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2025-01-13
The latest installment of the "Sonic the Hedgehog" series promises to delve deeper into the storyline, exploring new challenges and adversaries that our beloved characters must face. From facing off against the notorious Dr. Robotnik to embarking on daring missions and navigating through intricate levels, Sonic and his team are set to encounter thrilling obstacles that will put their skills to the test.sg777 news

As the sun began to set over the picturesque village, casting a warm glow over the fields and roads, it served as a poignant reminder of the resilience and unity of rural communities in the face of challenges. While the road ahead may be long and winding, with determination and collective efforts, the path to progress remains within reach.

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2025-01-13
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'Good for the soul': Maree Shepherd has helped many in the shire to singTitle: Little Brother: Inviting Guardiola to Girona, But He's Unlikely to Come; Van de Beek Unlucky at Manchester United

Salah's combination of speed, skill, and vision makes him a constant threat to opposing defenses and a nightmare for defenders to contain. His ability to score from any angle and at any moment has made him a fan favorite at Anfield and a player that opposing teams always have to keep a close eye on.Title: Ali Game Ready to Make a Splash

Despite the technical difficulties, those lucky enough to access the website were treated to a demonstration of OpenAI Sora's capabilities. From engaging in conversational dialogue to generating creative content, Sora showcased its ability to adapt, learn, and interact with users in a natural and intuitive manner.Stock up on these popular board games for your next get-togetherIn terms of recent form, both teams have been on a winning streak in their respective leagues. Leverkusen have won their last five Bundesliga matches, including impressive victories over Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich. Inter, on the other hand, have been equally impressive, winning their last six Serie A matches, with notable wins against Juventus and AC Milan.

Today, Liu Shaoang stands as a shining example of perseverance, determination, and talent in the world of short track speed skating. His journey from being the Chinese team's fierce rival to a respected contender in his own right is a testament to his skill and dedication to the sport. As he competes in the final lap of his career, Liu Shaoang serves as a reminder that anyone can achieve greatness with hard work, passion, and a relentless drive to succeed.

Taxpayers have spent more than $7 million to empty the Powerhouse Museum at Ultimo and send its contents 37 kilometres to a new storehouse in readiness for the museum’s imminent $300 million rebuild and renovations at its city campus. But the $7.3 million bill for Australia’s largest museum move in half a century does not include the centrepiece of the Powerhouse collection, which is still to be packed up and placed in storage despite anxiety about its extreme fragility. The budget for the steam engine’s removal, along with the rest of the decanted objects, has been covered by a one-off $15 million government grant made in June to also cover the cost of separating the functions of the nearby Harwood building from the construction site, management said. The Boulton & Watt steam engine arrived in Australia from London in 1888. Credit: Dean Sewell The grant formed part of $81.5 million that Treasury allocated to the museum for 2023-24, about $20 million more than the previous financial year, the museum’s annual report notes. The allocation enabled the Powerhouse to report an operating surplus. The 1795 Boulton & Watt rotative engine, a rare relic of the Industrial Age, is one of only three that exist in the world. Some 3000-odd collection pieces have been boxed, crated, catalogued and in some cases craned out of their Harris Street home, but the delicate mechanical antiquity was the lone display object to have been sheltered on site at the CBD museum in a vibration-proof case for the museum’s extensive renovations. Now the priceless steam engine will be moved in February after a risk assessment cited by Powerhouse management in consultation with engineering specialist Ken Ainsworth, who was involved in the reassembly of the engine in 1988, determined that the best outcome for the mechanical antiquity is to temporarily relocate. Ainsworth said the risks of damage during the renovation work, from such things as vibration and exposure to dust and humidity, were greater than the risks of relocation. “These risks far outweigh the risk of any possible damage that may occur during relocation to storage,” he said. “With the correct disassembly techniques, precise lifting with load monitoring and bespoke stillage designs for component transport, the risk of damage can be reduced to zero.” Chief executive Lisa Havilah said the Powerhouse had been responsible for the engine since it arrived from London by ship in 1888. She said it was exhibited at the museum’s former Harris Street location, dismantled and relocated to Castle Hill in 1983 and then reassembled in 1988 as part of the Stage 2 opening of the current Powerhouse Ultimo site. Sydneysiders flocked to the Powerhouse on its final day in February before its closure. Credit: Dean Sewell “It’s about the methodology,” she said. “We have everything documented from 1988, and we are using that as a guide to relocate the steam engine.” But moving the Boulton & Watt was a “distressing” prospect, said Emeritus Professor David Miller, a historian in science and technology at the University of NSW. He said disassembling the machine to move it to Castle Hill would not be attended by the same expertise or care “since virtually all of those who could provide it are dead”. “The very decision to move the Boulton & Watt is a cavalier act of bad faith given the earlier reassurances that it would not be moved,” he said. “It would be easier to ensure the engine’s safety in situ than to move it, in my opinion, precisely because instituting defensive methods to protect it is something that those without steam expertise can do, given the will to do so.” At Ultimo, planning approvals are expected in January to begin demolition of staircases, internal walls and mezzanines within the heritage Boiler House, Engine House, and Turbine Hall, a move which the Powerhouse said would improve circulation but which has been criticised by most public submissions . Labor’s renovations also call for shopfronts for creative industries to be built along Harris Street and a new city-facing entrance and courtyard. Interiors of the 1988-built Wran building will be removed, and its materials changed. Loading Separately, a new $915 million museum is going up on the Parramatta riverside to open in late 2026. The museum’s internationally significant object and star attraction, the Locomotive No. 1 and its carriages, cost $349,000 to shift to their new temporary home in Castle Hill in August. Likewise, the historic Catalina Frigate Bird II cost $285,250 to dismantle and truck to the Historical Aircraft Restoration Society in Albion Park. Removing the Boulton & Watt is expected to cost similar to these other objects, and all three will return to Ultimo, Havilah says. Find out the next TV, streaming series and movies to add to your must-sees. Get The Watchlist delivered every Thursday. Save Log in , register or subscribe to save articles for later. License this article Arts Linda Morris is an arts writer at The Sydney Morning Herald Connect via Twitter , Facebook or email . Most Viewed in Culture LoadingElections will come and go, and our great democracy will run on, but at the social level — and not unrelated to politics and economics — some issues need to be tackled head on. One of them is: Are we a nation of hypocrites? Or, to put it more gently, are we as a people, more accepting of the gulf between public posturing and private morality? Do we profess something, and even make it public policy, while in private know that it is all a sham? And, worse, have we forgotten the difference between the two, what we say we believe in, and what we practice in real life? During the freedom movement, under the towering influence of Mahatma Gandhi, there was genuine acceptance of the need for simplicity in public life. Gandhiji popularised Khadi, and that became the livery of public leaders. But soon thereafter, while the livery, complete with Gandhi cap, remained for public consumption, private lifestyles, fuelled by shameless corruption, were marked by wealth, conspicuous consumption, and ostentatious living. Secure in their façade of Khadi, our political role models lived the good life — big bungalows, an army of minions, and every conceivable luxury. The tragedy is that they did, and continue to do so, oblivious to the deceit involved. The Central and state governments run Khadi production corporations, without serious thought to value addition and commercialisation of a genuinely fine product. In the shabby government outlets for Khadi, political workers are the first buyers. Article 47 of the Directive Principles of State Policy of our Constitution recommends that the government should “prohibit the consumption of alcoholic drinks that are harmful to health”. Pursuantly, Gujarat adopted prohibition, Haryana and some other states experimented with it, and Bihar has most recently imposed it in 2016. Discouraging excessive alcohol consumption is a laudable objective. But both our leaders and the public know that prohibition is an unworkable solution. It increases rampant alcohol smuggling, creates powerful liquor mafias, coopts the administration in corruption, encourages the sale of lethal illicit spirits, and deprives the state of much needed resources. Yet, lip service continues to be paid to such a policy. I know so many politicians who drink in public and expensive Scotch in private, Coca Cola laced with unseen rum. In Bihar, alcohol is available everywhere, and the enforcement authorities are complicit in enabling it. The result of this hypocrisy is that even needed policy measures against alcohol abuse are not seriously implemented. The policy of not allowing casinos is motivated by high ethical principles against gambling. But in our country, millions gamble in private, and some even consider it auspicious on Diwali, as an invitation to Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth and prosperity. Billions are spent by common people in betting on , cricket matches, and the results of elections. The networks for unauthorized gambling, are massive, pervasive and organised, functioning without any legal regulatory framework, and with the connivance of enforcement agencies. Indians flock to Kathmandu, London, Macao, Las Vegas — and world over — to casinos, to add to the tourist revenues of those countries, whose ethical standards — incidentally — are often superior to ours. Casinos are legal in Sikkim, Diu and Daman and Goa. In Goa, our hypocrisy is such that they can run only on luxury boats anchored in the Mandovi river, not onshore, lest our high morality is not further diluted. Few people know or remember, that in 2002, the Haryana Assembly passed a law, the Haryana Casino (Licensing and Control) Bill, whose objective was to foster infrastructure growth, attract global investment, increase tourism and create new job opportunities. The Bill never received Central government clearance. In my view, that was an opportunity lost. What our country needs is alternative avenues of employment. Industry is an option, but with automation and Artificial Intelligence, and the need to cut costs, most of these are not labour intensive. The graduates and semi-trained army of the young we produce from sub-standard educational institutions — with a few exceptions — are largely unemployable in high-tech or exacting managerial sectors. In this situation, tourism has a very high potential for job creation. It does not require highly skilled or educated personnel. It is widely dispersed, not over-centralised in just a few states or clusters, provides employment opportunities at lower levels of the educational curve, and has ripple economic effects on a variety of other sectors. Currently, tourism in our country is operating far below its potential and, in comparison with some other nations, including China, operating far below its actual potential. This is particularly unfortunate since there is almost nothing our country lacks in terms of tourist attraction. Our policy on casinos, based on duplicitous moral grounds, needs a rethink for these reasons, as the Haryana government courageously tried once, and not because I am in any way advocating the encouragement of gambling in general. Vegetarianism is becoming another of our ‘moral’ fads, although reliable surveys show that even among Hindus, 52 to 56 per cent are non-vegetarians. Food habits are a matter of individual choice. Beef is not universally banned in India, but keeping the sentiments of Hindus in mind, cow slaughter is rightfully banned in many states. However, we have no qualms in benefiting from the exports of buffalo or ‘carabeef’, of which we are the world’s second largest exporter. Governments have the solemn duty to encourage morality and prevent vice. Ideally, people should only be honest, wear Khadi, abstain from drink, shun gambling and eat sattvik food. But even if this was possible, any attempt to achieve it is deeply vitiated by our hypocrisy. Our national motto is: It is an inspiring clarion call, reflective of the loftiness and courage of our philosophical heritage. Let us honour it in real life, not by encouraging immorality, but by pragmatically recognising our own double standards where morality is concerned, especially where this hypocrisy is hurting the real needs of the people. Only if we get off from our make-belief moral pedestal, can we credibly, effectively and actually rectify such a situation.The news of FIFA's decision to compensate Barcelona has been met with mixed reactions from fans and pundits alike. Some have praised the gesture as a positive step towards supporting clubs and players in difficult situations, while others have questioned the fairness and transparency of the compensation process.

Only about 2 in 10 Americans approve of Biden's pardon of his son Hunter, poll finds

US stocks rallied in the final, shortened trading session before the Christmas holiday. The benchmark S&P 500 ( ^GSPC ) climbed about 0.7%, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite ( ^IXIC ) rose roughly 1%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average ( ^DJI ) edged up around 0.4%. Wall Street looks set to enter its Christmas break rejuvenated, after tech stocks including AI chip giant Nvidia ( NVDA ) led the march higher on Monday . Markets close at 1 p.m. ET today and are off tomorrow for Christmas Day. Sizable gains on Friday and Monday have put the indexes back on the path toward their record highs, from which they took a Fed-fueled nosedive last week. Wall Street is reassessing the path of interest rates next year as it grapples with the reality that the Fed mostly pulled off a so-called soft landing — but couldn't fully shake the US economy's inflation problem. According to the CME FedWatch tool, most bets are on two coming holds at the Fed's January and March meetings, followed by a toss-up in May. Meanwhile, many eyes continue to be trained on Nvidia, which saw a more than 3.5% gain on Monday. As Yahoo Finance's Dan Howley writes , 2024 was Nvidia's year, with the stock up some 180%. But 2025 could contain plenty of challenges. President Biden is set to decide the fate of Japanese-owned Nippon Steel's ( NISTF , 5401.T ) $15 billion bid for US Steel ( X ). The Committee on Foreign Investment in the US (CFIUS) referred the deal to Biden on Monday after failing to reach a consensus. The president has 15 days to review the deal, which he has long opposed. Despite the deal's uncertainty, shares of US Steel Corporation ( X ) edged higher on Tuesday, rising just under 1%. Bitcoin ( BTC-USD ), one of the biggest beneficiaries of the post-election rally, rose over 5% to trade above $98,000 a coin. Although the crypto lost some momentum after hitting above $100,000 earlier this month, investors and analysts remain mostly bullish heading into 2025. Trump's win in November pushed bitcoin prices to all-time highs in the immediate aftermath of the election, with the administration viewed as generally more friendly to the alternative asset class. In July, Trump attended a bitcoin conference in Nashville and has since pledged to usher in more supportive regulation . His promises also included appointing a crypto Presidential Advisory Council and firing current SEC Chair Gary Gensler, who announced he would step down on Jan. 20. Other cryptocurrencies and crypto-adjacent names echoed bitcoin's moves to the upside. Ethereum ( ETH-USD ) rose about 7% to trade around $3,500 a coin. Meanwhile, shares of MicroStrategy ( MSTR ), which owns nearly 280,000 bitcoins, rose around 6%. The company recently announced the purchase of an additional 51,780 bitcoins for $4.6 billion. MicroStrategy now holds $16.5 billion worth of bitcoin. Coinbase ( COIN ), which allows crypto trading on its platform, saw shares rise nearly 3%. It's the start of the so-called Santa Claus rally. Historically, the stock market has seen gains from the last five trading sessions of December through the first two trading days of January. So far, markets are embracing the Christmas spirit, with all three major indexes trading firmly in the green. The tech-heavy Nasdaq led the way higher in late morning trade, up about 1%. Tesla ( TSLA ), Arm Holdings ( ARM ), and Broadcom ( AVGO ) saw the largest gains within the index, rising 5%, 4%, and 3%, respectively. Most sectors also traded in the green, with Consumer Discretionary ( XLY ), Energy ( XLE ), and Tech ( XLK ) the three biggest gainers of the morning session. Health care ( XLV ) was the biggest laggard, dragged down by drug manufacturer Viatris ( VTRS ) and insurance company Cigna ( CI ). American Airlines ( AAL ) briefly grounded all flights nationwide due to a technical issue earlier this morning. The FAA lifted the ground stop at around 8 a.m. ET. American Airlines said in a statement that "a vendor technology issue briefly affected flights this morning. That issue has been resolved, and flights have resumed." The ground stop lasted for about an hour. Shares initially fell over 5% in premarket trading on the news. They've since recovered most of those losses, but are still down a little over 1% shortly after the opening bell. The development comes during a busy holiday travel day with the TSA expecting to screen nearly 30 million people from Dec. 19 through Jan. 2. In the final sprint to the Christmas holiday, markets added to gains. The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite ( ^IXIC ) led the way higher, rising roughly 0.3%. The benchmark S&P 500 ( ^GSPC ) edged up about 0.2%, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average ( ^DJI ) hugged the flatline. Markets close at 1 p.m. ET today and are off tomorrow for Christmas Day. Christmas Eve — Markets close at 1 p.m. ET Economic data : Building permits (November); Durable Goods Orders (November); New homes sales (November); New home sales (November) Earnings : No notable earnings Here are some of the biggest stories you may have missed overnight and early this morning: Nvidia dominated 2024 big-time. Next year? Plenty of challenges. American Airlines grounds US flights amid technical glitch The Fed avoided a recession in 2024 but failed to shake inflation Biden to decide on US Steel takeover after panel deadlocks MicroStrategy mania exposes rare faultline in ETF industry Elon Musk's xAI lands $6B in new cash to fuel AI ambitions Starbucks strike to hit over 300 US stores on Christmas EveIn conclusion, the reappearance of the low-price trap in the form of the 9.9 RMB one-day tour serves as a cautionary tale for all consumers, particularly the elderly. It is a sobering reminder to always conduct due diligence, read the fine print, and be wary of deals that seem too good to be true. In the end, the price of a bargain should never be one's safety, dignity, or well-being. Let this incident serve as a wake-up call for all of us to be vigilant and proactive in protecting ourselves and our loved ones from falling into similar traps in the future.

In a heartwarming gesture, Xiang Zuo invited fans to participate in the live session, encouraging them to ask questions, offer styling suggestions, and share their own experiences. The couple's genuine interest in their fans and commitment to fostering a sense of community shone through, creating a space for open dialogue and mutual appreciation.

The images of Li Xiang's luxurious car immediately captured the attention of the online community, with many expressing their awe at the opulence displayed by the celebrity. The Rolls-Royce Phantom, known for its unparalleled luxury and status-symbol, symbolizes wealth and success in the eyes of many. Li Xiang's choice to flaunt such an extravagant vehicle only served to further solidify her image as a prominent figure in the entertainment industry.OPP and Ottawa firefighters help remove vehicle wedged into Highway 417 overpass

 

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2025-01-13
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sg777 online casino register Earth just experienced its second-warmest November on record — second only to 2023 — making it all but certain that 2024 will end as the hottest year ever measured, according to a report Monday by European climate service Copernicus. Last year was the hottest on record due to human-caused climate change coupled with the effects of an El Nino. But after this summer registered as the hottest on record — Phoenix sweltered through 113 consecutive days with a high temperature of at least 100 degrees Fahrenheit — scientists anticipated 2024 would set a new annual record as well. In November, global temperatures averaged 14.10C (57.38F). Last year's global average temperature was 14.98C (59F). FILE - People are silhouetted against the sky at sunset Nov. 12 as they run in a park in Shawnee, Kan. Jennifer Francis, a climate scientist at the Woodwell Climate Research Center in Cape Cod, who wasn't involved in the report, said the big story about November is that "like 2023, it beat out previous Novembers by a large margin." This also likely will be the first calendar year in which the average temperature was more than 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial times, the report said. The 2015 Paris Agreement said human-caused warming should be limited to 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit), and ideally below 1.5. In the following years, the world's top scientist said limiting to 1.5 was crucial to stave off the worst impacts of climate change, such as increasing destructive and frequent extreme weather events. Scientists say the main cause of climate change is the burning of fossil fuels like coal, oil and natural gas. That "does not mean that the Paris Agreement has been breached, but it does mean ambitious climate action is more urgent than ever," said Copernicus Deputy Director Samantha Burgess. A young family visiting Washington cools off from the warm weather in a fountain Nov. 6 at the base of the Washington Monument. Francis said the new records are "terrible news for people and ecosystems." "The pace of warming is so fast that plants and animals cannot adapt as they always have during previous changes in the Earth's climate. More species will go extinct, which disrupts natural food webs they're a part of. Agriculture will suffer as pollinators decline and pests flourish," she said, also warning that coastal communities will be vulnerable to sea-level rise. Heat waves over the oceans and a loss of reflective sea ice and snow cover probably contributed to the temperature increase this year, experts said. Copernicus said the extent of Antarctic sea ice in November was 10% below average, a record. Oceans absorb about 90% of the heat trapped by greenhouse gases, later releasing heat and water vapor back into the atmosphere. Last year's record heat was caused partly by an El Nino — a temporary natural warming of parts of the central Pacific that alters weather worldwide. People walk Nov. 27 on an autumn-colored ginkgo tree-lined avenue in Tokyo. But that ended this year and a cooling effect that often follows, called La Nina, failed to materialize, leaving the scientific community "a little perplexed by what's going on here ... why temperatures are staying high," said Jonathan Overpeck, a climate scientist at the University of Michigan. One explanation is that an El Nino releases more heat to the atmosphere because of warmer ocean waters, then "we're not getting the cooling effect that often in decades gone by helps bring the temperature back down," Overpeck said. "So it does look like this could be contributing to the acceleration of global warming. But this year, he said, "is such a big jump following yet another jump, and that's a scary thing." It's no secret that a warming world will drive food prices higher, a phenomenon increasingly known as " heatflation ." What's less known, but a growing area of interest among economists and scientists alike, is the role individual extreme weather events — blistering temperatures in Texas , a destructive tornado in Iowa — may have on what U.S. consumers pay at the supermarket. At first glance, the answer might seem logical: A drought or flood that impacts agricultural production will, eventually, drive up prices. But it's not that simple, because what consumers pay for groceries isn't only reflective of crop yields or herd sizes, but the whole supply chain. As Grist reports, that's where it gets interesting: Economists are beginning to see a growing trend that suggests weather forecasts play a part in sticker shock. Sometimes the mere prediction of an extreme event — like the record-breaking temperatures, hurricanes, and wildfires forecasters are bracing for this summer — can prompt a spike in prices. It isn't the forecast itself to blame, but concerns about what the weather to come might mean for the entire supply chain, as food manufacturers manage their risks and the expected future value of their goods, said Seungki Lee, an agricultural economist at Ohio State University. "When it comes to the climate risk on food prices, people typically look at the production side. But over the last two years, we learned that extreme weather can raise food prices, [cause] transportation disruptions, as well as production disruptions," said Lee. How much we pay for the food we buy is determined by retailers, who consider the producer's price, labor costs, and other factors. Any increases in what producers charge is typically passed on to consumers because grocery stores operate on thin profit margins. And if manufacturers expect to pay more for commodities like beef or specialty crops like avocados in the future, they may boost prices now to cover those anticipated increases. "The whole discussion about the climate risks on the food supply chain is based on probabilities," Lee said. "It is possible that we do not see extreme temperatures this summer, or even later this year. We may realize there was no significant weather shock hitting the supply chain, but unfortunately that will not be the end of the story." Supply chain disruptions and labor shortages are among the reasons food prices have climbed 25 percent since 2020 . Climate change may be contributing as well. A study published earlier this year found " heatflation " could push them up by as much as 3 percentage points per year worldwide in just over a decade and by about 2 percentage points in North America. Simultaneous disasters in major crop and cattle producing regions around the world — known as multi-breadbasket failure — are among the primary forces driving these costs. Crop shortages in these regions may also squeeze prices, which can create volatility in the global market and bump up consumer costs. Historically, a single, localized heat wave or storm typically wouldn't disrupt the supply chain enough to prompt price hikes. But a warming world might be changing that dynamic as extreme weather events intensify and simultaneous occurrences of them become the norm. How much this adds to consumers' grocery bills will vary, and depends upon whether these climate-fueled disasters hit what Lee calls "supply chain chokepoints" like vital shipping channels during harvest seasons. "As the weather is getting more and more volatile because of climate change, we are seeing this issue more frequently," he said. "So what that means is the supply chain is getting more likely to be jeopardized by these types of risks that we have never seen before." An ongoing drought that plagued the Mississippi River system from the fall of 2022 until February provides an excellent example of this. The Mississippi River basin, which covers 31 states, is a linchpin of America's agricultural supply chain. It produces 92 percent of the nation's agricultural exports, 78 percent of the world's feed grains and soybeans , and most of the country's livestock. Vessels navigating its roughly 2,350 miles of channels carry 589 million tons of cargo annually . Transportation barriers created by low water, seen above, hampered the ability of crop-producing states in the Corn Belt to send commodities like corn and soybeans, primarily used for cattle feed, to livestock producers in the South. Thus emerged a high demand, low supply situation as shipping and commodity prices shot up , with economists expecting consumers to absorb those costs . Past research showing that retail prices increase alongside commodity prices suggests that the drought probably contributed to higher overall food costs last year — and because droughts have a lingering impact on production even after they end, it may be fueling stubbornly high grocery prices today. But although it seems clear that the drought contributed to higher prices, particularly for meat and dairy products, just how much remains to be gauged. One reason for that is a lack of research analyzing the relationship between this particular weather event and the consumer market. Another is it's often difficult to tease out which of several possible factors, including global trade, war, and export bans , influence specific examples of sticker shock. While droughts definitely prompt decreases in agricultural production, Metin Çakır, an economist at the University of Minnesota, says whether that is felt by consumers depends on myriad factors. "This would mean higher raw ingredient costs for foods sold in groceries, and part of those higher costs will be passed onto consumers via higher prices. However, will consumer prices actually increase? The answer depends on many other supply and demand factors that might be happening at the same time as the impact of the drought," said Çakır. In a forthcoming analysis previewed by Grist, Çakır examined the relationship between an enduring drought in California, which produces a third of the nation's vegetables and nearly two-thirds of its fruits and nuts , and costs of produce purchased at large grocery retailers nationwide. While the event raised consumer vegetable prices to a statistically significant degree, they didn't increase as much as Çakır expected. This capricious consumer cost effect is due largely to the resiliency of America's food system . Public safety nets like crop insurance and other federal programs have played a large part in mitigating the impacts of adverse weather and bolstering the food supply chain against climate change and other shocks. By ensuring farmers and producers don't bear the brunt of those losses, these programs reduce the costs passed on to consumers. Advanced agricultural technology, modern infrastructure, substantial storage, and efficient transport links also help ensure retail price stability. A 2024 study of the role climate change played on the U.S. wheat market from 1950 to 2018 found that although the impact of weather shocks on price variability has increased with the frequency of extreme weather, adaptive mechanisms, like a well-developed production and distribution infrastructure with sufficient storage capacity, have minimized the impact on consumers. Still, the paper warns that such systems may collapse when faced with "unprecedented levels of weather variability." Last year was the world's warmest on record , creating an onslaught of challenges for crop and livestock producers nationwide. And this year is primed to be even more brutal , with the transition from El Niño — an atmospheric phenomenon that warms ocean temperatures — to La Niña , its counterpart that cools them. This cyclical change in global weather patterns is another potential threat for crop yields and source of supply chain pressures that economists and scientists are keeping an eye on. They will be particularly focused on the Midwest and stretches of the Corn Belt, two regions prone to drought as an El Niño cycle gives way to a La Niña, according to Weston Anderson, an assistant research scientist at the University of Maryland and NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. Those growing regions for corn and soybeans are what he'll be watching closely as La Niña develops. It's something Jennifer Ifft, an agricultural economist at Kansas State University, is also thinking about. "If you have a very severe drought in the Corn Belt ... that's going to be the biggest deal, because that's gonna raise the cost of production for cattle, hogs, poultry," said Ifft. "So that would probably have the largest inflationary impacts." As of January , U.S. beef herd inventory was at its lowest in 73 years, which multiple reports noted is due to the persisting drought that began in 2020 . Americans, the majority of whom are already spending more on groceries than last year, are poised to soon see "record" beef prices at the supermarket. Food prices are also expected to rise another 2.2 percent in 2024 , according to the USDA's Economic Research Service. In a world enmeshed in extremes, our already-fragile food supply chain could be the next system teetering on the edge of collapse because of human-caused climate change. And costlier groceries linked to impending risk is the first of many warning signs that it is already splintering. This story was produced by Grist and reviewed and distributed by Stacker Media. Get the daily forecast and severe weather alerts in your inbox!

Fastest-moving stars in the galaxy may be piloted by intelligent aliens, report claimsBethlehem marks a second subdued Christmas during the war in Gaza BETHLEHEM, West Bank (AP) — Bethlehem is marking another somber Christmas Eve under the shadow of war in Gaza. Manger Square lacked its usual festive lights and crowds of tourists on Tuesday. Instead, the area outside the Nativity Church was quiet. The church was built atop the spot where Jesus is believed to have been born. The war, the violence in the occupied West Bank it has spurred and the lack of festivities has deeply hurt Bethlehem's economy. The town relies heavily on Christmas tourism. The economy in the West Bank was already reeling because of restrictions placed on laborers preventing them from entering Israel during the war. Middle East latest: Bethlehem marks a somber Christmas Eve amid war in Gaza TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — The Palestinian city of Bethlehem is preparing for another somber Christmas under the shadow of war in Gaza. Most festivities cancelled and crowds of tourists absent in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Winter is hitting the Gaza Strip and many of the nearly 2 million Palestinians displaced by the devastating 15-month war with Israel are struggling to protect themselves from the wind, cold and rain. According to Gaza’s Health Ministry, Israel’s bombardment and ground invasion has killed over 45,000 Palestinians, more than half of them women and children. The Health Ministry does not distinguish between fighters and civilians in its count. Heavy travel day off to a rough start after American Airlines briefly grounds all flights WASHINGTON (AP) — American Airlines briefly grounded flights nationwide due to a technical problem just as the Christmas travel season kicked into overdrive and winter weather threatened more potential problems for those planning to fly or drive. Government regulators cleared American flights to get airborne Tuesday about one hour after the Federal Aviation Administration ordered a national ground stop, which prevented planes from taking off. Meanwhile, the flight-tracking site FlightAware reported that 1,447 flights entering or leaving the U.S., or serving domestic destinations, were delayed. Twenty-eight flights were canceled. Millions of travelers are expected to fly over the next 10 days. The Transportation Security Administration expects to screen 40 million passengers through Jan. 2. Major storm pounds California's central coast, blamed for man's death and partially collapsing pier SANTA CRUZ, Calif. (AP) — A major storm has pounded California’s central coast bringing flooding and high surf that was blamed for fatally trapping a man beneath debris on a beach and later partially collapsing a pier, tossing three people into the Pacific Ocean. The storm was expected to bring hurricane-force winds and waves up to 60 feet Monday as it gained strength from California to the Pacific Northwest. Some California cities have ordered beachfront homes and hotels to evacuate early Monday afternoon. Forecasters have warned that storm swells would continue to increase throughout the day. Caitlin Clark honored as AP Female Athlete of the Year following her impact on women's sports Caitlin Clark has been named the AP Female Athlete of the Year after raising the profile of women’s basketball to unprecedented levels in both college and the WNBA. She led Iowa to the national championship game, was the top pick in the WNBA draft and captured rookie of the year honors in the league. Fans packed sold-out arenas and millions of television viewers followed her journey on and off the court. Clark's exploits also put other women's sports leagues in the spotlight. A group of 74 sports journalists from AP and its members voted on the award. Other athletes who received votes included Olympic gold medalist Simone Biles and boxer Imane Khelif. Clark’s only the fourth women’s basketball player to win the award since it was first given in 1931. 20 years after the Indian Ocean tsunami, a boy found in the mud embraces being known as 'Baby 81' KURUKKAL MADAM, Sri Lanka (AP) — The boy once known as “Baby 81,” who was pulled from the mud as an infant after the devastating Indian Ocean tsunami in 2004 and reunited with his parents following an emotional court battle, is now a 20-year-old dreaming of higher education. Jayarasa Abilash’s story symbolizes that of the many families torn apart by one of the worst natural calamities in modern history, but it also offers hope. He grew up being followed by the nickname “Baby 81” and feeling embarrassed until he learned more about the events that tore him from his family and brought him back. He has lost his fear. A blast at a Turkish ammunition factory kills 11 people ISTANBUL (AP) — An explosion at an ammunition factory in northwest Turkey left 11 dead and five injured Tuesday morning. The state-run Anadolu Agency says the blast occurred in Balikesir province, in a rural area away from population centers. The provincial governor says one building collapsed and others were damaged, The governor says the explosion was due to a technical issue and there was no possibility of sabotage. An investigation has begun. France has a new government, again. Politics and crushing debt complicate next steps PARIS (AP) — France’s president and prime minister have managed to form a new government just in time for the holidays. Now comes the hard part. Crushing debt, pressure from the nationalist far right, wars in Europe and the Mideast. The hallenges abound for President Emmanuel Macron and Prime Minister Francois Bayrou. They already had a tumultuous 2024. The most urgent order of business is passing a 2025 budget. Financial markets, ratings agencies and the European Commission are pushing France to bring down its deficit. It is threatening the stability and prosperity of all countries that share the euro currency. Inside the Gaetz ethics report, a trove of new details alleging payments for sex and drug use WASHINGTON (AP) — The House Ethics Committee’s long-awaited report into Rep. Matt Gaetz documents a trove of salacious allegations of misconduct, including sex with an underage girl, that tanked the Florida Republican’s nomination to lead the Justice Department. Citing text messages, travel receipts, online payments and other evidence, the committee painted a picture of a lifestyle in which Gaetz and others connected with younger women for drug-fueled parties, events or trips, with the expectation the women would be paid for their participation. Gaetz, who had filed a last-minute lawsuit to try to block the report’s release Monday, slammed the committee’s findings. Gaetz has denied any wrongdoing and has insisted he never had sex with a minor. Legendary Indian filmmaker Shyam Benegal dies at age 90 NEW DELHI (AP) — Shyam Benegal, a renowned Indian filmmaker known for pioneering a cinema movement that tackled social issues in the 1970s, has died after chronic kidney disease. He was 90. His contribution to cinema was recognized as a director, editor and screenwriter. He came into the limelight with films that challenged mainstream Bollywood by dealing with the social realities of a poor nation. He also was a mentor to top Indian actors. India's prime minister says he is “deeply saddened” by Benegal's death.Breaking: Struggling to Save Her Political Life, Joni Ernst Endorses Another Key Trump Nominee

Sault Ste. Marie police have a plan to curb shopliftingThe Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET) is to ask the Ministry of Finance to exempt the retrospective tax for merger and acquisition (M&A) deals of listed companies, as part of its moves to boost the sluggish domestic exchange. It also aims to push the Thai stock market as a listing hub for flagship businesses in sectors with the potential to grow, such as healthcare, data centres, and food and beverage. The Jump+ project will be launched next year to boost market capitalisation. SET president Asadej Kongsiri said during an interview with the Bangkok Post that listed companies are considering acquiring businesses outside the stock market, but they are concerned over potential negative consequences. "In the process of business expansion, there may be a merger along the way and sometimes the companies on the SET want to acquire non-listed peers," he said. Consequently, the SET is preparing to ask for support from the Ministry of Finance by avoiding retrospective tax collection for those businesses pursuing M&As. "That would help companies expand and grow to their goals faster without being afraid of having their accounting audited retrospectively," said Mr Asadej. These companies would grow, and that will allow the government to collect more tax revenue in the future. In turn, it would let more companies enter the official tax system, he added. JUMP+ PROJECT Mr Asadej revealed that the SET aims to increase the value of stocks and the market capitalisation of the Thai bourse through the Jump+ project, which is similar to a successful initiative by South Korea's stock exchange. Currently, there are more than 800 companies listed on the Thai bourse, with a market cap of roughly 17 trillion baht. Several companies have a large amount of assets and cash, with only a small portion of debt. Nonetheless, they do not have a plan to expand their business. "These companies are classified as having a lazy balance sheet, but they have growth potential," Mr Asadej noted. If a listed company has developed a business expansion plan and future investment, they will be able to increase their stock value, whether they grow in their current business or a new business. The Jump+ initiative is a growth acceleration platform designed to enhance the value creation journey of high-potential listed firms across the Thai capital market. Through this voluntary programme, the SET will empower listed companies by driving operational excellence, advancement in ESG (environmental, social and governance), and adoption of analytical tools and artificial intelligence (AI). Participants will gain access to advisory services and communication channels to enhance market visibility, along with benefits and incentives from the SET, government agencies and partners. The SET will also introduce a new index tracking the performance of successful Jump+ companies and provide analysis reports in partnership with the Investment Analysts Association to support their investment decisions. A group index, possibly called the SET Jump Plus Index, would be set up if a large number of companies participated in the programme, noted Mr Asadej, adding that this initiative would be implemented from the first half of 2025. LISTING HUB According to the president, the SET aims to be a listing hub for flagship Thai businesses, or industries that have strengths and high growth potential, and that are in investment trends. Target businesses include healthcare, wellness, data and cloud centres, and electronic parts. "We are preparing to meet with relevant agencies, including the Board of Investment, the Finance Ministry, and foreign embassies to help attract companies from all over the world to invest in Thailand," Mr Asadej said. "This is a long-term plan that may not be completed in my term. But it must be started to put the Thai stock market in the spotlight and increase the bourse's potential in the long term." Additionally, information spreads through social media and various other channels very quickly nowadays. They contain both the truth and untruths. Therefore, proper and effective communication and warnings provided to investors must be carried out more quickly. He added that the SET is considering the use of AI to help analyse small stocks to provide investors with better information for their investment decisions. One of the pain points nowadays is that investors can only see analysis of large stocks. It is not worth it for brokers to analyse smaller stocks that investors do not trade often. "Now there is technology that can do it. It is a basic analysis that can be translated into many languages for investors to choose from. It helps them access investment information more comprehensively," Mr Asadej said. RISK FACTORS Mr Asadej said that US-China trade is an external factor that could have implications for the Thai stock market in terms of both opportunities and risks. During the first Donald Trump administration from 2017 to 2021, there were US$130 trillion worth of manufacturing relocations from China to the rest of Asia, of which only 10% was captured by Thailand. Vietnam attracted a significant portion due to various factors such as its natural resources and a young workforce whose skill sets were better than that of the Thai population. When Trump returns to the White House next month, Thailand should adjust itself to be capable of seizing the opportunities, including manufacturing relations that are better than during the first Trump administration, said Mr Asadej. Another risk factor is that Trump will increase import taxes on countries that have a trade surplus with the US. Among the members of Asean, Thailand ranks second in terms of its trade surplus with the US and 12th within Asia. "We must closely monitor the US tax policies under the Trump government on countries where China has production bases, including Thailand," Mr Asadej said. As for domestic factors, Mr Asadej believes the political situation is more stable now and the economy is bouncing back thanks to the recovery in tourism to pre-pandemic levels and the government's faster budget disbursement. However, the energy and petrochemical groups, which are heavyweight stocks on the SET, are being pressured by the global economic slowdown while the high level of supply in the market has affected the profits of many companies. Those factors have resulted in a decrease in the total profits of listed firms on the SET overall. In future, it will be necessary to increase contributions from other industries on the SET to balance that of the energy sector, Mr Asadej added.

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Tweet Facebook Mail American Airlines briefly grounded flights around the US overnight because of a technical problem just as the Christmas travel season kicked into overdrive and winter weather threatened more potential problems for those planning to fly or drive. Government regulators cleared American flights to get airborne about an hour after the Federal Aviation Administration ordered a national ground stop for the airline. The order, which prevented planes from taking off, was issued at the airline's request after it experienced trouble with its flight operating system, or FOS. The airline blamed technology from one of its vendors. READ MORE: Man sat and watched as woman burned on subway, US court told  A mass grounding of American Airlines flights had knock-on affects on travel in the US at the start of the Christmas travel season. (AP) As a result, flights were delayed across American's major hubs, with only 37 per cent of the airline's 3901 domestic and international flights leaving on time, according to Cirium, an aviation analytics company. Nineteen flights were cancelled. Dennis Tajer, a spokesperson for the Allied Pilots Association, a union representing American Airlines pilots, said the airline told pilots at 7am Tuesday ET (11pm Tuesday AEDT) that there was an outage affecting the FOS system. It handles different types of airline operations, including dispatch, flight planning, passenger boarding, as well as a plane's weight and balance data, he said. Some components of FOS have gone down in the past, but a systemwide outage is rare, Tajer said. Hours after the ground stop was lifted, Tajer said the union had not heard about any "chaos out there beyond just the normal heavy travel day." He said officials were watching for any cascading effects, such as staffing problems. READ MORE: Bill Clinton is out of the hospital after being treated for the flu  The brief grounding was due to a technical error. (AP) On social media, however, customers expressed frustration with delays that caused them or their family members to miss connecting flights. One person asked if American planned to hold flights for passengers to make connections, while others complained about the lack of assistance they said they received from the airline or gate agents. Bobby Tighe, a real estate agent from Florida, said he will miss a family Christmas Eve party in New York because his American flight was repeatedly delayed. The delays made him miss a connecting flight, leaving him the choice of going to his destination — Westchester, New York — on Christmas Day or taking another flight to Newark, New Jersey, that was scheduled to land Tuesday evening. He chose the latter. "I'm just going to take an Uber or Lyft to the airport I was originally supposed to go to, pick up my rental car and kind of restart everything tomorrow," Tighe said. He said his girlfriend was "going through the same exact situation" on her way from Dallas to New York. READ MORE: Bill Clinton is out of the hospital after being treated for the flu  Only 37 per cent of the airline's flights left on time. (AP) Cirium noted that the vast majority of flights were departing within two hours of their scheduled departure time. A similar percentage — 36 per cent — were arriving at their destinations as scheduled. Dallas-Fort Worth, New York's Kennedy Airport and Charlotte, North Carolina, saw the greatest number of delays, Cirium said. Washington, Chicago and Miami experienced considerably fewer delays. Meanwhile, the flight-tracking site FlightAware reported that 4058 flights entering or leaving the US, or serving domestic destinations, were delayed, with 76 flights cancelled. The site did not post any American Airlines flights on Tuesday morning, but it showed in the afternoon that 961 American flights were delayed. Amid the travel problems, significant rain and snow were expected in the Pacific Northwest at least into Christmas Day. Showers and thunderstorms were developing in the South. Freezing rain was reported in the Mid-Atlantic region near Baltimore and Washington, and snow fell in New York. It can be difficult to re-book a cancelled flight around the holidays. (AP) Because the holiday travel period lasts weeks, airports and airlines typically have smaller peak days than they do during the rush around Thanksgiving, but the grind of one hectic day followed by another takes a toll on flight crews. And any hiccups — a winter storm or a computer outage — can snowball into massive disruptions. That is how Southwest Airlines stranded two million travellers in December 2022, and Delta Air Lines suffered a smaller but significant meltdown after a worldwide technology outage in July caused by a faulty software update from cybersecurity company CrowdStrike. Many flights during the holidays are sold out, which makes cancellations even more disruptive than during slower periods. That is especially true for smaller budget airlines that have fewer flights and fewer options for rebooking passengers. Only the largest airlines, including American, Delta and United, have "interline agreements" that let them put stranded customers on another carrier's flights. This will be the first holiday season since a Transportation Department rule took effect that requires airlines to give customers automatic cash refunds for cancelled or significantly delayed flights. Most air travellers were already eligible for refunds, but they often had to request them. Millions of people are expected to pass through US airports in the next 10 days. (AP) Passengers still can ask to get rebooked, which is often a better option than a refund during peak travel periods. That's because finding a last-minute flight on another airline tends to be expensive. An American spokesperson said Tuesday was not a peak travel day for the airline — with about 2000 fewer flights than the busiest days — so the airline had somewhat of a buffer to manage the delays. The groundings happened as millions of travellers were expected to fly over the next 10 days. The Transportation Security Administration expects to screen 40 million passengers through January 2. Airlines expect to have their busiest days on Thursday, Friday and Sunday. Many flights during the holidays are sold out, which makes cancellations more disruptive than during slower periods. Even with just a brief outage, the cancellations have a cascading effect that can take days to clear up. 'Do not travel': Every country Aussie authorities don't want you to go View Gallery About 90 per cent of Americans travelling far from home over the holidays will be in cars, according to AAA. "Airline travel is just really high right now, but most people do drive to their destinations, and that is true for every holiday," AAA spokesperson Aixa Diaz said. Gasoline prices are similar to last year. The nationwide average Thursday was US$3.04 a gallon (about $1.29 a litre - one gallon is about 3.78 litres), down from US$3.13 (about $1.32 a litre) a year ago, according to AAA. Charging an electric vehicle averages just under US35c (56c) per per kilowatt hour, but varies by state. Transportation data firm INRIX says travel times on the nation's highways could be up to 30 per cent longer than normal over the holidays, with Sunday expected to see the heaviest traffic. Boston, New York City, Seattle and Washington are the metropolitan areas primed for the greatest delays, according to the company. DOWNLOAD THE 9NEWS APP : Stay across all the latest in breaking news, sport, politics and the weather via our news app and get notifications sent straight to your smartphone. Available on the Apple App Store and Google Play .

Mozambique death toll rises to 21 amid post-election protests Unrest spread to several cities in the northern part of Mozambique, reports local media Pedestrians walk past a burning barricade in Maputo, Mozambique on December 24, 2024. — AFP At least 21 individuals, including two police officers, have lost their lives in Mozambique over the past 24 hours due to unrest following the confirmation of the ruling Frelimo party's victory in the recent elections, the interior minister stated on Tuesday. The Portuguese-speaking African country’s highest court had confirmed on Monday that the Frelimo party, in power since 1975, won the October 9 presidential election that had already triggered weeks of unrest. googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1700472799616-0'); }); A total of "236 acts of serious violence were reported" across the country, leaving at least 25 people wounded including 13 police officers, Interior Minister Pascoal Ronda told a press conference late Tuesday. "Groups of armed men using bladed weapons and firearms have carried out attacks against police stations, penitentiary establishments, and other infrastructure," Ronda said. More than 70 people have been arrested, he added. The largely deserted capital Maputo was earlier hit by skirmishes between protesters and police, AFP reporters said. Police in armoured vehicles patrolled the centre of the city, where hundreds of protesters in small, scattered groups threw objects and started fires. Makeshift roadblocks on major thoroughfares were set alight on Monday evening, covering the city with thick smoke, soon after the court confirmed the victory of Frelimo’s presidential candidate Daniel Chapo. Chapo’s main challenger, exiled opposition leader Venancio Mondlane, has claimed the election was rigged, sparking fears of violence between rival party supporters. Shops, banks, supermarkets, petrol stations and public buildings meanwhile were ransacked, with their windows smashed and contents looted. Some were set on fire and reduced to smouldering rubble. "Maputo Central Hospital is operating in critical conditions, more than 200 employees have not been able to reach the site," its director Mouzinho Saide told AFP, adding that nearly 90 people had been admitted with injuries. Forty were injured by firearms and four by knives, he added. Main roads leading to Maputo and the neighbouring city of Matola were blocked by barricades and burning tyres, while the road leading to Maputo airport was largely impassable. Most local residents stayed at home, with the few who ventured out doing so to look at the damage or do last-minute Christmas shopping. Christmas Eve is normally a busy time, with large crowds in central Maputo but shops and even small neighbourhood grocery stores were closed, making petrol and bread unavailable. Public transport was also paralysed, with only ambulances and funeral vehicles running. ‘Humiliation’ The unrest spread to several cities in the northern part of Mozambique, local media reported, with violence and vandalism in the provinces of Cabo Delgado, Nampula, Zambezia and Tete, where opposition support is strong. More than 100 people have already died in the unprecedented post-election violence, with fears that the toll could increase after Mondlane’s claim of victory. Mozambicans are demanding "electoral truth", he said in a Facebook post. "We must continue the fight, remain united and strong." Monday’s confirmation of the election result came despite claims of irregularities from many observers. Chapo won 65.17 percent of the vote, more than five points less than the initial results declared by the country’s electoral commission. In the National Assembly, Frelimo has a majority of 171 seats out of 250, down 24 from the announcement in October. "Venancio", as Mondlane is called on the street, repeated his assertion in a social media message on Tuesday that the constitutional court was "legalising fraud" and "the humiliation of the people". "We want to create a People’s Constitutional Court, which will confirm Venancio Mondlane as president," he said of himself. "I will be sworn in and invested," he added. Chapo, who is due to take office in mid-January, struck a conciliatory tone in his victory speech on Monday, promising to "talk to everyone", including his main opponent.FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — Drake Maye received a nice ovation from the Gillette Stadium crowd when he returned to Saturday’s game after it appeared the New England Patriots had lost their rookie quarterback to another head injury. By the fourth quarter, those fans who chose to stick around until the end of a 40-7 lopsided loss to the Los Angeles Chargers chose to voice their displeasure in a season in which very little has gone right for the former NFL powerhouse. Chants of “Fire Mayo!” reverberated throughout the stadium, which was a quarter full by game’s end. “You hear those things. At the same time, they paid to sit in the seats, and we’ve got to play better. If we play better, we don’t have to hear that stuff,” head coach Jerod Mayo said after the Patriots dropped their sixth straight game. Instead of building off last week’s strong effort at Buffalo, New England took another series of steps backward in the season’s penultimate game. With another game against the Bills on tap next weekend, questions concerning the future of Mayo and several assistant coaches – mostly notably offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt and defensive coordinator DeMarcus Covington – figure to intensify. “I’m always under pressure and it’s been that way for a very long time, not just when I became the head coach of the Patriots. I’m okay. Look, I always do what’s best for the team,” Mayo said. “I have full confidence in the staff. I have full confidence in the players in (the locker room). I think again, it just comes down to being consistent across the board.” Remember, the Patriots parted ways with six-time Super Bowl winner Bill Belichick following last year’s dismal 4-13 record. The coaching change didn’t produce the desired upward swing, with New England staring at the possibility of producing fewer wins in Mayo’s first season. “I’m just tired of losing. I’m trying to be in the playoffs and have a winning season,” said second-year receiver DeMario Douglas, who connected with Maye for New England’s lone touchdown. The most important asset in the Patriots’ rebuilding efforts, Maye was questionable to return with a head injury after taking a blow to the helmet in the first quarter. The No. 3 overall pick from this spring’s NFL draft scrambled near the sideline on third down of the Patriots’ first possession when he was hit by Chargers cornerback Cam Hart. Maye stayed down on the turf for several seconds before eventually getting up and jogging off the field. He briefly sat on the bench before going to the medical tent for evaluation. He was replaced by backup Jacoby Brissett, but for only one series that ended with a three-and-out. After further evaluation in the locker room, Maye returned to the game for the Patriots’ third series at the 10:15 mark of the second quarter. The 22-year-old was knocked out of the Patriots’ Week 8 win over the New York Jets after he suffered a blow to the back of his head. “Just kind of got my bell rung on the first drive. I feel good, I still feel good, and then I was good to go,” Maye said afterward. To his teammates, it wasn't a shock to see Maye re-enter the game after taking a blow to the head. On his first play back under center, Maye took off for a 9-yard run and drew an unnecessary roughness penalty. “He didn’t have to come back, but he did. That gave everyone a lot of confidence,” Patriots wide receiver Kayshon Boutte said. Maye set a Patriots rookie franchise record for touchdown passes in consecutive games (eight) when he connected with Douglas on a play on which the Chargers called for defensive offsides. He also turned the ball over for the eighth straight game – a fumble on a pitch attempt to Douglas that Los Angeles turned into points to make it 17-0 in the second quarter. “I’ve got to give him a better ball to catch. That falls back on me,” Maye said. It appears the Patriots dodged a bullet with respect to Maye and his health. Now, the focus shifts back to Mayo and what his 2025 status. “I think the biggest thing was you don’t see those guys quitting. I think the score may not tell that today, but I feel like the guys are still wanting to win. We’re still leaving it out there every week, and I think that was kind of my message to the team,” Maye said. AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. 05, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- ASP Isotopes Inc. ASPI and certain of its most senior executives are now entangled in a securities class action, alleging the company deceived investors by making false and misleading statements about its advanced nuclear fuel technologies. Hagens Berman urges investors in ASP Isotopes who suffered substantial losses to submit your losses now . Class Period: Oct. 30, 2024 – Nov. 26, 2024 Lead Plaintiff Deadline: Feb. 3, 2025 Visit: www.hbsslaw.com/investor-fraud/aspi Contact the Firm Now: ASPI@hbsslaw.com 844-916-0895 ASP Isotopes Inc. (ASPI) Securities Class Action: The suit, filed in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, claims that ASPI misled investors about the viability and potential of its Aerodynamic Separation Process (ASP) and Quantum Enrichment technologies. The complaint alleges that ASPI overstated the effectiveness of its enrichment technologies, the development potential of its high assay low-enriched uranium facility, and the performance of its nuclear fuels operating segment. The truth emerged on Nov. 26, 2024, when a scathing report by Fuzzy Panda Research revealed that ASPI's technology was outdated and unlikely to be commercially viable. The report accused ASPI of using "old, disregarded laser enrichment technology" to falsely position itself as a cutting-edge nuclear fuel company. It also alleged that ASPI had employed individuals to promote its stock and that former executives of Centrus Energy had deemed its technology "virtually worthless.". Following the release of the report, ASPI's stock price plummeted 23% in a single trading day. These events have prompted shareholder rights firm Hagens Berman to open a probe. "We are investigating whether ASPI may have misled investors about the true commercial prospects for its ASP and Quantum Enrichment technologies," said Reed Kathrein, a partner leading the investigation. If you invested in ASP Isotopes or have knowledge that may assist the firm's investigation, submit your losses now » If you'd like more information and answers to frequently asked questions about the ASP Isotopes case and our investigation, read more » Whistleblowers: Persons with non-public information regarding ASP Isotopes should consider their options to help in the investigation or take advantage of the SEC Whistleblower program. Under the new program, whistleblowers who provide original information may receive rewards totaling up to 30 percent of any successful recovery made by the SEC. For more information, call Reed Kathrein at 844-916-0895 or email ASPI@hbsslaw.com . About Hagens Berman Hagens Berman is a global plaintiffs' rights complex litigation firm focusing on corporate accountability. The firm is home to a robust practice and represents investors as well as whistleblowers, workers, consumers and others in cases achieving real results for those harmed by corporate negligence and other wrongdoings. Hagens Berman's team has secured more than $2.9 billion in this area of law. More about the firm and its successes can be found at hbsslaw.com . Follow the firm for updates and news at @ClassActionLaw . Contact: Reed Kathrein, 844-916-0895 © 2024 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.Roberts strike not enough as Clarets draw with BoroWhat the Trump nominees have not done — and will not do

No, UnitedHealthcare didn’t post a job listing for a new CEO the day after Brian Thompson’s death

 

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sg777 pro login register download Read the powerful letter by Australian jailed in China after death penalty sentenceLUQUE, Paraguay (AP) — Sake is perhaps more Japanese than the world-famous sushi. It's brewed in centuries-old mountaintop warehouses, savored in the country’s pub-like izakayas, poured during weddings and served slightly chilled for special toasts. Read this article for free: Already have an account? To continue reading, please subscribe: * LUQUE, Paraguay (AP) — Sake is perhaps more Japanese than the world-famous sushi. It's brewed in centuries-old mountaintop warehouses, savored in the country’s pub-like izakayas, poured during weddings and served slightly chilled for special toasts. Read unlimited articles for free today: Already have an account? LUQUE, Paraguay (AP) — Sake is perhaps more Japanese than the world-famous sushi. It’s brewed in centuries-old mountaintop warehouses, savored in the country’s pub-like izakayas, poured during weddings and served slightly chilled for special toasts. The smooth rice wine that plays a crucial role in Japan’s culinary traditions was enshrined on Wednesday by UNESCO on its list of the “intangible cultural heritage of humanity.” At a meeting in Luque, Paraguay, members of UNESCO’s committee for safeguarding humanity’s cultural heritage voted to recognize 45 cultural practices and products around the world, including Brazilian white cheese, Caribbean cassava bread and Palestinian olive oil soap. Unlike UNESCO’s World Heritage List, which includes sites considered important to humanity like the Pyramids of Giza in Egypt, the Intangible Cultural Heritage designation names products and practices of different cultures that are deserving of recognition. A Japanese delegation welcomed the announcement in Luque. “Sake is considered a divine gift and is essential for social and cultural events in Japan,” Kano Takehiro, the Japanese ambassador to UNESCO, told The Associated Press. The basic ingredients of sake are few: rice, water, yeast and koji, a rice mold, which breaks down the starches into fermentable sugars like malting does in beer production. The whole two-monthlong process of steaming, stirring, fermenting and pressing can be grueling. The rice — which wields tremendous marketing power as part of Japan’s broader cultural identity — is key to the alcoholic brew. For a product to be categorized Japanese sake, the rice must be Japanese. The UNESCO recognition, the delegation said, captured more than the craft knowledge of making high-quality sake. It also honored a tradition dating back some 1,000 years — sake makes a cameo in Japan’s famous 11th century novel, “The Tale of Genji,” as the drink of choice in the refined Heian court. Now, officials hope to restore sake’s image as Japan’s premier alcoholic drink even as the younger drinkers in the country switch to imported wine or domestic beer and whiskey. 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. “It means a lot to Japan and to the Japanese,” Takehiro said of the UNESCO designation. “This will help to renew interest in traditional sake elaboration.” Also, Japanese breweries have expressed hope that the listing could give a little lift to the country’s export economy as the popularity of sake booms around the world and in the United States amid heightened interest in Japanese cuisine. Sake exports, mostly to the U.S. and China, now rake in over $265 million a year, according to the Japan Sake and Shochu Makers Association, a trade group. Japan’s delegation appeared ready to celebrate on Wednesday — in classic Japanese style. After the announcement, Takehiro raised a cypress box full of sake to toast the alcoholic brew and cultural rite. Advertisement Advertisement



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South Korea’s opposition moves to impeach acting president Acting South Korean President and Prime Minister Han Duck-soo delivers an address to the nation at the government complex in Seoul, South Korea, December 14, 2024. — Reuters SEOUL: South Korea ́s opposition said on Thursday it filed an impeachment motion against acting president Han Duck-soo, in an escalating row over the composition of the Constitutional Court which would decide whether to remove his predecessor from office. googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1700472799616-0'); }); South Korea fell in a political crisis when President Yoon Suk Yeol, currently suspended, declared martial law on December 3. Yoon was stripped of his duties by parliament on December 14 over the dramatic declaration, but a constitutional court ruling upholding the decision by lawmakers is necessary to complete the impeachment process. The court is however currently short of three judges. While it can go ahead with its six members on the bench, a single dissenting vote would reinstate Yoon. The opposition wants Han to approve three more nominees to fill the 9-member bench, something that he has so far refused to do, essentially leaving both sides in a deadlock. The opposition Democratic Party therefore says the acting president should be impeached too. “We have filed the motion... and will report it to the plenary session today,” MP Park Sung-joon told reporters at the National Assembly of the action against Han. “We will put it to a vote tomorrow.”After Trump's Project 2025 denials, he is tapping its authors and influencers for key rolesBoxing Day shoppers converged on the Toronto Premium Outlets in Halton Hills on Thursday in overwhelming numbers, leading provincial police to close a section of Highway 401. “For the safety of all, the #Hwy401 westbound off-ramp to Trafalgar Rd in @_HaltonHills is closed until further notice,” the Ontario Provincial Police Highway Safety Division said in a social media post shared just before 1:30 p.m. Police are advising motorists to consider using Winston Churchill Boulveard or James Snow Parkway in order to reach the outlets. It is unclear when the ramp will reopen. Earlier in the day, police had warned about major delays in the area due to significant congestion from shoppers who are eager to take advantage of Boxing Day deals made more enticing by the federal government’s GST holiday. EXPECT DELAYS: Shopping at the Toronto Premium Outlets in @_HaltonHills today? Please consider using alternate routes as the #Hwy401 westbound exit to Trafalgar Rd is experiencing significant congestion due to Boxing Day traffic. Shoppers are advised to use the Winston... pic.twitter.com/9ygsm9kMPd

In 2023, the Magnificent Seven stocks—Apple, Microsoft, Alphabet, Amazon, Nvidia, Meta Platforms, and Tesla—proved their worth with substantial gains, dominating market movements. In 2024, their performance has continued to impress, further solidifying their significant influence on the market. Due to their massive market capitalizations, these stocks hold outsized influence on the Nasdaq Composite and S&P 500 indexes, driving broader market trends. Here’s a closer look at each of them: 1. Nvidia (NVDA) - +183.2% YTD Nvidia has been a standout performer in 2024, with a massive 183.2% year-to-date (YTD) gain. The company continues to be the leader in AI and GPU technologies, benefiting from surging demand for AI-powered applications and its dominant position in the AI chip market. Nvidia's Q3 earnings exceeded Wall Street expectations, with a substantial increase in both earnings and revenue compared to last year. However, the stock recently faced a 3% decline amid reports of an investigation in China for anti-monopoly violations. Despite this setback, Nvidia's growth prospects in the AI space remain robust, and it continues to be a key driver of the tech sector.

FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. (AP) — This was not the homecoming scenario Kirk Cousins would have scripted. Cousins' return to Minnesota, his NFL home from 2018 through 2023, on Sunday comes as he is hearing speculation about his job security in Atlanta. Cousins has thrown six interceptions with no touchdowns in the Falcons' three-game losing streak. That includes four picks in last week's 17-13 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers, his most in a decade. Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Please enable it in your browser settings.

HOLIDAY shoppers can score the best deals of the season at Dollar Tree, which has a host of festive finds for a great price. The discount chain is selling five perfect stocking stuffers for just $1.25 each. With Christmas just weeks away, consumers are frantically hitting the aisles to find gifts for everyone on their list. Holiday shopping , however, does not need to break the bank. Dollar Tree is offering a variety of stocking stuffers for just $1.25, ideal for shoppers on a budget . BEAUTY BUYS The discount chain is selling two $1.25 products perfect for the beauty lovers in your life. Read More on Holiday Deals First is the BPure Body Lotion , which is eight ounces and comes in three varieties. Shoppers can choose between an illuminating vitamin C lotion, revitalizing collagen lotion, or hydrating hyaluronic acid lotion. The body lotion will leave skin "feeling fresh and looking radiant," per the product description. Dollar Tree shoppers are raving over the lotion, which has five stars on the chain's website. Most read in Money One customer called the product "absolutely amazing" while a second said they were "impressed." "This makes my over-washed hands feel so soft. For the price I began to use for entire body. Game changer. My skin is thanking me. One of the best products you can buy at the store," praised another shopper. Another beauty stocking stuffer from Dollar Tree is the Mini Nail Files with Cases for just $1.25. Shoppers can manicure their nails on the go with the adorable mini files, which come in packs of two and measure 3.5 inches. They are assorted among three fun patterns. "Great for leaving one in your purse and one in your car, or sharing one with a friend!" reads the product description. AFFORDABLE ARTISTRY In addition to its beauty bargains, Dollar Tree is selling a variety of cheap stocking stuffers for all the artists out there. For example, shoppers can score Jumbo Christmas Coloring and Activity Books for just $1.25 each. Each book is 128 pages long and includes four song downloads, filled with fun for any age. "While the adults are cleaning up after dinner, these Christmas coloring books will keep the littles entertained until we move onto more fun and games. At $1 each, I can afford to spoil all my grandkids!" shared a five-star review. Dollar Tree shoppers can also score Christmas Pencils for just $1.25. "These Christmas Pencils from Christmas House are the perfect tool for composing all your naughty or nice lists," reads the product description. The festive pencils come in packs of 16 with assorted Christmas designs, including snowmen, candy canes, snowflakes, Christmas trees, penguins, and nutcrackers. "Good value! These pencils are perfect stocking stuffers for children!" wrote one happy shopper. "I buy these for every holiday and give them out to my students!" shared a teacher. COZY COMFORT Dollar Tree is also the retail destination for cozy winter essentials. The chain is selling Christmas Crew Socks for $1.25, a soft stocking stuffer sure to bring a smile to the recipient's face. The fun and affordable socks are assorted among five festive holiday styles, including Christmas trees, Santa, polar bears, reindeer, and elf socks. The socks are flexible and breathable yet durable enough to endure cold weather and frequent use, according to the product description. Dollar Tree customers are praising the socks for how soft, comfortable, and festive they are. Read More on The US Sun BPure Body Lotion, $1.25 - buy here Jumbo Christmas Coloring & Activity Book, $1.25 - buy here Mini Nail Files with Cases, $1.25 - buy here Christmas Pencils, $1.25 - buy here Christmas Crew Socks, $1.25 - buy here Dollar Tree is also selling three winter staples to spruce up your home for Christmas – and they’re all under $5. Plus, the chain's $1.25 viral Christmas bathroom essential has sent shoppers on a search.

The slump in the number of people heading to the shops during Boxing Day sales signals a return to declining pre-pandemic levels, an analyst has said. Boxing Day shopper footfall was down 7.9% from last year across all UK retail destinations up until 5pm, MRI Software’s OnLocation Footfall Index found. However, this year’s data had been compared with an unusual spike in footfall as 2023 was the first “proper Christmas” period without Covid-19 pandemic restrictions, an analyst at the retail technology company said. It found £4.6 billion will be spent overall on the festive sales. Jenni Matthews, marketing and insights director at MRI Software, told the PA news agency: “We’ve got to bear in mind that (last year) was our first proper Christmas without any (Covid-19) restrictions or limitations. “Figures have come out that things have stabilised, we’re almost back to what we saw pre-pandemic.” There were year-on-year declines in footfall anywhere between 5% and 12% before Covid-19 restrictions, she said. MRI found 12% fewer people were out shopping on Boxing Day in 2019 than in 2018, and there were 3% fewer in 2018 than in 2017, Ms Matthews added. People are also increasingly stocking-up before Christmas, Ms Matthews said, and MRI found an 18% increase in footfall at all UK retail destinations on Christmas Eve this year compared with 2023. Ms Matthews said: “We see the shops are full of people all the way up to Christmas Eve, so they’ve probably got a couple of good days of food, goodies, everything that they need, and they don’t really need to go out again until later on in that week. “We did see that big boost on Christmas Eve. It looks like shoppers may have concentrated much of their spending in that pre-Christmas rush.” Many online sales kicked off between December 23 and the night of Christmas Day and “a lot of people would have grabbed those bargains from the comfort of their own home”, she said. Footfall is expected to rise on December 27 as people emerge from family visits and shops re-open, including Next, Marks and Spencer and John Lewis that all shut for Boxing Day. It will also be payday for some as it is the last Friday of the month. A study by Barclays Consumer Spend had forecast that shoppers would spend £236 each on average in the Boxing Day sales this year, but that the majority of purchases would be made online. Nearly half of respondents said the cost-of-living crisis will affect their post-Christmas shopping but the forecast average spend is still £50 more per person than it was before the pandemic, with some of that figure because of inflation, Barclays said. A total of 65% of shoppers are expecting to spend the majority of their sales budget online. Last year, Barclays found 63.9% of Boxing Day retail purchases were made online. However, a quarter of respondents aim to spend mostly in store – an 11% rise compared with last year. Karen Johnson, head of retail at Barclays, said: “Despite the ongoing cost-of-living pressures, it is encouraging to hear that consumers will be actively participating in the post-Christmas sales. “This year, we’re likely to see a shift towards practicality and sustainability, with more shoppers looking to bag bargains on kitchen appliances and second-hand goods.” Consumers choose in-store shopping largely because they enjoy the social aspect and touching items before they buy, Barclays said, adding that high streets and shopping centres are the most popular destinations.NoneWASHINGTON (AP) — As a former and potentially future president, Donald Trump hailed what would become Project 2025 as a road map for “exactly what our movement will do” with another crack at the White House. As the blueprint for a hard-right turn in America became a liability during the 2024 campaign, Trump pulled an about-face . He denied knowing anything about the “ridiculous and abysmal” plans written in part by his first-term aides and allies. Now, after being elected the 47th president on Nov. 5, Trump is stocking his second administration with key players in the detailed effort he temporarily shunned. Most notably, Trump has tapped Russell Vought for an encore as director of the Office of Management and Budget; Tom Homan, his former immigration chief, as “border czar;” and immigration hardliner Stephen Miller as deputy chief of policy . Those moves have accelerated criticisms from Democrats who warn that Trump's election hands government reins to movement conservatives who spent years envisioning how to concentrate power in the West Wing and impose a starkly rightward shift across the U.S. government and society. Trump and his aides maintain that he won a mandate to overhaul Washington. But they maintain the specifics are his alone. “President Trump never had anything to do with Project 2025,” said Trump spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt in a statement. “All of President Trumps' Cabinet nominees and appointments are whole-heartedly committed to President Trump's agenda, not the agenda of outside groups.” Here is a look at what some of Trump's choices portend for his second presidency. The Office of Management and Budget director, a role Vought held under Trump previously and requires Senate confirmation, prepares a president's proposed budget and is generally responsible for implementing the administration's agenda across agencies. The job is influential but Vought made clear as author of a Project 2025 chapter on presidential authority that he wants the post to wield more direct power. “The Director must view his job as the best, most comprehensive approximation of the President’s mind,” Vought wrote. The OMB, he wrote, “is a President’s air-traffic control system” and should be “involved in all aspects of the White House policy process,” becoming “powerful enough to override implementing agencies’ bureaucracies.” Trump did not go into such details when naming Vought but implicitly endorsed aggressive action. Vought, the president-elect said, “knows exactly how to dismantle the Deep State” — Trump’s catch-all for federal bureaucracy — and would help “restore fiscal sanity.” In June, speaking on former Trump aide Steve Bannon’s “War Room” podcast, Vought relished the potential tension: “We’re not going to save our country without a little confrontation.” The strategy of further concentrating federal authority in the presidency permeates Project 2025's and Trump's campaign proposals. Vought's vision is especially striking when paired with Trump's proposals to dramatically expand the president's control over federal workers and government purse strings — ideas intertwined with the president-elect tapping mega-billionaire Elon Musk and venture capitalist Vivek Ramaswamy to lead a “Department of Government Efficiency.” Trump in his first term sought to remake the federal civil service by reclassifying tens of thousands of federal civil service workers — who have job protection through changes in administration — as political appointees, making them easier to fire and replace with loyalists. Currently, only about 4,000 of the federal government's roughly 2 million workers are political appointees. President Joe Biden rescinded Trump's changes. Trump can now reinstate them. Meanwhile, Musk's and Ramaswamy's sweeping “efficiency” mandates from Trump could turn on an old, defunct constitutional theory that the president — not Congress — is the real gatekeeper of federal spending. In his “Agenda 47,” Trump endorsed so-called “impoundment,” which holds that when lawmakers pass appropriations bills, they simply set a spending ceiling, but not a floor. The president, the theory holds, can simply decide not to spend money on anything he deems unnecessary. Vought did not venture into impoundment in his Project 2025 chapter. But, he wrote, “The President should use every possible tool to propose and impose fiscal discipline on the federal government. Anything short of that would constitute abject failure.” Trump's choice immediately sparked backlash. “Russ Vought is a far-right ideologue who has tried to break the law to give President Trump unilateral authority he does not possess to override the spending decisions of Congress (and) who has and will again fight to give Trump the ability to summarily fire tens of thousands of civil servants,” said Sen. Patty Murray of Washington, a Democrat and outgoing Senate Appropriations chairwoman. Reps. Jamie Raskin of Maryland and Melanie Stansbury of New Mexico, leading Democrats on the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability, said Vought wants to “dismantle the expert federal workforce” to the detriment of Americans who depend on everything from veterans' health care to Social Security benefits. “Pain itself is the agenda,” they said. Trump’s protests about Project 2025 always glossed over overlaps in the two agendas . Both want to reimpose Trump-era immigration limits. Project 2025 includes a litany of detailed proposals for various U.S. immigration statutes, executive branch rules and agreements with other countries — reducing the number of refugees, work visa recipients and asylum seekers, for example. Miller is one of Trump's longest-serving advisers and architect of his immigration ideas, including his promise of the largest deportation force in U.S. history. As deputy policy chief, which is not subject to Senate confirmation, Miller would remain in Trump's West Wing inner circle. “America is for Americans and Americans only,” Miller said at Trump’s Madison Square Garden rally on Oct. 27. “America First Legal,” Miller’s organization founded as an ideological counter to the American Civil Liberties Union, was listed as an advisory group to Project 2025 until Miller asked that the name be removed because of negative attention. Homan, a Project 2025 named contributor, was an acting U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement director during Trump’s first presidency, playing a key role in what became known as Trump's “family separation policy.” Previewing Trump 2.0 earlier this year, Homan said: “No one’s off the table. If you’re here illegally, you better be looking over your shoulder.” John Ratcliffe, Trump's pick to lead the CIA , was previously one of Trump's directors of national intelligence. He is a Project 2025 contributor. The document's chapter on U.S. intelligence was written by Dustin Carmack, Ratcliffe's chief of staff in the first Trump administration. Reflecting Ratcliffe's and Trump's approach, Carmack declared the intelligence establishment too cautious. Ratcliffe, like the chapter attributed to Carmack, is hawkish toward China. Throughout the Project 2025 document, Beijing is framed as a U.S. adversary that cannot be trusted. Brendan Carr, the senior Republican on the Federal Communications Commission, wrote Project 2025's FCC chapter and is now Trump's pick to chair the panel. Carr wrote that the FCC chairman “is empowered with significant authority that is not shared” with other FCC members. He called for the FCC to address “threats to individual liberty posed by corporations that are abusing dominant positions in the market,” specifically “Big Tech and its attempts to drive diverse political viewpoints from the digital town square.” He called for more stringent transparency rules for social media platforms like Facebook and YouTube and “empower consumers to choose their own content filters and fact checkers, if any.” Carr and Ratcliffe would require Senate confirmation for their posts.

 

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sg777 pro login register online Suburban Propane Partners, L.P. Annual Report Available OnlineFreedom of the press is “on the slide” in Cyprus , MP Alexandra Attalides said on Wednesday. Speaking at a House institutions committee meeting which focused on the withdrawing of an award to a journalist who had uncovered corruption in Cypriot football, Attalides, who belongs to political party Volt, said the level of freedom Cyprus’ press enjoys may “sink even further” after this case. “Democracies are at risk when the rich and the powerful can silence their critics just because they raise their voices on matters of public interest,” she added. Committee chairman and Disy MP Demetris Demetriou said sports journalism in Cyprus finds itself “in limbo”, and issued scathing criticism in the direction of the sports journalists’ union chairman Herodotos Miltiadous , who had given and then retracted the award. “You did not just cancel the award. In my opinion, you cancelled people’s dignity, You cancelled free speech and freedom of the press and of the people the awards’ jury chose to honour. You cancelled the work which is being done. You cancelled the courage of colleagues to continue writing or to do investigative journalism,” he said. Miltiadous insisted that the award had not been retracted out of a wish to silence the press, but after his association had received legal advice. “Our board of directors is made up of journalists, not lawyers, so it is obliged when legal issues are brought to its attention to seek the advice and guidance of experts ,” he said. He added, “the award was not cancelled, but our legal advisor’s opinion was adopted. He considered that there were issues of a legal nature and that for the association’s best interest, the award be handed out at a later stage.” The journalist whose award was revoked, Fanis Makrides, had been the subject of a letter sent by the Cyprus Football Association (CFA) in October , wherein the association expressed “surprise and displeasure” at the award. The CFA had alleged that Makrides’ work had been defamatory and said it “rejected” the content of the work in which he had written that corruption was to be found deep at the heart of the CFA. After the award was withdrawn, the Cyprus journalists’ union decried what it described as “unfair interference”, and said the CFA’s actions were “reprehensible”, “anachronistic” and “antidemocratic” . “The suspension of Makrides’ award, following the unimaginable intervention made by the CFA, is a disgrace to freedom of expression, the plurality of opinions and the freedom of the press,” the union said, while also lamenting that the sports writers’ union had “given in to CFA pressure”. “Free, investigative, penetrating, quality journalism must be left unhindered and unabated to fulfil its role and carry out its mission,” it said, adding that Makrides has its full support. “For free investigative journalism, there are no sacred cows, nor anything else which is allowed to remain away from the line of fire. ” Koumas had been accused , among other things, of having created an “unfair advantage” for some clubs by way of manipulating the money paid to them as part of television rights deals. “ Teams received money in violation of agreements ... in such a way as to create an unfair advantage in favour of some club s,” Makrides reported last year. This includes an accusation that money paid to the CFA by CytaVision for television rights to domestic Cypriot football matches “was distributed by the CFA, in time and quantity, according to the will of Giorgos Koumas”. “It is also noted that he received CytaVision’s millions from the television agreements and sponsorship on behalf of the teams and distributed them as he wanted,” the accusations state. “There were occasions where CytaVision money was given on the instructions of [Koumas] in violation of the agreements made with the clubs,” Makrides’ report said. In addition, Koumas was accused of having granted a bonus of €200,000 to one club “without reasonable cause” , and that this bonus was granted while the club in question was participating in games surrounded by “suspicious betting activity”.Indiana encouraged by 'total team effort' with Miami (OH) up next

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Labor is scrambling to pass 37 priority bills on the final sitting day of parliament today, and will bid to “guillotine” debate to legislate its agenda. What we know: The bills include a new mandatory code regulating supermarkets, with maximum fines being the greater of $10m – three times the value of the benefit gained from contravening conduct, or 10% of turnover in the preceding 12 months ( ABC ); The Coalition has agreed to support a trio of hardline migration laws that includes paying third countries to accept non-citizens and reverse protection findings for refugees ( Canberra Times ); The Albanese government will also rely on Coalition support to enact a proposed ban on social media for children under 16 ( Reuters ); Discussions have reopened between Labor and the Greens for a structural shake-up of the Reserve Bank of Australia ( AFR $); The Coalition has raised last-minute concerns with election finance reforms, prompting Labor to pursue a deal with the crossbench, where there is support for at least one component – lowering the threshold for donations to be disclosed from $16,900 to $1,000 ( ABC ); Mining billionaire Clive Palmer, who poured huge amounts of money into recent elections, raced to Canberra to try to stop the bill, while Climate 200 founder Simon Holmes a Court also held last-minute talks online ( The Age ); Labor appears set to abandon a plan to increase the tax on superannuation balances over $3m, with Anthony Albanese fearing a repeat of the franking-credits attack ads during the 2019 election campaign ( The Guardian ); Labor’s planned ban on life insurance discrimination on the basis of genetics has also fallen off the agenda and is unlikely to be voted upon today ( The Australian $). Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has overridden his Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek to scuttle a deal with the Greens over environmental reform. What we know: Plibersek was this week close to striking a deal with the Greens to create Australia’s first national environment protection agency, with journalists briefed about an imminent breakthrough ( SMH ); She had been negotiating for months with the crossbench, previously accusing both the Greens and the Coalition of being “held to ransom” by “macho” extremists within their parties ( The Saturday Paper ); The Greens negotiators had dropped their demand for a climate trigger and instead were pushing Labor to remove the Regional Forest Agreement and Continuous Use exemptions in environmental laws ( The Australian $); WA Premier Roger Cook contacted Albanese and secured a promise to shelve the reforms, amid Labor concerns about potential resources industry attack ads during the next election campaign ( ABC ); Albanese then circumvented Plibersek to call the Greens and declare the deal was off; Plibersek noted that the legislation remains open to a vote, saying: “the bills are listed in the Senate. The Coalition, the Greens and other senators can support them at any time”; Opposition leader Peter Dutton had flagged a clash over the laws at the election, warning that the government’s environment agenda would harm mining; “The prime minister has been bullied by the mining and logging lobby again. [Mining magnate] Gina Rinehart and the logging lobby seem to have more influence than the rest of the country,” Greens environment spokeswoman Sarah Hanson-Young said. Independent Senator Lidia Thorpe has been suspended from parliament for the rest of the week for tearing up what she considered a racist motion by Pauline Hanson. Hanson had attempted to refer Senator Fatima Payman to a parliamentary committee over her dual Afghan citizenship, questioning her eligibility to sit in the upper house ( ABC ). Payman hit out at the move, telling Senator Hanson: “you’re not just vindictive, mean, nasty: you bring disgrace to the human race”. Thorpe defended Payman, yelling “convicted racist” at Hanson as she threw her torn-up motion at her, before giving the middle finger over her shoulder as she walked out of the chamber. Labor and the Coalition then voted to suspend Thorpe, supported by One Nation, Ralph Babet, David Pocock and Jacqui Lambie. The move denies Thorpe a vote on the final sitting day of the year, throwing further uncertainty over which bills Labor will be able to pass. It comes as Hanson appeals against a court ruling that she engaged in racial discrimination against Mehreen Faruqi when she tweeted the Greens senator should “pack your bags and piss off back to Pakistan” ( The Guardian ). A police officer who tasered a 95-year-old woman has been found guilty of manslaughter. Kristian White discharged his taser at Clare Nowland in her New South Wales aged care home, who fell and hit her head and died a week later ( Nine ). A jury delivered its judgment in the NSW Supreme Court on Wednesday, finding White guilty of the single charge of manslaughter. White's bail has been continued and the proceedings were adjourned to Thursday to consider the Crown's detention application. The offence of manslaughter carries a maximum sentence of 25 years in prison in NSW. NSW Police Commissioner Karen Webb said White’s employment was now “under review”, but defended the taser policy and training as “appropriate”, with no changes made. Webb has attracted scrutiny over her handling of the case, including her refusal to watch the bodycam footage of what happened ( The Saturday Paper ). Thousands of displaced Lebanese have returned home in the wake of a truce between Israel and Hezbollah, with the ceasefire appearing to hold for its first day. The deal brokered by the US and France calls for an initial two-month halt to fighting and requires Hezbollah to end its armed presence in southern Lebanon, while Israeli troops are to return to their side of the border ( AP ). Thousands of Lebanese troops and UN peacekeepers would deploy in the south, with an international panel to oversee compliance. Some of the 1.2 million Lebanese displaced by the fighting returned home, driving cars stacked with personal belongings and defying warnings from Lebanese and Israeli troops to stay away from some areas. The deal does not address Israel’s siege of Gaza, where strikes overnight on two schools-turned-shelters in Gaza City killed 11 people, including four children, according to hospital officials. Presiding member Leeroy Bilney makes the South Australian First Nations Voice to Parliament’s inaugural address. Based on the wild conspiracies that circulated during the national referendum, presumably SA will shortly be invaded by the UN and white people will have to give up their houses ( The Guardian ). Digital twins offer humankind the ability to command virtual replicas of forests, oil fields, cities, supply chains — and even, maybe one day, our very bodies ( Noema ).As part of a national "moonshot" to cure blindness, researchers at the University of Colorado's Anschutz Medical Campus will receive as much as $46 million in federal funding over the next five years to pursue a first-of-its-kind full eye transplantation.The New York Knicks face the Dallas Mavericks in a regular season game on Wednesday, Nov. 27 2024 (11/27/24) at American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas. How to watch: Fans can watch the game for free via a trial of DirecTV Stream or fuboTV . You can also watch via a subscription to Sling TV , which is offering half off your first month. Here’s what you need to know: What : NBA regular season Who : Knicks vs. Mavericks When : Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2024 Time : 7:30 p.m. ET Where : American Airlines Center TV : ESPN Live stream : DirecTV Stream (free trial), fuboTV (free trial) *** Here’s a preview capsule via the Associated Press: New York Knicks (10-7, fourth in the Eastern Conference) vs. Dallas Mavericks (10-8, ninth in the Western Conference) Dallas; Wednesday, 7:30 p.m. EST BOTTOM LINE: New York visits the Dallas Mavericks after OG Anunoby scored 40 points in the Knicks' 145-118 win against the Denver Nuggets. The Mavericks have gone 6-3 in home games. Dallas is 5-5 against opponents over .500. The Knicks are 5-5 on the road. New York ranks sixth in the NBA with 28.6 assists per game led by Jalen Brunson averaging 7.9. The Mavericks average 12.2 made 3-pointers per game this season, 2.3 fewer makes per game than the Knicks allow (14.5). The Knicks are shooting 50.4% from the field, 5.5% higher than the 44.9% the Mavericks' opponents have shot this season. TOP PERFORMERS: Daniel Gafford is scoring 12.3 points per game and averaging 6.7 rebounds for the Mavericks. Karl-Anthony Towns is scoring 26.3 points per game and averaging 12.6 rebounds for the Knicks. LAST 10 GAMES: Mavericks: 5-5, averaging 119.6 points, 45.9 rebounds, 24.5 assists, 7.7 steals and 5.8 blocks per game while shooting 49.5% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 113.6 points per game. Knicks: 7-3, averaging 123.2 points, 43.1 rebounds, 31.5 assists, 6.7 steals and 4.0 blocks per game while shooting 51.7% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 114.2 points. RECOMMENDED • nj .com What channel is the New York Knicks vs. Dallas Mavericks game tonight (11/27/24)? FREE LIVE STREAM, Time, TV, Nov. 27, 2024, 1:30 p.m. What channel is the New York Knicks vs. Utah Jazz game today (11/23/24)? FREE LIVE STREAM, Time, TV, Channel Nov. 23, 2024, 11:00 a.m. INJURIES: Mavericks: Klay Thompson: out (foot), Dante Exum: out (wrist), Luka Doncic: out (wrist), Quentin Grimes: out (illness). Knicks: Precious Achiuwa: out (hamstring), Mitchell Robinson: out (ankle). Thank you for relying on us to provide the journalism you can trust. Please consider supporting us with a subscription.Mister Car Wash's general counsel sells $4,360 in stock

WASHINGTON — Three American citizens imprisoned for years by China have been released and are returning to the United States, the White House said Wednesday, announcing a rare diplomatic agreement with Beijing in the final months of the Biden administration. The three are Mark Swidan, Kai Li and John Leung , all of whom had been designated by the U.S. government as wrongfully detained by China. Swidan had been facing a death sentence on drug charges while Li and Leung were imprisoned on espionage charges. “Soon they will return and be reunited with their families for the first time in many years,” the White House said in a statement. The release comes just two months after China freed David Lin, a Christian pastor from California who had spent nearly 20 years behind bars after being convicted of contract fraud. U.S.-China relations have been roiled for years over major disagreements between the world’s two largest economies on trade, human rights, the production of fentanyl precursors, security issues that include espionage and hacking, China’s aggressiveness toward Taiwan and its smaller neighbors in the South China Sea, and Beijing’s support for Russia’s military-industrial sector. The release of Americans deemed wrongfully detained in China has been a top agenda item in each conversation between the U.S. and China, and Wednesday’s development suggests a willingness by Beijing to engage with the outgoing Democratic administration before Republican President-elect Donald Trump’s return to the White House in January. Trump took significant actions against China on trade and diplomacy during his first term. He has pledged to continue those policies in his second term, leading to unease among many who fear that an all-out trade war will greatly affect the international economy and could spur potential Chinese military action against Taiwan. Still, the two countries have maintained a dialogue that has included a partial restoration of military-to-military contacts. President Joe Biden and Chinese leader Xi Jinping met this month to discuss potential improvements. In a separate but related move, the State Department on Wednesday lowered its travel warning to China to “level two,” advising U.S. citizens to “exercise increased caution” from the norm when traveling to the mainland. The alert had previously been at “level three,” telling Americans they should “reconsider travel” to China in part because of the “risk of wrongful detention” of Americans. The new alert removes that wording but retains a warning that the Chinese government “arbitrarily enforces local laws, including exit bans on U.S. citizens and citizens of other countries, without fair and transparent process under the law.” The Biden administration had raised the cases of the detained Americans with China in multiple meetings over the past several years, including this month when Biden spoke to Xi during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Peru. Politico was first to report the men’s release, which it said was part of a prisoner swap with the U.S. The White House did not immediately confirm that any Chinese citizens in American custody had been returned home. Senators from both political parties praised the move. Republican Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas said he was “overjoyed” — Swidan’s mother lives in Texas — and credited senior Biden administration officials for having “worked tirelessly to secure this achievement.” Li, a Chinese immigrant who started an export business in the U.S. and lived in New York, was detained in September 2016 after flying into Shanghai. He was placed under surveillance, interrogated without a lawyer and accused of providing state secrets to the FBI. A U.N. working group called his 10-year prison sentence arbitrary and his family has said the charges were politically motivated. Democratic Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, who said he had worked for years to try to secure Li’s release, welcomed the news. “Even when it felt like there was no hope, we never stopped believing that one day Mr. Li would return home,” Schumer said in a statement. Leung was sentenced last year to life in prison on spying charges. He was detained in 2021, by the local bureau of China’s counterintelligence agency in the southeastern city of Suzhou after China had closed its borders and imposed tight domestic travel restrictions and social controls to fight the spread of COVID-19. After Leung’s sentencing, the U.S. recommended — though without citing specific cases — that Americans reconsider traveling to China because of arbitrary law enforcement and exit bans and the risk of wrongful detentions. Swidan had been jailed for the last 12 years on a drug charge and, along with Li and Leung, was considered by the State Department to be wrongfully detained.Global Ship Repairing Market Set For 8.4% Growth, Reaching $54.57 Billion By 2028Pechanga Resort Casino partners with The Venetian Resort Las Vegas

World News Live: Welcome to our World News live blog, your go-to source for instant updates on major events across the globe. Whether it's political shifts, economic trends, environmental crises, or international conflicts, we deliver real-time reports to keep you informed and engaged with the latest global developments. Disclaimer: This is an AI-generated live blog and has not been edited by Hindustan Times staff. ...Read More World News Live : Price William ‘monitoring’ probe into theft at royal Windsor Castle estate: Report

Day 10 of the went a little retro to make far more accessible than before. has introduced new ways to interact with ChatGPT using a much older form of communication technology: a phone number. Specifically, you can text with ChatGPT through and by calling a toll-free phone number. AI by landline has arrived. Naturally, the number to call or message is 1-800-CHATGPT. You can start a conversation with ChatGPT on WhatsApp by texting 1-800-242-8478 on the app. You can message ChatGPT like any other WhatsApp but get responses matching those from the free tier of ChatGPT on the mobile app or website. Not every ChatGPT feature is available on WhatsApp either. You can’t ask the AI to search for things online or analyze images, at least for now. If you’d rather have your AI answers by audio, you can pick up your phone to dial 1-800-CHATGPT (that’s 1-800-242-8478), and a very friendly, very human-like female voice will answer all the same queries you might type out to send to ChatGPT. The experience is pretty much like ChatGPT’s Advanced Voice Mode, where you ask questions, and the AI responds in real-time. It can help you translate a sentence, give recommendations, or chat about whatever’s on your mind. Search AI There are obvious accessibility benefits to OpenAI in making ChatGPT far more globally available, even with all of the limits and caveats. It’s the same reason set up a phone number for Google Assistant that people could call to interact with the voice assistant. But, it also points to how OpenAI and its rivals want to see AI integrated into more communication channels. That’s why both OpenAI and were keen to add ChatGPT capabilities to Siri, augmenting the iOS assistant with the AI model. There are also limits to ChatGPT on WhatsApp and by phone. You can only message ChatGPT on WhatsApp a limited amount a day, though OpenAI is vague about what that limit actually is. You’ll get a warning when you approach the limit, so you’re not surprised by the cutoff. Similarly, ChatGPT phone conversations aren't unlimited. Instead of a message cap, you get 15 minutes a month for verbal interactions with the AI. And the phone number only works in the U.S. for now. An automated phone number was certainly a surprise for OpenAI’s latest ‘present,’ akin to finding an old wooden train under the wrapping paper. I'd expect that OpenAI will probably take a more future-facing approach to the final two gifts before the event ends.Bless his heart, Santa Claus gave me a dinosaur set for Christmas when I was ​7​ years old.

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The Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development (QF) has announced “Al Ghorrah” for Literature and Arts, a cultural event that celebrates Arab-Islamic culture and heritage. “Al Ghorrah” will take place at Education City from November 28 to December 2, with musical and theatrical performances showcasing local and regional talent, including *Al Feel Ya Malik Al Zaman, a play directed by Maher Salibi and starring Jamal Sulieman. During “Al Ghorrah”, a special performance by Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra (QPO) titled *1001 Nights: A Journey Through the Storm, produced by Dana Al Fardan, will blend traditional instruments with symphonic music. Performed on the opening night, it will mark the official opening of the event. Meanwhile, Nasser al-Jassim will direct a Qatari-Moroccan medley combining folklore, instruments, and music from both countries to celebrate the Qatar-Morocco 2024 Year of Culture. The choir from the QF's Qatar Music Academy will perform Arabic Fusha songs with the QPO. Egyptian singer Mustafa Said will perform with the Asil Band, presenting songs inspired by Mu'alaqat, while Sada Alebda, following the “Heritage Symphonies” project founded in 2019 in Yemen, which was aimed at promoting and disseminating folk music by integrating it into orchestral performances. Finally, the festival will end with a performance by Hamza Namira. “Al Ghorrah” is open for the whole community to experience and enjoy. Its programme includes poetry readings, lectures, interactive events, storytelling sessions, and culinary experiences featuring the flavours of countries including Egypt, Iran, and Syria. “Al Ghorrah” is sponsored by the Social & Sport Contribution Fund (DAAM). Other partners include Qatar Calendar, the Ministry of Culture, and the Ministry of Education and Higher Education. – QNA Related Story Kuwaiti Crown Prince urges international community to unite to stop Gaza genocide Jordan King calls for launching humanitarian bridge to break Israel's Gaza siegeBest Toothpaste for Sensitive Teeth (2025): Boka Named Top Sensitive Teeth Toothpaste by Expert Consumers

Earlier this month, the Orioles chose to part ways with one of their best relievers. They did so again Friday. The Orioles are planning to non-tender reliever Jacob Webb, two sources with direct knowledge confirmed to The Baltimore Sun ahead of Friday’s 8 p.m. arbitration tender deadline. The move makes Webb, who posted a 3.09 ERA in 78 2/3 innings in two seasons with Baltimore, a free agent. The decision comes a few weeks after the ballclub for 2025. In 81 innings over the past two years, Coulombe posted a 2.56 ERA and a sparkling 0.951 WHIP. Webb and Coulombe both missed time with elbow injuries in 2024 but managed to put up perhaps career-best performances on the mound. Manager Brandon Hyde frequently used both relievers because both pitchers have platoon-neutral profiles that allow them to succeed versus both right- and left-handed hitters. Webb joined the Orioles as a waiver claim in 2023 and experienced immediate success. Despite struggling in the 2023 postseason, he won a roster spot out of spring training in 2024 and was a consistent performer out of the bullpen. Webb was entering his second season of arbitration and was projected by MLB Trade Rumors for a modest pay raise from $1 million in 2024 to $1.7 million in 2025. Instead, the Orioles are choosing to go in a different direction. The Orioles still have to decide on their 12 other arbitration-eligible players ahead of Friday’s deadline. The club will need to tender contracts to the following players to keep them for 2025: outfielder Cedric Mullins; first baseman Ryan Mountcastle; catcher Adley Rutschman; infielders Jorge Mateo, Ramón Urías and Emmanuel Rivera; right-handers Dean Kremer, Kyle Bradish and Tyler Wells; and left-handers Gregory Soto, Trevor Rogers and Keegan Akin. for players who have established themselves as big leaguers but have yet to spend enough time in the major leagues to become free agents. Eligible players have at least three years of MLB service time but fewer than the six necessary to hit free agency. The only exceptions are for players who already have a set salary through a guaranteed contract, such as left-handed reliever Cionel Pérez, whose $2.2 million team option was picked up by the club earlier this month. Tendering a contract to an arbitration-eligible player does not mean the sides have agreed to a 2025 salary yet, but rather the club has decided to keep the player under contract for the upcoming season. Non-tendered players such as Webb become free agents. The main reason a player is non-tendered is because the salary they’d garner through arbitration is higher than what the club wants to pay them, and the sides couldn’t agree before the deadline. After Friday’s deadline, teams and their tendered players have until Jan. 9 to agree on a 2025 salary. If they’re unable to do so, the sides will exchange proposed salary figures for the player. If the team and player remain at an impasse, a panel of arbitrators will hold a hearing and pick one of the two suggested salary figures. No other contract value can be chosen by the arbitrators. Hearings typically take place in February. Baltimore’s bullpen survived in 2024 without closer Félix Bautista, but it worsened as the season progressed. Bautista is expected back for the start of 2025, and setup men Yennier Cano, Seranthony Domínguez and Pérez will return as well to round out the back end of Hyde’s bullpen. Soto and Akin are also expected to return, though it’s yet to be announced whether the Orioles will tender them contracts ahead of the deadline. Related Articles The absences of Coulombe and Webb, though, do leave holes in the heart of the bullpen. They could be filled internally by pitchers like Bryan Baker or Colin Selby; or executive vice president and general manager Mike Elias could dip into the free-agent market to bolster his bullpen. “We do have a good bullpen to start the offseason with,” Elias said during a news conference last week. “You look at the returning guys and names and there’s a lot of above average relievers in there. I thought Seranthony Domínguez, who is coming back, did a great job after the deadline pitching at the end of games for us. It’s really nice to have him back. Cano’s been a mainstay and a rock out there, and we have the lefties. So we have a good start.” The Baltimore Banner was first to report the club is planning to non-tender Webb.None

Former Police Commissioner Andrew Coster is the new Social Investment Secretary. He’ll oversee a multimillion-dollar fund advising the Government on commissioning services for vulnerable people. Coster sees his role as building a fence at the top of the cliff, describing a lot of policing as the “ambulance at the bottom of the cliff of social failure”. As a new era in policing unfolds under the watchful eye of a new commissioner , the country’s former top cop is relishing a chance to try to stop people ever embarking on a life of crime . Former Police Commissioner Andrew Coster has officially hung up his uniform, stepping into his new role as Social Investment Agency chief executive. He sees the role as much more than a so-called ambulance at the top of the cliff. “I don’t think it’s the ambulance, I think it’s the fence. Police spends a lot of its time at the bottom of the cliff of social failure. Social investment is about trying to get the settings right in order to avoid the need for that,” Coster said.With an important regular-season finale ending a short week, Mississippi has watched its dreams shift from national success to perhaps something it certainly did not want on Thanksgiving weekend: An Egg Bowl that holds only regional significance and statewide bragging rights. After their third and disappointing defeat, the No. 14 Rebels will play Friday afternoon in their annual Egg Bowl matchup against rival Mississippi State in the intrastate series in Oxford, Miss. It will not be easy putting aside the catastrophic 24-17 loss at Florida last Saturday, a soul-crushing setback that all but ended any College Football Playoff aspirations for the most talented Rebels team assembled in a long time. Coach Lane Kiffin's team slid five spots to 14th in the latest CFP rankings. The offseason outlook was rosy when Ole Miss (8-3, 4-3 SEC) shelled out big NIL money and added the top portal class to fill a roster that won 11 games in 2023. But the Rebels repeatedly shot themselves in the foot Saturday against the Gators. Ole Miss' high-powered offense turned the ball over three times, went 3 of 14 on third down, failed on two fourth-down attempts, dropped five passes and missed a field goal. Before the game, ABC's broadcast noted that the Rebels had an 84 percent chance to make the CFP. Following the loss, that number dwindled to four percent. The only way the Oxford school gets in is if there is the repeated chaos of Week 13, one that talk show host Paul Finebaum called "the most SEC carnage" he had ever seen. The Egg Bowl has been played on Thanksgiving Day 23 times, including 2017 to last season, but Kiffin feels the afternoon start on Friday is an advantage. "It helps them to know that playoffs are still alive and they get kind of the first shot to show everybody on a national stage," Kiffin said Monday, "as opposed to a Saturday game where these people that make the decisions don't necessarily see all the games because so many are going on." For the second time this month, Mississippi State coach Jeff Lebby will lead his last-place Bulldogs (2-9, 0-7) against a former boss. The 40-year-old head coach faced Tennessee and coach Josh Heupel, who had Lebby on his staff at UCF in 2018 and 2019, in a 33-14 loss on Nov. 9. Now he will face Kiffin, whom he was paired with in 2020 and 2021 in their first two seasons at Ole Miss when the school led the SEC in total offense. A frequent social media user who enjoys trolling others, Kiffin took a jab at Lebby and Mississippi State when the first-year coach was hired. "We've traded texts throughout the season and had communication," Lebby said Monday. "But no, not this week. He'll continue to find ways to have fun on social. That's who he's always been and who he'll always be." Ole Miss owns a 65-46-6 series advantage and has claimed five of the past seven matches, including a 35-3 "Egg Brawl" victory by the Bulldogs in 2018 that was later vacated. Another loss to the Rebels would give MSU its first winless SEC season since 2002. --Field Level Media

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AP Business SummaryBrief at 6:23 p.m. ESTIndiana got what it wanted Tuesday night in a 97-71 rout of Sam Houston State -- a lopsided victory where its bench played well and it didn't have to go down to the wire. The Hoosiers will look for more of the same Friday night in Bloomington when they continue their homestand against nonconference foe Miami (Ohio). Four players scored in double figures for Indiana (6-2) against the Bearkats, including 18 from reserve Luke Goode. The Illinois transfer hit four 3-pointers in less than four minutes of the first half, enabling the Hoosiers to take a 34-12 lead. Led by Goode, Indiana's bench contributed a whopping 36 points. "I thought it was a total team effort on everybody's part," Hoosiers coach Mike Woodson said. "Helps when your bench come off and play the way they did. Goode was fantastic but everybody off the bench played well." Indiana also got an encouraging 19-point performance from point guard Myles Rice, who struggled a bit in the first seven games in terms of making shots and running the offense. Rice (11.1 ppg) is one of four double-figure scorers in an attack led by Mackenzie Mgbako (16.8). Meanwhile, the RedHawks (5-2) are coming off a 73-60 home win Monday against Air Force. Bellarmine transfer Peter Suder poured in a career-high 42 points on 17-of-21 shooting, the highest-scoring game in program history since Wally Szczerbiak scored 43 in 1999. Suder, who averaged 10.5 ppg as a sophomore last season, is up to 17.4 ppg this season. He's hitting 58.8 percent of his field goals while also chipping in 4.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.6 steals. "I always say players win games, man. Coaches lose games," Miami coach Travis Steele told the Journal-News. "Peter was phenomenal. It was just get out of the way and just let him go." Forward Kam Craft, who Steele landed out of high school when he was still coaching at Xavier, is the RedHawks' second-leading scorer at 14.1 ppg. The Hoosiers have won 22 of the previous 25 meetings, including an 86-56 rout two years ago in Indianapolis. --Field Level Media

Dell Technologies Declares Quarterly Cash DividendUS effort to curb China's and Russia's access to advanced computer chips 'inadequate,' report findsIconic car maker Jaguar has unveiled a radical relaunch - part of a seismic shake-up across the wider industry. Jaguar’s Type 00 concept car is designed to set the tone for the legendary British marque’s all-electric future. Bosses are desperate to shed its older “Jag-man” image and appeal to younger drivers. A production version is expected to cost more than £100,000. But the model’s ‘Barbie pink’ colour was mocked by some, while others branded a pre-launch advertising campaign - minus any car - “woke”. The reset for Jaguar - famed for its classic E-Type - comes amid a electrification revolution for the whole of the car industry. Pressure to cut carbon emissions - in some countries backed by the threat of fines - has seen manufacturers ramp-up investment in electric vehicles . But the extra outlay for battery electric cars, plus “range anxiety”, has dented demand from buyers. At the same time, Western manufacturers are facing intense competition from cheap Chinese cars, helped by state aid. Financial difficulties at Vauxhall owner Stellantis, and boardroom tension over the switch to electric, saw group boss Carlos Tavares abruptly quit this week. Vauxhall last week announced the closure of its Luton van factory, blamed in part on Tory-triggered electric targets. Meanwhile, workers at Volkswagen factories across Germany have begun strikes after the manufacturer threatened to close plants amid falling demand and a slower-than-expected move to electric vehicles. Automotive industry veteran Andy Palmer predicted buyers could see the price of electric cars come down to those of petrol and diesel cars by 2030, if the government sticks to rules that have been slammed by manufacturers. “The breakthrough, particularly for your readers, will be on charging costs, when they will be much cheaper to run”, said Dr Palmer, a former boss of Aston Martin who, when at Nissan, was responsible for bringing the eco-friendly Leaf to its Sunderland plant, He warned the industry “invest or die”, as he urged manufacturers and their investors to swallow several years of heavy losses in order to bring down the cost of electric cars to a level most people can afford. “We all think big car companies make lots of money, but actually you only make a few hundred quit on every one you sell,” he said. “Most of the money you make is on spares, and servicing and car finance.” Dr Palmer has been critical of the Conservatives for “neglecting” the UK’s car industry over 14 years in power, allowing international competitors to “overtake us.” Writing earlier this year, we welcomed Labour’s promise to back the sector, but is now urging ministers to go further with incentives for buyers to switch to electric. He warned Chinese makers such as BYD and MG - bought by Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation in 2007 - were now “starting the eat the diner” of Western and Japanese car giants. Their arrival has been compared to that of Japanese car makers in the 1980s. Dr Palmer said Chinese electric cars were now as good as those from the West, adding “it’s not cheap s**t anymore. It’s really good. And in battery technology , they are 10 years ahead of us.” Comment by Graham Hiscott Europe’s car industry - including the UK’s - is at a crossroads. Manufacturers have sunk billions into electric cars but aren’t yet seeing a return on their investment, hammering profits. Meanwhile Chinese makers - with state subsidies - are flooding the market with cheap (and experts say very good) models, much like the Japanese did in the 80s. Holding ordinary buyers back is the price of electric cars, and “range anxiety”. Until costs fall - and they’re starting to thanks to big discounts - going electric will only be those with money to spare. The very real risk the UK - whose car making sector is a shadow of its former shelf - will be overtaken again, especially without battery making gigafactories. That means most reliance on imports and potentially hundreds of thousands of job losses. Q: What’s the UK market for electric cars? A: Almost 300,000 new battery electric vehicles (BEV) were sold in the first 10 months of this year, up 14% on the same time in 2023. But that’s out of 1.65 million cars, with nearly 890,000 petrol. Even then, most EV sales are to companies or through salary sacrifice schemes. Buyers are beginning to get more choice, with over 125 BEV models. The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders says around one in five are cheaper to buy than the average petrol or diesel car. Q: What are the advantages of going electric? A: Aside from the green credentials - which some critics question - EVs also cost less to service and maintain than petrol cars. Pure electric cars are exempt from vehicle excise duty - road tax - but that will ends next year. Q: So why aren’t sales higher? A: While prices are coming down, electric cars still come with a premium, typicallydue to the cost of the batteries. The average new electric car costs £46,000, with the best-selling Tesla up to £60,000. A typical new car in the UK - including petrol and diesel - is £19,000 to £32,000. Another factor holding back sales is “range anxiety” - the fear of running out of charge. In reality, the average UK journey is just eight miles and range between charges is improving. There are around one million places to charge a car, with the vast majority in homes and business premises. As of July, there were just 65,000 public electric vehicle charging points. Q: What’s in it for car makers to boost electric car sales? A: The UK’s Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) mandate requires that 22% of new cars sold in 2024 be zero-emission vehicles this year, rising to 28% in 2025 and then continuing. Manufacturers face fines for missing the targets. The SMMT forecasts 363,000 battery electric cars wil be sold this year, giving a market share of 18.7%. The forecast for vans is just 20,000 - a 5.7% market share against a 2024 target of 10%. The trade body says sales have fallen short despite an estimated £4billion worth of discounts. Missing the ZEV target could, it adds, potentially create a £1.8billion bill, either in fines or buying credits from competitors, most of whom manufacture their EVs abroad. Q: What does the industry want? A: A better charging infrastructure and an end to VAT on public chargers.

 

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sg777 slot jackpot OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Jamiya Neal's 19 points helped Creighton defeat UNLV 83-65 on Saturday night. Neal had nine rebounds, nine assists, and four blocks for the Bluejays (7-3). Steven Ashworth added 17 points plus seven assists. Isaac Traudt had 15 points and shot 5 for 8, including 5 for 7 from beyond the arc. The Rebels (4-4) were led in scoring by Jailen Bedford, who finished with 20 points and three steals. Dedan Thomas Jr. added 18 points for UNLV. Julian Rishwain finished with 10 points and two steals. Creighton took the lead with 18:48 left in the first half and did not give it up. The score was 39-27 at halftime, with Neal racking up 10 points. Creighton extended its lead to 49-27 during the second half, fueled by a 10-0 scoring run. Ashworth scored a team-high 10 points in the second half as his team closed out the win. The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar .Qatar PM sees 'momentum' on Gaza talks after US election

Students and community members in Kelowna joined the Pro-Palestine movement unfolding at universities across Canada and the U.S. and have set up an encampment at the UBC Okanagan campus in May 2024. The group in Kelowna called UBCO 4 Palestine, gathered at 5 a.m. on May 13 in the UBCO Courtyard and set up tents, tables and signs. The group is calling on the University of British Columbia to divest from Israel’s “occupation and genocide” of Palestinians and to publicly condemn the ongoing violence. The protests began after Israel’s response to an attack on civilians by a terrorist organization called Hamas on Oct 7. The assault by Hamas killed approximately 1,200 people, mostly civilians in Israel and took more as captives. In response, Israel’s military has killed over 34,500 Palestinians living in Gaza. Members of UBCO 4 Palestine requested to remain anonymous for fear of repercussions from the public, the university and law enforcement. The group includes students, members of the public, and people from diverse backgrounds including people of Jewish heritage, Palestinian descent, immigrants, international students and Indigenous people. On UBC President Benoit-Antoine Bacon issued an saying “We hope for a ceasefire and a lasting peaceful resolution in the Middle East.” He furthered the statement by explaining that to remain respectful of the broad range of opinions held by students and faculty of the university, the academic institution must remain neutral. Bacon also said that the UBC Endowment Fund does not directly own any stocks in the companies identified by However, he said a small percentage of university funds managed by external investment managers have been invested in companies that were named as being “complicit in Israel’s numerous violations of Palestinian human right,” by the People’s University for Gaza. After 46 days of protest, the encampment at UBC Okanagan concluded.

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NPFL: Alleged attack on Rivers officials highlights security concerns at match venuesDALLAS — 70 Native American athletes from across the United States will compete in the 2025 Native American All-Star Football Game on Jan. 7, 2025, at the Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas. Organized by the Native American Athletic Foundation (NAAF) in collaboration with the National Football League (NFL) and Nike, the event will spotlight top talent while fostering growth on and off the field for an immersive experience. Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Please enable it in your browser settings.

FILE - Vice President Kamala Harris and Taylor Swift (Photo by SAUL LOEBANDRE DIAS NOBRE/AFP via Getty Images) The most notable quotations of 2024 have something for everyone: entertainment, politics and even a side of conspiracy theory. With such a heated presidential election behind us , it’s no surprise that politics dominated the conversation this year. From Taylor Swift’s "Childless Cat Lady" signoff to "they’re eating the dogs" in Springfield, Ohio , the most notable quotations of 2024 have something for everyone: entertainment, politics and even a side of conspiracy theory. RELATED: Celebrity deaths of 2024: The influential people we lost this year Here are seven of the most notable quotes of 2024, as compiled by Fred Shapiro, an associate director at the Yale Law Library. RELATED: Top Google searches of 2024 "Please note that the items on this list are not necessarily eloquent or admirable quotations, rather they have been picked because they are famous or important or particularly revealing of the spirit of our times," Shapiro said, per the Associated Press. The city of Springfield, Ohio has fallen victim to internet rumors and conspiracy theories regarding immigrants eating peoples' pets. LiveNOW from FOX's Josh Breslow spoke to Springfield Mayor Rob Rue about the claims, which Rue says are false. "Taylor Swift Childless Cat Lady" — Taylor Swift , signing off on an Instagram post , Sept. 10, 2024 "Today, I signed a pardon for my son Hunter." — President Joe Biden , official statement, Dec. 1, 2024 "In Springfield, they’re eating the dogs, the people that came in. They’re eating the cats." — President-elect Donald Trump , presidential debate , Sept. 10, 2024, repeating a debunked conspiracy about Haitian immigrants in Ohio "I’ve become friends with school shooters." — Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz , vice presidential debate, Oct. 1, 2024, misspeaking while referring to befriending shooting survivors "Fight! Fight! Fight!" — Trump after an assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania , on July 13, 2024 "Yes they can control the weather." — Georgia U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene , posting on the social media platform X, Oct. 2, 2024, endorsing a conspiracy theory that the government used weather control technology to aim Hurricane Helene at Republican voters. "Some of you (women) may go on to lead successful careers in the world, but I would venture to guess that the majority of you are most excited about your marriage and the children you will bring into this world." — Kansas City Chiefs football player Harrison Butker , commencement address at Benedictine College, Atchison, Kansas, May 11, 2024. Justin Timberlake appeared outside a New York courthouse and spoke to the press after he accepted a plea deal in connection to a DWI arrest that happened in June. Timberlake was pulled over and arrested in Long Island on June 18 after police say he ran a stop sign and was veering out of his lane. The officer at the scene also said that the 43-year-old smelled of alcohol and performed poorly on all standardized field sobriety tests. The singer/songwriter pleaded guilty to a lesser charge and was given community service consisting of 25 to 40 hours. "Give him my regards did you take Ozempic?" — Barbara Streisand, commenting on a photo of Melissa McCarthy and her husband on Instagram . Streisand later apologized and said she forgot Instagram comments were public. Observers assumed she had done voice to text to make the comment, thus the lack of a comma. "This is going to ruin the tour." — Justin Timberlake , speaking to a police officer who pulled him over for driving under the influence in the Hamptons . Reportedly, the officer responded, "What tour?" revealing he had no idea who Timberlake was. "kamala IS brat" — Charli XCX , in a reference to her album "brat" and its rabid summer following. The post accumulated over 35 million impressions on the app, and Harris’ campaign quickly set its X banner photo to the striking Shrek-green color of Charli’s "brat" album cover. This report includes information from the Associated Press, Vulture and previous LiveNow from FOX reporting.

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AUSTON Trusty has revealed how the impromptu Huddle which the Celtic players formed during their Champions League encounter with Club Brugge tonight gave them the wake-up call they needed and helped to spark their fightback. And the centre-half revealed that he and his team mates had all let Cameron Carter-Vickers know they were firmly behind him after the own goal he scored to give the visitors the lead in the league phase match at Parkhead. The Scottish champions' players come together as a team to listen to a pep talk from their captain Callum McGregor before kick-off in every game – but this evening they did so immediately after their opponents had gone ahead for the first time ever. However, Trusty, the United States internationalist who moved to Glasgow from Sheffield United in a £6m transfer during the summer, felt that it helped the hosts, who equalised through Daizen Maeda in the second half and drew the match 1-1, to regroup. “They are clearly a good side,” he said. “We didn't start off as strong, as fast as we normally do, so they kind of got on top of us in the first half. But in the second half we changed things and we saw how the game shifted into our favour. “We just weren't playing in our character in the first half, so I think we all felt it. Sometimes you need that little huddle to wake everybody up and say, ‘Okay, what's happened has happened, now we can move on from it’. So that was a moment for us to make some changes and get some momentum back in the game." Asked what the message to Carter-Vickers had been, Trusty said: “We have his back. I don't think any defender, any player, wants that to happen to him. But, you know, sometimes it's part of football . I've had own goals as well, so it's one where you need a team mate to get your back. “The game happened so fast, so I'm not in that position. I'm looking away, I'm also looking, I'm trying to find my next pass as well. So I have to go back and watch it. But either way, he made the decision and we have his back. “So I went over to him, made sure his head was up. With all of us, he knows that we have his back. You don't want to make mistakes, but you feel fine to make mistakes, because you know your team mates have your back. “I haven't been here for the whole time he's been here, but I don't think anybody would try to do that or let that happen. But we bounced back. He showed his character and also the team showed its character. We bounced back and the game went on and we had plenty of life left in it.” Trusty also revealed the Celtic players had been angry that they failed to beat Brugge and pick up another three Champions League points when they returned to their dressing room at full-time – even though the draw kept them in the top 24 of the table and on course for the knockout round play-off. “I've been in locker rooms when you get away from this kind of game and guys are excited,” he said. “But you go back in the locker room tonight and see guys p****d off and really, really upset and that shows a lot of the character that’s in the team. “We weren't happy with how we played in the first half, but we thought that we should have won this game and it was a real opportunity for us, not just to get one point but to get three points. Obviously, you take the point, but it's good to see that guys are angry going into the locker room and sitting there just quiet. “That's the level we play at and that's the level of the team. When we train, it’s the same level. We have to keep it that way because if you make a mistake, you may do something and you get punished. Even in training, it’s just as intense as the games, if not more intense. “We train that way and that's the level we're at and I think we've shown that we have the quality and we can play with any team and we back ourselves. We're confident and the team's confident. We know our ability and we've shown to you guys but also shown to ourselves that we're here. So we’re in good shape.”Harry and Meghan’s polo docuseries to highlight ‘grit behind the glamour’

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Nittany Lions will face No. 1 Oregon next Saturday in Indianapolis Subscribe to continue reading this article. Already subscribed? To login in, click here.Nigel Farage piles pressure on Kemi Badenoch to apologise for her 'crazy conspiracy theory' that Reform's soaring membership numbers are fakesg777 slot withdrawal

Electric Ireland HE GAA, Division 1 senior football league final: UCC 0-21 DCU 2-13 Captain Killian Falvey starred and then dedicated the win to absent manager Billy Morgan as UCC captured the Ryan Cup in dramatic circumstances. Five points from Kerry man Falvey, and crucial contributions for at least as many more scores, propelled the visitors to Division 1 league title success at DCU's St Clare's base. Cormac Dillon, an All-Ireland U-20 finalist with Kerry this year, registered five points too while Cathal O Beaglaoich and Olan Corcoran struck six important points between them. Late points from substitute Fionn Desmond and O Beaglaoich, who wore number 11 but lined out at midfield, ultimately separated the teams. A resurgent DCU narrowed the gap to just a point when rising Dublin star Greg McEnaney fed Ethan Dunne for a 48th minute goal. That narrow margin remained between them in stoppage time and DCU had a terrific opportunity to tie the game from a close range free. But Donegal's Johnny McGroddy, who top scored for DCU with eight points, surprisingly went short to team-mate Fionn Carolan who booted wide. Desmond and O Beaglaoich then struck their UCC scores to pile on the misery for DCU who lost substitute Liam Kelly to a red card late on in a game that stretched to 68 minutes. Skipper Falvey dedicated the win afterwards to veteran manager Morgan whom he pointed out 'couldn't be with us tonight'. If Morgan picked up the game on the YouTube live stream he'll have been happy with what he saw as UCC announced themselves as strong Sigerson Cup contenders. The 2023 Sigerson winners didn't kick a single wide in the first-half and hit the interval with a 0-11 to 1-5 lead. They linked up superbly with the wind at their backs and were 0-6 to 0-1 up by the ninth minute. DCU grabbed a lifeline in the form of a well taken Finbarr McLoughlin goal three minutes before the break. A long delivery and quick exchange of passes involving Ryan Donoghue, Alex Gavin and McGroddy eventually freed McLoughlin to palm home from close range. Back-to-back McGroddy points after the restart got the margin down to just a point as DCU capitalised on the breeze. But they will rue the eight second-half wides they totted up and the fact that they never managed to get back to level terms with UCC. Still, the Dunne goal, after clubmate McEnaney cut through the centre and set him free, left it neck and neck at the three-quarter stage, 2-9 to 0-16. Falvey was UCC's inspiration throughout, collecting possession and distributing it sensibly and pinching a number of impressive scores too. Dillon swung a beauty over off his left foot also while Chris Kenneally set up Corcoran for another terrific score to keep UCC just about in control. Falvey's 50th minute point was arguably the pick of the bunch, a high swinging kick on the wind from the right that left two in it at that stage. DCU unloaded their bench and threw everything at it in the closing stages. They cut the deficit to just a point again following a score from sub Luke Marren in the 58th minute. They should have levelled it up when McGroddy stood over that stoppage time free in but they butchered the opportunity. Ratoath man Kelly got his marching orders for DCU deep into stoppage time when referee Conor Dourneen took advice from a linesman. DCU still had one last chance to grab a goal and level the game with time almost up but McGroddy's rocket from a free flew just over the sea of UCC players on the goal line. UCC scorers: K Falvey, C Dillon (1 mark) (0-5 each); C O Beaglaoich, O Corcoran, H O'Connor (3 frees) (0-3 each); A Crowley, F Desmond (0-1 each). DCU scorers: J McGroddy (0-8, 7 frees); F McLoughlin, E Dunne (1-0 each); T Prior (0-2), R Donoghue, L Marren, F Carolan (0-1 each). UCC (Cork unless stated): A Murphy (Kerry); D O'Callaghan (Kerry), D Peet, C Kenneally; T Ashe (Kerry), D Phelan, N Lordan; R Murphy (Kerry), C O Beaglaoich (Kerry); K Falvey (Kerry), O Corcoran, T O hAinifein (Kerry); C Dillon (Kerry), H O'Connor, A Crowley (Kerry). Subs: F Desmond for O hAinifein (45); Liam Evans (Kerry) for Ashe (64). DCU (Dublin unless stated): E McGuinness (Longford); B Masterson (Longford), A Gavin, R Gallagher (Donegal); E O'Connor Flanagan, G McEnaney, D Joyce (Mayo); C Heffernan (Laois), E Dunne; F McLoughlin (Mayo), R Donoghue (Cavan), C Dolan; J McGroddy (Donegal), S Baker (Westmeath), T Prior (Leitrim) Subs: F Carolan (Monaghan) for Joyce & L Glennon (Roscommon) for Baker (25); E Smith (Sligo) for Donoghue (38); L Kelly (Meath) for Heffernan (40); N Dolan (Kildare) for C Dolan (49); L Marren (Sligo) for McLoughlin (55). Ref: C Dourneen (Cavan).

Bill Reichart was honored with the Mayfly Award in recognition for his lifelong serviceto conservation. DOYLE DIETZ/CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER Dedicated flintlock muzzleloader deer hunters are willing to brave the elements to takepart in the special season that is in its 50 th year. DOYLE DIETZ/CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER Hunters are once again able to enjoy pheasant hunts at Martz’s Gap View Preserve whichovercame an outbreak of Avian Flu early this year. DOYLE DIETZ/CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER Anglers crowd the shore to find their favorite fishing spots on the opening day of theBetty Dietz-Bruce Schneck Memorial Fishing Event. DOYLE DIETZ/CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER Bill Reichart was honored with the Mayfly Award in recognition for his lifelong serviceto conservation. DOYLE DIETZ/CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER There were many memorable outdoors-related events in 2024. In no particular order, hereis a look back at some of them. Bill Reichart presented with Mayfly Award Bill Reichart says his first ever “conservation project” was when he was 8 years old and agroup of locals tried to pump out the lower level at Auburn Desilting Dam in 1956 tosave the fish before they pumped the dredged material into the lower level when the damwas dredged.Since then he has spent his life dedicated to promoting clean water projects, including theworks of Schuylkill River Greenway and promoting efforts to improve the SchuylkillRiver Watershed. Some of his efforts that have had the most impact in our watershed are:Understanding, educating people on, and addressing water quality issues – especially inthe upper watershed; Leading the Porter Floodplain restoration project and associatedSchuylkill River Trail–Auburn Bridge connection that fills the gap in the SRT betweenBerks and Schuylkill counties; and The Schuylkill River Acts and Impacts YouthExpedition.This year Reichart was recognized for his lifelong work by the Pennsylvania AbandonedMine Reclamation when it presented the Schuylkill Headwaters Association presidentwith its annual Mayfly Award. A symbol of clean waters, the award is presented annuallyto someone who focuses on maintaining the health of local waterways.Anglers owe a debt of gratitude to Reichart being instrumental in getting a significantamount of fish habitat into Sweet Arrow Lake near Pine Grove. He got 100 porcupinecribs built and sunk, got many tons of rock installed by the Pennsylvania Fish and BoatCommission, had hundreds of posts for clusters installed and coordinated a mile of fishhabitat/stream bank improvements in Upper Little Swatara Creek. Martz’s Gap View Preserve recovers from Avian Flu outbreak to celebrate 70 years As the third-generation operator of Martz’s Gap View Hunting Preserve, Mike Martz hadbeen living the dream following in the footsteps of his grandfather and father.Unfortunately, that dream turned into the nightmare this year when Highly PathogenicAvian Influenza hit the business. HPAI was discovered in one of the pheasant pens at Martz’s, necessitating the ceasing ofall activities – including field hunts, Continental hunts and trap shooting. It was thehardest event to unfold on the third-generation farm, which caused the PennsylvaniaGame Commission to adjust its late-season pheasant stockings to help safeguard theagency’s pheasant program and better ensure it will continue next year in the 2024-25hunting seasons.Over the summer, however, Martz’s rebounded and opened for its 70 th year of business inSeptember. It is now once again providing field hunts and Continental hunts, as well astrap events. Steve Smith appointed new Pennsylvania Game Commission executive director Steve Smith, who had served as deputy executive director since February, was appointedto his new role of executive director by the Board of Game Commissioners in executivesession. Smith replaced Bryan Burhans, who served as the agency’s executive directorsince 2017. Burhans resigned his position, which was accepted by the board.“This is a critical time for the Game Commission and the future of hunting, trapping andthe conservation of wildlife,” Smith said. “The work we do now will have lasting impactsfor the generations to come, and ensure they will enjoy the same opportunities we havefor centuries. It is an honor to serve in this capacity.”A Berks County native, Smith graduated magna cum laude from West Chester Universitywith a degree in Political Science. He then received a law degree from the Penn StateDickinson School of Law. Smith joined the agency in 2008, after several years ofpracticing law. Hunters Sharing the Harvest continues to set record donations For Hunters Sharing the Harvest executive director Randy Ferguson hunter donations ofdeer this fall and early winter has created good news with another record on the horizonto the extent money is needed to pay processors for their role in the record-breakingnonprofit charitable organization.At the conclusion of last year’s hunting seasons Pennsylvania hunters broke their recordfor venison donations with 261,672 pounds of ground meat from 6,905 deer and six elkstatewide. That record resulted in more than 1 million individual servings of lean, high-protein venison, and Ferguson expects that record to fall again when the 2024-25 huntingseasons end.Hunters pay nothing to donate a deer at one of HSH’s 100-plus participating processorsacross the state. Instead, the organization reimburses those processors for every deerdonated, and last season, those reimbursement costs reached an all-time high ofapproximately $500,000.“While helping HSH feed more families, crop damage deer are the driving factor inHSH’s rising operational expenses, and a cause for increased financial need for theorganization,” Ferguson said “When I started in this role almost four years ago, we sawacouple hundred deer a year that we could identify as crop damage related.“Last year, that number was nearly 1,300 deer, and the crop damage category of donateddeer is doubling year over year. Deer donated during the regular archery and rifle seasonscontinue to grow at a healthy and manageable pace.” Swatara Cooperative Trout Nursery celebrates 25 years Bob Evanchalk, whose farm houses the Swatara Cooperative Trout Nursery, has spent 25years raising trout which are stocked in Sweet Arrow Lake and local Pine Grove Areastreams. In 25 years that comes to 139,866 trout — or about 5,600 trout per year.In 1999 a 50-foot long, 4-foot wide concrete raceway was constructed after thePennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission deemed the water source and site acceptable to house the nursery. The Schuylkill Conservation District applied to the Fish AmericaFoundation and was awarded $5,000 to make the nursery a reality.Sweet Arrow Lake and the main branch of Swatara Creek were two of the primarystocking locations as they were not on the PFBC trout stocking list. Later, the Upper (akaRoedersville) and Lower Little Swatara (aka Rock) Creeks were added.The PFBC supplies fingerling trout and technical assistance, and the nursery must findvolunteers and finances for expenses to raise the trout. Thanks to Evanchalk and somestalwart helpers the fish were in good hands, and the nursery was expanded to 90 feet in2000 and was covered with a metal lid to keep predators like herons, kingfishers, mink,snakes and other critters from enjoying an easy meal. Dietz-Schneck Memorial Fishing Event major attraction at Sweet Arrow Lake Planning is already underway for the 2025 Betty Dietz and Bruce Schneck MemorialFishing Event at Sweet Arrow Lake. Dean Skinner Ney has taken over administering theevent from Craig Morgan and Dean will also coordinate the food stand.Pioneer Pole Buildings last year of sponsorship is 2025, but Bob and Diane Green haveagreed to commit four more years at $2,500 per year match money. Also, the Friends ofSchuylkill Parks & Recreation have committed $5,000 in the past in matching funds.The Swatara Co-op Trout Nursery received $3,000 from the Sportsmen’s Advisory Boardlast year and this donation helps stock 2,000 really nice fish in the lake.The event is not a fundraiser, and it continues because of community support andparticipants, plus what Tevis Energy and Modern Comfort provide for Mentored YouthDay.DEP denies enhancement project for Sweet Arrow LakeIn 2022 the outdoors page of the Pottsville Republican Herald ran a feature article thattold of plans to enhance fish habitat and angler access to the resource at Sweet ArrowLake County Park. Since then, PennDOT was contacted about safer access through theguiderails, but the agency said nothing could be done.Also contacted was the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Lake Habitat Management sectionfor assistance. An on-site meeting and boat tour of the lake produced an updated fishhabitat improvement plan that included a number of stone deflectors which also improvedangler access to the resource. The Schuylkill Conservation District submitted the GeneralPermit-1, Fish Habitat Enhancement Structure application to the Northeast Office of theDepartment of Environmental Protection for review and approval.The permit was denied, although the original fish habitat plan for Sweet Arrow Lakeapproved in 2011 included stone deflectors. The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commissiondesigned and many partners have installed hundreds of sawtooth deflectors inPennsylvania lakes.These sawtooth or stone deflectors are approved and used at lakes all over Pennsylvaniato prevent shore erosion, which according to DEP is not evident at Sweet Arrow Lake.However, DEP’s denial states that these deflectors are not approved for use in lakes.Clearly, this seems to be a case of double standards, especially when stone can be placedon lake banks to prevent erosion. PGC makes changes made in purchase of antlerless licenses When Pennsylvania resident hunters began purchasing hunting licenses this summer theywere able to also purchase their choice of antlerless licenses because of the changes madeby the Pennsylvania Game Commission. At that time antlerless licenses were availablefor only three Wildlife Management Units where demand is highest – WMUs 1B, 2G and3A.Licenses in these WMUs were sold on a first come, first serve basis until the allottednumber of licenses sells out, and only Pennsylvania residents may purchase antlerless licenses initially. Three days after sales opened on a Monday, antlerless licenses for theremaining 19 WMUs went go on sale to residents.Guaranteeing an antlerless license to a resident hunter for any other WMU from June 27to July 8 largely eliminates the need to stand in line, allows demand to be spread out overmore than a week and gives hunters greater flexibility to buy at a time that’s convenientfor them. Even then, there are sure to be plenty of licenses left in most WMUs. PGC tables plan to reintroduce American martens In a split vote the Pennsylvania Game Commission, the board of game commissionerstabled plans to reintroduce American martens into the state by a 6-3 vote. Voting fortabling the plan were commissioners Bob Schwalm, Scott Foradora, Allen Di Marco,Kristen Schnepp-Giger, Stanley Knick and Todd Pride, with commissioners DennisFredericks, Michael Mitrick and Haley Sankey voting for the plan.Schwalm, who represents Schuylkill County, said he still has questions about the merit ofthe plan even after PGC staff developed an American marten reintroduction andmanagement plan for Pennsylvania that outlines a long-term, 10-year strategy totranslocate the species back to the state. This would be followed by long-term monitoringto evaluate the reintroduction and includes strategies on communications, partnerengagement, costs and timelines. Flintlock season celebrates 50th year Pennsylvania remains the only state with a flintlock-only muzzleloader deer season, andthis is the 50 th year. According to Dave Ehrig, one of the people who wrote what becamethe Pennsylvania Game Commission regulations for the flintlock season and currenteditor oft he official National Muzzle Loading Rifle Association magazine “MuzzleBlasts,” the season came into existence without celebration and not a whole lot of interestin 1974 when the first year of this primitive deer hunt was held, being almost anafterthought.Just 65 deer – including four bucks – were taken with flintlock rifles in that inauguralyear of 1974 compared to 3,909 deer – including 1,572 bucks – taken by bowhunters.Back then there were only 30 State Game Lands statewide open to flintlock hunters, sothey were concentrated into specific areas where archery and rifle seasons had reducedthe available number of deer.In 1980 the season was one week, and flintlock stamp sales continued to rise.Pennsylvania was fielding 145,144 flintlock-only deer hunters, who took 8,069 deer–including 490 bucks. Flintlock season was then reduced to four days in 1982, and it wasadded to the end of the December 15-18 antlerless season.The current statewide season began Thursday, Dec 26, and runs through Saturday, Jan.20. (Dietz is a member of the Pennsylvania Outdoor Writers Association) Contact the writer: outdoors@republicanherald.com

‘Our worst critics beaten flat out and the main foe totally annihilated’ – Joyce Bawah

 

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sg777 win app AP News Summary at 3:17 p.m. ESTNoneNEW YORK (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump’s recent dinner with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his visit to Paris for the reopening of the Notre Dame Cathedral were not just exercises in policy and diplomacy. They were also prime trolling opportunities for Trump. Throughout his first term in the White House and during his campaign to return, Trump has spun out countless provocative, antagonizing and mocking statements. There were his belittling nicknames for political opponents, his impressions of other political figures and the plentiful memes he shared on social media. Now that's he's preparing to return to the Oval Office, Trump is back at it, and his trolling is attracting more attention — and eyerolls. On Sunday, Trump turned a photo of himself seated near a smiling first lady Jill Biden at the Notre Dame ceremony into a social media promo for his new perfume and cologne line, with the tag line, “A fragrance your enemies can’t resist!” The first lady’s office declined to comment. When Trudeau hastily flew to Florida to meet with Trump last month over the president-elect's threat to impose a 25% tax on all Canadian products entering the U.S., the Republican tossed out the idea that Canada become the 51st U.S. state. The Canadians passed off the comment as a joke, but Trump has continued to play up the dig, including in a post Tuesday morning on his social media network referring to the prime minister as “Governor Justin Trudeau of the Great State of Canada.” After decades as an entertainer and tabloid fixture, Trump has a flair for the provocative that is aimed at attracting attention and, in his most recent incarnation as a politician, mobilizing fans. He has long relished poking at his opponents, both to demean and minimize them and to delight supporters who share his irreverent comments and posts widely online and cheer for them in person. Trump, to the joy of his fans, first publicly needled Canada on his social media network a week ago when he posted an AI-generated image that showed him standing on a mountain with a Canadian flag next to him and the caption “Oh Canada!” After his latest post, Canadian Immigration Minister Marc Miller said Tuesday: “It sounds like we’re living in a episode of South Park." Trudeau said earlier this week that when it comes to Trump, “his approach will often be to challenge people, to destabilize a negotiating partner, to offer uncertainty and even sometimes a bit of chaos into the well established hallways of democracies and institutions and one of the most important things for us to do is not to freak out, not to panic.” Even Thanksgiving dinner isn't a trolling-free zone for Trump's adversaries. On Thanksgiving Day, Trump posted a movie clip from “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation” with President Joe Biden and other Democrats’ faces superimposed on the characters in a spoof of the turkey-carving scene. The video shows Trump appearing to explode out of the turkey in a swirl of purple sparks, with the former president stiffly dancing to one of his favorite songs, Village People’s “Y.M.C.A." In his most recent presidential campaign, Trump mocked Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, refusing to call his GOP primary opponent by his real name and instead dubbing him “Ron DeSanctimonious.” He added, for good measure, in a post on his Truth Social network: “I will never call Ron DeSanctimonious ‘Meatball’ Ron, as the Fake News is insisting I will.” As he campaigned against Biden, Trump taunted him in online posts and with comments and impressions at his rallies, deriding the president over his intellect, his walk, his golf game and even his beach body. After Vice President Kamala Harris took over Biden's spot as the Democratic nominee, Trump repeatedly suggested she never worked at McDonalds while in college. Trump, true to form, turned his mocking into a spectacle by appearing at a Pennsylvania McDonalds in October, when he manned the fries station and held an impromptu news conference from the restaurant drive-thru. Trump’s team thinks people should get a sense of humor. “President Trump is a master at messaging and he’s always relatable to the average person, whereas many media members take themselves too seriously and have no concept of anything else other than suffering from Trump Derangement Syndrome,” said Steven Cheung, Trump’s communications director. “President Trump will Make America Great Again and we are getting back to a sense of optimism after a tumultuous four years.” Though both the Biden and Harris campaigns created and shared memes and launched other stunts to respond to Trump's taunts, so far America’s neighbors to the north are not taking the bait. “I don’t think we should necessarily look on Truth Social for public policy,” Miller said. Gerald Butts, a former top adviser to Trudeau and a close friend, said Trump brought up the 51st state line to Trudeau repeatedly during Trump’s first term in office. “Oh God,” Butts said Tuesday, “At least a half dozen times.” “This is who he is and what he does. He’s trying to destabilize everybody and make people anxious,” Butts said. “He’s trying to get people on the defensive and anxious and therefore willing to do things they wouldn’t otherwise entertain if they had their wits about them. I don’t know why anybody is surprised by it.” ___ Gillies reported from Toronto. Associated Press writer Darlene Superville contributed to this report.

Abba's groundbreaking virtual concert has injected more than £1 billion into the UK economy, according to fresh analysis. Abba Voyage, featuring digital avatars of the Swedish pop icons on stage in a purpose-built theatre, is on track to sell its three-millionth ticket this month, having made its debut in May 2022. Sound Diplomacy, a consultancy firm, conducted new analysis revealing that the concert has drummed up £1.4 billion in turnover in the initial two years. The report also suggests that there's been nearly £775 million in gross value added to the UK's economic landscape - a figure reached by subtracting production and operational expenditures from total sales revenues. This was achieved by gleaning thousands of responses from a survey given to attendees to measure the event's financial impact. Michael Bolingbroke, the chief executive and executive producer of Abba Voyage, said the band "chose the UK when they could’ve gone anywhere else", suggesting the decision was influenced by the nation's leading arena construction, production, and technical skills. Over the span of two years, international guests accounted for 31% of the spending by concert-goers within the local vicinity; these visitors spent, on average, £115 each day on accommodations, meals, and transport. Mr Bolingbroke said: "We know that people who live abroad are coming because of Abba Voyage ... 90% of visitors from abroad have come to the UK to see the show and they’re building a holiday around it." He added, "It’s extraordinary. It’s like the Olympics or a Formula One event – it’s that big in people’s minds." The experience utilises innovative motion capture technology and pre-recorded performances by the band to create digital avatars, known as "Abbatars", capturing the pop group as they were in the 1970s. It also includes a 10-piece live band which performs alongside the avatars. Mr Bolingbroke, who has previously held executive positions at football clubs Manchester United and Inter Milan as well as Cirque Du Soleil, was involved in the production from its inception four years ago. About £140 million was invested into creating the experience, which he said would take at least four years to recoup, adding that it was a "big punt" for the initial investors. Members of Abba itself have a "meaningful" stake in the production, he said. "(Abba Voyage) will certainly run for another couple of years and hopefully longer – in an ideal world we’d stay forever," Mr Bolingbroke told PA. "But the land we’re on is, I think, at some point going to become housing, and we knew that from the beginning." He said the company was currently in discussions with the London Legacy Development Corporation, the organisation behind Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, where the arena is based. The arena, with a seating capacity of 3,000, was designed to be portable, allowing it to be dismantled and relocated once the show concludes. London's Mayor, Sadiq Khan, praised Abba Voyage as a "phenomenal success story for London", demonstrating "why our capital is a global leader for music and culture".



Companies struggle with diesel-truck banNone

Packers will be without two of their best defensive players vs 49ersFARGO — Former Cass County Sheriff's Deputy Carson Quam, accused of 10 counts of possessing child sexual abuse materials, posted bond and walked free after a Tuesday hearing. A week after an arrest warrant was issued, Quam, 26, turned himself in Tuesday, Dec. 10, at the Cass County Courthouse to the charges. Quam affirmed to Judge John Irby that he understood the charges he is facing. According to prosecutors, some of the images found on Quam's phone showed children between the ages of 2 and 14, with some showing adults sexually abusing the children. Prosecutors accused Quam of looking at the abusive files over the past three years. Quam started his law enforcement career with the Oakes Police Department in 2018 before moving to the Walsh County Sheriff's Office. He joined Cass County as a road deputy in 2022. He resigned in September when the North Dakota Bureau of Criminal Investigation began its investigation of him. "He has been fully cooperative in this investigation including giving all the passwords necessary," said Quam's attorney, Mark Friese. Carmell Mattison, the special prosecutor from Grand Forks County, asked the judge set bond at $20,000 with a number of restrictions, including no access to the internet and social media, and no contact with people under 18. Friese argued it "does not make sense" to put Quam in the Cass County Jail, where he worked. Friese said Quam is seeing a psychologist and argued the bond should only be $5,000. Quam's lawyer felt the restrictions were too strict, specifically the limitation on internet access and contact with people under 18. "A broad restriction of him contacting anybody under 18 would preclude him from going to the checkout counter and paying for a candy bar if the clerk is 17," Friese said. The judge sided with Quam's lawyer, loosening some of the restrictions and setting bond at $5,000, meaning Quam only had to post $500 to be released, which he did following the hearing. If convicted, Quam faces up to five years in prison. It's still unclear which judge will oversee this case. Judges Irby and Cherie Clark sat in Tuesday for the purpose of setting bail. Irby said every judge in the Fargo district will recuse themselves from the case to avoid any potential conflicts, since the case involves a former Cass County sheriff's deputy.

With top toy lists and TV segments showcasing this year’s trendiest playthings already in rotation, the pressure is on. If you don’t scoop up the items your little ones have been bugging you about (and shouting “I need it!” when they see it in a commercial on the TV screen) fast, you’ll be out of luck. This year’s hottest toys include everything from Jellycat plushies and interactive, AI story-spinning teddy bears to glow-in-the-dark lasso toys, make-your-own pinball machines, fortune-telling magic mirrors, and LEGO building sets inspired by “Wicked,” the movie. Here are 10 top toy picks for the 2024 holiday season: Fisher-Price Link Squad Bop & Groove Tiger Baby Learning Toy With more than 50 songs, sounds and phrases, this music-savvy tiger introduces essential concepts like body parts, the alphabet and colors, while stimulating sensory development and fine motor skills. Plus, what parent wouldn’t love the record and playback function that adds a personal touch to playtime? Compatibility with other Link Squad toys means that you can grow your child’s collection and boost all their interactive play and social connections. $35 Bitzee, Disney Interactive Toy Talk about a magical, screen-free gift for any Disney-loving kiddo. This innovative toy responds to swipes, tilts and taps, and brings up to 30 iconic Disney and Pixar characters to life as your child plays. They can fill the Star Meter to earn Wishing Stars, which attract more characters. The Wish Book feature lets kids choose a star and then wave the pod to reveal a new character — complete with a pixie dust-inspired twinkling sound. $35 Jellycat Amusables Storm Cloud Plush Toy If your toddler can sing “Rain, rain, go away” on demand, then they’ll absolutely love giving this pouty storm cloud plush some extra love on rainy days. $29 Thames & Kosmos Pinball Machine Maker — Gumball Rally Winter break brain-break unlocked. This cool STEM toy lets kids build and customize their own pinball machine, complete with gumballs, bumpers and ramps. It’s perfect for young engineers and arcade enthusiasts and it springboards fun into early physics and mechanics conversations. $40 National Geographic Marble Run With 150 pieces, including 30 marbles and a 14-piece spiral lift, kids can use this marble run to build massive, intricate mazes. Since it’s compatible with other National Geographic marble configurations, like the Glow-in-the-Dark Marble Run, the toy can headline hours of fun and learning — especially when the kids are out of school for the holidays. $45 Furby Galaxy Edition With big ears, blinking eyes, glowing features, plus a dance style and language that’s all its own, the new Furby Galaxy Edition is an out-of-this-world gift idea for Christmas 2024. Perfect for kids ages 6 and up, it offers endless bonding time through petting, brushing and feeding, while also bringing a nostalgic blast from the past for millennial parents who remember the original Furby craze. $60 Loop Lasso Nano — The Original Glow-in-The-Dark String Shooter Toy Perfect for all ages, this interactive light toy will be the HIT of your holiday gatherings, New Year’s Eve, etc. After all, it’s constantly hyped among social media influencers as the “coolest toy ever.” It shoots a glowing string out at 40 mph, and then it follows your every motion, creating colorful, illuminated shapes that shine at concerts, holiday light shows, firework displays, etc., but also turn the vibe up on quiet nights at home. $40 Poe the AI Story Bear Teddy Ruxpin, but make it fit for 2024 preschoolers. This super unique storytelling teddy connects to an app on your phone or tablet, and leverages safe and secure AI cloud platforms to help your little ones create unique stories sprung from their own ideas. By selecting different characters, settings and elements, children can craft one-of-a-kind tales that their cuddle buddy then narrates back to them. $50 Magic Mixies Pixie Supremes Magic Mirror If your child loves the thrill of the reveal-toy trend, then this Pixie Supreme doll with multiple surprise-and-delight touch points is a great choice. After mixing up a special potion and adding the charmed moonstone to the top of the magic mirror, your little enchantress can summon their Pixie Supreme and have the fashion doll appear in the flesh. $50 LEGO Wicked Welcome to Emerald City Building Kit Whenever your mini Wicked fan stops “dancing through life,” they can take a break to put this 945-piece LEGO Emerald City scape together. The 3-story tower toy and collectible includes recognizable Elphaba, Glinda, The Wizard, Madame Morrible and Fiyero mini-figures, along with iconic vignettes and scene stealers from the movie. $100

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte will arrive in Türkiye's capital Ankara on Monday to hold meetings with Turkish officials, the military bloc said in a statement on Friday, amid rising tensions with Russia. During his visit, Rutte will meet with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, and Defense Minister Yaşar Güler. Rutte’s itinerary also includes engagements with the representatives of Türkiye’s defense industry and a visit to the Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) facilities. He will also lay a wreath at Anıtkabir, the mausoleum of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder of modern Türkiye. The visit will mark Rutte’s first official visit to Ankara since assuming his role as secretary-general. Turkish officials have been warning both Russia and Western countries about the threat of a nuclear war. On Tuesday, President Erdoğan called on NATO to carefully review and consider Russia's statement on modifying its nuclear doctrine, as he said that Russia had to take steps to protect itself. The Kremlin on Friday said Russia's launch of an experimental ballistic missile against Ukraine should be understood as a warning to the West, as Rutte convened a key meeting to discuss the implications of the strike. Russian President Vladimir Putin said six non-nuclear warheads hit the industrial city of Dnipro in eastern Ukraine on Thursday morning. Putin threatened to use the new weapon, called Oreshnik, in more attacks. In a video address, he said the missile travels at hypersonic speed and cannot be intercepted.By CHRISTINE FERNANDO CHICAGO (AP) — As Donald Trump’s Cabinet begins to take shape, those on both sides of the abortion debate are watching closely for clues about how his picks might affect reproductive rights policy in the president-elect’s second term . Trump’s cabinet picks offer a preview of how his administration could handle abortion after he repeatedly flip-flopped on the issue on the campaign trail. He attempted to distance himself from anti-abortion allies by deferring to states on abortion policy, even while boasting about nominating three Supreme Court justices who helped strike down the constitutional protections for abortion that had stood for half a century. In an NBC News interview that aired Sunday, Trump said he doesn’t plan to restrict medication abortion but also seemed to leave the door open, saying “things change.” “Things do change, but I don’t think it’s going to change at all,” he said. The early lineup of his new administration , including nominations to lead health agencies, the Justice Department and event the Department of Veterans Affairs, has garnered mixed — but generally positive — reactions from anti-abortion groups. Abortion law experts said Trump’s decision to include fewer candidates with deep ties to the anti-abortion movement could indicate that abortion will not be a priority for Trump’s administration. “It almost seems to suggest that President Trump might be focusing his administration in other directions,” said Greer Donley, an associate law professor at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law. Karen Stone, vice president of public policy at Planned Parenthood Action Fund , said while many of the nominees have “extensive records against reproductive health care,” some do not. She cautioned against making assumptions based on Trump’s initial cabinet selections. Still, many abortion rights groups are wary, in part because many of the nominees hold strong anti-abortion views even if they do not have direct ties to anti-abortion activists. They’re concerned that an administration filled with top-level officials who are personally opposed to abortion could take steps to restrict access to the procedure and funding. After Trump’s ambiguity about abortion during his campaign, “there’s still a lot we don’t know about what policy is going to look like,” said Mary Ruth Ziegler, a law professor at the University of California, Davis School of Law. That approach may be revealed as the staffs within key departments are announced. Trump announced he would nominate anti-vaccine activist Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to lead the Health and Human Services Department, which anti-abortion forces have long targeted as central to curtailing abortion rights nationwide. Yet Kennedy shifted on the issue during his own presidential campaign. In campaign videos, Kennedy said he supports abortion access until viability , which doctors say is sometime after 21 weeks, although there is no defined timeframe. But he also said “every abortion is a tragedy” and argued for a national ban after 15 weeks of pregnancy, a stance he quickly walked back. The head of Health and Human Services oversees Title X funding for a host of family planning services and has sweeping authority over agencies that directly affect abortion access, including the Food and Drug Administration and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. The role is especially vital amid legal battles over a federal law known as EMTALA, which President Joe Biden’s administration has argued requires emergency abortion access nationwide, and FDA approval of the abortion pill mifepristone. Mini Timmaraju, president of the national abortion rights organization Reproductive Freedom for All, called Kennedy an “unfit, unqualified extremist who cannot be trusted to protect the health, safety and reproductive freedom of American families.” His potential nomination also has caused waves in the anti-abortion movement. Former Vice President Mike Pence , a staunch abortion opponent, urged the Senate to reject Kennedy’s nomination. Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of the national anti-abortion group Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, said the group had its own concerns about Kennedy. “There’s no question that we need a pro-life HHS secretary,” she said. Fox News correspondent Marty Makary is Trump’s pick to lead the FDA, which plays a critical role in access to medication abortion and contraception. Abortion rights groups have accused him of sharing misinformation about abortion on air. Russell Vought , a staunch anti-abortion conservative, has been nominated for director of the Office of Management and Budget. Vought was a key architect of Project 2025 , a right-wing blueprint for running the federal government. Among other actions to limit reproductive rights, it calls for eliminating access to medication abortion nationwide, cutting Medicaid funding for abortion and restricting access to contraceptive care, especially long-acting reversible contraceptives such as IUD’s. Despite distancing himself from the conservative manifesto on the campaign trail, Trump is stocking his administration with people who played central roles in developing Project 2025. Trump acknowledged that drafters of the report would be part of his incoming administration during the Sunday interview with NBC News, saying “Many of those things I happen to agree with.” “These cabinet appointments all confirm that Project 2025 was in fact the blueprint all along, and the alarm we saw about it was warranted,” said Amy Williams Navarro, director of government relations for Reproductive Freedom for All. Dr. Mehmet Oz , Trump’s choice to lead the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, is a former television talk show host who has been accused of hawking dubious medical treatments and products. He voiced contradictory abortion views during his failed Senate run in 2022. Oz has described himself as “strongly pro-life, praised the Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade , claimed “life starts at conception” and referred to abortion as “murder.” But he also has echoed Trump’s states-rights approach, arguing the federal government should not be involved in abortion decisions. “I want women, doctors, local political leaders, letting the democracy that’s always allowed our nation to thrive to put the best ideas forward so states can decide for themselves,” he said during a Senate debate two years ago. An array of reproductive rights groups opposed his Senate run. As CMS administrator, Oz would be in a key position to determine Medicaid coverage for family planning services and investigate potential EMTALA violations. Related Articles National Politics | Trump promises to end birthright citizenship: What is it and could he do it? National Politics | In promising to shake up Washington, Trump is in a class of his own National Politics | Election Day has long passed. In some states, legislatures are working to undermine the results National Politics | Trump taps his attorney Alina Habba to serve as counselor to the president National Politics | How they voted: Ryan, Molinaro on Matt Gaetz report, regulatory procedures As Florida’s attorney general, Pam Bondi defended abortion restrictions, including a 24-hour waiting period. Now she’s Trump’s choice for attorney general . Her nomination is being celebrated by abortion opponents but denounced by abortion rights groups concerned she may revive the Comstock Act , an anti-vice law passed by Congress in 1873 that, among other things, bans mailing of medication or instruments used in abortion. An anti-abortion and anti-vaccine former Florida congressman, David Weldon, has been chosen to lead the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which collects and monitors abortion data across the country. Former Republican congressman Doug Collins is Trump’s choice to lead the Department of Veterans Affairs amid a political battle over abortion access and funding for troops and veterans. Collins voted consistently to restrict funding and access to abortion and celebrated the overturning of Roe v. Wade. “This is a team that the pro-life movement can work with,” said Kristin Hawkins, president of the national anti-abortion organization Students for Life.

How to Watch Top 25 Women’s College Basketball Games – Wednesday, December 11

Barry Keoghan on “disgusting” recent fan harassment: “I can only sit and take so much”During the maiden voyage of the two CF 5000 vessels, Damen is monitoring performance via its onboard IoT system, Damen Triton. This award winning system collects and analyses data from thousands of sensors located around the vessel. Based on ship design criteria and benchmark information, this data then provides valuable insight into maintenance requirements and vessel performance, amongst other things. In this instance, Damen is using the data provided by Triton to assess the performance of the new vessels and to gather information to ensure the continual evolution of the design. Damen Commercial Director Cargo Vessels Remko Bouma says, “we are delighted to welcome Squtrixo as a first time Damen client, and the launching customer of the CF 5000. Based on the information from the Damen Triton system onboard, we can see that the vessels are performing as expected. We are also confident that the CF 3850 will perform to the full satisfaction of Squtrixo. This delivery will marks the 27th of the new, improved CF 3850. The next generation vessel has rapidly, and repeatedly, proven itself to be a thoroughly efficient and reliable platform.” The CF 3850 has long been a popular vessel in Damen’s portfolio. In recent years, the shipbuilder has relaunched the design with improved efficiency, suitable for current and forthcoming emissions regulations. In addition to the increased efficiency of the standard design, Damen offers a range of additional options to further boost the sustainable credentials of the vessel. This includes various hybrid propulsion arrangements, as well as the possibility to operate on bio-diesel. The vessels are also prepared for installation of innovative technologies such as wind assisted propulsion, to further reduce fuel consumption and emissions. Due to the rising demand for the popular CF 3850, Damen began a partnership with the Ba Son Shipyard in Vietnam to construct the design, in addition to the production of the vessel at the Damen Yichang Shipyard in China. Like the CF 3850, the CF 5000 is designed for fuel economy. The new design features many of the same features as the CF 3850, but with an increased cargo capacity. The new series boasts a hold capacity of 7000m3 and can carry up to 5160 tonnes of cargo. A subdivision with grain bulkheads and tween decks increases loading possibilities. Source: DAMEN