Dehradun: The Defence Geoinformatics Research Establishment (DGRE), a laboratory of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), on Sunday issued an orange alert for an avalanche at an altitude of over 3,000 metres in Uttarakhand's Chamoli district over the next 24 hours. The alert is for a period of 24 hours from 5 pm on Sunday to 5 pm on Monday. ET Year-end Special Reads What kept India's stock market investors on toes in 2024? India's car race: How far EVs went in 2024 Investing in 2025: Six wealth management trends to watch out for Uttarakhand State Disaster Management Authority Joint Chief Executive Officer Mohammad Obaidullah Ansari wrote to the district magistrate of Chamoli and drew his attention to the DGRE's orange alert (level 3) for the area. He asked him to take appropriate safety and precautionary measures in view of the alert. All officials concerned should be in alert mode, he said in a communication to the district magistrate. The areas located above 2,500 metres in Chamoli district have witnessed a spell of heavy snowfall over the past few days while the lower areas have received light to medium showers. Artificial Intelligence(AI) Java Programming with ChatGPT: Learn using Generative AI By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Artificial Intelligence(AI) Basics of Generative AI: Unveiling Tomorrows Innovations By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Artificial Intelligence(AI) Generative AI for Dynamic Java Web Applications with ChatGPT By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Artificial Intelligence(AI) Mastering C++ Fundamentals with Generative AI: A Hands-On By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Artificial Intelligence(AI) Master in Python Language Quickly Using the ChatGPT Open AI By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Marketing Performance Marketing for eCommerce Brands By - Zafer Mukeri, Founder- Inara Marketers View Program Office Productivity Zero to Hero in Microsoft Excel: Complete Excel guide 2024 By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Finance A2Z Of Money By - elearnmarkets, Financial Education by StockEdge View Program Marketing Modern Marketing Masterclass by Seth Godin By - Seth Godin, Former dot com Business Executive and Best Selling Author View Program Astrology Vastu Shastra Course By - Sachenkumar Rai, Vastu Shashtri View Program Strategy Succession Planning Masterclass By - Nigel Penny, Global Strategy Advisor: NSP Strategy Facilitation Ltd. View Program Data Science SQL for Data Science along with Data Analytics and Data Visualization By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Artificial Intelligence(AI) AI and Analytics based Business Strategy By - Tanusree De, Managing Director- Accenture Technology Lead, Trustworthy AI Center of Excellence: ATCI View Program Web Development A Comprehensive ASP.NET Core MVC 6 Project Guide for 2024 By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Marketing Digital Marketing Masterclass by Pam Moore By - Pam Moore, Digital Transformation and Social Media Expert View Program Artificial Intelligence(AI) AI-Powered Python Mastery with Tabnine: Boost Your Coding Skills By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Office Productivity Mastering Microsoft Office: Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and 365 By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Marketing Digital marketing - Wordpress Website Development By - Shraddha Somani, Digital Marketing Trainer, Consultant, Strategiest and Subject Matter expert View Program Office Productivity Mastering Google Sheets: Unleash the Power of Excel and Advance Analysis By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Web Development Mastering Full Stack Development: From Frontend to Backend Excellence By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Finance Financial Literacy i.e Lets Crack the Billionaire Code By - CA Rahul Gupta, CA with 10+ years of experience and Accounting Educator View Program Data Science SQL Server Bootcamp 2024: Transform from Beginner to Pro By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Badrinath-Kedarnath temple committee media incharge Harish Gaur said the sun rose after a gap of several days in Badrinath on Sunday but there is one and a half feet of snow frozen at the Himalayan temple. (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel )
New Delhi: India is expected to become Apple 's third-biggest market -after the US and China-by 2026, with volumes sold locally surging by up to a fifth next year to as many as 15 million units, as the iPhone maker pivots toward other emerging economies to offset the impact of an alarming Chinese market-share shrinkage triggered by Huawei's revival. ET Year-end Special Reads Corporate Kalesh: Top family disputes of India Inc in 2024 The world of business lost these eminent people in 2024 Fast, faster, fastest: How 2024 put more speed into your shopping India is currently the fifth-largest market for the US tech giant, while Japan is its third-largest country and the UK the fourth. India's climb up the revenue and sales leaderboards for Apple, experts believe, is being driven by increasing availability of financing options, steep discounts during festivals, and an evident consumer shift in favour of premium products that usually accompanies higher disposable incomes. Meanwhile, Apple lost nearly 10 percentage points by way of market share in China in the 9 months to September. As of the third quarter of 2024, Apple had already shipped 8.5 million units to India, research firm Canalys said, surpassing the volumes for the entire 2023. Apple to be among India's Top 5 Brands Artificial Intelligence(AI) Java Programming with ChatGPT: Learn using Generative AI By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Artificial Intelligence(AI) Basics of Generative AI: Unveiling Tomorrows Innovations By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Artificial Intelligence(AI) Generative AI for Dynamic Java Web Applications with ChatGPT By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Artificial Intelligence(AI) Mastering C++ Fundamentals with Generative AI: A Hands-On By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Artificial Intelligence(AI) Master in Python Language Quickly Using the ChatGPT Open AI By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Marketing Performance Marketing for eCommerce Brands By - Zafer Mukeri, Founder- Inara Marketers View Program Office Productivity Zero to Hero in Microsoft Excel: Complete Excel guide 2024 By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Finance A2Z Of Money By - elearnmarkets, Financial Education by StockEdge View Program Marketing Modern Marketing Masterclass by Seth Godin By - Seth Godin, Former dot com Business Executive and Best Selling Author View Program Astrology Vastu Shastra Course By - Sachenkumar Rai, Vastu Shashtri View Program Strategy Succession Planning Masterclass By - Nigel Penny, Global Strategy Advisor: NSP Strategy Facilitation Ltd. View Program Data Science SQL for Data Science along with Data Analytics and Data Visualization By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Artificial Intelligence(AI) AI and Analytics based Business Strategy By - Tanusree De, Managing Director- Accenture Technology Lead, Trustworthy AI Center of Excellence: ATCI View Program Web Development A Comprehensive ASP.NET Core MVC 6 Project Guide for 2024 By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Marketing Digital Marketing Masterclass by Pam Moore By - Pam Moore, Digital Transformation and Social Media Expert View Program Artificial Intelligence(AI) AI-Powered Python Mastery with Tabnine: Boost Your Coding Skills By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Office Productivity Mastering Microsoft Office: Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and 365 By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Marketing Digital marketing - Wordpress Website Development By - Shraddha Somani, Digital Marketing Trainer, Consultant, Strategiest and Subject Matter expert View Program Office Productivity Mastering Google Sheets: Unleash the Power of Excel and Advance Analysis By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Web Development Mastering Full Stack Development: From Frontend to Backend Excellence By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Finance Financial Literacy i.e Lets Crack the Billionaire Code By - CA Rahul Gupta, CA with 10+ years of experience and Accounting Educator View Program Data Science SQL Server Bootcamp 2024: Transform from Beginner to Pro By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Apple is expected to add 4 million units in the December quarter, driven by strong demand for its latest iPhones. "India is likely to become the third-largest market for Apple in terms of shipments by 2026," said Counterpoint's Research Market Outlook. Financing will play a big role in boosting sales of Apple gadgets, especially for those climbing the consumption ladder. "Premiumisation in India, with readily available financing, boosts affordability for premium smartphones, benefiting Apple's exclusive focus on this segment," said Shubham Singh, research analyst, Counterpoint Research. China Woes Apple has been seeing a steady decline in market share in China where local players have been gaining ground, even in the premium segment, where Apple has been dominant so far, after the resurgence of Huawei. It's market share in China was 24% in the December quarter of 2023, which fell to 15% in Q1 24, and has remained stagnant at 14% as of Q3 2024, when it shipped 10 million units, Canalys said. By contrast, Apple's market share in India has been steadily growing. Canalys estimates Apple to clock 12-12.5 million units in 2024, from 8.5 million in 2023, after a stellar festive season. Counterpoint Research expects iPhones to cross 11 million units, while IDC expects it to cross 12 million. To be sure, despite higher unit sales, increasing localisation and reduction of import duties might cause a slight shrinkage in absolute revenue growth for Apple. Nominations for ET MSME Awards are now open. The last day to apply is December 31, 2024. Click here to submit your entry for any one or more of the 22 categories and stand a chance to win a prestigious award. (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel )
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Republicans made claims about illegal voting by noncitizens a centerpiece of their 2024 campaign messaging and plan to push legislation in the new Congress requiring voters to provide proof of U.S. citizenship. Yet there's one place with a GOP supermajority where linking voting to citizenship appears to be a nonstarter: Kansas. That's because the state has been there, done that, and all but a few Republicans would prefer not to go there again. Kansas imposed a proof-of-citizenship requirement over a decade ago that grew into one of the biggest political fiascos in the state in recent memory. The law, passed by the state Legislature in 2011 and implemented two years later, ended up blocking the voter registrations of more than 31,000 U.S. citizens who were otherwise eligible to vote. That was 12% of everyone seeking to register in Kansas for the first time. Federal courts ultimately declared the law an unconstitutional burden on voting rights, and it hasn't been enforced since 2018. Kansas provides a cautionary tale about how pursuing an election concern that in fact is extremely rare risks disenfranchising a far greater number of people who are legally entitled to vote. The state’s top elections official, Secretary of State Scott Schwab, championed the idea as a legislator and now says states and the federal government shouldn't touch it. “Kansas did that 10 years ago,” said Schwab, a Republican. “It didn’t work out so well.” Steven Fish, a 45-year-old warehouse worker in eastern Kansas, said he understands the motivation behind the law. In his thinking, the state was like a store owner who fears getting robbed and installs locks. But in 2014, after the birth of his now 11-year-old son inspired him to be “a little more responsible” and follow politics, he didn’t have an acceptable copy of his birth certificate to get registered to vote in Kansas. “The locks didn’t work,” said Fish, one of nine Kansas residents who sued the state over the law. “You caught a bunch of people who didn’t do anything wrong.” Kansas' experience appeared to receive little if any attention outside the state as Republicans elsewhere pursued proof-of-citizenship requirements this year. Arizona enacted a requirement this year, applying it to voting for state and local elections but not for Congress or president. The Republican-led U.S. House passed a proof-of-citizenship requirement in the summer and plans to bring back similar legislation after the GOP won control of the Senate in November. In Ohio, the Republican secretary of state revised the form that poll workers use for voter eligibility challenges to require those not born in the U.S. to show naturalization papers to cast a regular ballot. A federal judge declined to block the practice days before the election. Also, sizable majorities of voters in Iowa, Kentucky, Missouri, Oklahoma, South Carolina and the presidential swing states of North Carolina and Wisconsin were inspired to amend their state constitutions' provisions on voting even though the changes were only symbolic. Provisions that previously declared that all U.S. citizens could vote now say that only U.S. citizens can vote — a meaningless distinction with no practical effect on who is eligible. To be clear, voters already must attest to being U.S. citizens when they register to vote and noncitizens can face fines, prison and deportation if they lie and are caught. “There is nothing unconstitutional about ensuring that only American citizens can vote in American elections,” U.S. Rep. Chip Roy, of Texas, the leading sponsor of the congressional proposal, said in an email statement to The Associated Press. After Kansas residents challenged their state's law, both a federal judge and federal appeals court concluded that it violated a law limiting states to collecting only the minimum information needed to determine whether someone is eligible to vote. That's an issue Congress could resolve. The courts ruled that with “scant” evidence of an actual problem, Kansas couldn't justify a law that kept hundreds of eligible citizens from registering for every noncitizen who was improperly registered. A federal judge concluded that the state’s evidence showed that only 39 noncitizens had registered to vote from 1999 through 2012 — an average of just three a year. In 2013, then-Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach, a Republican who had built a national reputation advocating tough immigration laws, described the possibility of voting by immigrants living in the U.S. illegally as a serious threat. He was elected attorney general in 2022 and still strongly backs the idea, arguing that federal court rulings in the Kansas case “almost certainly got it wrong.” Kobach also said a key issue in the legal challenge — people being unable to fix problems with their registrations within a 90-day window — has probably been solved. “The technological challenge of how quickly can you verify someone’s citizenship is getting easier,” Kobach said. “As time goes on, it will get even easier.” The U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear the Kansas case in 2020. But in August, it split 5-4 in allowing Arizona to continue enforcing its law for voting in state and local elections while a legal challenge goes forward. Seeing the possibility of a different Supreme Court decision in the future, U.S. Rep.-elect Derek Schmidt says states and Congress should pursue proof-of-citizenship requirements. Schmidt was the Kansas attorney general when his state's law was challenged. "If the same matter arose now and was litigated, the facts would be different," he said in an interview. But voting rights advocates dismiss the idea that a legal challenge would turn out differently. Mark Johnson, one of the attorneys who fought the Kansas law, said opponents now have a template for a successful court fight. “We know the people we can call," Johnson said. “We know that we’ve got the expert witnesses. We know how to try things like this.” He predicted "a flurry — a landslide — of litigation against this.” Initially, the Kansas requirement's impacts seemed to fall most heavily on politically unaffiliated and young voters. As of fall 2013, 57% of the voters blocked from registering were unaffiliated and 40% were under 30. But Fish was in his mid-30s, and six of the nine residents who sued over the Kansas law were 35 or older. Three even produced citizenship documents and still didn’t get registered, according to court documents. “There wasn’t a single one of us that was actually an illegal or had misinterpreted or misrepresented any information or had done anything wrong,” Fish said. He was supposed to produce his birth certificate when he sought to register in 2014 while renewing his Kansas driver's license at an office in a strip mall in Lawrence. A clerk wouldn't accept the copy Fish had of his birth certificate. He still doesn't know where to find the original, having been born on an Air Force base in Illinois that closed in the 1990s. Several of the people joining Fish in the lawsuit were veterans, all born in the U.S., and Fish said he was stunned that they could be prevented from registering. Liz Azore, a senior adviser to the nonpartisan Voting Rights Lab, said millions of Americans haven't traveled outside the U.S. and don't have passports that might act as proof of citizenship, or don't have ready access to their birth certificates. She and other voting rights advocates are skeptical that there are administrative fixes that will make a proof-of-citizenship law run more smoothly today than it did in Kansas a decade ago. “It’s going to cover a lot of people from all walks of life,” Avore said. “It’s going to be disenfranchising large swaths of the country.” Associated Press writer Julie Carr Smyth in Columbus, Ohio, contributed to this report.Do Not Go to Haiti, Ukraine, Venezuela: New Travel Warning for US HolidaymakersNone
REFORM, Ala. (AP) — A federal judge ruled that the family of former NFL player Glenn Foster Jr., who died in law enforcement custody in Alabama, can pursue a lawsuit alleging his death was the result of excessive force. Foster, a former New Orleans Saints defensive end, died on Dec. 6, 2021, three days after being arrested and taken to jail in rural Pickens County for alleged speeding and attempting to elude police. A judge ordered Foster taken to a medical facility in Tuscaloosa for a mental evaluation. Foster was found unresponsive in the back of a law enforcement vehicle when he arrived at the facility. He was pronounced dead about 30 minutes later. His widow, Pamela Foster, filed a lawsuit against officers at the Pickens County Sheriff’s Office and jail saying Foster had been beaten, shocked with a Taser and strangled while at the jail. The defendants then asked a federal judge to dismiss the case. U.S. District Judge Annemarie Carney Axon ruled Thursday refused to dismiss allegations of excessive force and failure to intervene. Axon dismissed other portions of the lawsuit. The ruling came a day before the third anniversary of Foster’s death. Foster appeared in 17 games for the Saints in 2013 and 2014.
Western Acquisition Ventures Corp. ( NASDAQ:WAVS – Get Free Report ) was the target of a significant decrease in short interest during the month of December. As of December 15th, there was short interest totalling 200 shares, a decrease of 33.3% from the November 30th total of 300 shares. Approximately 0.0% of the company’s stock are sold short. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 2,300 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 0.1 days. Western Acquisition Ventures Stock Performance NASDAQ:WAVS opened at $10.89 on Friday. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $11.11 and its 200-day simple moving average is $10.91. Western Acquisition Ventures has a fifty-two week low of $10.27 and a fifty-two week high of $15.98. Institutional Investors Weigh In On Western Acquisition Ventures An institutional investor recently bought a new position in Western Acquisition Ventures stock. Flow Traders U.S. LLC purchased a new position in shares of Western Acquisition Ventures Corp. ( NASDAQ:WAVS – Free Report ) during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 10,295 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $108,000. Flow Traders U.S. LLC owned approximately 0.29% of Western Acquisition Ventures at the end of the most recent quarter. 6.55% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors. Western Acquisition Ventures Company Profile Western Acquisition Ventures Corp. does not have significant operations. The company intends to effect a merger, capital stock exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, reorganization, or similar business combination with one or more businesses or entities. It intends to acquire businesses operating in the infrastructure and environmental services; health, wellness, and food sustainability; financial technology and financial services; enterprise software and software as a service (SaaS); and leisure and hospitality industries. Recommended Stories Receive News & Ratings for Western Acquisition Ventures Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Western Acquisition Ventures and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter .Arteta backs Martinelli to thrive in ‘bigger role’ at Arsenal after Saka injury
India's former PM Manmohan Singh dies aged 92
Minnesota Vikings hit choreographed High School Musical celebration after fumble recovery vs. PackersTransgender students from kindergarten through college at Ohio public and private schools will be banned from using multiperson bathrooms that fit their gender identities under a measure that Republican Gov. Mike DeWine said Wednesday that he has signed. DeWine signed the law over the objections of Democrats , teachers' unions and civil rights groups, which had hoped that his objections to a ban on gender-affirming care for minors last year would carry through and prompt another veto. It takes effect in 90 days. The governor issued no statement regarding the signing. The Republican-backed measure — labeled the "Protect All Students Act" — requires public and private schools, colleges and universities to designate separate bathrooms, locker rooms and overnight accommodations "for the exclusive use" of either males and females, based on one's gender assigned at or near birth, in school buildings and other facilities used for school-sponsored events. It contains no enforcement mechanism. "It revolves around safety, security, and, I think, common sense. It protects our children and grandchildren in private spaces where they are most vulnerable," said Republican Ohio state Sen. Jerry Cirino, the bill's sponsor. Aaron Baer, president of the Center for Christian Virtue, which backed the bill, said in a statement, "Common sense is on a winning streak in America today. No student should be forced to go into the bathroom or locker room with a student of the opposite sex, and Ohio's kids are better protected now because of Governor DeWine's decision to sign this bill." The ACLU of Ohio was among the groups that had lobbied for a veto, condemning the measure as a violation of the right of privacy of LGBTQ+ Ohioans that will make them less safe. School employees, emergency situations and people assisting young children or someone with a disability are exempted from the restrictions and schools can still offer single-use or family bathrooms. With DeWine's signature, Ohio adds to the pushback that's cropped up nationally among many Republican politicians, including President-elect Donald Trump, as transgender people have gained more visibility and acceptance on some fronts in recent years. Twenty-six states have now adopted laws restarting or banning gender-affirming care for transgender minors. The U.S. Supreme Court is scheduled to hear arguments Dec. 4 on whether Tennessee's ban on such treatments can continue to be enforced; any ruling is likely to impact policies in other states, too. At least 11 states have adopted laws, like Ohio's, barring transgender girls and women from girls and women's bathrooms at public schools – and in some cases, in other government facilities. And at least 24 states have laws dictating which sports competitions transgender girls and women can join. Ohio's bathroom bill was debated for 19 months before finally clearing the GOP-led Legislature on Nov. 13, during Transgender Awareness Week. It was tacked onto a separate piece of legislation by the Ohio House that related to the state's College Credit Plus program, which allows high-schoolers to earn college credit. Trump's campaign leaned heavily into opposing transgender rights in the last weeks of his race against Vice President Kamala Harris, including Trump's vow at a Madison Square Garden rally that "we will keep men out of women's sports" and campaign ads saying, "Kamala's for they/them. President Trump is for you." It's not clear what policies Trump might adopt once he takes office in January. But bills relating to gender issues are already being queued up in state legislatures that come into session early in 2025. In Texas, for instance, there are proposed measures to bar using state money to pay for "gender reassignment," to use state money to pay to reverse gender transitions, and to give people who receive gender-affirming care before they turn 15 until they turn 25 to sue their doctors for malpractice, among others. Democrats in the Republican-dominated legislature there have also introduced some bills intended to protect people from discrimination on the basis of "gender identity or expression." In Ohio, a law that both bars gender-affirming care for minors and blocks transgender girls and women from participating in girls and women's sports competitions took effect in August. It took a rocky path, though. The measure became law only after the legislature overrode DeWine's veto. And after that, a judge put enforcement on hold for about four months before allowing it.
Rajpura (Punjab) [India], December 8 (ANI): Punjab and Haryana police met with farmer leaders in Rajpura on Sunday to discuss concerns over the ongoing farmers' protest after farmer leaders called off the 'Jatha' following injuries to over eight farmers. Tensions escalated at the Punjab-Haryana Shambhu border, where police used tear gas to block farmers attempting to march to Delhi. Also Read | Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhami Launches Winter Char Dham Yatra, Performs Puja at Omkareshwar Temple in Ukhimath. Farmer leader Sarwan Singh Pandher had earlier accused the Punjab government of siding with the central government to suppress the protest. Opposition leaders slammed the government's handling of the situation, highlighting issues faced by farmers, such as fertilizer shortages and the Minimum Support Price (MSP). Further discussions are scheduled for Monday to plan the next steps of the protest. Meanwhile, the Haryana government imposed an internet shutdown in several villages to prevent misinformation, and the central government has yet to respond to key demands. Also Read | Maharashtra Assembly Special Session: 106 Legislators-Elect Take Oath As MLA. In the Sunday meeting in Rajpura, farmer leader Sarwan Singh Pandher and other officials, including Patiala DIG Mandeep Singh Sidhu, participated in the discussions. "A very detailed discussion took place with the farmers... The talks happened in a positive atmosphere, and future rounds of talks will also take place with the farmers," said DIG Sidhu. Ambala DC Parth Gupta stated, "We held a meeting with the farm leaders... Efforts are being made to find a solution." SSP Patiala, Nanak Singh, added, "The meeting happened in a very positive atmosphere... Various officials were present at the meeting. These kinds of meetings will continue." Despite the government's efforts to initiate dialogue, tensions escalated at the Punjab-Haryana Shambhu border, where police used tear gas and attempted to block protesting farmers heading towards Delhi. The farmers' 'Dilli Chalo' march was disrupted after police action at the Shambhu border, leading to injuries among protesters. Farmer leader Sarwan Singh Pandher announced the withdrawal of a group, or "jatha," of 101 farmers scheduled to march towards Delhi on Sunday. "Today we have decided to withdraw the 'jatha.' The agitation will continue today. One farmer has been admitted to PGI and is in serious condition, and 8-9 farmers are injured, so we have withdrawn the 'jatha.' After the meeting, we will tell you about the future program," Pandher said. The injured farmers include Resham Singh, Dilbagh Singh, Mehr Singh, Karnail Singh, Harbhajan Singh, and Kulwinder Singh. Of these, four are in serious condition, with one referred to PGI for treatment. Pandher alleged that the government used excessive force against peaceful protesters. "First, they showered flowers on us, then they fired rubber bullets at us and threw chemicals on us. Several farmers are injured," he said. Pandher slammed the Punjab government, accusing it of aligning with the central government to suppress farmers. "We used to say that Bhagwant Mann's government has some sort of alliance with the central government. Today, the way media is being stopped, the CM and Arvind Kejriwal should come forward and explain this. They (AAP) say that they are with farmers and labourers, then why are they stopping the media? Bhagwant Mann government's face has been exposed," Pandher said. He also accused the state government of attempting to conceal the central government's actions. "The Punjab government is trying to put a shutter on what is being done by the central government," he added. Tensions ran high at the Punjab-Haryana Shambhu border as police deployed tear gas and water cannons to disperse protesters. Drone footage showed police blocking farmers at the border, leading to verbal altercations. DSP Shahabad Ramkumar stated, "The team has been deployed here since morning... We gave clear instructions that we will check their (farmers') identity and permission, and only then will we allow them to move forward... They disagreed. We want them to maintain peace and enter after taking permission." The protests drew sharp reactions from opposition leaders. Former Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda criticised the BJP-led government's handling of the situation. "Democracy allows everyone the right to voice their opinion. Stopping farmers from expressing their views is undemocratic. The government must engage in dialogue to address the issues farmers are facing and find immediate solutions," Hooda said. He highlighted the challenges farmers face, including a shortage of fertilizers and irrigation supplies. "When farmers need fertilizer for sowing, there is no DAP. When they need irrigation, there is no urea, and crops get damaged. These are the problems farmers are facing. The government should address these issues and find solutions," Hooda added. Referring to the ongoing Minimum Support Price (MSP) issue, Hooda stated, "The central government is supposed to provide this (MSP). They (The central government) say they are giving MSP for 24 crops, but the reality is different. During the elections, the Chief Minister had promised Rs 3,100 per quintal for paddy, but now the rate is Rs 2,320, and farmers are getting even less than that." Congress leader Ajay Rai also condemned the government's approach, alleging that farmers are facing severe injustices. "The government is committing atrocities against farmers, and they are adamant about their demands. False assurances have been given. Farmers are being arrested. Initially, they used to get 50 kg of fertilizer, then it was reduced to 45 kg, and now they are only getting 40 kg. Congress stands with them," Rai said. Farmer leader Pandher confirmed that further discussions among farmer groups are scheduled for Monday to assess the situation and plan their next steps. "Both the forums will hold a meeting tomorrow and will chalk out the further strategy," he said. Pandher also expressed frustration over the government's alleged unwillingness to engage in meaningful dialogue. "The Modi government has the most powerful means and resources in the world to spread false propaganda and misinformation. The government does not seem to have any intention of resolving this issue through dialogue with us," he said. Meanwhile, on Friday, Union Minister of State for Agriculture Bhagirath Choudhary, however, reiterated the government's willingness to engage with the farmers. "Doors are open for the farmers to come and have a dialogue regarding their issues. I am also their brother, and if they want to come, doors are open. If they want us to go there, we will go in between them to have a dialogue," Choudhary said. On Friday, the 'Dilli Chalo' march was called off for the day after several farmers were injured during clashes with police at the Punjab-Haryana Shambhu border. The situation escalated when police used tear gas to disperse the farmers, leading to injuries. Farmer leader Sarwan Singh Pandher said, "We have called off the 'Jatha,' not the march to Delhi. Six farmers have been injured." Speaking at the Shambhu border, he added, "They (police) will not let us go to Delhi. Farmer leaders have been injured; we will hold a meeting to decide the future strategy." Criticism of the government's handling of the protests poured in from opposition leaders. Rahul Gandhi, Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, condemned the use of tear gas on farmers. He urged the government to address their demands, including a legal guarantee for Minimum Support Price (MSP) and loan waivers. "Farmers want to come to Delhi to put forward their demands before the government and express their pain. Firing tear gas shells on them and trying to stop them in various ways is condemnable. The government should listen to their demands and problems seriously," Gandhi said in a post on X (formerly Twitter). He also highlighted the plight of farmers, stating, "The suffering of the farmers can be gauged from the fact that today in the country, one farmer is forced to commit suicide every hour. The country has not forgotten the martyrdom of more than 700 farmers in the first farmers' movement due to the extreme insensitivity of the Modi government." Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini, however, slammed the opposition for politicising the protests. He claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has consistently worked in favour of farmers and accused Congress of being responsible for their plight. "The farmers' issue is not a matter of politics. PM Modi has always worked in favour of farmers and has taken decisions that are good for them. Congress is responsible for the current situation of farmers in the country. The opposition should not politicise this issue," Saini said. Meanwhile, the Haryana government had ordered an internet shutdown in ten villages of Ambala from December 6 to 9 to prevent the spread of misinformation. Essential services like banking and mobile recharges remained operational. As tensions persist, the Bhartiya Kisan Parishad (BKP), along with other farmer groups, continues to push for demands including compensation, a legal guarantee for MSP, and permission to protest in Delhi. The central government has yet to respond to these demands, leaving the future of the protests uncertain. (ANI) (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
– Seth Rollins isn’t going to be happy about this. The San Francisco 49ers released a video of WWE Superstar Bayley hyping up and energizing the crowd at today’s 49ers vs. Chicago Bears game. You can view that clip below: Fire us up @itsBayleyWWE !!️ pic.twitter.com/E8IGQpSxKl — San Francisco 49ers (@49ers) December 8, 2024 NINER GANG! https://t.co/XMWQQ7m78m — Bayley (@itsBayleyWWE) December 8, 2024 Bayley’s at the 49ers game today.🏈💛❤️ pic.twitter.com/BIH2kMW8hm — bayley_fan (@wwe_bayleyfan) December 8, 2024 – The Steelers X account shared a fun meme image after defeating the Cleveland Browns, showing their logo over Roman Reigns when he blocked CM Punk during the WarGames match at Survivor Series. The caption evokes Reigns’ catchphrase, “Acknowledge me!” You can view that post below: Acknowledge us☝️ pic.twitter.com/61RRufdt7b — Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) December 8, 2024 – WWE Top 10 showcased the Top 10 NXT Deadline Moments;
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The record will show that tight end Trey McBride had a great season, Marvin Harrison Jr. has a promising future, the Cardinals' defense played over its head for much of the year and Arizona was almost a good football team in 2024. Key word — almost. A frustrating stretch continued on Saturday when the Cardinals (7-9) lost 13-9 to the host Los Angeles Rams . Arizona was pushing for a go-ahead touchdown in the final minute, but Kyler Murray's pass took an unlucky bounce off McBride's helmet and LA's Ahkello Witherspoon made a spectacular grab for the interception, snagging the ball just before it hit the turf. “I think we can compete with anybody, but again, that doesn’t count,” second-year coach Jonathan Gannon said. “It’s about winning and losing, you what I mean? I just got to do a better job, but I know they’re doing the right things.” The Cardinals did a lot of things right against the Rams. Despite being eliminated from the postseason, Arizona competed hard. Murray completed 33 of 48 passes for 321 yards and a touchdown — but also had two interceptions. McBride caught 12 passes for 123 yards, including his first TD catch of the year. Harrison had one of his best games with six catches for 96 yards. “I’m going to choose to be positive about it,” Murray said. “I see a light at the end of that tunnel. I think we’re a couple plays away, a couple of plays away from being a 10-win team or right where we want to be, going to the playoffs or winning the division.” The Cardinals' defense played well for most of the game, limiting the Rams to 257 yards. But in the end, it was another loss. The Cardinals have dropped five of six after starting 6-4. “I know we’re close, man, and I know it’s hard to see that,” Gannon said. “For me, that’s hard to take on the chin but we’ll get better from it. We’ll get better.” What’s working The Murray-to-Harrison connection was much better on Saturday, producing several big plays. Gannon challenged Harrison to be more physical against opposing defensive backs last week, and the receiver responded, looking much more like the player the Cardinals expected when they selected him with the No. 4 overall pick. “I think the physicality of it, coming from college to the league, guys don’t realize how physical you can be when you get to the league,” Murray said. “He's going to be big time.” What needs help After doing a great job of taking care of the ball over the first 11 games, Murray has thrown seven interceptions over the past five. A few of those came in late-game situations when he had to take a chance and force a pass, but it's still not a good trend. Stock up McBride had his third 100-yard game of the season, showing sure hands and fighting through contact for extra yards. The third-year player has 1,081 yards receiving this season, becoming just the second tight end in franchise history to exceed 1,000 yards. The other was Hall of Famer Jackie Smith, who had 1,205 yards in 1967. He has 104 catches and is just the 10th tight end in NFL history to top 100 in a season. Stock down Arizona's special teams have been very good for most of the year, but Los Angeles' block of an extra point attempt by Chad Ryland in the third quarter proved costly. If the Cardinals had trailed by three points on the final drive instead of four, they would have had the option of kicking a tying field goal in the final minute. Injuries RB James Conner tried to battle through a knee injury against the Rams, but gained just 4 yards on the ground. His status for the season's final game is uncertain. LB Joey Blount (ribs) and CB Elijah Jones (ankle) were inactive. Key number 822 — Harrison's receiving yards on the season. That ranks third for a rookie in franchise history behind Anquan Boldin (1,377 in 2003) and Frank Sanders (883 in 1995). Next steps Arizona's final game will be at home on Sunday against the San Francisco 49ers, who are also eliminated from the playoff race. ___ AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl David Brandt, The Associated PressOptions Corner: Winnebago's Implosion Could Signal A Comeback OpportunityThe US Congress has been attempting to “pull back the curtain” on secret research into UFOs - as our map reveals the 13 unexplained objects witnessed above Surrey . The hearing, titled “Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena: Exposing the Truth,” heard from several experts and a variety of witness accounts. Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP) is the new name for Unidentified Flying Objects (UFOs). Experts included government workers and a member of NASA’s UAP Independent Study Team. Michael Gold - former NASA associate administrator of space policy and partnerships and a member of the UAP study team - told the hearing that “the vast majority of UAP are drones”. However, he added that there are anomalies that must be studied and admitted that some of the UAPs observed “can move faster” than US submarines and “are being intelligently controlled”. In Surrey those looking to the skies have reported objects they just can't explain . These include a “black cigar-shaped object which descended from high altitude and swept across the sky” in April, 2021 above Puttenham. While over Guildford , in 2022 a person reportedly saw a 'purple light moving erratically, emitting a saucer-shaped vapour trail when changing directions'. Author and former Department of Defence official Luis Elizondo claimed that “advanced technologies not made by our government - or any other government - are monitoring sensitive military installations around the globe.” He insisted: “Let me be clear. UAP are real.” The hearing, jointly led by Chairs Nancy Mace and Glenn Grothman, was the second to investigate the phenomenon of UAP. “Americans deserve to understand what the government has learned about UAP sightings, and the nature of any potential threats these phenomena pose,” the co-chairs said in a statement. The hearing followed a long-awaited report released by NASA last year which studied previous sightings of UFOs (or UAPs) in the skies. While the report did not find any clear evidence that the sightings were alien, it did admit it was possible they could be. Last year the British spotter group UFO Identified documented a total of 395 sightings in the UK in 2023. That was a 20% drop from 497 UFO sightings in 2022 and also lower than in 2021 (413) and 2020 (484). Those figures include 13 sightings above Surrey, one last year, 10 in 2022, and two in 2021. You can see what UFO encounters have been reported where you live using our interactive map. UFO sightings documented in Surrey included: An aircraft “froze in the sky” above Staines for two hours in September last year, with “strange lights and contrails” around it and a bright sphere close by. A large circular object that appeared to be moving very slowly away from the moon, “too clear and close to be a star” was spotted above Farnham in October 2022. In Epsom in 2021, one person reported a 'submarine shaped object appeared at speed before rotating as it slowed down' Just under half of all documented sightings (48%) include photographic or video evidence. A quarter of all sightings (25%) were of a “star-like” object or objects, moving across the sky. The next most common sighting was of an unidentified object shaped like an “orb” (17%), “sphere”, (10%) and “cylinder” (9%). UFO Identified found that people in the North West had the best chance of seeing a UFO last year, with 41 sightings across the region, followed by the South East (40) and then the South West (39). Separate research by the UFO spotter website Enigma has documented more than 200,000 unexplained encounters above the skies of the USA. More UFOs have been spotted in California than any other US state, just over 28,000. California is followed by Florida (14,500), Texas (12,500) and New York (10,000). But those states have the highest populations in the US - meaning there are more people to watch the skies, and more likely that someone will see something they can’t explain. Taking population size into account, residents of New Mexico are most likely to have seen a UFO. For every 100,000 people, there are 162 sightings. That’s the equivalent of one in 618 people encountering a UFO.In Pictures: Jimmy Carter continued campaigning long after leaving power