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The Dallas Cowboys head into their Week 12 matchup against the Washington Commanders, hoping to reverse a challenging season marked by injuries and mounting criticism. As they prepare to face a familiar foe in this NFC East showdown, the conversation off the field has shifted to linebacker Micah Parsons’ thoughts on a hot topic in sports media. By Tony Fisher Earlier this week, Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James announced he is stepping back from his influential social media presence, citing the toll of public scrutiny. Cowboys star Micah Parsons was asked to share his perspective on James’ decision during a media session. ... and whether he might follow suit. “LeBron was on social media for 20 years... I’m in year four!” Parsons quipped . “Now he’s getting off social media? Four championships later? (Laughing) LeBron was on social media when he won an NBA title. What are we saying here? I might be done with the media in 20 years. “You won’t know who I am in 20 years. I might have a beard and (be) bald and (be) on a beach somewhere.” Parsons, an active social media user and podcast host, often receives criticism for his online presence, much like James has throughout his career. While Parsons embraces the platform to connect with fans and express his personal views, James has used social media to grow his brand and voice his opinions on political and personal matters including speaking out against former coach Darvin Ham earlier this season during his podcast. Related: Cowboys' Rush Reveals Bold Mentality vs. Commanders Meanwhile, regarding actual football ... As the Cowboys aim to salvage their season, including a rough stretch of home losses, the spotlight remains on their performance against the Commanders. A win in Washington could provide a much-needed morale boost as Dallas navigates a critical stretch and a tumultuous season. Related: Emotional Dak Admits To Crying Tears Over Lost SeasonNone

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NEW YORK (AP) — Brian Thompson led one of the biggest health insurers in the U.S. but was unknown to millions of the people his decisions affected. Then Wednesday's fatal shooting of the UnitedHealthcare CEO in a targeted killing on a midtown Manhattan sidewalk thrust the executive and his business into the national spotlight. Thompson, who was 50, ran the insurance arm of the giant UnitedHealth Group Inc. since 2021 and had worked at the company for 20 years. He previously led its Medicare and retirement businesses. As CEO, Thompson led a business that provides health coverage to more than 49 million Americans — more than the population of Spain. United is the largest provider of Medicare Advantage plans, the privately run versions of the U.S. government’s Medicare program for people age 65 and older. The company also sells individual insurance and administers health-insurance coverage for thousands of employers and state-and federally funded Medicaid programs. The business run by Thompson brought in $281 billion in revenue last year, making it the largest subsidiary of the Minnetonka, Minnesota-based UnitedHealth Group. His $10.2 million annual pay package, including salary, bonus and stock options awards, made him one of the company's highest-paid executives. The University of Iowa graduate began his career as a certified public accountant at Pricewaterhouse Coopers and had little name recognition beyond the industry. Even to investors who own its stock, the parent company's face belonged to CEO Andrew Witty, a knighted British triathlete who has testified before Congress. Thompson’s few moments of public attention stood in contrast to his role in reshaping the way Americans get health care. At an investor meeting last year, he outlined his company's shift to “value-based care,” paying doctors and other caregivers to keep patients healthy, rather than focusing on treating them when they get sick. “Health care should be easier for people,” Thompson said at the time. “We are cognizant of the challenges. But navigating a future through value-based care unlocks a situation where the ... family doesn’t have to make the decisions on their own.” Thompson also drew attention in 2021 when the insurer, like its competitors, was widely criticized for a plan to start denying payment for what it deemed non-critical visits to hospital emergency rooms. “Patients are not medical experts and should not be expected to self-diagnose during what they believe is a medical emergency,” the chief executive of the American Hospital Association wrote in an open letter addressed to Thompson. “Threatening patients with a financial penalty for making the wrong decision could have a chilling effect on seeking emergency care.” United Healthcare responded by delaying rollout of the change. Thompson was scheduled to speak at an investor meeting when he was shot around 6:45 a.m. outside the New York Hilton Midtown by a masked assailant who fled on foot, the New York Police Department said. Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny said investigators were looking at Thompson's social media accounts and interviewing employees and family members. He said Thompson walked out of the hotel alone. “Didn’t seem like he had any issues at all,” Kenny said. "He did not have a security detail.” AP reporter Michael R. Sisak contributed to this report. This story corrects the style of the company’s name to UnitedHealthcare.Alabama A&M fires football coach Connell Maynor after 7 seasons

MONROE TOWNSHIP, N.J., Dec. 02, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Ocean Power Technologies, Inc. ("OPT" or "the Company") (NYSE American: OPTT), today announced preliminary financial results for the second quarter ended October 31, 2024 (Q2FY25). The preliminary results included in this press release are subject to change and have not been audited or reviewed by our independent auditor. The Company expects to file its second quarter financial results and update in mid‐December. Preliminary Q2FY25 Financial Highlights (All figures are preliminary, unaudited, and subject to finalization): Revenue : Estimated to be greater than $2 million, compared to $0.9 million for the same period last year, representing a more than 2x increase. Net Loss : Anticipated net loss of approximately $4 million, compared to $7.2 million in the prior year period and representing a year-over-year decrease in net loss of more than 40%. Operating expenses have been reduced by approximately 40%, including reduced external expenditures leading to a material reduction in third party spend. Cash Used in Operating Activities : Estimated to be less than $4.7 million, compared to $7.5 million in the prior-year period and representing a year-over-year decrease of approximately 40%. Business and Operational Highlights During Q2FY25, the Company completed the second set of exercises of the previously announced follow-on contract as a subcontractor to EpiSci and successfully deployed several WAM-V autonomous surface vehicles during the Mission Autonomy Proving Grounds (MAPG) as part of Project Overmatch. Project Overmatch is a United States Navy initiative aimed at achieving a seamless and highly integrated warfighting capability by leveraging advanced data networks, artificial intelligence (AI), and machine learning. Under this contract, OPT continues to ruggedize and enhance the operational capability of its autonomous maritime technologies to support the U.S. military and its allies. The first set of exercises was concluded over the summer and the completion of these most recent exercises contributed to the revenue recognition noted above. The Company delivered several vehicles to customers in Latin America for commercial survey services. The Company signed its first service contract for multi-year support services for vehicles. Since the end of the quarter, OPT has received the final permits to install the previously announced PowerBuoy equipped with AT&Ts 5G equipment in Monterey Bay. The Company reaffirms its previously issued guidance that it believes it will reach profitability (excluding unanticipated extraordinary expenses) during the fourth quarter of calendar 2025. Performance to date reflects strong demand for products, effective cost management, and progress in strategic initiatives. Recent achievements, including recently announced partnerships and operational milestones regarding successful exercises and continued customer deliveries, further support the Company’s trajectory toward achieving this stated objective. Philipp Stratmann, OPT’s CEO and President, stated “We believe our preliminary results underscore the success of our strategic initiatives, such as focusing on national security and critical infrastructure solutions, coupled with targeted international expansion and our ability to execute for our customers. We have seen a recent uptick in demand for our services domestically and overseas and will continue to convert our pipeline to bookings and ultimately to revenue through future deliveries and additional opportunities to deploy our assets, and we remain committed to delivering long-term value for our shareholders. The success of our most recent quarter leads us to reconfirm our pathway to profitability in late calendar 2025.” CONFERENCE CALL AND WEBCAST INFORMATION A conference call to discuss OPT’s financial results will be held on Tuesday, December 17, 2024 at 9:00 AM EDT. Philipp Stratmann, CEO, and Bob Powers, CFO will host the call. The dial-in numbers for the conference call are 877-407-8291 or 201-689-8345. Live webcast: Webcast | Ocean Power Technologies FY2025 Q2 Earnings Conference Call (choruscall.com) Call Replay: Call replay will be available by telephone approximately two hours after the call's completion. You may access the replay by dialing 877-660-6853 from the U.S. or 201-612-7415 for international callers and using the Conference ID 13748550. Webcast Replay: The archived webcast will be on the OPT investor relations section of its website. INDIVIDUAL MEETING INFORMATION In an effort to increase relations with institutional investors, OPT management has dedicated time to hosting individual meetings with portfolio managers and analysts. If you are interested in scheduling a meeting with OPT management, please contact: Email: InvestorRelations@oceanpowertech.com , or Call: 609-730-0400 x401 ABOUT OCEAN POWER TECHNOLOGIES OPT provides intelligent maritime solutions and services that enable safer, cleaner, and more productive ocean operations for the defense and security, oil and gas, science and research, and offshore wind markets, including Merrows, which provides AI capable seamless integration of Maritime Domain Awareness Systems across platforms. Our PowerBuoy® platforms provide clean and reliable electric power and real-time data communications for remote maritime and subsea applications. We also provide WAM-V® autonomous surface vessels (ASVs) and marine robotics services. The Company’s headquarters is in Monroe Township, New Jersey, with an additional office in Richmond, California. To learn more, visit www.OceanPowerTechnologies.com . FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS This release may contain forward-looking statements that are within the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements are identified by certain words or phrases such as "may", "will", "aim", "will likely result", "believe", "expect", "will continue", "anticipate", "estimate", "intend", "plan", "contemplate", "seek to", "future", "objective", "goal", "project", "should", "will pursue" and similar expressions or variations of such expressions. These forward-looking statements reflect the Company's current expectations about its future plans and performance. These forward-looking statements rely on a number of assumptions and estimates that could be inaccurate and subject to risks and uncertainties. Actual results could vary materially from those anticipated or expressed in any forward-looking statement made by the Company. Please refer to the Company's most recent Forms 10-Q and 10-K and subsequent filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission for further discussion of these risks and uncertainties. The Company disclaims any obligation or intent to update the forward-looking statements in order to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this release or to provide further interim updates in the future.

Rarely are new cars everything they're promised. It's even rarer that those vehicles truly draw a line in the sand for the future of the brand. It's no exaggeration to say that the Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class sedan is well on its way to doing both of those things. Everything about it is new, even the double-spoke steering wheel that looks familiar but features a host of revised haptic areas that hopefully address the issues with errant touches the current wheel has. Mercedes-Benz invited Newsweek to Austria to be among the first in the world outside the company to experience the car. There, I rode passenger side to an experienced driver who just happened to be the project lead for the car, Axel Heix, the director of development for Mercedes-Benz's compact cars. As he deftly steered the battery-electric version of the CLA through the drifting, blowing snow on the icy roads of the Timmelsjoch mountain pass, he answered some of my questions while allowing me enough time to look and feel around the car. Getting in, I immediately noticed the two-tone seats, covered in leather or a like-leather synthetic material. The main charcoal-colored upholstery was accented by lime green inserts along the edge and contrast stitching. That stitching and material continued onto the doors, which were well-appointed and cushioned on the top near the window and below on the edge of the shallow door pocked that was closest to my leg. Even the headliner was premium looking and feeling. Seat adjustment hardware is new and elegant, offering smooth, curved representation of the fixtures that have been a staple in Mercedes vehicles for a decade. Tiny bits of piano black plastic surrounded the window controls, creating depth and adding character. These are all small touches that are easy to cut from the roster in favor of cheaper, less finger-friendly materials and parts bin bits to eliminate costs. Mercedes hasn't and it is most welcome. The look is richer than the C-Class by a "metric mile" as my grandmother would say. Granted, this wasn't a production model, but the CLA didn't creak and groan like the C-Class I had been in earlier that day either. The dashboard was mostly covered by a fabric disguise. Under that disguise is a flat-facing infotainment touchscreen that is new to the company's lineup. This setup is a departure from what other automakers are doing, including Nio, Polestar and BYD who have tablet-like screens mounted to their dashboards. Mercedes has installed a fresh version of the company's operating software (MB.OS) on the screen. It has evolved to take on a new, Apple-like appearance, full of rich color, eye-pleasing screens, nested buttons and layered visuals. That screen controls the company's auditory component for the EV, offering three types of sound, less cartoon spaceship-like than what other automakers offer, that the car can make when being propelled. It also serves as the touchpoint for the in-car camera, single-zone climate control and device connectivity. The company's Chief Technology Officer, Markus Schäfer told Newsweek last month that Will.i.am's co-developed Sound Drive would be installed in vehicles across the lineup via an over-the-air update soon, and the CLA is no exception an engineer told me. In front of the passenger is an entertainment screen straight out of the E-Class playbook. A fresh driver information screen with crisp graphics flows seamlessly into the other two. Buttons are kept to a minimum in the CLA. If you are a student of the current-generation Mercedes models, you have an idea of what to expect here. Unlike other reviewers who were treated to a ride in the CLA the week before in less treacherous weather conditions, I didn't have the opportunity to be propelled up the mountain pass at speed or get to experience the car under wet conditions. Instead, Heix drove the car through whiteout conditions that never caused confidence in the car nor driver to be lost. More than once the car was nearly beached on deep snow but by using the torque allocation of its rear and front motors, and a bit of know-how, it kept moving when others, including the GLE leading the way, were stuck. Sitting in the front and back of the CLA was easy for someone of average size, and though it was tight in the second row for those closer to 6'5" than 6'0", it was able to be done with the glass roof featured in the car. There wasn't a lot of legroom back there, but it was do-able even with taller adults up front. That said, it was quite the comfortable place to spend an hour. The stylish and refined CLA takes full advantage of its lack of transmission tunnel to present console area storage possibilities and thankfully leaves circular air vents mostly in the past. The CLA will debut a few months from now and come to market with powertrain options - hybrid and battery-electric. When it arrives, the battle lines will have been drawn with its premium and luxury automaker rivals all taking notes. Mercedes hasn't just shown up to play. They've shown up to dominate.

UnitedHealthcare CEO kept a low public profile before he was targeted in fatal New York shootingTrump’s lawyers rebuff DA’s idea for upholding his hush money conviction, calling it ‘absurd’

Exit polls boost BJP’s hopes in Ranchi despite Mahua Maji’s strong challengeThousands of mysterious drones have been spotted across several U.S. states, causing widespread concern among residents. Reports of sightings have emerged from New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, and Maryland, fueling speculation about their origins. In response, President-elect Donald Trump called for transparency, insisting the Biden administration must have more information. "Mystery Drone sightings all over the Country. Can this really be happening without our government’s knowledge. I don’t think so! Let the public know, and now. Otherwise, shoot them down!" he wrote on Truth Social. Trump's remarks followed reports of a drone crashing into a field in Hillsborough, Somerset County, New Jersey. A massive search operation ensued, but authorities found no evidence of the downed drone. "At 12:10 p.m. all units cleared after a complete search of the area was concluded, and no down drone was recovered. There is no known threat to the public to report. The public is reminded to contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324) to report any suspicious drones in the area," Hillsborough Township Police Department said in a statement. Meanwhile, lawmakers are urging further investigation, with calls for the New York City Police Department to examine drone sightings over Staten Island. “What is happening is outrageous. Thousands of drones and unmanned aerial systems flying above us, and our government is not telling us who’s operating them and for what purpose,” Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, R-N.Y., said at a press conference in Staten Island. “I don’t believe that the United States of America, with its military capabilities, does not know what these objects are. And what I’m asking, and what we’re all asking, is for you to be straight with us and just tell us what is going on,” Malliotakis said. New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy and New York Gov. Kathy Hochul acknowledged the reports but assured the public there is no immediate safety threat. "We are actively monitoring the situation and in close coordination with our federal and law enforcement partners on this matter. There is no known threat to the public at this time," Murphy tweeted. Hochul echoed similar sentiments on X, writing, "We know New Yorkers have spotted drones in the air this week & we are investigating. At this time, there’s no evidence that these drones pose a public safety or national security threat." Get Latest News Live on Times Now along with Breaking News and Top Headlines from US News, World and around the world.

Starting in 2010, Tess Waresmith spent three years working on a cruise ship, first as a high-diver and acrobat, and then as a shopping guide for vacationers. For someone who had graduated from college a year earlier, it was a huge opportunity, Waresmith says. Not only was this a paying gig in an economy otherwise ravaged by recession, but food and living expenses on the ship were covered. “Over a couple year period, I thought to myself, ‘This is my chance to save as much as possible ,” Waresmith says. After a couple years of dutifully socking away cash, a friend aboard the ship suggested that she could be doing more with her funds than let them sit in the bank. “He was just like, ‘Tess, you can use the money you’re hoarding to buy things that make you more money,’” she says. “I knew that investing was a thing, but I’d never thought about it from that frame.” Waresmith, now 36, took that advice and ran with it. She currently has more than $US1 ($A1.6) million in stocks, real estate and other investments. In 2021, she founded financial education firm Wealth with Tess , with the aim of helping others follow her path while avoiding some of the pitfalls. In those early years, Waresmith remembers one pitfall in particular. “With stock market investing, I was really afraid to do it wrong, so I hired a financial adviser, and they made a lot of really bad decisions on my behalf,” she says. “I was paying over 2 per cent in fees. They sold me an annuity better suited for people in their 50s. I was 26.” Here’s how she says you can avoid falling into a similar trap. Waresmith did what a lot of experts might have suggested: hire a professional. But since she wasn’t too familiar with finance, Waresmith didn’t know that the advisor she chose was running a suboptimal strategy on her behalf. “It’s tough to identify red flags if you don’t have basic knowledge of investing. And when I say basic knowledge, I mean reading one or two books or taking one course,” she says. “You don’t have to have a Ph.D. in investing or be an analyst, but I didn’t really see red flags, because I wouldn’t have even been able to recognise them back then.” It took her a while to realize that her portfolio was lagging the market — both because her adviser had chosen underperforming mutual funds and because high fees were eating into her returns . Rather than charging a flat rate , her adviser charged a fee equivalent to 1 per cent of the value of her portfolio, plus a 0.25 per cent to use the adviser’s online investing platform. Some of the actively mutual funds her adviser chose came with expense ratios north of 0.75 per cent. The strategy, Waresmith eventually realised, was meant to make things more complicated than necessarily. “These were actively managed mutual funds and there were dozens of them,” she says. “It was way over-engineered.” Then there was the annuity, an often expensive financial instrument meant to provide income for retirees in exchange for fronting a lump sum of money. Waresmith put $US20,000 in — money she hasn’t been able to recoup. “When I turn 60, I’ll get a couple of bucks a month, or something from that,” she says. “It was a big mistake. No one should have sold me that.” Once she realised she was being charged for an overly complex, underperforming plan, Waresmith cut ties with her adviser and endeavoured to keep things simple. Instead of paying an expensive adviser to manage expensive funds, she opened her own account and invested in low-cost index funds. The advantages of investing this way are well documented. Index funds aim to replicate the performance of a market index, rather than trying to outperform it. While some active managers manage to beat the market, the vast majority don’t. Over the 10 years that ended in June 2024, about 29 per cent of active funds survived and outpaced their average indexed peer, according to Morningstar . Funds that track popular indexes, such as the S&P 500, give investors exposure to a broad array of stocks and come with very low costs. “Index funds are a great way to get started and to understand the basics of the stock market and to get your money invested in a really diversified, low-fee way,” Waresmith says. Advice given in this article is general in nature. Always seek your own professional advice taking into account your personal circumstances before making any financial decisions.Breakthrough technology sees how cholesterol causes heart attacksMicrochip Technology Updates December 2024 Quarter Revenue Guidance, and Announces Manufacturing Restructuring Plans

Police searching for man who allegedly groped 5-year-old near New York migrant shelter

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Volunteer Calah Derocher, left, and kitchen manager Cassandra Culleton assemble to-go meals Dec. 3 during the daily Meals Program at the Trinity Jubilee Center in Lewiston. Daryn Slover/Sun Journal LEWISTON — After living off-grid and being a stay-at-home mom for the past few years, Calah Derocher was looking for some inspiration as she re-enters the professional world. Through Fedcap’s ASPIRE program, she planned to use volunteer work to get started and perhaps explore several different roles and settings in the nonprofit realm. But after starting at the Trinity Jubilee Center, she found it difficult to go anywhere else. And, according to staff there, Derocher has been rearranging her schedule to help out on holidays. She’s become a regular volunteer in the soup kitchen and food pantry. “After a week of being there I just knew I really wanted to give my time to these people and their cause,” she said. “It’s really kind of scary to go back into society and the job force and it was a really comfortable way to get myself back in there, and feel like I’m a productive member of society.” The ASPIRE program helps Temporary Assistance for Needy Families recipients move toward financial independence through case management, job training, education, support and employment services. Derocher said life events led her to the program, to find a way to support her family. This winter, she’s starting classes at Central Maine Community College. At first she considered going into social work, but she ultimately decided to learn a trade — electromechanical technology. She said the program asked her to consider tough questions about her passions and what a new professional career could look like, and volunteering was one of the ways for her to face that. Volunteer Calah Derocher, right, organizes to-go meals Dec. 3 during the daily Meals Program at the Trinity Jubilee Center in Lewiston. Daryn Slover/Sun Journal Derocher began volunteering at Trinity in November, and plans to stay on until school starts. She said she’s been doing “anything and everything” that’s asked of her, including food prep, organizing donations, and more. “I give them my all when I go in there, and try to get as much done as I can,” she said. She often ends up leaving late. On Dec. 23, she was helping to prepare for the Christmas Eve lunch, where everyone who comes through for the meal also gets a stocking with various items. On Christmas Eve she was there from 7:30 a.m. to noon, getting the food out. She did the same on Thanksgiving. Derocher was also helping organize a toy drive, which allows Trinity guests to choose an item to give to someone special in their lives. While her time there will be slowing down soon, she said she could see herself back there again, either during summers when she’s not in school, or at another time. “I feel like the impact of coming here and being around the staff and clients and the whole experience — I know in the future I’ll be able to contribute in my own way back to the community,” she said. Derocher was born in Lewiston and grew up in Auburn, but until just recently lived in Hartford “in the middle of the woods.” She said part of what she’s rediscovered since returning to Lewiston is the feeling of community. She said moving back was a big change, as it was to realize it was “OK to ask for help.” “I think it’s something that’s lost sometimes this day and age,” she said, referring to community. “And I’m hoping to bring that with me for the rest of my life — to remember that communities are stronger together.” Know someone with a deep well of unlimited public spirit? Someone who gives of their time to make their community a better place? Then nominate them for Kudos. Send their name and the place where they do their good deeds to reporter Andrew Rice at arice@sunjournal.com and we’ll do the rest. We invite you to add your comments. We encourage a thoughtful exchange of ideas and information on this website. By joining the conversation, you are agreeing to our commenting policy and terms of use . More information is found on our FAQs . You can modify your screen name here . Comments are managed by our staff during regular business hours Monday through Friday as well as limited hours on Saturday and Sunday. Comments held for moderation outside of those hours may take longer to approve. Please sign into your Sun Journal account to participate in conversations below. If you do not have an account, you can register or subscribe . Questions? Please see our FAQs . Your commenting screen name has been updated. Send questions/comments to the editors. « PreviousLuigi Mangione pleaded not guilty in the assassination of UnitedHeathcare CEO Brian Thompson on Monday. Following the plea, an uptick in donations to Mangione’s legal defense fund rolled in on the crowdfunding site GiveSendGo. At present, the sum sits at a staggering $212,426. “We are not here to celebrate violence, but we do believe in the constitutional right of fair legal representation,” a statement on the crowdfunding page reads. GoFundMe, another popular crowdfunding site, previously pulled all campaigns supporting Mangione. While the public response to the alleged killer has ranged from utter vitriol to admiration, the fact that so many have rushed to donate to Mangione’s defense further demonstrates how many feel sympathetic to the alleged killer, or even agree with the cause he’s become the face of. So does a recent survey from NORC at the University of Chicago, which found that, while 8 out of 10 U.S. adults believe the person who killed Brian Thompson bears the responsibility for the murder, 7 in 10 shared the belief that healthcare companies are also to blame. They said that proceedings like healthcare denials for coverage bear “a moderate amount” of responsibility for the Dec. 4 slaying. Regardless of public opinion, the 26-year-old Maryland man now faces 11 counts, including three murder charges, and a terrorist charge. Last week, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, whose office is prosecuting the case, said the crime “was a killing that was intended to evoke terror.” Prosecutors have also brought a four-count criminal complaint that could invoke the death penalty. | Anna Schecter, who covers crime and safety for CBS News , told the outlet in an on-air interview that there is a possibility under a Trump department of justice that the death penalty could be sought, though it would be “highly unusual.” Schecter pressed that the death penalty is typically reserved for terrorist charges, and “interestingly, the only terrorism charge he’s facing is coming from the Manhattan District Attorney’s office—that first degree murder charge,” rather than any federal charges. In court on Monday, Mangione’s attorney Karen Friedman Agnifilo told the judge that, although her client has cooperated with law enforcement every step of the way, Mangione is being treated like a guilty man before his trial has begun. The attorney blasted the New York City Mayor Eric Adams for joining Mangione’s perp walk alongside armed NYPD, which she pressed was purely “political fodder.” “There was no reason for the NYPD and everybody to have these big assault rifles (during his extradition) that, frankly, I had no idea was in their arsenal,” Friedman Agnifilo told the judge. “He was on display for everyone to see in the biggest staged perp walk I’ve ever seen in my career.” Schecter says that, given how much evidence is stacked against Mangione, including DNA evidence and surveillance footage, she doesn’t see “any other pathway” than an insanity plea. “There’s no question that prosecutors think he pulled the trigger,” she explained. The question for his attorneys, she pressed, will be “how is his defense team going to try and get the lightest sentence possible?” While the public will certainly be watching Mangione’s case closely, healthcare companies, which have received increased scrutiny since Dec. 4, are also under the microscope. Even before Thompson’s murder, recent pointed criticisms of UnitedHealthcare were making headlines. In October, a Senate subcommittee report criticized UnitedHealthcare, and insurers CVS and Humana, for using technology to limit coverage while boosting profits. “Medicare Advantage insurers are intentionally targeting a costly but critical area of medicine—substituting judgment about medical necessity with a calculation about financial gain,” the report reads.

The counting of votes will be undertaken at 8 am on Saturday in where the election is witnessing a major battle. The Badnera constituency (number 37), located in Amravati district, is a key battleground in the 2024 Maharashtra Assembly elections. This General category seat, part of the Amravati Lok Sabha constituency, holds significant political importance in the region. Badnera’s demographic mix of urban and rural voters adds complexity to the election, making it one of the closely watched contests in the state. Ravi Rana, an independent candidate, is seeking re-election in Badnera after securing victories in previous Assembly elections. In 2019, Rana defeated Shiv Sena’s Band Priti Sanjay by 15,541 votes (8.38 percent), securing 48.46 percent of the vote share. This year, he faces stiff competition from Sunil Kharate of Shiv Sena (UBT). A total of 26 candidates are contesting from the constituency. In the 2019 elections, Ravi Rana emerged victorious with 48.46 percent of the vote share, defeating Shiv Sena's Band Priti Sanjay by a margin of 15,541 votes. Rana had previously won the seat in 2014 by defeating Band Sanjay Raosaheb with a margin of 7,419 votes, solidifying his position as a dominant force in Badnera. Key local issues in Badnera include infrastructure development, agriculture, and employment opportunities. With a significant urban and rural population, voters are also concerned about access to basic amenities and improvements in healthcare and education. The candidates are expected to focus on these pressing issues during their campaigns to gain support from the electorate. In the 2019 Assembly elections, Badnera had a total of 185,336 valid votes cast, with a voter turnout of 52.5 percent. The constituency is known for its relatively average voter engagement compared to other constituencies in the state, but the 2024 elections are expected to see heightened interest due to the high-profile nature of the contest. Badnera went to polls on November 20. The results will be announced on Saturday, as the political landscape of this key constituency takes shape. With both Ravi Rana and Sunil Kharate vying for the win, the contest promises to be a closely contested race. Badnera emerged as a key battleground, recording a voter turnout of 57.67 percent.

Healing in a post-election world

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Jimmy Carter, longest-lived US President, dies at 100MullenLowe Group Sri Lanka will host clients and staff in a digital training program themed ‘Beyond Digital & Social Media’ (BDSM). The workshop will be held as an all-day session on Thursday, November 28, at Courtyard by Marriot led by Roald van Wyk and Vaseem Edroos. As the Global Creative Commerce Lead for the Interpublic Group (IPG), New York, van Wyk is responsible for developing new creative systems and forging strategic creative partnerships that position IPG agencies at the forefront of commerce channels, canvasses, and ecosystems worldwide. National Planning Director at Lowe Lintas India Vaseem Edroos oversees digital transformation and new technology adoption for major brands in the FMCG, E-commerce and BFSI sectors. Executive Chairman of MullenLowe Group – Sri Lanka, Thayalan Bartlett said, “Digital is perhaps the most abused term in the local advertising space misleading brands of the medium’s true potential. MullenLowe’s Full Stack Digital Suite (FSDS) covers design to delivery by integrating all the key prompts in the digital journey towards effective commerce. “This workshop aims to equip marketers with a comprehensive understanding of the current and future landscape of digital marketing, highlighting the potential benefits for Sri Lanka and we are excited for the future of our business,” he said. Dr. Sohan Dharmaraja who heads LoweTech, the group’s MarTech arm, said, “As MarTech reshapes the marketing landscape, this Digital Boot Camp offers brands an opportunity to pioneer, not just keep up. “This isn’t just another training, it’s a transformative initiative that can redefine Sri Lanka’s digital landscape, empowering brands to harness true digital power. With practical strategies and innovative frameworks, this program is set to spark the change Sri Lankan businesses need to lead in this new era,” he said. Some of the key areas participants can expect to be exposed to are Local Insights + Global Trends, Practical Frameworks, Privacy-Compliant Audience Targeting, and Interactive Ideation.

Jimmy Carter helped dismantle Soviet Union with focus on human rightsFormer US President Jimmy Carter has died, aged 100What does Big Tech hope to gain from warming up to Trump?

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A silent candlelight vigil was held near the Queen Victoria statue at Bengaluru’s Cubbon Park on Sunday evening, with members of the Cubbon Park Walkers' Association calling for the cancellation of New Year’s Eve events in the park. As reported by Deccan Herald , association president Umesh K expressed concerns over the environmental impact of such celebrations, emphasizing that they disturb the park's wildlife and breach established guidelines. Umesh told DH that Cubbon Park serves as a sanctuary for various birds and small animals, stressing that activities such as loud music, fireworks, smoking, and alcohol consumption are strictly prohibited. He also referred to regulations established by the Cubbon Park Conservation Committee, chaired by the secretary of the Horticulture Department. The walkers emphasized that preserving the park's tranquil environment is essential not only for its wildlife but also for the numerous visitors who come to enjoy its natural beauty, the report added. (Also Read: 'Word Santa does not make it religious’: Cubbon Reads defends Bengaluru park gathering amid controversy ) Cubbon Reads controversy Recently, the Department of Horticulture that maintains Cubbon Park confiscated books on Saturday from the members of Cubbon Reads, a reading community that often gathers at the park. The members of Cubbon Reads gathered at Cubbon Park on December 22 to celebrate Secret Santa, an annual book exchange event for avid readers, and they were allegedly harassed by the horticulture authorities. In a social media post, the Cubbon Reads community alleged that they were bullied and kicked out by the park authorities on Saturday. They also claimed that the gathering was peaceful and lawful. The Department of Horticulture, in a statement reported by Deccan Herald, defended their actions, citing the need to regulate public spaces. Deputy Director M. Vijayalakshmi said, “Marathons, walkathons, yoga sessions, and book readings are allowed, but we do not permit events like religious activities.” She suggested that the use of the term “Santa” may have prompted the intervention. (Also Read: 'I was abused too': Ex-Infosys CFO Mohandas Pai slams Bengaluru's Cubbon Park authorities for harassing readers )

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Civil liberties and immigration rights groups worry Donald Trump’s incoming administration could use powerful law enforcement surveillance and big data technology to press ahead with some key policies, risking infringing on privacy rights. Republican Trump has repeatedly said he would “militarise” certain law enforcement activities, which could involve using the military for domestic law enforcement, though he has not provided any specifics. The Thomson Reuters Foundation reported in July that a victorious Trump could use surveillance systems and artificial intelligence to supercharge his plan to carry out a mass deportation of illegal immigrants. When the former president returns to the White House in January, he will have across-the-board powers backed by a Republican-controlled Senate and Congress, and a conservative majority in the Supreme Court. Against this backdrop, experts worry that an emboldened and more powerful and organised second Trump administration could exploit advances in technology and surveillance to forge ahead with policies ranging from immigration to policing. “He is likely to further empower law enforcement to invest in and deploy surveillance tools, with little regard for civil liberties concerns,” said Andrew Ferguson, a law professor at the American University in Washington, DC. The Trump campaign did not respond to the Thomson Reuters Foundation’s questions about its views on surveillance technology. “The American people re-elected President Trump by a resounding margin giving him a mandate to implement the promises he made on the campaign trail. He will deliver,” said Karoline Leavitt, a spokesperson for the Trump-Vance Transition team. The concerns about surveillance powers are particularly acute among immigration rights groups, which worry that a Trump administration would be able to harness data brokers, facial recognition, and other tools to create lists of immigrants it would want to deport. Data brokers are companies that track and collect personal data and, in the United States, there are few regulations restricting what they can sell to law enforcement. J D Vance, Trump’s running mate, has said the Trump administration could aim to deport around 1mn people a year. By comparison, the Biden administration deported around 150,000 illegal immigrants in 2023, the vast majority of which were new arrivals at the border. “These technologies will be exploited, and probably in the worst possible way,” said Paromita Shah, the executive director of Just Futures Law, a legal immigration advocacy group. In recent years, Shah and other immigrant rights advocate groups have asked regulators to restrict immigration authorities’ access to big data tools, and filed lawsuits alleging data brokers who share such information violate consumers’ privacy. The efforts have had little results so far. After his victory, Trump told NBC News he would prioritise the deportation plan, adding there was “no price tag” on the operation. It is unclear how many undocumented migrants Trump aims to deport. The US Department of Homeland Security estimated there were 11 million immigrants without legal status in 2022. Immigration experts, however, have pointed to some bureaucratic and legal hurdles, such as insufficient immigration judges and tight budgets for hiring agents to conduct the operations. Efforts by Trump’s first administration to deport long-standing immigrants from the interior of the country were at times hampered by a lack of co-operation between local law enforcement agencies and immigration authorities, according to a study from the libertarian Cato Institute. Another concern is that Trump could exploit advances in the police’s surveillance capacity to implement his vision of “restoring law and order and public safety in America”. There has been an explosion in surveillance tools in US police department in recent years, while law enforcement’s access to commercial databases has also increased, allowing them to track people without a warrant. The number of local police departments with “real time crime centres” — central hubs where surveillance from cameras, license plate readers and other inputs flow — has almost doubled over the last four years, according to data collected by the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a digital rights group. Over 90% of large police departments in the United States currently have access to automatic license plate readers, up from around 66% in 2016, data from the Department of Justice showed. Meanwhile, the data broker industry — where law enforcement can buy location information and other personal data without a warrant — has grown four-fold since 2020 to over $411bn, according to market research firm MMR. Experts worry about the implication of this for privacy but also for racial justice in policing, which has come under close scrutiny since the police killing of George Floyd in 2020. “I don’t think that (The Trump administration) is going to be taking the time to look deeply into the racial justice or privacy arms of these new technologies,” Ferguson told the Thomson Reuters Foundation. “In fact, I think they are going to open the commercial floodgates to allow...new policing technology companies into the market.” Civil liberties and immigration rights groups say they are looking for ways to make it more difficult for the incoming Trump administration to harness these powers. The ACLU, the largest US national public interest law firm, is calling on local lawmakers to build “firewalls” that could limit Trump’s access to local policing resources. Immigration groups say they are planning to press the Department of Homeland Security to abandon some technology tools before it hands over power to the Trump administration in January, including winding down deals between immigration authorities and data brokers. During the last Trump administration, the ACLU and other civil liberties groups documented how local authorities would often share those license plate reading data with federal immigration authorities to support deportation operations. The day after Trump’s victory, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) issued a public notice asking companies to submit plans to support expanded programmes for tracking migrants, including with ankle monitors, GPS tracking, and biometric check-in technology, the technology publication Wired reported. After Trump’s victory, the ACLU created a petition asking Americans to write to Congress, calling on lawmakers to pass laws that would restrict the federal government’s ability to purchase Americans data from data brokers. “If Donald Trump’s administration gains unfettered access to our personal data, they could use it to go after communities of colour, political opponents, people seeking reproductive or gender-affirming healthcare, and anyone who disagrees with their policies,” the group wrote. Matt Cagle, a lawyer with the ACLU in California, said he also fears a Trump administration could exploit data collected by local police departments from tools like automatic license plate readers, or facial recognition systems. “When localities are collecting tons of information about their residents it becomes ripe for exploitation by any administration to try and target and locate all sorts of people,” he said. Earlier this year, a federal law that would have limited the ability of law enforcement to buy and use privately collected data — such as location information collected by apps — passed the US House of Representatives, but stalled in the Senate. “Commercial data is definitely a free for all,” Shah said. Police departments have also made the most of the Biden administration’s decision to give them access to Covid relief funding for “public safety” purposes. Many have used this to buy sophisticated surveillance systems — including social media monitoring systems, expanded surveillance camera systems, and license-plate readers, according to an analysis by non-profit Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC). Policing groups say these tools make crime fighting more efficient — but civil libertarians have warned about dragnet surveillance, which collects data on everyone and not only those suspected of crimes. Trump’s language during the campaign — including his promise to deploy the military against the “radical left” or “enemy within” and pledge to persecute his political enemies — raises broader concerns about what the administration could do with these kinds of powerful surveillance tools, Ferguson said. “They might start with undocumented individuals,” he said. “But then you can turn the same power on any disfavoured group.” – Thomson Reuters Foundation Related Story NHRC launches its strategic plan 2024-2030 UN probe finds women, children comprise the majority of Gaza war deadBuilding on the Answer with AI feature it added back in April, Brave today announced a new Chat mode for Brave Search that lets you ask follow-up questions to queries. “Starting today, when a query is recognized as a question, Brave Search provides a summary with a chat bar,” . “Engaging with this chat bar opens a chat experience, allowing users to explore the topic in more depth.” Sign up for our new free newsletter to get three time-saving tips each Friday — get free copies of Paul Thurrott's Windows 11 and Windows 10 Field Guides (normally $9.99) as a special welcome gift! This new Chat mode is powered by open and internal LLMs (large language models), Brave says, plus Brave Search results, reducing the chance of hallucinations. It builds on a previous feature, , which delivers Big Tech-free generative AI-based answers to questions at the top of the search results page. According to Brave, this experience now generates over 11 million answers daily. And now users can expand on that initial answer with follow-up questions: You’ll see an “Ask a follow-up question” chat box appear at the end of the AI answer so you can keep going. To test this, I asked Brave Search, “How many Star Wars movies are there?” Answer with AI responded that there were 12 canonical Star Wars movies*, with several more in development. So I asked, “when is the next movie coming out?” and it replied that has a May 22, 2026 release date. As with everything Brave does, Brave Search, Answer with AI, and the new Chat mode all emphasize user privacy, with no profiling or stored search history. (The results note that, “This chat is temporary and will not be saved.”) “These conversations are ephemeral, meaning they’re not persisted or stored,” the company explains. “Your conversations with Answer with AI remain safe and private.” Brave Search, Answer with AI, and Chat mode are free. If you’re using Brave and haven’t changed the default search engine, you can start a search directly from the address bar. Otherwise, you can and try it that way. * This is incorrect, there are 11. It counted (2022), a television series, as a movie for some reason. As it says, “AI-generated answer. Please verify critical facts.” But Wikipedia also says there are 12, with the 12th being a quickie theatrical release of some episodes as a movie of sorts. Eh. Paul Thurrott is an award-winning technology journalist and blogger with 30 years of industry experience and the author of 30 books. He is the owner of and the host of three tech podcasts: with Leo Laporte and Richard Campbell, , and with Brad Sams. He was formerly the senior technology analyst at Windows IT Pro and the creator of the SuperSite for Windows from 1999 to 2014 and the Major Domo of Thurrott.com while at BWW Media Group from 2015 to 2023. You can reach Paul via , or . Join the crowd where the love of tech is real - become a Thurrott Premium Member today! Sign up for our new free newsletter to get three time-saving tips each Friday

Two Oregon men have been found dead in a Washington state forest after they failed to return from a Sasquatch hunting trip. The unfortunate duo, aged 59 and 37, appear to have died from exposure, according to a Facebook post by the Skamania County Sheriff's Office. The harsh weather conditions and the men's lack of preparedness led the office to this conclusion. Sasquatch, a creature of folklore believed by some to roam the forests, particularly in the Pacific Northwest, was the object of their search. The bodies of the two men were discovered in a densely wooded area of the Gifford Pinchot National Forest, located approximately 150 miles (240 kilometers) northeast of Portland. Search for passenger who went overboard from Norwegian Epic cruise ship called off Search for missing Oklahoma girl, 8, enters 3rd day after family vehicle swept away and dad killed A family member reported them missing around 1 am on Christmas Day when they did not return from their Christmas Eve expedition. The three-day search involved sixty volunteer search-and-rescue personnel, including canine, drone, and ground teams. The Coast Guard also participated, using infrared technology to search from the air. Authorities managed to locate the vehicle used by the pair off Oklahoma Road near Willard, which is on the southern border of the national forest, through camera recordings. "The Skamania County Sheriff's Office extends our deepest sympathies and condolences to the families of the loved ones lost in this tragic incident," a spokesperson said. Sasquatch, also known as Bigfoot, is a legendary ape-like creature said to inhabit remote forests, primarily in North America. Descriptions often depict it as a large, hairy humanoid standing around 7 to 10 feet tall, with features resembling both a human and an ape. Sasquatch is typically described as elusive, nocturnal, and shy, avoiding human contact. The creature's existence has been a subject of folklore among indigenous peoples for centuries, with stories about a wild and giant being roaming the wilderness. Over the years, numerous purported sightings, footprints, and blurry photographs have fueled public interest in Sasquatch, despite a lack of conclusive scientific evidence. Skeptics argue that most reports are hoaxes, misidentifications of known animals, or a result of folklore and human imagination. Sasquatch remains an enduring figure in pop culture, symbolizing the mystery and unexplored nature of wilderness.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Pacific Gas & Electric Co. could receive up to $15 billion in federal loans to help the utility modernize its power grid and expand clean energy infrastructure across central and northern California, officials announced Tuesday. The U.S. Department of Energy announced a conditional commitment for one of the largest loan guarantees ever under its Energy Infrastructure Reinvestment program. When finalized, the money would be loaned in installments over several years. The funds would support a portfolio of projects to expand hydropower generation and battery storage, upgrade transmission capacity, and enable virtual power plants throughout PG&E's service area, the energy department said. PG&E submitted its application to the agency's Loan Programs Office in June 2023. Partially funding its projects with lower-cost federal loans could save customers up to $1 billion over the life of the financing, the utility said in a statement Tuesday. "Investments in a clean and resilient grid for northern and central California will have significant returns for our customers in safety, reliability and economic growth. The DOE loan program can help us accelerate the pace and impact of this work, which supports thousands of living wage jobs, at a lower cost to our customers," PG&E CEO Patti Poppe said in the statement. The Sierra Club, an environmental advocacy group, cheered PG&E's commitment to modernizing the power grid and expanding clean energy infrastructure. "This innovative loan program will help ensure that Californians will see more stable rates, enjoy more good clean energy jobs and live with fewer harmful emissions. This unprecedented windfall also offers a unique opportunity for PG&E to update its outdated transmission infrastructure with more efficient, climate-friendly and fire-safe technology," Sierra Club organizer Julia Dowell said in a statement Tuesday. The loan office hopes to finalize the commitment before President Joe Biden leaves office next month. See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletterYear after year, small businesses are challenged to apply new technologies to keep up with their competitors – both large and small. In no area is this more relevant today than in the application of artificial intelligence. According to a new analysis released by the U.S. Census Bureau in December 2024, while the largest enterprises have clearly led the way, even the smallest businesses (with one to four employees) have increasingly been using AI tools at relatively high rates. Implementing AI used to require sophisticated programming that most small businesses couldn’t afford and couldn’t easily understand. That has changed dramatically over the past two years. AI is now more accessible than ever before. To discuss how small businesses can take advantage of this technology application in 2025, Digital Journal sat down with Pam Cronin, owner of Pam Ann Marketing , who consults with small businesses regarding their understanding and adoption of AI technologies. Digital Journal: What led to such a dramatic increase in AI accessibility? Pam Cronin: In November of 2022, OpenAI released ChatGPT, which would become the pivot point for making AI accessible to small businesses. Initially, early adopters were mostly limited to the “techy” types, but now the awareness of not only the existence of ChatGPT but also its ease of use has drawn the attention of small business owners. As a digital marketing agency owner, I get to speak to a wide variety of business owners. In 2023, I don’t recall any of them mentioning AI or ChatGPT. But this year, just about all of my clients have mentioned it in one way or another. The current level of AI awareness among small business owners is palpable. DJ: How are small businesses currently using AI? Cronin: Despite near-total awareness of AI, adoption levels vary. Only a few of my clients have incorporated ChatGPT or similar AI tools into their business operations. The most common use case I see is small businesses using these tools to help with marketing tasks such as drafting social media posts, coming up with ideas for content marketing, and planning and/or writing website content. (Though, as an SEO consultant, I need to constantly discourage them from publishing content fully written by AI as that will not serve their search engine optimization goals well). DJ: What else should small business owners be using AI for? Cronin: Everything! In addition to marketing, AI can greatly help streamline tasks related to accounting, operations, project management, customer service, and more. Essentially, any process that is fairly simple yet time-consuming should be considered as a use case for AI. DJ: How does the implementation process work? Cronin: Interestingly, many of the things that people perceive as “AI” are actually automation. Automation tools like Make.com and Zapier enable things to happen “automagically” even without AI. I’ve been using Zapier to automate portions of my business for ten years now (since 2014), creating automations for anything that requires tedious tasks. For example, my most complex and effective automation is for client onboarding. Taking on a new client requires setup tasks in about seven different places – Quickbooks for billing, Teamwork for project management, Slack for project communications, Google Drive for file storage, etc. This used to take 1 to 2 hours to do manually, but now happens automatically with no human interaction at all. Although this automation does not use AI, when tasks complete themselves without a single mouse click, it’s easy to see why people perceive it as an “artificial” person doing the work. This perception is actually becoming more accurate as automation platforms like Zapier are adding AI tools, and AI tools are adding automation “agents” to perform tasks for users. Essentially, these two worlds are colliding and becoming one: AI-powered automation. This is what small business owners should be thinking about implementing in 2025. DJ: What AI tools do you expect to become popular in 2025? Cronin: For AI-powered automation, Zapier and Make.com will continue to increase in popularity as they incorporate more AI tool integrations and solidify themselves as the most accessible way for small businesses to implement AI in 2025. However, what will really upend the AI world in 2025 is AI agents. “Agentic AI” is a term with search volume that is skyrocketing month over month right now. Automation platforms, even when integrated with AI tools, do not incorporate any decision-making other than basic “if this, then that” filters that select one routine over another. An AI “agent” can make decisions and act autonomously, which goes far beyond the abilities of AI-powered automation. Right now, agentic AIs are mostly custom-coded, which is not accessible for small businesses, but 2025 will be the year that user-friendly agentic AI platforms hit the market. Anthropic, the company behind the popular Claude AI chatbot, already released an agentic AI feature they call “Computer Use” which can control a computer to complete tasks in the same way a human does. OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, will be launching their agentic AI product called “Operator” early in 2025, and of course – Google, Microsoft, and others won’t be far behind with their own versions as well. DJ: Will AI and automation replace employees? Cronin: Not for small businesses. Unlike enterprise-level corporations, where a single person might be employed only to handle tedious tasks, small business employees wear many hats and have responsibilities requiring human brainpower and interaction. Small business owners should view AI and automation not as employee replacement, but as employee enhancement. When used to relieve talented employees of tedious tasks, the business owner gets better results, employees get to spend more time on work they love, and the company becomes stronger and more effective. Dr. Tim Sandle is Digital Journal's Editor-at-Large for science news.Tim specializes in science, technology, environmental, business, and health journalism. He is additionally a practising microbiologist; and an author. He is also interested in history, politics and current affairs.

Playoff game at Ohio State has sold 34% more tickets than Notre Dame game on StubHub

Fair Isaac exec James Wehmann sells $8.3m in stockTrump taps Rollins as agriculture chief, completing proposed slate of Cabinet secretaries

Sri Lanka Law College to host International Research Conference

By AAMER MADHANI, Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — A top White House official on Wednesday said at least eight U.S. telecom firms and dozens of nations have been impacted by a Chinese hacking campaign. Deputy national security adviser Anne Neuberger offered new details about the breadth of the sprawling Chinese hacking campaign that gave officials in Beijing access to private texts and phone conversations of an unknown number of Americans. Neuberger divulged the scope of the hack a day after the FBI and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency issued guidance intended to help root out the hackers and prevent similar cyberespionage in the future. White House officials cautioned that a number of telecommunication firms and countries impacted could still grow. The U.S. believes that the hackers were able to gain access to communications of senior U.S. government officials and prominent political figures through the hack, Neuberger said. “We don’t believe any classified communications has been compromised,” Neuberger added during a call with reporters. She added that Biden has been briefed on the findings and that the White House “has made it a priority for the federal government to do everything it can to get to the bottom this.” The Chinese embassy in Washington on Tuesday rejected the accusations that it was responsible for the hack after the U.S. federal authorities issued new guidance. “The U.S. needs to stop its own cyberattacks against other countries and refrain from using cyber security to smear and slander China,” embassy spokesperson Liu Pengyu said. The embassy did not immediately respond to messages on Wednesday. Associated Press writer David Klepper contributed reporting.mnl168 link login 。

QIIB and GORD sign MoU to boost sustainability initiativesSAINT CHARLES, Mo. (AP) — Jaylon McDaniel's 22 points helped Lindenwood defeat IU Indianapolis 81-63 on Saturday night. McDaniel shot 9 of 12 from the field and 4 of 6 from the free-throw line for the Lions (5-6). Markeith Browning II scored 18 points while going 8 of 19 (1 for 3 from 3-point range) and added seven rebounds, five assists, and three steals. Reggie Bass shot 3 for 6 (2 for 5 from 3-point range) and 6 of 7 from the free-throw line to finish with 14 points, while adding seven rebounds and six assists. Paul Zilinskas finished with 18 points for the Jaguars (5-8). IU Indianapolis also got 13 points and two steals from Jarvis Walker. Alec Millender also recorded 11 points and five assists. NEXT UP Lindenwood's next game is Thursday against Tennessee Tech at home, and IU Indianapolis visits Florida International on Saturday. The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar .Air Canada plans to bar carry-on bags and impose a seat selection fee for its lowest-fare customers in the new year, as discount carrier tactics increasingly enter the mainstream. Starting Jan. 3, basic fare passengers on trips within North America and to sun destinations will have to check duffel bags, rolling suitcases and large backpacks for a fee — $35 for the first, $50 for the second. A small personal item such as a purse or laptop bag will be allowed on board for free, as will strollers, mobility aids and medical devices. The country’s largest airline also said that as of Jan. 21, lower-tier customers will have to pay if they want to change the seat assigned to them at check-in — a policy it had suspended just two days after implementation earlier this year amid backlash from travellers. The moves mark a shift toward a budget airline-style offering from Canada’s flag carrier, which along with rivals has relied increasingly on ancillary fees for formerly bundled services that range from checked bags to on-board snacks and Wi-Fi access. Air Canada says the changes align its fare structure with similar ticket options from other Canadian carriers and “better distinguish its fare brands.” In June, WestJet rolled out its “UltraBasic” fare. The ticket tier allows no more than a personal item on board — stored under the seat — and charges a fee for seat selection, including after check-in, whether online or in-person. Discount carrier Flair Airlines always charges for a carry-on, which costs between $29 and $74 depending on its size. No-frills fares carry growing appeal for big airlines seeking to capture cost-conscious travellers as budgets tighten after inflation and interest rate hikes. “They’re competing with these low-cost carriers on various routes,” said Richard Vanderlubbe, founder of Hamilton, Ont.-based travel agency Tripcentral.ca. “This is what wins in the price-sensitive area of the market.” Criticism of bare-bones ticket offerings is “easy,” Vanderlubbe said, but the fare tiers — up to seven at Air Canada — give travellers choice. U.S. carriers such as United Airlines, Delta Air Lines and American Airlines have similar categories, though American and Delta still allow basic economy travellers to bring a bag onto the plane at no cost. “It’s a market solution to kind of an ugly problem,” Vanderlubbe said. “If you’re paying the lowest of the low, then who should get the middle seat at the back?” He added that customers need to be aware that what they see as the lowest fare on a price comparison search may not wind up being the cheapest option once the fees are tallied. “It’s not transparent until you’ve gotten a certain depth into the booking: ‘Oh, here’s the seat selection fee. Oh, here’s the baggage fee. Oh, here’s the carry-on fee.’ And watch out if you don’t check in online, there’s a massive penalty if you don’t,” Vanderlubbe said. “It’s kind of drip, drip, drip, drip. And it works,” he said, calling the trend “troublesome.” Transport Minister Anita Anand agreed. “I was just made aware of a decision by Air Canada to introduce new carry-on baggage fees. I am extremely concerned. Canadians work hard and save up to travel. They rightly expect excellent service, not extra fees,” she said Wednesday in a social media post on X, formerly known as Twitter. Some competitors sought to seize on Air Canada’s announcement to highlight their own offerings. “Now the choice should be clear,” Flair said in a post on X. “The products are the same, one just costs way less.” That’s not always true. Some Toronto-Vancouver tickets in March start at $129 for Flair and $135 for Air Canada and WestJet. Other routes see a bigger difference, with Calgary-Toronto priced at $139 for Flair, $209 for Air Canada, $175 for WestJet and $198 for Porter. Air Canada noted that basic fare passengers who arrive at the boarding gate with ineligible bags will be charged $65 per item to check them. It also announced that customers on its “comfort economy” fare — the middle of the seven tiers — can check two bags for free starting Jan. 3, rather than one. Air Canada took in nearly US$2 billion in so-called ancillary revenue in 2022, up by nearly 50 per cent from five years earlier, according to airline consulting firm IdeaWorksCompany. The category’s share of total revenue for the company grew to more than 15 per cent from below 11 per cent in the same five-year period.

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Oba Of Benin Aborts Planned Igue Festival In LagosThe arrival of the early signing period Wednesday offered a stark reminder for college football fans. If recruiting rankings offer any accurate gauge in the era of the transfer portal, those teams competing for College Football Playoff berths now should keep contending for years to come. Texas, Georgia, Alabama, Oregon and Ohio State are all on track to earn playoff invitations, and those five schools also are atop the team recruiting standings. It represents one more example of how the Southeastern Conference and Big Ten have separated themselves from all the other leagues. Steve Wiltfong, vice president of recruiting and the transfer portal for On3, said it’s apparent why those programs continue recruiting so well. “First and foremost, those are the programs with the most resources,” Wiltfong said. “They’re the programs that are having the most success on the field and in the NFL draft.” The order of those top classes remains in flux. The identity of the No. 1 class according to composite rankings of recruiting sites compiled by 247Sports may not be determined until Friday because of the uncertainty surrounding a couple of top-10 prospects. Manchester (Georgia) defensive tackle Justus Terry, the nation’s No. 10 overall recruit according to the 247Sports Composite, isn’t expected to announce his college choice until Friday. Terry is considering Georgia, Texas and Auburn. David Sanders of Providence Day School in Charlotte, North Carolina, is the nation’s No. 1 offensive tackle and No. 5 overall recruit in his class. Sanders is committed to Tennessee, but he wasn’t expected to sign on Wednesday as Ohio State continues to pursue him. Terry was the rare prospect delaying his decision. Most top recruits already committed to a school well before the signing period, continuing a trend that took effect from the time a December signing date was added in 2017 to the traditional February signing period. This year, that early signing period was moved up a few weeks so that it would take place before the transfer window opens Monday. This signing period also comes in the era of collectives and name, image and likeness opportunities allowing prospects to profit off their brand. LSU coach Brian Kelly called it “unlike any recruiting period that I’ve ever been involved in” and opened his news conference Wednesday by saying it “feels more like Tax Day than it does signing day.” “It’s not just about finding the right fit academically,” said Kelly, whose class ranked ninth as of Wednesday afternoon. “It’s not just about finding the right fit where you can develop holistically and graduate and play for a championship. It’s about what’s the most money I can get. That’s unfortunate, but it’s the world we live in. You have to be able to adapt, and you have to be able to realign and be prepared.” While most prospects committed to schools months ago, some of them changed their minds down the stretch. Oregon arguably had the best day of anyone in flipping prospects. The Ducks landed the 247Sports Composite’s No. 11 overall prospect when cornerback Na’eem Offord made a switch from Ohio State. Oregon also added one of the nation’s top 10 quarterback recruits in Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele, who initially committed to California. Oregon’s class now includes three of the nation’s top six cornerback prospects in Offord, Brandon Finney and Dorian Brew. Perhaps the most notable development in the weeks leading up to the signing period was quarterback Bryce Underwood’s decision last month to stay in his home state and play for Michigan after initially planning to play at LSU. “It’s huge,” Michigan coach Sherrone Moore said. “He’s an excellent player, obviously.” Underwood’s switch brought late momentum for the defending national champions . Michigan will end up with a top-10 class this year after finishing outside the top 15 each of the last two recruiting cycles. Michigan’s recruiting emergence wasn’t the only surprise. Auburn was sixth in the 247Sports Composite team rankings as of Wednesday afternoon after posting a fourth consecutive losing season. “I’ve been very clear since my arrival that I thought it would take three top-10 classes to overhaul our roster, to get it to where it’s apples to apples with the elite in the country,” Auburn coach Hugh Freeze said. “And man, today’s one of those days where the first emotion you probably feel is relief and excitement is the next one.” Florida was the fastest-rising team in the recruiting rankings after coach Billy Napier earned a vote of confidence and freshman quarterback DJ Lagway helped the Gators win three straight games to close the regular season. “I’m calling it the DJ Lagway effect,” said Andrew Ivins, director of scouting for 247Sports. “They went from outside the top 50 to knocking on the door for a top-10 recruiting class. We haven’t really seen that type of push ever.” While Georgia awaits Terry’s decision, the Bulldogs signed two other home-state prospects who were rated among the nation’s top nine recruits in the 247Sports Composite. Defensive lineman Elijah Griffin of Savannah Christian Prep is ranked third overall. Edge rusher Isaiah Gibson of Warner Robins is ninth. Alabama’s class is headlined by quarterback Keelon Russell, the nation’s No. 2 overall prospect, according to the 247Sports Composite. Ohio State has two top-10 overall recruits in cornerback Devin Sanchez (6th) and quarterback Tavien St. Clair (7th). “There’s a swagger about him, there’s a confidence about him,” Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer said. “He’s been a major part of bringing and keeping this class together, which is what you want out of any leader, but especially out of your quarterback.” Texas added three top-25 prospects by getting safety Jonah Williams (8th), wide receiver Kaliq Lockett (22nd) and defensive lineman Lance Jackson (25th) to stay in their home state.Jimmy Carter, who rose from humble peanut farmer to president and Nobel Peace Prize winner, dies aged 100

Alquist 3D tells Greeley City Council infrastructure products coming ‘soon’ as first Hope Springs building nears completionFormer President Jimmy Carter dies at age 100

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McDaniel puts up 22 in Lindenwood's 81-63 victory over IU IndianapolisThe world's most climate-imperilled nations stormed out of consultations in protest at the deadlocked UN COP29 conference Saturday, as simmering tensions over a hard-fought finance deal erupted into the open. Diplomats from small island nations threatened by rising seas and impoverished African states angrily filed out of a meeting with summit hosts Azerbaijan over a final deal being thrashed out in a Baku sports stadium. "We've just walked out. We came here to this COP for a fair deal. We feel that we haven't been heard," said Cedric Schuster, the Samoan chairman of the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS). An unpublished version of the final text circulating in Baku, and seen by AFP, proposes that rich nations raise to $300 billion a year by 2035 their commitment to poorer countries to fight climate change. COP29 hosts Azerbaijan intended to put a final draft before 198 nations for adoption or rejection on Saturday evening, a full day after the marathon summit officially ended. But, in a statement, AOSIS said it had "removed" itself from the climate finance discussions, demanding an "inclusive" process. "If this cannot be the case, it becomes very difficult for us to continue our involvement here at COP29," it said. Sierra Leone's climate minister Jiwoh Abdulai, whose country is among the world's poorest, said the draft was "effectively a suicide pact for the rest of the world". An earlier offer from rich nations of $250 billion was slammed as offensively low by developing countries, who have demanded much higher sums to build resilience against climate change and cut emissions. UK Energy Secretary Ed Miliband said the revised offer of $300 billion was "a significant scaling up" of the existing pledge by developed nations, which also count the United States, European Union and Japan among their ranks. At sunset, a final text still proved elusive, as harried diplomats ran to-and-fro in the stadium near the Caspian Sea searching for common ground. "Hopefully this is the storm before the calm," said US climate envoy John Podesta in the corridors as somebody shouted "shame" in his direction. Earlier, the EU's climate commissioner Wopke Hoekstra said negotiators were not out of the woods yet. "We're doing everything we can on each of the axes to build bridges and to make this into a success. But it is iffy whether we will succeed," he said. Ali Mohamed, the Kenyan chair of the African Group of Negotiators, told AFP: "No deal is better than a bad deal." South African environment minister Dion George, however, said: "I think being ambitious at this point is not going to be very useful." "What we are not up for is going backwards or standing still," he said. "We might as well just have stayed at home then." The revised offer from rich countries came with conditions in other parts of the broader climate deal under discussion in Azerbaijan. The EU in particular wants an annual review on global efforts to phase out fossil fuels, which are the main drivers of global warming. This has run into opposition from Saudi Arabia, which has sought to water down a landmark pledge to transition away from oil, gas and coal made at COP28 last year. "We will not allow the most vulnerable, especially the small island states, to be ripped off by the new, few rich fossil fuel emitters," said German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock. Wealthy nations counter that it is politically unrealistic to expect more in direct government funding. The US earlier this month elected former president Donald Trump, a sceptic of both climate change and foreign assistance, and a number of other Western countries have seen right-wing backlashes against the green agenda. A coalition of more than 300 activist groups accused historic polluters most responsible for climate change of skirting their obligation, and urged developing nations to stand firm. The draft deal posits a larger overall target of $1.3 trillion per year to cope with rising temperatures and disasters, but most would come from private sources. Even $300 billion would be a step up from the $100 billion now provided by wealthy nations under a commitment set to expire. A group of developing countries had demanded at least $500 billion, with some saying that increases were less than met the eye due to inflation. Experts commissioned by the United Nations to assess the needs of developing countries said $250 billion was "too low" and by 2035 rich nations should be providing at least $390 billion. The US and EU have wanted newly wealthy emerging economies like China -- the world's largest emitter -- to chip in. China, which remains classified as a developing nation under the UN framework, provides climate assistance but wants to keep doing so on its own voluntary terms. bur-np-sct/lth/giv

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By Sherin Elizabeth Varghese (Reuters) – Gold prices slipped on Friday as elevated U.S. Treasury yields dimmed non-yielding bullion’s allure in a holiday-thinned week, with markets focused on President-elect Donald Trump’s return to office and the potential impact of his inflationary policies on the Fed’s 2025 outlook. Spot gold fell 0.7% to $2,614.91 per ounce, as of 12:10 p.m. ET (1708 GMT). Bullion has lost 0.2% this week. U.S. gold futures were down 0.9% to $2,630.60. “Treasury yields are a little bit higher here, and gold will remain under pressure through the end of today ... we are here in a thin holiday market,” said Bob Haberkorn, senior market strategist at RJO Futures. The dollar index headed for a fourth-straight week of gains, reducing gold’s appeal for holders of other currencies, while the benchmark U.S. 10-year yields were trading near their highest level since May 2, which they hit on Thursday. [USD/] [US/] So far this year, gold has surged 28%, hitting a record high of $2,790.15 on Oct. 31. The rally was fuelled by the Federal Reserve rate-easing cycle and heightened global tensions. Most analysts remain bullish for 2025, despite the Fed now projecting fewer rate cuts. They believe pockets of geopolitical tensions around the globe will remain elevated, central banks will continue their robust gold-buying spree, and political uncertainty will linger as Trump returns to the White House in January. His proposed tariffs and protectionist trade policies are also expected to spark potential trade wars, adding to gold’s allure as a safe-haven asset. “Next year with central-bank buying, I can see gold topping $3,000 at some point, probably by the summer, if gold continues on the pace that it’s been on,” Haberkorn said. Gold traditionally shines during periods of economic and geopolitical turmoil and thrives in a lower interest-rate environment. Spot silver fell 1.4% to $29.37 per ounce, platinum was down 2.1% at $916.35, palladium shed 1.7% to $909.32. (Reporting by Sherin Elizabeth Varghese in Bengaluru, additional reporting by Swati Verma; Editing by Rod Nickel) Disclaimer: This report is auto generated from the Reuters news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content. var ytflag = 0;var myListener = function() {document.removeEventListener('mousemove', myListener, false);lazyloadmyframes();};document.addEventListener('mousemove', myListener, false);window.addEventListener('scroll', function() {if (ytflag == 0) {lazyloadmyframes();ytflag = 1;}});function lazyloadmyframes() {var ytv = document.getElementsByClassName("klazyiframe");for (var i = 0; i < ytv.length; i++) {ytv[i].src = ytv[i].getAttribute('data-src');}} Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Δ document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() );Oklahoma sophomore quarterback Jackson Arnold will enter the transfer portal, according to multiple reports on Wednesday. A five-star recruit in 2023 out of Denton, Texas, Arnold began this season as the starter, lost his spot and later regained it as the Sooners went 6-6. Monday is the first day that underclassmen can transfer during the winter portal window. Arnold completed 154 of 246 passes (62.6 percent) for 1,421 yards, 12 touchdowns and three interceptions in 10 games. He also ran the ball 150 times for 444 yards and three TDs, including 25 attempts for 131 yards in the Sooners' 24-3 win over Alabama on Nov. 23. As a freshman last season playing behind Dillon Gabriel, Arnold appeared in seven games and was 44 of 69 (63.8 percent) for 563 yards, four TDs and three picks. A former Gatorade Texas Player of the Year, Arnold started for Oklahoma in the Alamo Bowl last December, when the Sooners lost 38-24 to Arizona. He was QB1 for the 2024 campaign, but three early turnovers caused him to be pulled in a 25-15 defeat to Tennessee on Sept. 21 and replaced by true freshman Michael Hawkins Jr. Arnold came off the bench to replace Hawkins in a 35-9 loss to South Carolina on Oct. 19, and head coach Brent Venables afterward fired offensive coordinator Seth Littrell. Co-offensive coordinator Joe Jon Finley became the interim play-caller. Venables filled the position permanently on Monday by hiring Washington State OC Ben Arbuckle, who could bring Cougars QB John Mateer with him to Norman, Okla. --Field Level Media

In Georgia Tech's final nonconference contest, the Yellow Jackets host Alabama A&M in Atlanta on Saturday afternoon. Georgia Tech (5-7) has yet to beat a power conference team this season, earning wins over West Georgia, Texas Southern, Charleston Southern, Central Arkansas and UMBC. Losers in four of their last five games, the Yellow Jackets were stomped at home last time out by then-No. 5 Duke, extending a concerning trend against high-major opponents this season. In its six meetings with power conference teams, Georgia Tech has been outscored by an average of 14.3 points per game. Making matters worse for head coach Damon Stoudamire's team has been the absences of Kowacie Reeves Jr. (ankle) and Luke O'Brien (foot). Reeves, who is averaging 9.3 points in six games, hasn't played since Nov. 27, while O'Brien (6.4 ppg, 4.4 rebounds per game) didn't play in the loss to Duke. "Kowacie and Luke are both seniors, they've both got experience, but you can't really dwell on it," Stoudamire said. "They're injured but I'm not going to allow that to be an excuse. I'm not going to go down that path. They're missed, obviously, but you have be a next-man-up team at times." Lance Terry leads the team with 14.8 points per game, followed by Baye Ndongo's 13.0 and Naithan George's 10.4. Saturday marks Alabama A&M's last nonconference game before SWAC play begins Jan. 4 against Arkansas-Pine Bluff. The Bulldogs (4-8) have dropped their last five games since a Nov. 23 win over Coastal Carolina. Led by AC Bryant's 13.1 points per game and Chad Moodie's 12.6, Alabama A&M is vying for what would be a monumental victory. "We're doing some things now that are going to make the other team prepare," Bulldogs coach Otis Hughley Jr. said. "And you know that you're coming out of a contest when you play us." Georgia Tech is 6-0 all-time against the Bulldogs, including a 70-49 win on Dec. 9, 2023. --Field Level Media

mnl168 net Hyderabad: To tackle concerns regarding illegal construction in Hyderabad, the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) plans to introduce an online portal to monitor violations and impose heavy penalties on property owners. According to the TOI report, this move follows the Telangana High Court’s recent directive for stricter action against illegal constructions, which include unauthorized floors, road encroachments, deviation from approved plans, and violations of building codes, such as construction without proper approvals or occupying government or private land. In the past five years, over 2.5 lakh writ petitions have been filed in the Telangana High Court over the past five years regarding illegal constructions in Hyderabad. During GHMC’s Prajavani program, around 40 to 50 percent petitions were regarding illegal constructions in Hyderabad. This year alone, TOI reports that GHMC has demolished over 1,000 illegal structures. However, enforcement is often delayed until complaints are lodged, and many property owners manage to evade scrutiny. GHMC Commissioner K Ilambarithi stated that guidelines and standard operating procedures (SOPs) are being developed to tackle illegal constructions in Hyderabad. Property owners ignoring orders against illegal constructions will face criminal charges under Section 223 of the BNS along with a 400 percent penalty on the original fee. The new online portal will track complaints from the initial notice to the final actions including the sealing and demolition of properties. GHMC also plans to work with the stamps and registration department to update the EC system, marking properties with illegal constructions in Hyderabad. This would alert potential buyers, creating a deterrent for owners engaged in unauthorized building activities. Officials further informed TOI that many property owners bypass regulations by obtaining permits for smaller structures and later adding illegal floors or converting residential spaces into commercial establishments to evade higher tax rates.

By LISA MASCARO and FARNOUSH AMIRI WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for intelligence chief Tulsi Gabbard faced fresh scrutiny Monday on Capitol Hill about her proximity to Russian-ally Syria amid the sudden collapse of that country’s hardline Assad rule. Gabbard ignored shouted questions about her 2017 visit to war-torn Syria as she ducked into one of several private meetings with senators who are being asked to confirm Trump’s unusual nominees . Related Articles National Politics | Trump promises to end birthright citizenship: What is it and could he do it? National Politics | Trump has flip-flopped on abortion policy. His appointees may offer clues to what happens next 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 But the Democrat-turned-Republican Army National Reserve lieutenant colonel delivered a statement in which she reiterated her support for Trump’s America First approach to national security and a more limited U.S. military footprint overseas. “I want to address the issue that’s in the headlines right now: I stand in full support and wholeheartedly agree with the statements that President Trump has made over these last few days with regards to the developments in Syria,” Gabbard said exiting a Senate meeting. The incoming president’s Cabinet and top administrative choices are dividing his Republican allies and drawing concern , if not full opposition, from Democrats and others. Not just Gabbard, but other Trump nominees including Pentagon pick Pete Hegseth, were back at the Capitol ahead of what is expected to be volatile confirmation hearings next year. The incoming president is working to put his team in place for an ambitious agenda of mass immigrant deportations, firing federal workers and rollbacks of U.S. support for Ukraine and NATO allies. “We’re going to sit down and visit, that’s what this is all about,” said Sen. Mike Rounds, R-S.D., as he welcomed Gabbard into his office. Meanwhile, Defense Secretary pick Hegseth appeared to be picking up support from once-skeptical senators, the former Army National Guard major denying sexual misconduct allegations and pledging not to drink alcohol if he is confirmed. The president-elect’s choice to lead the FBI, Kash Patel , who has written extensively about locking up Trump’s foes and proposed dismantling the Federal Bureau of Investigation, launched his first visits with senators Monday. “I expect our Republican Senate is going to confirm all of President Trump’s nominees,” said Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., on social media. Despite widespread concern about the nominees’ qualifications and demeanors for the jobs that are among the highest positions in the U.S. government, Trump’s team is portraying the criticism against them as nothing more than political smears and innuendo. Showing that concern, nearly 100 former senior U.S. diplomats and intelligence and national security officials have urged Senate leaders to schedule closed-door hearings to allow for a full review of the government’s files on Gabbard. Trump’s allies have described the criticisms of Hegseth in particular as similar to those lodged against Brett Kavanaugh, the former president’s Supreme Court nominee who denied a sexual assault allegation and went on to be confirmed during Trump’s first term in office. Said Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., about Hegseth: “Anonymous accusations are trying to destroy reputations again. We saw this with Kavanaugh. I won’t stand for it.” One widely watched Republican, Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa, herself a former Army National Guard lieutenant colonel and sexual assault survivor who had been criticized by Trump allies for her cool reception to Hegseth, appeared more open to him after their follow-up meeting Monday. “I appreciate Pete Hegseth’s responsiveness and respect for the process,” Ernst said in a statement. Ernst said that following “encouraging conversations,” he had committed to selecting a senior official who will “prioritize and strengthen my work to prevent sexual assault within the ranks. As I support Pete through this process, I look forward to a fair hearing based on truth, not anonymous sources.” Ernst also had praise for Patel — “He shares my passion for shaking up federal agencies” — and for Gabbard. Once a rising Democratic star, Gabbard, who represented Hawaii in Congress, arrived a decade ago in Washington, her surfboard in tow, a new generation of potential leaders. She ran unsuccessfully for president in 2020. But Gabbard abruptly left the party and briefly became an independent before joining with Trump’s 2024 campaign as one of his enthusiasts, in large part over his disdain for U.S. involvement overseas and opposition to helping Ukraine battle Russia. Her visit to Syria to meet with then-President Bashar Assad around the time of Trump’s first inauguration during the country’s bloody civil war stunned her former colleagues and the Washington national security establishment. The U.S. had severed diplomatic relations with Syria. Her visit was seen by some as legitimizing a brutal leader who was accused of war crimes. Gabbard has defended the trip, saying it’s important to open dialogue, but critics hear in her commentary echoes of Russia-fueled talking points. Assad fled to Moscow over the weekend after Islamist rebels overtook Syria in a surprise attack, ending his family’s five decades of rule. She said her own views have been shaped by “my multiple deployments and seeing firsthand the cost of war and the threat of Islamist terrorism.” Gabbard said, “It’s one of the many reasons why I appreciate President Trump’s leadership and his election, where he is fully committed, as he has said over and over, to bring about an end to wars.” Last week, the nearly 100 former officials, who served in both Democratic and Republican administrations, said in the letter to Senate leaders they were “alarmed” by the choice of Gabbard to oversee all 18 U.S. intelligence agencies. They said her past actions “call into question her ability to deliver unbiased intelligence briefings to the President, Congress, and to the entire national security apparatus.” The Office of the Director of National Intelligence was created after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks to coordinate the nation’s intelligence agencies and act as the president’s main intelligence adviser. Associated Press writer Stephen Groves contributed to this report.

Tulsi Gabbard, Trump's pick for intel chief, faces questions on Capitol Hill amid Syria falloutSeibert misses an extra point late as the Commanders lose their 3rd in a row, 34-26 to the Cowboys

Detroit Red Wings (8-10-2, in the Atlantic Division) vs. New York Islanders (8-8-5, in the Metropolitan Division) Elmont, New York; Monday, 7:30 p.m. EST BOTTOM LINE: The New York Islanders host the Detroit Red Wings after Kyle Palmieri scored two goals in the Islanders' 3-1 win against the St. Louis Blues. New York has an 8-8-5 record overall and a 3-3-2 record in home games. The Islanders have a 2-3-1 record when they commit more penalties than their opponent. Detroit is 8-10-2 overall and 4-5-1 on the road. The Red Wings have gone 3-3-2 in games their opponents serve fewer penalty minutes. The teams meet Monday for the third time this season. The Red Wings won the last meeting 2-1. TOP PERFORMERS: Bo Horvat has five goals and nine assists for the Islanders. Maxim Tsyplakov has over the last 10 games. Alex DeBrincat has eight goals and nine assists for the Red Wings. Albert Johansson has over the past 10 games. LAST 10 GAMES: Islanders: 4-3-3, averaging 2.7 goals, 4.7 assists, 2.6 penalties and 5.5 penalty minutes while giving up 2.6 goals per game. Red Wings: 4-5-1, averaging 2.2 goals, 3.5 assists, 2.2 penalties and 4.4 penalty minutes while giving up 2.5 goals per game. INJURIES: Islanders: None listed. Red Wings: None listed. ___ The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar . The Associated PressSaturday, December 21, 2024 San Francisco’s hospitality industry is under renewed scrutiny following the transfer of the Hyatt Regency San Francisco Downtown SoMa to lenders. This development highlights ongoing economic challenges in a city that has long been a cornerstone of the U.S. tourism sector. The Hyatt Regency San Francisco Downtown SoMa, located at 50 Third Street, is the city’s sixth-largest hotel with 686 rooms. Last week, property owner Highgate relinquished control of the iconic property to Blackstone Mortgage Trust, an affiliate of the private equity powerhouse Blackstone. The transfer occurred after Highgate failed to address $290 million in outstanding debt and associated fees. This move was first reported by the San Francisco Business Times and marks a significant shift in the city’s hospitality landscape. Highgate’s decision to surrender the property underscores the severe financial pressures facing San Francisco’s hotel industry. The fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic has reshaped the tourism landscape, with hotels grappling with reduced demand, labor shortages, and elevated operating costs. Despite the city’s gradual recovery in tourist arrivals, revenue per available room (RevPAR) remains below pre-pandemic levels, exacerbating financial strain for property owners. For the Hyatt Regency Downtown SoMa, these challenges proved insurmountable. The $290 million debt that triggered the transfer reflects broader financing challenges within the hospitality sector. Rising interest rates and tightened credit conditions have left many hotel operators struggling to refinance or meet debt obligations, particularly in high-cost urban markets like San Francisco. The transfer of ownership to Blackstone Mortgage Trust signals a pivotal moment for the property and its future operations. Blackstone, known for its strategic real estate investments, now holds the reins of one of San Francisco’s flagship hotels. The move raises questions about the property’s future management and potential repositioning within a competitive hospitality market. Industry experts speculate that Blackstone’s involvement could pave the way for significant operational restructuring or even a rebranding effort aimed at improving the property’s financial performance. However, the timing of such changes remains uncertain as the tourism industry continues to grapple with uneven recovery trends. The Hyatt Regency’s financial troubles are not isolated. San Francisco’s hotel sector has experienced a wave of ownership changes and financial distress over the past year. Factors contributing to this instability include declining convention bookings, a slower-than-expected rebound in international tourism, and ongoing public safety concerns in downtown areas. With major employers scaling back operations and office vacancies rising, downtown San Francisco faces added pressure to attract visitors and boost hotel occupancy rates. The hospitality industry is closely tied to the city’s economic health, making the challenges faced by properties like the Hyatt Regency Downtown SoMa particularly concerning. Highgate’s decision to relinquish control of the Hyatt Regency reflects broader trends in hotel ownership dynamics. The company, which manages a diverse portfolio of properties across the U.S., has been reevaluating its investments in markets with prolonged recovery trajectories. The decision to transfer the property to Blackstone Mortgage Trust may also indicate a strategic pivot toward markets with more stable revenue potential. The transfer of the Hyatt Regency Downtown SoMa aligns with a broader wave of real estate and hospitality industry shifts. As private equity firms like Blackstone continue to expand their presence in the hospitality sector, traditional ownership models are giving way to investment-driven strategies. This trend reflects changing expectations for hotel performance and the increasing importance of financial agility in navigating market fluctuations. Additionally, the role of technology and sustainability in hotel operations has come to the forefront. Properties that can effectively integrate digital tools to enhance guest experiences and demonstrate commitment to sustainable practices are better positioned to attract both leisure and corporate travelers in a competitive market. Looking ahead, the Hyatt Regency Downtown SoMa’s future depends on strategic decision-making by Blackstone and its affiliates. Potential pathways include: The success of these initiatives will depend on broader economic trends and the pace of recovery in San Francisco’s tourism sector. Stakeholders will need to address challenges such as safety perceptions and labor market dynamics to ensure sustainable growth. The transfer of the Hyatt Regency San Francisco Downtown SoMa to Blackstone Mortgage Trust marks a significant moment in the city’s hospitality narrative. As the property transitions to new ownership, it reflects the broader challenges and opportunities facing the San Francisco hotel market. By focusing on strategic innovation and addressing systemic issues, industry players can work toward a more resilient future for the city’s tourism sector. Discover everything and anything about travel , tourism , trade shows at the Travel And Tour World , including breaking travel news and weekly travel updates for travel trade , airlines , cruise , railways , technology , travel association , DMCs, and video interviews and promotional videos .

WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump's pick for intelligence chief Tulsi Gabbard faced fresh scrutiny Monday on Capitol Hill about her proximity to Russian-ally Syria amid the sudden collapse of that country's hardline Assad rule. Gabbard ignored shouted questions about her 2017 visit to war-torn Syria as she ducked into one of several private meetings with senators who are being asked to confirm Trump's unusual nominees . But the Democrat-turned-Republican Army National Reserve lieutenant colonel delivered a statement in which she reiterated her support for Trump's America First approach to national security and a more limited U.S. military footprint overseas. “I want to address the issue that’s in the headlines right now: I stand in full support and wholeheartedly agree with the statements that President Trump has made over these last few days with regards to the developments in Syria,” Gabbard said exiting a Senate meeting. The incoming president’s Cabinet and top administrative choices are dividing his Republican allies and drawing concern , if not full opposition, from Democrats and others. Not just Gabbard, but other Trump nominees including Pentagon pick Pete Hegseth, were back at the Capitol ahead of what is expected to be volatile confirmation hearings next year. The incoming president is working to put his team in place for an ambitious agenda of mass immigrant deportations, firing federal workers and rollbacks of U.S. support for Ukraine and NATO allies. “We’re going to sit down and visit, that’s what this is all about,” said Sen. Mike Rounds, R-S.D., as he welcomed Gabbard into his office. Meanwhile, Defense Secretary pick Hegseth appeared to be picking up support from once-skeptical senators, the former Army National Guard major denying sexual misconduct allegations and pledging not to drink alcohol if he is confirmed. The president-elect's choice to lead the FBI, Kash Patel , who has written extensively about locking up Trump's foes and proposed dismantling the Federal Bureau of Investigation, launched his first visits with senators Monday. “I expect our Republican Senate is going to confirm all of President Trump’s nominees,” said Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., on social media. Despite widespread concern about the nominees' qualifications and demeanors for the jobs that are among the highest positions in the U.S. government, Trump's team is portraying the criticism against them as nothing more than political smears and innuendo. Showing that concern, Nearly 100 former senior U.S. diplomats and intelligence and national security officials have urged Senate leaders to schedule closed-door hearings to allow for a full review of the government’s files on Gabbard. Trump's allies have described the criticisms of Hegseth in particular as similar to those lodged against Brett Kavanaugh, the former president's Supreme Court nominee who denied a sexual assault allegation and went on to be confirmed during Trump's first term in office. Said Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., about Hegseth: “Anonymous accusations are trying to destroy reputations again. We saw this with Kavanaugh. I won’t stand for it.” One widely watched Republican, Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa, herself a former Army National Guard lieutenant colonel and sexual assault survivor who had been criticized by Trump allies for her cool reception to Hegseth, appeared more open to him after their follow-up meeting Monday. “I appreciate Pete Hegseth’s responsiveness and respect for the process,” Ernst said in a statement. Ernst said that following “encouraging conversations,” he had committed to selecting a senior official who will "prioritize and strengthen my work to prevent sexual assault within the ranks. As I support Pete through this process, I look forward to a fair hearing based on truth, not anonymous sources.” Ernst also had praise for Patel — “He shares my passion for shaking up federal agencies" — and for Gabbard. Once a rising Democratic star, Gabbard, who represented Hawaii in Congress, arrived a decade ago in Washington, her surfboard in tow, a new generation of potential leaders. She ran unsuccessfully for president in 2020. But Gabbard abruptly left the party and briefly became an independent before joining with Trump's 2024 campaign as one of his enthusiasts, in large part over his disdain for U.S. involvement overseas and opposition to helping Ukraine battle Russia. Her visit to Syria to meet with then-President Bashar Assad around the time of Trump's first inauguration during the country's bloody civil war stunned her former colleagues and the Washington national security establishment. The U.S. had severed diplomatic relations with Syria. Her visit was seen by some as legitimizing a brutal leader who was accused of war crimes. Gabbard has defended the trip, saying it's important to open dialogue, but critics hear in her commentary echoes of Russia-fueled talking points. Assad fled to Moscow over the weekend after Islamist rebels overtook Syria in a surprise attack, ending his family's five decades of rule. She said her own views have been shaped by “my multiple deployments and seeing firsthand the cost of war and the threat of Islamist terrorism.” Gabbard said, “It's one of the many reasons why I appreciate President Trump’s leadership and his election, where he is fully committed, as he has said over and over, to bring about an end to wars.” Last week, the nearly 100 former officials, who served in both Democratic and Republican administrations, said in the letter to Senate leaders they were “alarmed” by the choice of Gabbard to oversee all 18 U.S. intelligence agencies. They said her past actions “call into question her ability to deliver unbiased intelligence briefings to the President, Congress, and to the entire national security apparatus.” The Office of the Director of National Intelligence was created after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks to coordinate the nation’s intelligence agencies and act as the president’s main intelligence adviser. Associated Press writer Stephen Groves contributed to this report.Oklahoma has been fined twice for its fans storming the field at the end of on Saturday night. The Sooners got a $100,000 fine as is customary for the first time a school’s fans have entered the playing field after a big win. But the fine was doubled with an additional $100,000 penalty because the game was delayed by a premature field storm. Oklahoma fans poured onto the playing surface with 28 seconds to go. We can’t even storm the field correctly. — Don Neto (@greybeardbb) Oklahoma fans invaded the field despite the Sooners needing to run one more play to end the game. The field had to be cleared of fans before Oklahoma could officially put the capper on the three-TD win and start to celebrate for good. Oklahoma’s field storm came just hours after at the end of the Sun Devils’ win over BYU. The game appeared to be over after Arizona State’s questionable clock management to end the game, but a replay review as fans surrounded the officials on the field determined that there was one second left with Sam Leavitt’s pass landed in the grandstands. That gave BYU an attempt at a Hail Mary to win the game, but Jake Retzlaff’s pass to Chase Roberts came up short of the end zone. Oklahoma was not the only SEC school fined on Sunday either. Auburn got a $100,000 fine for a field storming after the over Texas A&M. The victory was just Auburn’s second SEC win of the season and kept the team’s bowl hopes alive. The Tigers need to beat Alabama in Week 14 to finish 6-6 and make a bowl game. SEC's field-storming fine process mandates that the fines are paid to the losing teams. So Alabama will net $200,000 from Oklahoma while the Aggies will get Auburn's fine money.

New U.S. Sen. Adam Schiff marked the start of his Senate tenure on Monday , Dec. 9, by taking the oath of office with his hand on an ancient Jewish text. The book used in Schiff’s swearing-in ceremony is the Mishneh Torah , written by the renowned Jewish philosopher and scholar Moses Maimonides. A comprehensive 12th-century codification of Jewish religious law , the Mishneh Torah summarizes all aspects of Jewish law in clear and accessible Hebrew. California Senator, Congressman Adam Schiff, right, was sworn in today, Dec. 9, 2024, conducted by Vice President and former California Senator Kamala Harris. (Photo C-SPAN2) (L-R) Sen. Adam Schiff (D-CA), his wife Eve Schiff and Vice President Kamala Harris pose for photographs following his ceremonial swearing-in in the Old Senate Chamber of the U.S. Capitol on Dec. 09, 2024 in Washington, DC. Schiff was officially sworn in earlier by Harris in the Senate Chamber. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) Sen. Adam Schiff (D-CA) (L) is congratulated by Vice President Kamala Harris as his wife Eve Schiff looks on following his ceremonial swearing-in in the Old Senate Chamber of the U.S. Capitol on Dec. 09, 2024 in Washington, DC. Schiff was officially sworn in earlier by Harris in the Senate Chamber. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) California Senator, Congressman Adam Schiff, right, was sworn in today, Dec. 9, 2024, conducted by Vice President and former California Senator Kamala Harris. (Photo C-SPAN2) When sworn into office, newly elected officials often use religious texts or other meaningful books that hold personal or symbolic significance to them. For instance, in 2021 President Joe Biden took his oath of office on a 19th-century Bible that has been in his family since the late 1800s, while Vice President Kamala Harris swore in on two Bibles: one that belonged to former Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall and another that belonged to a former neighbor close to Harris, according to CNN . Former President Donald Trump also used two Bibles at his 2017 swearing-in ceremony : the Lincoln Bible used by Abraham Lincoln at his first inauguration in 1861, and a family Bible given to Trump by his mother in 1955. The Mishneh Torah used by Schiff translates into “repetition of the Torah” or “the second Torah” in English. It was printed in Italy in 1490, according to his office. Schiff, a pro-Israel Democrat, has been open about his Jewish heritage and faith and has strongly condemned antisemitism. “Growing up in a Jewish household with strong ties to the Jewish community, I learned to revere a passage from Micah — that instructs us to do justice, to love mercy and to walk humbly with thy God,” Schiff previously said, according to the Jewish Democratic Council of America’s website . “I am very proud of my Jewish heritage, our traditions and values and the work our community does to build a more just and equitable world for the next generation.” In his swearing-in statement, Schiff said he will be a “tireless advocate for Californians in every part of the state and work across the aisle to deliver on day one.” Schiff, who represented an LA-area district in Congress for nearly 24 years, will complete the remainder of the late Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s term before being sworn in for a full six-year term on Jan. 3. Sen. Laphonza Butler, who Gov. Gavin Newsom appointed in October 2023 to complete Feinstein’s remaining term, resigned Sunday, Dec. 8 .Former Boise State coach Chris Petersen still gets asked about the Fiesta Bowl victory over Oklahoma on the first day of 2007. That game had everything. Underdog Boise State took a 28-10 lead over one of college football’s blue bloods that was followed by a 25-point Sooners run capped by what could have been a back-breaking interception return for a touchdown with 1:02 left. Then the Broncos used three trick plays that remain sensations to not only force overtime but win 43-42. And then there was the marriage proposal by Boise State running back Ian Johnson - shortly after scoring the winning two-point play - to cheerleader Chrissy Popadics that was accepted on national TV. That game put Broncos football on the national map for most fans, but looking back 18 years later, Petersen sees it differently. “Everybody wants to talk about that Oklahoma Fiesta Bowl game, which is great how it all worked out and all those things,” Petersen said. “But we go back to play TCU (three years later) again on the big stage. It’s not as flashy a game, but to me, that was an even better win.” Going back to the Fiesta Bowl and winning, Petersen reasoned, showed the Broncos weren’t a splash soon to fade away, that there was something longer lasting and more substantive happening on the famed blue turf. The winning has continued with few interruptions. No. 8 and third-seeded Boise State is preparing for another trip to the Fiesta Bowl, this time in a playoff quarterfinal against No. 5 and sixth-seeded Penn State on New Year’s Eve. That success has continued through a series of coaches, though with a lot more of a common thread than readily apparent. Dirk Koetter was hired from Oregon, where Petersen was the wide receivers coach. Not only did Koetter bring Petersen with him to Oregon, Petersen introduced him to Dan Hawkins, who also was hired for the staff. So the transition from Koetter to Hawkins to Petersen ensured at least some level of consistency. Koetter and Hawkins engineered double-digit victory seasons five times over a six-year span that led to power-conference jobs. Koetter went to Arizona State after three seasons and Hawkins to Colorado after five. Then when Petersen became the coach after the 2005 season, he led Boise State to double-digit wins his first seven seasons and made bowls all eight years. He resisted the temptation to leave for a power-conference program until Washington lured him away toward the end of the 2013 season. Then former Boise State quarterback and offensive coordinator Bryan Harsin took over and posted five double-digit victory seasons over his first six years. After going 5-2 during the COVID-shortened 2020 season, he left for Auburn. “They just needed consistency of leadership,” said Koetter, who is back as Boise State’s offensive coordinator. “This program had always won at the junior-college level, the Division II level, the I-AA (now FCS) level.” But Koetter referred to “an unfortunate chain of events” that made Boise State a reclamation project when he took over in 1998. Coach Pokey Allen led Boise State to the Division I-AA national championship game in 1994, but was diagnosed with cancer two days later. He died on Dec. 30, 1996, at 53. Allen coached the final two games that season, Boise State’s first in Division I-A (now FBS). Houston Nutt became the coach in 1997, went 4-7 and headed to Arkansas. Then Koetter took over. “One coach dies and the other wasn’t the right fit for this program,” Koetter said. “Was a really good coach, did a lot of good things, but just wasn’t a good fit for here.” But because of Boise State’s success at the lower levels, Koetter said the program was set up for success. “As Boise State has risen up the conference food chain, they’ve pretty much always been at the top from a player talent standpoint,” Koetter said. “So it was fairly clear if we got things headed in the right direction and did a good job recruiting, we would be able to win within our conference for sure.” Success didn’t take long. He went 6-5 in 1998 and then won 10 games each of the following two seasons. Hawkins built on that winning and Petersen took it to another level. But there is one season, really one game, no really one half that still bugs Petersen. He thought his best team was in 2010, one that entered that late-November game at Nevada ranked No. 3 and had a legitimate chance to play for the national championship. The Colin Kaepernick-led Wolf Pack won 34-31. “I think the best team that I might’ve been a part of as the head coach was the team that lost one game to Nevada,” Petersen said. “That team, to me, played one poor half of football on offense the entire season. We were winning by a bunch at half (24-7) and we came out and did nothing on offense in the second half and still had a chance to win. “That team would’ve done some damage.” There aren’t any what-ifs with this season’s Boise State team. The Broncos are in the field of the first 12-team playoff, representing the Group of Five as its highest-ranked conference champion. That got Boise State a bye into the quarterfinals. Spencer Danielson has restored the championship-level play after taking over as the interim coach late last season during a rare downturn that led to Andy Avalos’ dismissal. Danielson received the job full time after leading Boise State to the Mountain West championship. Now the Broncos are 12-1 with their only defeat to top-ranked and No. 1 seed Oregon on a last-second field goal. Running back Ashton Jeanty also was the runner-up to the Heisman Trophy. “Boise State has been built on the backs of years and years of success way before I got here,” Danielson said. “So even this season is not because of me. It’s because the group of young men wanted to leave a legacy, be different. We haven’t been to the Fiesta Bowl in a decade. They said in January, ‘We’re going to get that done.’ They went to work.” As was the case with Danielson, Petersen and Koetter said attracting top talent is the primary reason Boise State has succeeded all these years. Winning, obviously, is the driving force, and with more entry points to the playoffs, the Broncos could make opportunities to keep returning to the postseason a selling point. But there’s also something about the blue carpet. Petersen said he didn’t get what it was about when he arrived as an assistant coach, and there was some talk about replacing it with more conventional green grass. A poll in the Idaho Statesman was completely against that idea, and Petersen has come to appreciate what that field means to the program. “It’s a cumulative period of time where young kids see big-time games when they’re in seventh and eighth and ninth and 10th grade and go, ‘Oh, I know that blue turf. I want to go there,’” Petersen said. Copyright © 2024 The Washington Times, LLC.

New concept art shows how SpaceX’s Starship will transport Artemis III astronauts to the moonA man tragically died after collapsing on a night out in Louth. Emergency services were at the scene of the bar where he collapsed within seven minutes on Saturday evening, according to the owner. Lincolnshire Police confirmed the man sadly died in hospital. The tragedy happened in The King's Head, in Mercer Row. A spokesperson for Lincolnshire Police said: "We can confirm that a man in his twenties was taken ill at The King’s Head on Mercer Row in Louth during the evening of Saturday 21 December, and he sadly died in hospital. "The file has been passed to the coroner. There are believed to be no suspicious circumstances." The owner of the King's Head, Sharon Davies, said: "It is shocking for everyone. It is so horrific and sad. It is his family and friends that we are thinking of the most." Sharon, who has owned the hotel and bar for 21 years, said: "In all my time, I have never experienced anything like that. We closed straight away." She was in charge on Saturday evening. "As soon as staff were made aware, they did CPR. We called 999 and his friends were calling the ambulance too. Someone went to get the defibrillator from outside the Market Hall in New Street and the paramedics were here within seven minutes, which was amazing," she said. The owner told how staff had greeted the group of friends earlier in the evening and all were polite and friendly and sat together near the bar. She told how staff ushered members of the public out of a separate door after the man collapsed, while emergency services rushed in through the front door. Ambulances were parked on Mercer Row. East Midlands Ambulance First Responders arrived and, moments later, two double-crewed ambulances arrived. Sharon said: "They were all brilliant. They were here within seven to eight minutes and they tried to revive him for about three-quarters of an hour. My son Chris helped everyone to leave. We were full with guests having meals. "It was a busy night before Christmas. I made sure all the staff were okay and spoke to the parents of some of them when they came to collect them. Some have had time off. "It is so, so sad. I feel devastated for his family. I have kids as well. You never expect when they go out for a night out that you won't see them again. It is horrific and sad." Sharon added: "I am so proud of my staff. But we wish it had never happened." Keep up to date with all the latest breaking news and top stories from Grimsby with our free newsletter

Empowered Funds LLC raised its holdings in Penns Woods Bancorp, Inc. ( NASDAQ:PWOD – Free Report ) by 5.2% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 27,260 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after buying an additional 1,340 shares during the quarter. Empowered Funds LLC owned 0.36% of Penns Woods Bancorp worth $648,000 as of its most recent SEC filing. Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Quadrature Capital Ltd increased its stake in Penns Woods Bancorp by 2.6% in the first quarter. Quadrature Capital Ltd now owns 27,158 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $524,000 after acquiring an additional 693 shares during the period. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC grew its stake in shares of Penns Woods Bancorp by 1.8% in the 2nd quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC now owns 48,068 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $988,000 after purchasing an additional 869 shares during the period. BNP Paribas Financial Markets raised its holdings in shares of Penns Woods Bancorp by 55.5% in the 1st quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 3,554 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $69,000 after buying an additional 1,269 shares in the last quarter. Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC bought a new position in shares of Penns Woods Bancorp during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $39,000. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Penns Woods Bancorp by 2.1% during the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 336,829 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $6,538,000 after buying an additional 6,992 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 27.94% of the company’s stock. Penns Woods Bancorp Stock Up 0.9 % NASDAQ PWOD opened at $30.41 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $229.29 million, a P/E ratio of 11.52 and a beta of 0.44. Penns Woods Bancorp, Inc. has a 52 week low of $17.01 and a 52 week high of $30.74. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.24, a quick ratio of 1.09 and a current ratio of 1.09. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $25.91 and a 200-day moving average of $22.78. Penns Woods Bancorp Dividend Announcement Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth Separately, StockNews.com cut shares of Penns Woods Bancorp from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, November 16th. View Our Latest Research Report on PWOD About Penns Woods Bancorp ( Free Report ) Penns Woods Bancorp, Inc operates as the bank holding company for Jersey Shore State Bank, which provides commercial and retail banking services to individuals, partnerships, non-profit organizations, and corporations. It accepts time, demand, and savings deposits, including super NOW accounts, statement savings accounts, money market accounts, and certificates of deposit, as well as checking and individual retirement account (IRAs) accounts. Further Reading Five stocks we like better than Penns Woods Bancorp What is a Bond Market Holiday? How to Invest and Trade Vertiv’s Cool Tech Makes Its Stock Red-Hot What is a Death Cross in Stocks? MarketBeat Week in Review – 11/18 – 11/22 Canadian Penny Stocks: Can They Make You Rich? 2 Finance Stocks With Competitive Advantages You Can’t Ignore Want to see what other hedge funds are holding PWOD? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Penns Woods Bancorp, Inc. ( NASDAQ:PWOD – Free Report ). Receive News & Ratings for Penns Woods Bancorp Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Penns Woods Bancorp and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter .Tesla’s 15th recall of 2014 hits 700,000 Cybertruck, Model 3, and Model Y Owners

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WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court is allowing a multibillion-dollar class action investors’ lawsuit to proceed against Facebook parent Meta, stemming from the privacy scandal involving the Cambridge Analytica political consulting firm. The justices heard arguments in November in Meta’s bid to shut down the lawsuit. On Friday, they decided that they were wrong to take up the case in the first place. The high court dismissed the company’s appeal, leaving in place an appellate ruling allowing the case to go forward. Investors allege that Meta did not fully disclose the risks that Facebook users’ personal information would be misused by Cambridge Analytica, a firm that supported Donald Trump ‘s first successful Republican presidential campaign in 2016. Inadequacy of the disclosures led to two significant price drops in the price of the company’s shares in 2018, after the public learned about the extent of the privacy scandal, the investors say. Meta spokesman Andy Stone said the company was disappointed by the court’s action. “The plaintiff’s claims are baseless and we will continue to defend ourselves as this case is considered by the District Court,” Stone said in an emailed statement. Meta already has paid a $5.1 billion fine and reached a $725 million privacy settlement with users. Cambridge Analytica had ties to Trump political strategist Steve Bannon. It had paid a Facebook app developer for access to the personal information of about 87 million Facebook users. That data was then used to target U.S. voters during the 2016 campaign. The lawsuit is one of two high court cases involving class-action lawsuits against tech companies. The justices also are wrestling with whether to shut down a class action against Nvidia. Investors say the company misled them about its dependence on selling computer chips for the mining of volatile cryptocurrency.

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Protests outside of Supreme Court capture growing fears for transgender Americans

Sam Darnold completed 33 of 43 passes for a career-best 377 yards to go with three touchdowns and one interception, and the Minnesota Vikings escaped with a 27-25 win over the Green Bay Packers on Sunday afternoon in Minneapolis. Justin Jefferson had eight catches for 92 yards for Minnesota (14-2), which won its ninth game in a row. Jalen Nailor, Jordan Addison and Cam Akers had one touchdown reception apiece for the Vikings. Jordan Love completed 19 of 30 passes for 185 yards and one touchdown for Green Bay (11-5). Josh Jacobs and Emanuel Wilson each rushed for a touchdown and Malik Heath had a touchdown catch for the Packers, who lost to the Vikings for the second time this season. Minnesota's nine-game winning streak matches its third longest in franchise history. The Vikings are enjoying their longest stretch of success since 1975, when they won 10 straight. Green Bay rallied with back-to-back touchdowns in the fourth quarter to pull within two. Wilson scored on a 5-yard run to cut the Packers' deficit to 27-18 with 6:12 to go. Love brought Green Bay within 27-25 with 2:18 to play. He fired a 3-yard touchdown pass to Heath, who scored on a quick slant. The Vikings got the ball on the following kickoff and never gave it back to Green Bay. Darnold secured the win when he lobbed a pass to Akers for a first down to set up the victory formation. The Packers opened the scoring late in the first quarter with a 22-yard field goal by Brandon McManus. Minnesota responded to grab a 13-3 lead at the half. Darnold found Nailor for a 31-yard touchdown with 11:52 remaining in the first half. Nailor was wide open and made a basket catch near the back of the end zone. Reichard rounded out the first-half scoring with field goals from 25 yards and 50 yards. The Vikings increased their lead to 20-3 on the opening drive of the second half. Addison made a diving grab for an 18-yard touchdown. Green Bay pulled within 20-10 with 5:07 left in the third quarter. Jacobs scored on a 2-yard run. Darnold's third touchdown pass, this time to Akers, made it 27-10 in favor of the Vikings with 51 seconds remaining in the third quarter. --Field Level Media

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On the other hand, Arsenal has been making headlines for showing interest in recruiting Dan Ashworth as their new sporting director. Ashworth, who is currently serving as the technical director of Brighton & Hove Albion, is highly regarded in the football industry for his expertise and experience in player recruitment and development. His potential appointment at Arsenal has generated excitement among fans, who are hopeful that his arrival could bring about a positive change in the club's sporting fortunes.The Double 12 Shopping Festival has officially kicked off, ushering in a frenzy of online shopping excitement and deep discounts. As one of China's largest e-commerce extravaganzas, the Double 12 event has become a major battleground for leading online platforms such as Taobao, JD.com, TikTok, Pinduoduo, and Suning to showcase their unique strengths and innovative approaches to win over consumers.November 24, 2024 This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlightedthe following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: fact-checked peer-reviewed publication reputable news agency proofread by Issam AHMED "Planet of the Apes" may have been onto something. Chimpanzees are steadily honing their tool-using skills—a process unfolding over millennia, driven by the exchange of ideas through migrations between populations, according to a new study published Thursday in Science . The finding in chimps—humans' closest living relatives—holds relevance for us too, as it supports the idea that, deep in the mists of time, our own ape ancestors leveraged social connections to improve their technologies, lead author Cassandra Gunasekaram told AFP. Scientists have long marveled at chimps' ability to pass down intricate behaviors, like tool use, from one generation to the next. Yet while human civilization has leapt from the Stone Age to the Space Age, chimpanzee "culture"—defined as socially learned behaviors—seemed to have remained static. Gunasekaram, a doctoral student at the University of Zurich, set out to challenge this assumption. Connections spark innovation She and colleagues combined genetic data tracing ancient chimpanzee migrations across Africa with observations of 15 distinct foraging behaviors across dozens of populations and the four subspecies. These behaviors were categorized into three levels: those requiring no tools, those with simple tools, like using chewed leaves as a sponge to absorb water from tree holes, and the most complex, which involve toolsets. One striking example of toolset use comes from Congo, where chimps use a stout stick to bore a tunnel into the ground to reach a termite nest, then modify a plant stem by chewing its tip into a brush to "fish" for termites in the tunnel they've made. The study found that advanced tool use strongly correlated with populations connected by genetic exchanges over the last 5,000–15,000 years, suggesting such behaviors spread when groups interacted. Areas where three subspecies overlap exhibited the most complex tool use, highlighting how cross-group connections foster cultural knowledge. By contrast, simpler behaviors, such as foraging without tools, seemed less tied to migration and likely evolved independently in different regions. Foraging efficiently Gunasekaram said this mirrors how trading ideas and incremental innovation have been critical to human technological progress, taking us from early abacuses to modern smartphones. "They've become so complex that one person alone could not reinvent them from scratch," she said. But unlike humans, chimps have far fewer opportunities to encounter new individuals and ideas—migrations occur gradually, driven by sexually mature females moving to new communities to avoid inbreeding. Analyzing ancient genetic flows helped the team overcome one of the biggest challenges in studying the evolution of chimpanzee culture: the limited window of observation, as the species has only been researched scientifically for about a century. What's more, "Chimpanzee tools are made of sticks and stems, which are all perishable," Gunasekaram explained, making it nearly impossible to trace how their artifacts have evolved over time. So, will chimps one day rival human ingenuity? Hardly. But given enough time, they could become more efficient foragers. For example, some populations are already more advanced in cracking nuts with hammers and anvils made of stone , and one particularly innovative group has even invented a stabilizer for the anvil, said Gunasekaram. More information: Cassandra Gunasekaram et al, Population connectivity shapes the distribution and complexity of chimpanzee cumulative culture, Science (2024). DOI: 10.1126/science.adk3381 Journal information: Science © 2024 AFP

Some tech industry leaders are pushing the incoming Trump administration to increase visas for highly skilled workers from other nations. Related Articles National Politics | Trump threat to immigrant health care tempered by economic hopes National Politics | In states that ban abortion, social safety net programs often fail families National Politics | Court rules Georgia lawmakers can subpoena Fani Willis for information related to her Trump case National Politics | New 2025 laws hit hot topics from AI in movies to rapid-fire guns National Politics | Trump has pressed for voting changes. GOP majorities in Congress will try to make that happen The heart of the argument is, for America to remain competitive, the country needs to expand the number of skilled visas it gives out. The previous Trump administration did not increase the skilled visa program, instead clamping down on visas for students and educated workers, increasing denial rates. Not everyone in corporate America thinks the skilled worker program is great. Former workers at IT company Cognizant recently won a federal class-action lawsuit that said the company favored Indian employees over Americans from 2013 to 2022. A Bloomberg investigation found Cognizant, and other similar outsourcing companies, mainly used its skilled work visas for lower-level positions. Workers alleged Cognizant preferred Indian workers because they could be paid less and were more willing to accept inconvenient or less-favorable assignments. Question: Should the U.S. increase immigration levels for highly skilled workers? Economists Caroline Freund, UC San Diego School of Global Policy and Strategy YES: Innovation is our superpower and it relies on people. Sourcing talent from 8 billion people in the world instead of 330 million here makes sense. Nearly half our Fortune 500 companies were founded by immigrants or their children. Growing them also relies on expanding our skilled workforce. The cap on skilled-worker visas has hardly changed since the computer age started. With AI on the horizon, attracting and building talent is more important than ever. Kelly Cunningham, San Diego Institute for Economic Research YES: After years of openly allowing millions of undocumented entrants into the country, why is there controversy over legally increasing somewhat the number having desirable skills? Undocumented immigration significantly impacts lower skill level jobs and wages competing with domestic workers at every skill level. Why should special cases be made against those having higher skills? Could they just not walk across the border anyway, why make it more inconvenient to those with desirable skills? James Hamilton, UC San Diego YES: Knowledge and technology are key drivers of the U.S. economy. Students come from all over the world to learn at U.S. universities, and their spending contributed $50 billion to U.S. exports last year. Technological advantage is what keeps us ahead of the rest of the world. Highly skilled immigrants contribute much more in taxes than they receive in public benefits. The skills immigrants bring to America can make us all better off. Norm Miller, University of San Diego YES: According to Forbes, the majority of billion-dollar startups were founded by foreigners. I’ve interviewed dozens of data analysts and programmers from Berkeley, UCSD, USD and a few other schools and 75% of them are foreign. There simply are not enough American graduates to fill the AI and data mining related jobs now exploding in the U.S. If we wish to remain a competitive economy, we need highly skilled and bright immigrants to come here and stay. David Ely, San Diego State University YES: Being able to employ highly skilled workers from a larger pool of candidates would strengthen the competitiveness of U.S. companies by increasing their capacity to perform research and innovate. This would boost the country’s economic output. Skilled workers from other nations that cannot remain in the U.S. will find jobs working for foreign rivals. The demand for H-1B visas far exceeds the current cap of 85,000, demonstrating a need to modify this program. Executives Phil Blair, Manpower YES: Every country needs skilled workers, at all levels, to grow its economy. We should take advantage of the opportunity these workers provide our employers who need these skills. It should be blended into our immigration policies allowing for both short and long term visas. Gary London, London Moeder Advisors YES: San Diego is a premiere example of how highly skilled workers from around the globe enrich a community and its regional economy. Of course Visa levels need to be increased. But let’s go further. Tie visas and immigration with a provision that those who are admitted and educated at a U.S. university be incentivized, or even required, to be employed in the U.S. in exchange for their admittance. Bob Rauch, R.A. Rauch & Associates NO: While attracting high-skilled immigrants can fill critical gaps in sectors like technology, health care and advanced manufacturing, increasing high-skilled immigration could displace American workers and drive down wages in certain industries. There are already many qualified American workers available for some of these jobs. We should balance the need for specialized skills with the impact on the domestic workforce. I believe we can begin to increase the number of visas after a careful review of abuse. Austin Neudecker, Weave Growth YES: We should expand skilled visas to drive innovation and economic growth. Individuals who perform high-skilled work in labor-restricted industries or graduate from respected colleges with relevant degrees should be prioritized for naturalization. We depend on immigration for GDP growth, tax revenue, research, and so much more. Despite the abhorrent rhetoric and curtailing of visas in the first term, I hope the incoming administration can be persuaded to enact positive changes to a clearly flawed system. Chris Van Gorder, Scripps Health YES: But it should be based upon need, not politics. There are several industries that have or could have skilled workforce shortages, especially if the next administration tightens immigration as promised and expected. Over the years, there have been nursing shortages that have been met partially by trained and skilled nurses from other countries. The physician shortage is expected to get worse in the years to come. So, this visa program may very well be needed. Jamie Moraga, Franklin Revere NO: While skilled immigration could boost our economy and competitiveness, the U.S. should prioritize developing our domestic workforce. Hiring foreign nationals in sensitive industries or government-related work, especially in advanced technology or defense, raises security concerns. A balanced approach could involve targeted increases in non-sensitive high-demand fields coupled with investment in domestic STEM education and training programs. This could address immediate needs while strengthening the long-term STEM capabilities of the American workforce. Not participating this week: Alan Gin, University of San DiegoHaney Hong, San Diego County Taxpayers AssociationRay Major, economist Have an idea for an Econometer question? Email me at phillip.molnar@sduniontribune.com . Follow me on Threads: @phillip020'We owe him a debt of gratitude': Presidents remember Jimmy Carter after death at 100CHARLESTON – The West Virginia Water Development Authority approved giving $5 million to an Ohio-based Catholic-affiliated career and vocational college to expand into the state and to create a conservative think tank without a required recommendation from one of three state officials. In October, the Water Development Authority unanimously approved providing $5 million from the Economic Enhancement Grant Fund to the College of St. Joseph the Worker, a Steubenville-based college affiliated with the Catholic Church. The funds will need to be spent by Dec. 31, 2026. All students at the College of St. Joseph the Worker will earn a bachelor’s of arts in Catholic Studies while also receiving training in several trades including carpentry, HVAC, plumbing and electrical. According to information provided from several state agencies through a Freedom of Information Act request, the college’s grant proposal for the $5 million would allow the school to expand across the river into West Virginia for several training programs, a satellite campus, scholarships, and the creation of a think tank focused on social conservative public policy. In an Dec. 19 press release, the college said its expansion projects into West Virginia would greatly benefit Weirton and the Ohio Valley. The college will provide an additional $5 million, bringing the estimated cost of the project to $10 million. “The college is extremely grateful to the state of West Virginia for the recent award of an economic development grant,” according to the college’s statement. “Over the course of the next five years we expect to spend more than $10 million directly on these projects. However, the economic impact to the Weirton area will be far, far greater.” “I’m thrilled about this project for our people in the Northern Panhandle, especially for our young men and women,” said Delegate Pat McGeehan, R-Hancock, in an email on Dec. 23. Of the $5 million, more than $2.1 million would be used to create a construction and real estate company headquartered in Weirton. Funds would be used to acquire a warehouse and construction yard, purchase equipment and materials, and employ up to 200 apprentices and between 50 and 100 construction workers. The project, estimated to take five years to complete, would focus on revitalization of historic and culturally valuable projects and developing new building projects. “As a mission-driven educational organization, we will be able to take on construction and revitalization projects that other, exclusively for-profit organizations would not, such as work of historical and cultural significance in communities that might otherwise be unattractive to investors,” according to the college’s grant proposal. More than $1.6 million of the $5 million Economic Enhancement Grant dollars would go towards scholarships for the recruitment of West Virginia students, develop partnerships with tradesmen and contractors in the state for placement of apprentices, the purchase of training facilities in Weirton, and purchasing and/or renovating housing for students. Another $200,000 would be used to seed the creation of a possible branch campus for the College of St. Joseph the Worker. According to the grant proposal, the College is considering a possible branch in the Kanawha County area. “With the success of this initial development in West Virginia, the board of trustees of the College of St Joseph the Worker can establish exploring a second campus in West Virginia,” according to the grant proposal. “Particularly, we hope to evaluate Teays Valley, W.Va., which seems to be an emerging market for the type of intellectual and trades revitalization that the College intends to achieve.” “The primary purpose of this specific grant is to develop additional vocational training that will quickly prepare workers, strengthen our workforce, and benefit communities across West Virginia,” said C.J. Harvey, communications director for Gov. Jim Justice, in an emailed statement on Dec. 20. “This initiative is squarely focused on economic development and creating jobs.” According to a spokesperson for the West Virginia Community and Technical College System and the Higher Education Policy Commission, the college has yet to reach out to state higher education officials. The college will need to apply for a series 20 initial authorization/commission to grant degrees in West Virginia. Unrelated to construction trades, the college wants to use $1 million of the grant for what it categorizes as “advocacy.” It would use the funds to create a bioethics certificate program for continuing education for the medical and psychotherapy fields, as well as create the “Center for the Common Good” to support “life-affirming policy in West Virginia.” In a separate document, the college explained the Center for the Common Good would focus on conservative public policy, specifically citing abortion and immigration and border policy as examples, using research, op-eds, speeches, educational tools, presentations, and proposals for the West Virginia Legislature. “...The college faculty has also been involved in supporting the developing conservative political vision for West Virginia (ie the abortion restriction; solidarity with Texas' border, to name but a few),” the college wrote in an earlier grant proposal. The college is listed as a 501(c)(3) on its 2022 IRS 990 form. According to the IRS, a 501(c)(3) organization can engage in some lobbying activities, but it could risk loss of tax-exempt status if it engages in too much lobbying. “Organizations may, however, involve themselves in issues of public policy without the activity being considered as lobbying,” according to the IRS website. “For example, organizations may conduct educational meetings, prepare and distribute educational materials, or otherwise consider public policy issues in an educational manner without jeopardizing their tax-exempt status.” The governor’s office avoided answering the question of whether it was appropriate for Economic Enhancement Grant dollars to be used to create a conservative public policy think tank. “Any additional educational or ethical components mentioned in the application are secondary and fall outside the scope of the administration’s main focus: to get newly-trained workers in the workforce as quickly as possible,” Harvey said. In the Oct. 19 press release sent after multiple requests for interviews with officials, the college announced all of the proposed projects for the Economic Enhancement Grant dollars. However, the press release includes no mention of using the funds for a conservative think tank. WATER UNDER THE BRIDGE The Water Development Authority was created in 1977 by the Legislature to provide grants and loans to local governments and public services districts for construction of water and wastewater infrastructure. But in recent years, the authority has been used as a funding conduit for economic development projects across the state. The Economic Enhancement Grant Fund was created by the Legislature in 2022 by House Bill 4566. The fund was seeded with $250 million in federal American Rescue Plan Act dollars. HB 4566 empowers the authority to create an Economic Enhancement Grant subaccount to provide grants to governmental agencies and not-for-profits to cover all or portions of costs for infrastructure projects. According to State Code, funds in this Economic Enhancement Grant subaccount can be used “to cover all or a portion of the infrastructure projects to enhance economic development and/or tourism when recommended by the Secretary of Commerce, the Secretary of Economic Development and/or the Secretary of Tourism.” However, to date there has been no letter of recommendation from one of the three cabinet-level departments as required by State Code. The Economic Enhancement Grant application from the College of St. Joseph the Worker was approved on Oct. 10 with authority members and three cabinet secretaries at the time, former Department of Economic Development Secretary Mitch Carmichael, former Department of Commerce Secretary James Bailey and current Department of Tourism Secretary Chelsea Ruby, only being provided with the college’s Economic Enhancement Grant application and grant proposal the day before the scheduled meeting. While one version of the college’s application included a check mark indicating that the Department of Economic Development had provided a recommendation, Water Development Authority Executive Director Marie Prezioso confirmed in an email that no letter recommendation for the college’s Economic Enhancement Grant application has been provided. “It was my understanding that we would be provided with a letter from the secretary, however we do not have one on file,” Prezioso said. “It was this office’s understanding the project was verbally recommended with a formal letter forthcoming,” Harvey said. Both Justice Chief of Staff Brian Abraham and Deputy Chief of Staff Ann Urling, who also chairs the Water Development Authority, were involved with recommending the college’s proposal. At least one former cabinet secretary at the time, James Bailey, expressed concern about the college’s grant proposal in an email to an authority staffer the day before the Oct. 10 authority meeting. Bailey left the Department of Commerce to return to the private legal sector on Oct. 18. “I need a letter of recommendation for this project. Our board meeting is tomorrow. Sorry for the short notice. We just started working on it,” Prezioso wrote to Bailey in an email the morning of Oct. 9. “Is there a more detailed application like we normally have? The document doesn't really detail what the project in WV is other than potentially locating a campus in the state in a few years,” Bailey wrote. “There are some other issues that we should maybe talk over if you'd like to give me a call.” In an email the morning of the Oct. 10 authority meeting, Prezioso asked Andrew Jones, the academic dean and professor of history and political theory at the College of St. Joseph the Worker, to revise the proposed budget for the College’s Economic Enhancement Grant request. “The grant must be used for a project that consists of the acquisition, construction and equipping of multiple education facilities for the in-class and on-site training of the five major construction trades of HVAC, carpentry, masonry, electrical and plumbing, including areas for tools and equipment storage, materials for training and all necessary appurtenances,” Prezioso wrote. BUILDING A FRAMEWORK The first email about the project came on Oct. 2, nine days before the Oct. 10 authority meeting, from McGeehan to Abraham with House Speaker Roger Hanshaw, R-Clay, carbon copied. In that email, McGeehan thanked Abraham for his assistance with the college’s Economic Enhancement Grant application. McGeehan confirmed last week that his first conversations with Abraham about the project began as early as September. McGeehan, the dean of students at Weirton Madonna High School, explained that Weirton Madonna has no affiliation with the College of St. Joseph the Worker. McGeehan said he became aware of the college after completing a master’s degree in philosophy at Franciscan University of Steubenville. “A mutual friend who had went through the graduate program with me at Franciscan made introductions with some of the staff over at the College of St. Joseph the Worker, who at the time, had plans to expand into other areas of Ohio,” McGeehan said. “I touched base with them about expanding into West Virginia instead. I toured their workshops and facilities a few times and I was deeply impressed.” After an email from the authority was sent to officials with the college on Oct. 4 with the Economic Enhancement Grant application, McGeehan emailed the authority back the same day with the completed application. West Virginia already offers several construction trades programs, including in the Northern Panhandle. West Virginia Northern Community College in Wheeling offers several short-term training programs and multi-year certificates for trades, such as HVAC, electrical, and industrial/construction/trades. Project BEST, also headquartered in Wheeling and affiliated with the Upper Ohio Valley Building and Construction Trades Council, offers apprenticeship training, including carpentry, electrical, plumbing and pipefitting. But McGeehan said what the College of St. Joseph the Worker is offering to West Virginia students is unique and holistic, focused on not just providing rote training. “The College of Saint Joseph the Worker is unique, insofar as it offers a holistic approach to shaping young men and women, one reason why I’m excited about it,” McGeehan said. “Nowhere in in the United States is there an institution that simultaneously trains the mind in the humanities while also in the manual trades.” “This is done by teaching young men and women the skilled trades, such as carpentry, HVAC, and construction, while also providing their students with a classical education along the way, both of which are greatly needed in our state,” McGeehan continued. “Upon graduation, their students earn their Journeyman’s card in the skilled trade of their choice, along with earning a bachelor’s degree, and because of the college’s ability to raise funds, offer scholarships, and provide paid on-the-job training for their students, their students graduate with zero debt.” McGeehan was a co-sponsor of HB 4566 in 2022. Earlier this month, the authority approved 24 projects for Economic Enhancement Grant dollars, awarding more than $67 million. During the October special session, lawmakers appropriated an additional $125 million to the Economic Enhancement Grant Fund. According to the governor’s office, the authority has approved Economic Enhancement Grant projects worth $594 million since 2022. McGeehan said the $5 million for the College of St. Joseph the Worker is an appropriate grant award. “I conceived and wrote the bill which passed into law to establish the EEG fund in the first place, so that grants like this one could come about, and be awarded to non-profit institutions and municipalities to help beautify our local communities and strengthen their infrastructure for our people,” McGeehan said. “Many of the problems our state suffers from are downstream of faltering local communities, weakened family bonds, and a younger generation without practical skills, who are quite often steeped in university debt,” McGeehan continued. “I’ll continue to do what I can to help reverse this trend.” In 2023, McGeehan was the co-sponsor of an originating bill from the House Government Organization Committee, where McGeehan is vice chairman, to create a Joint Legislative Committee on Civic Life. House Bill 3561 would have created a state agency to provide grant funds to nonprofits that support “traditional cultural values” “family growth, maintenance and self-sufficiency” and the creation of new fraternal organizations. McGeehan said HB 3561, which failed in a 42-51 vote, has no connection to the college’s Economic Enhancement Grant award. “While I’d certainly defend a decision to capitalize such an initiative, the grant did not include funding for what you wrote,” McGeehan said. “...The state is merely matching an investment that the college has agreed to put into our state. Beyond that, the grant has nothing to do with the specific bill you referenced.” Steven Allen Adams can be reached at sadams@newsandsentinel.com .

The incident quickly attracted a crowd of bystanders, with some spectators capturing the unfolding drama on their smartphones and sharing the footage on social media platforms. The video footage, which circulated rapidly online, garnered widespread condemnation of the attacker's behavior and ignited a debate on the appropriate conduct towards public officials. Many netizens expressed their support for Mr. Zhang and urged for swift justice to be served in light of the unwarranted assault he endured.2024 was a major year for new vehicle launches, with new generations of key models like the Toyota LandCruiser Prado, plus the first of a new wave of Chinese auto brands entering the market. or signup to continue reading But many models also departed the Australian market, headlined by the departure of what had been the longest-running auto brand in Australia: Citroen. In fact, there were so many discontinuations that we split all the SUVs axed in Australia . Scroll below for all the passenger cars axed this year, or click on one of the links below to take you directly to a vehicle. If you love the look of the , rest assured you'll still be able to buy a car that looks like this – it'll just have electric power. BMW of the 4 Series Gran Coupe and its back in April, but never confirmed timing for the combustion-powered model. Somewhat unusually, the electric version sold in considerably greater numbers than the petrol model. To the end of November, BMW sold 1866 i4s in Australia this year, against just 243 examples of the 4 Series Gran Coupe. That led to BMW pulling the plug on the petrol-powered range. "The high volume of new BMW models introduced to the local market prompts us to constantly assess our product portfolio in line with customer demand and our commitment to offering products that suit individual needs," a BMW Australia spokesperson told in a statement. "This has led us to restructure the BMW 4 Series Gran Coupe lineup." The 4 Series Gran Coupe was the second BMW to bear the Gran Coupe nameplate, which has been applied to a five-door liftback (the 4 Series Gran Coupe), a four-door sedan (the ), and what you could arguably call four-door coupes (the and ). This nomenclature was born in a period where BMW was busily chasing niches, including coupe SUVs like the and and the unusual Gran Turismo models which were more upright five-door hatchbacks. The second-generation 4 Series Gran Coupe was revealed in June 2021 and arrived here later that year, sharing the same plunging double-kidney grille as coupe and convertible 4 Series models. While it later gained an electric version, the i4, it never received a full-fat M version like the other 4 Series body styles. There was no M4 version of the first-generation 4 Series Gran Coupe, either. With the axing of the base 420i in 2023, just two variants remained: the turbocharged four-cylinder, rear-wheel drive 430i and the turbocharged six-cylinder, all-wheel drive M440i xDrive. Though the Gran Coupe brought superior practicality over the , if not the Touring wagon, it cost up to $14,100 more than its booted counterpart. 4 Series Gran Coupe sales had peaked in 2015 and 2022 with 858 sales in both years – incidentally, both of which were the first full years of their respective generations. Citroen had been hanging on like grim death in Australia, even as its sales winnowed away each year. From a height of 3803 sales in 2007, Citroen fell below 1000 annual units in 2016 and continued sliding. Its retail network continued to shrink, and Peugeot Citroen Australia's decision to make Peugeot its exclusive commercial vehicle brand here killed one of its higher-volume models, the Berlingo. Most embarrassingly for the brand, it was outsold by Ferrari in 2020 and 2021. But there were signs Peugeot Citroen Australia was taking the brand seriously here, introducing the in 2021 and in 2022. These replaced the old C4 and C5 that hadn't been on sale here for several years, and came after several years of Citroen focusing on more traditionally SUV-shaped models. Not that the C4 and C5 X were conventional passenger cars themselves, with their higher-riding stances blurring the lines between cars and SUVs. Though it was the C5 X that wore the 'X' suffix commonly used for SUVs, it was the C4 that was classified as an SUV in VFACTS industry sales reports. There was a C4 X, mind you, but this was a sedan version of the C4 that we never received. Confused? We were too. Disinterested? Well, it seems Australians were. C4 sales peaked at 94 units in its first full year on sale, before falling; the same happened with the C5 X, with 68 sold in its first full year on sale. From launch to the end of November 2024, Citroen sold just 200 C4s and 168 C5 Xs. The rarest of them all is the C5 X Plug-in Hybrid, for which orders opened in May... just three months before Citroen announced it was pulling up stumps here. Being an order-only vehicle and priced just over $16,000 higher than the regular C5 X, itself not the most affordable vehicle of its size, it may be one of the rarest Citroens ever sold here. The C4 and C5 X may have lacked the clever hydropneumatic suspension of older Citroens, but with their quirky styling and focus on comfort – in suspension tuning and even in the construction of their seats – these cars were distinctively Citroen. Alas, it seems buyers just didn't care. While we received new generations of Citroen's small and medium/large cars, the latest – revealed in October 2023, and in April this year – was kept from us. That was perhaps an early warning that the brand wasn't going to stick around here for long, and in August this year distributor Inchcape Australia announced it would close orders for all Citroen vehicles. The third-generation C3 arrived here in 2017, with an extremely mild facelift coming in 2021. That means the C3 is much the same as when it arrived here around seven years ago, and sales figures have reflected that. From a height of 122 sales in 2018, sales fell to double digits in 2019 and have subsequently remained relatively steady, if very, very low. The price has climbed since launch and this year sat at $32,267 before on-road costs for the single Shine variant, putting it up against vehicles the segment above. But even comparing it with similarly sized vehicles with similarly premium pricing, the C3 comes up short. From its 2017 launch to the end of November this year, Citroen has sold 544 C3s. In contrast, Audi sold 462 and Skoda sold 433 in 2023 alone. Showing just how far Citroen sales have dropped off over the years, as well as the decline in light car sales, the brand sold upwards of 908 examples of the first-generation C3 in 2003. The is cute as a bug, but its ability to survive year after year well after rivals were replaced made it seem like more of a cockroach. It's still being manufactured, but Fiat announced it was axing the petrol-powered 500 in Australia in August. As of December, however, it still has stock at its dealers. The 500 and its hotter sibling are sold alongside the new-generation Fiat 500e and Abarth 500e, electric-only micro cars with similar styling but much more modern underpinnings and technology. With the set to be joined by a mild-hybrid petrol-powered variant in 2026, this should finally spell the end of the old 500, which has been in production since 2007 and which launched here in 2008. In that time, Fiats from the little Panda to the Dodge Journey-based Freemont have come and gone from the Australian market, but the little 500 has kept on ticking with the occasional minor refresh. Though it no longer sells in quite the same volumes as it did in the early/mid 2010s – where it sold between 2000 and 3000 units annually – it still sells in consistent volumes in a segment that consists solely of it and the . Last year, Fiat sold 581 examples of the 500 and its Abarth sibling in Australia, an increase on the year before despite the axing of their cabriolet models. When the E-Type ended production in 1974, it left a hole in Jaguar's lineup. The XJ-S that succeeded it was more of a grand tourer, a tradition which its XK replacement followed in. It wasn't until the , which entered production in 2013, that Jaguar had a genuine spiritual successor to the E-Type. An E-Type successor had existed in development hell during the 1980s and 1990s, before Jaguar revealed the F-Type concept in 2000... only for a planned production version to be scrapped before it could see the light of day. Fast-forward to the 2011 Frankfurt motor show and the F-Type as we came to know it was previewed in concept form, albeit featuring a supercharged V6 hybrid powertrain that never reached production. Instead, the production coupe – which looked essentially identical to the concept – was launched with a choice of supercharged V6 or V8 powertrains. Like the E-Type, there was also a convertible; unlike the iconic Jag, there was an all-wheel drive option. Also in a departure from past Jaguar two-doors, a turbocharged four-cylinder engine joined the range. Designed under Ian Callum, the F-Type was widely regarded as gorgeous. Somehow a facelift, revealed in 2019, arguably improved the styling with a more aggressive look up front. The F-Type featured all-aluminium construction, and Jaguar touted the coupe as the most torsionally rigid production car it had ever built. While the four- and six-cylinder powertrains weren't shrinking violets, the supercharged V8 was the star. For 2022, Jaguar Australia dropped the four- and six-cylinder engines entirely, leaving the blown 5.0-litre in 331kW/580Nm P450 and 423kW/700Nm R tunes. In June 2024, Jaguar revealed the final F-Type and what it says will be its final combustion-powered sports car: a supercharged 5.0-litre V8-powered convertible in classic green-over-tan. A total of 87,731 F-Types were produced between 2013 and 2024. When Jaguar used the Ford Mondeo platform to create its first BMW 3 Series rival, many scoffed. To Jaguar's credit, it went back to the drawing board and developed a rear/all-wheel drive sports sedan with tasteful, modern styling and poised dynamics. Look out, BMW! Except the is now being axed almost a decade after it entered production in 2015, as part of Jaguar's pivot to being a more exclusive, electric-only brand. Jaguar is done trying to take on BMW and is aiming higher, with JLR design boss Gerry McGovern saying in 2023: "What we won't worry about is being loved by everybody, because that's the kiss of death." "That's what's put Jaguar where it is today, which is with no equity whatsoever," he said. The XE never could match its German rivals in the sales race, and JLR confirmed the sedan wasn't profitable – something likely not helped by its use of aluminium suspension componentry and a bonded and riveted aluminium unitary structure, unusual for this segment. The 3 Series rival was offered with a range of powertrains, including turbo-petrol and turbo-diesel four-cylinder engines plus a supercharged V6. Jaguar even developed the limited-run SV Project 8, which featured a supercharged V8 engine. Sadly, the SV Project 8 never came here, nor did it presage a more widely available rival. The six-cylinder and diesel engines were also eventually phased out in Australia. Disappointing sales and the resultant lack of profitability doomed the XE, which was axed in the US in 2020 but grimly held on for a few more years in markets such as ours. Unusually, Jaguar Australia switched the XE from rear-wheel drive to all-wheel drive for 2021 for reasons unclear. For 2023, the XE range was whittled down to a single model and, though it still appears on Jaguar's local website, production ended this year. In its best year, 2016, global sales for the XE reached 44,095 units. The same year, BMW produced over 400,000 3 Series models globally. In Australia, the XE's best year was also 2016 with 1524 sold, beating the Infiniti Q50 and and falling just short of the . But sales fell each year, plunging to double-digits in 2022. Last year, the XE was outsold by every single one of its rivals, with its 58 sales bested by the (81 sales) and Volvo S60 (152). From launch to the end of November 2024, Jaguar sold 4332 XEs in Australia. While rivals received significant facelifts or new generations, the XE was left to soldier on as its lineup shrunk. It's a sad end for what was an extremely promising BMW 3 Series rival. If any car could make Jaguar's XE look like a sales success, it's the second generation of the brand's rival. The first-generation was a breath of fresh air when it was revealed in 2007, with the Ian Callum-penned sedan casting aside the shackles of Jaguar's retro design language in favour of a more modern yet still elegant look inside and out. The second generation wasn't as impactful. Also attributed to Mr. Callum, the design was conservative, looking more like a stretched version of the XE with which it shared its new platform. Unlike the XE, however, there was a wagon version; this made the trip to Australia, even though the first-generation model was offered here only in sedan guise. Globally, the XF was offered with a choice of turbo-petrol and turbo-diesel four-cylinder engines, plus a turbo-diesel V6 and a supercharged petrol V6. Sadly, there was no supercharged V8 XFR as there had been with the first generation. To Jaguar Australia's credit, it offered almost every available powertrain, and even brought the niche wagon here. But the British 5 Series rival was met with buyer apathy: sales shrunk compared to the outgoing model, with just 433 sold in 2016. That was down from the over 800 units Jaguar shifted in 2013 and 2014. Sales fell below three digits in 2019 with 50 units, and below two digits in 2023 with just 6 sold. By this point the XF range had been shrunk to a single variant, as for model year 2021 Jaguar axed all rear-wheel drive, diesel, six-cylinder and wagon variants in favour of a lone all-wheel drive turbo-petrol four-cylinder. Technically, Maserati didn't sell any in Australia in 2024, with global production wrapping late last year. No further examples were delivered this year but as it appeared on Maserati's local website during 2024, we've included it in this article. The Quattroporte nameplate is taking a leave of absence, with a replacement – featuring electric power – delayed until 2028. It's not the first time the Quattroporte nameplate has taken a lengthy leave of absence, with gaps of several years between the first and second and the third and fourth generations. The Quattroporte competed in an extremely low-volume segment in Australia, battling the likes of the and . Maserati executives would therefore clearly bristle at the mention of the Quattroporte sharing a platform with Chrysler and Dodge. "From the Chrysler 300 we carried over the electrical system, a portion on the platform where seats are hinged and some elements of the air conditioning, that is all," then-Maserati global CEO Harald Wester told back in 2013. The current, sixth-generation Quattroporte entered production that year, underpinned by what Maserati called its M156 platform which was also used by the and . The gorgeous, lithe Pininfarina styling of its predecessor made way for an in-house design that was more fuller-figured and conservative, with a clear kinship with the cheaper Ghibli. If it looked bigger than the previous Quattroporte, that's because it was – in length alone, the Quattroporte VI grew by over 200mm. A Ferrari-developed twin-turbo V8 remained available, along with a twin-turbo V6 developed with the Prancing Horse brand. This was also the first Quattroporte to offer a diesel engine, a turbocharged V6 mill sold here from 2014 to 2019. While the Quattroporte had a decade-long production run, there were updates made during this time. In 2016, the Quattroporte received a new infotainment system and more standard equipment including a suite of active safety features. This suite was expanded in a subsequent update in 2018. In 2020, Maserati revealed a hot Trofeo version of its luxury limo, featuring a 433kW/730Nm tune of the twin-turbo 3.8-litre V8 – up 43kW and 80Nm on the GTS. This coincided with another minor facelift for the Quattroporte line that saw the old Chrysler-derived infotainment system swapped for one running on Android Automotive. The Quattroporte consistently sold in the double digits each year in Australia, before slumping to just three units in 2023. Even in a low-volume segment, that was very low. The was first a stunning coupe and convertible in the 1960s, then a rather brutalist two-door in the 1990s, before being revived as a BMW 5 Series sedan rival that was revealed at the 2013 Shanghai motor show. It represented a return to a segment which Maserati last occupied in 1995 with the 430, a descendant of the Biturbo. With the introduction of the Ghibli and Levante, which entered production in 2013 and 2016 respectively, Maserati was chasing broader market appeal and therefore greater sales volumes. By the 2000s, after the end of the Biturbo era, its lineup had receded to a small, more exclusive one. In 2013, it announced plans to sell 50,000 vehicles each year around the world in 2015, more than eight times as many as it sold in 2011. The Ghibli used the M158 platform of the new sixth-generation Quattroporte, and shared its twin-turbocharged V6 petrol and turbocharged V6 diesel engines. There was a choice of rear- or all-wheel drive, while an eight-speed automatic transmission was standard across the range. The Quattroporte's twin-turbo V8 wasn't added until 2020, while at the other end of the spectrum the Ghibli gained a turbocharged four-cylinder mild-hybrid powertrain. Other changes to the Ghibli during its lengthy run mirrored those of the Quattroporte: new infotainment and a suite of active safety tech for 2017, and an expanded suite in 2018 enabled by the switch to an electric-assisted power steering setup. The Ghibli helped Maserati reach its 50,000-unit target, albeit a couple of years late. Alas, the brand's sales dropped from then. In 2022, Maserati announced its plans to transition to an EV-only lineup by 2028, but conspicuous by its absence from these plans was the Ghibli nameplate. Instead, both it and the Quattroporte are set to be replaced by a single sedan model bearing the latter's nameplate, though this has subsequently been delayed to 2028. In Australia, from a height of 345 sales in 2015, the Ghibli gradually declined before an uptick in 2021 to 152 sales. They then slumped to double digits, and just 17 Ghiblis found homes in Australia this year to the end of November. From its debut year, the Levante took over as Maserati's best-selling vehicle locally, a title it maintained until the launch of the smaller SUV in 2023. The Ghibli remains on Maserati's local website, but with production having ended it's only a matter of time before the nameplate is retired for a third time. Even as it rolls out new electric vehicles (EVs) like the , Mini has updated its long-running three- and five-door hatchbacks and convertible and given them a slightly fresher look. The same treatment hasn't been extended to the long-running , which Mini ended production of in February after two generations. It's probably best to blame the as, in many markets including ours, given the choice of a wagon or an SUV most buyers will opt for the latter. BMW launched Mini as a standalone brand in 2000, and for the first several years of its life it only sold a hatchback. A convertible followed, before the Clubman was launched as Mini's third body style. It came during a period where Mini was rapidly and creatively expanding its lineup or, to put it less charitably, throwing things at a wall and seeing what stuck. If debuted in 2007, and was followed in 2010 by the Countryman SUV (which did stick) and the Roadster, Coupe and Paceman (which didn't). Mini wisely added a pair of conventional rear passenger doors with the second-generation Clubman, which launched in Australia in 2015, replacing the suicide door setup of its predecessor. A more practical alternative to the hatchback it was based on, the second-generation Clubman stuck with the rear barn doors of its predecessor – highly unusual for a wagon in 2024. The second-generation Clubman moved to the UKL2 platform underpinning vehicles like the . While this platform was used for a raft of vehicles including BMW and Mini-branded hatchbacks, sedans and even a people mover, the quirky Clubman was the only wagon. While it offered a choice of petrol powertrains (though as with its predecessor, no diesel in Australia), including a hot John Cooper Works model with a turbocharged four-cylinder engine and all-wheel drive. Between the launch of the second-gen model and the end of November 2024, Mini Australia sold 3143 Clubmans. It was a steady if unexceptional seller, but over the same period Mini sold around twice as many Countryman SUVs. The may have been the prettiest mid-sized Peugeot since the 406 Coupe of the 1990s, but that wasn't enough to save it. While it lives on in Europe, in September Peugeot Australia pulled the plug on the liftback and wagon "in response to changing consumer preferences in the segment". It arguably wasn't a surprise, given Ford, Kia and Volkswagen, among other brands, had already exited the mid-sized segment. Peugeot sales have also been broadly on a downward trajectory over the past decade. Peugeot Australia added a plug-in hybrid version of the 508 Fastback in 2022, with a Sportwagon PHEV following in 2023. But with one hand Peugeot Australia giveth, and with one another it taketh away. Later in 2023, Peugeot axed the petrol-powered 508s, leaving only the pricier PHEVs. Unusually, the Sportwagon PHEV was introduced after Peugeot revealed a facelifted version of the 508 in Europe, for which it conspicuously didn't announce specific local launch timing. The facelifted model never came, and when Peugeot UK announced earlier this year it was axing the 508, its local demise appeared inevitable. The second-generation 508's best year in Australia was 2021, with 240 sold. That was a far cry from the first-generation model which in 2012, its first full year on the market, recorded 1085 sales. In fairness to the 508, mid-sized passenger car sales have fallen over the past decade or so. But in 2023, the 508's 156 sales saw it outsold by the and , and even more niche models like the You can still buy a in Australia, but it's quite a different creature. The last examples of the RS Trophy hot hatch, the sole remaining member of the combustion-powered Megane range, were sold earlier this year as the new electric joined the local lineup. The RS-badged Megane hatch, sent off with a special-edition RS Ultime, was the last member of a once significantly wider lineup of small Renaults. The current, fourth-generation Megane was revealed in 2015 and went on sale locally late in 2016. Wagon and sedan models, introduced in 2017, were dropped in 2019 along with the entry-level Zen hatch, while the RS Sport and RS Cup hatchbacks were axed in 2021. That left just the RS Trophy. Not only was the Australian Megane lineup winnowed down locally, the car was discontinued in almost every market. Turkish production continues, however, of the sedan. This mirrors what happened with the , with a once-wide lineup continually chipped away at in Australia until a single hot hatch was left, before the nameplate was axed entirely. The Focus is also being discontinued globally. Renault only sold 69 Meganes in Australia in 2023. That was well down on the 1259 units it shifted in 2017, its first full year on sale. The Megane RS Trophy (and RS Ultime) used a turbocharged 1.8-litre four-cylinder engine, mated with either a six-speed manual or six-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission, producing 221kW of power and 420Nm of torque (400Nm in the manual) Those outputs remained competitive even among a growing contingent of hot hatches on the local market. While Renault is moving away from hot petrol-powered models, it's entering the hot electric hatch fray with both its namesake brand and its Alpine spinoff. It remains to be seen whether these hot EVs will come here, however. Content originally sourced from: Advertisement Sign up for our newsletter to stay up to date. We care about the protection of your data. Read our . Advertisement

While Napoli are reluctant to part ways with their prized asset, Esposito's release clause gives Inter Milan the opportunity to sign him for a relatively modest fee. The Nerazzurri are reportedly prepared to meet the €5 million buyout clause in order to secure his services.Begun, the OLED monitor price wars have! We’re already seeing tons of deals on gaming displays for Black Friday, and OLED upgrades have recently smashed through a $500 price floor. This 27-inch AOC 1440p OLED monitor is the cheapest one we’ve seen yet, with . That’s a whopping $200 off its regular price, making it less than half of what you’d pay for a similar monitor just a little while ago. Though AOC is generally a budget brand, this Agon Pro AG276QZD isn’t skimping. It’s a 27-inch monitor with the “sweet spot” QHD (2560×1440) resolution that’s popular with PC gamers right now. And with its 240Hz refresh rate, 0.03ms response time, and Nvidia G-Sync compatibility, it’s more than fast enough for intense online multiplayer games. The screen gives you DisplayPort and double HDMI inputs, plus two USB-A ports, a headphone port, a little RGB bling around the back, and VESA mounting if you want to add a monitor arm. The included stand is pretty good, with a vertical option and an angled base if you like to contort your gaming keyboard into weird spots. The only thing missing here is USB-C for easy laptop connections, but at this price that’s a justified sacrifice. Newegg is offering free shipping and labeling this as a “Black Friday Deal,” so presumably it’ll stick around for the next week. The price might stay the same, but Newegg’s stock might go quickly... so if you’re ready to buy! If this isn’t quite what you’re looking for, then check out our dedicated ! Michael is a 10-year veteran of technology journalism, covering everything from Apple to ZTE. On PCWorld he's the resident keyboard nut, always using a new one for a review and building a new mechanical board or expanding his desktop "battlestation" in his off hours. Michael's previous bylines include Android Police, Digital Trends, Wired, Lifehacker, and How-To Geek, and he's covered events like CES and Mobile World Congress live. Michael lives in Pennsylvania where he's always looking forward to his next kayaking trip.

Man Sentenced to 4 Years and 2 Months in Prison for Counterfeiting Currency Worth ¥8,760

Defending national champion South Carolina women defeated by UCLA 77-62 for their first loss since the 2023 Final Four

5. Jiangsu Investment GroupIPL 2025: DC retain McGurk for Rs 9 cr & Harshal Patel joins SRH for Rs 8 crFollowing numerous consumer complaints and reports of pets falling ill after consuming certain pet foods, the regulatory authorities wasted no time in launching a thorough inquiry into the matter. Upon closer inspection, it was revealed that several popular pet food brands had been engaging in deceptive practices by misrepresenting the actual ingredients in their products.

In a world where success is often equated with instant gratification and overnight fame, this couple's story serves as a reminder that true fulfillment comes from dedication, hard work, and a willingness to embrace the unexpected twists and turns of life. Their journey of using 50,000 kilograms of radishes to reinvent themselves is a testament to the transformative power of perseverance and the boundless potential that lies within each of us.PLAINS, Ga. (AP) — Newly married and sworn as a Naval officer, Jimmy Carter left his tiny hometown in 1946 hoping to climb the ranks and see the world. Less than a decade later, the death of his father and namesake, a merchant farmer and local politician who went by “Mr. Earl,” prompted the submariner and his wife, Rosalynn, to return to the rural life of Plains, Georgia, they thought they’d escaped. The lieutenant never would be an admiral. Instead, he became commander in chief. Years after his presidency ended in humbling defeat, he would add a Nobel Peace Prize, awarded not for his White House accomplishments but “for his decades of untiring effort to find peaceful solutions to international conflicts, to advance democracy and human rights, and to promote economic and social development.” The life of James Earl Carter Jr., the 39th and longest-lived U.S. president, ended Sunday at the age of 100 where it began: Plains, the town of 600 that fueled his political rise, welcomed him after his fall and sustained him during 40 years of service that redefined what it means to be a former president. With the stubborn confidence of an engineer and an optimism rooted in his Baptist faith, Carter described his motivations in politics and beyond in the same way: an almost missionary zeal to solve problems and improve lives. Carter was raised amid racism, abject poverty and hard rural living — realities that shaped both his deliberate politics and emphasis on human rights. “He always felt a responsibility to help people,” said Jill Stuckey, a longtime friend of Carter's in Plains. “And when he couldn’t make change wherever he was, he decided he had to go higher.” Carter's path, a mix of happenstance and calculation , pitted moral imperatives against political pragmatism; and it defied typical labels of American politics, especially caricatures of one-term presidents as failures. “We shouldn’t judge presidents by how popular they are in their day. That's a very narrow way of assessing them," Carter biographer Jonathan Alter told the Associated Press. “We should judge them by how they changed the country and the world for the better. On that score, Jimmy Carter is not in the first rank of American presidents, but he stands up quite well.” Later in life, Carter conceded that many Americans, even those too young to remember his tenure, judged him ineffective for failing to contain inflation or interest rates, end the energy crisis or quickly bring home American hostages in Iran. He gained admirers instead for his work at The Carter Center — advocating globally for public health, human rights and democracy since 1982 — and the decades he and Rosalynn wore hardhats and swung hammers with Habitat for Humanity. Yet the common view that he was better after the Oval Office than in it annoyed Carter, and his allies relished him living long enough to see historians reassess his presidency. “He doesn’t quite fit in today’s terms” of a left-right, red-blue scoreboard, said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, who visited the former president multiple times during his own White House bid. At various points in his political career, Carter labeled himself “progressive” or “conservative” — sometimes both at once. His most ambitious health care bill failed — perhaps one of his biggest legislative disappointments — because it didn’t go far enough to suit liberals. Republicans, especially after his 1980 defeat, cast him as a left-wing cartoon. It would be easiest to classify Carter as a centrist, Buttigieg said, “but there’s also something radical about the depth of his commitment to looking after those who are left out of society and out of the economy.” Indeed, Carter’s legacy is stitched with complexities, contradictions and evolutions — personal and political. The self-styled peacemaker was a war-trained Naval Academy graduate who promised Democratic challenger Ted Kennedy that he’d “kick his ass.” But he campaigned with a call to treat everyone with “respect and compassion and with love.” Carter vowed to restore America’s virtue after the shame of Vietnam and Watergate, and his technocratic, good-government approach didn't suit Republicans who tagged government itself as the problem. It also sometimes put Carter at odds with fellow Democrats. The result still was a notable legislative record, with wins on the environment, education, and mental health care. He dramatically expanded federally protected lands, began deregulating air travel, railroads and trucking, and he put human rights at the center of U.S. foreign policy. As a fiscal hawk, Carter added a relative pittance to the national debt, unlike successors from both parties. Carter nonetheless struggled to make his achievements resonate with the electorate he charmed in 1976. Quoting Bob Dylan and grinning enthusiastically, he had promised voters he would “never tell a lie.” Once in Washington, though, he led like a joyless engineer, insisting his ideas would become reality and he'd be rewarded politically if only he could convince enough people with facts and logic. This served him well at Camp David, where he brokered peace between Israel’s Menachem Begin and Epypt’s Anwar Sadat, an experience that later sparked the idea of The Carter Center in Atlanta. Carter's tenacity helped the center grow to a global force that monitored elections across five continents, enabled his freelance diplomacy and sent public health experts across the developing world. The center’s wins were personal for Carter, who hoped to outlive the last Guinea worm parasite, and nearly did. As president, though, the approach fell short when he urged consumers beleaguered by energy costs to turn down their thermostats. Or when he tried to be the nation’s cheerleader, beseeching Americans to overcome a collective “crisis of confidence.” Republican Ronald Reagan exploited Carter's lecturing tone with a belittling quip in their lone 1980 debate. “There you go again,” the former Hollywood actor said in response to a wonky answer from the sitting president. “The Great Communicator” outpaced Carter in all but six states. Carter later suggested he “tried to do too much, too soon” and mused that he was incompatible with Washington culture: media figures, lobbyists and Georgetown social elites who looked down on the Georgians and their inner circle as “country come to town.” Carter carefully navigated divides on race and class on his way to the Oval Office. Born Oct. 1, 1924 , Carter was raised in the mostly Black community of Archery, just outside Plains, by a progressive mother and white supremacist father. Their home had no running water or electricity but the future president still grew up with the relative advantages of a locally prominent, land-owning family in a system of Jim Crow segregation. He wrote of President Franklin Roosevelt’s towering presence and his family’s Democratic Party roots, but his father soured on FDR, and Jimmy Carter never campaigned or governed as a New Deal liberal. He offered himself as a small-town peanut farmer with an understated style, carrying his own luggage, bunking with supporters during his first presidential campaign and always using his nickname. And he began his political career in a whites-only Democratic Party. As private citizens, he and Rosalynn supported integration as early as the 1950s and believed it inevitable. Carter refused to join the White Citizens Council in Plains and spoke out in his Baptist church against denying Black people access to worship services. “This is not my house; this is not your house,” he said in a churchwide meeting, reminding fellow parishioners their sanctuary belonged to God. Yet as the appointed chairman of Sumter County schools he never pushed to desegregate, thinking it impractical after the Supreme Court’s 1954 Brown v. Board decision. And while presidential candidate Carter would hail the 1965 Voting Rights Act, signed by fellow Democrat Lyndon Johnson when Carter was a state senator, there is no record of Carter publicly supporting it at the time. Carter overcame a ballot-stuffing opponent to win his legislative seat, then lost the 1966 governor's race to an arch-segregationist. He won four years later by avoiding explicit mentions of race and campaigning to the right of his rival, who he mocked as “Cufflinks Carl” — the insult of an ascendant politician who never saw himself as part the establishment. Carter’s rural and small-town coalition in 1970 would match any victorious Republican electoral map in 2024. Once elected, though, Carter shocked his white conservative supporters — and landed on the cover of Time magazine — by declaring that “the time for racial discrimination is over.” Before making the jump to Washington, Carter befriended the family of slain civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., whom he’d never sought out as he eyed the governor’s office. Carter lamented his foot-dragging on school integration as a “mistake.” But he also met, conspicuously, with Alabama's segregationist Gov. George Wallace to accept his primary rival's endorsement ahead of the 1976 Democratic convention. “He very shrewdly took advantage of his own Southerness,” said Amber Roessner, a University of Tennessee professor and expert on Carter’s campaigns. A coalition of Black voters and white moderate Democrats ultimately made Carter the last Democratic presidential nominee to sweep the Deep South. Then, just as he did in Georgia, he used his power in office to appoint more non-whites than all his predecessors had, combined. He once acknowledged “the secret shame” of white Americans who didn’t fight segregation. But he also told Alter that doing more would have sacrificed his political viability – and thus everything he accomplished in office and after. King's daughter, Bernice King, described Carter as wisely “strategic” in winning higher offices to enact change. “He was a leader of conscience,” she said in an interview. Rosalynn Carter, who died on Nov. 19 at the age of 96, was identified by both husband and wife as the “more political” of the pair; she sat in on Cabinet meetings and urged him to postpone certain priorities, like pressing the Senate to relinquish control of the Panama Canal. “Let that go until the second term,” she would sometimes say. The president, recalled her former aide Kathy Cade, retorted that he was “going to do what’s right” even if “it might cut short the time I have.” Rosalynn held firm, Cade said: “She’d remind him you have to win to govern.” Carter also was the first president to appoint multiple women as Cabinet officers. Yet by his own telling, his career sprouted from chauvinism in the Carters' early marriage: He did not consult Rosalynn when deciding to move back to Plains in 1953 or before launching his state Senate bid a decade later. Many years later, he called it “inconceivable” that he didn’t confer with the woman he described as his “full partner,” at home, in government and at The Carter Center. “We developed a partnership when we were working in the farm supply business, and it continued when Jimmy got involved in politics,” Rosalynn Carter told AP in 2021. So deep was their trust that when Carter remained tethered to the White House in 1980 as 52 Americans were held hostage in Tehran, it was Rosalynn who campaigned on her husband’s behalf. “I just loved it,” she said, despite the bitterness of defeat. Fair or not, the label of a disastrous presidency had leading Democrats keep their distance, at least publicly, for many years, but Carter managed to remain relevant, writing books and weighing in on societal challenges. He lamented widening wealth gaps and the influence of money in politics. He voted for democratic socialist Bernie Sanders over Hillary Clinton in 2016, and later declared that America had devolved from fully functioning democracy to “oligarchy.” Yet looking ahead to 2020, with Sanders running again, Carter warned Democrats not to “move to a very liberal program,” lest they help re-elect President Donald Trump. Carter scolded the Republican for his serial lies and threats to democracy, and chided the U.S. establishment for misunderstanding Trump’s populist appeal. He delighted in yearly convocations with Emory University freshmen, often asking them to guess how much he’d raised in his two general election campaigns. “Zero,” he’d gesture with a smile, explaining the public financing system candidates now avoid so they can raise billions. Carter still remained quite practical in partnering with wealthy corporations and foundations to advance Carter Center programs. Carter recognized that economic woes and the Iran crisis doomed his presidency, but offered no apologies for appointing Paul Volcker as the Federal Reserve chairman whose interest rate hikes would not curb inflation until Reagan's presidency. He was proud of getting all the hostages home without starting a shooting war, even though Tehran would not free them until Reagan's Inauguration Day. “Carter didn’t look at it” as a failure, Alter emphasized. “He said, ‘They came home safely.’ And that’s what he wanted.” Well into their 90s, the Carters greeted visitors at Plains’ Maranatha Baptist Church, where he taught Sunday School and where he will have his last funeral before being buried on family property alongside Rosalynn . Carter, who made the congregation’s collection plates in his woodworking shop, still garnered headlines there, calling for women’s rights within religious institutions, many of which, he said, “subjugate” women in church and society. Carter was not one to dwell on regrets. “I am at peace with the accomplishments, regret the unrealized goals and utilize my former political position to enhance everything we do,” he wrote around his 90th birthday. The politician who had supposedly hated Washington politics also enjoyed hosting Democratic presidential contenders as public pilgrimages to Plains became advantageous again. Carter sat with Buttigieg for the final time March 1, 2020, hours before the Indiana mayor ended his campaign and endorsed eventual winner Joe Biden. “He asked me how I thought the campaign was going,” Buttigieg said, recalling that Carter flashed his signature grin and nodded along as the young candidate, born a year after Carter left office, “put the best face” on the walloping he endured the day before in South Carolina. Never breaking his smile, the 95-year-old host fired back, “I think you ought to drop out.” “So matter of fact,” Buttigieg said with a laugh. “It was somehow encouraging.” Carter had lived enough, won plenty and lost enough to take the long view. “He talked a lot about coming from nowhere,” Buttigieg said, not just to attain the presidency but to leverage “all of the instruments you have in life” and “make the world more peaceful.” In his farewell address as president, Carter said as much to the country that had embraced and rejected him. “The struggle for human rights overrides all differences of color, nation or language,” he declared. “Those who hunger for freedom, who thirst for human dignity and who suffer for the sake of justice — they are the patriots of this cause.” Carter pledged to remain engaged with and for them as he returned “home to the South where I was born and raised,” home to Plains, where that young lieutenant had indeed become “a fellow citizen of the world.” —- Bill Barrow, based in Atlanta, has covered national politics including multiple presidential campaigns for the AP since 2012.In a thrilling turn of events, yesterday saw two stunning victories in the Champions League as fans around the world were treated to an exceptional display of football prowess. The stage is now set for an epic showdown as European giants prepare to face off against each other in the upcoming matches. Among these heavyweight clashes, all eyes are on the mighty Real Madrid as they gear up to face fierce competition. The question on everyone's mind is: Can Real Madrid emerge unscathed from these battles?

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The rapper took to social media to answer fan questions, where she confirmed that a new tour will be launched alongside the "next official album". In a follow-up post, she clarified: "Well let me clarify... you'll be notified of a tour in 2025. With the album. Not that the tour will start in 2025." The post comes less than a month before the rapper drops the final deluxe version of her 2023 album Pink Friday 2. Pink Friday 2 - The Hiatus is set for release on 13 December - just over a year after the release of the original album.City Friends Club expands environmental efforts in Larnaca and Paphos

DALLAS Cowboys star Micah Parsons has clarified his comments about his head coach Mike McCarthy. Parsons seemingly spoke out about McCarthy 's work ethic earlier in the season. After the Cowboys' November 10 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles , Parsons made postgame comments that appeared to criticize his head coach. For the first time since those comments, Parsons has clarified what he meant. "When I'm talking about 'here,' I'm thinking the Dallas Cowboys," Parsons said. "I was in middle school, elementary school when Mike McCarthy was with the Packers, and I have no reference to that. Read more on the NFL "So, when I'm talking about here Dallas Cowboys and what was accomplished the most, I'm thinking about the guys, and I've only ever been here. "So obviously no disrespect to [McCarthy's] career and what he's made for himself as one of the most winningest coaches. I could have done better. "I was angry and I just didn't finish, and I wasn't as thoughtful as I usually am. I didn't think people would take that context the way it was. That's on me. "I lost [the game], I didn't want to finish, and I wanted to hurry up out of the locker room. Most read in American Football "Next time I will be very careful about what I say. So that's my apologies." Originally, Parsons tried to defend team veterans but used McCarthy's name during his defense. "You want to win games and do great things with those type of legends who put in more time and work than Mike McCarthy ever did," he said. "So, those are the kind of guys that I have so much sympathy and hurt for." Parsons and McCarthy had a discussion together the day after her made the initial comments. "The most important thing is obviously how much love I have for Coach McCarthy," Parsons said. 1. Andy Reid - Chiefs - $20 million 2. Sean Payton - Broncos - $18 million =3. Mike Tomlin - Steelers - $16 million =3. Jim Harbaugh - Chargers - $16 million 5. Sean McVay - Rams - $15 million 6. Kyle Shanahan - 49ers - $14 million 7. John Harbaugh - Ravens - $12 million =8. Dan Campbell - Lions - $11 million =8. Sean McDermott - Bills - $11 million 10. Mike MacDonald - Seahawks - $10 million "You never want to throw shade or anything on your coach. But I think like anything, him understanding I'm always going to be a players' guy first, right. "I'm always going to think about the guys around me before anyone. That's who I go to war with. Read More on The US Sun "Those are the guys that are leaning on me and I'm leaning on them. That's how we feed our families. That's kind of what I wanted to get across. "We hashed it out, it was all good and gravy."

Kashmir, endowed with rich natural resources and breathtaking landscapes, is uniquely positioned to harness renewable energy. With abundant sunlight, flowing rivers, and favorable wind conditions, the region holds vast potential for renewable energy production. Strategic investments in these resources could transform Kashmir into a hub of sustainable economic growth, providing employment opportunities and resilience for its people. My vision for Kashmir centers on seizing this opportunity to foster economic prosperity, environmental sustainability, and social progress. Government Policies: Laying the Foundation for Renewable Growth Renewable energy has been identified as a cornerstone of India’s broader energy strategy, and Jammu & Kashmir stands to benefit immensely from this focus. The National Solar Mission aims to capitalize on the region’s abundant sunshine, while the Hydro Energy Policy emphasizes harnessing the power of Kashmir’s rivers for clean electricity. At the state level, initiatives such as subsidies for solar installations and public-private partnerships reflect a commitment to fostering renewable growth and making sustainable energy accessible to all. Despite these policies, there remain challenges in bringing renewable projects to fruition, primarily due to logistical issues and implementation delays. These obstacles, however, are not insurmountable, and with increased focus on localized execution, the potential for renewable energy adoption in Kashmir is boundless. Solar and Hydropower: Pillars of Sustainability in Kashmir The Jammu and Kashmir Energy Development Agency (JAKEDA) has recently taken significant strides towards solarisation by issuing e-tenders for installing 344 MW of solar rooftop plants across the Union Territory. This includes 70 MW for 8,548 government buildings under Capex mode and 238 MW for 9,877 buildings under RESCO mode. To date, 36 MW of solar capacity has already been installed, marking meaningful progress in the region’s renewable energy journey. These developments underscore the region’s potential to lead in solar power production and serve as a model for renewable energy adoption. Hydropower continues to be a cornerstone of Kashmir’s renewable energy potential. The Union Minister for Power and New & Renewable Energy announced that the energy deficit in Jammu & Kashmir has dropped from 17.8% in 2018-19 to just 1.5% in 2023-24, thanks to ongoing renewable energy projects. Four major hydroelectric projects—Kiru (624 MW), Ratle (850 MW), Kwar (540 MW), and Karnah (12 MW)—have been launched since 2019, with a combined capacity of 2,026 MW. Over the next 8 to 10 years, an additional 7,000 MW of hydropower capacity is expected to be added, significantly boosting the region’s energy security and economic prospects. The Jammu & Kashmir State Power Development Corporation Limited (JKSPDC) has also generated over 48,808 million units of energy since 2014-15 from 13 hydropower projects. This focus on hydropower is not only transforming the local energy landscape but also creating jobs in economically underdeveloped areas, contributing to the socio-economic development of the region. While existing hydroelectric plants contribute to the local grid, there remains vast potential for expansion. A focus on micro-hydel projects could provide reliable electricity to remote villages, ensuring energy access even in the most isolated areas. Public-private partnerships and investments will be pivotal in scaling these solar and hydro initiatives to meet both local and regional energy needs. E-Rickshaws: Green Mobility and Economic Empowerment One of the initiatives I have spearheaded through KYARI (Kashmir’s Yumberzal Applied Research Institute) is the introduction of e-rickshaws in Srinagar, in collaboration with Stairs – Empowering Youth. This project promotes sustainable transportation while uplifting economically disadvantaged communities. E-rickshaws, powered by renewable energy, provide an eco-friendly alternative to conventional vehicles, significantly reducing emissions and contributing to a cleaner, healthier urban environment. Beyond transportation, the e-rickshaw initiative is a powerful tool for social empowerment, providing livelihoods to economically marginalized individuals. Many young people have seized this opportunity, securing stable incomes while contributing to a greener Kashmir. This initiative is a testament to the dual impact of renewable energy—addressing environmental concerns while driving economic empowerment—and highlights the transformative potential of community-driven green solutions. Empowering Women and Youth: The Heart of Renewable Growth For renewable energy to truly benefit the people of Kashmir, it must be inclusive. At KYARI, we have focused on ensuring that women and youth are at the center of these renewable projects. Empowering women through initiatives like community solar installations is crucial to transforming their economic status and enabling them to participate in the decision-making process within their households. In the past year, we have seen women leading solar initiatives, training others in maintenance, and forming cooperatives to sustain these projects. Similarly, the youth of Kashmir hold immense potential, and renewable energy projects present them with the opportunity to develop skills, engage in meaningful work, and build a sustainable future. From training in solar panel installations to participating in micro-hydel projects, young people have taken charge of their economic destiny, showcasing resilience and creativity. Challenges on the Path to Renewable Energy Adoption While the opportunities are vast, implementing renewable energy projects in Kashmir is not without its challenges. Logistical challenges pose a significant hurdle. The mountainous terrain and difficulty in accessing remote areas make transporting materials and building infrastructure a complex task. Connectivity issues further hinder the implementation of large-scale projects in the valley, particularly in villages that are not easily accessible. Financial challenges are also a key concern. Funding renewable projects requires a concerted effort from both public and private sectors. Limited access to financing options and high upfront costs are significant barriers for smaller players who wish to contribute to the renewable energy landscape. Addressing these financial barriers with subsidies, incentives, and favorable loan schemes is essential to driving growth in this sector. Policy implementation gaps also present a challenge. Although there are several policies aimed at fostering renewable energy, the gap between policy formulation and on-ground implementation often results in stalled projects. Streamlined, effective execution is necessary for these policies to bring about tangible change in the region. Opportunities Ahead: Charting the Course for Renewable Growth The future of renewable energy in Kashmir is filled with opportunities, and the roadmap to realizing this potential will require coordinated efforts. Increased collaboration between the government and private sectors can catalyze the growth of renewable energy, providing the needed capital and technological expertise. Moreover, emerging technologies such as advanced solar panels, efficient battery storage, and smart grid systems hold promise for making renewable energy projects more viable and scalable. Cross-border renewable energy trade could also be a future possibility for Kashmir. Sharing renewable energy resources with neighboring regions would not only bolster local economies but also foster a spirit of cooperation and mutual growth. By investing in research and development, the region can innovate and find unique solutions to the challenges faced in implementing renewable energy. Realizing a Sustainable Future for Kashmir Harnessing renewable energy is an opportunity to transform Kashmir’s economy, environment, and society. It is a path to sustainability, resilience, and inclusive growth. By focusing on solar, hydroelectric, and green transportation initiatives such as e-rickshaws, we can pave the way for a future where Kashmir thrives not only as a beautiful tourist destination but also as a beacon of sustainable development. Together, by working across sectors and embracing innovative approaches, we can make renewable energy the foundation of a prosperous and self-sufficient Kashmir—a place where opportunities are limitless, and progress is shared by all. About the Author Arhan Bagati is a distinguished Kashmiri Pandit and a prominent figure in social work and public policy, focusing on the development of Jammu & Kashmir. He has a notable academic background, with studies at Pomona College, the University of Cambridge, and currently at Harvard, pursuing a Master’s in Public Policy. Arhan’s leadership extends beyond academia, particularly through his role as the Awareness and Impact Ambassador for the Paralympic Committee of India, and as the founder of KYARI, which addresses critical issues in Kashmir, from education to sustainable development.All Wright scores 26 and Valparaiso earns 93-77 win over Central Michigan

Patrick Mahomes and Chiefs win at the buzzer again, topping Panthers 30-27 on Shrader's field goalELON (3-2) Adams 1-3 2-4 4, Anderson 1-7 4-6 6, Doty 0-2 0-0 0, Pass 2-3 1-2 5, Preston 6-11 1-2 14, Dereje 2-3 0-0 4, Wadkovsky 0-0 0-0 0, Angel 7-13 3-5 20, Ervin 3-6 3-4 10, Khalil 0-0 0-0 0, Morrow 0-1 3-4 3, Shaw 0-0 3-3 3, Walton 0-1 0-0 0, Willard 0-2 0-0 0, Totals 22-52 20-30 69 VIRGINIA TECH (5-1) Baker 3-7 1-2 7, Micheaux 8-12 3-7 19, Ekh 5-12 2-2 16, Wenzel 2-10 6-8 11, Lani White 2-7 2-2 7, Ramiya White 0-1 0-0 0, Nelson 5-7 2-2 12, Petersen 2-6 0-0 4, Suffren 2-2 2-2 6, Wells 2-3 1-1 5, Totals 31-67 19-26 87 3-Point Goals_Elon 5-15 (Anderson 0-2, Preston 1-3, Angel 3-7, Ervin 1-2, Willard 0-1), Virginia Tech 6-18 (Baker 0-2, Ekh 4-8, Wenzel 1-4, L.White 1-1, Nelson 0-1, Petersen 0-2). Assists_Elon 9 (Pass 4), Virginia Tech 21 (Micheaux 10). Fouled Out_Elon Adams, Virginia Tech Suffren. Rebounds_Elon 30 (Angel 6, Preston 6), Virginia Tech 42 (Micheaux 14). Total Fouls_Elon 21, Virginia Tech 19. Technical Fouls_None. A_5,156.None

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( ) shares are no longer among the world's top 20 payers, according to the latest Global Dividend It's not that the miner has slipped from its position as a dividend king amongst other businesses. In 2005, BHP paid 19.5 cents per share in dividends. In the last 12 months, the mining giant's payout has been $2.22 per share, with a trailing of about 5.5%. That's an 11.5 times growth in income alone over that 19-year period. And BHP's payments reached as high as $4.60 per share during the mining cycle of 2022 when many companies were paying special dividends from their free . Alas, the mining giant's fall from this prestigious list highlights the latest shift in global dividend distributions. Let's take a closer look. Why have BHP shares dropped out? The Janus Henderson report measures global dividend trends over time, allowing investors to make useful comparisons between countries and sectors. It constructs an index, with the base year of 2009 starting at 100. It is now approaching the 250 level. Janus' latest findings show global dividends reached a Q3 record of US$431.1 billion in 2024, up 3.1% year on year. Businesses are in good shape and returning capital to their shareholders. Great. But BHP's dividends have been overshadowed by major cuts in the mining sector. This fits with the broader trend of resource-heavy nations like Australia seeing softer payouts amidst declining commodity prices. In a seasonally important quarter for the region, payouts from Asia-Pacific ex Japan were markedly lower, dragged down by weakness in Australia.. A stronger Australian dollar boosted the headline growth rate... but the underlying picture was down 0.8%. The list also shows that BHP was in the top 10 global dividend payers in six of the last seven years, taking the third quarter of each year into consideration. Australia's also appear among the global tech and mining colossi. Go, Australia. In Q3 2021, BHP was the largest payer, whereas in Q3 2022, it was the second largest. But fast forward to the most recent quarter, and BHP shares are nowhere to be found on the list. In fact, there is hardly a mining company in the top 20, let alone the aristocrats on the list. What's driving this shift? The shift in how companies return significant capital to their shareholders is part of the dynamics of the global economy. Markets move in cycles, predicated by movements in the overall business cycle. Janus Henderson's report attributes the overall 3% growth in global dividends to the United States and Asia-Pacific, excluding Japan. US tech companies like and now dominate the rankings, with Microsoft claiming the fourth spot last quarter. But it's Chinese companies that have lifted the payouts this year, with the top three and fifth companies on the list all reigning supreme. In terms of sector payouts, the average from 2018 to date is seen in the table below, rearranged in descending order. Is there still value in BHP shares? Despite falling from the dividend-paying elite, Goldman Sachs rates BHP shares a buy with a $47.30 price target. The broker likes BHP's investment in its Chilean copper operations, which, if executed perfectly, could deliver up to 0.5 million tonnes of annual production. Copper is considered a critical metal for the energy transition, with demand expected to soar over the next decade. Time will tell how this progresses for BHP. Foolish takeout BHP shares may have fallen from the top 10 global dividend payers' list, but that doesn't mean the company has stopped its policy of returning cash to its shareholders. On the contrary, consensus expects dividends of $1.6073 per share in 2025, presenting a of 4.3% before the open on Monday.Planned Parenthood sees spike in demand for contraceptives after election

A a day has become the secret to for one of Australia's oldest people. or signup to continue reading Bridget Grocke, who turned on November 18, 2024, has had a can of Emu Export beer every day for more than 60 years. "If there was a bunch of , I would choose that one; I'd always choose that one," Mrs Grocke said. Her one vice, she swears by the daily ritual, which has become her secret to a long life. But she also credits her longevity to the strong bonds she has with family. Mrs Grocke's daughter, Jan Robertson, said her mother's strength and independence have been constants throughout her life. "Her daily Emu Export is just a part of who she is, and it's heartwarming to see her reaching this milestone with the same joy and routine she's had for decades," Mrs Robertson said. Mrs Grocke was the second oldest of seven children. Born in the Perth suburb of Leederville in 1914, she spent time in Kalgoorlie and went across Western Australia as the family followed her father's work as an engine driver. She helped her mother Eva Jennings - who only had one arm - with meals, organising clothing, peeling potatoes, making pastries and doing the washing with a copper and washing dolly. Mrs Grocke worked as a cashier at Montgomery Brothers' Store in Kalgoorlie, and it was her job to count the money, tally it up and present a balance sheet. "Her diligent work earned her respect and recognition from her employees," Mrs Robertson said. Mrs Grocke also worked at David Jones in Perth, plus went off travelling to New Zealand, Europe, Asia and elsewhere. She married Jim at St Joseph's Catholic Church in Subiaco in 1942. "Their relationship was deeply loving, they did everything together and raised four kids together," Mrs Robertson said. During World War II, Bridget and her friends didn't focus on the hardships; they kept active and social, enjoying outdoor games and tennis. Mrs Grocke said her four children are her proudest achievement. She lived independently at home in Doubleview until aged 109, when she moved into Bethanie Subiaco. There, she enjoys physical activities like darts and staying engaged with her surroundings. "She's not one for puzzles or books but thrives on movement and staying physically active," Mrs Robertson said. Mrs Grocke uses a a walker for stability - but can do without one. Things she wants younger generations to know about life and/or growing older are to be nice to people - "they will be nice to you back", and always be honest. "Mum always talked about respect, manners and boundaries and to cherish family moments," Mrs Robertson said. "Simple things like sitting together at the table for dinner every single night with no distractions or external factors - something we have continued for generations to enjoy good old family discussions." While she has experienced loss - her husband Jim who passed in 1985, and two of her children - she still has her youngest sibling, plus one daughter (Mrs Robertson) and a son. Today, Bridget has 10 grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren. Ken Weeks, Australia's oldest person, turned 111 in October 2024. Advertisement Sign up for our newsletter to stay up to date. We care about the protection of your data. Read our . AdvertisementA judge on Monday rejected a request to block a San Jose State women’s volleyball team member from playing in a conference tournament on grounds that she is transgender. Monday’s ruling by U.S. Magistrate Judge S. Kato Crews in Denver will allow the player, who has played all season, to continue competing in the Mountain West Conference women’s championship scheduled for later this week in Las Vegas. The ruling comes after a lawsuit was filed by nine current players who are suing the Mountain West Conference to challenge the league’s policies for allowing transgender players to participate. The players argued that letting her compete was a safety risk and unfair. While some media have reported those and other details, neither San Jose State nor the forfeiting teams have confirmed the school has a trans women’s volleyball player. The Associated Press is withholding the player’s name because she has not publicly commented on her gender identity. School officials also have declined an interview request with the player. Judge Crews referred to the athlete as an “alleged transgender” player in his ruling and noted that no defendant disputed that San Jose State rosters a transgender woman volleyball player. He said the players who filed the complaint could have sought relief much earlier, noting that the individual universities had acknowledged that not playing their games against San Jose State this season would result in a forfeit in league standings. He also said injunctions are meant to preserve the status quo. The conference policy regarding forfeiting for refusing to play against a team with a transgender player had been in effect since 2022 and the San Jose State player has been on the roster since 2022 – making that the status quo. The player competed at the college level three previous seasons, including two for San Jose State, drawing little attention. This season’s awareness of her identity led to an uproar among some players, pundits, parents and politicians in a political campaign year. The tournament starts Wednesday and continues Friday and Saturday. San Jose State is seeded second. The judge's order maints the seedings and pairings for the tournament. With a 12-6 conference record, San Jose State is ranked fourth among the 11 teams in the conference. The team’s overall record of 14-6 is best in the league. Several teams refused to play against San Jose State during the season, earning losses in the official standings. Boise State and Wyoming each had two forfeits while Utah State and Nevada both had one. Southern Utah, a member of the Western Athletic Conference, was first to cancel against San Jose State this year. Nevada’s players stated they “refuse to participate in any match that advances injustice against female athletes,” without providing further details. Crews served as a magistrate judge in Colorado’s U.S. District Court for more than five years before President Joe Biden appointed him to serve as a federal judge in January of this year.(The Center Square) – The University System of Georgia’s Board of Regents has recommended a number of new and revised policies for its institutions, such as a commitment to institutional neutrality, the prohibiting of DEI tactics, and a mandatory education in America’s founding documents. The University System of Georgia (USG) is made up of Georgia’s 26 public colleges and universities as well as Georgia Archives and the Georgia Public Library Service. “USG institutions shall remain neutral on social and political issues unless such an issue is directly related to the institution’s core mission,” the board’s proposed revisions read . “Ideological tests, affirmations, and oaths, including diversity statements,” will be banned from admissions processes and decisions, employment processes and decisions, and institution orientation and training for both students and employees. “No applicant for admission shall be asked to or required to affirmatively ascribe to or opine about political beliefs, affiliations, ideals, or principles, as a condition for admission,” the new policy states. Additionally, USG will hire based on a person’s qualifications and ability. “The basis and determining factor” for employment will be “that the individual possesses the requisite knowledge, skills, and abilities associated with the role, and is believed to have the ability to successfully perform the essential functions, responsibilities, and duties associated with the position for which the individual is being considered.” Beginning in the 2025-2026 academic year, the school’s civic instruction will require students to study founding American documents among other things. USG students will learn from the Declaration of Independence, the United States Constitution and Bill of Rights, the Articles of Confederation, the Federalist Papers, the Gettysburg Address, the Emancipation Proclamation, and Martin Luther King Jr.’s Letter from Birmingham Jail, as well as the Georgia Constitution and Bill of Rights. When reached for comment, the Board of Regents told The Center Square that “these proposed updates strengthen USG’s academic communities.” The recommended policies allow a campus environment “where people have the freedom to share their thoughts and learn from one another through objective scholarship and inquiry,” and “reflect an unyielding obligation to protect freedom, provide quality higher education and promote student success,” the board said. The board told The Center Square that it proposed strengthening “the requirements for civics instruction” with the inclusion of “foundational primary sources” because of higher education’s duty to students. Colleges and universities “must prepare [students] to be contributing members of society and to understand the ideals of freedom and democracy that make America so exceptional,” the board said. As for ditching DEI, the board explained that “equal opportunity and decisions based on merit are fundamental values of USG.” “The proposed revisions among other things would make clear that student admissions and employee hiring should be based on a person’s qualifications, not his or her beliefs,” the board said. The Board of Regents also said it wants to “ensure [its] institutions remain neutral on social and political issues while modeling what it looks like to promote viewpoint diversity, create campus cultures where students and faculty engage in civil discourse, and the open exchange of ideas is the norm.” USG’s Board of Regents recently urged the NCAA to ban transgender-identifying men from participating in women’s sports, in line with the NAIA rules, The Center Square previously reported .

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Video game ends ‘collaboration’ with Conor McGregorAs a participant in multiple affiliate marketing programs, Localish will earn a commission for certain purchases. See full disclaimer below* Whether you're looking to upgrade your next movie night setup or hoping to game with higher-quality graphics, Cyber Monday is a great time to get the best TVs for a lower price. We rounded up some of the biggest sales going on right now to help you save on your next TV purchase. Best Cyber Monday TV deals for 2024 Insignia 32-inch Fire TV This TV is a great option for your living room, bedroom or office. Measuring 32 inches, it's decently sized, yet still easy to fit on a table or TV stand. It's also an Amazon Fire TV, so you'll have access to a wide variety of channels and apps. Currently, you can get it for under $100 at 46% off. TCL 40-inch Roku TV This TV has been rated five stars over 30,000 times on Amazon, and it's currently on sale for 27% off. It's compatible with both Alexa and Google Assistant and since it's a Roku TV, you'll have access to tons of channels and apps. Amazon 43-inch Fire TV You can get this great Fire TV for 38% off. It's compatible with 4K Ultra HD, Dolby Digital Plus and Alexa Voice. Amazon is also offering six months free of an MGM+ subscription with the purchase of this TV. Insignia 50-inch Fire TV This 4K Ultra HD TV is an Amazon bestseller and is currently on sale for 37% off. Enjoy high-quality resolution and a large screen size. This TV also comes with Alexa voice, so you can easily speak commands into the remote. SAMSUNG 85 Class DU7200B Crystal UHD 4K Smart TV This 85-inch TV is perfect for larger rooms and offers 4K resolution and accurate color representation thanks to Samsung's PurColor technology. Shop it now below $1,000. Toshiba 75-inch Fire TV If you're looking for a larger TV, this Toshiba 75-inch is a great deal. It boasts 4K resolution and both Dolby Vision HDR and Dolby Atmos. Save $200 on this TV for Cyber Monday. Amazon 75-inch Fire TV Enjoy cinematic 4K TV quality with this 75-inch Amazon Fire TV, which comes with Dolby Vision and Alexa voice control. Hisense 100-inch TV If you're looking for a large family room TV, this deal is a steal. Get this 100-inch Hisense TV for over $1,000 off right now. Both the QLED display technology and advanced full array local dimming bring you a high-quality viewing experience. Plus, this TV is also compatible with Alexa and Google Assistant. More TV deals below: Amazon 50-inch Fire TV for under $300. SAMSUNG 55-inch Class DU6900 Crystal UHD 4K Smart TV for under $300. LG 43-inch Class 4K UHD 2160P webOS Smart TV for just $350. *By clicking on the featured links, visitors will leave Localish.com and be directed to third-party e-commerce sites that operate under different terms and privacy policies. Although we are sharing our personal opinions of these products with you, Localish is not endorsing these products. It has not performed product safety testing on any of these products, did not manufacture them, and is not selling, or distributing them and is not making any representations about the safety or caliber of these products. Prices and availability are subject to change from the date of publication.mnl168.org 。

Saturday was a chaotic day of college football for many teams around the country. Seven ranked teams lost with just one week left in the regular season. The weekend's biggest upset was the Oklahoma Sooners taking down the No. 7 Alabama Crimson Tide. The Sooners were 14.5-point underdogs on ESPN BET . The Florida Gators also pulled off an upset, beating the No. 9 Ole Miss Rebels as 13.5-point underdogs on ESPN BET . The No. 5 Indiana Hoosiers, No. 19 Army Black Knights, No. 14 BYU Cougars, No. 15 Texas A&M Aggies, and No. 16 Colorado Buffaloes also lost. After the events of the Week 13 slate, Pat McAfee focused on the Big Ten and the game the No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes played, which ended in a 38-15 win over Indiana. On a recent episode of "The Pat McAfee Show," McAfee praised the Buckeyes and believed they "made a statement" win their dominant win. Defensive back Caleb Downs returning punts during the game furthered McAfee's stance in his eyes. © Kyle Robertson/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images "...The fact that Caleb Downs is returning punts against Indiana tells you this Ohio State team wanted to make a statement, and they certainly did, AJ," McAfee said. Ohio State and Ryan Day made a statement on Saturday #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/8r1vBF1zIM With the win, Ohio State improved to 10-1 overall and 7-1 in the Big Ten. The Hoosiers, with the same record, moved to third in the Big Ten standings now that Ohio State has the head-to-head tiebreaker. Ohio State takes on its hated rival, the Michigan Wolverines, next on Saturday. Kickoff is at noon ET on Fox. Related: Pat McAfee Makes Major Deion Sanders, Colorado Prediction

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2 Dec 2024 ‘France needs compromise’ says MP from Macron’s party Ciaran Jenkins Data Correspondent and Presenter The French government looks likely to fall this week – after left-wing and far-right parties lodged no-confidence motions in the prime minister. Michel Barnier has only been in the job since September, but both ends of the political spectrum are unhappy at him using special powers to try and force through a belt-tightening budget without a vote. We spoke to Éléonore Caroit – she’s a member of the French National Assembly from President Macron’s Renaissance party and represents French people living overseas. Share on Facebook Share Share on Twitter Tweet Share on WhatsApp Send Share on WhatsApp Send Share on WhatsApp Email Load more share options

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In its manifesto, Labour promised to tighten the rules around political donations. Officials are now examining a slate of ideas including donation caps and further restrictions on foreign cash. Change will take time, as the plans are still at an early stage and ministers are not due to bring forward proposals until at least 2026. But speculation that Elon Musk could donate $100m to Nigel Farage’s party, Reform UK , will trigger a fresh clamour for stricter rules. The Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000 stipulates that all donations and loans to political parties worth more than £500 must come from “permissible sources”. The key requirement for donors to be permissible, according to the Electoral Commission, is that they must be registered in the UK – either by being a voter on the electoral register or a UK company, trade union or LLP. They can also be unincorporated associations in the UK. Two potential avenues have been floated: either through the UK arm of the social media company X or by securing UK citizenship, which his father Errol has said he is eligible for because his grandmother was British. Labour has been critical of a reform ushered in by the Conservatives in 2022, which extended the franchise to overseas voters who have been away from the UK for more than 15 years. The change, which came after a protracted legal battle by the second world war veteran Harry Shindler, allowed Britons living abroad for more than 15 years to vote and donate to political parties. In opposition, Labour warned that this would “allow those with tenuous links to the UK, who have spent most of their lives in states that may even be openly hostile to our aims, the right to massively influence our system”. Labour has also previously called on the election watchdog to look into instances where the Tories appeared to have received donations from shell companies and firms that had ceased to exist. There are no limits, but campaigners have argued for them to be introduced for decades. Labour received millions during the last parliament from Gary Lubner, the former Autoglass boss; Dale Vince, the founder of gas and electricity supplier Ecotricity; David Sainsbury, the former chair of Sainsbury’s supermarkets; and his daughter, Fran Perrin. The Conservatives benefited from a series of big donations from the controversial businessman Frank Hester , who gave the party £20m between the start of 2023 and the 2024 general election. Mohamed Mansour, who served as a minister under former Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak, gave the party £5m . One of the heftiest donations in recent history was £8m from Sainsbury to the Liberal Democrats in the run-up to the 2019 election. Political funding in the US dwarfs that in the UK. Independent fundraising and campaigning groups called super political action committees (Super Pacs) can raise unlimited amounts of cash for presidential candidates – as long as they do not coordinate with candidates’ campaigns and disclose their donors. Musk’s Super Pac reportedly spent about $200m to help elect Donald Trump this year. There are concerns that the UK political donations system, which campaigners say is already not fit for purpose, is unprepared for the prospect of involvement from US billionaires such as Musk.

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US prosecutors seek to drop federal criminal cases against TrumpThe people that president-elect Donald Trump has selected to lead federal health agencies in his second administration include a retired congressman, a surgeon and a former talk-show host. All of them could play pivotal roles in fulfilling a new political agenda that could change how the government goes about safeguarding Americans' health — from health care and medicines to food safety and science research. And if Congress approves, at the helm of the team as Department of Health and Human Services secretary will be prominent environmental lawyer and anti-vaccine organizer Robert F. Kennedy Jr.According to IRNA, citing media sources, the Israeli Radio and Television Organization announced that the results of a survey show that 68 percent of Israelis support compulsory military service for all Zionists. In this survey, only 17 percent of participants favored exempting Haredi Jews from military service. The issue of military service is one of the most contentious that the Zionist regime has faced, and this has caused major rift between the right-wing and left-wing political forces and deep gaps between secular Zionists and the Orthodox Haredi in Occupied lands. Since the creation of Israel in Occupied Palestine, ultra-Orthodox Jews were exempted from compulsory military service while studying. But calls got lauder in recent years for them to join the Zionist army, prompting the top Israeli court to strike down the law exempting ultra-orthodox from the military service. Secularists and leftists want to force them to do compulsory duty, and rightists, while defending them, refuse to force them to do this. The debate over this law is one of the crises the current cabinet headed by Benjamin Netanyahu has been facing. Several Rabbis have issued similar warnings in recent months, with some even suggesting to leave Israel if their youth were forced for the compulsory military duties. Former Sephardic chief rabbi Yitzhak Yosef caused a wave of outrage when he once called on Haredi Jews who had received an order to serve in the army to tear it up and not cooperate with the army. He also threatened last March that if Haredis were forced to join the army, they would all leave Israel. 4399

Nokia Corporation Stock Exchange Release 2 December 2024 at 22:30 EET Nokia Corporation: Repurchase of own shares on 02.12.2024 Espoo, Finland – On 2 December 2024 Nokia Corporation (LEI: 549300A0JPRWG1KI7U06) has acquired its own shares (ISIN FI0009000681) as follows: * Rounded to two decimals On 22 November 2024, Nokia announced that its Board of Directors is initiating a share buyback program to offset the dilutive effect of new Nokia shares issued to the shareholders of Infinera Corporation and certain Infinera Corporation share-based incentives. The repurchases in compliance with the Market Abuse Regulation (EU) 596/2014 (MAR), the Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2016/1052 and under the authorization granted by Nokia’s Annual General Meeting on 3 April 2024 started on 25 November 2024 and end by 31 December 2025 and target to repurchase 150 million shares for a maximum aggregate purchase price of EUR 900 million. Total cost of transactions executed on 2 December 2024 was 3,480,000. After the disclosed transactions, Nokia Corporation holds 364,935,068 treasury shares. Details of transactions are included as an appendix to this announcement. On behalf of Nokia Corporation BofA Securities Europe SA About Nokia At Nokia, we create technology that helps the world act together. As a B2B technology innovation leader, we are pioneering networks that sense, think and act by leveraging our work across mobile, fixed and cloud networks. In addition, we create value with intellectual property and long-term research, led by the award-winning Nokia Bell Labs. With truly open architectures that seamlessly integrate into any ecosystem, our high-performance networks create new opportunities for monetization and scale. Service providers, enterprises and partners worldwide trust Nokia to deliver secure, reliable and sustainable networks today – and work with us to create the digital services and applications of the future. Inquiries: Nokia Communications Phone: +358 10 448 4900 Email: press.services@nokia.com Maria Vaismaa, Global Head of External Communications Nokia Investor Relations Phone: +358 40 803 4080 Email: investor.relations@nokia.com Attachment Daily Report 2024-12-02Jets running back Breece Hall dealing with a knee issue, left tackle Tyron Smith could go on IR

Trump Claims He Has a Presidential Mandate. The Data Says Otherwise.Just keep spinning. Bryant Park’s iconic carousel is back up and running two days after a fire tore through a nearby stall at the green space’s famed holiday market and shuttered several kiosks until further notice, workers told The Post on Sunday. A 19-year-old carousel worker who only gave the initials KM estimated that the carousel ride, located steps away from where Friday’s fire erupted, lost thousands of dollars on the day of the blaze when it had to be shut down. The park attraction was back up and spinning the next day. “We had to close for the day,” KM said. “I was coming into work that day, but then before I left my house, I got a message from my boss, and they were like, ‘Hey, there’s a fire. So you can’t come in to work today.’ ” Trinity Thompson, a stall worker at nearby Babka Bailout, said the fire clean-up effort “was just really fast. “The fire department came [and] blew it out. And then I think two, three hours later, it was just cleaned up in the parking lot. It’s business as usual,” said Thompson, 24. The employee wasn’t working when the fire broke out about 9:20 a.m. She said the blaze didn’t have a big impact on Babka Bailout, which is near the Seapark seafood kiosk where the fire originated. The raging fire at a stall for Seapark – which offers lobster rolls and seafood fries – was “accidental, caused by cooking oil coming in contact with combustibles,” the FDNY said. The blaze appeared to have started as a trash fire, sources told The Post, and then spread to the 6-foot-by-40-foot kiosk. The fire was placed under control by around 10 a.m., officials said later Friday. “There was slight damage to the adjacent kiosk, and there was some heat impingement on the roof of the ice-skating rink behind the kiosk on fire,” FDNY Chief of Battalion 9, Joe Castellano, told reporters at the time. “No real fire spread, just some flame impingement, and you see a little browning of the white roof structure.” Despite the swift recovery effort, not all businesses seemed to get back up on their feet as quickly as others. Seapark is one of four kiosks that remain closed until further notice, according to the vendor’s social media pages. Kiosks for Down the Chimney, Criollas and 4×4 Burger were also shuttered fornow, Seapark said. The holiday market is due to close its doors Jan. 5. “My parents and I have worked so hard to keep this business going for the last few years, and we are now going to endure an extremely heavy lost [sic],” Seapark founders’ son Daniel Xie wrote in a GoFundMe post for the eatery, which amassed nearly half of its $9,000 goal in 48 hours. While most vendors told The Post their business hadn’t been affected by the blaze – and unaffected stalls were able to open starting later in the day Friday – KM reported the carousel’s workers weren’t paid for the day off. “I’m not too worried about the carousel making money, but ... I did not get paid for not coming in that day,” KM said. “It was kind of a bummer, but, you know, s–t happens,” he said. “But still, that kind of sucks, especially during the holidays – [not] being able to help out my family” with the extra cash.By KENYA HUNTER, Associated Press ATLANTA (AP) — As she checked into a recent flight to Mexico for vacation, Teja Smith chuckled at the idea of joining another Women’s March on Washington . As a Black woman, she just couldn’t see herself helping to replicate the largest act of resistance against then-President Donald Trump’s first term in January 2017. Even in an election this year where Trump questioned his opponent’s race , held rallies featuring racist insults and falsely claimed Black migrants in Ohio were eating residents’ pets , he didn’t just win a second term. He became the first Republican in two decades to clinch the popular vote, although by a small margin. “It’s like the people have spoken and this is what America looks like,” said Smith, the Los Angeles-based founder of the advocacy social media agency, Get Social. “And there’s not too much more fighting that you’re going to be able to do without losing your own sanity.” After Trump was declared the winner over Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris , many politically engaged Black women said they were so dismayed by the outcome that they were reassessing — but not completely abandoning — their enthusiasm for electoral politics and movement organizing. Black women often carry much of the work of getting out the vote in their communities. They had vigorously supported the historic candidacy of Harris, who would have been the first woman of Black and South Asian descent to win the presidency. Harris’ loss spurred a wave of Black women across social media resolving to prioritize themselves, before giving so much to a country that over and over has shown its indifference to their concerns. AP VoteCast , a survey of more than 120,000 voters, found that 6 in 10 Black women said the future of democracy in the United States was the single most important factor for their vote this year, a higher share than for other demographic groups. But now, with Trump set to return to office in two months, some Black women are renewing calls to emphasize rest, focus on mental health and become more selective about what fight they lend their organizing power to. “America is going to have to save herself,” said LaTosha Brown, the co-founder of the national voting rights group Black Voters Matter. She compared Black women’s presence in social justice movements as “core strategists and core organizers” to the North Star, known as the most consistent and dependable star in the galaxy because of its seemingly fixed position in the sky. People can rely on Black women to lead change, Brown said, but the next four years will look different. “That’s not a herculean task that’s for us. We don’t want that title. ... I have no goals to be a martyr for a nation that cares nothing about me,” she said. AP VoteCast paints a clear picture of Black women’s concerns. Black female voters were most likely to say that democracy was the single most important factor for their vote, compared to other motivators such as high prices or abortion. More than 7 in 10 Black female voters said they were “very concerned” that electing Trump would lead the nation toward authoritarianism, while only about 2 in 10 said this about Harris. About 9 in 10 Black female voters supported Harris in 2024, according to AP VoteCast, similar to the share that backed Democrat Joe Biden in 2020. Trump received support from more than half of white voters, who made up the vast majority of his coalition in both years. Like voters overall, Black women were most likely to say the economy and jobs were the most important issues facing the country, with about one-third saying that. But they were more likely than many other groups to say that abortion and racism were the top issues, and much less likely than other groups to say immigration was the top issue. Despite those concerns, which were well-voiced by Black women throughout the campaign, increased support from young men of color and white women helped expand Trump’s lead and secured his victory. Politically engaged Black women said they don’t plan to continue positioning themselves in the vertebrae of the “backbone” of America’s democracy. The growing movement prompting Black women to withdraw is a shift from history, where they are often present and at the forefront of political and social change. One of the earliest examples is the women’s suffrage movement that led to ratification in 1920 of the 19th Amendment to the Constitution , which gave women the right to vote. Black women, however, were prevented from voting for decades afterward because of Jim Crow-era literacy tests, poll taxes and laws that blocked the grandchildren of slaves from voting. Most Black women couldn’t vote until the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Black women were among the organizers and counted among the marchers brutalized on the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Alabama, during the historic march in 1965 from Selma to Montgomery that preceded federal legislation. Decades later, Black women were prominent organizers of the Black Lives Matter movement in response to the deaths of Black Americans at the hands of police and vigilantes. In his 2024 campaign, Trump called for leveraging federal money to eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion programs in government programs and discussions of race, gender or sexual orientation in schools. His rhetoric on immigration, including false claims that Black Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, were eating cats and dogs, drove support for his plan to deport millions of people . Related Articles Tenita Taylor, a Black resident of Atlanta who supported Trump this year, said she was initially excited about Harris’ candidacy. But after thinking about how high her grocery bills have been, she feels that voting for Trump in hopes of finally getting lower prices was a form of self-prioritization. “People say, ‘Well, that’s selfish, it was gonna be better for the greater good,”’ she said. “I’m a mother of five kids. ... The things that (Democrats) do either affect the rich or the poor.” Some of Trump’s plans affect people in Olivia Gordon’s immediate community, which is why she struggled to get behind the “Black women rest” wave. Gordon, a New York-based lawyer who supported the Party for Socialism and Liberation’s presidential nominee, Claudia de la Cruz, worries about who may be left behind if the 92% of Black women voters who backed Harris simply stopped advocating. “We’re talking millions of Black women here. If millions of Black women take a step back, it absolutely leaves holes, but for other Black women,” she said. “I think we sometimes are in the bubble of if it’s not in your immediate circle, maybe it doesn’t apply to you. And I truly implore people to understand that it does.” Nicole Lewis, an Alabama-based therapist who specializes in treating Black women’s stress, said she’s aware that Black women withdrawing from social impact movements could have a fallout. But she also hopes that it forces a reckoning for the nation to understand the consequences of not standing in solidarity with Black women. “It could impact things negatively because there isn’t that voice from the most empathetic group,” she said. “I also think it’s going to give other groups an opportunity to step up. ... My hope is that they do show up for themselves and everyone else.” Brown said a reckoning might be exactly what the country needs, but it’s a reckoning for everyone else. Black women, she said, did their job when they supported Harris in droves in hopes they could thwart the massive changes expected under Trump. “This ain’t our reckoning,” she said. “I don’t feel no guilt.” AP polling editor Amelia Thomson DeVeaux and Associated Press writer Linley Sanders in Washington contributed to this report. The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.