with in 2015, a virulent form of skin cancer that had spread to his liver and his brain. He underwent experimental treatment with the immunotherapy drug pembrolizumab, also known as Keytruda, and a few months later, he announced that doctors had ended his treatments after having found . Carter spent much of the second half of 2019, right before the pandemic hit, in the hospital for brain surgery, infections and that resulted in a broken hip and pelvis. He was back teaching Sunday school at the Maranatha Baptist Church two weeks after he fractured his pelvis. He told the congregation at the time that since doctors told him in 2015 that cancer had spread to his brain, he had been “absolutely and completely at ease with death.”

OASIS, Coldplay and Dua Lipa will help drive a predicted £7billion into the UK economy next year. The British acts’ huge tours are contributing to what people in the industry are dubbing the biggest year ever for live music. Advertisement 21 Britain is set for a huge year of gigs and music tours in 2025 from stars including Dua Lipa, Coldplay and Oasis The massive appetite for tickets means concerts in the UK will help trounce the £6.1billion brought to our economy in 2023. And it is even ready to top the boost given to Britain by Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour this summer, which is now the highest-grossing tour of all time. Leading talent manager Professor Jonathan Shalit OBE, whose company Chosen Music has worked with many international artists, said: “People are embracing the live music experience more than ever before. “With the rise of social media, many younger people are spending more time online and less time together in person. Advertisement READ MORE ON MUSIC FAT CHANCE Huge Brit DJ reveals he'll NEVER release another album & has lost love for music SLADE ON THE SLIDE Rows & tragedy saw Slade go from UK's biggest band to playing tiny gigs “As a result, the demand for shared, memorable, communal experiences, such as live concerts, has never been higher. “The UK’s 2025 live music calendar is already packed with huge names such as Dua Lipa , Oasis, Katy Perry, Sabrina Carpenter, Coldplay, Gracie Abrams, Teddy Swims and Billie Eilish , all contributing to the anticipation for what will surely be a landmark year for live music. “Moreover, record companies are recognising the power of live shows to boost music sales by offering bundled concert tickets with album purchases, catering to passionate fans eager for exclusive experiences. “With so much competition in the market, artists are being forced to be more creative with their offerings and their performances, ensuring their live shows are an unforgettable experience.” Advertisement Most read in Music BLANKED SPACE Taylor Swift 'ghosted' £1,000 tartan gift from Scots council be the one Dua Lipa looks loved up with Callum Turner in first snap since engagement CHLOE SO GLOWY Chloe Bennet shows some leg in split yellow skirt at LA premiere of new show Love lessons Emmerdale’s Kelvin Fletcher opens up about family after brief split from wife Lana Del Rey, Sabrina Carpenter, Olivia Rodrigo , 50 Cent , Sam Fender and Iron Maiden have already helped drive huge revenues with their shows for 2025. R&B stars including Nelly , Sean Paul, Ashanti and Eve will also be helping to boost takings with nostalgia-driven shows. Coldplay frontman Chris Martin stops show in Sydney to save young boy in heartwarming A music industry source said: “Billions have already been generated in ticket sales, but there will be even more added from hotels, travel, food and drink. “It is becoming an increasingly lucrative market and 2025 will be the biggest year ever for live music. Advertisement “The industry is braced for a bumper year.” Billy Joel 21 Billy Joel is coming to Edinburgh and Liverpool Credit: Getty THE Piano Man will play his only Europe shows of 2025 in Edinburgh on June 7 and in Liverpool on June 21 – his first appearances in both cities for 46 years. Iron Maiden 21 Iron Maiden’s Run For Your Lives world tour includes shows in Birmingham, Manchester, London and Glasgow Credit: Getty Advertisement MARKING 50 years as a group, Iron Maiden’s Run For Your Lives world tour includes shows in Birmingham, Manchester, London and Glasgow in June. Billie Eilish 21 Billie Eilish will bring her Hit Me Hard And Soft tour to Glasgow and Dublin Credit: Getty TOURING the nation in July for the Hit Me Hard And Soft tour, beginning at Glasgow’s OVO Hydro. Her final night is at Dublin’s 3Arena on July 27. Advertisement Katy Perry 21 Katy Perry is back in Britain in October Credit: Getty SEVEN years after her last arena tour, she is back here in October for the Lifetimes Tour, hitting Glasgow, Manchester, Sheffield, Birmingham and London. Imagine Dragons 21 Imagine Dragons will bring their LOOM World Tour to London’s Tottenham Hotspur Stadium for two nights in July Credit: Getty ONE of the most popular pop-rock bands around, they will bring their LOOM World Tour to London’s Tottenham Hotspur Stadium for two nights in July, with support from Declan McKenna. Advertisement Scissor Sisters 21 The Scissor Sisters will reunite for a UK tour in May Credit: Getty CELEBRATING the 21st anniversary of their self-titled debut album, the American Take Your Mama group will reunite for a UK tour in May. Dua Lipa June 20 – 27 21 Dua Lipa is doing a stadium tour Credit: Getty Advertisement SHE sold out her Future Nostalgia arena tour last year and this time is upgrading to stadiums. Dua has two nights at London’s Wembley Stadium and will play a further two dates at Liverpool’s Anfield Stadium, plus another at Dublin’s Aviva Stadium. It follows her Glasto headline performance this summer. Coldplay Aug 22–Sep 8 Advertisement 21 Coldplay are the first band ever to sell out ten nights at Wembley Stadium in a single year Credit: Getty THEY are the first band ever to sell out ten nights at Wembley Stadium in a single year – and they follow six sold-out shows there in 2022 on the same tour. Coldplay will kick off the final swansong of their Music Of The Spheres world tour with two nights at Hull’s Craven Park, before their residency in London. The tour has grossed more than £1billion. Advertisement Olivia Rodrigo Jun 24–Jul 1 21 On top of many other shows, Olivia Rodrigo will headline her own day at BST Hyde Park in London Credit: Getty SHE only completed the Guts World Tour in October, but Olivia will now keep the party going into 2025. As well as two rescheduled shows in Manchester, she will top the bill at Dublin’s Marlay Park and is heavily rumoured to be a headliner at Glastonbury. Advertisement The singing sensation, who has had hits including Deja Vu, Vampire and Drivers License, will also headline her own day at BST Hyde Park in London. Robbie Williams May 31–Jun 14, Aug 23 21 Robbie Williams will play two nights at London’s Emirates Stadium and concerts in Manchester, Bath and Dublin in 2025 Credit: Getty ROBBIE will be embarking on a huge tour, 30 years after his departure from Take That. Advertisement Fresh from his biopic Better Man hitting cinemas, he will headline Newcastle’s inaugural Come Together Festival on June 4. Then there will be two nights at London’s Emirates Stadium and concerts in Manchester, Bath and Dublin. Sabrina Carpenter March 3 -14, Jul 5 21 Popstar Sabrina Carpenter is at the height of her fame Credit: Getty Advertisement AFTER an incredible 21 weeks at number one this year, Sabrina is ready to take the UK by storm with her Short 'N' Sweet tour. She sold out all eight arena shows in Dublin, Birmingham, London Glasgow Manchester as well as a 65,000 ticket headline concert at BST Hyde Park in July. The Espresso singer's tour which began in the states in September has received rave reviews. Lana Del Rey Jun 23-Jul 4 Advertisement 21 Lana Del Rey will play her first stadium tour here in the UK Credit: Getty THE brooding American will play her first stadium tour here in the UK. She will start in Cardiff, before shows in Glasgow, Liverpool and London, most of which has sold out. Fans will also get to hear new music from the six-time chart-topper as she will release her record, The Right Person Will Stay, in May before hitting the road. Advertisement Oasis Jul 4-Aug 17, Sep 27-28 21 The Oasis reunion announcement made headlines around the world IT is the reunion that no one thought would ever happen. Noel and Liam Gallagher have put aside their 16-year rift to kick off Oasis’s comeback at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium on July 4. Advertisement They then play shows in Manchester, London, Edinburgh and Dublin, and return to London in September for two more shows following a stint in the US. Bruce Springsteen May 14-20 and Jun 4, 7 21 Hundreds of thousands of fans are ready to turn out for three Bruce Springsteen shows Credit: Getty HE has been in music for more than 50 years and The Boss will continue to bring in the crowds. Advertisement Hundreds of thousands of fans are ready to turn out for three shows at Manchester’s Co-op Live Arena and a further two nights at Liverpool’s Anfield Stadium. Bruce will be accompanied by his E Street Band for the shows. Usher 21 Usher will play ten nights at London’s O2 Arena Credit: Getty THE American R&B superstar will play ten nights at London’s O2 Arena between March and May as part of his Past Present Future tour. Advertisement Busted v McFly 21 Busted will go head-to-head against McFly - pictured Busted's James Bourne Credit: Getty THE two Noughties pop-rock groups will go head-to-head on a 32-show tour across the UK and Ireland, kicking off in September. Kylie Minogue 21 Kylie Minogue fans will be looking forward to May Credit: Getty SIX years after her last tour, the Aussie pop princess will return to the stage for her Tension Tour, in the UK from May to early June. Advertisement ELO 21 ELO will bow out permanently in July Credit: Getty - Contributor JEFF LYNNE’s Electric Light Orchestra will bow out of music for ever in July, with gigs in Birmingham and Manchester and their final show at BST Hyde Park on July 13. Read more on the Scottish Sun GHOST TOWN Former Scots shopping hotspot 'decaying' as multimillion pound revamp ‘failing’ VAX HORROR Striken Scots 'gaslit' by health bosses after complications from Covid vaccine Olly Murs 21 Olly Murs will tour the length and breadth of the country from April to May Credit: Getty X FACTOR’s cheeky chappy will tour the length and breadth of the country from April to May before a packed schedule of summer shows from June to August. Advertisement Sam Fender 21 Sam Fender headlines London Stadium on June 6 Credit: Getty HIS album People Watching will be out in February, which gives fans plenty of time to learn it before he headlines London Stadium on June 6, and three nights at Newcastle’s St James’ Park later in the month.

BANGKOK — Japanese automakers Honda and Nissan will attempt to merge and create the world's third-largest automaker by sales as the industry undergoes dramatic changes in its transition away from fossil fuels. The two companies said they had signed a memorandum of understanding on Monday and that smaller Nissan alliance member Mitsubishi Motors also had agreed to join the talks on integrating their businesses. Honda will initially lead the new management, retaining the principles and brands of each company. Following is a quick look at what a combined Honda and Nissan would mean for the companies, and for the auto industry. Nissan Chief Executive Makoto Uchida, left, and Honda Chief Executive Toshihiro Mibe, center, and Takao Kato CEO of Mitsubishi Motors, right, arrive to attend a joint news conference Monday, Dec. 23, 2024, in Tokyo, Japan. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko) The ascent of Chinese automakers is rattling the industry at a time when manufacturers are struggling to shift from fossil fuel-driven vehicles to electrics. Relatively inexpensive EVs from China's BYD, Great Wall and Nio are eating into the market shares of U.S. and Japanese car companies in China and elsewhere. Japanese automakers have lagged behind big rivals in EVs and are now trying to cut costs and make up for lost time. Nissan, Honda and Mitsubishi announced in August that they will share components for electric vehicles like batteries and jointly research software for autonomous driving to adapt better to dramatic changes in the auto industry centered around electrification. A preliminary agreement between Honda, Japan's second-largest automaker, and Nissan, third largest, was announced in March. A merger could result in a behemoth worth about $55 billion based on the market capitalization of all three automakers. Joining forces would help the smaller Japanese automakers add scale to compete with Japan's market leader Toyota Motor Corp. and with Germany's Volkswagen AG. Toyota itself has technology partnerships with Japan's Mazda Motor Corp. and Subaru Corp. Nissan Chief Executive Makoto Uchida, left, Honda Chief Executive Toshihiro Mibe, center, and Takao Kato, CEO of Mitsubishi Motors, right, pose for photographers during a joint news conference in Tokyo, Japan, Monday, Dec. 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko) Nissan has truck-based body-on-frame large SUVs such as the Armada and Infiniti QX80 that Honda doesn't have, with large towing capacities and good off-road performance, said Sam Fiorani, vice president of AutoForecast Solutions. Nissan also has years of experience building batteries and electric vehicles, and gas-electric hybird powertrains that could help Honda in developing its own EVs and next generation of hybrids, he said. "Nissan does have some product segments where Honda doesn't currently play," that a merger or partnership could help, said Sam Abuelsamid, a Detroit-area automotive industry analsyt. While Nissan's electric Leaf and Ariya haven't sold well in the U.S., they're solid vehicles, Fiorani said. "They haven't been resting on their laurels, and they have been developing this technology," he said. "They have new products coming that could provide a good platform for Honda for its next generation." Nissan said last month that it was slashing 9,000 jobs, or about 6% of its global work force, and reducing global production capacity by 20% after reporting a quarterly loss of 9.3 billion yen ($61 million). Earlier this month it reshuffled its management and its chief executive, Makoto Uchida, took a 50% pay cut to take responsibility for the financial woes, saying Nissan needed to become more efficient and respond better to market tastes, rising costs and other global changes. Fitch Ratings recently downgraded Nissan's credit outlook to "negative," citing worsening profitability, partly due to price cuts in the North American market. But it noted that it has a strong financial structure and solid cash reserves that amounted to 1.44 trillion yen ($9.4 billion). Nissan's share price has fallen to the point where it is considered something of a bargain. A report in the Japanese financial magazine Diamond said talks with Honda gained urgency after the Taiwan maker of iPhones Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., better known as Foxconn, began exploring a possible acquisition of Nissan as part of its push into the EV sector. The company has struggled for years following a scandal that began with the arrest of its former chairman Carlos Ghosn in late 2018 on charges of fraud and misuse of company assets, allegations that he denies. He eventually was released on bail and fled to Lebanon. Honda reported its profits slipped nearly 20% in the first half of the April-March fiscal year from a year earlier, as sales suffered in China. Toyota made 11.5 million vehicles in 2023, while Honda rolled out 4 million and Nissan produced 3.4 million. Mitsubishi Motors made just over 1 million. Even after a merger Toyota would remain the leading Japanese automaker. All the global automakers are facing potential shocks if President-elect Donald Trump follows through on threats to raise or impose tariffs on imports of foreign products, even from allies like Japan and neighboring countries like Canada and Mexico. Nissan is among the major car companies that have adjusted their supply chains to include vehicles assembled in Mexico. Meanwhile, analysts say there is an "affordability shift" taking place across the industry, led by people who feel they cannot afford to pay nearly $50,000 for a new vehicle. In American, a vital market for companies like Nissan, Honda and Toyota, that's forcing automakers to consider lower pricing, which will eat further into industry profits. ____ AP Auto Writer Tom Krisher contributed to this report from Detroit. Airbags, advanced driver assistance features, and high-strength materials mean that the safest cars today are far better at protecting people from injuries than ever before. Although most new cars compare well to their predecessors, some stand above the rest. The safest cars for 2025 offer excellent occupant protection and also do a good job of preventing accidents from happening in the first place. Based on testing data from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety , or IIHS, and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration , or NHTSA, these are some of the safest cars available today. Ranging from inexpensive compact cars and mainstream midsize sedans to stylish station wagons, posh luxury cars, and sporty coupes and convertibles, Edmunds shares a list that has something for just about everyone. For those who prefer a higher seating position and maybe some added practicality, Edmunds' list of safest SUVs is for you. The stylish Mazda 3 has a lot to offer compact-car shoppers, including great looks, a composed driving experience, and reasonable fuel economy from its base 2.0-liter engine. It's also one of the safest cars in its class, earning a perfect five stars in NHTSA crash testing and sterling crashworthiness and collision avoidance scores from the IIHS. Its standard features are forward collision warning, automatic emergency braking, and lane departure prevention. With mature styling, a premium interior, and an efficient hybrid powertrain option, the 2025 Honda Civic is a great option if safety is a concern since it aces almost all of the IIHS' crash tests and earns a five-star safety rating from the federal government. It also comes standard with adaptive cruise control, lane departure prevention, and forward collision warning with automatic emergency braking. The Civic falls short slightly in the IIHS' updated moderate overlap front test, which now accounts for rear passenger safety, but even so, it's one of the safest cars in its class. Reflective of parent company BMW, today's Mini Cooper is well constructed and features premium safety features that belie its small size, including automatic emergency braking and forward collision warning. Although the Mini hasn't been tested by NHTSA, the IIHS gives the Cooper its highest score of Good in the original driver-side small overlap front, moderate overlap front, and side-impact tests. That said, the IIHS doesn't place the Cooper on its Top Safety Pick or Top Safety Pick+ lists since it hasn't been evaluated on the updated battery of passenger-side small overlap front, moderate overlap front, or side-impact tests. Expect the new-for-2025 Mini Cooper to earn decent crash ratings in those scenarios, especially since it shares its strong platform with the outgoing model. With its recent redesign, the Toyota Prius transformed from a frumpy little caterpillar to a stylish and efficient butterfly. It also became a very safe hybrid hatchback. Perfect scores in all of its government and IIHS crash tests, as well as a sophisticated system of collision avoidance technology, earn it top marks. It's also one of our favorite cars on the market, period, as evidenced by its status as a 2024 Edmunds Top Rated vehicle. The Honda Accord is among the safest midsize sedans on the market today thanks to excellent crashworthiness scores and a competent standard collision prevention system. It's a Top Safety Pick+, beating out rivals like the Hyundai Sonata, Kia K5, and Subaru Legacy, and the Accord also earns a perfect five-star rating from NHTSA. Honda's hybrid-intensive product planning is on full display here—all but the two lowest Accord trims have a hybrid powertrain—and it's also among the most spacious cars in its class. Like its Honda Accord rival, the Toyota Camry is also an IIHS Top Safety Pick+ with a five-star NHTSA rating. It also has a very impressive suite of driver assistance and safety technology, including lane departure prevention with active centering, full-speed adaptive cruise control, and automatic emergency braking. The Camry edges out the Accord in IIHS testing thanks to a more effective collision avoidance system, but both cars are remarkably well matched otherwise. The fully electric Hyundai Ioniq 6 offers excellent safety and collision prevention, with excellent scores across the entire line of IIHS tests. The Ioniq 6 hasn't been tested for rollover resistance by NHTSA, but it earned a four-star front safety rating and a five-star side-impact rating in government tests. Like most EVs, the Hyundai Ioniq 6 comes standard with forward collision warning, automatic emergency braking, and lane departure prevention. It also offers up to 342 miles of all-electric driving in its longest-range trim level. The Acura Integra is a close mechanical cousin to the Honda Civic, so it's no surprise it does well in both the IIHS' and NHTSA's crash tests. The luxury hatchback is a Top Safety Pick+ and earns a perfect five stars in government testing. The AcuraWatch safety suite is standard on the Integra, bringing automatic emergency braking, lane centering, lane departure prevention, and adaptive cruise control. The Mercedes-Benz C-Class is a safe option in the popular small luxury sedan segment thanks to its good scores in IIHS crash testing. Mercedes' best-selling sedan also comes standard with automatic emergency braking and forward collision warning, which helps it earn a Top Safety Pick award. However, it hasn't been tested by the NHTSA. Both the Genesis G80 and the fully electric Genesis Electrified G80 earn a Top Safety Pick+ score from the IIHS thanks to their good scores on the agency's crash tests, as well as a comprehensive suite of active safety features that avoided collisions with simulated pedestrians. The internal-combustion-engine G80 earned a perfect five-star safety rating from NHTSA, and although the Electrified G80 hasn't been tested by the feds just yet, it should likely excel in those tests too. The flagship Genesis G90 sedan competes with the Mercedes-Benz S-Class and BMW 7 Series, and the South Korean automaker clearly hasn't skimped on safety in its fight against the establishment. Although it hasn't been subjected to the NHTSA array of tests, it aced almost all of its IIHS tests, and a long list of standard active safety and driver assistance features sets it apart from the stingy German makes that charge extra for them. With handsome styling and a well-finished interior, the Volvo V60 is a very appealing station wagon for those looking for such a thing. It's also quite safe, with good crashworthiness scores in the IIHS' original moderate overlap front and side-impact scores. Unfortunately, since it hasn't been tested with the updated versions of those tests, it didn't earn this year's Top Safety Pick award, but it was called a Top Safety Pick+ in 2022. NHTSA also gives the V60 a five-star safety rating. Although the Mercedes-Benz E 450 All-Terrain isn't a traditional wagon — it follows the lifted almost-crossover formula shared with the Audi A6 Allroad and Volvo V90 Cross Country — we'll take what we can get in this dwindling category. The All-Terrain hasn't been tested by the IIHS or NHTSA, but a previous-generation E-Class earned a 2023 Top Safety Pick+ award, and Mercedes isn't the kind of company that goes backward when it comes to safety. The E 450 All-Terrain comes standard with automatic emergency braking and forward collision warning, though, at this price, Benz should just make other active safety features standard. With a five-star NHTSA safety rating, standard forward collision warning and emergency braking, and excellent IIHS crashworthiness scores on its original tests, the Audi A6 Allroad does a good job protecting people (both passengers and pedestrians) from crashes. However, since the IIHS hasn't subjected the Allroad to its updated side and moderate front crash criteria, it lost its Top Safety Pick+ status in 2022. Still, it should be a fine option for luxury longroof shoppers. Both the Ford Mustang coupe and convertible perform well in crash testing. The coupe received a five-star safety rating from NHTSA, and both variants scored decently on all the IIHS tests they've undergone. They also come standard with forward collision warning, lane departure prevention, and automatic emergency braking. However, the IIHS needs to test both models on its updated criteria before it will rate them. Although the government hasn't tested it, the Toyota GR86 aced all of its IIHS crashworthiness tests when it was new for the 2022 model year. Unfortunately, since it hasn't been subjected to the IIHS' updated testing since then, it lost its Top Safety Pick+ status. Still, this is a fun-to-drive, sporty coupe that comes standard with a long list of active safety features, and it's reasonably priced to boot. Mechanically identical to the Toyota GR86, the 2025 Subaru BRZ achieves the same safety ratings—who would have thought? It likewise received a Top Safety Pick+ score in 2022 that lapsed when the IIHS updated its criteria for 2023, but like the Toyota, it has a long list of active safety features to go along with its lightweight, rip-roaring sports car attitude. The Audi A5 lost its traditional two-door coupe body style after 2024, but the five-door Sportback body style remains before it's replaced later in 2025. Although it hasn't seen the IIHS' more stringent test regimen, its original crashworthiness scores were good enough to earn it a Top Safety Pick award as recently as 2022. The Sportback is the only variant to be tested by the government, where it earned a five-star safety rating. This story was produced by Edmunds and reviewed and distributed by Stacker. Get the latest local business news delivered FREE to your inbox weekly.How Jimmy Carter rose from humble peanut farmer to the Oval Office and Nobel Peace PrizeNEW YORK (AP) — Sean “Diddy” Combs was denied bail on Wednesday as he awaits a May sex trafficking trial by a judge who cited evidence showing him to be a “serious risk” of witness tampering and proof he has tried to hide prohibited communications with third parties while incarcerated. U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian ruled in a five-page order following a bail hearing last week. At the hearing, lawyers for the hip-hop mogul argued that a $50 million bail package they proposed would be sufficient to ensure Combs doesn’t flee and doesn’t try to intimidate prospective trial witnesses. Two other judges previously had agreed with prosecutors that the Bad Boy Records founder was a danger to the community if he is not behind bars. Subramanian concurred. “There is compelling evidence of Combs's propensity for violence,” Subramanian wrote. Lawyers for Combs did not immediately respond to messages seeking comment on the decision. Nicholas Biase, a spokesperson for prosecutors, declined comment. Combs, 55, has pleaded not guilty to charges that he coerced and abused women for years, aided by associates and employees. An indictment alleges that he silenced victims through blackmail and violence, including kidnapping, arson and physical beatings. A federal appeals court judge last month denied Combs’ immediate release while a three-judge panel of the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan considers his bail request. That appeal was put on hold while Subramanian, newly appointed to the case after an earlier judge stepped aside, considered the bail request for the first time. Subramanian said he took a fresh look at all the bail arguments and the evidence supporting them to make his decision. Prosecutors have insisted that no bail conditions would be sufficient to protect the public and prevent the “I'll Be Missing You” singer from fleeing. They say that even in a federal lockup in Brooklyn, Combs has orchestrated social media campaigns designed to influence prospective jurors and tried to publicly leak materials he thinks can help his case. They say he also has contacted potential witnesses through third parties. Lawyers for Combs say any alleged sexual abuse described in the indictment occurred during consensual relations between adults and that new evidence refutes allegations that Combs used his “power and prestige” to induce female victims into drugged-up, elaborately produced sexual performances with male sex workers known as “Freak Offs.” Subramanian said evidence shows Combs to be a “serious risk of witness tampering,” particularly after he communicated over the summer with a grand jury witness and deleted some of his texts with the witness. The judge also cited evidence showing that Combs violated Bureau of Prisons regulations during pretrial detention at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn when he paid other inmates to use their phone code numbers so he could make calls to individuals who were not on his approved contact list. He said there was also evidence that he told family members and defense counsel to add other people to three-way calls so their communications would be more difficult to trace and that he made efforts to influence his trial's jury pool or to reach potential witnesses. Subramanian said his “willingness to skirt” jailhouse rules to conceal communications was “strong evidence” that any conditions of release would not prevent similar behavior. The judge said defense claims that Combs stopped using one particular phone technique criticized by prosecutors was belied by the fact that Combs apparently used it again on Sunday, two days after his bail hearing last week. Even a bail proposal that would include the strictest form of home confinement seemed insufficient, the judge said. “Given the nature of the allegations in this case and the information provided by the government, the Court doubts the sufficiency of any conditions that place trust in Combs and individuals in his employ — like a private security detail — to follow those conditions,” Subramanian wrote.

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BANGKOK — Japanese automakers Honda and Nissan will attempt to merge and create the world's third-largest automaker by sales as the industry undergoes dramatic changes in its transition away from fossil fuels. The two companies said they had signed a memorandum of understanding on Monday and that smaller Nissan alliance member Mitsubishi Motors also had agreed to join the talks on integrating their businesses. Honda will initially lead the new management, retaining the principles and brands of each company. Following is a quick look at what a combined Honda and Nissan would mean for the companies, and for the auto industry. Nissan Chief Executive Makoto Uchida, left, and Honda Chief Executive Toshihiro Mibe, center, and Takao Kato CEO of Mitsubishi Motors, right, arrive to attend a joint news conference Monday, Dec. 23, 2024, in Tokyo, Japan. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko) The ascent of Chinese automakers is rattling the industry at a time when manufacturers are struggling to shift from fossil fuel-driven vehicles to electrics. Relatively inexpensive EVs from China's BYD, Great Wall and Nio are eating into the market shares of U.S. and Japanese car companies in China and elsewhere. Japanese automakers have lagged behind big rivals in EVs and are now trying to cut costs and make up for lost time. Nissan, Honda and Mitsubishi announced in August that they will share components for electric vehicles like batteries and jointly research software for autonomous driving to adapt better to dramatic changes in the auto industry centered around electrification. A preliminary agreement between Honda, Japan's second-largest automaker, and Nissan, third largest, was announced in March. A merger could result in a behemoth worth about $55 billion based on the market capitalization of all three automakers. Joining forces would help the smaller Japanese automakers add scale to compete with Japan's market leader Toyota Motor Corp. and with Germany's Volkswagen AG. Toyota itself has technology partnerships with Japan's Mazda Motor Corp. and Subaru Corp. Nissan Chief Executive Makoto Uchida, left, Honda Chief Executive Toshihiro Mibe, center, and Takao Kato, CEO of Mitsubishi Motors, right, pose for photographers during a joint news conference in Tokyo, Japan, Monday, Dec. 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko) Nissan has truck-based body-on-frame large SUVs such as the Armada and Infiniti QX80 that Honda doesn't have, with large towing capacities and good off-road performance, said Sam Fiorani, vice president of AutoForecast Solutions. Nissan also has years of experience building batteries and electric vehicles, and gas-electric hybird powertrains that could help Honda in developing its own EVs and next generation of hybrids, he said. "Nissan does have some product segments where Honda doesn't currently play," that a merger or partnership could help, said Sam Abuelsamid, a Detroit-area automotive industry analsyt. While Nissan's electric Leaf and Ariya haven't sold well in the U.S., they're solid vehicles, Fiorani said. "They haven't been resting on their laurels, and they have been developing this technology," he said. "They have new products coming that could provide a good platform for Honda for its next generation." Nissan said last month that it was slashing 9,000 jobs, or about 6% of its global work force, and reducing global production capacity by 20% after reporting a quarterly loss of 9.3 billion yen ($61 million). Earlier this month it reshuffled its management and its chief executive, Makoto Uchida, took a 50% pay cut to take responsibility for the financial woes, saying Nissan needed to become more efficient and respond better to market tastes, rising costs and other global changes. Fitch Ratings recently downgraded Nissan's credit outlook to "negative," citing worsening profitability, partly due to price cuts in the North American market. But it noted that it has a strong financial structure and solid cash reserves that amounted to 1.44 trillion yen ($9.4 billion). Nissan's share price has fallen to the point where it is considered something of a bargain. A report in the Japanese financial magazine Diamond said talks with Honda gained urgency after the Taiwan maker of iPhones Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., better known as Foxconn, began exploring a possible acquisition of Nissan as part of its push into the EV sector. The company has struggled for years following a scandal that began with the arrest of its former chairman Carlos Ghosn in late 2018 on charges of fraud and misuse of company assets, allegations that he denies. He eventually was released on bail and fled to Lebanon. Honda reported its profits slipped nearly 20% in the first half of the April-March fiscal year from a year earlier, as sales suffered in China. Toyota made 11.5 million vehicles in 2023, while Honda rolled out 4 million and Nissan produced 3.4 million. Mitsubishi Motors made just over 1 million. Even after a merger Toyota would remain the leading Japanese automaker. All the global automakers are facing potential shocks if President-elect Donald Trump follows through on threats to raise or impose tariffs on imports of foreign products, even from allies like Japan and neighboring countries like Canada and Mexico. Nissan is among the major car companies that have adjusted their supply chains to include vehicles assembled in Mexico. Meanwhile, analysts say there is an "affordability shift" taking place across the industry, led by people who feel they cannot afford to pay nearly $50,000 for a new vehicle. In American, a vital market for companies like Nissan, Honda and Toyota, that's forcing automakers to consider lower pricing, which will eat further into industry profits. ____ AP Auto Writer Tom Krisher contributed to this report from Detroit. Airbags, advanced driver assistance features, and high-strength materials mean that the safest cars today are far better at protecting people from injuries than ever before. Although most new cars compare well to their predecessors, some stand above the rest. The safest cars for 2025 offer excellent occupant protection and also do a good job of preventing accidents from happening in the first place. Based on testing data from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety , or IIHS, and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration , or NHTSA, these are some of the safest cars available today. Ranging from inexpensive compact cars and mainstream midsize sedans to stylish station wagons, posh luxury cars, and sporty coupes and convertibles, Edmunds shares a list that has something for just about everyone. For those who prefer a higher seating position and maybe some added practicality, Edmunds' list of safest SUVs is for you. The stylish Mazda 3 has a lot to offer compact-car shoppers, including great looks, a composed driving experience, and reasonable fuel economy from its base 2.0-liter engine. It's also one of the safest cars in its class, earning a perfect five stars in NHTSA crash testing and sterling crashworthiness and collision avoidance scores from the IIHS. Its standard features are forward collision warning, automatic emergency braking, and lane departure prevention. With mature styling, a premium interior, and an efficient hybrid powertrain option, the 2025 Honda Civic is a great option if safety is a concern since it aces almost all of the IIHS' crash tests and earns a five-star safety rating from the federal government. It also comes standard with adaptive cruise control, lane departure prevention, and forward collision warning with automatic emergency braking. The Civic falls short slightly in the IIHS' updated moderate overlap front test, which now accounts for rear passenger safety, but even so, it's one of the safest cars in its class. Reflective of parent company BMW, today's Mini Cooper is well constructed and features premium safety features that belie its small size, including automatic emergency braking and forward collision warning. Although the Mini hasn't been tested by NHTSA, the IIHS gives the Cooper its highest score of Good in the original driver-side small overlap front, moderate overlap front, and side-impact tests. That said, the IIHS doesn't place the Cooper on its Top Safety Pick or Top Safety Pick+ lists since it hasn't been evaluated on the updated battery of passenger-side small overlap front, moderate overlap front, or side-impact tests. Expect the new-for-2025 Mini Cooper to earn decent crash ratings in those scenarios, especially since it shares its strong platform with the outgoing model. With its recent redesign, the Toyota Prius transformed from a frumpy little caterpillar to a stylish and efficient butterfly. It also became a very safe hybrid hatchback. Perfect scores in all of its government and IIHS crash tests, as well as a sophisticated system of collision avoidance technology, earn it top marks. It's also one of our favorite cars on the market, period, as evidenced by its status as a 2024 Edmunds Top Rated vehicle. The Honda Accord is among the safest midsize sedans on the market today thanks to excellent crashworthiness scores and a competent standard collision prevention system. It's a Top Safety Pick+, beating out rivals like the Hyundai Sonata, Kia K5, and Subaru Legacy, and the Accord also earns a perfect five-star rating from NHTSA. Honda's hybrid-intensive product planning is on full display here—all but the two lowest Accord trims have a hybrid powertrain—and it's also among the most spacious cars in its class. Like its Honda Accord rival, the Toyota Camry is also an IIHS Top Safety Pick+ with a five-star NHTSA rating. It also has a very impressive suite of driver assistance and safety technology, including lane departure prevention with active centering, full-speed adaptive cruise control, and automatic emergency braking. The Camry edges out the Accord in IIHS testing thanks to a more effective collision avoidance system, but both cars are remarkably well matched otherwise. The fully electric Hyundai Ioniq 6 offers excellent safety and collision prevention, with excellent scores across the entire line of IIHS tests. The Ioniq 6 hasn't been tested for rollover resistance by NHTSA, but it earned a four-star front safety rating and a five-star side-impact rating in government tests. Like most EVs, the Hyundai Ioniq 6 comes standard with forward collision warning, automatic emergency braking, and lane departure prevention. It also offers up to 342 miles of all-electric driving in its longest-range trim level. The Acura Integra is a close mechanical cousin to the Honda Civic, so it's no surprise it does well in both the IIHS' and NHTSA's crash tests. The luxury hatchback is a Top Safety Pick+ and earns a perfect five stars in government testing. The AcuraWatch safety suite is standard on the Integra, bringing automatic emergency braking, lane centering, lane departure prevention, and adaptive cruise control. The Mercedes-Benz C-Class is a safe option in the popular small luxury sedan segment thanks to its good scores in IIHS crash testing. Mercedes' best-selling sedan also comes standard with automatic emergency braking and forward collision warning, which helps it earn a Top Safety Pick award. However, it hasn't been tested by the NHTSA. Both the Genesis G80 and the fully electric Genesis Electrified G80 earn a Top Safety Pick+ score from the IIHS thanks to their good scores on the agency's crash tests, as well as a comprehensive suite of active safety features that avoided collisions with simulated pedestrians. The internal-combustion-engine G80 earned a perfect five-star safety rating from NHTSA, and although the Electrified G80 hasn't been tested by the feds just yet, it should likely excel in those tests too. The flagship Genesis G90 sedan competes with the Mercedes-Benz S-Class and BMW 7 Series, and the South Korean automaker clearly hasn't skimped on safety in its fight against the establishment. Although it hasn't been subjected to the NHTSA array of tests, it aced almost all of its IIHS tests, and a long list of standard active safety and driver assistance features sets it apart from the stingy German makes that charge extra for them. With handsome styling and a well-finished interior, the Volvo V60 is a very appealing station wagon for those looking for such a thing. It's also quite safe, with good crashworthiness scores in the IIHS' original moderate overlap front and side-impact scores. Unfortunately, since it hasn't been tested with the updated versions of those tests, it didn't earn this year's Top Safety Pick award, but it was called a Top Safety Pick+ in 2022. NHTSA also gives the V60 a five-star safety rating. Although the Mercedes-Benz E 450 All-Terrain isn't a traditional wagon — it follows the lifted almost-crossover formula shared with the Audi A6 Allroad and Volvo V90 Cross Country — we'll take what we can get in this dwindling category. The All-Terrain hasn't been tested by the IIHS or NHTSA, but a previous-generation E-Class earned a 2023 Top Safety Pick+ award, and Mercedes isn't the kind of company that goes backward when it comes to safety. The E 450 All-Terrain comes standard with automatic emergency braking and forward collision warning, though, at this price, Benz should just make other active safety features standard. With a five-star NHTSA safety rating, standard forward collision warning and emergency braking, and excellent IIHS crashworthiness scores on its original tests, the Audi A6 Allroad does a good job protecting people (both passengers and pedestrians) from crashes. However, since the IIHS hasn't subjected the Allroad to its updated side and moderate front crash criteria, it lost its Top Safety Pick+ status in 2022. Still, it should be a fine option for luxury longroof shoppers. Both the Ford Mustang coupe and convertible perform well in crash testing. The coupe received a five-star safety rating from NHTSA, and both variants scored decently on all the IIHS tests they've undergone. They also come standard with forward collision warning, lane departure prevention, and automatic emergency braking. However, the IIHS needs to test both models on its updated criteria before it will rate them. Although the government hasn't tested it, the Toyota GR86 aced all of its IIHS crashworthiness tests when it was new for the 2022 model year. Unfortunately, since it hasn't been subjected to the IIHS' updated testing since then, it lost its Top Safety Pick+ status. Still, this is a fun-to-drive, sporty coupe that comes standard with a long list of active safety features, and it's reasonably priced to boot. Mechanically identical to the Toyota GR86, the 2025 Subaru BRZ achieves the same safety ratings—who would have thought? It likewise received a Top Safety Pick+ score in 2022 that lapsed when the IIHS updated its criteria for 2023, but like the Toyota, it has a long list of active safety features to go along with its lightweight, rip-roaring sports car attitude. The Audi A5 lost its traditional two-door coupe body style after 2024, but the five-door Sportback body style remains before it's replaced later in 2025. Although it hasn't seen the IIHS' more stringent test regimen, its original crashworthiness scores were good enough to earn it a Top Safety Pick award as recently as 2022. The Sportback is the only variant to be tested by the government, where it earned a five-star safety rating. This story was produced by Edmunds and reviewed and distributed by Stacker. Get the latest local business news delivered FREE to your inbox weekly.

Alexandra Hospital (AH) on Dec 3 launched a book titled Humanity: Behind Every Face. Partial proceeds from the book sales will go towards helping AH's needy patients. SINGAPORE – A stranger at his father’s wake taught Dr Khoo See Meng, chairman of the medical board at Alexandra Hospital (AH), a valuable life lesson. This stranger was the first to arrive and the last to leave on each night during the five-day wake in Muar, Malaysia, in 2012. Gripped by their loss, the family did not inquire about the man’s relationship with the late Mr Khoo Chee Pheng. A month later, Dr Khoo’s brother discovered that the man ran a newspaper stall. Their father – who was in his 70s when he died – had bought copies of newspapers, such as Sin Chew Daily and China Press, from the man daily to help sustain his struggling business. Dr Khoo, 55, said: “My family had a subscription for Sin Chew Daily, so the house would end up with two copies of the same paper every day, which got my mum really upset, and my brother puzzled.” This is one of the personal stories told by 50 individuals from AH in a 128-page book titled Humanity: Behind Every Face, which was launched on Dec 3. Partial proceeds from the book sales will go towards helping the hospital’s needy patients. The book was the brainchild of AH deputy chief executive officer Margaret Lee, who wanted it to be a testament to why healthcare workers care, day after day, despite their personal trials and struggles. “The title ‘Humanity’ was chosen thoughtfully to encapsulate both the compassion and excellence we strive for in healthcare and the deeper, universal truth that connects us all,” said Ms Lee. In the foreword, Health Minister Ong Ye Kung wrote that the book is a timely reminder to acknowledge and recognise healthcare workers. “In healthcare, the focus is often on clinical outcomes, and it is also easy to overlook the human element that is at the heart of this noble profession,” he noted. After the idea for the book was conceived in April 2023, communications manager Yvonne Lee and intern Chloe Tan spent many hours over six months interviewing the individuals, including healthcare staff and contract cleaners. Ms Lee, 38, said: “When some of them shared about their life-changing experiences, we got emotional and cried together.” Ms Tan, 20, a communications undergraduate at Nanyang Technological University, said: “They have spoken about parenthood, health scares, losing loved ones... and much more. I hope there is something in here – even just a line or two – for everyone to resonate with.” Among those featured in the book was corporate planning manager Ashley Nguyen, 39, who battled thyroid cancer twice, in 2015 and 2021. Now in remission, Ms Nguyen said: “My work involves meeting some foreign patients, many of whom have cancer. I often share with them about my own experience and assure them that cancer is not ‘the end’.” Senior project specialist Serene Poh, 65, had a golf ball-sized brain tumour in 2000 and underwent a 12-hour operation that carried risks of paralysis, coma or even death. At the time, her husband was overseas for work, and their daughter was just four years old. As she was wheeled out from the recovery bay, she felt a burning pain from her wound each time the bed crossed a little bump on the floor. “I finally understood the perspective of a patient after I became one myself,” she said. “Now that I’m given a second chance in life, I am more patient-centric.” Ms Aishah Elshukrin, a senior social work coordinator, also found inspiration in her own struggles to give back in meaningful ways. The 27-year-old started working as a part-time banquet staff member at age 16 to provide for her family after her mother was diagnosed with cancer. It was during this time that she saw how the medical social workers assisted her family. Ms Aishah is currently studying for a degree in social work at the Singapore University of Social Sciences to achieve her goal of becoming a medical social worker. “When I counsel a patient or their loved ones at the hospital, I know exactly how they feel,” she said. The book also features Mr Kesavan, an associate executive of ALPS Healthcare, which is AH’s procurement service provider. He lost his 19-year-old girlfriend in a road accident when he was 22 years old. He went into a state of shock, followed by two years of isolation during which he stayed home all day. He was eventually coaxed out of despair by his family and friends. Now that the 33-year-old knows there is no guaranteed tomorrow, he believes there is no downside to being humble and nice. “I have become stronger and more loving, and I always look out for my colleagues now,” said Mr Kesavan, who goes by one name. The 18-month project was done entirely in-house except for the printing and distribution. One of the challenges for senior assistant communications manager Sheereen Yeo was getting her colleagues to pose naturally for the camera. She overcame this by getting them to retell their stories while their photographs were being taken around the hospital. The 18-month project was done entirely in-house except for the printing and distribution. ST PHOTO: LIM YAOHUI Ms Yeo, 34, who shot all the photos, said: “These are the colleagues you pass by every day, and you don’t really know what they are going through. I have learnt to be kinder to the people I see daily.” Added Dr Khoo: “This silent story that my family uncovered about my father... reminds me of the importance of taking an interest in the lives of seemingly random strangers. (It) stirred some of the deepest questions about the meaning of a man’s everyday engagement with the world.” Humanity: Behind Every Face is on sale at $29.90 at major bookstores, including Book Bar and Kinokuniya, and online stores such as Book Bar ( https://bookbar.sg/store/p/humanity ) and Amazon. Join ST's WhatsApp Channel and get the latest news and must-reads. Read 3 articles and stand to win rewards Spin the wheel nowIn preparation for the global Nutrition for Growth (N4G) Summit 2025, set to take place in March 2025 in Paris, France, the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) and Fruit of Sustainability convened a Stakeholder Dialogue at the Avari Hotel in Lahore. The dialogue, titled “Partnering for Healthier Food Systems & Nutrition: SMEs and Food Regulators in Focus,” aimed to address critical challenges in regulatory compliance, innovation, and collaboration to improve nutrition and food safety in Pakistan. The N4G Summit is a global platform dedicated to mobilizing financial, political, and community action to combat malnutrition and ensure healthier food systems worldwide. This Stakeholder Dialogue is a crucial initiative to connect local challenges and solutions with the global discourse, contributing actionable insights to the summit’s agenda. The dialogue brought together diverse participants, including representatives from Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), regulatory bodies, and nutrition experts. The event began with a welcome address by Sarim Mehmood, CEO and Founder of Fruit of Sustainability, followed by opening remarks from Mr. Faiz Rasool, Head of Policy & Advocacy at GAIN Pakistan, who provided an overview of Pakistan’s malnutrition landscape and emphasized the role of SMEs in transforming food systems. Dr. Talat Naseer Pasha, Director General of the Punjab Agriculture Food & Drug Authority (PAFDA), delivered special remarks highlighting the regulatory landscape in Pakistan and opportunities for fostering innovation and compliance. Participants were then divided into thematic focus groups to discuss key issues: Regulatory compliance and fostering innovation. Building SME capacity for sustained growth. Strengthening collaboration between SMEs and food regulators.

Stock market today: Dow closes at record, S&P 500, Nasdaq rise as Wall Street notches strong weekly gainsOscar-nominated Don’t Look Up director Adam McKay has said he wouldn’t be surprised to see Wicked banned in America given the country’s current political trajectory. McKay, 56, made the bold assumption on X/Twitter on Monday (December 23), calling Part 1 of Jon M. Chu’s blockbuster smash, starring Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande , “one of the most radical big studio Hollywood movies ever made.” “I know Part 2 swings back to the center a bit,” he said of the second half of the musical epic coming to theaters on November 21, 2025, “but Part 1 is nakedly about radicalization in the face of careerism, fascism, propaganda.” Responding to a surprised commenter who said they hadn’t seen Wicked yet because they thought it looked more like “American fantasy, franchise-wringing and CGI fare,” McKay said: “I think you’ll be shocked. If America keeps going on the track it is I wouldn’t be surprised to see the movie banned in 3-5 years.” He went on to compare Wicked to a handful of 20th-century classics, including The Sound of Music , Citizen Kane , Bridge on the River Kwai and The Searchers , as well as newer fare such as The Hunger Games , which he labeled “incredibly left wing.” “What’s really striking about Wicked Part 1 is that it’s coming out NOW when America has never been more right wing and propagandized,” he added. “And yes, I know the theatrical production and the book are much older so part of the timing is a coincidence but still...” Replying to one critic who shared a picture of a hand touching grass, The Big Short director retorted: “Yeah, I’m so crazy for thinking films, books or music could ever get banned in the U.S.” He included a link to an article outlining every Texas school district book ban. “They banned dozens of songs after 9/11 including ‘Imagine’ by one of the Beatles,” McKay noted. In a separate response to a user mocking him for suggesting that the movie would be banned nationwide, the Step Brother director said: “Jesus dude. You really think I’m 100% saying the movie will for sure be banned to the point where no one can ever see it? The idea of shutting down non profits at the President’s discretion is in motion. Things r changing fast.” Earlier this month, Chu’s record-breaking adaptation of the Broadway hit about two witches who forge an unlikely bond was briefly pulled from Kuwait cinemas, with a number of local outlets speculating the ban was due to the film’s LGBTQ+ casting. McKay is well-known for directing political movies. His latest picture was the 2021 star-studded doomsday satire Don’t Look Up , which followed two astronomers who embark on a media campaign to warn mankind of an incoming meteor set to destroy Earth. He also directed the 2018 political satire Vice about former U.S. president Dick Cheney.By ADRIANA GOMEZ LICON FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump promised on Tuesday to “vigorously pursue” capital punishment after President Joe Biden commuted the sentences of most people on federal death row partly to stop Trump from pushing forward their executions. Related Articles National Politics | Elon Musk’s preschool is the next step in his anti-woke education dreams National Politics | Trump’s picks for top health jobs not just team of rivals but ‘team of opponents’ National Politics | Biden will decide on US Steel acquisition after influential panel fails to reach consensus National Politics | Biden vetoes once-bipartisan effort to add 66 federal judgeships, citing ‘hurried’ House action National Politics | A history of the Panama Canal — and why Trump can’t take it back on his own Trump criticized Biden’s decision on Monday to change the sentences of 37 of the 40 condemned people to life in prison without parole, arguing that it was senseless and insulted the families of their victims. Biden said converting their punishments to life imprisonment was consistent with the moratorium imposed on federal executions in cases other than terrorism and hate-motivated mass murder. “Joe Biden just commuted the Death Sentence on 37 of the worst killers in our Country,” he wrote on his social media site. “When you hear the acts of each, you won’t believe that he did this. Makes no sense. Relatives and friends are further devastated. They can’t believe this is happening!” Presidents historically have no involvement in dictating or recommending the punishments that federal prosecutors seek for defendants in criminal cases, though Trump has long sought more direct control over the Justice Department’s operations. The president-elect wrote that he would direct the department to pursue the death penalty “as soon as I am inaugurated,” but was vague on what specific actions he may take and said they would be in cases of “violent rapists, murderers, and monsters.” He highlighted the cases of two men who were on federal death row for slaying a woman and a girl, had admitted to killing more and had their sentences commuted by Biden. Is it a plan in motion or more rhetoric? On the campaign trail, Trump often called for expanding the federal death penalty — including for those who kill police officers, those convicted of drug and human trafficking, and migrants who kill U.S. citizens. “Trump has been fairly consistent in wanting to sort of say that he thinks the death penalty is an important tool and he wants to use it,” said Douglas Berman, an expert on sentencing at Ohio State University’s law school. “But whether practically any of that can happen, either under existing law or other laws, is a heavy lift.” Berman said Trump’s statement at this point seems to be just a response to Biden’s commutation. “I’m inclined to think it’s still in sort of more the rhetoric phase. Just, ‘don’t worry. The new sheriff is coming. I like the death penalty,’” he said. Most Americans have historically supported the death penalty for people convicted of murder, according to decades of annual polling by Gallup, but support has declined over the past few decades. About half of Americans were in favor in an October poll, while roughly 7 in 10 Americans backed capital punishment for murderers in 2007. Death row inmates are mostly sentenced by states Before Biden’s commutation, there were 40 federal death row inmates compared with more than 2,000 who have been sentenced to death by states. “The reality is all of these crimes are typically handled by the states,” Berman said. A question is whether the Trump administration would try to take over some state murder cases, such as those related to drug trafficking or smuggling. He could also attempt to take cases from states that have abolished the death penalty. Could rape now be punishable by death? Berman said Trump’s statement, along with some recent actions by states, may present an effort to get the Supreme Court to reconsider a precedent that considers the death penalty disproportionate punishment for rape. “That would literally take decades to unfold. It’s not something that is going to happen overnight,” Berman said. Before one of Trump’s rallies on Aug. 20, his prepared remarks released to the media said he would announce he would ask for the death penalty for child rapists and child traffickers. But Trump never delivered the line. What were the cases highlighted by Trump? One of the men Trump highlighted on Tuesday was ex-Marine Jorge Avila Torrez, who was sentenced to death for killing a sailor in Virginia and later pleaded guilty to the fatal stabbing of an 8-year-old and a 9-year-old girl in a suburban Chicago park several years before. The other man, Thomas Steven Sanders, was sentenced to death for the kidnapping and slaying of a 12-year-old girl in Louisiana, days after shooting the girl’s mother in a wildlife park in Arizona. Court records show he admitted to both killings. Some families of victims expressed anger with Biden’s decision, but the president had faced pressure from advocacy groups urging him to make it more difficult for Trump to increase the use of capital punishment for federal inmates. The ACLU and the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops were some of the groups that applauded the decision. Biden left three federal inmates to face execution. They are Dylann Roof, who carried out the 2015 racist slayings of nine Black members of Mother Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina; 2013 Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev ; and Robert Bowers, who fatally shot 11 congregants at Pittsburgh’s Tree of Life Synagogue in 2018 , the deadliest antisemitic attack in U.S history. Associated Press writers Jill Colvin, Michelle L. Price and Eric Tucker contributed to this report.

Longtime SF Giant Brandon Crawford announces retirementBARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Tens of thousands of Spaniards marched in downtown Barcelona on Saturday to protest the skyrocketing cost of renting an apartment in the popular tourist destination. Protesters cut off traffic on main avenues in the city center, holding up homemade signs in Spanish reading “Fewer apartments for investing and more homes for living" and “The people without homes uphold their rights.” The lack of affordable housing has become one of the leading concerns for the southern European Union country, mirroring the housing crunch across many parts of the world, including the United States . Organizers said that over 170,000 had turned out, while Barcelona’s police said they estimated some 22,000 marched. Either way, the throngs of people clogging the streets recalled the massive separatist rallies at the height of the previous decade’s Catalan independence movement. Now, social concerns led by housing have displaced political crusades. That is because the average rent for Spain has doubled in last 10 years. The price per square meter has risen from 7.2 euros ($7.5) in 2014 to 13 euros this year, according to the popular online real estate website Idealista. The growth is even more acute in cities like Barcelona and Madrid. Incomes meanwhile have failed to keep up, especially for younger people in a country with chronically high unemployment. Protester Samuel Saintot said he is “frustrated and scared” after being told by the owners of the apartment he has rented for the past 15 years in Barcelona’s city center that he must vacate the premises. He suspects that the owners want him out so they can renovate it and boost the price. “Even looking in a 20- or 30-kilometer radius outside town, I can’t even find anything within the price range I can afford,” he told The Associated Press. “And I consider myself a very fortunate person, because I earn a decent salary. And even in my case, I may be forced to leave town.” A report by the Bank of Spain indicates that nearly 40% of Spaniards who rent dedicate an average of 40% of their income to paying rents and utilities, compared to the European Union average of 27% of renters who do so. “We are talking about a housing emergency. It means people having many difficulties both in accessing and staying in their homes,” said Ignasi Martí, professor for Esade business school and head of its Dignified Housing Observatory. The rise in rents is causing significant pain in Spain, where traditionally people seek to own their homes. Rental prices have also been driven up by short-term renters including tourists. Many migrants to Spain are also disproportionately hit by the high rents because they often do not have enough savings. Spain is near the bottom end of OECD countries with under 2% of all housing available being public housing for rent. The OECD average is 7%. Spain is far behind France, with 14%, Britain with 16%, and the Netherlands with 34%. “I think it’s impossible to make prices fall to what they were a few years back. It makes me cry,” said protester Laia Pizjuán. “It's so upsetting. I know so many people who are in a bad situation. I have relatives living together in crowded apartments because they can’t afford to live on their own.” Carme Arcarazo, spokesperson for Barcelona’s Tenants Union which helped organize the protest, said that renters should consider a “rent strike” and cease paying their monthly rents in a mass protest movement. “I think we the tenants have understood that this depends on us. That we can’t keep asking and making demands to the authorities and waiting for an answer. We must take the reins of the situation,” Arcarazo told the AP. “So, if they (the owners) won’t lower the rent, then we will force them to do it." The Barcelona protest came a month after tens of thousands rallied against high rents in Madrid. The rising discontent over housing is putting pressure on Spain’s governing Socialist party, which leads a coalition on the national level and is in charge of Catalonia’s regional government and Barcelona’s city hall. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez presided over what the government termed a “housing summit” including government officials and real estate developers last month. But the Barcelona’s Tenants Union boycotted the event, saying it was like calling a summit for curing cancer and inviting tobacco companies to participate. The leading government measure has been a rent cap mechanism that the central government has offered to regional authorities based on a price index established by the housing ministry. Rent controls can be applied to areas deemed to be “highly stressed” by high rental prices. Catalonia was the first region to apply those caps, which are in place in downtown Barcelona. Many locals blame the million of tourists who visit Barcelona, and the rest of Spain, each year for the high prices. Barcelona’s town hall has pledged to completely eliminate the city’s 10,000 so called “tourist apartments,” or dwellings with permits for short-term rents, by 2028.Trump vows to pursue executions after Biden commutes most of federal death row

Best Stock to Buy Right Now: Costco vs. WalmartNEW YORK (AP) — Sean “Diddy” Combs was denied bail on Wednesday as he awaits a May sex trafficking trial by a judge who cited evidence showing him to be a “serious risk” of witness tampering and proof he has tried to hide prohibited communications with third parties while incarcerated. U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian ruled in a five-page order following a bail hearing last week. At the hearing, lawyers for the hip-hop mogul argued that a $50 million bail package they proposed would be sufficient to ensure Combs doesn’t flee and doesn’t try to intimidate prospective trial witnesses. Two other judges previously had agreed with prosecutors that the Bad Boy Records founder was a danger to the community if he is not behind bars. Subramanian concurred. “There is compelling evidence of Combs's propensity for violence,” Subramanian wrote. Lawyers for Combs did not immediately respond to messages seeking comment on the decision. Nicholas Biase, a spokesperson for prosecutors, declined comment. Combs, 55, has pleaded not guilty to for years, aided by associates and employees. An indictment alleges that he silenced victims through blackmail and violence, including kidnapping, arson and physical beatings. A federal appeals court judge last month denied Combs’ immediate release while a three-judge panel of the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan considers his bail request. That appeal was put on hold while Subramanian, newly appointed to the case after an earlier judge stepped aside, considered the bail request for the first time. Subramanian said he took a fresh look at all the bail arguments and the evidence supporting them to make his decision. Prosecutors have insisted that no bail conditions would be sufficient to protect the public and prevent the “I'll Be Missing You” singer from fleeing. They say that even in a federal lockup in Brooklyn, Combs has orchestrated social media campaigns designed to influence prospective jurors and tried to publicly leak materials he thinks can help his case. They say he also has contacted potential witnesses through third parties. Lawyers for Combs say any alleged sexual abuse described in the indictment occurred during consensual relations between adults and that new evidence refutes allegations that Combs used his to induce into drugged-up, elaborately produced sexual performances with male sex workers known as “Freak Offs.” Subramanian said evidence shows Combs to be a “serious risk of witness tampering,” particularly after he communicated over the summer with a grand jury witness and deleted some of his texts with the witness. The judge also cited evidence showing that Combs violated Bureau of Prisons regulations during pretrial detention at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn when he paid other inmates to use their phone code numbers so he could make calls to individuals who were not on his approved contact list. He said there was also evidence that he told family members and defense counsel to add other people to three-way calls so their communications would be more difficult to trace and that he made efforts to influence his trial's jury pool or to reach potential witnesses. Subramanian said his “willingness to skirt” jailhouse rules to conceal communications was “strong evidence” that any conditions of release would not prevent similar behavior. The judge said defense claims that Combs stopped using one particular phone technique criticized by prosecutors was belied by the fact that Combs apparently used it again on Sunday, two days after his bail hearing last week. Even a bail proposal that would include the strictest form of home confinement seemed insufficient, the judge said. “Given the nature of the allegations in this case and the information provided by the government, the Court doubts the sufficiency of any conditions that place trust in Combs and individuals in his employ — like a private security detail — to follow those conditions,” Subramanian wrote. Larry Neumeister, The Associated Press

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Published 4:39 pm Tuesday, November 26, 2024 By Data Skrive On the Week 13 NFL slate, we have the Chargers (-1.5) as the best against-the-spread bet on the board. See below for more tips on point spreads and totals, including parlay possibilities. Catch every NFL touchdown with NFL RedZone on Fubo. Not all offers available in all states, please visit BetMGM for the latest promotions for your area. Must be 21+ to gamble, please wager responsibly. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, contact 1-800-GAMBLER .PRINCESS ANNE, Md. (AP) — Ketron Shaw scored 30 points to lead Maryland Eastern Shore past Bryn Athyn 91-65 on Saturday. Shaw also contributed seven rebounds and six assists for the Hawks (2-11), who ended a seven-game slide with the win. Chris Flippin added 22 points and five rebounds. Evan Johnson had 14 points. Isaac Marshall and Jalen Cary both scored 15 to lead the Lions. Jalen Parker had 14 points, two steals and two blocks. The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar .The team posted a video on social media of team members walking to Scotiabank Arena, with player Maveric Lamoureux saying the bus was “not moving at all.” Several city streets had been closed during the day for the annual Santa Claus parade. The Maple Leafs earned their fourth consecutive win by defeating Utah 3-2. The viral incident prompted Ontario Premier Doug Ford to call the congestion “embarrassing” and “unacceptable,” highlighting his government’s plan to address the city’s gridlock through bike lane legislation. It wasn’t the first time a Toronto visitor had to ditch their vehicle to make it to an event on time. In June, former One Direction band member Niall Horan had to walk through traffic to get to his concert at Scotiabank Arena. AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhlSaquon Barkley and the Philadelphia Eagles make their second-to-last road trip of the regular season Sunday to face Derrick Henry and the Baltimore Ravens. The NFC East-leading Eagles (9-2) have won seven in a row and play four of their final six games in Philadelphia, traveling only about 125 miles to visit the Ravens (8-4) this weekend and the Washington Commanders in Week 16. Sunday's game features the NFL's two leading rushers. Barkley (1,392 yards) and Henry (1,325) are far ahead of Green Bay's Josh Jacobs (944) in third place. Henry leads the league with 13 rushing touchdowns. Barkley (10) is tied for fourth and Philadelphia quarterback Jalen Hurts (11) tied for second. The matchup also features two of the top candidates for Most Valuable Player honors entering Week 13 in Barkley and Baltimore quarterback Lamar Jackson, who won his second MVP award last season. Their competition includes quarterbacks Josh Allen of Buffalo and Jared Goff of Detroit, with Allen widely considered the favorite. "Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry are phenomenal football players that help their team win football games, and Jalen Hurts and Saquon Barkley are phenomenal football players that help their team win football games," Eagles coach Nick Sirianni said. "Excited about the opportunity this week because it's our next one. It will be a really good opponent, really well coached, good players, good atmosphere that will be there. Excited about the opportunity this week. And we're going to have to be on it against a really good team." The showdown at M&T Bank Stadium also pits Baltimore's No. 1 offense (426.7 yards per game) and No. 2 scoring offense (30.3 points per game) against Philadelphia's No. 1 defense (274.6) and No. 6 scoring defense (18.1). The Eagles have held seven consecutive opponents to under 300 total yards, while the Ravens have gained at least 329 yards of offense in all 11 games. Philadelphia is coming off a 37-20 road win over the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday night in which Barkley smashed the franchise record with 255 rushing yards. Baltimore also earned a prime-time win in Los Angeles, defeating the Chargers 30-23 in the "Harbaugh Bowl" on Monday night behind Jackson's three touchdowns (two passing, one rushing). Jackson said he's looking forward to the Barkley and Henry show. "I've known Saquon from high school. We were in the all-star game together and he jumped over somebody's head," Jackson recalled Wednesday. "So I've pretty much seen him before I even got to the league, college, anything. I've been knowing about Saquon, but Derrick Henry -- King Henry -- I'm with him every day and I'm seeing what he's capable of, so it's going to be a great matchup." Ravens linebacker Roquan Smith practiced Wednesday after sitting out Monday with a hamstring issue. Nose tackle Michael Pierce (calf) was designated to return from injured reserve. Tight end Charlie Kolar (broken arm) is out for several weeks and cornerback Arthur Maulet (calf) did not practice. The Eagles lost veteran defensive end Brandon Graham to a season-ending triceps injury Sunday. Wideout DeVonta Smith (hamstring) missed the win over the Rams and did not practice Wednesday. Neither did cornerbacks Darius Slay (concussion) or Kelee Ringo (calf). Philadelphia is 5-1 away from home this season -- 6-1 if you count their season-opening "home" victory against the Packers in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Baltimore is 4-1 at home. The Ravens hold a 3-2-1 lead in the series with the Eagles. They haven't met since Baltimore's 30-28 win in Week 6 at Philadelphia in 2020. --Field Level Media

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Saquon Barkley and the Philadelphia Eagles make their second-to-last road trip of the regular season Sunday to face Derrick Henry and the Baltimore Ravens. The NFC East-leading Eagles (9-2) have won seven in a row and play four of their final six games in Philadelphia, traveling only about 125 miles to visit the Ravens (8-4) this weekend and the Washington Commanders in Week 16. Sunday's game features the NFL's two leading rushers. Barkley (1,392 yards) and Henry (1,325) are far ahead of Green Bay's Josh Jacobs (944) in third place. Henry leads the league with 13 rushing touchdowns. Barkley (10) is tied for fourth and Philadelphia quarterback Jalen Hurts (11) tied for second. The matchup also features two of the top candidates for Most Valuable Player honors entering Week 13 in Barkley and Baltimore quarterback Lamar Jackson, who won his second MVP award last season. Their competition includes quarterbacks Josh Allen of Buffalo and Jared Goff of Detroit, with Allen widely considered the favorite. "Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry are phenomenal football players that help their team win football games, and Jalen Hurts and Saquon Barkley are phenomenal football players that help their team win football games," Eagles coach Nick Sirianni said. "Excited about the opportunity this week because it's our next one. It will be a really good opponent, really well coached, good players, good atmosphere that will be there. Excited about the opportunity this week. And we're going to have to be on it against a really good team." The showdown at M&T Bank Stadium also pits Baltimore's No. 1 offense (426.7 yards per game) and No. 2 scoring offense (30.3 points per game) against Philadelphia's No. 1 defense (274.6) and No. 6 scoring defense (18.1). The Eagles have held seven consecutive opponents to under 300 total yards, while the Ravens have gained at least 329 yards of offense in all 11 games. Philadelphia is coming off a 37-20 road win over the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday night in which Barkley smashed the franchise record with 255 rushing yards. Baltimore also earned a prime-time win in Los Angeles, defeating the Chargers 30-23 in the "Harbaugh Bowl" on Monday night behind Jackson's three touchdowns (two passing, one rushing). Jackson said he's looking forward to the Barkley and Henry show. "I've known Saquon from high school. We were in the all-star game together and he jumped over somebody's head," Jackson recalled Wednesday. "So I've pretty much seen him before I even got to the league, college, anything. I've been knowing about Saquon, but Derrick Henry -- King Henry -- I'm with him every day and I'm seeing what he's capable of, so it's going to be a great matchup." Ravens linebacker Roquan Smith practiced Wednesday after sitting out Monday with a hamstring issue. Nose tackle Michael Pierce (calf) was designated to return from injured reserve. Tight end Charlie Kolar (broken arm) is out for several weeks and cornerback Arthur Maulet (calf) did not practice. The Eagles lost veteran defensive end Brandon Graham to a season-ending triceps injury Sunday. Wideout DeVonta Smith (hamstring) missed the win over the Rams and did not practice Wednesday. Neither did cornerbacks Darius Slay (concussion) or Kelee Ringo (calf). Philadelphia is 5-1 away from home this season -- 6-1 if you count their season-opening "home" victory against the Packers in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Baltimore is 4-1 at home. The Ravens hold a 3-2-1 lead in the series with the Eagles. They haven't met since Baltimore's 30-28 win in Week 6 at Philadelphia in 2020. --Field Level MediaNova Scotia Liberal vote crumbles because of 'damaged' brand, leader tied to Trudeau

NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks wavered in afternoon trading on Wall Street Monday at the start of a holiday-shortened week. The S&P 500 rose 0.4%. A handful of technology companies helped support the gains. The Dow Jones Industrial Average slipped 63 points, or 0.2% as of 1:18 p.m. Eastern time. The tech-heavy Nasdaq composite rose 0.7%. Semiconductor giant Nvidia, whose enormous valuation gives it an outsize influence on indexes, rose 3%. Broadcom jumped 5.2% to also help support the broader market. Japanese automakers Honda Motor and Nissan said they are talking about combining in a deal that might also include Mitsubishi Motors. Honda rose 3.8% and Nissan rose 1.6% in Tokyo. Eli Lilly rose 3% after announcing that regulators approved Zepbound as the first and only prescription medicine for adults with sleep apnea. Department store Nordstrom fell 1.7% after it agreed to be taken private by Nordstrom family members and a Mexican retail group in a $6.25 billion deal. The Conference Board said that consumer confidence slipped in December. Its consumer confidence index fell back to 104.7 from 112.8 in November. Wall Street was expecting a reading of 113.8. The unexpectedly weak consumer confidence update follows several generally strong economic reports last week. One report showed the overall economy grew at a 3.1% annualized rate during the summer, faster than earlier thought. The latest report on unemployment benefit applications showed that the job market remains solid. A report on Friday said a measure of inflation the Federal Reserve likes to use was slightly lower last month than economists expected. Worries about inflation edging higher again had been weighing on Wall Street and the Fed. The central bank just delivered its third cut to interest rates this year, but inflation has been hovering stubbornly above its target of 2%. It has signaled that it could deliver fewer cuts to interest rates next year than it earlier anticipated because of concerns over inflation. Expectations for more interest rate cuts have helped drive a 24% gain for the S&P 500 in 2024. That drive included 57 all-time highs this year. Inflation concerns have added to uncertainties heading into 2025, which include the labor market's path ahead and shifting economic policies under an incoming President Donald Trump. "Put simply, much of the strong market performance prior to last week was driven by expectations that a best-case scenario was the base case for 2025," said Brent Schutte, chief investment officer at Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Company Treasury yields edged higher in the bond market. The yield on the 10-year Treasury rose to 4.58% from 4.53% late Friday. European markets were mostly lower, while markets in Asia gained ground. Wall Street has several other economic reports to look forward to this week. On Tuesday, the U.S. will release its November report for sales of newly constructed homes. A weekly update on unemployment benefits is expected on Thursday. Markets in the U.S. will close early on Tuesday for Christmas Eve and will remain closed on Wednesday for Christmas.

With the launch of Nigeria’s Oriental Energy Resources $315 million Floating Production, Storage and Floating (FPSO) vessel in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE), the nation’s crude production would increase by 30,000 barrels per day by the first quarter of 2025. The FPSO vessel, with a storage capacity of one million barrels, which would kick off with an initial production of 17,000 barrels per day before increasing its production capacity to 30,000 bpd would be departing for Nigeria in Q1 2025 and commence production at the Okwok Oil Field in the first half of 2025. According to a release by a Presidential spokesman, Stanley Nkwocha, Vice President Kashim Shettima, who represented President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the commissioning and naming ceremony of the vessel, described the facility as more than just a maritime infrastructure project, saying it was a pointer to the success of Tinubu’s reforms in the sector as well as Nigeria’s growing global influence. Speaking on Saturday while commissioning the oil facility at the Drydocks World Dubai Shipyard in Dubai, Shettima pointed out that what sets Nigerians apart was not merely the audacity of their ambition, but their unique understanding of where the world was headed. “This FPSO vessel is more than just a technological achievement; it is a symbol of Nigeria’s ambition and our readiness to meet global energy demands. Under President Tinubu’s leadership, we are witnessing the transformation of the oil and gas sector, which is central to our economic revitalisation efforts,” the Vice President said. According to him, the vessel was a critical link in Nigeria’s ambition to optimize productivity, enabling the country to become a central hub for hydrocarbon demand, both domestically and globally. The Vice President lauded Alhaji Muhammadu Indimi, the Executive Chairman of Oriental Energy Resources Limited, for his remarkable contributions to the industry. He stated: “Over the decades, Alhaji Muhammadu Indimi has stood as a model businessman and symbol of excellence in the oil and gas industry. So, it’s not surprising that his vision has transformed Oriental Energy Resources Limited into a global phenomenon. “This outcome testifies to what is possible when ambition is matched with perseverance and expertise. His journey reminds us that Nigeria is a land of opportunity, and with dedication, there is no limit to what we can achieve.” Shettima further explained that as Nigeria’s home-based refineries come alive, vessels like this would be instrumental in maximising the nation’s production capacity and driving economic growth. “Just about two weeks ago, His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, was in Paris, where he oversaw the expansion of one of Nigeria’s indigenous banks into that sphere of the European financial market. That historic moment reflected our collective aspiration as a nation,” he noted. Shettima further pointed out that the UAE demonstrated what could be achieved when natural resources were leveraged effectively, just as he reaffirmed the Nigerian government’s support for transformative initiatives “which align with Nigeria’s vision for expanding hydrocarbon exploration, storage, and refining. “This FPSO vessel symbolizes a future where Nigerian ingenuity meets global standards, and we will be here every step of the way to ensure its utility and success,” he added. Expressing delight in the project, Borno State Governor, Prof. Babagana Umara Zulum, commended the vision and tenacity of the Chairman of Oriental Energy Nigeria, saying his investment would stimulate economic growth and create job opportunities for many Nigerians, as well as ensure steady growth and development of the nation’s economy.

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The birth of humanoid agents: The convergence of ai, mechanics, and humanitySo, you went a little crazy during the recent Black Friday and bought too many items you don’t need. Or you want to discard items that no longer spark joy. Perhaps you’re strapped for cash but you still need to get some last-minute birthday gifts or Christmas shopping. Or you need some items and you know secondhand works just fine. Whatever situation you find yourself in, thrift stores can be the light at the end of the tunnel. They breathe new life into secondhand items – whether they’re impulse buys, gently used, or ready for a new chapter. Thrift stores are also treasure troves for those on a budget or eco-conscious shoppers looking to revive pre-loved items. What sets Thryft apart? Artificial intelligence (AI). Thryft leverages AI to handle the tedious administrative work that typically bogs down secondhand stores, such as pricing, cataloguing, and inventory management. This automation frees up resources and allows the Thryft team to focus on other matters requiring the human touch, such as strategising the growth of the brand and coming up with initiatives like item giveaways, book clubs, and themed promotions at their retail space located in Cendex Centre at Lower Delta Road. BUILDING ON A CIRCULAR ECONOMY ON CAMPUS Thryft’s journey began in 2019. Five schoolmates at Yale-NUS College recognised the value of secondhand items and wanted to expand on the secondhand market they observed on campus. “There was this group on Yale NUS’ Facebook called For Sale For Free, where students would give away stuff they didn’t need anymore, most of which were books,” said Eddie Lim, one co-founder and Thryft’s current chief executive officer. The 27-year-old added: “It was like Carousell or Olio for Yale NUS but so much better because we stayed so close to each other in dorms and we could give away or sell our stuff easily.” From his experiences in the Facebook group, Lim realised just how much “stuff” a lot of people owned but didn’t really use anymore. Another co-founder and Thryft’s current chief marketing officer, Choy Jia Yu, said that she too recognised the demand for secondhand items. “I’ve always been into secondhand items, and I was inspired by my mum who was often eco-conscious in her own way,” said the 25-year-old, who majored in Environmental Studies. “I liked to figure out ways to extend the life of an item beyond its single use.” In school, Choy and a few friends organised a few pop-up events where they collected old clothes and books, resold them, and donated the proceeds to a cause. However, when handling the operations of these events, Choy and her friends quickly realised how tiresome the process was: “It wasn’t straightforward at all, a lot of manual work had to be done.” She gave the example of reselling an old book. Before listing the item, the team needs to identify the publisher and genre, determine its retail price, assess its condition, look for defects, estimate a reselling price, and write a description of the book. “It was too much work to handle,” Choy said. “Even though the demand and supply for secondhand items were there, there was a huge operational and logistical gap in between.” Lim compared the secondhand market’s potential to large e-commerce platforms like the now-defunct Book Depository, which offered both competitive prices and convenient home deliveries. While secondhand items often come with attractive prices, the buying and selling experience often lacks convenience. “It’s quite leceh (troublesome) to individually list down or photograph the stuff you own but wanna give away, and this doesn’t count the hassle of negotiating or the need to travel somewhere inconvenient,” said Lim. “So people just keep their stuff and let it gather dust at home.” MAKING THE SECONDHAND MARKET MORE ACCESSIBLE Their experiences gave Lim an idea: “What if we could make the secondhand market more convenient and efficient, such that owners can easily give away their stuff at a value, and people looking for stuff can find them easily, too?” That’s when Lim, who majored in mathematical, computational and statistical sciences, was moved to build a tool to solve that. With a few peers, Lim coded a basic AI-powered tool that automated much of the manual work he and Choy struggled with when listing secondhand items. At this time, the name “Thryft” came to them and one of its early iterations included a campus drop-off point where students, staff members, and the public could leave their old books. Using the algorithmic tool Lim developed, the books were assigned a value in "points." These points allowed users to purchase other secondhand books that Thryft listed without spending any money. Lim refers to their AI-powered tool as the "Price Predictor", but it’s capable of much more than just pricing. Here’s how it works: Take a photo of an old book you’d like to sell and upload it into the app. The technology then processes the image and generates key details automatically, including: All this happens with just a photo and a few answered questions. If the system gets anything wrong, Lim can manually correct it. With items like vintage or rare books, a lot more input may be needed, but the tech will do the heavy lifting of the administrative work. The tool solved many of the problems Lim and Choy mentioned, and soon, the team managed to collect hundreds of books, catalogue them, and tag them with a reselling price using the tool they got. Since its founding in 2019, the original team of five—comprising Lim, Choy, a tech expert, a business developer, and an operations lead—along with a full-time worker and several Yale-NUS student interns, expanded Thryft while managing their studies. Initially, Thryft participated in pop-up events and collaborations with other organisations. In 2020, using their own savings and earnings from reselling books and clothes, the team rented a space to store their growing inventory of secondhand items. During the pandemic, they leveraged initiatives like startup loans from local banks, allowing them to scale further by renting more storage space to accommodate increasing donations. A RETAIL SPACE FOR PEOPLE TO ENJOY In late 2021, Thryft gained traction through Instagram and word of mouth. This publicity helped them secure funding from angel investors, enabling the team to move to a larger warehouse and host pop-up events at venues like The Projector and Coronation Plaza throughout 2022. Over the years, Lim and the team enhanced the tool’s accuracy and automated additional functions. For example, once an item is photographed, it is automatically uploaded to Thryft’s backend system and added to the database without any manual input. After verification, the AI updates the data and lists the item on the Thryft website , making it ready for users to browse and purchase online By the end of that year, most of the founding team had graduated and moved on to other pursuits, leaving Lim and Choy as the remaining co-founders to lead Thryft’s growth. In 2023, after years of pop-ups, Thryft opened its first retail space at Peace Centre, which operated for five months until Jan 2024, when the mall closed down . While having an entirely online space may seem more economically sound and efficient, Lim and Choy emphasised the unique value of having a physical store where customers could experience the "vibes" of a secondhand shop. There, people need not wait for pop-up events. The space allows people to sift through various books, clothes and children’s items, and be surprised by the “treasures” they can find in another person’s “trash”. When Peace Centre closed in January 2024, knowing that they needed another retail space, Lim and Choy soon found another home at Lower Delta Road and opened in September. The space is expansive, with shelves brimming with books across various genres – from travel non-fiction and political memoirs to young adult fiction and children’s storybooks. There are also racks of jeans in various colours and sizes, alongside dresses, blouses, and tops suitable for both parties and workwear. Thryft has come a long way. Beyond the familiar shelves of books and racks of clothes seen at their pop-up events, the retail space features unique additions like a display wall showcasing secondhand vinyl records, a recent addition to their inventory. Visitors can even play these records on a turntable tucked in the corner. Another interactive feature of the space is a large set of tables with papers plastered onto them in the centre of the store. Here, visitors could pick up pens or markers to draw anything they’d like or respond to the questions written on the paper, like “Why do you shop secondhand?” or “What do you do for the environment?” There’s also a cosy corner featuring rare and vintage books, some dating back to the early 1900s. Next to them are vintage comic books, well-maintained and carefully restored for the next owner to marvel at. Throughout the store, there are also inviting nooks and seats that provide a space for visitors to slow down, pick up a book, and simply read or relax. People can also drop off their items at the store. Thryft accepts books, clothes, vinyl records, card and board games, console games, children's toys, selected sporting goods categories, and selected electronics, based on their guidelines . For those who'd like the convenience, you can opt for the courier pickup, where the Thryft team will collect your items from your house for $10 per box (up to 10kg), simply by filling up a form on their website . Using their AI tool, Thryft can identify the items and assign an estimated reselling price. In return, you’ll receive the equivalent dollar value of your items in Thryft credits via a gift card, which can be used to purchase other secondhand items in their online or physical store. “A lot of people say they want to buy secondhand for all kinds of reasons, whether it’s to save money or be more eco-conscious, but the problem was that people didn’t know where or how,” Lim said. “We hope Thryft can get people to shop secondhand without burning out with the laborious manual and administrative tasks," he added. "Instead, they can focus on the joy in finding pre-loved treasure."Golden State Warriors vs. Brooklyn Nets live stream info, start time, TV channel: How to watch NBA on TV, stream online

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TORONTO (AP) — The Utah Hockey Club said players were forced to walk to their game against the Maple Leafs after their bus got stuck in Toronto traffic Sunday night. The team posted a video on social media of team members walking to Scotiabank Arena, with player Maveric Lamoureux saying the bus was “not moving at all.” Several city streets had been closed during the day for the annual Santa Claus parade. The Maple Leafs earned their fourth consecutive win by defeating Utah 3-2. The viral incident prompted Ontario Premier Doug Ford to call the congestion “embarrassing” and “unacceptable,” highlighting his government’s plan to address the city’s gridlock through bike lane legislation. It wasn’t the first time a Toronto visitor had to ditch their vehicle to make it to an event on time. In June, former One Direction band member Niall Horan had to walk through traffic to get to his concert at Scotiabank Arena. ___ AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl

NoneReacting to former Fox News colleague Geraldo Rivera saying they’d probably “square off” if they ran into each other in public, MAGA podcaster Dan Bongino wondered aloud on Monday “why everybody wants to fight” him all the time. “Do I have a punchable face?!” Bongino exclaimed at one point. So, what prompted this bizarre back-and-forth in the first place? Well, it all started with CNN reporting last week that President-elect Donald Trump was considering naming Bongino — a fierce Trump loyalist and popular right-wing media personality — as head of the Secret Service. During a Friday appearance on CNN, Rivera — who frequently engaged in heated on-air clashes with Bongino when they were both at Fox News — was asked to weigh in on the possibility of the Secret Service being led by the pugnacious pundit. “I can’t imagine anyone who I feel more fiercely combative with than Dan Bongino,” Rivera noted. “If he were to walk into a bar and I was having a beer, we’d probably square off. We disagree on everything. I think he has his own set of facts. I think he’s a provocateur.” Throughout their joint tenure at the conservative cable giant, Rivera grew so incensed with Bongino during panel discussions on Sean Hannity’s show that he would not only resort to personal attacks — calling Bongino a “punk” on multiple occasions — but he even threw paper at the camera in disgust. Despite suggesting that they would get into a bar brawl if they saw each other again, Rivera still said on Friday that he felt confident that Bongino could capably serve in the Trump administration, citing his decade as a Secret Service agent. “I have no issue at all with his honesty, his credibility, his character, his patriotism, his love of the Secret Service,” Rivera stated. “I think all those things are positive for Bongino.” Over the weekend, Bongino responded to social media clips of Rivera’s CNN appearance by noting that the “tale of the tape is a little rough on Geraldo,” pointing out that Rivera is 81 years old and at least 40 pounds lighter than himself. He then decided to devote the top of Monday’s broadcast of The Dan Bongino Show to addressing Rivera’s apparent challenge. After mockingly pantomiming martial arts poses as the show began, Bongino told his viewers, “Geraldo’s back, and he wants to fight me again,” before jokingly wondering why so many people wanted to engage him in fisticuffs. “Why does this guy always want to fight me? Why does everybody always want to fight Dan Bongino?! Why?!” he shouted, rhetorically adding: “Do I have a punchable face?!” Over the next few minutes, Bongino not only aired portions of Rivera’s CNN interview but clips of his ex-Fox compatriot angrily flinging paper balls at the camera during one of their heated Hannity arguments. He also aired a “Tale of the Tape” graphic showing the differences in the rivals’ age, height and weight. It also included “reach,” which in this case, was the amount of social media followers each had. (The graphic declared Rivera’s reach to be “irrelevant.”) In the end, though, Bongino noted that Rivera actually “said some very nice compliments at the end” and that this was “all in good fun.” At the same time, the right-wing radio host also disputed CNN’s reporting that he is being eyed by the Trump administration to lead the Secret Service, saying he doesn’t “know where this rumor is coming from” and that “there is no such thing that is out there.”French President Emmanuel Macron’s office has announced a new government, after the previous Cabinet collapsed in a historic vote prompted by fighting over the country’s budget. Newly named Prime Minister Francois Bayrou put together the government that includes members of the outgoing conservative-dominated team and some new figures from centrist or left-leaning backgrounds. Coming up with a 2025 budget will be the most urgent order of business. The new government enters office after months of political deadlock and pressure from financial markets to reduce France’s colossal debt. Mr Macron has vowed to remain in office until his term ends in 2027, but has struggled to govern since snap elections in the summer left no single party with a majority in the National Assembly. Since his appointment 10 days ago, Mr Bayrou has held talks with political leaders from various parties in search of the right balance for the new government. Some critics were angry at Mr Bayrou for consulting with Marine Le Pen’s far-right party, and some argue the government looks too much like the old one to win the trust of politicians. Former prime minister Michel Barnier resigned this month following a no-confidence vote prompted by budget disputes in the National Assembly, leaving France without a functioning government. Ms Le Pen played a key role in Mr Barnier’s downfall by joining her National Rally party’s forces with the left to pass the no-confidence motion. Mr Bayrou will need support from moderate legislators on the right and left to keep his government alive. Banker Eric Lombard will be finance minister, a crucial post when France is working to fulfil its promises to European Union partners to reduce its deficit, estimated to reach 6% of its gross domestic product this year. Mr Lombard briefly worked as an adviser to a socialist finance minister in the 1990s. Mr Bayrou has said he supports tax hikes championed by his predecessor, but it is not clear how the new government can find the right calculation for a budget that satisfies a majority of politicians angry over spending cuts. Bruno Retailleau stays on as interior minister, with responsibility for France’s security and migration policy. Sebastien Lecornu, who has been at the forefront of France’s military support for Ukraine, remains defence minister, while foreign minister Jean-Noel Barrot, who has travelled extensively in the Middle East in recent weeks, also retains his post. Among the new faces are two former prime ministers. Manuel Valls will be minister for overseas affairs, and Elisabeth Borne takes the education ministry. We do not moderate comments, but we expect readers to adhere to certain rules in the interests of open and accountable debate.

Federal court dismisses defamation lawsuit against Fox News for Jan. 6 conspiracy theory

As Xiaohongshu continues to expand its user base and extend its reach globally, the establishment of the Application Algorithm Department underscores the company's commitment to innovation, technology, and user-centric design. By harnessing the power of advanced algorithms and data analytics, Xiaohongshu is poised to deliver a more personalized and immersive experience for its users, cementing its position as a leading player in the social commerce landscape.DoorDash will require its drivers to verify their identities more often as part of a larger effort to crack down on unauthorized account sharing. DoorDash has been under pressure to ensure its drivers are operating legally. Over the summer, for example, it pledged to do a better job identifying and removing dangerous drivers after a flood of complaints of dangerous driving from cities. Officials in Boston, New York and other cities have said that in many cases, people with multiple traffic violations continue to make deliveries using accounts registered to others. The San Francisco delivery company said Thursday it was requiring some drivers to complete real-time identity checks immediately after they complete a delivery. Previously, drivers were occasionally asked to re-verify their identities before or after a shift. DoorDash has introduced the new system in Los Angeles, Denver, Seattle and other cities, and said it planned a wider rollout next year. DoorDash said it also has developed an advanced machine learning system that can flag potential unauthorized account access, including login anomalies and suspicious activity. If the company detects a problem, it will require drivers to re-verify their identity before they can make more deliveries . U.S. drivers must verify their identities with a driver’s license or other government-issued identification, and upload a selfie that matches their identification photo before they can do work for DoorDash. They also must submit to background checks, which require a Social Security number. The company said it found that some drivers were getting around the requirements by sharing accounts with authorized users. In some cases, drivers who were not authorized to drive for DoorDash paid authorized users for access to their accounts. Some federal lawmakers have demanded that DoorDash and other delivery apps do a better job of keeping people who are in the U.S. illegally off the platforms. Republican U.S. Sens. Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee, Mike Braun of Indiana and Ted Budd of North Carolina sent letters to delivery companies in April asking them to crack down on account sharing. “These illegal immigrants are delivering food directly to consumers’ doors without ever having undergone a background check and often without even using their real names,” the letter said. It added that working illegally can also be dangerous for migrants, creating the potential for exploitation and abuse. The Associated Press left messages seeking comment Thursday with Gig Workers Rising and Justice for App Workers, which both represent delivery drivers. DoorDash won’t estimate how many drivers are using shared accounts, but said its safeguards are effective. Last year, it began asking drivers to re-verify their identities monthly by submitting a selfie. The company said it is now asking more than 150,000 drivers to complete selfie checks each week, and it’s removing them from the platform if they don’t comply. Dee-ann Durbin, The Associated Press80jili solaire 。

NEW YORK, Dec. 05, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- WHY: Rosen Law Firm, a global investor rights law firm, announces the filing of a class action lawsuit on behalf of purchasers of securities of ASP Isotopes Inc. ASPI between October 30, 2024 and November 26, 2024, both dates inclusive (the "Class Period"). A class action lawsuit has already been filed. If you wish to serve as lead plaintiff, you must move the Court no later than February 3, 2025 . SO WHAT: If you purchased ASP Isotopes securities during the Class Period you may be entitled to compensation without payment of any out of pocket fees or costs through a contingency fee arrangement. WHAT TO DO NEXT: To join the ASP Isotopes class action, go to https://rosenlegal.com/submit-form/?case_id=32062 or call Phillip Kim, Esq. toll-free at 866-767-3653 or email case@rosenlegal.com for information on the class action. A class action lawsuit has already been filed. If you wish to serve as lead plaintiff, you must move the Court no later than February 3, 2025. A lead plaintiff is a representative party acting on behalf of other class members in directing the litigation. WHY ROSEN LAW: We encourage investors to select qualified counsel with a track record of success in leadership roles. Often, firms issuing notices do not have comparable experience, resources, or any meaningful peer recognition. Be wise in selecting counsel. The Rosen Law Firm represents investors throughout the globe, concentrating its practice in securities class actions and shareholder derivative litigation. Rosen Law Firm achieved the largest ever securities class action settlement against a Chinese Company at the time. Rosen Law Firm was Ranked No. 1 by ISS Securities Class Action Services for number of securities class action settlements in 2017. The firm has been ranked in the top 4 each year since 2013 and has recovered hundreds of millions of dollars for investors. In 2019 alone the firm secured over $438 million for investors. In 2020, founding partner Laurence Rosen was named by law360 as a Titan of Plaintiffs' Bar. Many of the firm's attorneys have been recognized by Lawdragon and Super Lawyers. DETAILS OF THE CASE: According to the lawsuit, during the Class Period, defendants made false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (1) ASP Isotopes overstated the potential effectiveness of its enrichment technology; (2) ASP Isotopes overstated the development potential of its high assay low-enriched uranium facility; (3) ASP Isotopes overstated the Company's nuclear fuels operating segment results; and (4) as a result of the foregoing, defendants' positive statements about the ASP Isotope's business, operations, and prospects were materially misleading and/or lacked a reasonable basis. When the true details entered the market, the lawsuit claims that investors suffered damages. To join the ASP Isotopes class action, go to https://rosenlegal.com/submit-form/?case_id=32062 or call Phillip Kim, Esq. toll-free at 866-767-3653 or email case@rosenlegal.com for information on the class action. No Class Has Been Certified. Until a class is certified, you are not represented by counsel unless you retain one. You may select counsel of your choice. You may also remain an absent class member and do nothing at this point. An investor's ability to share in any potential future recovery is not dependent upon serving as lead plaintiff. Follow us for updates on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-rosen-law-firm , on Twitter: https://twitter.com/rosen_firm or on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rosenlawfirm/ . Attorney Advertising. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Contact Information: Laurence Rosen, Esq. Phillip Kim, Esq. The Rosen Law Firm, P.A. 275 Madison Avenue, 40th Floor New York, NY 10016 Tel: (212) 686-1060 Toll Free: (866) 767-3653 Fax: (212) 202-3827 case@rosenlegal.com www.rosenlegal.com © 2024 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.

Furthermore, the campaign places a strong emphasis on professional development and continuous training for teachers. This will involve expanding opportunities for teachers to upgrade their skills, acquire new knowledge, and stay abreast of the latest developments in education. By investing in the professional growth of teachers, the government hopes to enhance the quality of education in schools and improve student outcomes.

Keita, an experienced and dynamic player known for his technical skills and tactical versatility, brings a wealth of talent and potential to Ferencváros. Having previously showcased his abilities at the highest levels of European football, Keita's arrival is set to add a new dimension to the team's midfield, offering both creativity and defensive stability."We are not doing AI for the sake of it. We're doing it with purpose." — James Rail, QUT Hear the entire iTnews podcast with QUT's James Rail For many people, while university may be a thrilling experience, it may also be daunting and confusing — even frightening. Thrust into a world of adults, people who were high schoolers just a scant couple of months earlier quickly learn the truth of the adage to 'sink or swim'. And while Australian universities continue to lift student support services, vulnerable cohorts such as First Nations, overseas students or those from Non-English-language-speaking backgrounds, and people living with other challenges need focused support at point of contact. The desire to meet the evolving needs of students was one of the reasons that Queensland University of Technology (QUT) embarked on 'Digital Connections', its multi-year data + AI program to transform how the institution can connect with and support students, staff and alumni. It created a 360-degree view of students from their initial consideration of QUT as a place to study, through their uni years and onwards as successful alumni. Led by James Rail, QUT's digital transformation program leader, Digital Connections has utilised Salesforce to unify previously siloed frontline...

Gainers Palisade Bio PALI shares rose 104.3% to $2.86 during Thursday's pre-market session. The company's market cap stands at $4.3 million. Trevi Therapeutics TRVI stock rose 57.02% to $3.91. The market value of their outstanding shares is at $300.5 million. Conduit Pharmaceuticals CDT stock rose 21.97% to $0.11. The company's market cap stands at $12.5 million. Gossamer Bio GOSS stock moved upwards by 17.16% to $0.83. The market value of their outstanding shares is at $189.1 million. Jupiter Neurosciences JUNS shares increased by 16.52% to $13.4. The company's market cap stands at $440.5 million. Aptevo Therapeutics APVO shares moved upwards by 15.5% to $11.56. The market value of their outstanding shares is at $5.7 million. Losers Keros Therapeutics KROS shares fell 72.9% to $18.6 during Thursday's pre-market session. The market value of their outstanding shares is at $753.4 million. Avinger AVGR stock decreased by 46.35% to $0.44. The company's market cap stands at $1.4 million. TFF Pharmaceuticals TFFP stock declined by 45.98% to $0.09. SHL Telemedicine SHLT shares declined by 21.35% to $2.69. The company's market cap stands at $44.0 million. Telix Pharmaceuticals TLX shares declined by 17.57% to $13.0. The company's market cap stands at $4.3 billion. Evaxion Biotech EVAX stock fell 10.77% to $1.16. The market value of their outstanding shares is at $6.8 million. See Also: www.benzinga.com/money/best-healthcare-stocks/ This article was generated by Benzinga's automated content engine and reviewed by an editor. © 2024 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.

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Stockton esports team headed to state finals in FebruaryWASHINGTON — State Rep. Brian Harrison, a Republican, said Friday he plans to meet with top University of Texas System officials after they announced a plan to provide free tuition and waived fees to students whose families make $100,000 or less. While many elected officials have praised the initiative , Harrison criticized it as an “abuse of power” that makes Texas higher education “more socialist than California.” Harrison said Friday he’s unswayed by statements from the system and supporters who say the move will be funded from university endowments, not taxpayers. Harrison compared such statements to someone saying they’re removing water from the shallow side of a pool, not the deep end. It’s all the same water. “Money is fungible, so that doesn’t satisfy me in the slightest,” Harrison said. The new initiative is an expansion of the Promise Plus Program, a needs-based financial aid initiative, and comes amid widespread concerns about the effect of inflation and college costs on families. Gov. Greg Abbott recently prohibited Texas colleges and universities from raising tuition for the next two years. UT System Chancellor James B. Milliken hailed the expansion as a “game changer” that will make “enormous, real difference” to improve college access for all Texans. Not everyone is a fan. Harrison and like-minded House colleagues have compared it to President Joe Biden’s student loan forgiveness plan that drew intense blowback from conservatives and was largely struck down by the courts . They also said such a consequential change in policy should come from the elected lawmakers serving in the Legislature. “There must be consequences,” Harrison said on X . “UT’s budget must be cut, and bureaucrats should be fired.” He led 10 Republican lawmakers, most of them incoming freshmen, in a letter to the regents demanding answers to a litany of questions, including the price tag of the expansion and the source of that money. “What specific statutory authority did the regents rely on to make a decision this consequential, which will have direct financial consequences for our constituents, many of whom are already struggling to put gas in their tanks and food on their tables?” the lawmakers wrote. UT System spokesman Paul Corliss has said the program is not funded through taxes or any kind of public subsidy. “Rather it is funded through existing UT System endowments,” Corliss said. Rep. Donna Howard, a Democrat, hammered that point in a response to Harrison on social media. “There are no tax dollars involved,” Howard said on X . “Higher Ed institutions are already helping families afford college. This expands philanthropic endowments and helps meet affordability goals of (Abbott and the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board).” Harrison and his colleagues will have to contend with many members of the public embracing a plan that already is encouraging young people to adjust their higher education aspirations. Frank Whitefeather, a high school senior, stayed up until 2:30 a.m. Friday working on his college application essay. He was freshly motivated after the announcement that students whose families make less than $100,000 annually will get free tuition and waived fees at the University of Texas, Austin and other schools in the UT System. “I wouldn’t be in debt,” said Whitefeather, 17. “I wouldn’t have to have student loans.” Whitefeather, who attends Dallas ISD’s Sunset High School, thinks the UT news also could change many of his peers’ lives. It’s already changing his plans. Whitefeather hopes to study engineering and be his own boss one day. Texas A&M and UT Austin were his top two choices, but the free tuition announcement has pushed UT ahead. Harrison said the university system is being contradictory by simultaneously saying it has enough money to offer tuition-free education, but also that a tuition freeze could leave it cash strapped and require more funding from the Legislature. “I guarantee you they’re going to be requesting more tax money from the Legislature next session,” he said. ©2024 The Dallas Morning News. Visit dallasnews.com . Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Netflix will have one of its biggest days Wednesday since the site launched in 1998 when it airs two NFL games for the first time. “NFL Christmas Gameday on Netflix” begins with a two-hour pregame show at 11 a.m., before Pittsburgh hosts Kansas City. Baltimore faces Houston in the second game. The streaming giant agreed to a three-year contract in May to carry Christmas Day games. Netflix’s 282.3 million subscribers in over 190 countries will be able to stream the games, marking the first time one outlet has distributed an NFL game globally. Netflix will have the games available in five languages — English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, and German. The games will also air on CBS affiliates in Kansas City, Pittsburgh, Baltimore and Houston. NFL policy dictates that games on cable or being exclusively streamed must also be on an over-the-air station in the competing teams’ markets. It will also be available on mobile devices in the U.S. for those who have NFL+. The biggest reason is money. The league is getting $150 million from Netflix for the two games this season. It also continues the NFL’s moves into streaming — Thursday night games are in their third season on Amazon Prime Video and the “Sunday Ticket” package moved to YouTube TV last year. That’s true, but the league wasn’t about to give up Christmas after seeing the ratings. Last year’s three games averaged 28.68 million viewers. The early afternoon contest between the Las Vegas Raiders and Chiefs led the way, averaging 29.48 million. The Chiefs, Steelers, Ravens and Texans played on Saturday, giving them the same turnaround they would have if they played on Sunday and then Thursday. All four have clinched playoff spots in the AFC, but seeding remains up for grabs. Kansas City (14-1) can clinch the top seed — which would mean a first-round bye and home field throughout the playoffs — with a win over the Steelers. Pittsburgh and Baltimore are tied atop the AFC North at 10-5, with the Steelers holding the tiebreaker due to a better conference record. Houston (9-6) has wrapped up the AFC South and holds the fourth seed. Netflix hopes so. Brandon Riegg, Netflix’s vice president of nonfiction series and sports, said the system was stress tested, and then some, during the Nov. 14 bout, along with internet service providers reporting they were also overwhelmed by the surge that occurred before and during the fight. The bout peaked at 65 million concurrent streams, including 38 million concurrent streams in the United States. According to the website Down Detector, nearly 85,000 viewers logged problems with outages or streaming leading up to and during the fight. Possible? Yes. Likely? No. The largest audience for a streamed-exclusive NFL game was 23 million on Peacock for last season’s AFC wild-card game between the Miami Dolphins and Chiefs. Nielsen will measure the ratings for the Christmas Day games, with early numbers expected late afternoon on Thursday. It will probably beat kickoff for both games, but especially around 5:45 p.m. EST. That would be near halftime of the Ravens-Texans game, and when Beyoncé will be performing. Mariah Carey will kick off the day with a taped performance of “All I Want for Christmas is You.” There is no word if Taylor Swift will make the trip to Pittsburgh to watch her boyfriend, Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce. Swift has been spending time in Kansas City since she wrapped up her Eras Tour two weeks ago. The NFL will have at least two games on Dec. 25 in 2025 and ’26, with Netflix slated to have at least one each year. Amazon Prime Video will have a night game with Christmas on a Thursday next year. Netflix’s worldwide partnership with World Wrestling Entertainment will begin on Jan. 6 when “Monday Night Raw” moves to the streaming service. On Friday, Netflix secured the U.S. rights for the 2027 and 2031 FIFA Women’s World Cup. AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nflDrama-prone fintechs face mixed regulatory environment in 202580jili telegram 。

Falcons take lead on two TDs by Bijan RobinsonNew Delhi: With Delhi assembly polls drawing near, AAP govt has started focusing on schemes that directly benefit the public. With a large number of senior citizens waiting in queue, social welfare department has started accepting applications to enrol them under the ‘old age pension' scheme. Nearly 80,000 people aged above 60 years, with an annual family income of less than Rs 1 lakh, will be enrolled for the senior citizen pension. Delhi govt provides monthly financial assistance of Rs 2,000 to elderly citizens in the age group of 60-69 years, with an additional amount for those belonging to scheduled castes, scheduled tribes, and minority communities, and Rs 2,500 for those aged 70 and above. Nearly 4.5 lakh senior citizens benefit from the scheme. Since no new additions were made to the list of beneficiaries in the last few years, the actual number have gone down, but the govt and public representatives were receiving frequent queries from eligible persons about the scheme and eligibility for it. Officials said eligible people can apply for the pension by filling up a form on the e-district portal of Delhi govt. While the application system will go live on Nov 24, it will remain functional only until 80,000 applications are received or for a maximum period of three weeks. Maharashtra Jharkhand Maharashtra Alliance View i Party View Seats: 288 Results Majority: 145 BJP+ 229 MVA 47 OTH 12 Results : 288 / 288 BJP+ WON Jharkhand Alliance View i Party View Seats: 81 Results Majority: 41 INDIA 56 NDA 24 OTH 1 Results : 81 / 81 INDIA WON Source: PValue "Any person aged 60 and above, who has been living in Delhi for at least five years and has an Aadhaar card with a local address, can apply for the pension. The annual family income of the applicant from all sources combined should not be more than Rs 1 lakh per month, and he or she must have their own singly-operated bank account," said an official, adding that the applicant must not be receiving any other pension or financial assistance from central or any other state govt. Old age pension has always been a huge political issue. BJP earlier this year alleged that despite having the scope to add nearly one lakh eligible persons to the scheme, Delhi govt had not made any effort in this direction since 2018. While alleging that central govt withheld its contribution to the monthly pension of over a lakh beneficiaries since March this year, AAP govt in Aug claimed that it managed to get it restored after pursuing it with the Centre relentlessly. The social welfare department later decided to make a separate provision in its own budget to arresting Arvind Kejriwal. "Now that he is out of jail, the work has resumed and the employees will soon receive their pending salaries," AAP said in a statement.

CARSON, Calif. — Joseph Paintsil and Dejan Joveljic scored in the first half, and the LA Galaxy won their record sixth MLS Cup championship with a 2-1 victory over the New York Red Bulls on Saturday. After striking twice in the first 13 minutes of the final with goals from their star forwards, the Galaxy nursed their lead through a scoreless second half to raise their league's biggest trophy for the first time since 2014. MLS' most successful franchise struggled through most of the ensuing decade, even finishing 26th in the 29-team league last year. But the Galaxy turned everything around this season with a high-scoring new lineup that finished second in the Western Conference and then streaked through the playoffs with a whopping 18 goals in five games to win another crown. Sean Nealis scored for the seventh-seeded Red Bulls, whose improbable charge through the playoffs ended one win shy of its first Cup championship. With the league's youngest roster, New York fell just short of becoming the lowest-seeded team to win MLS' playoff tournament under first-year German coach Sandro Schwarz. People are also reading... Galaxy goalkeeper John McCarthy made four saves to win his second MLS title in three seasons. He was the MVP of the 2022 MLS Cup Final for the Galaxy's crosstown rival, Los Angeles FC. The Galaxy won this title without perhaps their most important player. Riqui Puig, the playmaking midfielder from Barcelona who ran their offense impressively all season long, tore a ligament in his knee last week in the Western Conference final. Puig watched the game in a suit, but his teammates hadn't forgotten him: After his replacement, Gastón Brugman, set up LA's opening goal with a superb pass, Paintsil held up Puig's jersey to their fans during the celebration. Paintsil put the Galaxy ahead in the ninth minute when he ran onto that sublime pass from Brugman and pounded home his 14th MLS goal — including four in the playoffs — in the Ghanaian forward's outstanding first season. Just four minutes later, Joveljic sprinted past four New York defenders and chipped home the 21st goal of his outstanding year as the Galaxy's striker. Nealis got New York on the scoreboard in the 28th minute when he volleyed home a ball that got loose in LA's penalty area after a corner. The Galaxy's usually shaky defense gave up another handful of good chances before reaching halftime with a tenuous lead. The second half was lively, but scoreless. Red Bulls captain Emil Forsberg hit the outside of the post in the 72nd minute, while Gabriel Pec and Galaxy substitute Marco Reus nearly converted chances a few moments later. The ball got loose again in the Galaxy's penalty area in the third minute of extra time, but two Red Bulls couldn't finish. The Galaxy bench rushed onto the field and prematurely celebrated a victory in the seventh minute of injury time, only to be herded back off for another 30 seconds of play. The Galaxy finished 17-0-3 this season at their frequently renamed suburban stadium, where the sellout crowd of 26,812 for the final included several robust cheering sections of traveling Red Bulls supporters hoping to see their New Jersey-based club's breakthrough on MLS' biggest stage. The Galaxy's Greg Vanney became the fourth coach to win an MLS title with two clubs. The former Galaxy player also won it all with Toronto in 2017. The club famous for employing global stars from David Beckham and Zlatan Ibrahimovic to Robbie Keane and Javier "Chicharito" Hernández rebuilt itself this season with lesser-known young talents from around the world. The Galaxy signed Pec from Brazil and the Ghanaian Paintsil out of Belgium, and the duo combined with incumbent Serbian striker Joveljic to form a potent attack that could outscore almost any MLS opponent. But the Galaxy also relied heavily on Puig, their Catalan catalyst and one of MLS' best players. Puig stayed in last week's game after injuring his knee, and he even delivered the decisive pass to Joveljic for the game's only goal. Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox!

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Thousands flee as Syrian insurgents advance to the doorstep of the country's third-largest city

Ifedi starts at left tackle for Browns in prime-time matchup against AFC North-leading SteelersLA Galaxy win record 6th MLS CupTikTok's future in the U.S. appeared uncertain on Friday after a federal appeals court rejected a legal challenge to a law that requires the social media platform to cut ties with its China-based parent company or be banned by mid-January. A panel of three judges on The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ruled unanimously that the law withstood constitutional scrutiny, rebuffing arguments from the two companies that the statute violated their rights and the rights of TikTok users in the U.S. The government has said it wants ByteDance, TikTok's parent company, to divest its stakes. But if it doesn't and the platform goes away, it would have a seismic impact on the lives of content creators who rely on the platform for income as well as users who use it for entertainment and connection. Here are some details on the ruling and what could happen next: What does the ruling say? In their lawsuit, TikTok and ByteDance, which is also a plaintiff in the case, had challenged the law on various fronts, arguing in part that the statute ran afoul of the First Amendment and was an unconstitutional bill of attainder that unfairly targeted the two companies. But the court sided with attorneys for the Justice Department who said that the government was attempting to address national security concerns and the way in which it chose to do so did not violate the constitution. The Justice Department has argued in court that TikTok poses a national security risk due to its connections to China. Officials say that Chinese authorities can compel ByteDance to hand over information on TikTok's U.S. patrons or use the platform to spread, or suppress, information. However, the U.S. hasn't publicly provided examples of that happening. The appeals court ruling, written by Judge Douglas Ginsburg, said the law was “carefully crafted to deal only with control by a foreign adversary." The judges also rejected the claim that the statute was an unlawful bill of attainder or a taking of property in violation of the Fifth Amendment. Furthermore, Ginsburg wrote the law did not violate the First Amendment because the government is not looking to “suppress content or require a certain mix of content” on TikTok. What happens next? READ: TikTok and ByteDance are expected to appeal the case to the Supreme Court, but it's unclear whether the court will take up the case. TikTok indicated in a statement on Friday the two companies are preparing to take their case to high court, saying the Supreme Court has “an established historical record of protecting Americans’ right to free speech." "We expect they will do just that on this important constitutional issue,” a company spokesperson said. Alan Morrison, a professor at The George Washington University Law School, said he expects the Supreme Court to take up the case because of the novelty of the issues raised in the lawsuit. If that happens, attorneys for the two companies still have to convince the court to grant them an emergency stay that will prevent the government from enforcing the Jan. 19 divestiture deadline stipulated in the law, Morrison said. Such a move could drag out the process until the Justices make a ruling. Tiffany Cianci, a TikTok content creator who has supported the platform, said she was not shocked about the outcome of the court's ruling on Friday because lower courts typically defer to the executive branch on these types of cases. She believes the company will have a stronger case at the Supreme Court. “I believe that the next stages are more likely to produce a victory for TikTokers and for TikTok as a whole,” Cianci said. What about Trump? Another wild card is President-elect Donald Trump, who tried to ban TikTok during his first term but said during the recent presidential campaign that he is now against such action . The Trump transition team has not offered details on how Trump plans to carry out his pledge to “save TikTok." But spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said in a statement last month that he plans to “deliver” on his campaign promises. After Trump takes office on Jan. 20th, it would fall on his Justice Department to enforce the law and punish any potential violators. Penalties would apply to any app stores that would violate a prohibition on TikTok and to internet hosting services which would be barred from supporting it. Some have speculated that Trump could ask his Justice Department to abstain from enforcing the law. But tech companies like Apple and Google, which offer TikTok's app on their app stores, would then have to trust that the administration would not come after them for any violations. Craig Singleton, senior director of the China program at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, said enforcement discretion — or executive orders — can not override existing law, leaving Trump with “limited room for unilateral action." There are other things Trump could potentially do. It's possible he could invoke provisions of the law that allow the president to determine whether a sale or a similar transaction frees TikTok from “foreign adversary” control. Another option is to urge Congress to repeal the law. But that too would require support from congressional Republicans who have overwhelmingly supported the prospect of getting TikTok out of the hands of a Chinese company. In a statement issued Friday, Republican Rep. John Moolenaar of Michigan, chairman of the House Select Committee on China, said he was “optimistic that President Trump will facilitate an American takeover of TikTok” and allow its continued use in the United States. Is anyone trying to buy TikTok? ByteDance has said it won't sell TikTok . And even if it wanted to, a sale of the proprietary algorithm that powers TikTok is likely to get blocked under Chinese export controls that the country issued in 2020. That means if TikTok is sold without the algorithm, its likely that the buyer would only purchase a shell of the platform that doesn't contain the technology that made the app a cultural powerhouse. Still, some investors, including Trump’s former Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and billionaire Frank McCourt, have expressed interest in buying it. This week, a spokesperson for McCourt’s Project Liberty initiative, which aims to protect online privacy, said participants in their bid have made informal commitments of more than $20 billion in capital. The spokesperson did not disclose the identity of the participants. Copyright 2024 The Associated Press . All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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Over the long-term, some of the best businesses to own have been because of their substantial profit growth and the subsequent share price gains that have spurred. But, many of the ASX's most compelling companies now trade on very high such as ( ) and ( ) which have P/E ratios of well over 100. Where are we supposed to look for cheaper opportunities? I suggest we look at businesses that have compelling futures and plans for growth. The valuation doesn't seem as demanding as the high-profile stocks I've referred to. Below are two stocks I view as appealing. Beacon Lighting Group Ltd ( ) This ASX growth share claims to be Australia's leading retailer and trade supplier of lighting, ceiling fans, and electrical accessories. It has more than 120 Beacon Lighting stores, a wholesale division, and international sales offices in Hong Kong, Germany, and the US. Expanding its store network is one of the easiest ways this company can grow its earnings and underlying value. It currently has 127 stores, and management has identified the potential for 195 stores in Australia, which implies a possible increase of 53% from today's level. The company is also growing its market share in Australia's residential electrical wholesale market. Beacon Lighting is trying to partner with more electricians, builders, architects and interior designers by offering special prices, referral benefits, free lighting design, free delivery and other perks. One of the areas of this ASX growth share I'm most excited about is the international segment because of the large addressable market. Beacon's international division is expanding its offering to new sales channels and customers and attending international lighting fairs in Hong Kong, Dallas, and Frankfurt. The Beacon Lighting share price is valued at 24x FY24's earnings, which I think is a very reasonable P/E ratio for a business that's executing on multiple growth avenues. Webjet Group Ltd ( ) Webjet recently split into two businesses, with the WebBeds business now operating separately as ( ). The Webjet business now includes the online travel agency (OTA) business Webjet, the car and motorhome hire business GoSee and travel product software Trip Ninja. As shown on the chart below, the Webjet share price is down 20% since 27 September 2024 and I think this is a good time to pounce. In Webjet's recent (HY25), the company noted that the Australian economy remains slow and that ongoing cost-of-living pressures are subduing demand for travel, particularly domestic travel. Why am I optimistic about that? When it comes to cyclical businesses like and , I believe the right time to invest is when there's weakness in the sector, the outlook is poor, and share prices are down. I believe Webjet has shown its quality and business intelligence during this period by adjusting its focus to higher revenue margin opportunities, selling more 'ancillaries' to customers, increasing international flight bookings and controlling costs. Webjet OTA's revenue per booking is now higher than before the COVID pandemic. This combination of positives has boosted Webjet's profitability – the HY25 result saw a 1% increase in operating profit ( ) despite an 8% decrease in bookings. I believe that if/when travel demand eventually rebounds, whether that's in 2025 or further away, the ASX growth share's profit could significantly benefit. I'm optimistic both the company's profit margin and the Webjet share price can noticeably improve in the next couple of years, so I'm willing to be patient.

Enzo Maresca ‘thankful’ for connection at Leicester ahead of return with ChelseaTONY HETHERINGTON: 'Gold guru' who does NOT have the golden touch

The Gophers men’s basketball team overwhelmed Morgan State 90-68 on Sunday, but it was the final bullet point on how underwhelming Minnesota’s nonconference schedule has been this season. The Gophers (8-5) have a “strength of resume” ranked 156th in the nation, according to ESPN on Sunday. And Minnesota’s spot in the overall NET ranking (155) won’t improve come Monday, not with a win over a Morgan State team ranked nearly 200 spots lower at 353. Minnesota was a 22-point favorite and received a huge 22-point first half from Mike Mitchell to win easily in its final tune-up before Big Ten play resumes Thursday at home versus Purdue. Gophers head coach Ben Johnson in August expressed the difficulty to balance the competitiveness of the nonconference slate with who’s available to book and what’s best for this year’s team. “Sometimes the hardest thing for fans to grasp fully is so much of it is a numbers game,” Johnson said at the Minnesota State Fair. “It’s a give and take. You don’t know your team fully and you don’t know the other teams. Sometimes you can roll the dice and go with a team that, quote, might not have the name, but you know will be really good in their league, where if you play a Power Five team and they aren’t good in their league, the game means nothing. It’s great to have a name (opponent), but if they finish bottom four, the numbers go down.” Minnesota joined a multi-team, neutral-site event in Orlando around Thanksgiving but lost both games, to Wichita State and Wake Forest. They also lost to North Texas at The Barn earlier in November. Those three teams each have NET rankings in the Top 80. “There are a couple (of games) that we wish we had back,” Johnson said of the overall nonconference schedule. “Obviously Wichita State still stings. You feel like if you had a healthy Mike and play in the North Texas game. ... But when you have a new team, so much of it is hitting adversity and being able to figure it out.” While Morgan State (6-10) won’t help the U’s resume, the win should aid confidence before facing a Boilermakers team picked in preseason to win the Big Ten come March. Morgan State, which lost by 61 points to Xavier and by 27 to No. 3 Iowa State, played Sunday without leading scorers Winston Tabbs (16.1 points per game) and Amahrie Simpkins (12.7). Minnesota staked a 55-37 lead at the half on the back of Mitchell’s perfection. He made all eight jump shots, including six 3-pointers, for 22 points; that total bested his previous U high of 20 points against Ball State last season. Mitchell missed both of his two shots in the second half and sat during garbage time, falling one point short of his career-high while with Pepperdine in 2022. “I think it kind of built into that,” Mitchell said. “Teammates found me when I was open and the ball went in.” How did it feel once he finally missed? “Dang,” he said. The Gophers’ poorer start to this season came with Mitchell sidelined for seven games with a high ankle sprain — including all three defeats — and his return is vital as the U looks to dig out of an early 0-2 hole in conference play next week. Dawson Garcia added 18 points and eight rebounds, while Parker Fox chipped in 11 points as Minnesota used 11 players. Frank Mitchell returned Sunday after missing the Dec. 21 win over Farleigh Dickinson while in concussion protocol. He scored 10 points in 11 minutes on Sunday. “You want to come off (the holiday) break and have a little bit of momentum going into January,” Johnson said. “I think we did that.”We all know that one sound that can make you sigh so hard it could propel a Boeing into flight: a baby crying. It's not the baby's fault, it's usually not the parents', and certainly not yours - but our brains are wired to respond to a baby's cry. Thankfully, technology has outsmarted evolution - take that, Darwin - with the invention of noise-cancelling headphones, blocking out the wails so you can sleep as peacefully as that baby should be. This was my saving grace on a long-haul, nine-hour flight from Las Vegas, USA, last week, thanks to the Soundcore by Anker Space One Headphones. Usually priced at £89.99, they're now down to £54.99 in Amazon's Christmas sale . I managed to snag them for £61 during a previous sale. READ MORE: Debenhams' £110 heated throw is reduced to £35 and costs just 4p an hour to run READ MORE: Shoppers want Rochelle Humes' 'fabulous' velvet Next dress for their 'Christmas party' Anker boasts that these Soundcore headphones can reduce 98 per cent of noise with their 'adaptive' noise cancelling technology. The headphones have three modes: transparency, 'normal' and noise cancelling, with the option to enhance the latter with the adaptive feature. The Soundcore Space One Headphones currently have a 38% discount £54.99 These can be activated with a button on the side or through the user-friendly app - which I use because, after three months, I still don't know which button does what unless I scrutinise it like my mum reading cooking instructions on Tesco frozen food. Transparency is beneficial when you need to stay alert, such as crossing a road or eavesdropping on juicy gossip on the train. It may not sound entirely natural, but the contrast between transparency and noise cancelling is staggering, largely due to the effectiveness of the noise cancelling feature. On an aeroplane, for instance, the engine's background noise is reduced to a hum. Here are all the instances where these headphones' noise-cancelling allowed me to sleep through anything: The standard setting is somewhat of a midpoint between the other two modes, but I've yet to find a situation where it would be particularly useful. The battery life is also commendable - the claimed 40 hours is roughly accurate, and it charges swiftly. I've noticed it depletes faster than the cheaper Q20i (£49.99), another pair I own. However, in terms of noise cancelling and sound quality, they can't hold a candle to the Space One . While I'm no audiophile, I use them daily to listen to music, podcasts, and YouTube videos, and everything sounds sharp. There are a few issues, though: the battery life doesn't display accurately on my Google Pixel 7's Bluetooth dropdown. I'm unsure which company is at fault here, but all other Soundcore head and earphones operate this way. This issue can be resolved by checking the app, which displays the accurate battery life, although this isn't ideal when you're rushing out the door and need to quickly check your battery level. I use these for my daily gym sessions and while they effectively block out the blaring music and the nattering of over-ambitious teenagers lifting weights before engaging in a half-hour chat, they do slide off my head when I lay down. This is the trade-off for having two silky smooth cushions on each ear: if you're sweaty, they're likely to slip off during your bench press routine. They are also quite bulky, making them difficult to stash in your coat pocket and impossible not to wear around your neck in the summer, like Sonic the Hedgehog circa 2008. However, I've heard that some people have something called 'bags' where they fit easily. If you're after high-quality headphones at a fraction of the price with exceptional noise cancelling, then the Soundcore Space One headphones are the ones for you. Despite minor gripes about size and sweat-related issues, they are probably my favourite headphones ever. Pair these with a sleep mask and you'll never worry about sleeping on an aeroplane again. I managed five hours of sleep while my brother got none. And you know what I told him? You should've bought the headphones I recommended. If these aren't to your taste, there are plenty of deals on noise-cancelling headphones. Argos is currently selling Sony's WH-CH720N Over-Ear NC Wireless Headphones for a remarkable £64.99. Alternatively, John Lewis has the JBL Tune headphones for £51.20 - though reviews aren't as impressive as those for Sony and Soundcore.Trump says extension of the debt ceiling will 'go down as one of the dumbest political decisions made in years'

India, Norway to hold discussions on $100 billion investment opportunitySEOUL, South Korea -- South Korea's embattled President Yoon Suk Yeol avoided an opposition-led attempt to impeach him over his short-lived imposition of martial law, as most ruling party lawmakers boycotted a parliamentary vote Saturday to deny a two-thirds majority needed to suspend his presidential powers. The scrapping of the motion is expected to intensify protests calling for Yoon's ouster and deepen political chaos in South Korea, with a survey suggesting a majority of South Koreans support the president's impeachment. Yoon's martial law declaration drew criticism from his own ruling conservative People Power Party, but the party is also determined to oppose Yoon's impeachment apparently because it fears losing the presidency to liberals. After the motion fell through, members of the main liberal opposition Democratic Party rallied inside the National Assembly, chanting slogans calling for Yoon's impeachment or resignation. The party's floor leader, Park Chan-dae, said it will soon prepare for a new impeachment motion. Opposition parties could submit a new impeachment motion after a new parliamentary session opens next Wednesday. "We'll surely impeach Yoon Suk Yeol, who is the greatest risk to Republic of Korea," party leader Lee Jae-myung said. "We'll surely bring back this country to normal before Christmas Day or year's end." Many experts worry Yoon won't be able to serve out his remaining 2 years in office. They say some PPP lawmakers could eventually join opposition parties' efforts to impeach Yoon if public demands for it grow further. The ruling party risks "further public outrage and national confusion if they don't find a formula fast for Yoon's departure," said Duyeon Kim, a senior analyst at the Center for a New American Security in Washington. PPP chair Han Dong-hun said his party will seek Yoon's "orderly" early exit but didn't say when he can resign. On Saturday, tens of thousands of people packed several blocks of roads leading to the National Assembly, waving banners, shouting slogans and dancing. Protesters also gathered in front of PPP's headquarters near the Assembly, shouting for its lawmakers to vote to impeach Yoon. A smaller crowd of Yoon's supporters, which still seemed to be in the thousands, rallied elsewhere in Seoul, calling the impeachment attempt unconstitutional. Impeaching Yoon required support from 200 of the National Assembly's 300 members. The Democratic Party and five other small opposition parties, which filed the motion, have 192 seats combined. But only three lawmakers from PPP participated in the vote. The motion was scrapped without ballot counting because the number of votes didn't reach 200. National Assembly Speaker Woo Won Shik called the result "very regrettable" and an embarrassing moment for the country's democracy. If Yoon is impeached, his powers will be suspended until the Constitutional Court decides whether to remove him from office. If he is removed, an election to replace him must take place within 60 days. Earlier Saturday, Yoon issued an apology over the martial law decree, saying he won't shirk legal or political responsibility for the declaration and promising not to make another attempt to impose it. He said would leave it to his party to chart a course through the country's political turmoil, "including matters related to my term in office." "The declaration of this martial law was made out of my desperation. But in the course of its implementation, it caused anxiety and inconveniences to the public. I feel very sorry over that and truly apologize to the people who must have been shocked a lot," Yoon said. Since taking office in 2022, Yoon has struggled to push his agenda through an opposition-controlled parliament and grappled with low approval ratings amid scandals involving himself and his wife. In his martial law announcement on Tuesday night, Yoon called parliament a "den of criminals" bogging down state affairs and vowed to eliminate "shameless North Korea followers and anti-state forces." The declaration of martial law was the first of its kind in more than 40 years in South Korea. The turmoil has paralyzed South Korean politics and sparked alarm among key diplomatic partners like the U.S. and Japan. "Yoon's credibility overseas has been undermined by declaring martial law, so he won't be able to exercise leadership in his foreign policies especially when his days are numbered," Kim, the analyst, said. "Its government bureaucracy will need to continue business as usual for existing alliance and foreign policy initiatives as best it can because there is a lot of important work to do globally." Tuesday night saw special forces troops encircling the parliament building and army helicopters hovering over it, but the military withdrew after the National Assembly unanimously voted to overturn the decree, forcing Yoon to lift it before daybreak Wednesday. Eighteen lawmakers from the ruling party voted to reject Yoon's martial law decree along with opposition lawmakers. PPP later decided to oppose Yoon's impeachment motion. Yoon's speech fueled speculation that he and his party may push for a constitutional amendment to shorten his term, instead of accepting impeachment, as a way to ease public anger over the marital law and facilitate Yoon's early exit from office. Lee told reporters that Yoon's speech was "greatly disappointing" and that the only way forward is his immediate resignation or impeachment. His party called Yoon's martial law "unconstitutional, illegal rebellion or coup." Lawmakers on Saturday first voted on a bill appointing a special prosecutor to investigate stock price manipulation allegations surrounding Yoon's wife. On Friday, Han, who criticized Yoon's martial law declaration, said he had received intelligence that during the brief period of martial law Yoon ordered the country's defense counterintelligence commander to arrest unspecified key politicians based on accusations of "anti-state activities." Hong Jang-won, first deputy director of South Korea's spy agency, told lawmakers Friday that Yoon had ordered him to help the defense counterintelligence unit to detain key politicians including Han, Lee and Woo. The Defense Ministry said Friday it suspended three military commanders including the head of the defense counterintelligence unit over their involvement in enforcing martial law. Vice Defense Minister Kim Seon Ho has told parliament that Defense Minister Kim Yong Hyun ordered the deployment of troops to the National Assembly. Opposition parties accused Kim of recommending to Yoon to enforce martial law. Kim Yong Hyun resigned Thursday, and prosecutors imposed an overseas travel ban on him.

President Jimmy Carter recognized there was political value for a young congressman to be seen in proximity to the president. President Jimmy Carter, with U.S. Rep. John Cavanaugh right behind him as Carter suggested, is greeted on the tarmac by Gen. Richard H. Ellis after exiting Air Force One at SAC on Oct 22, 1977. So as Air Force One landed at Offutt Air Force Base in 1977 during Carter’s first presidential visit to the state, he offered Omaha congressman John Cavanaugh a little advice just before they exited the plane. “Stay close, John,” he said. Sure enough, the hundreds who had gathered on the tarmac to greet the president also saw Cavanaugh right in Carter’s shadow, which got Cavanaugh featured in news photos from the day. President Jimmy Carter never enjoyed much electoral success in Nebraska. The Democrat lost to Omaha native Gerald Ford in 1976 and conservative icon Ronald Reagan in 1980. But both during his four years as president and his many years after as an international champion of peace, the modest peanut farmer from Georgia gained a lot of admirers. Cavanaugh and other Nebraskans who met Carter described the former president — who died Sunday, according to his son and multiple news reports — as a kind and genuine man with a personality that sparkled as much as his signature wide-toothed grin. “What a wonderful person,” recalled Cavanaugh, a Democrat whose two terms in the House of Representatives coincided with Carter’s 1977-1981 term as president. Preston Love Jr. of Omaha also mourned Carter’s death at age 100. The North Omaha civic leader and recent Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate had the chance to meet the former president at Carter's home in 1983 as a then-staffer for Rev. Jesse Jackson. “I mourn the fact that he, to this date, has not received his due — as president, and for his post presidential exploits, which have been enormous,” Love said in 2023. Amanda Brewer, Habitat for Humanity of Omaha CEO, met Carter while volunteering to help build a Habitat home in Georgia in 1998 — an encounter that helped to inspire her to a career with the charity. "I think his legacy, and inspiration to me, is that everyone has the ability to make a difference," she said. Carter first came to Nebraska during campaign trips in 1975 and 1976. He had been doing a lot of campaigning across the Missouri River for the Iowa caucuses, the first test of the presidential election cycle. In fact, Carter ultimately wrote the book on how to use early success in Iowa and New Hampshire to propel a bid for a presidential party nomination. Carter was elected in November 1976, though in Nebraska incumbent Ford pulled in 59% of the vote and prevailed in 89 of the state’s 93 counties. Carter that spring also narrowly finished second to Frank Church of Idaho in the Nebraska Democratic primary. Carter’s first visit to the state as president came on Oct. 22, 1977, when he flew into Omaha to tour the Strategic Air Command headquarters at Offutt. At the time, tensions with the Soviet Union were high. The chance that a nuclear war could be waged one day from SAC’s bunker south of Omaha was very real. Carter received a tour of both the underground command post and the doomsday plane that could launch the nation’s nuclear arsenal in a time of emergency. He also picked up the “red phone” and spoke a message of thanks to SAC servicemen around the globe for their work to prevent “the possible destruction of our nation.” At the time, there was a little internal tension within SAC, too. Carter had recently canceled the B-1 bomber program, which was strongly supported by Gen. Richard H. Ellis, the SAC Commander. Carter didn’t back off the decision. He was focused on reducing the deficit at a time of high inflation. He felt the B-1 had been made obsolete by the development of accurate cruise missiles that could fly the same speed and distance and a new generation of B-2 stealth bombers that was on the drawing table. A display at SAC headquarters had included a model of the B-1. Before the president’s visit, it was replaced with a model of a B-52. Carter also toured a B-52 on the Offutt runway. (Reagan as president revived the B-1.) Cavanaugh was given the opportunity to fly into Omaha with Carter. The two talked about depressed farm prices, a chief concern in Nebraska, and the president’s energy bill during the flight. Carter stopped in Nebraska again during a cross-country flight on June 10, 1980, to tour tornado-ravaged Grand Island. A week earlier, a freakish storm sent at least seven tornadoes descending on the city, killing five, injuring 200 and destroying or damaging nearly a third of the city. Touring the devastation with then-Gov. Charles Thone, Carter’s motorcade stopped in front of what had once been the home of Del Kosmicki. The Grand Island man told the president everyone was working together in the recovery. Carter then crossed the street and stood atop the foundation of another former home to speak. Against a backdrop of shattered houses and stripped-bare trees, he told those gathered that God had blessed them by minimizing the damage. He encouraged them to keep their selfless attitudes during the rebuilding to come. "He was very genuine and sincere," Kosmicki told the Grand Island Independent. "I thought he did a really good job." Reagan’s Nebraska campaign chair called Carter’s visit an election-year political stunt. But Thone, a Republican, defended it as a sincere effort by the president to buoy spirits in the city. Later that year, Reagan swept Nebraska with 65% of the vote. Reagan’s landslide victory nationally sent Carter back to his farm in Plains, Georgia. But the loss certainly didn't send Carter into retirement. Carter worked for decades as an international ambassador for peace and human rights, creating an all-new model for post-presidential life. Love had the chance to meet Carter in Plains in 1983. At the time, Love was the lone staffer to Rev. Jesse Jackson as he registered voters in the South and laid the groundwork for Jackson's bid for president in 1988. Carter and his wife Rosalynn were gracious hosts, Love said, providing insight into the presidency and its history and even giving the visitors a tour of the peanut operation. “While President Carter encouraged Rev. Jackson to pursue a run for president, he was very clear and forthright about the pitfalls and the realities of doing such,” Love said. “I felt after meeting him in that situation, a tremendous like and respect for the man.” Amanda Brewer, left, with Rosalynn and Jimmy Carter and Brewer's mother, Kathy Jedlicka. Brewer recalled Carter as a down-to-earth and compassionate man when she met him in 1998 while she and her mom volunteered at a Habitat home in Americus, Georgia, near Plains. Carter and his wife, who died in November 2023, had fully embraced the charity. They became among its biggest advocates and fundraisers, and even picked up hammers and saws themselves. That day, the Carters were going around thanking all the volunteers. "He used his influence, rolled up his sleeves and was willing to do the work," Brewer said. "His values aligned with Habitat's values of putting your faith in action and doing something to make the world a better place." As president, Carter will likely be best known for brokering the peace deal between Egypt and Israel. It was a prelude to his work once out of office. Cavanaugh was present on the White House lawn when the parties signed the Camp David Accords. Carter won the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize "for his decades of untiring effort to find peaceful solutions to international conflicts, to advance democracy and human rights, and to promote economic and social development." But Cavanaugh said Carter actually accomplished a lot domestically, much of it overshadowed by the Iran hostage crisis and continued economic problems that largely doomed his re-election bid. With his high ethics, Carter was also the right man to lead the nation into the post-Watergate era, Cavanaugh said. “He was always kind, hard-working and thoughtful,” Cavanaugh said. “He was just a sweetheart.” President Jimmy Carter shakes hands during a visit at Offutt Air Force base on Oct. 22, 1977. Capt. David L. Young gives a tour of a B-52 to President Jimmy Carter at Offutt Air Force Base on Oct. 22, 1977. President Jimmy Carter visits Strategic Air Command on Oct 22, 1977. 1977: SAC Commander-in-Chief Gen. Richard H. Ellis leads President Jimmy Carter past experts who man the command post console at Offutt Air Force Base. President Jimmy Carter speaks at the Grand Island airport on June 10, 1980. From left are Nebraska Gov. Charles Thone, Maj. Gen. Edward Binder of the Nebraska National Guard and Grand Island Mayor Bob Kriz. Carter's visit came after seven tornadoes touched down in or near the city, killing five people and injuring 200 on the night of June 3. President Jimmy Carter gives a speech near the destroyed home of Dennis Williams home at 707 Joehnck Road in Grand Island on June 10, 1980. Seven tornadoes touched down in or near the city that, killing five people and injuring 200. President Jimmy Carter gives a speech near the destroyed home of Dennis Williams home at 707 Joehnck Road in Grand Island on June 10, 1980. Seven tornadoes touched down in or near the city that, killing five people and injuring 200. Grand Island Mayor Bob Kriz, Nebraska Gov. Charles Thone and Jimmy Carter at the Grand Generation Center on June 10, 1980. Seven tornadoes touched down in or near the city that, killing five people and injuring 200. Former President Jimmy Carter receives an honorary degree from Creighton University in September 1987. Jimmy Carter speaks in Omaha on June 6th, 1975 during his run for president. President Jimmy Carter, with U.S. Rep. John Cavanaugh right behind him as Carter suggested, is greeted on the tarmac after exiting Air Force One at SAC on Oct 22, 1977. President Jimmy Carter at the Grand Generation Center on On June 10, 1980, a week after seven tornadoes touched down in or near the city that night, killing five people and injuring 200. Jimmy Carter holds a cigar tube full of dimes given to him by teen-aged supporters in Omaha on May 8th, 1976 during his run for president. Jimmy Carter in Grand Island May 9, 1976 during his run for president. Jimmy Carter speaks in Omaha on May 31, 1974, a prelude to his run for president. cordes@owh.com , ​402-444-1130, twitter.com/henrycordes Get local news delivered to your inbox!Short Interest in Wintrust Financial Co. (NASDAQ:WTFCP) Drops By 21.9%Party’s over, let’s get down to business, Soludo urges APGA executives

80jili update

Twelve electric rotors whirring, a van-size aircraft lifted vertically into a bright sky and cruised smoothly over an artichoke field. The 10-minute test flight in California, controlled from a nearby trailer, took Archer Aviation a small step closer to a future imagined for decades by dreamers, engineers and frustrated commuters: a time when it’s possible to soar over traffic in an air taxi. Archer is aiming to launch its first commercially operated flights with a pilot and passengers within a year in Abu Dhabi. Credit: Archer via AP Archer’s electrically powered mash-up of a helicopter and an aeroplane is among the first competitors seeking to earn certification to carry passengers under a category of aircraft envisioned under new rules by the US Federal Aviation Administration. Years after the world watched TV character George Jetson zip to work in his airborne cartoon commuter, the flying taxi may be on the cusp of reality. Archer is aiming to launch its first commercially operated flights with a pilot and passengers within a year in Abu Dhabi. A competitor, Joby Aviation, says it is aiming to launch passenger service in Dubai as soon as late 2025. Advancements in batteries and other technologies required for the futuristic tilt-rotor craft are moving so fast that they could soon move beyond the novelty stage and into broader commercial use in a matter of years. Both companies are laying plans to operate at the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles. Loading “They have created these amazing new aircraft that really 10 or 15 years ago would’ve been unimaginable,” said Roger Connor, curator of the vertical flight collection at the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum. “I think there’s something innately attractive about being able to leapfrog all of your terrestrial obstacles,” he said. “Who hasn’t wished that if you live in the suburbs that, you know, something could drop into your cul-de-sac and 15 minutes later you’re at the office.” Business success is by no means assured for these craft, called electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft, or eVTOLs. Scaling the industry from a novelty ride for the wealthy to a broadly available commuter option would take billions more in start-up money, executives said, including building out a network of takeoff and landing areas (called vertiports) and charging stations.Several of Trump's Cabinet picks — and Trump himself — have been accused of sexual misconduct

New Delhi : The Indian electronics sector is poised for significant growth, with projections indicating the creation of 12 million jobs by 2027 , according to a recent report by TeamLease Degree Apprenticeship . This includes 3 million direct jobs and 9 million indirect roles , showcasing the sector’s potential to drive economic development and employment opportunities. Also Read: Tata Group to create 5 lakh manufacturing jobs over next half decade The report outlines the distribution of direct employment opportunities: Additionally, 9 million indirect jobs will stem from non-technical roles, underlining the broad impact of the electronics industry on India’s job market. India’s electronics industry aims to achieve $500 billion in manufacturing output by 2030 , requiring a five-fold growth over the next five years. Currently, domestic production is valued at $101 billion , with contributions from key segments: Emerging areas like automotive electronics (8%) , LED lighting (3%) , wearables and hearables (1%) , and PCBAs (1%) offer immense potential for growth. “India’s electronics sector, currently contributing 3.3% to global manufacturing and 5.3% to India’s total merchandise exports in FY23, is swiftly transforming into a global electronics hub,” said Sumit Kumar , Chief Strategy Officer at TeamLease Degree Apprenticeship. Despite its modest 4% participation in global value chains , the sector has substantial room for growth by advancing from assembly to design and component manufacturing. As employment opportunities surge, a multi-pronged strategy focusing on apprenticeships, reskilling, and upskilling is essential. With Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) currently operating at only 51% enrollment , enhancing capacity through employer-led initiatives, Work-Integrated Learning Programs (WILP) , and degree apprenticeships is crucial. “Employers can bridge the skills gap by establishing in-house training centers and partnering with academia,” the report noted. India’s electronics sector has experienced rapid expansion thanks to initiatives like: “These policies have catalyzed the sector’s growth, laying the foundation for a future-ready workforce,” added AR Ramesh , CEO of TeamLease Degree Apprenticeship.

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Giannis Antetokounmpo was available for the Milwaukee Bucks against the Washington Wizards Saturday night after missing one game with swelling in his left knee. Antetokounmpo sat out the Bucks’ 106-103 NBA Cup victory at Miami on Tuesday. The two-time MVP had been listed as probable with tendinopathy in his right patellar tendon. “He’s good,” Bucks coach Doc Rivers said before the game. Antetokounmpo entered Saturday as the league’s leading scorer at 32.4 points per game. He ranked fifth in rebounds (11.9) and 20th in assists (6.4). ___ AP NBA:Brace for turbulence: Lessons from a bumpy 'super year' of global elections

Vancouver Canucks (12-7-3, in the Pacific Division) vs. Detroit Red Wings (10-11-2, in the Atlantic Division) Detroit; Sunday, 12:30 p.m. EST BOTTOM LINE: The Vancouver Canucks visit the Detroit Red Wings after the Canucks took down the Buffalo Sabres 4-3 in overtime. Detroit has gone 5-6-1 at home and 10-11-2 overall. The Red Wings have gone 3-3-2 in games they serve more penalty minutes than their opponents. Vancouver has a 12-7-3 record overall and a 9-2-0 record on the road. The Canucks have a +two scoring differential, with 71 total goals scored and 69 given up. Sunday's game is the first time these teams square off this season. TOP PERFORMERS: Dylan Larkin has 12 goals and six assists for the Red Wings. Lucas Raymond has six goals and four assists over the past 10 games. Quinn Hughes has five goals and 20 assists for the Canucks. Elias Pettersson has scored five goals with eight assists over the last 10 games. LAST 10 GAMES: Red Wings: 4-5-1, averaging 2.5 goals, 4.3 assists, 2.9 penalties and 6.3 penalty minutes while giving up 2.9 goals per game. Canucks: 5-5-0, averaging 3.2 goals, 5.7 assists, 3.7 penalties and 9.1 penalty minutes while giving up 3.2 goals per game. INJURIES: Red Wings: None listed. Canucks: None listed. The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar .I’m a Certified Personal Trainer, and These Are My Favorite Black Friday Deals on Fitness EquipmentKorean turmoil dents equity trading sentiment

Share Tweet Share Share Email Early Bitcoin investors turned small bets into life-changing fortunes—proof that spotting the next big thing early pays off. Now, as the cryptocurrency market evolves, savvy investors are eyeing their next game-changer. Enter Lightchain AI (LCAI), a rising star priced at just $0.0041 during its presale . Combining the power of artificial intelligence and blockchain, LCAI is already outshining heavyweights like Ethereum (ETH) and Solana (SOL). With its cutting-edge innovation and massive potential, forward-thinking investors are betting big on what could be the next Bitcoin-level success story. Will you be one of them? Why Ethereum May Lose Its Edge Ethereum’s position as a leader in the blockchain space is facing some challenges. The rise of Layer-2 solutions has been great for scalability, but it has also reduced Ethereum’s revenue by 99% after the Dencun upgrade, as transaction fees have dropped significantly. At the same time, Ethereum’s market share has slipped to 13.1%, its lowest since 2021, as alternative Layer-1 blockchains like Solana gain traction with faster and more affordable transactions. Scalability issues have also led to a dip in network activity and user engagement, while new token types within its ecosystem have shifted some value away from Ethereum. These challenges highlight the need for strategic improvements to help Ethereum maintain its leadership in the ever-changing blockchain world. There’s still plenty of potential for innovation and growth ahead! Solana’s Speed vs. Lightchain AI’s Versatility Solana is famous for its super-fast transaction speed, handling an average of 1,504 transactions per second (TPS)—way ahead of many competitors. This is thanks to its unique Proof of History (PoH) system, which makes transactions quick and affordable. On the other hand, Lightchain AI focuses on flexibility by blending artificial intelligence into its blockchain setup. With tools like the Artificial Intelligence Virtual Machine (AIVM) and Proof of Intelligence (PoI) consensus, it’s built to handle real-time AI tasks across industries like healthcare, finance, and supply chain management. If you need speed for high-frequency transactions, Solana has you covered. But if you’re looking for a platform built for smart, data-driven applications, Lightchain AI offers a versatile solution in the ever-changing blockchain world. Why Lightchain AI Is the Next Big Bet Lightchain AI is making waves with its unique Proof of Intelligence (PoI) consensus mechanism, which rewards nodes for handling AI tasks like model training and optimization. This not only strengthens the network’s security but also makes it more efficient, setting it apart from traditional blockchain models. With a clear and ambitious roadmap, Lightchain AI has big plans for growth. Key milestones include the testnet launch in January 2025 and the mainnet activation in March 2025—showcasing a strong commitment to innovation and scalability. The LCAI token also has a thoughtful and sustainable tokenomics model, with a total supply of 10 billion tokens allocated smartly: 40% for presale, 28.5% for staking rewards, 15% for liquidity, 5% for marketing, 6.5% for the treasury, and 5% for the team. By combining AI with blockchain technology, Lightchain AI takes on challenges like scalability, governance, and privacy head-on, establishing itself as a leader in decentralized intelligence. Its strategic vision and focus on real-world applications—spanning industries like healthcare, finance, and logistics—showcase its huge potential for widespread adoption. https://lightchain.ai https://lightchain.ai/lightchain-whitepaper.pdf https://x.com/LightchainAI https://t.me/LightchainProtocol Related Items: Lightchain , press release Share Tweet Share Share Email Recommended for you These Undervalued Digital Assets Could Offer 4000% Returns by December, Even if the Crypto Market Enters a Bearish Phase – Invest $600 Now AI Picks 5 Tokens That Will Boost Your Portfolio 28,000% in the Upcoming Bull Run XRP and Avalanche Investors Eye This Altcoin for Explosive Potential CommentsEDMONTON — Joe Iginla scored a hat trick and the Edmonton Oil Kings thumped the Red Deer Rebels 8-2 on Sunday night in the Western Hockey League. Iginla, the 16-year-old son of Hockey Hall of Famer Jarome Iginla, buried his fifth, sixth and seventh goals of the season. The hat trick goal came at 18:19 of the third period. Roan Woodward added two goals and an assist while Gracyn Sawchyn had three helpers for Edmonton. Gavin Hodnett, Marshall Finnie and Kayden Stroeder also scored. Alex Worthington made 20 saves. Carson Birnie and Ollie Josephson replied for Red Deer. Chase Wutzke allowed seven goals on 33 shots and Peyton Shore stopped eight of nine. HITMEN 4 TIGERS 3 (OT) CALGARY — Ben Kindel scored twice, including the overtime winner, and the Calgary Hitmen edged the Medicine Hat Tigers. Ethan Moore and Maxim Muranov also scored for Medicine Hat. Anders Miller stopped 22 shots. Ryder Ritchie replied twice and Bryce Pickford also scored for Medicine Hat. Jordan Switzer made 36 saves. GIANTS 3 ROCKETS 1 LANGLEY, B.C. — Ty Halaburda scored twice, including a short-handed game-winning goal, and the Vancouver Giants beat the Kelowna Rockets. Jaden Lipinski also scored for Vancouver and Matthew Hutchison made 22 saves. Max Graham replied for Kelowna. Rhett Stoesser stopped 24 shots. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 29, 2024. The Canadian Press

Global Mining Truck Market To Reach $37.39 Billion By 2028 With A Growth Rate Of 6.4%As we patiently waited with others for the elevator to arrive on the ground floor of the Nigerian Mission to the United Nations in New York on a September morning (only one of the elevators was working!), a few people who recognized him seemed to gasp as they realized that such an eminent global citizen and former head of the Mission was standing there unassumingly. That was Ibrahim Agboola Gambari, global diplomat, statesman, retired professor of International Relations, ex-Under Secretary-General (Political) of the United Nations, ex-External Affairs Minister, ex-Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, immediate past Chief of Staff to the President, Ilorin prince, gentleman extraordinaire, and one of the humblest (global) eminent persons you will ever encounter. We were at the Nigerian Mission House on Kudirat Abiola Corner, Second Avenue, New York, last September, the week preceding the United Nations General Assembly, to inquire about connecting with two visiting African heads of state. More precisely, Professor Gambari was with me at the Nigerian Mission to help facilitate an invitation for the two African leaders to visit my university. Since he left the Mission in late 1999, he had avoided, as much as possible, causing a “distraction” by visiting the imposing Mission house. But he did so that day for my sake. That’s the measure of the man. He would often go to any length to help anyone who needed his help. And he would do so as elegantly, smoothly, or inconspicuously as the occasion demanded. Indeed, Gambari’s modesty is legendary. Though the underlying aim of this tribute is to ask that the tireless, peripatetic, and newly minted octogenarian, who celebrated his 80 th on November 24, be put to further service, I would like to place my personal experience of the life and times of this immensely considerate man in some context to not only re-emphasize his global eminence but also to underscore his good-nature and generosity of spirit. Indeed, much more can be added to the glowing tributes already rendered. Yet, there is no need to repeat what they eloquently attested to in a late tribute as this. Still, it is necessary to contextualize the present request that comes in the guise of a tribute. Gambari’s accomplishments have already been exhibited, acknowledged, celebrated, and cataloged by the United Nations, African Union, and ECOWAS, and in Nigeria, South Africa, Myanmar, Sudan, etc. And he continues to be honoured for his contributions to global peace and security. Indeed, Gambari brought a calm intensity to the meticulous and often veiled art of diplomacy and international relations. As he worked in the halls of the United Nations and presidential palaces around the world, negotiating complicated or convoluted deals either with probable or improbable leaders, some of them wily and cruelly recalcitrant (like General Sani Abacha, the Myanmar Generals, and the ex-Sudanese dictator, Omar al-Bashir), some graceful or gracefully detached, and some others haughtily imperious or dismissive (like Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice), what he brought to bear on his multivarious tasks was not only deep knowledge and diplomatic savvy, but also personal convictions and refinement. He was not only part of that golden era of Nigeria’s foreign policy making and implementation when the nation, despite being under the reign of soldiers, exerted itself in the subregion, the continent, and the world at large, but he also translated and effectively deployed his experience when he joined the United Nations. Even in periods that were not his finest moments, such as defending Nigeria in the global forum under the homicidal regime of General Abacha, he tried not to be an obnoxious reflection of the despicable general he was representing. Over the last three decades, I have witnessed the respect he has attracted in his personal and professional life. For instance, when President Olusegun Obasanjo’s administration replaced him as the Head of Nigeria’s Mission at the United Nations in late 1999, I was in New York on a fellowship at the New School for Social Research (briefly renamed New School University). Professor Gambari invited me to every one of the countless farewell cocktails or dinners held in his honour by his colleagues. Almost every head of the diplomatic mission manoeuvred to find a date to host Gambari. From the most exclusive dinner in the beautiful penthouse home of the Lichtenstein envoy to the UN, to which only about 12 of us were invited, including the Dean of UN Ambassadors and the ambassadors of the US, Canada, and Gambari’s most graceful and even more self-effacing wife to the larger dinner hosted by African permanent representatives to the UN, and another by the Nigerian Mission attended by the Secretary-General of the UN, Kofi Annan, the testimonies to Gambari’s effectiveness as Nigeria’s ambassador to the global forum, the depth and breadth of the relationships he cultivated, and his immense contributions to global peace and security were not only heartwarming, they made one proud to share his national identity. However, such was the high number of invitations to dinners and cocktails that Gambari received and to which he invited me along that I was afraid that my academic fellowship in New York ran the risk of turning into an excuse for gastronomical excursions – and excess. And that I might, at the end of the dinners, find it difficult to return to my more proletarian tastes. I found some excuses to miss a few, which Gambari diplomatically accepted. What is remarkable about the Ilorin prince is that he is as comfortable in the hallowed halls of the UN and among global leaders as he is in the world’s remotest parts and among everyday folks. Even those young enough to be his sons, Gambari calls “brothers” and not just “friends.” And he shares with his younger “brothers” some of his intriguing experiences around the world, the sweetest of which he sometimes narrates in his inimitable Ilorin-Yoruba accent. Such was the nature of his accomplishments that about 30 years ago, my friend, Laolu Akande, arguably Nigeria’s most effective education reporter and later editor and recently vice-presidential spokesman, embarked on a project of writing Gambari’s biography during our years as reporters. Recently, Laolu and I reflected that the man was “only” 50 when we were already persuaded that he deserved a biography. Since then, we have had the privilege to know the man genuinely. I recall an occasion around 1995 when he and his now late former student-turned-friend, Mr. Wale Adeeyo, stopped over to see Laolu and I at the Tribune house in Imalefalafia, Ibadan. The two were on a trip to some place outside Ibadan when we called to request a brief chat regarding our book project. When they arrived at the Tribune house, we couldn’t find a suitable space in Tribune to host them. He then asked that we get into the car to find a suitable space. A few minutes later, as we drove towards the back entrance of Liberty Stadium, Adeeko, who loathed wasting others or his own time, suggested that they shouldn’t drive us too far away from our office and that they stopped to find a place to chat briefly. Adeeyo, who knew the modesty of his former teacher too well, requested from a woman selling some odds and ends by the roadside if we could sit on her spare bench for a while. She obliged. Gambari sat there with us for a short interview. When we were done, Adeeyo gave the woman a generous gift. The woman could not have imagined that the man sharing her bench was Nigeria’s permanent representative at the United Nations. By the way, please do not ask me what happened to the book we were writing. As anyone who has worked in this line of business would attest, some of the most critical writing projects risk regretful abandonment. This brings me to the primary purpose of this tribute: a modest proposal. Given Gambari’s experience, unceasing readiness to serve his country, and the current state of Nigeria’s international reputation and diplomatic influence, President Bola Tinubu’s administration would be well-served to leverage these. For instance, the President can set up an Eminent Persons Foreign Policy Advisory Board comprising the three most distinguished Nigerian diplomats alive today: Professor Ibrahim Gambari, former Commonwealth Secretary-General, Chief Emeka Anyaoku, and former Minister of External Affairs, Professor Bolaji Akinyemi. These three can suggest the most transformative steps that can be taken to reinvigorate Nigeria’s international influence. Even without the attendant blessings of excess crude dollars of the past that helped in leveraging Nigeria’s regional, continental, and global influence, the President could restore the glorious years of Nigeria’s foreign policy if he listened to the counsel of these three great men. Meanwhile, in whatever part of the world this felicitation finds Gambari, here’s a belated happy 80 th birthday! Get real-time news updates from Tribune Online! Follow us on WhatsApp for breaking news, exclusive stories and interviews, and much more. Join our WhatsApp Channel now

UConn announced a two-year contract extension for head football coach Jim Mora on Saturday, just before the team took the field for the Fenway Bowl against North Carolina. Mora’s contract extension will run through 2028 and will pay him $10 million through the remaining four years, with the opportunity to earn more in incentives. The 63-year-old coach is set to make $1.7 million next season, $1.9 million in 2026 and $2.3 and $2.4 million in 2027 and 2028, respectively. UConn then went out and thrashed North Carolina, 27-14, in a game that wasn’t as close as the score indicated. “I am forever grateful. I’m grateful to (athletic director) David (Benedict) and (school president) Radenka (Maric) and the Board of Trustees, but this is about what the (UConn players) did today,” Mora said when asked about the extension in the postgame press conference. In a statement released by UConn ahead of the game, Mora said: “I’d like to thank David Benedict, Radenka Maric and the University of Connecticut leadership for their trust in me and their commitment to our football program. When I first got here, I talked about where we wanted this program to go and we have shown great progress but we still have plenty of work to do. The commitment and dedication from the university and the athletic department has me excited about the future for our football team.” “Three years ago, I tasked Jim Mora with the challenge of leading our football team back to success and through his experience, energy and leadership he has done just that,” UConn athletic director David Benedict said in a statement. “He has taken our program to post season bowl games twice and just guided our team to one of the best seasons in UConn football history, building a momentum to keep this program moving forward. I look forward to his leadership of our football team in the years ahead.” Mora is coming off one of the most successful seasons in UConn football history, having led the team to an 8-4 record and an appearance in the Fenway Bowl. It’s the Huskies’ second bowl appearance in three years. UConn’s eight wins is the most for the program since 2010, and the Huskies had their first winning season since that year, too. A win Saturday would give UConn nine wins for just the third time in program history, with the last two such seasons coming in 2003 and 2007. UConn quarterbacks coach Brad Robbins is heading to Tulsa as an offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, according to a report from CBS Sports. Robbins was part of a coaching staff that helped the offense produce its most prolific attack since the 2009 season and fifth-most in program history (32.3 points per game). Robbins worked at FCS Tennessee Tech and Division II North Greenville before joining Jim Mora’s staff in spring 2023. Get local news delivered to your inbox!United States internationals Weston McKennie and Timothy Weah were a big part of the reason Juventus toppled Manchester City in the Champions League on Wednesday. The duo also made history in the process. Weah played a perfect cross to his USMNT teammate in the second half of Juve's 2-0 win over City in Turin, Italy, and when McKennie buried an exquisite side volley past Éderson , the two became the first Americans to connect for a goal and assist in Champions League history. "It was a big moment for the team with the situation we have been in," McKennie said after the match. "We wanted to come out and do the best we could. We knew Man City could punish us with one action and we knew what type of game it was going to be and we wanted to win this game to boost our confidence." The result ended a string of four straight draws for Juventus, who are in sixth place in Serie A , and it kept them on track to reach the knockout phase of this season's revamped Champions League with 11 points and a spot in 14th place in the table. Weah and McKennie have both been part of the U.S. senior side since 2018, and have played a combined 73 games together for club and country. After the game, McKennie talked about the challenges of being an American and playing for a top team in Europe as the pair battle for minutes at Juventus. "Being an American, being over here, it's something you deal with, but I like it," McKennie said. "I like when people doubt me, and sometimes I play my best football when people doubt me." McKennie has only five starts in the Italian league this season, scoring one goal, but Juventus coach Thiago Motta said the midfielder brings unique qualities to the team. "Weston can do everything," Motta said after the game. "He has unusual physicality, but also great technique, knows when to time his runs and can be even more dangerous when he comes in from behind, as we saw today and against PSV Eindhoven. "We are fortunate to have players with these qualities, because he can give us different alternatives during a match. I am happy for him and all the players this evening." Juventus have now defeated Man City in each of the past three meetings, and ended the Premier League champions record of six straight games unbeaten against Italian teams. Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

‘Extreme’: Israeli PM slams Australia after arson attack on Melbourne synagogueBiden administration officials said Wednesday they have no current plans to authorize a stockpiled bird flu vaccine , despite an escalating outbreak among livestock in the U.S. and at least 58 human infections across seven states. The move means any decisions about a bird flu vaccine will likely be left to health officials in the incoming Trump administration, who may be led by anti-vaccine activist Robert F. Kennedy Jr., whom Trump has picked to lead the Department of Health and Human Services . The virus has been spreading in dairy cows since the spring and has infected at least 774 herds in 16 states as of Wednesday, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention . Last Friday, the Department of Agriculture stepped up its response to the outbreak, issuing a federal order mandating testing of the national milk supply. The USDA said the testing , set to begin next week in six states, will give farmworkers better confidence in the safety of their animals and their ability to protect themselves from infection, as well as give officials a better sense of where herds are infected. The virus’s spread in mammals that have close contact with humans is concerning for public health experts, because it gives the bird flu many opportunities to jump to people and potentially mutate to spread effectively from person to person. Almost all bird flu cases in the U.S. have been in farmworkers who have had contact with infected animals — either dairy cows or poultry — aside from a patient in Missouri and a child in California. A teen in Canada who got very sick and was hospitalized also had no clear contact with infected animals. The federal government has two bird flu vaccine candidates available in limited quantities in the nation’s Strategic National Stockpile , though they need to be authorized by the Food and Drug Administration before they can be used. In May, health officials said the government would begin looking at vaccination if the virus mutated in ways that would make existing antivirals like Tamiflu less effective, or if it appeared it was causing serious illness in people. Dr. Nirav Shah, the CDC’s principal deputy director, said Wednesday that the criteria for deploying a vaccine remains the same. “When we think about respiratory vaccines, their sweet spot is really in preventing severe disease and death,” Shah said. “When we look at what is currently unfolding with H5, even in the human cases, thankfully what we’ve seen thus far is mild disease,” he said, using a shorthand for the strain of the influenza virus causing the bird flu outbreak. “That is not a guarantee, and that could change, but that is one of the things that we are on the lookout for because the vaccine would be maximally effective against reducing severity of disease,” Shah said. While the administration isn’t considering a vaccine today, that could change if the outbreak changes, he said. Still, some public health experts believe the time for vaccination is now, particularly for farmworkers. “I do not think we should gamble with farmworkers’ lives by waiting for them to be hospitalized or die before using the tools we have to protect them,” said Jennifer Nuzzo, director of the Pandemic Center at Brown University School of Public Health. A balancing act Whether to authorize or deploy a vaccine is a constant balancing act for public health agencies, Shah said, noting that even the safest vaccine can come with side effects. In 1976, at the first signs of an H1N1 swine flu outbreak in the U.S., public health officials quickly initiated a nationwide vaccine campaign . The shot, however, caused a small increased risk of Guillain-Barre syndrome, a rare condition that causes the immune system to attack healthy nerve cells. The outbreak never spread widely, but it set public trust in the flu shot back decades. “It led to an analysis and introspection about whether the response to those 13 cases of swine flu had been an overreaction,” Shah said. “And, indeed, there was a high degree of vaccine skepticism that emerged.” Still, the public health agencies are prepared to authorize a vaccine for bird flu if needed, Shah said, adding officials are consistently testing strains against the vaccine candidates. A spokesperson at the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response, an agency within HHS that manages the Strategic National Stockpile, said the agency has worked to “fill and finish” vaccine doses of a candidate vaccine that’s well-matched to the virus circulating in dairy cows. There will be up to 10 million doses available by the end of the first quarter of next year, enough to vaccinate 5 million people, the spokesperson said. A spokesperson for the FDA said the agency is “actively engaged with federal partners in the U.S., as well as industry,” including evaluating potential vaccine candidates, should the need arise for use in people. When is the right time? Dr. William Schaffner, an infectious diseases expert at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, said there isn’t a need to authorize a vaccine at this time, given the lack of evidence of human-to-human spread nor signs that the virus is causing severe disease in people. Existing tools, such as antivirals and personal protective equipment, are sufficient enough right now, he said. There are a higher number of cases, but Schaffner attributed that to public health officials looking harder for the virus through testing and surveillance. Schaffner said the incoming Trump administration’s anti-vaccine rhetoric doesn’t change his stance. “I think we should be very careful about anticipating what the new administration will do,” he said. “The administration will be getting a lot of good, solid scientific evidence, not only from people at the CDC and the Food and Drug Administration, but they will hear from industry and lots of public health officials and experts across the country.” The Trump transition team didn’t respond to a request for comment. Dr. Keith Poulsen, director of the Wisconsin Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, also said it’s not necessary to authorize a vaccine at this time. “We need to keep advocating based on the science and data to make informed decisions, or do the best we can at the intersection of science, economics and political science,” Poulsen said. Nuzzo, of the Brown University School of Public Health, said that while antivirals are important for anyone exposed to or infected with the virus, their effectiveness is limited by a very small window of time in which they must be given. She also said the country’s testing strategy is not timely enough to adequately protect farmworkers. A vaccine, she said, could protect farmworkers from the possibility of severe illness. Poulsen said one issue officials could run into, however, is finding farmworkers who are willing to get the vaccine, noting that some may be distrustful of the shot. “I would start with seasonal flu and only go to the H5N1 strains if they find that people are propagating virus or getting severely sick,” Poulsen said. “That has not happened.”Stellantis lithium-sulfur EV batteries: cheaper, lighter, more range

CARSON, Calif. (AP) — The LA Galaxy and the New York Red Bulls have been Major League Soccer mainstays since the league's inaugural season in 1996, signing glamorous players and regularly competing for championships through years of success and setbacks in a league that's perpetually improving and expanding. Yet just a year ago, both of these clubs appeared to be a very long way from the stage they'll share Saturday in the MLS Cup Final . The Galaxy were one of MLS’ worst teams after a season of internal turmoil and public fan dissent, while the Red Bulls were merely a steady mediocrity seeking yet another coach to chart a new direction. A year later, these MLS founders are meeting in the league's first Cup final between teams from North America's two biggest markets. “Two original clubs being able to put themselves in this situation, I think it’s great,” Galaxy coach Greg Vanney said. “To see two clubs that have been at it as long as this league has been around be here, I think it’s a special moment. Couldn’t be two more different and contrasting styles as well, which could make for an interesting game, and I would imagine a high-intensity game.” Everything changed in 2024 after a dismal decade for the Galaxy , who are favored to cap their transformation by winning their team's record sixth MLS championship with a roster that's dramatically different from its past few groups — albeit with one massive injury absence in the final. The transformation of the Red Bulls happened only in the postseason, when a team that hadn't won a playoff game since 2017 suddenly turned into world-beaters under rookie coach Sandro Schwarz. New York struggled through the final three months of league play with only two wins before posting road playoff victories over defending champ Columbus , archrival New York City FC and conference finalist Orlando to storm into the Cup final. “We know about the history (of our club), and we know tomorrow will define what that could mean,” Schwarz said Friday. “To feel the pressure for tomorrow, it’s necessary, because it’s a final, and without pressure it’s not possible to bring the best quality on the field.” The Red Bulls have never won an MLS Cup, only reaching the championship match once before. What's more, they've somehow never won a Cup in any tournament, although they’ve collected three Supporters’ Shields for MLS' best regular-season record. The Galaxy’s trophy case is large and loaded, and those five MLS Cups are on the top shelf. But not much of that team success happened in the past decade for the club that famously brought David Beckham, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Robbie Keane, Steven Gerrard and many other international stars to Hollywood. In fact, this season has ended a grim era for the Galaxy, who haven't lost all year at their frequently renamed home stadium — which was the site of protests and boycotts just a year ago. The club's fans were tired of LA's steady underachievement and ineptitude in the front office run by team president Chris Klein, who was fired in May 2023. One year ago Thursday, the Galaxy hired Will Kuntz, a longtime Los Angeles FC executive who engineered his new club's roster transformation, most dramatically by landing new designated players Gabriel Pec and Joseph Paintsil — two international talents that LAFC also had in its sights. “I give Will and the group up there a ton of credit,” Vanney said. “It’s one thing to have players you like, and it’s a whole other thing to get them here and get them to connect with your group.” Pec and Paintsil combined for 32 goals and 27 assists while boosting the incumbent talents of striker Dejan Joveljic and Riqui Puig, the gifted Barcelona product who runs the offense from the midfield. The Galaxy clicked in the postseason, scoring a jaw-dropping 16 goals in four matches. Puig has been the Galaxy's most important player all season, but he won't be in the MLS Cup Final after tearing a knee ligament late in last week's conference final victory over Seattle . The loss of Puig — who somehow kept playing on his injured knee, and even delivered the game-winning pass to Joveljic — makes the Galaxy even more difficult to anticipate. “He played a lot in the regular season, so it was not so easy to analyze all these games now without him,” Schwarz said. “But the main focus is to analyze what we need to do, because it’s not clear now how they’re playing without him.” The Galaxy could give some of Puig's responsibilities to Marco Reus, the longtime Dortmund standout who joined LA in August. Reus is nursing a hamstring injury, but Vanney expects him to play. AP soccer: https://apnews.com/soccerIncarnate Word beats East Texas A&M 38-24 to finish undefeated in conference playFox names Trump ‘Patriot of the Year,’ as stars cozy up to president-elect

There are two certainties on social media with every Christmas season. On the positive side, there will be countless posts of people sharing their Christmas traditions, decorations, and reasons for celebrating the season. Some of those will be secular in nature, while many practicing Christians will share the true meaning of the holiday: the birth of Jesus Christ. The other certainty is that these celebrations will cause anti-theists to completely melt down and spread their hatred of anyone who dares to speak openly in public about their Christian faith. One of the latest to experience this backlash was pop singer Gwen Stefani. Recently, the former lead singer for No Doubt and a self-professed devout Roman Catholic shared a pledge she was making for the Advent season in conjunction with the Catholic prayer app Hallow. The challenge is a simple one, just to say a prayer every day leading up to Christmas. Harmless, right? Just one person celebrating their faith, not demanding anyone else celebrate with her, but giving those who wish to do so a convenient way to share their Christmas prayers. Well, maybe not so harmless, at least not to anti-theists. Check out how the account Christian Nightmares reacted to Stefani's announcement: Gwen Stefani?! Jesus Christ... pic.twitter.com/o0dKHDx27V We will skip past the irony of an account called 'Christian Nightmares' invoking Jesus Christ to protest Stefani and her prayer pledge. (We're guessing the irony is lost on them as well.) Others who cannot abide anyone celebrating their faith had similar reactions. I can’t believe this woman used to be really cool and make cool music. This hurts my soul. Your soul? Yet more irony, again completely lost on the author of the reply. I loved No Doubt growing up. You broke my heart Gwen. You broke my heart She broke your heart because she prays? Yeah, we're guessing you may not have had one to begin with. I used to really like her 🙄👇 https://t.co/3b6EuWZA1C We're sure she's devastated that you no longer do. gwen stefani’s death has to be one of the saddest moments i’ve seen in my lifetime. may she rest in peace https://t.co/0Th05qy3a9 Yikes. ALL the yikes. That one is extremely scary. Gavin Rossdale basically outed her as a republican and said they had very different politics. This, and her marrying Blake Shelton is so unsurprising LOL. The fact that being Christian is automatically equated with being a Republican is both hilarious and damning to the Democrat Party. For the record, Stefani is not a conservative. She was a major Barack Obama donor, she performed for Joe Biden as recently as last year, and she refuses to be labeled in either party. But she is Catholic, so she must be a 'right-wing extremist.' Ironically, if anything did move Stefani ever-so-slightly to the right, it was likely the left trying to cancel her for 'cultural appropriation.' She has frequently talked about how she likes to show her love for Japanese culture. She also often wore bindis and saris on stage both as an expression of her admiration for Indian culture and as a nod to her No Doubt bandmate (and former boyfriend) Tony Kanal, who is an Indian American. Oh, that brought the cancel mob down upon her in droves back in the early 2000s. Can anyone blame her if she then embraced some of the conservative aspects of her political beliefs a little more tightly? Fortunately, as vile as the anti-theists were, there were plenty more ready to congratulate Stefani and come to her defense. lol everyone finding out their favorite ska-punk Barbie is *gasp* Catholic https://t.co/ARXRxbKMnl It's not like Stefani was hiding this or anything. She has talked openly about her Catholic faith for pretty much her entire professional career. Yeah. She’s Catholic. This isn’t the *own* you think it is. https://t.co/cPTxMu3QhX Some of you struggle with your faith in Jesus Christ, but Gwen Stefani has no doubt. https://t.co/j9ssSNUzfz Ahh, clever. We see what you did there, Cobra. Christmas itself is upsetting to these people. https://t.co/TKQCiUOAh8 Of course, it is. Imagine being upset by this? https://t.co/RNE1yPSCvt It's not all that surprising. If anyone ever talks about their Christianity, particularly someone famous, these people lose their minds. Only demons would be upset by this. https://t.co/prW8nBnSgH Hey, she said it, not us. (But we kind of agree with it.) Gwen Stefani’s Christian glow up is one of the best things about 2024. We don't know about 'best.' But it's certainly a positive thing that happened in 2024. We could use a lot more of it. I'm an atheist but i think religion is lovely. Good for Gwen I’m not Christian anymore and I have zero problem with this. What’s your deal? There is a big difference between being an agnostic or an atheist and being an anti-theist. Anti-theists have a problem with everyone , and they never shut up about it. They're like the vegans of religious discourse. I love Gwen Stefani even more now for this.🥰 It's a beautiful ad, and she looks beautiful presenting it. I love this message! 🙏🏻❤️🎄 https://t.co/2lBiZwfF3B Imagine showing yourself this video in 1994. Seriously, I think it’s great that Gwen Stefani is a Christian, and is now more vocal about her faith. This is incredibly healthy for American culture. https://t.co/z0j2yM2W2U It is all of that. As we said, our culture could use a lot more of this and a lot less of cults that demand everyone accept insane ideas like boys can be girls and girls can be boys. I'll never forget when my ex's liberal mother started screeching at brunch because she saw a truck drive by with an American flag on the back. She yelled so loud the entire restaurant stopped, like a demon in an exorcism That's what this account reminds me of https://t.co/zirHRPrfPw Wow. That's a frightening mother-in-law. And yes, she is exactly like the anti-theists who react to any signs of religious faith from anyone like a vampire reacts to garlic. “Is it me who’s out of touch? No! It’s Gwen Stefani and the other billion+ people!” 😂 HA. It's funny, though, how the anti-theists never react this way to say, practicing Muslims. They tend to focus almost exclusively on Judeo-Christian expressions of faith. If you guessed the reason for that, you win a prize. Because they are not really anti-religion per se. They just want everyone to adhere to their religion, which is Marxism. And Jewish and Christian beliefs are diametrically opposed to that. We're sure that there will be a lot more of this screeching from anti-theist accounts on Twitter as Christmas draws closer. The good news is that nothing they can say will deter any Christians. Especially not any Christians as strong in their faith as Gwen Stefani is.

Valve is back with another feature update for its PC gaming store and client Steam. This time, It is adding granular settings for users to choose when and how exactly can games download updates. This is part of the brand-new Steam Client Beta update that went live today. Currently in the live build, Steam will measure users' previous interactions with games to judge whether a brand-new updates needs immediate downloading, or keep it for later. There are existing options to set download times and speed limits, but these have not been deemed enough: "While this default behavior works in most cases, there are times when you need more control of when updates are applied. Some users might want to delay updating a 200GB game until they are ready to play it again in a few months, especially if they are on metered connections or have monthly bandwidth caps. For others who play the same game every night, they might want updates downloaded as soon as they are available. The process of automatic updates itself can be changed in the beta client now. The Downloads section in the app's settings page can be used to change the default behavior to "let Steam decide when to update the game" or "wait to update until the game is launched." Next, going to any game's properties in the beta client will reveal the new Automatic Updates section that applies changes just to that title. The four available options here are: set it to use the chosen Global Setting, wait until the user launches the game to update, let Steam decide (depending on user history), and give priority to download any update to it immediately, skipping any other restrictions. Once Valve decides the feature is ready to ship, it will move to the main client from beta at a later date. For those who can't wait, they can switch to the Steam Beta Client by heading to the app's Settings > Interface section and changing the Client Beta Participation dropdown to the latest version available.A group of activists have taken it upon themselves to spread awareness among residents of Kharghar for objecting to having liquor shops in the node. Even as on papers, Kharghar was never declared as a ‘dry zone’ or a ‘liquor free’ area, with recent development of liquor shops getting license, residents have been agitated over it. Till the year 2016, Kharghar was under gram panchayat and due to the objection of the residents, Gram Panchayat never gave NOC for having any liquor establishment. In the year 2016, Panvel Municipal Corporation (PCMC) was formed and Kharghar was then governed by PCMC. Recently, two of the restaurants in Kharghar have received license from state excise department and they have been running the service which has irked the residents. “Kharghar has almost more than 40 colleges and is an education hub. The youth is here and if they get access to liquor easily, it will affect their future. It is important that people are socially aware and hence we have been meeting people in their housing societies and educating them about voicing out the opposition against the liquor serving license being granted,” Deepak Singh, a Kharghar based activist, said. Kharghar is known to be an educational node and students from across the country stay in Kharghar for educational purposes. “Alcohol starts nuisance in eth area and in sector 12 and sector 10 where the liquor is now available, the nuisance has already started. When the excise department gave the license, there was no objection from any of the political parties, no protests were conducted even as everyone claimed to be against it,” Singh added. After spreading social awareness, the next step of the activists is to visit the Chief Minister and put forward the issue before him and even then if a solution is not found, the group plans to take the legal way. “Back in the year 2006, a liquor shop was opened and a protest my residents shut it down. Though no resolution was officially passed as Kharghar being a liquor free zone, gram panchayat backed the emotions of the residents and never gave any NOC. Even after PCMC was formed, no such resolution was passed and hence it became convenient for the government to issue liquor licenses,” a former corporator from Kharghar said. Meanwhile, Shivani Gupta, a professor of one of the KHarghar based colleges said, “If liquor reached Kharghar, it will reach to the youth and it will be a disaster then. In our housing society too there was a liquor shop that was planned to come up and we objected strongly and hence the society has not yet permitted them to open the shop.” Singh further said that during their social awareness campaigns, even the people who drink have shown their willingness to object the idea of having liquor shops in Kharghar. “They tell us that liquor is available in adjoining nodes and there is no need for Kharghar to have one,” Singh added.

Irish premier Simon Harris has said Fine Gael will gain seats in the General Election despite a further fragmentation of Irish politics. Fine Gael won 35 seats in the 2020 election, but 18 of those TDs did not seek re-election in Friday’s poll. An exit poll puts the party’s support at 21%, a fraction of a percentage behind the main opposition party Sinn Fein. Mr Harris, the outgoing Taoiseach, was elected with 16,869 first preference votes, well above the quota. He celebrated with his wife Caoimhe, his parents Bart and Mary, his sister Gemma and his political team at the count centre in Greystones, Co Wicklow. Ahead of his re-election, Mr Harris told reporters he was “cautiously optimistic” about the election result and said it was “clear that my party will gain seats”. “It’s also clear that Fine Gael will top the poll in at least 10 constituencies, many more than we did the last time, that we will gain seats in constituencies where we haven’t had seats in many years, like Tipperary South and Waterford, and that we will add second seats in other constituencies as well,” he said. “I think the people of Ireland have now spoken. We now have to work out exactly what they have said, and that is going to take a little bit of time.” In one of the five consecutive broadcast media rounds he did from the Greystones count centre, he said there were a lot of areas where there were “straight shoot-outs” between Fianna Fail and Fine Gael for final seats. He described the Sinn Fein vote as “pretty significantly down”, the Fianna Fail vote as “marginally down” and the Fine Gael vote as “static” compared with its 2020 vote. He said it was “a very close, a very competitive election” and that “we haven’t seen a Sinn Fein surge or anything like it”. He said: “It was predicted by many that I would become the Taoiseach for a brief period of time, take over from Leo Varadkar, and then have to rebuild my party from the opposition benches as Sinn Fein led a government. “We don’t know what’s going to happen on government formation yet, but that is now looking less likely than it was.” He acknowledged that it was “a very difficult day” for the Green Party and paid tribute to their work in the coalition government, alongside his party and Fianna Fail. “Definitely, politics in Ireland has gotten much more fragmented,” he said. Fine Gael minister Helen McEntee said that her party’s campaign had been “positive”. “The feeling on the doors was very much that people were relatively happy with the government,” she said on RTE Radio. “It will come down to the last seats and it will come down to transfers,” she said of the final result, adding that Fianna Fail and Fine Gael were performing better than the exit poll estimated.

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