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A fresh jattha (batch) of 101 protesting farmers resumed their Delhi Chalo march from the Shambhu area of the Punjab-Haryana border on Sunday only to suspend it shortly before evening as the Haryana security personnel fired teargas shells to disperse them, which resulted in injuries to the protesters. Announcing the decision to suspend the foot march for the day, farmer leaders said they will decide the next course of action on Monday. As the protesting farmers resumed their foot march, they were halted by a multilayered barricade set up by security personnel who surprised the protesters by offering them tea and biscuits and also showering them with flower petals. The protesters, however, claimed it was all a "drama" as the police soon lobbed teargas shells and used water jets to disperse them when they insisted on crossing the Shambhu border. The protesters, dubbed as 'marjeevras' (someone willing to die for a cause), were stopped only a few meters into the march. The standoff continued for over three hours, following which it was called off for the day. Punjab farmer leader Sarwan Singh Pandher in the evening said six farmers were injured. One of them was rushed to the Post-Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) in Chandigarh. Pandher said their protest completed 300 days on Sunday. The next course of action will be decided in a meeting of their forums — the Samyuka Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) and the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha — on Monday. "We have called back the jattha. Whatever happened today was seen by the whole country," said Pandher as he slammed the use of teargas against farmers. “The administration used tactics...immediately after showering flowers, they fired teargas shells and rubber bullets at farmers,” he claimed. Pandher claimed that mediapersons were stopped by the Punjab police from reaching the protest site as their Haryana counterparts had asked them to keep the media at least 1 km away from the protest site. Another farmers' leader, Baldev Singh Zira, said farmers were moving ahead in a peaceful manner and they were not carrying any weapon and criticised the security personnel for using teargas against them. Farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal, meanwhile, continued with his fast unto death at the Khanauri border, which entered the 13th day on Sunday. While in Greater Noida, the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM), in a statement, said, "Farmers who are currently imprisoned in the district jail of Gautam Buddha Nagar have gone on a hunger strike to defend their rights and interests." Ambala police had earlier said the farmer outfits can march to Delhi only after getting permission from the national capital administration. The protesting farmers have been camping at the Shambhu and Khanauri border points between Punjab and Haryana since February 13, pressing for a legal guarantee for minimum support price and other demands.LONDON (AP) — Barely a month after quitting international rugby, former England prop Joe Marler has brought forward his retirement plans and will end his time in the sport completely this week. Marler’s last match will be for Harlequins, his team since 2009, at home to Bristol in the English league on Friday. The 34-year-old Marler had indicated he would continue playing club rugby until the end of the season. He has made 285 appearances for Harlequins since arriving in 2009 and retires with two English league winners medals. “The time has come to finally jump off the rollercoaster and walk away from this beautifully brutal game,” he said Wednesday. The charismatic Marler announced on Nov. 3 that his 95-cap test career was over, days after he left England’s camp ahead of the November internationals because of personal reasons. He had baited New Zealand in the build-up to England’s first autumn test match by criticizing the Haka, stating on social media that it is “ridiculous” and “needs binning.” He later apologized for the comments. ___ AP rugby: https://apnews.com/hub/rugbyI was a great athlete during my school days – Abike Dabiri-Erewa

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WASHINGTON — Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said her agency will need to start taking “extraordinary measures,” or special accounting maneuvers intended to prevent the nation from hitting the debt ceiling , as early as January 14, in a letter sent to congressional leaders Friday afternoon. "Treasury expects to hit the statutory debt ceiling between January 14 and January 23," she wrote in a letter addressed to House and Senate leadership, at which point extraordinary measures would be used to prevent the government from breaching the nation's debt ceiling — which was suspended until Jan. 1, 2025. The department in the past deployed what are known as “extraordinary measures” or accounting maneuvers to keep the government operating. Once those measures run out, the government risks defaulting on its debt unless lawmakers and the president agree to lift the limit on the U.S. government’s ability to borrow. "I respectfully urge Congress to act to protect the full faith and credit of the United States," Yellen said. FILE - U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen speaks during a visit to the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) in Vienna, Va., on Jan. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File) The news came after Democratic President Joe Biden signed a bill into law last week that averted a government shutdown but did not include Republican President-elect Donald Trump’s core debt demand to raise or suspend the nation’s debt limit. Congress approved the bill only after a fierce internal debate among Republicans over how to handle Trump's demand. “Anything else is a betrayal of our country,” Trump said in a statement. After a protracted debate in the summer of 2023 over how to fund the government, policymakers crafted the Fiscal Responsibility Act, which included suspending the nation's $31.4 trillion borrowing authority until Jan. 1, 2025. Notably however, Yellen said, on Jan. 2 the debt is projected to temporarily decrease due to a scheduled redemption of nonmarketable securities held by a federal trust fund associated with Medicare payments. As a result, “Treasury does not expect that it will be necessary to start taking extraordinary measures on January 2 to prevent the United States from defaulting on its obligations," she said. The federal debt stands at about $36 trillion — after ballooning across both Republican and Democratic administrations. The spike in inflation after the COVID-19 pandemic pushed up government borrowing costs such that debt service next year will exceed spending on national security. Republicans, who will have full control of the White House, House and Senate in the new year, have big plans to extend Trump's 2017 tax cuts and other priorities but are debating over how to pay for them. Many consumers may remember receiving their first credit card, either years ago in a plain envelope, or months ago from a smartphone app. Still other consumers may remember their newest card, maybe because it's the credit card they're now using exclusively to maximize cash back rewards or airline miles. But for most consumers, there's also a murky in-between where they add, drop and generally accumulate credit cards over time. Over the years, consumers may close some credit card accounts or leave some of their credit cards dormant as a backup form of payment, or perhaps left forgotten in a desk drawer. In the data below, Experian reveals the changes in consumers wallets in recent years. U.S. consumers, on average, carry fewer cards today than they did in 2017, when the typical wallet held 4.2 active credit cards. As of the third quarter (Q3) of 2023, consumers carried 3.9 cards on average. This average is up slightly since the early days of the pandemic, when consumers reduced their average credit card debt and number of accounts as the economy slowed. As Experian revealed earlier this year, credit card balances are still climbing, despite (and partially because of) higher interest rates. And while average balances are increasing, they are spread across fewer accounts than in recent years. Alternative financing—including buy now, pay later plans for purchases—may account for at least some of this discrepancy, as consumers gravitate toward these newer financing methods. In general, residents of higher-population states tend to carry more credit cards than those who live in states with fewer and smaller population centers. Nonetheless, the difference between the states is relatively small. Considering that the national average is around four credit cards per consumer, the four states with the fewest cards per consumer (Alaska, South Dakota, Vermont and Wyoming) aren't appreciably different, with "only" about 3.3 credit cards per consumer. Similarly, the four states on the higher end of the scale where consumers have 4.2 or more credit cards are Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, New Jersey and Rhode Island. The disparity in average credit card counts is more apparent when the population is segmented by age, thanks in part to Generation Z, many of whom have yet to receive their first credit card. The average number of credit cards for these consumers was two, less than half of what older generations keep on hand. The average number of credit cards held by each generation follows the familiar pattern seen in credit card balances, which tend to increase in a consumer's middle age. It's not surprising that the number of credit card accounts follows a similar climb throughout young adulthood and middle age, then drops off in the retirement years. No matter how many credit cards you may have at the moment, keep in mind that the number of accounts has little if any bearing on one's FICO Score. Far more important is how consumers manage those accounts. This is easily demonstrable by quickly stepping through some of the factors that affect your credit scores . Longer credit histories do tend to have a positive effect on a consumer's credit score, but it's not something you can rush. Adhering to on-time payments and managing amounts owed will go far in improving credit scores, even absent a lengthy credit history. While accounts closed in good standing remain on your credit report for 10 years, canceling your oldest credit card account still has the potential to shorten your credit history when it is eventually removed. The impact of its removal depends on any other active credit cards in your credit file. Ultimately, the number of cards a particular individual carries is a personal decision. Justifications can be found for carrying a travel rewards card, a cash back card, a balance transfer card, a card for business transactions and other types of credit cards that other consumers may not have either the need or qualifications for. However, keeping track of numerous credit cards, whether or not a consumer is actively using all of them, can be a mentally taxing exercise. Not only that, credit card fees can add up and dull the benefit of carrying several credit cards. Organized consumers can benefit greatly from a wallet full of specialized cards, but for those seeking a more zen-like financial future, some judicial pruning may be in order. Methodology: The analysis results provided are based on an Experian-created statistically relevant aggregate sampling of our consumer credit database that may include use of the FICO Score 8 version. Different sampling parameters may generate different findings compared with other similar analysis. Analyzed credit data did not contain personal identification information. Metro areas group counties and cities into specific geographic areas for population censuses and compilations of related statistical data. This story was produced by Experian and reviewed and distributed by Stacker Media. Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter.

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Notre Dame welcomes back public for mass after five-year refitAMMAN — Representing the conference chair, Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Saleh Kharabsheh, Secretary-General Amani Azzam on Wednesday inaugurated the ministerial meeting on the second day of the Energy Charter Treaty Conference in Brussels. Addressing delegates from 30 member states and observers, Azzam emphasised the urgency of advancing a sustainable energy future, according to an Energy Ministry statement. She also highlighted the pivotal role of the modernised Energy Charter Treaty in protecting investments and offering crucial guarantees to investors in clean energy technologies. Azzam called for leveraging the treaty to create a stable and predictable investment climate that fosters green growth. She also showcased Jordan’s impressive renewable energy milestones, noting that contributions from solar and wind energy rose from less than 1 per cent in 2014 to nearly 27 per cent in 2024, with plans to surpass 30 per cent by 2030. The growth is supported by advancements in electricity storage technologies, including a hydroelectric storage project designed to optimise renewable energy management, she added. Highlighting Jordan’s green hydrogen ambitions, Azzam announced plans to produce up to 0.6 million tonnes annually by 2030, scaling up to 3.4 million tonnes by 2050. She also outlined efforts to enhance electric transport infrastructure and expand regional power connectivity to establish a sustainable and efficient energy system. Azzam stressed the importance of regional and international cooperation in addressing climate change, citing COP29’s outcomes, which underscored the need for accelerated transitions to sustainable energy systems. The conference’s second day featured the release of the 2024 Energy Investment Risk Assessment Report, the Energy Charter Awards ceremony, and a session of the Energy Charter Industry Advisory Committee. Discussions focused on reducing investment risks in clean energy technologies, protecting investments under the updated treaty, and resolving energy transition disputes within its framework.

Janet Yellen tells Congress US could hit debt limit in mid-JanuaryMeme coins have come a long way since their humble beginnings as internet jokes. With Dogecoin leading the charge back in the day, the meme coin universe has exploded into a multi-billion-dollar market. But here’s the kicker: it’s not just about the memes anymore—it’s about utility, community power, and yes, serious returns. Enter BTFD Coin, which has hit the scene like a wrecking ball with its play-to-earn (P2E) game, staking rewards, and a presale that's got everyone buzzing. If you’ve been keeping an eye on crypto, you’ve probably heard about BTFD Coin’s highly-anticipated presale, which launched on November 26, 2024. The coin is already turning heads in the crypto world, climbing through its presale stages faster than anyone anticipated. Analysts are hyped, predicting solid price growth once it lists. And let’s not forget the insane traction it’s gaining, thanks to its community-first approach and cutting-edge features. Of course, meme coins are nothing without their uniqueness, and while BTFD Coin has the spotlight, there are two other big names to watch: Dogwifhat and Brett. These coins are blending humour, utility, and community in ways we haven’t seen before. So, if you're ready to discover the best meme coins for significant returns, keep reading. BTFD Coin Presale: Get Ready For the Next Big Thing Let’s talk about the star of the show: BTFD Coin . It’s not just another meme coin trying to ride the hype wave. This baby’s got substance, a killer presale performance, and a loyal community of over 2,000 holders already. Here’s the scoop: the presale price started at $0.000004 and is now in Stage 7, where the price has jumped to $0.000064. With over $900,000 raised and 21 billion coins sold, it’s safe to say the bulls are charging full speed ahead. But why all the excitement? BTFD Coin is bringing way more to the table than just vibes. Its play-to-earn (P2E) game lets users earn rewards while having fun—a massive win for gamers and crypto enthusiasts alike. Plus, with its staking rewards, holding BTFD isn’t just about price speculation; it’s about growing your investment passively. Here’s a real-life example to put things into perspective. Let’s say you invested $4,000 in Stage 5 when BTFD was priced at $0.00005 per coin. That would’ve snagged you 80 million BTFD coins. Now, when the coin hits its expected listing price of $0.0006, your stash could be worth a whopping $48,000. That’s a 12x return, folks. And with the presale now in Stage 7 and prices continuing to climb, the FOMO is real. Oh, and did I mention the presale’s blazing momentum? BTFD Coin sold through 25% of its presale journey in just 24 hours. With 16 stages in total, this coin is on track to make waves before it even hits the open market. Dogwifhat: Where Utility Meets Meme Magic Next up, let’s chat about Dogwifhat—a coin that’s proving meme coins can have utility without losing their humour. Dogwifhat’s community is all about good vibes and creativity, but the project itself is no joke. It’s building a decentralised ecosystem that combines utility, fun, and endless meme potential. What makes Dogwifhat stand out? For starters, its multi-chain compatibility means it’s more than just an Ethereum token. Whether you're a Binance Smart Chain fan or love Solana’s speed, Dogwifhat’s got you covered. Plus, its upcoming NFT platform is the talk of the town. Imagine collecting meme-inspired NFTs that could potentially skyrocket in value—because let’s face it, memes are the currency of the internet. And then there’s the humour. Dogwifhat’s branding is on point, delivering laughs while keeping the tech solid. It's like the lovechild of Dogecoin and a Silicon Valley startup—quirky but effective. The coin’s social presence is off the charts too, with meme creators flocking to the community like moths to a flame. If you’re wondering about its financial potential, analysts are optimistic. While it’s still early days, Dogwifhat is positioning itself as a long-term contender in the meme coin space. Think of it as the coin that doesn’t just ride trends—it creates them. Brett: The Meme King with Global Appeal Finally, we’ve got Brett, a coin that’s giving meme culture an international flair. Unlike some meme coins that stick to niche audiences, Brett is casting a wide net, attracting meme lovers from every corner of the globe. And trust me, this isn’t your average meme coin. Brett is as much a lifestyle brand as it is a cryptocurrency. Brett’s secret sauce? It’s all about the culture. The project is leveraging the universal language of memes to build a community that feels more like a movement. From viral marketing campaigns to celebrity endorsements (rumour has it a big-name TikTok star is on board), Brett is going all-in on creating buzz. But it’s not just about the hype. Brett’s roadmap includes features like gamified staking, where you can earn extra rewards by completing meme-themed challenges. It’s the kind of quirky innovation that keeps Gen Z and Millennials hooked. Plus, the team behind Brett is transparent and active on social media, which is a big deal in the crypto world. Financially, Brett is still gaining traction, but its community growth is promising. If you’re looking for a meme coin with global appeal and a touch of unpredictability, Brett might just be your guy. Conclusion If you’re serious about finding the best meme coins for significant returns, BTFD Coin, Dogwifhat, and Brett are all worth a closer look. Each one brings something unique to the table, from BTFD Coin’s presale performance and utility-packed ecosystem to Dogwifhat’s blend of humour and functionality, and Brett’s global meme takeover. But here’s the bottom line: BTFD Coin is the standout. With its presale already raising over $900,000 and the price expected to surge post-launch, this is one opportunity you don’t want to miss. Don’t wait until the price skyrockets—join the BTFD Coin presale now and secure your spot in the next big meme coin success story. The crypto market moves fast, and opportunities like this don’t come around often. So, are you in? Website: https://www.btfd.io/ X/Twitter: https://x.com/BTFD_COIN Telegram: https://t.me/btfd_coin Join our WhatsApp Channel to get the latest news, exclusives and videos on WhatsApp _____________ Disclaimer: Analytics Insight does not provide financial advice or guidance. Also note that the cryptocurrencies mentioned/listed on the website could potentially be scams, i.e. designed to induce you to invest financial resources that may be lost forever and not be recoverable once investments are made. You are responsible for conducting your own research (DYOR) before making any investments. Read more here.

Wake Forest keeps trying new things early in the season, even if not all of the adjustments are by design. The Demon Deacons will try to stick to the script when Detroit Mercy visits for Saturday's game in Winston-Salem, N.C. The Demon Deacons (5-1) will be at home for the final time prior to three consecutive road games. Detroit Mercy (3-2) already has two more victories than all of last season. After a couple of narrow wins and a loss at Xavier, Wake Forest had a smoother time earlier this week in defeating visiting Western Carolina 82-69 on Tuesday night. Yet these are games when teams have to figure where contributions are going to come from in certain situations. The experimenting took a turn for Wake Forest in the Western Carolina game. Center Efton Reid III had limited minutes because of migraines, so there was a shift in responsibilities. Normal backcourt players Cameron Hildreth and Juke Harris logged time at the power forward slot. "That's just part of it," coach Steve Forbes said. "They did a good job adjusting. We ran a lot of stuff and there are several guys learning different positions. ... I give credit to those guys for doing the best job that they could do on the fly and adjusting to the play calls that we ran and the stuff that we changed." Wake Forest could excel if both Parker Friedrichsen and Davin Cosby can be consistent 3-point threats. Friedrichsen slumped with shooting in the first few games of the season and was replaced in the starting lineup by Cosby. In Tuesday's game, Friedrichsen drained four 3-pointers, while Cosby hit two. "It was really good to see Parker and Davin both make shots together," Forbes said. Not everything was solved for the Demon Deacons. Western Carolina collected 12 offensive rebounds, and that took some of the shine off Wake Forest's defensive efforts. "We can't be a good defensive team, or a really good defensive team, unless we rebound the ball," Forbes said. "It's demoralizing to your defense to get stops and then not get the ball." In Detroit Mercy's 70-59 win at Ball State on Wednesday, Orlando Lovejoy tallied 19 points, seven rebounds and five assists. "We got the ball to the shooters and playmakers," first-year Titans coach Mark Montgomery said. "You could tell by the guys' body language that we were going to get a road win. It had been a long time coming." On Saturday, the Titans will look for their second road victory since February 2023. The outcome at Ball State seemed significant to Montgomery. "We had to get over the hump," he said. "Our guys grinded it out." --Field Level MediaNone

New York state government to monitor its use of AI under a new lawNoneWASHINGTON — Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said her agency will need to start taking “extraordinary measures,” or special accounting maneuvers intended to prevent the nation from hitting the debt ceiling , as early as January 14, in a letter sent to congressional leaders Friday afternoon. "Treasury expects to hit the statutory debt ceiling between January 14 and January 23," she wrote in a letter addressed to House and Senate leadership, at which point extraordinary measures would be used to prevent the government from breaching the nation's debt ceiling — which was suspended until Jan. 1, 2025. The department in the past deployed what are known as “extraordinary measures” or accounting maneuvers to keep the government operating. Once those measures run out, the government risks defaulting on its debt unless lawmakers and the president agree to lift the limit on the U.S. government’s ability to borrow. "I respectfully urge Congress to act to protect the full faith and credit of the United States," Yellen said. The news came after Democratic President Joe Biden signed a bill into law last week that averted a government shutdown but did not include Republican President-elect Donald Trump’s core debt demand to raise or suspend the nation’s debt limit. Congress approved the bill only after a fierce internal debate among Republicans over how to handle Trump's demand. “Anything else is a betrayal of our country,” Trump said in a statement. After a protracted debate in the summer of 2023 over how to fund the government, policymakers crafted the Fiscal Responsibility Act, which included suspending the nation's $31.4 trillion borrowing authority until Jan. 1, 2025. Notably however, Yellen said, on Jan. 2 the debt is projected to temporarily decrease due to a scheduled redemption of nonmarketable securities held by a federal trust fund associated with Medicare payments. As a result, “Treasury does not expect that it will be necessary to start taking extraordinary measures on January 2 to prevent the United States from defaulting on its obligations," she said. The federal debt stands at about $36 trillion — after ballooning across both Republican and Democratic administrations. The spike in inflation after the COVID-19 pandemic pushed up government borrowing costs such that debt service next year will exceed spending on national security. Republicans, who will have full control of the White House, House and Senate in the new year, have big plans to extend Trump's 2017 tax cuts and other priorities but are debating over how to pay for them.

Notre Dame welcomes back public for mass after five-year refit

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In recent years, the concept of Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) has gained significant attention from the international community, including the UN and the G20, as a new policy paradigm for development. But understanding the risks of DPI is crucial to ensuring that its potential benefits materialise. The risks stem from the fact that “digital public infrastructure” lacks a clear definition. The term encompasses the many digital technologies that serve as economic and social infrastructure, from digital identification and payment systems to data exchanges and health services. As a policy initiative, though, DPI refers to a vague vision of using these technologies to serve the public interest. This could result in the Internet and technological innovation working for everyone – or just as easily turn them into tools for political control. In discussions about DPI, policymakers often point to cases that highlight how technology and connectivity can spur development. They frequently cite India’s Unified Payments Interface, which has expanded financial inclusion and reduced the costs of digital transactions for its hundreds of millions of users. It is also understood that such infrastructure is to be built with Digital Public Goods (DPGs), a concept that encompasses open-source software, open standards, and other non-proprietary components. This definition is partly intended to position DPIs as being “for the public” but also to enhance competition and mitigate concentrations of power in the global digital economy. Lastly, proponents point out that DPI could bolster international co-operation, particularly as the 20-year review of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) approaches. This important UN initiative has provided the framework for countries to collaborate on digital development. Although authoritarian states have previously sought to assert greater control over the Internet’s governance during these negotiations, a focus on promoting DPI could avoid this politicised debate and instead foster a constructive agenda to bridge digital divides. But basing policy on such an ill-defined concept poses significant risks. Ideally, governments would convene other stakeholders to create an enabling environment for DPI and safeguard users’ rights and interests. It is easy to imagine, however, that some governments will place their own interests above civil liberties and fundamental rights, using this infrastructure for surveillance and targeting in the name of law enforcement or national security. An especially pernicious example could involve the monitoring and regulation of individual behaviour through dystopian social-credit systems. Moreover, while many proponents hope that DPI could chip away at Big Tech’s outsize power, it has also been associated with narratives of digital sovereignty that could contribute to the Internet’s fragmentation – a systemic threat to global communications. For example, one can imagine scenarios in which some governments challenge the multi-stakeholder model for governing global Internet resources like IP addresses and domain names on the grounds that they constitute DPIs. The policy vision of DPI will continue to evolve, and ongoing discussions, it is hoped, will help identify and clarify further opportunities and risks. Initiatives such as the UN’s Universal DPI Safeguards Framework, which seeks to establish guardrails for DPI, are a promising start. But much more must be done. For example, the UN’s framework has recognised the need for continuous learning to ensure that the right safeguards are in place. As the concept of DPI gains traction in the UN system and other multilateral organisations, vigorous and informed debate regarding its potential advantages – and pitfalls – will be essential. With clear-cut policy guidelines and protections, we can help prevent these technologies from becoming tools for surveillance and repression, ensure that everyone benefits from the burgeoning digital economy, and keep the Internet open, globally connected, and secure. – Project Syndicate Related Story QNB recognised as 'Best Digital Experience' in Qatar Qatar establishes WEF's Centre for Fourth Industrial Revolution

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Lake County PTABOA member also on Cook County Board of Review, was arrested for DUI last monthTrump's TikTok love raises stakes in battle over app's fateHow the stock market defied expectations again this year, by the numbers NEW YORK (AP) — What a wonderful year 2024 has been for investors. U.S. stocks ripped higher and carried the S&P 500 to records as the economy kept growing and the Federal Reserve began cutting interest rates. The benchmark index posted its first back-to-back annual gains of more than 20% since 1998. The year featured many familiar winners, such as Big Tech, which got even bigger as their stock prices kept growing. But it wasn’t just Apple, Nvidia and the like. Bitcoin and gold surged and “Roaring Kitty” reappeared to briefly reignite the meme stock craze. Stock market today: Wall Street drifts to a mixed close in thin trading following a holiday pause Stock indexes drifted to a mixed finish on Wall Street as some heavyweight technology and communications sector stocks offset gains elsewhere in the market. The S&P 500 slipped less than 0.1% Thursday, its first loss after three straight gains. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 0.1%, and the Nasdaq composite fell 0.1%. Gains by retailers and health care stocks helped temper the losses. Trading volume was lighter than usual as U.S. markets reopened following the Christmas holiday. The Labor Department reported that U.S. applications for unemployment benefits held steady last week, though continuing claims rose to the highest level in three years. Treasury yields fell in the bond market. Israel strikes Houthi rebels in Yemen's capital while the WHO chief says he was meters away JERUSALEM (AP) — A new round of Israeli airstrikes in Yemen have targeted the Houthi rebel-held capital of Sanaa and multiple ports. The World Health Organization’s director-general said the bombardment on Thursday took place just “meters away” as he was about to board a flight in Sanaa. He says a crew member was hurt. The strikes followed several days of Houthi attacks and launches setting off sirens in Israel. Israel's military says it attacked infrastructure used by the Houthis at the international airport in Sanaa, power stations and ports. The Israeli military later said it wasn’t aware that the WHO chief was at the location in Yemen. Holiday shoppers increased spending by 3.8% despite higher prices New data shows holiday sales rose this year even as Americans wrestled with still high prices in many grocery necessities and other financial worries. According to Mastercard SpendingPulse, holiday sales from the beginning of November through Christmas Eve climbed 3.8%, a faster pace than the 3.1% increase from a year earlier. The measure tracks all kinds of payments including cash and debit cards. This year, retailers were even more under the gun to get shoppers in to buy early and in bulk since there were five fewer days between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Mastercard SpendingPulse says the last five days of the season accounted for 10% of the spending. Sales of clothing, electronics and Jewelry rose. Finland stops Russia-linked vessel over damaged undersea power cable in Baltic Sea FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — Finnish police say authorities detained a ship linked to neighboring Russia as they investigate whether it damaged a Baltic Sea power cable and several data cables. It was the latest incident involving disruption of key infrastructure. Police and border guards boarded the Eagle S and took control as they investigate damage to the Estlink-2 undersea power cable. The cable brings electricity from Finland to Estonia across the Baltic Sea. The cable went down on Wednesday. The incident follows damage to two data cables and the Nord Stream gas pipelines. Both have been termed sabotage. Russian ship that sank in the Mediterranean was attacked, owner says MOSCOW (AP) — The Russian operator of a cargo ship that sank in the Mediterranean Sea between Spain and Algeria says it has been hit by a series of explosions in an act of sabotage. Oboronlogistica is a state-controlled company that operated the Ursa Major freighter. The company said the vessel was wrecked by three powerful explosions just above the water line in what it described as a “terrorist attack” that caused it to sink on Monday. The company said in a statement carried by Russia’s state RIA Novosti news agency on Thursday that the explosions left a hole in the ship’s starboard and filled the engine room with acrid smoke. That hampered the crew’s attempts to access it. Undersea power cable linking Finland and Estonia hit by outage, prompting investigation FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — Finland’s prime minister says authorities are investigating an interruption in a power cable under the Baltic Sea between his country and Estonia. Petteri Orpo said on X that power transmission through the Estlink-2 cable suffered an outage Wednesday. Authorities have been on edge about undersea infrastructure in the Baltic after two international data cables were severed in November and the Nord Stream gas pipelines between Russia and Germany were blown up in September 2022. Japan to maximize nuclear power in clean-energy push as electricity demand grows TOKYO (AP) — A Japanese government panel has largely supported a draft energy policy calling for bolstering renewables up to half of Japanese electricity needs by 2040. It also recommends maximizing the use of nuclear power to accommodate the growing demand for power in the era of AI while meeting decarbonization targets. Cabinet is expected to formally approve the plan by March following a period of public consultation. The policy says nuclear energy should account for 20% of Japan’s energy supply in 2040, with renewables expanded to 40-50% and coal-fired power reduced to 30-40%. Working Well: Returning to the office can disrupt life. Here are some tips to navigate the changes NEW YORK (AP) — Thousands of workers are facing an unsettling reality heading into 2025. After years of working from the comfort of home, they're being told it’s time to return to the office full-time for the first time since the coronavirus pandemic. That can bring a host of challenges, including losing time with family. Workers at Amazon, AT&T and other companies have been called back to the office five days a week. Experts have advice to share about how to navigate the changes when an employer calls you back to the office. Workers can convey what they need, seek flexibility and if all else fails, consider other options. FDA proposes new testing rules to ensure cosmetics are asbestos-free WASHINGTON (AP) — The Food and Drug Administration is proposing a rule that cosmetic companies would have to take extra steps to ensure that any products containing talc are free of asbestos. The rule was proposed Thursday and is intended to reassure consumers about the safety of makeup, baby powder and other personal care products. The rule follows years of lawsuits against Johnson & Johnson and other companies alleging links between talc-based baby powder and cancer. Research has found mixed evidence of a potential link between cancer and talc, although the possibility has been recognized for decades because of how it is mined.

bookmaker bonus Defending champ South Dakota State dominates Montana 35-18 in FCS 2nd roundIn our previous article, we explored the use of presidential aircraft by the President of the People’s Republic of China , Xi Jinping, during his trip to Peru and Brazil in November 2024 to attend the APEC and G20 summits. That article shed light on how the Chinese government arranges flights for its heads of state, focusing on the significance of the aircraft chosen and the diplomatic considerations involved. Coincidentally, this week, the Republic of China ( Taiwan )’s President Lai Ching-te, who took office in May 2024, embarked on his first official overseas trip. As we delve into the details of President Lai’s journey, we take this opportunity to explore which aircraft Taiwan’s leader is using for his international engagements. This article will examine the logistics behind presidential travel in Taiwan, specifically focusing on the aircraft used during this diplomatic visit, and will offer insights into the broader implications of such travel for Taiwan’s international relations. President Lai's first overseas visit On the evening of Friday, December 6, at 18:45, President Lai Ching-te returned to Taipei after concluding a seven-day diplomatic tour. According to the official website of the Office of the President of the Republic of China, this trip primarily targeted Taiwan's allies in the South Pacific, including the Marshall Islands, Tuvalu, and Palau. However, what drew greater international attention were the two additional and controversial stopovers made during the journey—in Honolulu and Guam . Throughout this visit, President Lai used two China Airlines planes: the Airbus A350-900 registered as B-18918 and the Airbus A321 registered as B-18111. B-18918 was delivered to China Airlines on October 22, 2018, as the 239th Airbus A350 ever produced. In contrast, the newer B-18111 joined China Airlines on December 14, 2022, further showcasing the airline’s commitment to maintaining a modern fleet. ​​​​​ Additionally, President Lai chartered a Dassault Falcon 7X, registered as 9H-BELL, from Gestair for specific segments of the trip. This aircraft was used for the flight from the Marshall Islands to Tuvalu and later, on the same day, for the leg from Tuvalu to Guam. The choice of this smaller, long-range private jet underscores the logistical complexity of visiting remote destinations with limited airport infrastructure, ensuring flexibility and operational efficiency during the diplomatic mission. Itinerary of the President Lai Ching-te during South Pacific visit Date From To Aircraft used Nov 30, 2024 Taipei (TPE), Republic of China (Taiwan) Honolulu (HNL), United States Airbus A350-900, China Airlines Dec 3, 2024 Honolulu (HNL), United States Majuro (MAJ), the Marshall Islands Airbus A321, China Airlines Dec 4, 2024 Majuro (MAJ), the Marshall Islands Funafuti (FUN), Tuvalu Dassault Falcon 7X, chartered from Gestair Dec 4, 2024 Funafuti (FUN), Tuvalu Guam (GUM), United States Dassault Falcon 7X, chartered from Gestair Dec 5, 2024 Guam (GUM), United States Airai (ROR), Palau Airbus A321, China Airlines Dec 6, 2024 Airai (ROR), Palau Taipei (TPE), Republic of China (Taiwan) Airbus A321, China Airlines The itinerary highlights both the diplomatic significance of President Lai’s engagements and the logistical precision required to navigate such a comprehensive travel schedule. Discover the aircraft system behind China's state visits: from exclusive presidential aircraft to freighters supporting diplomatic missions. Strategic stopovers: Honolulu and Guam From an aviation perspective, during President Lai's trip, the stopovers in Honolulu and Guam were not technical necessities but deliberate additions to the itinerary. Modern aircraft like the Airbus A350-900 used for the journey between Taipei and Majuro have a range exceeding 15,000 kilometers and are easily capable of completing such segments without requiring intermediate stops. This highlights that including Honolulu and Guam served strategic purposes rather than operational ones. The stopover in Honolulu, a key location in the Pacific, underscores Taiwan’s close yet unofficial ties with the United States. Although labeled as a “transit” point, this brief stay allowed President Lai to engage with local representatives and the Taiwanese-American community. These interactions, while unofficial, play a significant role in maintaining Taiwan’s international presence and reinforcing its relationship with its most critical ally. Similarly, the stop in Guam—a U.S. territory—further demonstrated Taiwan’s alignment with U.S. strategic interests in the Pacific. Guam’s role as a key military and logistical hub in the region adds a layer of geopolitical symbolism to the itinerary. These carefully planned stops for Taiwan send a clear message: the island remains actively engaged in the Indo-Pacific while leveraging every opportunity to strengthen ties with the United States and its allies. From the stopover durations, it is evident that Honolulu and Guam held significant importance on this trip, with extended stays reflecting their strategic and diplomatic value. Stopovers Arrival Time (local time) Departure Time (local time) Stopover Duration Honolulu, United States Nov 30, 07:24 Dec 2, 09:20 49 hours 56 mins (2 nights) Majuro, the Marshall Islands Dec 2, 12:00 Dec 4, 08:06 44 hours 6 mins (2 nights) Funafuti, Tuvalu Dec 4, 10:27 Dec 4, 17:15 6 hours 48 mins Guam, United States Dec 4, 20:43 Dec 5, 15:14 18 hours 31 mins (1 night) Airai, Palau Dec 5, 16:00 Dec 6, 15:57 23 hours 57 mins (1 night) Therefore, during his six-night overseas trip, President Lai spent three nights on U.S. territory and three nights in the three Pacific island nations he visited. Excluding flight time, his actual time spent in these locations totaled 144 hours and 18 minutes , with 69 hours and 27 minutes in the U.S. territories and 74 hours and 51 minutes in the Pacific islands . In other words, almost half of President Lai's trip was spent on U.S. soil. These deliberate layovers go beyond their geographical significance, reflecting a nuanced approach to diplomacy where every landing becomes a statement of Taiwan’s aspirations and resilience on the global stage. Find more news about Asian aviation here Taiwan’s dedicated presidential aircraft Taiwan’s government operates its own dedicated presidential aircraft, a customized Boeing 737-800 , officially designated as "Air Force 3701." This aircraft, delivered in 2000, serves as the primary mode of transportation for Taiwan's president and other senior officials during domestic and short international trips. Equipped with secure communication systems and modestly customized interiors, the plane symbolizes Taiwan’s commitment to efficient governance and security. The Republic of China Air Force (ROCAF) manages the aircraft, ensuring it is operated and maintained to the highest standards. Its exterior prominently features Taiwan’s national flag, further emphasizing its role as representing the state’s sovereignty and leadership. While Taiwan’s presidential aircraft is suitable for various official missions, its use for international trips, particularly those involving stopovers in the United States, is often avoided due to diplomatic sensitivities. In the past, the U.S. has expressed reluctance to allow the aircraft to land on its soil, including territories such as Guam, citing its prominent national flag's political implications and strong symbolism as a state asset. The presence of the flag and the aircraft’s designation as a military-operated plane make its use on such trips diplomatically complicated. To address these concerns, Taiwan frequently charter commercial planes from state-owned airlines like China Airlines for overseas visits. These arrangements allow for greater flexibility in navigating complex international protocols while avoiding potential diplomatic disputes. This practice demonstrates Taiwan’s adaptability and its pragmatic approach to balancing national pride with the realities of international politics. This is also why President Lai Ching-te, for this trip, used China Airlines aircraft to facilitate stopovers in Honolulu and Guam.

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Utah lawmaker behind anti-trans laws says transgender people changing birth certificates, IDs is an ‘issue’Donald Trump's reelection echoes the rise of Maj. Gen. Edwin A. Walker, a member of the militant right in the 1960s, ODU senior lecturer and author Peter Adams writes in a guest column. Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Click to share on X (Opens in new window) Most Popular German restaurant Deutsche Ecke opens in Newport News German restaurant Deutsche Ecke opens in Newport News Second man dies in Newport News triple shooting; police still looking for suspects Second man dies in Newport News triple shooting; police still looking for suspects The latest business openings and closings in Hampton Roads The latest business openings and closings in Hampton Roads Former Hampton High football coach Mike Smith highlights latest Virginia Hall of Fame inductees Former Hampton High football coach Mike Smith highlights latest Virginia Hall of Fame inductees Williamsburg Christmas parade to feature Commanders marching band Williamsburg Christmas parade to feature Commanders marching band Al Roker speaks out after Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade chair mishap Al Roker speaks out after Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade chair mishap 1 dead, 2 seriously injured in Newport News triple shooting, police say 1 dead, 2 seriously injured in Newport News triple shooting, police say New Kent wants public input on future of Makemie Woods New Kent wants public input on future of Makemie Woods The Grinch can’t steal West Point’s Christmas The Grinch can't steal West Point's Christmas Biden pardons his son Hunter despite previous pledges not to Biden pardons his son Hunter despite previous pledges not to Trending Nationally Judge accused of ‘willful misconduct’ for letting illegal immigrant escape court Trump’s talk of reducing or relocating federal workers hits home in Maryland A young Coloradan learning to live with long COVID turns to TikTok to educate about chronic illness Fruit trees and ‘generational learning’ turn this California city into a parrot paradise as temperatures drop NBC’s enhanced yard lines, field numbers for Bills-49ers snow game draw strong reactions from viewers

EAGLE ELECTRONICS ANNOUNCES FORMATION OF STATE-OF-THE-ART ELECTRONICS MANUFACTURING FACILITY, $14MM OF FUNDING, AND CUSTOMER COMMITMENTSThrivent Financial for Lutherans lowered its position in shares of Inari Medical, Inc. ( NASDAQ:NARI – Free Report ) by 8.4% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 39,351 shares of the company’s stock after selling 3,603 shares during the quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans owned 0.07% of Inari Medical worth $1,623,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Lighthouse Investment Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Inari Medical during the second quarter valued at approximately $2,145,000. Aigen Investment Management LP purchased a new stake in shares of Inari Medical during the 3rd quarter valued at $428,000. Integral Health Asset Management LLC increased its position in shares of Inari Medical by 100.0% during the 2nd quarter. Integral Health Asset Management LLC now owns 400,000 shares of the company’s stock valued at $19,260,000 after purchasing an additional 200,000 shares during the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company raised its stake in shares of Inari Medical by 1,219.9% during the 2nd quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 394,901 shares of the company’s stock worth $19,014,000 after purchasing an additional 364,983 shares during the period. Finally, Financial Enhancement Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Inari Medical in the 3rd quarter worth about $1,155,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.98% of the company’s stock. Insider Activity at Inari Medical In other news, CFO Mitch C. Hill sold 3,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $45.13, for a total transaction of $135,390.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 179,600 shares in the company, valued at $8,105,348. The trade was a 1.64 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link . Also, Director William Hoffman sold 60,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $51.16, for a total transaction of $3,069,600.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 501,233 shares in the company, valued at approximately $25,643,080.28. The trade was a 10.69 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here . In the last three months, insiders have sold 186,000 shares of company stock worth $8,990,990. 10.60% of the stock is owned by company insiders. Inari Medical Price Performance Analysts Set New Price Targets A number of analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Canaccord Genuity Group raised their price objective on shares of Inari Medical from $71.00 to $74.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 29th. Piper Sandler raised their price target on shares of Inari Medical from $50.00 to $52.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 29th. Stifel Nicolaus started coverage on shares of Inari Medical in a report on Tuesday, September 17th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $50.00 price target on the stock. Needham & Company LLC reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Inari Medical in a report on Tuesday, October 29th. Finally, Leerink Partners assumed coverage on Inari Medical in a research report on Tuesday, September 3rd. They issued a “market perform” rating and a $47.00 target price for the company. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Inari Medical presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $58.89. View Our Latest Stock Report on NARI About Inari Medical ( Free Report ) Inari Medical, Inc builds minimally invasive, novel, and catheter-based mechanical thrombectomy devices and accessories for the specific disease states in the United States. The company provides ClotTriever system, which is designed to core, capture, and remove large clots from large vessels for treatment of deep vein thrombosis and peripheral thrombus; FlowTriever system, a large bore catheter-based aspiration and mechanical thrombectomy system to remove large clots from large vessels in the peripheral vasculature for treating pulmonary embolism and other complex venous thromboembolism cases; InThrill system to treat small vessel thrombosis; and LimFlow system for patients who have chronic limb-threatening ischemia with no suitable endovascular or surgical revascularization options and risk of major amputation. Further Reading Five stocks we like better than Inari Medical EV Stocks and How to Profit from Them The Latest 13F Filings Are In: See Where Big Money Is Flowing What is the Dogs of the Dow Strategy? Overview and Examples 3 Penny Stocks Ready to Break Out in 2025 What Investors Need to Know About Upcoming IPOs FMC, Mosaic, Nutrien: Top Agricultural Stocks With Big Potential Receive News & Ratings for Inari Medical Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Inari Medical and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter .Western Michigan beats Eastern Michigan 26-18 to become bowl eligible

Quest Partners LLC Cuts Position in Teleflex Incorporated (NYSE:TFX)WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Saturday he had an “excellent conversation” with Donald Trump at his Mar-a-Lago club after the president-elect's threat to impose significant tariffs on two of America’s leading trade partners raised alarms in Ottawa and Mexico City . It was unclear, as Trudeau headed back to Canada from Florida, whether the conversation had alleviated Trump’s concerns. A person familiar with the details of the leaders' hastily arranged meeting Friday night said it was a “positive wide-ranging dinner that lasted three hours.” The official, who was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity, said topics included trade, border security, fentanyl, defense, Ukraine, NATO, China, the Mideast and pipelines, as well as the the Group of Seven meeting in Canada next year. The Republican president-elect has threatened to impose tariffs on products from Canada and Mexico if the countries don’t stop what he called the flow of drugs and migrants across their borders. He said he would impose a 25% tax on all products entering the U.S. from Canada and Mexico as one of his first executive orders when he takes office in January. As he was leaving his West Palm Beach hotel, Trudeau stopped briefly to answer a reporter’s question about the dinner meeting, saying it was "an excellent conversation." Trump’s transition team did not respond to questions about what the leaders had discussed. Trump, during his first term as president, once called Trudeau “weak” and “dishonest,” but it was the prime minister who was the first G7 leader to visit Trump since the Nov. 5 election. "Tariffs are a crucial issue for Canada and a bold move was in order. Perhaps it was a risk, but a risk worth taking,” Daniel Béland, a political science professor at McGill University in Montreal. Among those at the dinner were Howard Lutnick, Trump's pick for commerce secretary; North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, in line to lead the Interior Department; and Mike Waltz, Trump's choice to be his national security adviser. Accompanying Trudeau were Canada's public safety minister, Dominic LeBlanc, whose responsibilities include border security, and Katie Telford, Trudeau's chief of staff. Trudeau had said earlier Friday that he would resolve the tariffs issue by talking to Trump. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said a day earlier after speaking with Trump that she is confident a tariff war with the United States will be averted. Trudeau said Trump got elected because he promised to bring down the cost of groceries but now he's talking about adding 25% to the cost of all kinds of products including potatoes from Prince Edward Island in Atlantic Canada. “It is important to understand that Donald Trump, when he makes statements like that, he plans on carrying them out. There’s no question about it,” Trudeau said before his leaving for Florida. “Our responsibility is to point out that he would not just be harming Canadians, who work so well with the United States, but he would actually be raising prices for Americans citizens as well and hurting American industry and business,” he added. To Nelson Wiseman, professor emeritus at the University of Toronto, Trump "doesn’t need convincing that new tariffs on Canadian products would not be in U.S. interests. He knows that, but cannot say it because it would detract from what he has said publicly. His goal is to project the image that he gets action when he talks.” Those tariffs could essentially blow up the North American trade pact that Trump’s team negotiated during his first term. Trudeau noted they were able to successfully renegotiate the deal, which he calls a “win win” for both countries. Trump made the tariff threat Monday while citing an influx of migrants entering the country illegally, even though the numbers at the Canadian border pale in comparison to those at the U.S.-Mexico border. Trump also spoke about fentanyl from Mexico and Canada, even though seizures from the Canadian border are few in comparison to the Mexican border. Canadian officials say lumping Canada in with Mexico is unfair but say they are ready to make new investments in border security. When Trump imposed higher tariffs during his first term in office, other countries responded with retaliatory tariffs of their own. Canada, for instance, announced billions of new duties in 2018 against the U.S. in a response to new taxes on Canadian steel and aluminum. Canada is the top export destination for 36 U.S. states. Nearly $3.6 billion Canadian (US $2.7 billion) worth of goods and services cross the border each day. ___ Gillies reported from Toronto.

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LKQ Co. (NASDAQ:LKQ) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Buy” by BrokeragesThe UN's marathon climate summit neared the finish line early Sunday, with nations due to approve or reject a hotly-disputed deal for wealthy historic emitters to provide at least $300 billion to poorer countries that had demanded much more. After an exhausting two weeks of negotiations in Azerbaijan's Caspian Sea capital of Baku, COP29 president Mukhtar Babayev declared open the final summit plenary after midnight, two days after the conference was officially scheduled to end. A final text was released following several sleepless nights for negotiators, with tensions boiling over as small islands states and the world's poorest countries walked out of one meeting. "This package is an affront to us. We are the countries that have the most at stake," said Tina Stege, climate envoy of the Marshall Islands, an atoll nation threatened by rising seas. Top German negotiator Jennifer Morgan told AFP that countries would be presented a "take it or leave it" deal. Before the closing session, delegates huddled in small groups on the floor of the main conference room inside Baku's sports stadium to pore over copies of the latest draft deal line by line. "I know that none of us want to leave Baku without a good outcome," Babayev said. A number of countries have accused Azerbaijan, an authoritarian oil and gas exporter, of lacking the experience and will to meet the moment, as the planet again sets temperature records and faces rising deadly disasters. Small island nations and impoverished African states on Saturday angrily stormed out of a meeting with Azerbaijan, saying their concerns had been ignored. "I think it caught a lot of people by surprise," said Brazil's climate envoy, Ana Toni. "It all happened very quickly." The walkout triggered an emergency meeting between those nations and top negotiators from the European Union, United States and Britain with the COP29 presidency in which new proposals were made. Wealthy countries and small island nations have also been concerned by efforts led by Saudi Arabia to water down calls from last year's summit to phase out fossil fuels. The final text proposes that rich nations raise to at least $300 billion a year by 2035 their commitment to poorer countries to fight climate change. It is up from $100 billion now provided by wealthy nations under a commitment set to expire -- and from $250 billion proposed in a draft Friday. That offer was slammed as offensively low by developing countries, which have demanded at least $500 billion to build resilience against climate change and cut emissions. Sierra Leone's climate minister Jiwoh Abdulai, whose country is among the world's poorest, called the draft "effectively a suicide pact for the rest of the world". Developing power Brazil pleaded for at least some progress and said it would seek to build on it when it leads COP30 next year in the Amazon gateway of Belem. "After the difficult experience that we're having here in Baku, we need to reach some outcome that is minimally acceptable in line with the emergency we're facing," Brazil's environment minister Marina Silva told delegates. As staff at the cavernous and windowless stadium began packing up, diplomats rushed between meetings, some armed with food and water in anticipation of another late night. Panama's outspoken negotiator, Juan Carlos Monterrey Gomez, warned not to repeat the failure of COP15 in Copenhagen in 2009. "I'm sad, I'm tired, I'm disheartened, I'm hungry, I'm sleep-deprived, but there is a tiny ray of optimism within me because this cannot become a new Copenhagen," he told reporters. Climate activists shouted "shame" as US climate envoy John Podesta walked the halls. "Hopefully this is the storm before the calm," he said. Wealthy nations say it is politically unrealistic to expect more in direct government funding. Donald Trump, a sceptic of both climate change and foreign assistance, returns to the White House in January and a number of other Western countries have seen right-wing backlashes against the green agenda. 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. South African Environment Minister Dion George, however, said: "I think being ambitious at this point is not going to be very useful." The United States and EU have wanted newly wealthy emerging economies like China -- the world's largest emitter -- to chip in. The final draft encouraged developing countries to make contributions on a voluntary basis, reflecting no change for China which already pays climate finance on its own terms. The EU and other countries have also tussled with Saudi Arabia over including strong language on moving away from fossil fuels, which negotiators say the oil-producing country has resisted. "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. bur-np-sct-lth/jmChargers activate RB J.K. Dobbins from IR

Hardcore boxing fans may have felt sucker punched with the underwhelming Mike Tyson vs Jake Paul bout earlier this year. But it delivered knockout results for streaming giant Netflix and established a new contender in sports partnerships. It was an unexpectedly bold and wildly successful move for Netflix, crowning them as the surprise new champ on the block in sports partnerships and promoting them to another league beyond their usual binge-friendly on-demand offering. Netflix will show NFL matches on Christmas Day and have secured the exclusive rights for the next Fifa Women’s World Cup. Sporting events create peak engagement moments – the perfect catalyst of fandom and communal passion – allowing brands to build unique experiences with extensive reach which is why Netflix looked to sports as it searches for new territories to conquer. And conquer it did. The fight was the most-streamed sporting event ever, peaking at 65m live streams – with an estimated audience of at least 232m when catch-up was factored in – ranking No1 in 78 countries including Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Germany, India, Italy, Mexico, South Africa, the UK and the US, and in the Top 10 in 91 countries. Brands are increasingly leveraging sports to reach diverse, highly engaged audiences in unique ways. Unexpected partnerships in sports create surprise and intrigue, driving brand impact beyond traditional sponsorships and taking centre stage in the quest to delight existing fans and to lure in new audiences. Brands playing it safe will just get ignored. For every predictable airline or bank partnership (shirt front logos, tickets for the executive box), there’s a brand daring to disrupt. Take luxury fashion house Dior. They have turned to skateboarding for an unexpected fusion of luxury fashion and urban street culture, bridging two seemingly contrasting worlds. Sk8er bois and girls are seen thundering along the Dior catwalks from Korea to Paris and scene stars Aurélien Giraud and Louise-Aïna Taboulet are official ambassadors. The partnership between Dior and skateboarding redefines traditional notions of luxury, making it more accessible and relevant to younger, street-savvy audiences while giving established fans a feeling of cool by association. Sports partnerships can be an important vehicle for highlighting your own company’s values or for helping to gain wider audiences for societal messaging. Supply chain logistics group Prologis demonstrates its commitment to sustainability and innovation in the logistics sector by working alongside Formula E. By engaging with Formula E through platforms like its thought leadership programme Groundbreakers, Prologis associates itself with the racing series’ advancements in electric vehicle technology while showcasing its own role as a champion of sustainable mobility. The International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS) and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) announced a unique partnership focused on promoting climate awareness through skiing and winter sports. The FIS is concerned about the future of their sport having seen numerous races cancelled due to weather-related reasons, while the WMO gets a real-life example of the impact of climate change to spark conversation. A few cancelled ski races might not seem that important to many people, but by rooting climate change in tangible, happening now events, it makes the bigger picture more easily understandable for certain audiences. These two examples demonstrate how sports alliances can align with sustainability and purpose-driven initiatives and highlights the growing trend of using sports as a platform to drive global conversations beyond the field of play. They show that sports partnerships can transcend entertainment, becoming powerful vehicles for environmental progress and global impact. Whether it is skateboarders and luxury, skiers and climate change or boxing watched by millions globally, unexpected partnerships create buzz, spark curiosity, and deliver new value for audiences and fans. By stepping outside traditional sponsorship models, brands can capture attention and drive deeper connections to help brands achieve cultural relevance, foster innovation, and deliver business results.

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Doughty scores 17 in Indiana State's 83-80 win against IonaFormer soccer player Mikheil Kavelashvili was formally inaugurated as president of Georgia on Sunday, cementing the ruling party’s grip in what the opposition calls a blow to the country’s European Union aspirations and a victory for former imperial ruler Russia. Outgoing pro-Western Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili said Sunday morning that she would vacate her residence at the Orbeliani Palace in Tbilisi, but insisted she was still the legitimate office holder. “I will come out of here, come out to you and be with you. ... This presidential residence was a symbol as long as there was a president here who was legitimate. I bring legitimacy with me,” Zourabichvili told a crowd of supporters outside the palace. She called Kavelashvili’s inauguration a “parody.” Kavelashvili, 53, who was the only candidate on the ballot, easily won the vote earlier in December given the Georgian Dream party’s control of a 300-seat electoral college that replaced direct presidential elections in 2017. It is made up of members of Parliament, municipal councils and regional legislatures. In his speech Sunday, Kavelashvili promised to be “everyone’s president, regardless of whether they like me or not.” He called for the nation to unite behind him around “shared values, the principles of mutual respect, and the future we should build together.” Georgian Dream retained control of Parliament in the South Caucasus nation in an Oct. 26 election that the opposition alleges was rigged with Moscow’s help. The party has vowed to continue pushing toward accession in the European Union but also wants to “reset” ties with Russia. Georgia’s outgoing president and main pro-Western parties have boycotted the post-election parliamentary sessions and demanded a rerun of the ballot. In 2008 Russia fought a brief war with Georgia, which led to Moscow’s recognition of two breakaway regions as independent, and an increase in the Russian military presence in South Ossetia and Abkhazia. Critics have accused Georgian Dream — established by Bidzina Ivanishvili, a shadowy billionaire who made his fortune in Russia — of becoming increasingly authoritarian and tilted toward Moscow, accusations the ruling party has denied. The party recently pushed through laws similar to those used by the Kremlin to crack down on freedom of speech and LGBTQ2 rights. Georgian Dream’s decision last month to suspend talks on their country’s bid to join the EU added to the opposition’s outrage and galvanized protests. Protesters in front of the parliament building on Sunday held red cards, in reference to Kavelashvili’s career in soccer. “Because today our president is a footballer, we are showing him a red card. The next step will be sending him off the pitch. The Georgian people will definitely do this, because it was a circus that they have held today in the parliament,” protester Sofia Shamanidi told The Associated Press . The outgoing president demands new elections Zourabichvili, 72, was born in France to parents with Georgian roots and had a successful career with the French foreign ministry before President Mikheil Saakashvili named her Georgia’s top diplomat in 2004. Constitutional changes made the president’s job largely ceremonial before Zourabichvili was elected by popular vote with Georgian Dream’s support in 2018. She became sharply critical of the ruling party, accusing it of pro-Russia policies, and Georgian Dream unsuccessfully tried to impeach her. Zourabichvili has rejected government claims that the opposition was fomenting violence. “We are not demanding a revolution,” she told The Associated Press . “We are asking for new elections, but in conditions that will ensure that the will of the people will not be misrepresented or stolen again. Who is the new president? Georgia’s opposition has mocked Kavelashvili for lacking higher education. He was a striker in the English Premier League for Manchester City and played for several clubs in the Swiss Super League. He was elected to Parliament in 2016 on the Georgian Dream ticket, and in 2022 co-founded the People’s Power political movement, which was allied with Georgian Dream and become known for its strong anti-Western rhetoric. Kavelashvili was one of the authors of a controversial law requiring organizations that receive more than 20% of their funding from abroad to register as “pursuing the interest of a foreign power,” similar to a Russian law used to discredit critical organizations. The EU, which granted Georgia candidate status in December 2023 on condition that the country meets the bloc’s recommendations, put its accession on hold and cut financial support in June following approval of the “foreign influence” law. How did protests unfold? Thousands of demonstrators converged on the parliament building every night after the government announced the suspension of EU accession talks on Nov. 28. Riot police used water cannons and tear gas almost daily to disperse and beat scores of protesters, some of whom threw fireworks at police officers and built barricades on the capital’s central boulevard. Hundreds were detained and over 100 treated for injuries. Several journalists were beaten by police and media workers accused authorities of using thugs to deter people from attending anti-government rallies, which Georgian Dream denies. The crackdown has drawn strong condemnation from the United States and EU officials.

CHICAGO (AP) — Sam Darnold threw for 90 of his 330 yards in overtime to set up Parker Romo's game-ending 29-yard field goal , and the Minnesota Vikings outlasted the Chicago Bears 30-27 on Sunday after giving up 11 points in the final 22 seconds of regulation. Darnold threw two touchdown passes, Jordan Addison caught eight passes for a career-high 162 yards and a touchdown, and T.J. Hockenson had 114 yards receiving for the Vikings (9-2), who remained one game behind Detroit in the rugged NFC North. Caleb Williams threw for 340 yards and two touchdowns for the Bears (4-7), who lost their fifth straight and fell to 5-18 in one-possession games under coach Matt Eberflus, who is 14-31 in 2 1/2 seasons. Minnesota appeared to have the game in hand, leading 27-16 with 1:56 left after Romo kicked a 26-yard field goal. But the Bears weren’t finished. Deandre Carter made up for a muffed punt that led to a touchdown in the third quarter with a 55-yard kickoff return to the 40. Williams took it from there, capping an eight-play drive with a 1-yard touchdown pass to Keenan Allen. A 2-point conversion pass to DJ Moore made it 27-24 with 22 seconds remaining. The Bears recovered the onside kick and Williams hit Moore over the middle for a 27-yard gain to the 30 before spiking the ball. Cairo Santos made a 48-yard field goal as time expired. Chicago won the coin toss, but Williams was sacked for a 12-yard loss on second down, leading to a three-and-out. The Vikings took over at the 21, and Darnold led a 10-play drive, overcoming a sack and two penalties. Darnold connected with Hockenson for a 29-yard completion that put the ball on the 9. He took a knee and then Romo nailed the winner. Darnold surpassed his previous season high of 19 touchdown passes with a 2-yarder to Addison on the first play of the second quarter, and he made it 14-7 with a 5-yard score to Jalen Nailor late in the first half. He completed 22 of 34 passes. Aaron Jones ran for 106 yards and a score for the VIkings. Williams was 32 of 47 with a 103.1 passer rating in his second straight solid performance since Thomas Brown replaced the fired Shane Waldron as offensive coordinator. Moore caught seven passes for 106 yards and a touchdown, and Allen added 86 yards receiving and the late TD. Vikings: LB Ivan Pace Jr. (hamstring) and LT Cam Robinson (foot) left in the first quarter. ... Darnold missed two plays after he was hit by Gervon Dexter Sr. on a pass play with about 6 1/2 minutes. Vikings: Host Arizona next Sunday. Bears: Visit Detroit on Thanksgiving. AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL

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Maupay also had a dig at Everton when he departed on loan to Marseille in the summer and his latest taunt has further angered the Premier League club’s supporters. The 28-year-old said on X after Sean Dyche’s side had lost 2-0 to Nottingham Forest at Goodison Park on Sunday: “Whenever I’m having a bad day I just check the Everton score and smile.” Whenever I’m having a bad day I just check the Everton score and smile 🙂 — Neal Maupay (@nealmaupay_) December 29, 2024 Former boxer Tony Bellew was among the Toffees’ supporters who responded to Maupay, with the ex-world cruiserweight champion replying on X with: “P****!” Maupay endured a miserable spell at Everton, scoring just one league goal in 29 appearances after being signed by the Merseysiders for an undisclosed fee in 2022. He departed on a season-long loan to his former club Brentford for the 2023-24 season and left Goodison for a second time in August when Marseille signed him on loan with an obligation to make the deal permanent. After leaving Everton in the summer, Maupay outraged their fans by posting on social media a scene from the film Shawshank Redemption, famous for depicting the main character’s long fight for freedom.Detroit Lions at San Francisco 49ers odds, picks and predictionsTomislav Ivisic scored a career-high 23 points to lead six players in double figures as No. 24 Illinois raced past visiting Chicago State 117-64 on Sunday in Champaign, Ill. Kylan Boswell also starred for the Fighting Illini (9-3) with an 18-point, 10-rebound, 10-assist triple-double. Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn added 16 points, while Kasparas Jakucionis contributed 14. Will Riley hit for 13 points and Morez Johnson Jr. came off the bench to net 11. Gabe Spinelli scored 20 points for the winless Cougars (0-15) and Noble Crawford added 15, but they just didn't have the scoring punch to stay with their Big Ten Conference opponent. Illinois outshot Chicago State 62.1 percent (41 of 66) to 37.3 percent (25 of 67) from the field and 45.5 percent (15 of 33) to 32.3 percent (10 of 31) from the 3-point line. The Cougars were also outrebounded 47-23. Illinois led for all but 24 seconds of the game, scoring basically at will. The Illini reaped a 28-4 advantage in free-throw attempts, drew 26 assists and earned a 48-16 advantage in points in the paint. In its last game before jumping into the bulk of its Big Ten schedule Thursday night at Oregon, Illinois wasted no time putting its stamp on the game. It carved out a double-figure edge at the 14:59 mark of the first half on Gibbs-Lawhorn's 3-pointer that made it 17-7 and simply kept expanding that lead. The margin reached 20 for the first time with 10:06 left when Ivisic drained a 3-pointer from the right wing for a 32-10 cushion. Johnson's foul shot with 3:43 remaining increased the advantage to 30 at 48-18, and Jake Davis' 3-pointer from the corner with a second on the clock gave the Illini a 60-24 cushion at halftime. Boswell's short jumper with 18:22 left in the game built Illinois' first 40-point advantage at 65-24. Riley splashed a 3-pointer with 9:57 remaining to up the lead to 50 at 93-43. Davis made another 3-pointer at the 7:59 mark to get the Illini to the 100-point threshold. They led by as many as 58 points in the final two minutes. --Field Level MediaNFL, NBA Issue "Security Alert" After Migrant Gangs Target Players' Mansions

Daiwa Securities Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of GlobalFoundries Inc. ( NASDAQ:GFS – Free Report ) by 11.9% in the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 35,292 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 3,744 shares during the quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc.’s holdings in GlobalFoundries were worth $1,421,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale raised its stake in GlobalFoundries by 4.0% during the 3rd quarter. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale now owns 8,773 shares of the company’s stock valued at $357,000 after purchasing an additional 340 shares during the last quarter. CWM LLC raised its stake in GlobalFoundries by 38.6% during the 2nd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 1,339 shares of the company’s stock valued at $68,000 after purchasing an additional 373 shares during the last quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. raised its stake in GlobalFoundries by 1.7% during the 2nd quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 26,359 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,333,000 after purchasing an additional 444 shares during the last quarter. Royal London Asset Management Ltd. raised its stake in shares of GlobalFoundries by 1.3% in the 2nd quarter. Royal London Asset Management Ltd. now owns 34,765 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,758,000 after buying an additional 450 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Advisors Asset Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of GlobalFoundries by 41.0% in the 3rd quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 1,593 shares of the company’s stock valued at $64,000 after buying an additional 463 shares in the last quarter. GlobalFoundries Stock Up 0.9 % Shares of NASDAQ:GFS opened at $43.25 on Friday. GlobalFoundries Inc. has a 12 month low of $35.85 and a 12 month high of $62.61. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $40.86 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $45.80. The company has a quick ratio of 1.76, a current ratio of 2.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19. The firm has a market cap of $23.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.28, a P/E/G ratio of 10.46 and a beta of 1.53. Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on GFS. Susquehanna dropped their price objective on shares of GlobalFoundries from $50.00 to $48.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, November 6th. Robert W. Baird dropped their price objective on shares of GlobalFoundries from $63.00 to $50.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, November 6th. Needham & Company LLC restated a “hold” rating on shares of GlobalFoundries in a research note on Wednesday, November 6th. Morgan Stanley cut shares of GlobalFoundries from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and dropped their price objective for the company from $53.00 to $43.00 in a research note on Monday, October 28th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $40.00 price objective on shares of GlobalFoundries in a research note on Wednesday, November 6th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $50.21. View Our Latest Stock Analysis on GlobalFoundries GlobalFoundries Profile ( Free Report ) GlobalFoundries Inc, a semiconductor foundry, provides range of mainstream wafer fabrication services and technologies worldwide. It manufactures various semiconductor devices, including microprocessors, mobile application processors, baseband processors, network processors, radio frequency modems, microcontrollers, and power management units. Featured Stories Want to see what other hedge funds are holding GFS? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for GlobalFoundries Inc. ( NASDAQ:GFS – Free Report ). Receive News & Ratings for GlobalFoundries Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for GlobalFoundries and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter .

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Williams went 8 of 13 from the field (2 for 3 from 3-point range) for the Panthers (8-1). Kezza Giffa scored 14 points, going 3 of 8 from the floor, including 1 for 3 from 3-point range, and 7 for 8 from the line. Kimani Hamilton shot 4 for 8, including 1 for 3 from beyond the arc to finish with 11 points. The Falcons were led by Doug Smith and Justin Gaten with nine points apiece. The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar .UK-Based Nigerian Pastor Risks Deportation Over Alleged £1.87m Fraud

Jonah Goldberg Among elites across the ideological spectrum, there's one point of unifying agreement: Americans are bitterly divided. What if that's wrong? What if elites are the ones who are bitterly divided while most Americans are fairly unified? History rarely lines up perfectly with the calendar (the "sixties" didn't really start until the decade was almost over). But politically, the 21st century neatly began in 2000, when the election ended in a tie and the color coding of electoral maps became enshrined as a kind of permanent tribal color war of "red vs. blue." Elite understanding of politics has been stuck in this framework ever since. Politicians and voters have leaned into this alleged political reality, making it seem all the more real in the process. I loathe the phrase "perception is reality," but in politics it has the reifying power of self-fulfilling prophecy. Like rival noble families in medieval Europe, elites have been vying for power and dominance on the arrogant assumption that their subjects share their concern for who rules rather than what the rulers can deliver. Political cartoonists from across country draw up something special for the holiday In 2018, the group More in Common published a massive report on the "hidden tribes" of American politics. The wealthiest and whitest groups were "devoted conservatives" (6%) and "progressive activists" (8%). These tribes dominate the media, the parties and higher education, and they dictate the competing narratives of red vs. blue, particularly on cable news and social media. Meanwhile, the overwhelming majority of Americans resided in, or were adjacent to, the "exhausted majority." These people, however, "have no narrative," as David Brooks wrote at the time. "They have no coherent philosophic worldview to organize their thinking and compel action." Lacking a narrative might seem like a very postmodern problem, but in a postmodern elite culture, postmodern problems are real problems. It's worth noting that red vs. blue America didn't emerge ex nihilo. The 1990s were a time when the economy and government seemed to be working, at home and abroad. As a result, elites leaned into the narcissism of small differences to gain political and cultural advantage. They remain obsessed with competing, often apocalyptic, narratives. That leaves out most Americans. The gladiatorial combatants of cable news, editorial pages and academia, and their superfan spectators, can afford these fights. Members of the exhausted majority are more interested in mere competence. I think that's the hidden unity elites are missing. This is why we keep throwing incumbent parties out of power: They get elected promising competence but get derailed -- or seduced -- by fan service to, or trolling of, the elites who dominate the national conversation. There's a difference between competence and expertise. One of the most profound political changes in recent years has been the separation of notions of credentialed expertise from real-world competence. This isn't a new theme in American life, but the pandemic and the lurch toward identity politics amplified distrust of experts in unprecedented ways. This is a particular problem for the left because it is far more invested in credentialism than the right. Indeed, some progressives are suddenly realizing they invested too much in the authority of experts and too little in the ability of experts to provide what people want from government, such as affordable housing, decent education and low crime. The New York Times' Ezra Klein says he's tired of defending the authority of government institutions. Rather, "I want them to work." One of the reasons progressives find Trump so offensive is his absolute inability to speak the language of expertise -- which is full of coded elite shibboleths. But Trump veritably shouts the language of competence. I don't mean he is actually competent at governing. But he is effectively blunt about calling leaders, experts and elites -- of both parties -- stupid, ineffective, weak and incompetent. He lost in 2020 because voters didn't believe he was actually good at governing. He won in 2024 because the exhausted majority concluded the Biden administration was bad at it. Nostalgia for the low-inflation pre-pandemic economy was enough to convince voters that Trumpian drama is the tolerable price to pay for a good economy. About 3 out of 4 Americans who experienced "severe hardship" because of inflation voted for Trump. The genius of Trump's most effective ad -- "Kamala is for they/them, President Trump is for you" -- was that it was simultaneously culture-war red meat and an argument that Harris was more concerned about boutique elite concerns than everyday ones. If Trump can actually deliver competent government, he could make the Republican Party the majority party for a generation. For myriad reasons, that's an if so big it's visible from space. But the opportunity is there -- and has been there all along. Goldberg is editor-in-chief of The Dispatch: thedispatch.com . Get opinion pieces, letters and editorials sent directly to your inbox weekly!bookmaker canada 。

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bet365 Bonus Code POSTNEWS: Pocket $150 in bonus bets or a $1,000 First Bet Safety Net for any sport, including NBA and college footballAfter U.S. president-elect Donald Trump announced Monday night that an intense tariff would be placed on the Canadian and Mexican borders, Saskatchewan isn’t happy with the news. Trump announced he will sign an executive order imposing a 25 per cent tariff on all products coming into the United States from Canada and Mexico once he comes into office. “A 25 per cent tariff proposed by President-elect Donald Trump would be harmful to our Saskatchewan export-based economy and will drive up prices on both sides of the border,” Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe said on social media. “The Saskatchewan government is talking to the incoming USA administration and working alongside Canada’s Premiers and the Federal Government to ensure this does not happen. “The main concern raised by President-elect Trump is border security. As Canadians, we can all benefit from additional border security stopping the flow of illegal drugs and migrants across our borders,” Moe went on to say. Trump says the tariffs would stay in place until Canada and Mexico stop illegal border crossings and prevent drugs like fentanyl from entering the U.S. “We don’t want drugs inflowing or outflowing across our borders,” Moe said in the Legislative Building Tuesday. “I think Canadians would largely support an increased investment in border security... securing our border is part of securing our nation.” In 2023, Saskatchewan’s exports to the U.S. amounted to $26.9 billion after hitting an all-time high of $29.3 billion in 2022. Saskatchewan’s top exports include crude oil, potash and canola. Moe said moving forward, the provincial government will be working with the federal government on outreach with the incoming Trump administration. “The Premiers are already discussing how and when we might arrive in Washington to aid and support the national engagement efforts, but to also do what we can as a provincial representative body,” Moe said. Global News spoke to a few producers at the Canadian Western Agribition to get their thoughts on the tariff. The common theme was it’s hard to tell the impact it will have. Bridget Andrews, part of a fourth-generation family ranch outside of Moose Jaw, said the potential tariff increase is concerning to hear but wants to know more info. “It affects our economy, and it affects things in agriculture and other industries,” Andrews said. “It is a negative thing for Canada. It will affect a lot of industries, not only agriculture.” She feels the tariff increase will greatly impact commodity pricing in her industry. “It’s going to affect the people that take our product and produce commodities from our product that we sell right to them,” Andrews said. “It’s going to affect the manufacturing. It’s going to affect the retail. It’s going to affect our bottom line.” Scott Fettes is a cattle rancher in the province. “It’s hard to have a reaction right now because we don’t know what the tariff is on,” Fettes said. “When we know, then we will worry about it.” Jeffrey Yorga, the Saskatchewan Stock Growers Association president, said it is very hard to tell what’s coming as the news is so fresh. “I think that the cattle industry north of the border and south of the border works well together, and everybody who is on the file understands what has to happen,” Yorga said. “If there is tariffs, it’s our hope is that it will be temporary and our governments will start seeing eye to eye.”VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Dec. 03, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Anfield Energy Inc. (TSX.V: AEC; OTCQB: ANLDF; FRANKFURT: 0AD) (“Anfield” or “the Company”) is pleased to announce that the proposed plan of arrangement (the “Arrangement”) between the Company and IsoEnergy Ltd. was approved at the Company’s special meeting of shareholders (the "Meeting") held on December 3, 2024. The resolution approving the Arrangement (the “Arrangement Resolution”) was required to be passed by: (i) the affirmative vote of at least two-thirds (66 2⁄3%) of the votes cast by Anfield shareholders present in person or represented by proxy and entitled to vote at the Meeting (the “Shareholder Vote”); and (ii) a simple majority of the votes cast by shareholders present in person or represented by proxy at the Meeting and entitled to vote at the Meeting, excluding votes held by persons described in items (a) through (d) of Section 8.1(2) of Multilateral Instrument 61-101 – Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions, being the votes held by Corey Dias, Joshua Bleak and Ken Mushinski. The hearing of the application for a final order in respect of the Arrangement is scheduled for December 6, 2024, or as soon thereafter as the application can be heard. Closing of the Arrangement remains subject to customary closing conditions, including receipt of court and stock exchange approvals. Subject to the satisfaction of these closing conditions, the parties currently expect to complete the Arrangement in December 2024. Anfield is also pleased to announce that the parties have received written notice from the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States that it has concluded its review of the Arrangement and determined that there are no unresolved national security concerns with respect to the Arrangement. About Anfield Anfield is a uranium and vanadium development and near-term production company that is committed to becoming a top-tier energy-related fuels supplier by creating value through sustainable, efficient growth in its assets. Anfield is a publicly traded corporation listed on the TSX Venture Exchange (AEC-V), the OTCQB Marketplace (ANLDF) and the Frankfurt Stock Exchange (0AD). On behalf of the Board of Directors ANFIELD ENERGY INC. Corey Dias, Chief Executive Officer Contact: Anfield Energy, Inc. Corey Dias, Chief Executive Officer Clive Mostert, Corporate Communications 780-920-5044 contact@anfieldenergy.com www.anfieldenergy.com Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release. No securities regulatory authority has either approved or disapproved of the contents of this news release. None of the securities to be issued pursuant to the Arrangement have been or will be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “ U.S. Securities Act “), or any state securities laws, and any securities issuable in the Arrangement are anticipated to be issued in reliance upon available exemptions from such registration requirements pursuant to Section 3(a)(10) of the U.S. Securities Act and applicable exemptions under state securities laws. This press release does not constitute an offer to sell, or the solicitation of an offer to buy, any securities. Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Information This press release contains “forward-looking information” within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. Generally, forward-looking information can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as “plans”, “expects” or “does not expect”, “is expected”, “budget”, “scheduled”, “estimates”, “forecasts”, “intends”, “anticipates” or “does not anticipate”, or “believes”, or variations of such words and phrases or state that certain actions, events or results “may”, “could”, “would”, “might” or “will be taken”, “occur” or “be achieved”. These forward-looking statements or information may relate to the Arrangement, including statements with respect to the timing of the hearing of the application for a final order in respect of the Arrangement, satisfaction of conditions and timing for the completion of the Arrangement and availability of the exemption under Section 3(a)(10) of the U.S. Securities Act with respect to the securities issuable in the Arrangement and any other activities, events or developments that the companies expect or anticipate will or may occur in the future. Forward-looking statements are necessarily based upon a number of assumptions that, while considered reasonable by management at the time, are inherently subject to business, market and economic risks, uncertainties and contingencies that may cause actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from those expressed or implied by forward-looking statements. Such assumptions include, but are not limited to, assumptions that the timing of the final order or closing of the Arrangement will occur as anticipated, that the final order in respect of the Arrangement will be obtained, that the conditions to closing of the Arrangement will be satisfied or waived and that the exemption under Section 3(a)(10) of the U.S. Securities Act with respect to the securities issuable in the Arrangement will be available. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such information will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. Such statements represent the current views of the Company with respect to future events and are necessarily based upon a number of assumptions and estimates that, while considered reasonable by the Company, are inherently subject to significant business, economic, competitive, political and social risks, contingencies and uncertainties. Risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to the following: that the hearing of the final order and the closing of the Arrangement may not occur on the anticipated timeline; that the final order may not be obtained; that the closing conditions of the Arrangement may not be satisfied or waived; and that the parties to the Arrangement may be unable to rely on the exemption under Section 3(a)(10) of the U.S. Securities Act with respect to the securities issuable in the Arrangement. The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking information, except in accordance with applicable securities laws.Former Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla has been appointed as the new Governor of Manipur in the latest gubernatorial appointments and reshuffle by President Droupadi Murmu on Tuesday (December 24, 2024) across five States. The other key appointment is that former Union Minister General V K Singh (Retd) being made the new Governor of Mizoram whileKerala Governor, Arif Mohammed Khan, has been moved to Bihar. The appointment to the Manipur Raj Bhavan is significant as the State has witnessed ethnic strife months between the Meitei community and Kuki tribes since May 2023. Anusuiya Uikey was the last full time Governor of the State and since July this year, Assam Governor Lakshman Prasad Acharya was holding additional charge. The swap of Goverors in Kerala is another politically significant move. Mr Khan had been having regular run-ins with the Left Front government in the State. So, while he has been shifted to Bihar, the incumbent Bihar Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar has been named as the new Governor of Kerala. The incumbent Governor of Mizoram Dr Hari Babu Kambhampati has been appointed as Governor of Odisha as Gen Singh has been appointed as the new Governor of the Northeastern State. A former chief of the Indian Army, Gen Singh successfully contested the Lok Sabha polls twice (2014 and 2019) from the Ghaziabad seat in Uttar Pradesh on a BJP ticket and was part of the union council of ministers. The party, however, didn’t offer him a ticket in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. Mr. Bhalla is among the only two longest serving union Home Secretaries who remained in office for more than five years. Said to be close to Home Minister Amit Shah, Mr. Bhalla steered some of the key legislations such as the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 and the three new criminal laws during his tenure as the Home Secretary. A 1984-batch Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer of the Assam-Meghalaya cadre, he retired on August 22. Mr. Bhalla has first-hand knowledge of the current security situation in the State as he was in office when ethnic violence erupted in the State on May 3, 2023. The Governor’s post in Manipur had been entrusted as an additional charge to Assam Governor after Anusuiya Uikey was removed from the post on July 28. Violence in the Northeastern State has claimed more than 250 lives so far. Published - December 24, 2024 10:02 pm IST Copy link Email Facebook Twitter Telegram LinkedIn WhatsApp Reddit Manipur / Kerala / Bihar / national government

We have lost great scholar economist and statesman CM Fadnavis on Manmohan Singh's death

Gold investing has skyrocketed this year as more people look for ways to protect their investments from economic uncertainty. At the beginning of the year, the price of gold was $2,063.73 per ounce, but according to American Hartford Gold, it's currently trading at $2,627.01. "Interest in gold continues to rise because it's widely regarded as a safe-haven asset," says Jose Gomez, a partner at Summit Metals. "Concerns about inflation, geopolitical tensions, and stock market volatility often push people toward gold as a way to preserve wealth." This high level of interest in gold causes many people to overlook other precious metals like platinum and palladium. Though less popular than gold and silver , platinum and palladium could be a good way to diversify your portfolio . To understand the benefits and drawbacks of platinum and palladium, we spoke to two experts who gave us their feedback on precious metal investing. Find out more about your precious metal investing options here . Pros of palladium and platinum investing "Palladium and platinum both have industrial uses and are used in jewelry," says Steve Braverman, founder at Dignity Gold. Let's look at some of the biggest benefits of investing in these precious metals. These include: Intrinsic value: Both platinum and palladium are extremely rare assets — both are about 30 times rarer than gold, according to Braverman. This scarcity makes both precious metals high-value assets. Alternative to gold: Platinum and palladium are also more affordable when compared to the price of gold today . The price of platinum is currently $941.90 per ounce, while the price of palladium is $955.50 per ounce. Diversification: If you're invested heavily in the stock market, platinum can be a good way to diversify your portfolio. It has a low correlation with stocks and bonds, making your portfolio more resistant to market fluctuations. Inflation hedge: Like other precious metals, platinum can act as a hedge against inflation , protecting your purchasing power during inflationary periods. Strong demand: "Palladium and platinum are more closely tied to industrial demand than gold, which can present unique growth opportunities," says Gomez. "For example, both metals are used extensively in catalytic converters to reduce vehicle emissions." This strong demand helps them sustain their long-term value and provides unique growth opportunities. Learn more about how the right precious metals could benefit your portfolio . Cons of platinum and palladium investing While these precious metals offer big benefits to investors, there are also some potential downsides to investing in them, including: Volatility: Platinum and palladium tend to be more volatile, especially when compared to gold or silver investing, so they may not be the best option for risk-averse investors. Less liquidity: "Liquidity can also be an issue — while gold is traded globally and is easy to buy or sell, certain palladium or platinum products may be harder to offload quickly at fair prices," says Gomez. High industrial use: Both platinum and palladium are heavily used in the automotive industry, so a downturn in this sector could cause their prices to drop. Harder to access: Braverman notes that the mining process in retrieving platinum and palladium is much more difficult. "The deposits are typically deeper and harder to access," he says. "Gold and silver are the easiest to mine and most sought after, so if miners have a significant amount of either, they are typically more profitable to mine." The bottom line Platinum and palladium can diversify your portfolio and are more affordable when compared to the price of gold . Their rarity and strong ties to the automotive industry can make them valuable alternative investments. But these precious metals do come with drawbacks like higher rates of volatility and lower liquidity. Gomez warns that their close ties to the automotive industry could easily turn into a negative for investors. "This can be seen with a move to clean energy and the EV car market eliminating the need for platinum in production of car converters." Braverman agrees, adding, "A relatively small amount of both metals should be in a diversified portfolio, but in comparison, gold and silver are far superior as a long-term investment." Ultimately, you should consider your risk tolerance, financial goals, and the overall market outlook when choosing your investments.

Football has never seen a stadium as audacious and outlandish before. A futuristic cliff-top venue will be built 350m above ground when the $1.5trn NEOM megaproject springs up from the Saudi Arabian desert. There are no limits on ambition or spending to - and no need to win a bidding contest. After flattering and funding , Saudi Arabia will today be confirmed as hosts of the 2034 World Cup by acclamation of football nations rather than a vote. It is the rapid conclusion to a 14-month process engineered to secure their victory but a strategic success for the kingdom in avoiding a protracted contest. And scrutiny of the fast-tracked process - ending at a virtual FIFA Congress - has diminished the spotlight on discriminatory laws, human rights violations and working conditions as 15 stadiums are built for its biggest sporting spectacle. But FIFA endorses the Saudi view that a World Cup can be a catalyst for change by introducing labour reforms and providing more rights for women. Bid leader Hammad Albalawi insists: "We are a young nation seizing this opportunity." An opportunity that has been facilitated by Gianni Infantino; the Saudis knowing the touch-points to pander to the globe-trotting FIFA president who collects photos for Instagram alongside the powerful and wealthy. No country - where FIFA does not have offices - has been visited more by him in recent years. By contrast, he never seemed to visit Australia before it hosted the Women's World Cup in 2023 to check on preparations. Even in the midst of Switzerland's pandemic restrictions, when non-essential travel was advised against from FIFA's base, Mr Infantino went to Saudi in early 2021 to be filmed talking up the oil-rich country in a government PR video, in a ceremonial sword dance around palaces of Diriyah. It was clear where his priorities were as the Saudis proved savvy at winning over the governing body holding the keys to the World Cup hosting. Mr Infantino skipped FIFA's own large video gaming tournament in Liverpool this August to launch Saudi's Esports World Cup in Riyadh alongside Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. That was before FIFA officially launched the 2034 bidding process. And Mr Infantino has not held a single open news conference in the year since being accused of rigging the bidding process to help the Saudis - denying journalists the chance to put the claims to him directly. On the face of it, Mr Infantino can claim to have introduced a more open and transparent bidding process than his predecessors oversaw with published inspection reports and scoring. There was also the ability for any country to enter - as long as you were from the Asia or Oceania regions. And only if you could decide in less than four weeks whether your country could handle and fund a 48-team tournament with 104 matches - beyond nations with an electorate to consider and budgets to balance. It was all assisted by a behind-the-scenes secret deal that knocked Europe, Africa and South America out of contention - combining their six countries bidding for the 2030 World Cup into a single, unprecedented mammoth tournament plan. Those regions then became ineligible to try to host the 2034 tournament. So all paths - like so many in sport - now lead to Riyadh in 2034. For Mark Pieth, who advised Sepp Blatter's FIFA on anti-corruption and governance changes, it is all a "turn for the worse". The Swiss law professor told Sky News: "We tried to reform FIFA. What we're now seeing is quite abominable. "You have FIFA trying to break all the rules that they've given themselves, starting with deciding on two World Cups at the same time, no competition, manipulated reports and finally acclamation instead of a vote." The rigging claim would be disputed by FIFA, which yesterday said auditors BDO "concluded that both evaluation processes were executed with objectivity, integrity and transparency". There has been little dissent across world football - even countries like Germany that took a vocal stand against Qatar while insisting they would not "gloss over" Saudi issues. The English Football Association has been deliberating over whether to provide a public position on Saudi - a delicate balancing act while considering a future Women's World Cup bid and needing FIFA on side. And the FA speaking out on Saudi - if not the FIFA process - would put it at odds with Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer who was in Riyadh this week for talks with the crown prince. But one country that has led the charge against FIFA is Norway. Their football association head, Lise Klaveness, first broke ranks to tell Sky News: "When decisions are made in closed rooms, it's the opposite of what the reforms were promising us." And on Tuesday she confirmed Norway would attempt to abstain - although FIFA is set to avoid a vote. She said: "The lack of predictability and open processes challenges trust in FIFA as the global custodian of football." It was Mr Infantino who was swept to power after the discredited Blatter reign ended in a wave of convictions of football officials after raids in 2015. And the former general secretary at European governing body UEFA even sat on the reform committee that attempted to curb the powers of FIFA presidents before he ascended to that position himself and adjusted term limits to remain in post longer. , who was forced out as governance chief by Mr Infantino, told Sky News: "They promised a much higher degree of transparency on how the bidding was going to take place. We saw nothing of that type in this process. "Basically, it is something that was cooked internally, within what I usually call the political cartel that dominates FIFA." The pick cannot be reversed. But there can be moves to protect the conditions of the migrant workforce - already said by Human Rights Watch to exceed 13 million in Saudi - as 15 stadiums and vast wider infrastructure is built up. Despite none of the stadiums being complete yet, FIFA still gave the Saudis the highest scoring since the inspection process was introduced for World Cup bidding by Mr Infantino. FIFA's inspection report did express concerns about "indecent working conditions" and found gaps complying with "international standards" that "contradict Islamic law". There are assurances fans will face no discrimination but anti-LGBTQ+ laws remain - a red line the conservative nation cannot cross and unmentioned in the mandatory human rights risk assessment. But football is far from the first sport to be seduced by the Saudi riches - helping them cleanse the country's image and distract from rights issues. Boxing's biggest bouts are now there, there has been an attempted takeover of golf by launching the rebel LIV series and a $1m golden ball was added to allow the kingdom to put its lavish imprint on snooker. Much is bankrolled by the $900bn Public Investment Fund which has owned Newcastle United for three years. And the sovereign wealth fund has a stake in state oil firm Aramco which became a FIFA sponsor in April. Streaming platform DAZN, which has close ties to Saudi, seems to have bailed out FIFA's new 32-team Club World Cup with a reported $1bn global broadcasting deal announced last week without a clear ability to recoup the cash as games air free. No wonder dissent has been brushed aside by FIFA - even from the US where the Club World Cup will be staged next year followed by the main men's World Cup in 2026. Democrat senators Ron Wyden and Dick Durbin wrote to Mr Infantino in October: "The kingdom continues to torture dissidents, engage in extrajudicial killings, discriminate against the LGBTQ+ community, oppress women and religious minorities, exploit and abuse foreign workers, and restrict almost all political rights and civil liberties." For many in football - particularly domestic leagues - the bigger concern will be the impact on the calendar. There are no commitments to stage the tournament in the typical June-July slot, with January-February 2034 looking more likely to avoid clashing with Ramadan and the Hajj. Qatar 2022's November-December slot showed how football can accommodate a switch without long-term damage to the club game. But the message from within Saudi is they are a very different proposition to the first Middle East hosts - even if this World Cup pick is as controversial. Where Qatar still lacks a vibrant local football culture, Saudi is home to Asia's most successful team - Al Hilal. Esteve Calzada, the CEO of Al Hilal, told Sky News: "Qatar World Cup even with so much criticism, I think there is a general consensus it was ultimately a very successful World Cup. "In our case I'm sure it will be the same. It's a proper-sized country with passionate fans." Now there is a decade to convince the world's football fans to descend on Saudi Arabia. FIFA has delivered the sporting prize the crown prince craved in the easiest of football matches to win - one without any opponent.Shopping on Shein and Temu for holiday gifts? You're not the only one

Awarded industry-first design win from a top-four hyperscaler SANTA CLARA, Calif. , Dec. 3, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Today Pure Storage (NYSE: PSTG), the IT pioneer that delivers the world's most advanced data storage technologies and services, announced financial results for its third quarter fiscal year 2025 ended November 3, 2024. "Pure Storage has achieved another industry first in our journey of data storage innovation with a transformational design win for our DirectFlash technology in a top-four hyperscaler," said Pure Storage Chairman and CEO Charles Giancarlo . "This win is the vanguard for Pure Flash technology to become the standard for all hyperscaler online storage, providing unparalleled performance and scalability while also reducing operating costs and power consumption." Third Quarter Financial Highlights "Our third quarter results exceeded our expectations on revenue and operating income, demonstrating the sustaining strength of our business models," said Kevan Krysler , Pure Storage CFO. "We remain focused on driving both near-term results and long-term value creation through disciplined investments and innovation that position Pure as the leader in transforming the data storage landscape." Third Quarter Company Highlights Industry Recognition and Accolades Fourth Quarter and FY25 Guidance Q4FY25 Revenue $867M Revenue YoY Growth Rate 9.7 % Non-GAAP Operating Income $135M Non-GAAP Operating Margin 15.6 % FY25 Revenue $3.15B Revenue YoY Growth Rate 11.5 % Non-GAAP Operating Income $540M Non-GAAP Operating Margin 17 % These statements are forward-looking and actual results may differ materially. Refer to the Forward Looking Statements section below for information on the factors that could cause our actual results to differ materially from these statements. Pure has not reconciled its guidance for non-GAAP operating income and non-GAAP operating margin to their most directly comparable GAAP measures because certain items that impact these measures are not within Pure's control and/or cannot be reasonably predicted. Accordingly, reconciliations of these non-GAAP financial measures guidance to the corresponding GAAP measures are not available without unreasonable effort. Conference Call Information Pure will host a teleconference to discuss the third quarter fiscal 2025 results at 2:00 pm PT today, December 3, 2024. A live audio broadcast of the conference call will be available on the Pure Storage Investor Relations website . Pure will also post its earnings presentation and prepared remarks to this website concurrent with this release. A replay will be available following the call on the Pure Storage Investor Relations website or for two weeks at 1-800-770-2030 (or 1-647-362-9199 for international callers) with passcode 5667482. Additionally, Pure is scheduled to participate at the following investor conferences: Wells Fargo 8th Annual TMT Summit Date: Wednesday, December 4, 2024 Time: 1:30 p.m. PT / 4:30 p.m. ET Chief Technology Officer Rob Lee 27th Annual Needham Growth Conference Date: Thursday, January 16, 2025 Time: 9:45 a.m. PT / 12:45 p.m. ET Founder & Chief Visionary Officer John "Co z" Colgrove Chief Financial Officer Kevan Krysler The presentations will be webcast live and archived on Pure's Investor Relations website at investor.purestorage.com . ---- About Pure Storage Pure Storage (NYSE: PSTG) delivers the industry's most advanced data storage platform to store, manage, and protect the world's data at any scale. With Pure Storage, organizations have ultimate simplicity and flexibility, saving time, money, and energy. From AI to archive, Pure Storage delivers a cloud experience with one unified Storage as-a-Service platform across on premises, cloud, and hosted environments. Our platform is built on our Evergreen architecture that evolves with your business – always getting newer and better with zero planned downtime, guaranteed. Our customers are actively increasing their capacity and processing power while significantly reducing their carbon and energy footprint. It's easy to fall in love with Pure Storage, as evidenced by the highest Net Promoter Score in the industry. For more information, visit www.purestorage.com . Connect with Pure Blog LinkedIn Twitter Facebook Pure Storage, the Pure P Logo, Portworx, and the marks on the Pure Storage Trademark List are trademarks or registered trademarks of Pure Storage Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries. The Trademark List can be found at purestorage.com/trademarks . Other names may be trademarks of their respective owners. Forward Looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking statements regarding our products, business and operations, including but not limited to our views relating to our opportunity with hyperscale and AI environments, our ability to meet hyperscalers' performance and price requirements, our ability to meet the needs of hyperscalers for the entire spectrum of their online storage use cases, the timing and magnitude of large orders, including sales to hyperscalers, the timing and amount of revenue from hyperscaler licensing and support services, future period financial and business results, demand for our products and subscription services, including Evergreen//One, the relative sales mix between our subscription and consumption offerings and traditional capital expenditure sales, our technology and product strategy, specifically customer priorities around sustainability, the environmental and energy saving benefits to our customers of using our products, our ability to perform during current macro conditions and expand market share, our sustainability goals and benefits, the impact of inflation, economic or supply chain disruptions, our expectations regarding our product and technology differentiation, new customer acquisition, and other statements regarding our products, business, operations and results. Forward-looking statements are subject to known and unknown risks and uncertainties and are based on potentially inaccurate assumptions that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expected or implied by the forward-looking statements. Actual results may differ materially from the results predicted, and reported results should not be considered as an indication of future performance. The potential risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ from the results predicted include, among others, those risks and uncertainties included under the caption "Risk Factors" and elsewhere in our filings and reports with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, which are available on our Investor Relations website at investor.purestorage.com and on the SEC website at www.sec.gov . Additional information is also set forth in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended February 4, 2024. All information provided in this release and in the attachments is as of December 3, 2024, and Pure undertakes no duty to update this information unless required by law. Key Performance Metric Subscription ARR is a key business metric that refers to total annualized contract value of all active subscription agreements on the last day of the quarter, plus on-demand revenue for the quarter multiplied by four. Non-GAAP Financial Measures To supplement our unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements, which are prepared and presented in accordance with GAAP, Pure uses the following non-GAAP financial measures: non-GAAP gross profit, non-GAAP gross margin, non-GAAP operating income (loss), non-GAAP operating margin, non-GAAP net income (loss), non-GAAP net income (loss) per share, and free cash flow. We use these non-GAAP financial measures for financial and operational decision-making and as a means to evaluate period-to-period comparisons. Our management believes that these non-GAAP financial measures provide meaningful supplemental information regarding our performance and liquidity by excluding certain expenses such as stock-based compensation expense, payments to former shareholders of acquired companies, payroll tax expense related to stock-based activities, amortization of debt issuance costs related to debt, and amortization of intangible assets acquired from acquisitions that may not be indicative of our ongoing core business operating results. Pure believes that both management and investors benefit from referring to these non-GAAP financial measures in assessing our performance and when analyzing historical performance and liquidity and planning, forecasting, and analyzing future periods. The presentation of these non-GAAP financial measures is not meant to be considered in isolation or as a substitute for our financial results prepared in accordance with GAAP, and our non-GAAP measures may be different from non-GAAP measures used by other companies. For a reconciliation of these non-GAAP financial measures to GAAP measures, please see the tables captioned "Reconciliations of non-GAAP results of operations to the nearest comparable GAAP measures" and "Reconciliation from net cash provided by operating activities to free cash flow," included at the end of this release. PURE STORAGE, INC. Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets (in thousands, unaudited) At the End of Third Quarter of Fiscal 2025 Fiscal 2024 Assets Current assets: Cash and cash equivalents $ 894,569 $ 702,536 Marketable securities 753,960 828,557 Accounts receivable, net of allowance of $956 and $1,060 578,224 662,179 Inventory 41,571 42,663 Deferred commissions, current 86,839 88,712 Prepaid expenses and other current assets 204,485 173,407 Total current assets 2,559,648 2,498,054 Property and equipment, net 431,353 352,604 Operating lease right-of-use-assets 157,574 129,942 Deferred commissions, non-current 210,671 215,620 Intangible assets, net 23,039 33,012 Goodwill 361,427 361,427 Restricted cash 11,249 9,595 Other assets, non-current 99,504 55,506 Total assets $ 3,854,465 $ 3,655,760 Liabilities and Stockholders' Equity Current liabilities: Accounts payable $ 102,021 $ 82,757 Accrued compensation and benefits 155,652 250,257 Accrued expenses and other liabilities 141,846 135,755 Operating lease liabilities, current 47,941 44,668 Deferred revenue, current 897,174 852,247 Debt, current 100,000 — Total current liabilities 1,444,634 1,365,684 Long-term debt — 100,000 Operating lease liabilities, non-current 146,390 123,201 Deferred revenue, non-current 784,282 742,275 Other liabilities, non-current 68,573 54,506 Total liabilities 2,443,879 2,385,666 Stockholders' equity: Common stock and additional paid-in capital 2,821,010 2,749,627 Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) 1,023 (3,782) Accumulated deficit (1,411,447) (1,475,751) Total stockholders' equity 1,410,586 1,270,094 Total liabilities and stockholders' equity $ 3,854,465 $ 3,655,760 PURE STORAGE, INC. Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations (in thousands, except per share data, unaudited) Third Quarter of Fiscal First Three Quarters of Fiscal 2025 2024 2025 2024 Revenue: Product $ 454,735 $ 453,277 $ 1,204,714 $ 1,161,978 Subscription services 376,337 309,561 1,083,608 878,838 Total revenue 831,072 762,838 2,288,322 2,040,816 Cost of revenue: Product (1) 154,970 126,770 385,446 343,588 Subscription services (1) 93,180 83,321 284,168 244,541 Total cost of revenue 248,150 210,091 669,614 588,129 Gross profit 582,922 552,747 1,618,708 1,452,687 Operating expenses: Research and development (1) 200,086 182,100 589,396 549,923 Sales and marketing (1) 255,830 231,707 757,069 696,885 General and administrative (1) 67,319 64,729 213,551 192,944 Restructuring and impairment (2) — — 15,901 16,766 Total operating expenses 523,235 478,536 1,575,917 1,456,518 Income (loss) from operations 59,687 74,211 42,791 (3,831) Other income (expense), net 17,156 5,184 50,684 23,619 Income before provision for income taxes 76,843 79,395 93,475 19,788 Income tax provision 13,204 9,006 29,171 23,915 Net income (loss) $ 63,639 $ 70,389 $ 64,304 $ (4,127)

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has reignited a longstanding debate by suggesting the should lower its rims to increase viewership and revenue. A'ja Wilson blocks Shaq's WNBA rim proposal The recently took to Instagram to reiterate his belief that adjusting the rim height could make the league more exciting by encouraging more dunks. wrote. He also proposed testing the idea during the , claiming it would "send ratings through the roof." This is not the first time has voiced such opinions. In 2021, he made a similar argument on Inside the , suggesting that lowering the rims-akin to adjustments seen in other sports like volleyball and track and field-would level the playing field and attract casual fans. However, 2024 and star is not convinced. During a recent appearance on The Roommates Show, dismissed the idea, emphasizing the disruptive impact it could have on players' training and shooting mechanics. asked. "I would much rather just gear my offseason to, 'Okay, vertical, maxing it out, let's focus on this jumping,' versus lowering it an inch. That could change all of our shots. Do y'all not understand that?" concerns are rooted in the precision required for basketball at the professional level. Changing the rim height, she argues, could undermine years of muscle memory and practice. Critics of idea also point out that the WNBA's growing popularity is being driven by players like , whose skillful play has captivated fans without relying on dunks. As the league continues to evolve, perspective highlights the importance of maintaining the integrity of the game while pursuing new ways to grow its fan base.

Helping to drown out the noise

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Londynn Jones scored 15 points, making all five of her 3-pointers, and fifth-ranked UCLA stunned No. 1 South Carolina 77-62 on Sunday, ending the Gamecocks’ overall 43-game winning streak and their run of 33 consecutive road victories. The Gamecocks (5-1) lost for the first time since April 2023, when Caitlin Clark and Iowa beat them in the NCAA Tournament national semifinals. Te-Hina Paopao scored 18 points and Tessa Johnson scored 14 for the Gamecocks, whose road winning streak was third-longest in Division I history. It was the first time UCLA took down a No. 1 team in school history, having been 0-20 in such games. The program's previous best wins were over a couple of No. 2s — Oregon in 2019 and Stanford in 2008. Elina Aarnisalo added 13 points as one of five Bruins in double figures. UCLA (5-0) dominated from start to finish, with the Bruins' suffocating defense preventing the Gamecocks from making any sustained scoring runs. South Carolina: The Gamecocks trailed by double-digits at halftime for the first time since Dec. 21, 2021, against Stanford, according to ESPN. Chloe Kitts, who averages a team-leading 14 points, finished the game with 2 points on 1 of 7 shooting. UCLA: The Bruins led 43-22 at halftime. Eight different players scored and contributed to 11-0 and 7-0 runs in the first and second quarters as they shot 52% from the field. The first quarter set the tone for a game in which the Gamecocks never led. They missed their first nine shots and were 4 of 18 from the floor in the quarter. UCLA ran off 11 straight points to take a 20-10 lead into the second quarter. The Bruins dominated the boards, 41-34, and held the Gamecocks well under their scoring average of 80.2 points. South Carolina travels to Florida to meet Iowa State in the Fort Myers Tipoff on Thanksgiving. UCLA travels to the Rainbow Wahine Showdown in Hawaii to play UT Martin on Friday. Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 all season. Sign up here. AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketballPlans to let first-home buyers purchase a property with a smaller deposit won't be a silver bullet, the housing minister concedes, with federal parliament set to pass the reforms. or signup to continue reading Labor's Help to Buy and Build to Rent schemes will become law after the Greens agreed to wave the proposals through parliament following months of debate. The Help to Buy scheme is a shared equity program that will allow 10,000 first-home buyers each year to purchase a house with a contribution from the government. Housing Minister Clare O'Neil welcomed the end of the political stalemate on the reforms, but said the laws wouldn't immediately fix problems in the sector. "This is not a silver bullet, and it was never meant to be," she told Nine's Today program on Tuesday. "The truth is we've had a generations-in-the-making housing crisis in our country that's been building for more than 30 years and it requires our government to do lots of things differently. "We're trying to build many more homes in our country. We're trying to get a better deal for renters. We're trying to get more Australians into home ownership. It's a big, complex program, and it's going to take some time." Greens Leader Adam Bandt denied the delay by his party in agreeing to the two housing bills had kept first-home buyers out of the market. "For over the last two months, we pushed them to to go further and do what's needed to really tackle the housing crisis. They've said no," he told ABC TV. "The question that people will ask is, with all of the government's legislation passed, why is it that it's the case that we still have a housing crisis in this country?" Greens housing spokesman Max Chandler-Mather said the party had agreed to pass the reforms in order to set sites on action for renters at the next election, which is due by May. He said the minor party had not capitulated by backing the housing reforms after months of heated debate. "There comes a point where you've pushed as far as you can, and you know, we really tried to get the government to act on soaring rents, on phasing our negative gearing," he told ABC radio. "I haven't lost hope, because I think we can go to the next election with those policies, and I think we can push Labor after that." It comes as opposition housing spokesman Michael Sukkar prepares to speak at the National Press Club on Tuesday. The opposition will argue banking regulation has made it harder for first-home buyers to secure a loan. The coalition has been angling to weaken "responsible lending" obligations imposed on banks after the global financial crisis that it believes are too cumbersome and create barriers for first-time buyers. "If there's one message I want Australians to take away from my remarks today, it's that the coalition will not accept a generation of Australians not having the same opportunities that previous generations have enjoyed for home ownership," Mr Sukkar will say. DAILY Today's top stories curated by our news team. WEEKDAYS Grab a quick bite of today's latest news from around the region and the nation. WEEKLY The latest news, results & expert analysis. WEEKDAYS Catch up on the news of the day and unwind with great reading for your evening. WEEKLY Get the editor's insights: what's happening & why it matters. WEEKLY Love footy? We've got all the action covered. WEEKLY Every Saturday and Tuesday, explore destinations deals, tips & travel writing to transport you around the globe. 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Kansas legislative election: Democrats suffer gerrymandering hangover? GOP strikes messaging gold?Seibert misses an extra point late as the Commanders lose their 3rd in a row, 34-26 to the Cowboys LANDOVER, Md. (AP) — Austin Seibert missed his second extra point of the game with 21 seconds left after Washington’s Jayden Daniels and Terry McLaurin connected on an 86-yard touchdown, Dallas’ Juanyeh Thomas returned the ensuing onside kick attempt for a touchdown, and the Cowboys pulled out a 34-26 victory Sunday that extended the Commanders’ skid to three games. Seibert was wide left on the point-after attempt following a bad snap. On the ensuing onside kick attempt, Juanyeh Thomas returned it 43 yards for a touchdown as the Cowboys ended their losing streak at five in improbable fashion. Earlier in the fourth quarter, KaVonte Turpin returned a kickoff 99 yards for a TD. Patrick Mahomes and Chiefs win at the buzzer again, topping Panthers 30-27 on Shrader's field goal CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Patrick Mahomes threw for 269 yards and three touchdowns, Spencer Shrader kicked a 31-yard field goal as time expired and the Kansas City Chiefs beat the Carolina Panthers 30-27 to reach double-digit wins for the 10th straight season. The Chiefs bounced back from last week’s 30-21 loss at Buffalo and won at the buzzer yet again in a season of narrow escapes. Noah Brown caught two TD passes and DeAndre Hopkins also had a touchdown catch. Bryce Young finished 21 of 35 for 262 yards and a touchdown for the Panthers, who had their two-game winning streak snapped. Sam Darnold leads game-winning drive in OT and Vikings beat Bears 30-27 after blowing late lead CHICAGO (AP) — Sam Darnold threw for 90 of his 330 yards in overtime to set up Parker Romo’s game-ending 29-yard field goal, and the Minnesota Vikings outlasted the Chicago Bears 30-27 after giving up 11 points in the final 22 seconds of regulation. Darnold threw two touchdown passes, Jordan Addison caught eight passes for a career-high 162 yards and a touchdown, and T.J. Hockenson had 114 yards receiving for the Vikings, who remained one game behind Detroit in the rugged NFC North. Caleb Williams threw for 340 yards and two touchdowns for the Bears, who lost their fifth straight. No. 1 South Carolina women stunned by fifth-ranked UCLA 77-62, ending Gamecocks' 43-game win streak LOS ANGELES (AP) — Londynn Jones scored 15 points and fifth-ranked UCLA stunned No. 1 South Carolina 77-62. The Gamecocks' overall 43-game winning streak and their run of 33 consecutive road victories were snapped. The Gamecocks, who fell to 5-1, lost for the first time since April 2023. Te-Hina Paopao scored 18 points for South Carolina. The Bruins knocked off a No. 1 team for the first time in school history. The Bruins dominated from start to finish and their defense prevented the Gamecocks from making any sustained scoring runs. AP Top 25: Alabama, Mississippi out of top 10 and Miami, SMU are in; Oregon remains unanimous No. 1 Alabama and Mississippi tumbled out of the top 10 of The Associated Press college football poll and Miami and SMU moved in following a chaotic weekend in the SEC. Oregon is No. 1 for the sixth straight week and Ohio State, Texas and Penn State held their places behind the Ducks. The shuffling begins at No. 5, where Notre Dame returned for the first time since Week 2 after beating Army for its ninth straight win. No. 6 Georgia moved up two spots, No. 7 Tennessee and No. 8 Miami rose three and No. 9 SMU jumped four places. Indiana dropped from No. 5 to No. 10 following its first loss. Thitikul finishes eagle-birdie to win CME Group Tour Championship and claim record $4M prize NAPLES, Fla. (AP) — Down by two shots with two holes to play, Jeeno Thitikul knew exactly what was needed to capture the biggest prize in women’s golf history. And a eagle-birdie finish for the second straight day made it happen. Thitikul claimed the record-setting $4 million first-place check by winning the CME Group Tour Championship on Sunday. It was the biggest money prize in women’s golf history. Thitikul shot a 7-under 65 on Sunday and finished the week at 22 under, one shot ahead of Angel Yin (66). Yin had a two-shot lead walking to the 17th tee, only to wind up settling for the $1 million runner-up check. From Maui to the Caribbean, college hoops' Thanksgiving tournaments a beloved part of the sport College basketball is ready for its Thanksgiving Week closeup. The schedule is full of early season tournaments that could create buzzworthy marquee matchups. And many of those come in warm-weather locations. The Maui Invitational in Hawaii turns 40 years old this year. It opens Monday with a field that includes two-time reigning national champion and second ranked UConn. The Battle 4 Atlantis men's tournament in the Bahamas opens Wednesday. It has a field topped by No. 3 Gonzaga. There are also multiple women's events in the Bahamas featuring ranked teams, including the fourth Atlantis women's tournament. Jannik Sinner leads Italy past the Netherlands for its second consecutive Davis Cup title MALAGA, Spain (AP) — Jannik Sinner clinched Italy's second consecutive Davis Cup title and capped his breakthrough season at the top of tennis by beating Tallon Griekspoor 7-6 (2), 6-2 for a 2-0 win over the Netherlands in the final of the team competition in Malaga, Spain. Matteo Berrettini won Sunday's opening singles match 6-4, 6-2 against Botic van de Zandschulp. The Italians are the first country to win the Davis Cup twice in a row since the Czech Republic in 2012 and 2013. The No. 1-ranked Sinner stretched his unbeaten streak in singles to 14 matches and 26 sets. Netherlands reached the Davis Cup final for the first time. Verstappen still manages to win 4th straight F1 title in one of worst seasons of his Red Bull career LAS VEGAS (AP) — Max Verstappen won an unbelievable 19 races last season that included an incredible streak of 10 in a row in what would arguably go down as one of the greatest years in Formula 1 history. And yet it is this year’s eight-win season — his lowest victory total since 2020 — that Verstappen considers a career-defining campaign. Those eight wins were enough to win him a fourth consecutive F1 championship on Saturday night with his easy drive at the Las Vegas Grand Prix. The championship made Verstappen only the sixth driver in F1 history to win four or more titles. Maverick McNealy birdies the last hole at Sea Island to finally become PGA Tour winner ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. (AP) — Maverick McNealy is finally a winner on the PGA Tour, and it took a shot he won't soon forget. McNealy was part of a four-way tie for the lead when he drilled a 6-iron to 5 feet on the final hole at Sea Island for birdie and a 68. That gave him a one-shot victory over Daniel Berger, Nico Echavarria and Florida State sophomore Luke Clanton. Berger and Henrik Norlander moved into the top 125 to keep full PGA Tour cards for next year. Clanton continued to show his promise. It was his second runner-up finish and fourth top 10 this year.

HOUSTON -- A federal judge in Texas rejected the auction sale of Alex Jones' Infowars to The Onion satirical news outlet, criticizing the bidding for the conspiracy theory platform as flawed as well as how much money families of the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary shooting stood to receive. The decision late Tuesday night is a victory for Jones, whose Infowars site was put up for sale as part of his bankruptcy case in the wake of the nearly $1.5 billion that courts have ordered him to pay over falsely calling one of the deadliest school shootings in U.S. history a hoax. Families of the Sandy Hook victims had backed The Onion's bid. Following a two-day hearing in Houston, U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Christopher Lopez said he would not approve the sale, while citing concerns about transparency in the auction. That clears the way for Jones to keep - at least for now - Infowars, which is headquartered in Austin, Texas. The Onion had planned to kick Jones out and relaunch Infowars in January as a parody. "We are deeply disappointed in today's decision, but The Onion will continue to seek a resolution that helps the Sandy Hook families receive a positive outcome for the horror they endured," Ben Collins, CEO of The Onion's parent company, Global Tetrahedron, posted on social media late Tuesday. Lopez cited problems - but no wrongdoing - with the auction process. He said he said he did not think that those involved in the auction acted in bad faith and that everyone "put their best foot forward and tried to play within the rules." Still, Lopez said he said he did not want another auction and left it up to the trustee who oversaw the auction to determine the next steps. The Onion offered $1.75 million in cash and other incentives for Infowars' assets in the auction. First United American Companies, which runs a website in Jones' name that sells nutritional supplements, bid $3.5 million. The bids were a fraction of the money that Jones has been ordered to pay in defamation lawsuits in Connecticut and Texas filed by relatives of victims of the Sandy Hook shooting. Lopez said the auction outcome "left a lot of money on the table" for families. "You got to scratch and claw and get everything you can for them," Lopez said. Christopher Mattei, a lawyer for the Sandy Hook families who sued Jones in Connecticut, said they were disappointed in the judge's ruling. "These families, who have already persevered through countless delays and roadblocks, remain resilient and determined as ever to hold Alex Jones and his corrupt businesses accountable for the harm he has caused," Mattei said in a statement. "This decision doesn't change the fact that, soon, Alex Jones will begin to pay his debt to these families and he will continue doing so for as long as it takes." Jones, who did not attend the proceedings, went back on his program late Tuesday to celebrate the judge's ruling, calling the auction "ridiculous" and "fraudulent." Although The Onion's cash offer was lower than that of First United American, it also included a pledge by many of the Sandy Hook families to forgo $750,000 of the auction proceeds due to them and give it to other creditors, providing the other creditors more money than they would receive under First United American's bid. The sale of Infowars is part of Jones' personal bankruptcy case, which he filed in late 2022 after he was ordered to pay nearly $1.5 billion in defamation lawsuits in Connecticut and Texas filed by relatives of victims of the Sandy Hook shooting. Jones repeatedly called the shooting that killed 20 children and six educators a hoax staged by actors and aimed at increasing gun control. Parents and children of many of the victims testified in court that they were traumatized by Jones' conspiracies and threats from his followers. Jones has since acknowledged that the Connecticut school shooting happened. Most of the proceeds from the sale of Infowars, as well as many of Jones' personal assets, will go to the Sandy Hook families. Some proceeds will go to Jones' other creditors. Trustee Christopher Murray had defended The Onion's bid in court this week, testifying that he did not favor either bidder over the other and was not biased. He also revealed that First United American submitted a revised bid in recent days, but he said he could not accept it because the Sandy Hook families in the Connecticut lawsuit objected. The Onion valued its bid, with the Sandy Hook families' offer, at $7 million because that amount was equal to a purchase price that would provide the same amount of money to the other creditors. In a court filing last month, Murray's lawyers called First United American's request to disqualify The Onion's bid a "disappointed bidder's improper attempt to influence an otherwise fair and open election process." Jones' attorney, Ben Broocks, noted that the Sandy Hook lawsuit judgments could be overturned in pending appeals and got Murray to acknowledge that the Sandy Hook families' offer in The Onion bid could fall apart if that happens. That's because the percentage of the auction proceeds they would be entitled to could drop sharply and they wouldn't get the $750,000 from the sale to give to other creditors. Up for sale were all the equipment and other assets in the Infowars studio in Austin, as well as the rights to its social media accounts, websites, video archive and product trademarks. Jones uses the studio to broadcast his far-right, conspiracy theory-filled shows on the Infowars website, his account on the social platform X and radio stations. Many of Jones' personal assets also are being sold. Jones has set up another studio, websites and social media accounts in case The Onion wins approval to buy Infowars and kicks him out. Jones has said he could continue using the Infowars platforms if the auction winner is friendly to him. Jones is appealing the money has been ordered to pay in judgments citing free speech rights.

Two luxury real estate brokers and their brother have been charged with luring, drugging and violently raping dozens of women over more than a decade, according to a federal indictment unsealed Wednesday in Manhattan. State charges were also filed Wednesday in Florida against two of the brothers and a third man stemming from three alleged sexual assaults. Federal prosecutors allege in the New York indictment that Oren and Tal Alexander, known for brokering deals on high-end properties in New York City and Miami, and sibling Alon Alexander used their wealth and influence to take advantage of women from at least 2010 to 2021. The information you need to know, sent directly to you: Download the CTV News App The brothers, who all reside in Miami, used “deception, fraud, and coercion” to entice victims to travel with them or attend parties or events, often covering flights, hotels and other expenses, according to the indictment. They also at times used the promise of a romantic relationship, it said. The women were then drugged and raped by one or more of the brothers, as well as other men, before being sent away with concert tickets and other luxuries. “This conduct was heinous,” U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Damian Williams said at a news conference in Manhattan. The brothers typically met their victims on dating apps, through social events and at bars and nightclubs, but they also used party promoters to “source” women, according to Williams. He added that the women were often provided drugs, including cocaine, psychedelic mushrooms and GHB. The brothers even surreptitiously drugged some of the women’s drinks, leaving them physically impaired and unable to fight back or escape from the sexual assaults, prosecutors said in their indictment. "In some instances, the defendants physically restrained and held down their victims during the rapes and sexual assaults and ignored screams and explicit requests to stop,'' the indictment said. In the Florida cases, state prosecutors described one incident in December 2016 as a “gang rape” of a woman who said she was invited to a barbecue at Alon Alexander’s Miami Beach apartment only to discover no one there, save Alon, his brother Oren and another relative, Ohad Fisherman, who remains at large. The woman, who is not named, said she was led into a bedroom where Fisherman held her down and the brothers argued over who would rape her first as she pleaded with them not to assault her, according to Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle. The second incident, in October 2017, involved a woman who said she was sexually assaulted by Oren Alexander at his apartment after drinking a glass of wine that left her feeling weak and unable to control her body, according to prosecutors. They said the third incident happened in October 2021 and involved a woman who said she was assaulted by Oren Alexander after going back to his residence with friends following dinner. Follow the CTV News channel on WhatsApp Williams, the U.S. Attorney in New York, said the three brothers were arrested in Florida on Wednesday and will appear in Miami federal court before being brought to New York. He declined to say if others also will be charged but urged any other possible victims to come forward. Meanwhile lawyers for the brothers denied the charges, which include one count of engaging in a sex trafficking conspiracy for each sibling. “Oren Alexander is innocent,” attorney Susan Necheles wrote in an email. “The evidence will show that neither he nor his brothers ever committed a crime.” “My client will be entering a not guilty plea and dealing with these charges in the appropriate forum .. .the courtroom,” responded Isabelle Kirshner, a lawyer for Alon Alexander. Joel Denaro, a lawyer for Tal Alexander, declined to comment. The elder brother appeared in Miami federal court Wednesday and will have a detention hearing Friday as prosecutors argue he’s a danger to the community and a flight risk. The two other brothers are in state custody and are expected to appear in court Thursday. Representatives for a number of women who filed lawsuits earlier this year claiming they were violently raped by the brothers welcomed the charges. Read more of the latest international headlines “We are glad to hear that there will finally be some measure of accountability for the Alexander brothers and justice for their many victims,” lawyer David Gottlieb wrote on X, formerly Twitter. “We applaud all the survivors who have had the strength and courage to speak up about their unimaginable experiences after years of pain and suffering.” Tal Alexander, 38, and Oren Alexander, 37, first worked as a team under real estate giant Douglas Elliman, listing properties for Kim Kardashian and Kanye West, Liam Gallagher, and Lindsay Lohan. In 2022, they started a new company called Official. Alon Alexander, who is Oren's twin brother, attended law school and joined the family's private security business. __ Associated Press reporter Michael Schneider in Orlando, Florida, contributed to this story.

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This week, President authorized Ukraine . It’s an overdue, relatively small escalation after Russia’s bigger escalations and relentless attacks, letting Ukraine partially take the gloves off. Ukrainian President officially requested this in May, and presumably asked in private before that. It will help Ukraine hinder Russia’s war machine by striking ammunition depots, weapons manufacturing, airfields and other military targets. The apparent cause is the U.S. election. President-elect Donald Trump has , and of Ukraine in February 2022 by gushingly calling it “savvy” and “genius.” In subsequent years, Trump, his incoming and top surrogate/donor/adviser Elon Musk have all advocated a that amounts to “give Putin what he wants.” While Biden's lifting restrictions on Ukraine is probably too late to make a big difference, it could cause some disruption to Russia’s war effort and improve Ukraine’s position before Trump tries to force them into a Russia-friendly deal. Knowing that the United States is about to have a pro-Putin president makes Biden’s caution look awful in hindsight, but it looked excessive at the time as well. Caution made sense early in the war, since we didn’t have a good read on Russian capabilities. And keeping NATO forces out of direct combat with Russia still makes sense, since that could trigger an escalatory spiral that spins out of control, or at least undermine political support for Ukraine in NATO countries. But in early 2024, after two years of war, it was apparent Russia was doing everything it could think of to defeat Ukraine, and wasn’t keeping a large military capacity in reserve. Except, of course, for nuclear weapons, but those are checked by mutually assured destruction and the global nuclear taboo. Russia fears World War III, just like everyone else, as well as alienating the large countries it still gets along with, namely China and India. Russia has never attacked weapons shipments on their way to Ukraine, showing that no matter their rhetoric, their actions respect NATO deterrence. By contrast, Israel has bombed Hezbollah-bound weapons shipments inside Syria for years. But Russia bluffs a lot. They annexed occupied parts of Ukraine, and declared that any counterattack would cause nuclear war. Ukrainian forces kept coming, took some territory back, and Russia did little in response. They convinced Elon Musk that a Ukrainian attack on Russian ships off the coast of Crimea would cause WWIII, and Musk cut off Starlink internet services to in progress. Shortly after, Ukraine hit Russian ships near Crimea without using Starlink, and Russia did little in response. Ukraine has used U.S.-provided missiles to attack Russian military targets in occupied parts of Ukraine. They’ve used Ukrainian-made drones to attack inside Russia, including an airbase . In response, Russia didn’t do anything it wasn’t already doing. There is a possibility that longer-range strikes with U.S. missiles would require U.S. satellites for targeting, but since Russia didn’t offer a response to U.S. missile strikes on Russian forces in Ukraine or Ukrainian strikes inside Russia, it’s unlikely that Ukrainian strikes with U.S. missiles inside Russia represents such a red line that they’d risk everything over it. As a matter of international law, Ukraine using U.S. missiles to attack inside Russia is cut-and-dry. Russia started the war without provocation, and could stop at any time but chooses to continue. As the clear aggressor, Russia is in material breach of the U.N. charter, and under the right of self-defense, Ukraine is legally allowed to fire at Russian military targets, including inside Russia. And Russia is responsible for a much bigger escalation this year, with thousands of . Russia had already been using and , much as Ukraine is using weapons from NATO countries. But the North Korean troops are the only foreign state forces to directly intervene. After Biden’s announcement and Ukraine’s first use, Russia launched a new ballistic missile at the densely populated Ukrainian city of Dnipro, which Putin claimed was in retaliation for Ukraine shooting American (and British) missiles into Russia. It at least three people and damaged some buildings. The Ukrainians are unsurprisingly shrugging, since Russia shoots missiles, kamikaze drones and glide bombs at them every night, usually causing more damage. Two days before the ballistic missile attack, killed 12 civilians and injured 13 more. So while the missile technically represents an escalation, it’s mostly more of the same: attacking Ukrainians in an attempt to terrorize them into submission. For mourners, the weapon Russia used to kill their loved ones doesn’t matter. And if Russia could use these weapons to defeat the Ukrainian military and enable Russian ground forces to overrun the country, they would. The new weapon is an intermediate range (about 620 miles to 1,860 miles) ballistic missile called an Oreshnik, capable of carrying nuclear warheads (though this one wasn’t), and was at least as much nuclear saber-rattling against the West as an attack on Ukraine. For that reason, Russia probably would’ve used it anyway at some point, finding some excuse. There’s no intimidation factor from a new weapon if you don’t show it off. A day after the launch, that Russia will mass produce the Oreshnik, and develop a “whole line” of similar missiles. That’s mostly a bluff, at least in the short term, since Russian defense manufacturing is already strained trying to feed the war in Ukraine, but it does represent yet another nuclear threat. The response has to be a hard no. The U.S. has nuclear-armed ballistic missiles, too, and Russia knows it. Giving in to these sort of threats shows that nuclear extortion works, encouraging more. If the West bends now, and later tries to take a stand, that raises the risk of an accidental spiral, because the earlier acquiescence could make Russia think that if it goes closer to the brink, the West will back down again. Calling the bluff is nerve-wracking, but a necessary strategic choice. Russia’s loud rhetoric — but relatively small action in response to Ukraine’s attack inside Russia with U.S. missiles — suggests that this red line was always fake. The ability never would’ve handed Ukraine victory on its own, but it would have improved their military position. If Trump cuts U.S. aid to Ukraine and pushes them to surrender to Russia as expected, Biden’s hesitancy to authorize it will go down in history as a painful what-if.

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Tupac went out on top. His 1996 release All Eyez on Me is a sprawling, double disc classic. "How Do U Want It," one of the album's best known singles, shot to number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1996. The song has seen renewed interest recently, thanks to a dance challenge that has been sweeping social media. The challenge has seen men and women two step to a particular lyric from Tupac's first verse. "Love the way you activate your hips and push your a*s out," he raps. Not everybody loves the challenge, though. It's difficult to scroll through TikTok without seeing at least one person attempting the Tupac challenge. It seems like a good thing on the surface, to reintroduce the rapper's music to a new generation. Some feel the dance challenge is not appropriate for the children who are attempting it. There's been a lot of social media users who believe underage kids should not be dancing to a lyric instructing them push their "a*s out." Especially given Tupac's dubious history with sexual assault allegations. The rapper was convicted of two counts of first-degree sexual abuse. for "forcibly touching the woman's buttocks" in 1994. Not the best association. Read More: Lil Xan Ordered To Pay $27K After Threatening Tupac Fan With A Gun There was a sect of Tupac fans who took a different stance, however. They believed that using a Tupac song for a dance challenge diminishes the rapper's legacy. One irate Twitter user went as far as to theorize that 'Pac would be fuming to find out what his song was being used for. "If Tupac knew u ni**gas was shaking y'all a*s to that song he a be pissed," they wrote. It's worth noting the "How Do U Want It" rapper started his artistic career as a dancer. He even performed in a high school production of The Nutcracker . Furthermore, Tupac knew the importance of making songs that catered to different demographics. Part of the reason why he connected with so many listeners was the range of song topics he dished out. 'Pac could rap about dead loved ones on "Life Goes On" or despair on "Heartz of Men." But he could also turn around and give listeners a party anthem like "How Do U Want It" or "California Love." He contained a multitude of tastes and thematic interests.Disband the new ECEAST LANSING, Mich. — The sight was a common one for Andrew Kolpacki. For many a Sunday, he would watch NFL games on TV and see quarterbacks putting their hands on their helmets, desperately trying to hear the play call from the sideline or booth as tens of thousands of fans screamed at the tops of their lungs. When the NCAA's playing rules oversight committee this past spring approved the use of coach-to-player helmet communications in games for the 2024 season, Kolpacki, Michigan State's head football equipment manager, knew the Spartans' QBs and linebackers were going to have a problem. "There had to be some sort of solution," he said. As it turns out, there was. And it was right across the street. Kolpacki reached out to Tamara Reid Bush, a mechanical engineering professor who not only heads the school's Biomechanical Design Research Laboratory but also is a football season ticket-holder. Kolpacki "showed me some photos and said that other teams had just put duct tape inside the (earhole), and he asked me, 'Do you think we can do anything better than duct tape,?" Bush said. "And I said, 'Oh, absolutely.'" Bush and Rylie DuBois, a sophomore biosystems engineering major and undergraduate research assistant at the lab, set out to produce earhole inserts made from polylactic acid, a bio-based plastic, using a 3D printer. Part of the challenge was accounting for the earhole sizes and shapes that vary depending on helmet style. Once the season got underway with a Friday night home game against Florida Atlantic on Aug. 30, the helmets of starting quarterback Aidan Chiles and linebacker Jordan Turner were outfitted with the inserts, which helped mitigate crowd noise. DuBois attended the game, sitting in the student section. "I felt such a strong sense of accomplishment and pride," DuBois said. "And I told all my friends around me about how I designed what they were wearing on the field." All told, Bush and DuBois have produced around 180 sets of the inserts, a number that grew in part due to the variety of helmet designs and colors that are available to be worn by Spartan players any given Saturday. Plus, the engineering folks have been fine-tuning their design throughout the season. Dozens of Bowl Subdivision programs are doing something similar. In many cases, they're getting 3D-printed earhole covers from XO Armor Technologies, which provides on-site, on-demand 3D printing of athletic wearables. The Auburn, Alabama-based company has donated its version of the earhole covers to the equipment managers of programs ranging from Georgia and Clemson to Boise State and Arizona State in the hope the schools would consider doing business with XO Armor in the future, said Jeff Klosterman, vice president of business development. XO Armor first was approached by the Houston Texans at the end of last season about creating something to assist quarterback C.J. Stroud in better hearing play calls delivered to his helmet during road games. XO Armor worked on a solution and had completed one when it received another inquiry: Ohio State, which had heard Michigan State was moving forward with helmet inserts, wondered if XO Armor had anything in the works. "We kind of just did this as a one-off favor to the Texans and honestly didn't forecast it becoming our viral moment in college football," Klosterman said. "We've now got about 60 teams across college football and the NFL wearing our sound-deadening earhole covers every weekend." The rules state that only one player for each team is permitted to be in communication with coaches while on the field. For the Spartans, it's typically Chiles on offense and Turner on defense. Turner prefers to have an insert in both earholes, but Chiles has asked that the insert be used in only one on his helmet. Chiles "likes to be able to feel like he has some sort of outward exposure," Kolpacki said. Exposure is something the sophomore signal-caller from Long Beach, California, had in away games against Michigan and Oregon this season. Michigan Stadium welcomed 110,000-plus fans for the Oct. 26 matchup between the in-state rivals. And while just under 60,000 packed Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Oregon, for the Ducks' 31-10 win over Michigan State three weeks earlier, it was plenty loud. "The Big Ten has some pretty impressive venues," Kolpacki said. "It can be just deafening," he said. "That's what those fans are there for is to create havoc and make it difficult for coaches to get a play call off." Something that is a bit easier to handle thanks to Bush and her team. She called the inserts a "win-win-win" for everyone. "It's exciting for me to work with athletics and the football team," she said. "I think it's really exciting for our students as well to take what they've learned and develop and design something and see it being used and executed."

Tech review: Gift options for the cord cutter

I knew my daughter could hear: not just because she loved music, but because she had perfect rhythm. She punched her fists in the air like a human metronome, and brought a doughy heel to the ground precisely on each downbeat. I had thrown off the yoke of milestone-tracking months earlier, having become fixated on her inability to roll during the precise developmental week for rolling. So when she didn’t form consonants at the prescribed time, I made a deliberate choice to ignore it. It didn’t occur to me that deafness might not be a binary, and that certain vibrations and pitches – the downbeat of a song by toddler-music group the Wiggles, say – could be apprehended, while other subtle speech sounds might be snatched out of a sentence. So it was a couple of months after her first birthday when we discovered that our Botticellian baby had mild hearing loss, and two years after that when she lost almost all of her remaining hearing entirely. Like most hearing parents of deaf children, my first close relationship with a deaf person was with my child. Despite a relatively broad cultural education, I knew next to nothing about hearing loss or deaf culture. What little I had absorbed was an incomplete and almost entirely inaccurate patchwork of pop culture snippets – the mother’s horror when her baby doesn’t react to the fire engine’s siren in the film Mr Holland’s Opus (1995); Beethoven’s struggle to hear the first performance of his Ninth Symphony; the lift scene in Jerry Maguire (1996) where the loving boyfriend signs “you complete me” to his partner; Quasimodo’s apparent industrial deafness from the bells of Notre-Dame; and, worst of all, the appalling memory of my university housemate imitating a deaf accent for laughs. This bleak landscape of ignorance and misinformation is often the lookout from which parents begin making decisions, as deaf critics have rightly pointed out. But although I began educating myself belatedly, it didn’t take long for the calcified layers of assumptions and approximations to disintegrate. Chief among them was the unquestioned belief that hearing loss, for an early deafened person, is even a loss at all. In a recent interview with the news site Truthout , the deaf philosopher Teresa Blankmeyer Burke argues that the language of tragic loss seems particularly ill-fitting for a deaf child: “Some of us do not share this experience [of loss] at all, but only know what it is to be in our bodies as they have always existed.” News headlines about childhood deafness and hearing technology often slip into the “from deaf tragedy to hearing miracle” narrative, missing this crucial point about self-concept entirely. For many parents, this has intuitive clarity too. Absolutely smitten with my baby’s many tiny perfections, I had a stubborn sense that her deafness was not a pit she had fallen into, but just one of many extraordinary discoveries about her that I was making every day. It was a comforting certainty to cling to in the wee hours, when I was beset by a looping reel of terrors about the shadowy obstacles she would undeservedly face, and that I would be impotent to protect her from. Even accepting the reality of life’s vicissitudes, most of us hope for a relatively smooth course for our children. Unfettered sensorial access to the world being at the bottom of a hierarchy of wishes, and fundamental to the rest. The idea that so much was arbitrarily denied a baby so new to the world was, at times, almost impossible to withstand. F rom the moment of discovery of their child’s hearing loss, a parent finds themselves not only unmoored by circumstance, but adrift in a tempestuous cultural debate. While not exactly a global topic of dinner-table conversation, the battle for the identities and futures of deaf children is fiercely fought. Arguments drift down from academic journals to social media, where many new parents are washed ashore in the absence of a definitive source of information about their child’s future. Trying to reconcile the contradictory advice given by a new cast of characters – GPs, paediatricians, ear, nose and throat specialists, audiologists, speech therapists, disability insurance advisers, interested observers – I looked at Instagram to find some clarity in authentic, lived experience. Starting with a few anodyne hashtags, I initially found a bunch of mothers (differing in every respect, but always, always mothers) sharing inspiring stories about the lives of their deaf and hard-of-hearing children. Unlike the normative “blend-in-or-else” diktats of my 1980s childhood, this new world was a sea of diversity – confident smiles, “ Deaf Gain ” wallpapers, kids signing in slang, and proudly visible, brightly coloured hearing technology. I was buoyed up by this extraordinary community, and lifted yet again when my daughter’s metallic pink hearing aids arrived. She no longer had to jam her Wiggles keyboard to her ear to hear the music, and all of my hesitations and ambivalences were converted into happy certainties. But the tone of my feed shifted quite quickly. Gone were the mothers meticulously crafting Spider-Man hearing aid covers and Peppa Pig cochlear implant cases, and in their place were reels and posts that had a more political flavour. We had begun working with a speech-therapist using the LSL (listening and spoken language) or AVT (auditory-verbal therapy) approach, which aims to ensure children don’t miss the verbal data bombardment they need in early childhood to develop spoken language. This is essentially about optimising hearing technology – hearing aids or cochlear implants (CI) – so that a deaf or hard-of-hearing child can access the full range of speech sounds, and then using play-based games and activities that focus on listening and speaking (very similarly to traditional speech therapy for hearing children with speech delay). Historically, some exponents of this approach discouraged the use of sign, but not these days and certainly not in my experience. However, they do prioritise spoken language in the early years, recognising that sign languages can be tricky for hearing adults to attain with the necessary proficiency and syntactic complexity in the time a child needs them to. But what I had experienced as a genuinely caring, evidence-based and pragmatic attempt to empower deaf children and give them the widest set of options had been singled out as an example of “ audism ” by influential deaf and deaf-adjacent critics – a sinister assimilationist model with paternalistic colonial overtones and a complicated history. Critics argued that Alexander Graham Bell – the founding father of what is still one of the major LSL programmes in the US – was not so much a benevolent supporter of deaf children, but a eugenicist and “oralist” with grotesque views about deafness on a self-appointed mission to eradicate sign languages. There were traumatised adults distancing themselves from their parents entirely for forcing them, despite great difficulty, to listen, speak and lip-read. The teary-eyed social media phenomenon of babies with hearing aids and CIs being filmed hearing sound for the first time was disparagingly called “ inspiration porn ” or “switch-on porn” – the vulgar showboating of an arrogant hearing class determined to convert their perfectly deaf children into imperfectly hearing ones. Not only was it inaccurate (no hearing technology makes hearing easy or natural for deaf people), but it spoke of, at best, a normative desire to correct or fix something that was not in their view broken – only different. There were videos about so-called “ language deprivation ” – when a child is in effect linguistically starved because parents and providers incorrectly assume their aids or implants give them sufficient access to the subtle speech sounds around them. Through this lens, the speech therapy games we parents were playing weren’t cute or supportive – they were the pastel-coloured attempts of a hegemonic hearing overclass to turn their happy deaf children into unhappy hearing ones. On one level, I was very moved by these arguments, and it seemed fair to lend more weight to the opinions of those with lived experience of deafness than to those without. I began to wonder if I was compelling my non-consenting deaf daughter to “pass” imperfectly and at great personal cost in a hearing world, rather than empowering her to flourish easily by her own lights in the deaf one. While my husband was able to contextualise the deaf culture proponents as a small but noisy minority, I became ever more anxious and fixated on their arguments. And when my daughter progressively lost what remained of her hearing and cochlear implants were proposed, my wheels began to spin in the ethical mud. C ontrary to what many imagine, cochlear implants are not just fancy hearing aids. A hearing aid amplifies sound using the existing mechanisms and pathways of the ear, but the clarity of speech can tail off once hearing loss is in the severe to profound ranges, with things sounding a lot louder, but not necessarily clearer. A cochlear implant, by contrast, is an electronic device that creates the sensation of sound by bypassing the inner ear entirely and stimulating the auditory nerve with a set of electrodes. There is an internal component, with a magnet, a receiver and an electrode array that spirals around the cochlear (a biomimetic design inspired by a strand of grass curling around a shell’s spiral), and an external component with a microphone to pick up sound, with a processor to encode it. While hearing aids are relatively uncontroversial, the internal portion of a cochlear implant requires surgery, which entails risk. There is a significant period of rehabilitation as the brain learns to make sense of a totally new type of electronic input, and the external processor itself is slightly larger and more visible on the head. Deaf adults can of course make this decision for themselves, but increasingly the recommendations are for parents to implant their children in infancy as this generally produces the best outcomes. Even in the past few years, the age of recommended implantation for severely to profoundly deaf babies has dropped to nine months. Their astonishing success rate in aiding the understanding of speech has meant a new generation of deaf adults are emerging who do not use sign language in the way they would have done only a few decades earlier. While for some this is one of the great advances of modern medicine, for others it is a deeply worrying evolution. The new technological possibilities and their swift adoption have understandably caused widespread consternation in deaf communities globally. The future of their complex and rich visual languages is endangered by the developments, as well as the communities and ways of life that stem from them. These are genuine and valid concerns, and ones that are rarely addressed in moderate, bipartisan terms. There are also broader ethical concerns raised by surgical intervention of this kind on children whose lives are not threatened, and who are not in a position to request or consent. Why is the case of cochlear implantation so different from other parallel medical situations that a parent has to navigate? Why is it controversial in the way that an artificial limb or cornea transplant is not? Unlike the parent of a child with vision loss who pursues laser surgery in an uncomplicated way, the parent of a deaf child is implicated in a much larger politico-cultural struggle. To my outsider’s eyes, a lot of this was not the tangled snarl of identity politics, but seemed largely to stem from a fundamental disagreement over the metaphysics of deafness. Whereas the hearing world, hand in hand with the medical one, has conceptualised deafness as a sensory deficit that can be “restored” – albeit partially, temporarily and imperfectly – parts of the deaf world argue that this approach demonstrates an outdated pathologisation of difference. Happily, we live in an era where neuro- and other divergences are no longer seen as aberrations, but rather as part of a welcome heterogeneity of biology and perspective. Deaf critics and disability theorists thus pose the question: why does society want to frame deafness as a medical abnormality rather than a sensory difference? In their view, the medical model is the outward face of a punishing normative tyranny. Any deviations from the standard hearing model are ushered – either gently and kindly or violently and oppressively – back to the midline. Like the twisted “benevolent” logic of gay conversion therapies, even the so-called good intentions of parents and bystanders (as anti-racist campaigners have long argued) could perpetuate discrimination just as easily as the malign ones. The psychologist Harlan Lane went even further, arguing that deafness is actually more akin to an ethnicity than to a disability. If the same rights and protections apply here as to other cultural, religious and racial minorities, then the entire therapeutic landscape looks incredibly sinister. At its mildest, the mainstream model of improving a deaf child’s hearing becomes the enforced alteration of a member of a cultural and linguistic minority. And at worst, as with the cochlear implant, it is not only an invasive surgery that endangers and irrevocably changes a child, but also threatens the extinction of an imperilled language and the erasure of a cultural group. Lane likens the hearing parents of a deaf child to parents who adopt a child from a different racial background, arguing they have a similar responsibility to uphold the cultural mores and traditions of their child’s ethnic group. Tom Humphries, the deaf culturalist who coined the term “audism”, has a deeply cynical view of hearing parents, positioning them simply as legal “owners” of their deaf children, many of whom eventually “migrate” back to what he strongly implies is their true cultural home. He explicitly likens this pattern of ownership and return to that of African American enslaved people or Latin American populations under colonial rule. As a parent, this line of argumentation is jarring, to say the least. While it lies at the extreme end of the debate, many deaf critics have joined Humphries in arguing vociferously that hearing parents cannot be trusted to give informed consent on behalf of their child – surgical or otherwise. W ith these sorts of arguments informing a good deal of the public discourse around deafness, what is the hearing parent of a deaf child to think? And more importantly, how are they to act? The underlying assumption of CI critics seems to be that the neutral stance is to do nothing, and that any intervention at all requires moral licence. But doing nothing isn’t always neutral – most obviously in medical scenarios – and can be a malign act of withholding. There is a genuine moral dilemma here, because a parent must give informed consent one way or the other. Not acting while the child is young is potentially equally culpable. If the anti-CI arguments are not convincing, then it’s possible that their proponents have indirectly harmed the potential development of some children and their ability to flourish in the widest set of circumstances. Alongside the passionate critiques of Lane, Humphries and others, there is also considerable weight lent to the academics arguing quite the opposite – that denying a deaf child a cochlear implant is neglect. In the western world, where early paediatric implantation in severely to profoundly deaf children is considered to be the “ standard of care ”, making the choice not to implant could be seen as a radical decision to withhold a mainstream technology that most of a deaf child’s peers will be using. And what are the ethics of withholding when that technology has safety implications, and could enable the deaf child-then-adult to apprehend dangers to themselves or others? Footsteps in the dark, a window breaking, a car approaching on a quiet street, a fire alarm, a scream in the shopping centre, a baby crying in the next room – none would be audible to my daughter without an implant. And from a feminist perspective, she may need, as women always have done, a loud voice to shout, or to argue with her healthcare providers, or to advocate for herself in an emergency. The implant would provide her with a clearer pathway to power and impact in the world, and to positions of influence where she would be underrepresented both as a woman and as a deaf person. To refuse her a CI based on the arguments of Lane et al would be to use the future of an individual as a blunt weapon to achieve benefit for the broader deaf community. Now, this could open me up to the charge that it would be individualistic and anti-solidaristic to prioritise my daughter’s personal future at any expense. But there’s also a persuasive argument that what benefits the deaf individual is, when multiplied, what raises the collective. It strikes me that the more deaf people can participate actively in positions of power and influence, the better the outcome for deaf people en masse – and, as much as we may wish it wouldn’t, this entails having considerable proficiency in the primary mode of communication. In strictly utilitarian terms, a successful implant hugely expands the number of people a deaf person can communicate with – amplifying their perspective and connecting them in the hearing world, while not precluding their ability to communicate solely using the richness of sign language/s in the deaf one. For me, it is a version of the dilemma that plagues any other movement for systemic social justice. In my experience, this debate often arises in discussions among women too – there is a tension between our responsibility to unpick larger hegemonies and create opportunities for change, and our attempts to personally flourish within the world as it is now, however flawed. But there is a way to have a measure of both. I’ve begun to think of this as a sort of dialectical pragmatism – a way of holding two seemingly contradictory things in mind and moving forward in a way that works. Ultimately, I think it’s possible to want to create the conditions for the best life possible for our daughter, while simultaneously remaining conscious that she is having to bend painfully to fit a system that doesn’t speak for her the way it should. With so many strident either/ors bouncing back and forth, thinking more dialectically can bring clarity in other aspects of the debate too. We can then hold both that her deafness is perfect and does not need to be “fixed”, and that she may benefit from a helpful intervention just as I have from things such as glasses, medications or surgeries – all of which do not ultimately alter my dignity or identity. We can say both that there is justifiable concern from deaf adults who wish to safeguard their communities and languages from the evolution of hearing technology, and that there is a new generation of deaf voices with cochlear implants who haven’t entered the debate and will have their own perspectives. We can maintain a dislike for the tech-utopian view of CIs as a miraculous cure for a tragic affliction, and accept that they have proven to be an extraordinary, life-changing daily support to more than 1 million people worldwide. It’s OK to acknowledge that the hearing perspective is a muddy lens through which we view the world (and which leads us to valorise auditory pleasures in a way deaf people don’t), and also admit that it is fine to want to give your child the qualia of soaring strings and voices in the final movement of Beethoven’s Ninth. But the fork in the road in front of us was not only binary, but time-critical. Forced into a nauseating either/or decision that would torment even the most level-headed parent, my husband and I eventually arrived at a bald piece of logic that wouldn’t burn away with challenge: the idea that there was only one option that contained a kernel of both options within it. Only one that really left her with any kind of agency. If she wishes to, in adulthood our daughter can have her cochlear implant removed and fully immerse herself in what is so clearly the rich, joyous, fulfilling deaf world. We plan to learn Australian Sign Language (Auslan) as a family, so that she will have an easy fluency and cultural connection with a community that will, I’m sure, become hugely important to her. But without full access to spoken English in the critical development window of her early years, she will probably never regain the nuances of spoken communication later on; something that is only a problem in that it will close doors that she may later wish were open, and chiefly – it wouldn’t be her choice to do so. She would be constrained by the boundaries of what she may later choose – and what in any other era or in parts of the world would certainly be her future – but to actively place the constraint on her now feels premature. She is three and three-quarters, and fluently reading early chapter books for pleasure. She knows more about the solar system and the workings of the digestive tract than I do, and her future seems as unbounded as her mind. So we made an excruciating decision that, to us, leaves the fewest limits to the scope of her life as possible, and places the decisions back in her hands, where they should be. Our neighbourhood pear tree is just beginning to rouse itself after winter, and my little girl has been emerging too – into a world of new sounds that were beyond the reach of her hearing aids. Yesterday she heard the tiniest, most pitiful bird chirp, and told me so excitedly, with a strong, clear voice. On a windy day she stopped, wide-eyed and said: “I hear the leaves rustling with my coch-le-ah!” with all the triumph she saves for brandishing treasures found on walks. We hold a both/and view here, too, and also celebrate the magic of her “quiet ears” and the unique perspective they afford her. When she removes her processor before sleep, it’s clear she is relieved to submerge into calm again. But she holds the dialectical promise of silence and sound at once – this time literally, insisting on gripping her processor tightly in her palm while she falls asleep. In this way she stands pragmatically astride both worlds. In silence, but with a hearing key right at hand; ready to unlock the blooming, buzzing cacophony of the world whenever she chooses. This essay first appeared under the title The Cochlear Question on Aeon.co Listen to our podcasts here and sign up to the long read weekly email here .Mohamed Salah’s landmark goal pulls Liverpool clear in Champions League

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Washington: Most Americans believe health insurance profits and coverage denials share responsibility for the killing of UnitedHealthcare’s CEO – although not as much as the person who pulled the trigger, according to a new poll. In the survey from NORC at the University of Chicago, about eight in 10 US adults said the person who committed the killing has “a great deal” or “a moderate amount” of responsibility for the December 4 shooting of Brian Thompson . Luigi Mangione, centre, is escorted from Manhattan Criminal Court after his arraignment where he pleaded not guilty to state murder and terror charges in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. Credit: AP Despite that, some have cast Luigi Mangione – the 26-year-old suspect charged with Thompson’s murder – as a heroic figure in the aftermath of his arrest, which gave rise to an outpouring of grievances about insurance companies. Police say the words “delay,” “deny” and “depose” were scrawled on the ammunition investigators found at the scene, echoing a phrase commonly used to describe insurer tactics to avoid paying claims. UnitedHealthcare has said Mangione was not a client. About seven in 10 adults said denials for health care coverage by insurance companies, or the profits made by health insurance companies, also bear at least “a moderate amount” of responsibility for Thompson’s death. Younger Americans were particularly likely to see the murder as the result of a confluence of forces rather than just one person’s action. Most Americans get health coverage through their job or by purchasing individual policies. Separate government-funded programs provide coverage for people with low incomes or those who are aged 65 and over or have severe illnesses or disabilities. Americans saw a wide range of factors contributing to UHC CEO’s killing and the poll found that the story of the slaying is being followed widely. About seven in 10 said they had heard or read “a lot” or “some” about Thompson’s death. Multiple factors were seen as responsible. About half in the poll believed that at least “a moderate amount” of blame is rooted in wealth or income inequality, although they did not think other factors like political divisions in the US held the same level of responsibility. Patients and doctors often complain about coverage denials and other complications interfering with care, especially for serious illnesses like cancer and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS. Insurance industry critics frequently point to company profits in questioning whether the interests of patients are their top focus. UnitedHealthcare made more than $US16 billion in profit last year, before interest and taxes, on $US281 billion in revenue. Insurers frequently note that most of the revenue they bring in goes back out the door to pay for care. UnitedHealthcare said this month that it pays about 90 per cent of medical claims upon submission. The insurer has not provided details on the number of claims involved. Among young people, blame was spread equally between insurers and the killer. Americans under 30 were especially likely to think a mix of factors was to blame for Thompson’s death. They say that insurance company denials and profits are about as responsible as Thompson’s killer for his death. About 7 in 10 US adults between 18 and 29 say “a great deal” or “a moderate amount” of responsibility falls on profits made by health insurance companies, denials for health care coverage by health insurance companies or the person who committed the killing. Young people are also the least likely age group to say “a great deal” of responsibility fell on the person who committed the killing. Only about four in 10 say that, compared with about 6 in 10 between 30 and 59. Roughly eight in 10 adults over 60 say that person deserved “a great deal” of responsibility. About two-thirds of young people placed at least a moderate level of blame on wealth or income inequality, in general. Frustrations with health insurers, coverage and the complicated US healthcare system have been simmering for years among patients. About three in 10 Americans said they had problems getting coverage from their health insurer in the [ast year, whether those involved problems finding a suitable provider in-network, a claim getting denied or issues getting prior authorisation or insurer approval before care happens. These struggles were more prevalent among Americans under 60. The poll of 1001 adults was conducted from December 12 to 16 using a sample drawn from NORC’s probability-based AmeriSpeak Panel, which is designed to be representative of the US population. The margin of sampling error for adults overall is plus or minus 4.2 percentage points. AP Get a note directly from our foreign correspondents on what’s making headlines around the world. Sign up for the weekly What in the World newsletter here .Footage shows NY inmate beaten by guards before death

NEW YORK — If you're planning on ringing in the new year quietly at home, you're not alone. A majority of U.S adults intend to celebrate New Year’s Eve at home, according to a new poll by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research . “As I’ve gotten older over the last few years, it’s like if I don’t make it to midnight, it’s not a big deal, you know?” says Carla Woods, 70, from Vinton, Iowa. Nearly 2 in 10 will be celebrating at a friend or family member’s home, and just 5% plan to go out to celebrate at a bar, restaurant or organized event, the poll found. But many U.S. adults will celebrate the new year in a different way — by making a resolution. More than half say they'll make at least one resolution for 2025. There's some optimism about the year ahead, although more than half aren't expecting a positive change. About 4 in 10 say 2025 will be a better year for them personally. About one-third don’t expect much of a difference between 2024 and 2025, and about one-quarter think 2025 will be a worse year than 2024. Kourtney Kershaw, a 32-year-old bartender in Chicago, often fields questions from customers and friends about upcoming events for New Year's Eve. She said this year is trending toward low-key. “A majority of who I’ve spoken to in my age range, they want to go out, but they don’t know what they’re going to do because they haven’t found anything or things are just really expensive,” she said. “Party packages or an entry fee are like a turnoff, especially with the climate of the world and how much things cost.” As expected, younger people are more interested in ringing in the new year at a bar or organized event — about 1 in 10 U.S. adults under 30 say they plan to do that. But about 3 in 10 older adults — 60 and above — say they won’t celebrate the beginning of 2025 at all. Anthony Tremblay, 35, from Pittsburgh, doesn't usually go out to toast the arrival of the new year, but this year he's got something special cooked up: He and his wife will be traveling through Ireland. “I don’t do anything too crazy for New Year’s, usually. So this is definitely a change,” he said. “I wanted to do something unique this year, so I did.” Woods will be working New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day. She answers calls on The Iowa Warmline, a confidential, noncrisis listening line for people struggling with mental health or substance use issues. “Holidays are really hard for people, so I don’t mind working,” she said. “I’m passionate about it because I have mental health issues in the family and so being able to help people is rewarding to me.” Every New Year's also triggers the eternal debate about resolutions. A majority of U.S. adults say they intend to make a New Year’s resolution of some type, but millennials and Gen Z are especially likely to be on board — about two-thirds expect to do so, compared to about half of older adults. Women are also more likely than men to say they will set a goal for 2025. Tremblay hopes to lose some weight and focus more on self-care — more sleep, meditation and breathing exercises. “It’s probably a good year to focus on mental health,” he said. Many others agree. About 3 in 10 adults choose resolutions involving exercise or eating healthier. About one-quarter said they'll make a resolution involving losing weight and a similar number said they'll resolve to make changes about priorities of money or mental health. Woods' resolutions are to stay social and active. As a mental health counselor, she knows those are key to a happy 2025 and beyond: “Probably one of my biggest resolutions is trying to make sure I stay social, try to get out at least once a week — get out and either have coffee or do something with a friend. That’s not only for the physical but also for the mental health part.” Kershaw, the bartender, says weight loss and better health are the top resolutions she hears people make. “Mental health is the new one, but I think it’s high up there as well as with regular health,” she said. She prefers more goal-oriented resolutions and, this time, it's to do more traveling and see more of the world: “I don’t know if that’s really a resolution, but that’s a goal that I’m setting.” And how will she welcome the arrival of 2025? Usually, she takes the night off and stays home watching movies with plenty of snacks, but this year Kershaw has a different plan, maybe one of the most Chicago things you can do. This die-hard sports fan will be at Wrigley Field on Tuesday watching the Chicago Blackhawks take on the St. Louis Blues. “Hockey’s my favorite sport. So I will be watching hockey and bringing in the new year,” she said. The AP-NORC poll of 1,251 adults was conducted Dec. 5-9, 2024, using a sample drawn from NORC’s probability-based AmeriSpeak Panel, which is designed to be representative of the U.S. population. The margin of sampling error for adults overall is plus or minus 3.7 percentage points. Sanders reported from Washington.Azincourt Energy (CVE:AAZ) Stock Price Up 50% – What’s Next?

Folk Maritime Services Company, a Public Investment Fund (PIF) company and emerging leader in regional liner and feeder services, has finalized a strategic agreement with Shanghai CIMC Yangshan Logistics Equipment for the order of 5,600 state-of-the-art shipping containers. The agreement outlines the procurement of 4,500 20-foot general-purpose containers and 1,100 40-foot high-cube containers. Each unit is fully recyclable, reflecting Folk Maritime’s commitment to environmental responsibility and supporting the Kingdom’s journey toward a more sustainable future. The containers are equipped with advanced technologies, including the latest IoT monitoring technology, which Folk Maritime plans to fit fleet wide to its dry boxes. The integration of cutting-edge technology solutions will transform operational efficiency and security by providing real-time location updates, enabling precision route optimization across trade corridors and reducing delays. Geofencing and tamper detection prevents unauthorized access while ensuring cargo integrity. Folk Maritime CEO, Poul Hestbaek, emphasized the significance of the acquisition, saying, “This investment is an important milestone for Folk Maritime as we expand our container fleet and solidify our position as a key player in Saudi Arabia’s logistics infrastructure. The first owned containers, branded by Folk Maritime will enable us to better service the trade and directly support exporters and importers in the region. With this fleet, we are giving cargo owners real time visibility and enhancing operational efficiency. By offering our own containers to meet the needs of our clients, we not only provide end-to-end shipment solutions but also build direct relationships with cargo owners in the region. Our efforts are moving Saudi Arabia closer to becoming a world-leading logistics hub, aligning with the nation’s Vision 2030.” Mohammed Badawi, COO of Folk Maritime added, “This bold step reflects our strategic vision and commitment to growth. By investing in a modern, state-of-the-art container fleet, we are enhancing our operational capabilities as well as, reinforcing our ability to deliver efficient, sustainable, and innovative solutions to our clients. These advanced containers, equipped with cutting-edge technology, will ensure greater supply chain feasibility, optimization, and reliability, aligning perfectly with our goal of driving regional trade. This milestone marks a major leap forward as we solidify our position as a growing regional leader in maritime logistics.” Each container is designed to meet the rigorous demands of international shipping, optimizing cargo capacity and facilitating efficient transport. Featuring durable bamboo-wood flooring for extended lifespan, the fleet is custom-branded with Folk Maritime’s logo. Furthermore, every unit undergoes inspection and certification by globally recognized classification societies to guarantee adherence to the highest standards of quality and reliability. The containers will serve to strengthen key trade routes, including bilateral corridors with India and other global markets, fostering smoother and more efficient export-import operations. To ensure operational readiness and facilitate a seamless integration into Folk Maritime’s expanding operations, the containers will be delivered in batches, over the coming months. The containers will be strategically deployed across critical trade corridors, amplifying Folk Maritime’s ability to meet the growing demands of international commerce while contributing to the Kingdom’s vision of becoming a premier logistics hub. Source: Folk Maritime

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Stock market today: Wall Street wavers at the start of a holiday-shortened weekMOSCOW — Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday apologized to his Azerbaijani counterpart for what he called a "tragic incident" following the crash of an Azerbaijani airliner in Kazakhstan that killed 38 people, but stopped short of acknowledging that Moscow was responsible. Putin's apology came as allegations mounted that Russian air defenses shot down the plane while attempting to deflect a Ukrainian drone strike near Grozny, the regional capital of the Russian republic of Chechnya. An official Kremlin statement issued Saturday said that air defense systems were firing near Grozny airport as the airliner "repeatedly" attempted to land there on Wednesday. It did not explicitly say one of these hit the plane. The statement said Putin apologized to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev "for the fact that the tragic incident occurred in Russian airspace." The readout said Russia has launched a criminal probe into the incident, and Azerbaijani state prosecutors have arrived in Grozny to participate. The Kremlin also said that "relevant services" from Russia, Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan are jointly investigating the crash site near the city of Aktau in Kazakhstan. The plane was flying from Azerbaijan's capital, Baku, to Grozny when it turned toward Kazakhstan, hundreds of miles across the Caspian Sea from its intended destination, and crashed while attempting to land. There were 29 survivors. According to a readout of the call provided by Aliyev's press office, the Azerbaijani president told Putin that the plane was subject to "external physical and technical interference," though he also stopped short of blaming Russian air defenses. Aliyev noted the plane had holes in its fuselage and the occupants sustained injuries "due to foreign particles penetrating the cabin mid-flight." He said that a team of international experts began a probe of the incident at Azerbaijan's initiative, but provided no details. Earlier this week, the Azerbaijani Prosecutor General's office confirmed that investigators from Azerbaijan are working in Grozny. On Friday, a U.S. official and an Azerbaijani minister made separate statements blaming the crash on an external weapon, echoing those made by aviation experts who blamed the crash on Russian air defense systems responding to a Ukrainian attack. U.S. President Joe Biden, responding Saturday to a reporter asking whether he thought Putin should take responsibility for the crash, said: "Apparently he did but I haven't spoken to him." Biden made the comment after leaving church in St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands. Passengers and crew members who survived the crash told Azerbaijani media they heard loud noises on the aircraft as it circled over Grozny. Dmitry Yadrov, head of Russia's civil aviation authority Rosaviatsia, said Friday that as the plane was preparing to land in Grozny in deep fog, Ukrainian drones were targeting the city, prompting authorities to close the area to air traffic. Yadrov said after the captain made two unsuccessful attempts to land, he was offered other airports but decided to fly to Aktau. Earlier this past week, Rosaviatsia cited unspecified early evidence as showing that a bird strike led to an emergency on board. In the days following the crash, Azerbaijan Airlines blamed "physical and technical interference" and announced the suspension of flights to several Russian airports. It didn't say where the interference came from or provide any further details. If proven that the plane crashed after being hit by Russian fire, it would be the second deadly civil aviation accident linked to fighting in Ukraine. Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 was downed with a Russian surface-to-air missile, killing all 298 people aboard, as it flew over the area in eastern Ukraine controlled by Moscow-backed separatists in 2014. Russia denied responsibility but a Dutch court in 2022 convicted two Russians and a pro-Russia Ukrainian man for their role in downing the plane with an air defense system brought into Ukraine from a Russian military base. Following Wednesday's suspension of flights from Baku to Grozny and nearby Makhachkala, Azerbaijan Airlines announced Friday that it would also halt service to eight more Russian cities. Several other airlines made similar announcements since the crash. Kazakhstan's Qazaq Air on Friday said it would stop flying from Astana to the Russian city of Yekaterinburg in the Ural Mountains for a month. Turkmenistan Airlines, the Central Asian country's flagship carrier, on Saturday halted flights to Moscow for at least a month, citing safety concerns. Earlier this past week, Israel's El Al carrier suspended service from Tel Aviv to the Russian capital, citing "developments in Russia's airspace."For the second straight Major League Baseball offseason, a norm-shattering contract has been the talk of the winter, with Juan Soto agreeing with the New York Mets on a $765 million, 15-year deal that's the richest in baseball history. It comes almost exactly one year after the Los Angeles Dodgers forked out a princely sum of $700 million on a 10-year, heavily deferred deal for two-way Japanese superstar Shohei Ohtani. They are believed to be the two richest contracts in pro sports history. The way it's going, a contract approaching $1 billion doesn't seem out of the question. But several factors are working against it — at least in the near future. There's reason to believe the megadeals for Ohtani and Soto are unicorns in the baseball world. Both players are uniquely talented, surely, but both also had unusual circumstances propelling their value into the stratosphere. Ohtani is the greatest two-way player in baseball history, capable of improving any team on both sides of the ball. He's also the rare baseball player who has true international appeal. His every move ( like his unexpected marriage announcement ) is followed closely in his native Japan, adding another 125 million potential fans who buy merchandise, watch him play and help fill the Dodgers' coffers. Then there's Soto — a four-time All-Star and on-base machine who won a World Series with the Washington Nationals in 2019. The X-factor for him is he became a free agent at the prime age of 26, which is extremely hard to do under current MLB rules. Players have to be in the big leagues for six years before testing free agency. The precocious Soto debuted at 19 with the Nats, making him part of a rare group of players who reached the highest level of professional baseball as a teenager. That accelerated his free agency timeline. It's rare for players to debut that young, and rarer still for them to develop into stars and test the open market the first chance they get. Two recent examples are Manny Machado and Bryce Harper, who both reached free agency in 2019. Machado signed a free-agent record $300 million contract with San Diego, and Harper overtook him days later with a $330 million contract to join the Phillies. Most players debut in the big leagues from ages 22 to 26, which means free agency comes in their late 20s or early 30s. A typical example is Yankees slugger Aaron Judge, who is one of this generation's great players but didn't hit the market until he was 30. Judge played three seasons of college baseball for Fresno State before getting drafted by the Yankees in 2013 at age 21 — already two years older than Soto was when he made his MLB debut. It took a few years for the budding superstar to reach the majors, and he was 25 when he had his breakout season in 2018, smashing 52 homers to earn AL Rookie of the Year honors. By the time he reached free agency after the 2022 season, he had already passed age 30. It's a major factor that led to him signing a $360 million, nine-year deal with the Yankees, which seems downright reasonable these days after the Ohtani and Soto deals. Two major trends are colliding that will make it harder for guys like Soto to hit free agency in their mid 20s. First, MLB teams have been more likely in recent years to take college players early in the draft, betting on more experienced talents. Just 10 high school players were drafted among the top 30 picks in the 2024 draft. Second, teams are more eager to lock up young, premium talent on long-term deals very early in their careers, well before they hit free agency. Sometimes before they even reach the majors. Since Soto, just two players have debuted in MLB before their 20th birthday — Elvis Luciano and Junior Caminero. Luciano hasn't been back to the majors since his 2019 cup of coffee. Caminero is now 21 and has only played in 50 big league games. Among those that debuted at 20: Fernando Tatis Jr. signed a $340 million, 14-year deal with San Diego in 2021, years before reaching the open market. Milwaukee's Jackson Chourio got an $82 million, eight-year deal before even reaching the big leagues. Young stars Corbin Carroll ($111 million, eight years with Arizona), Bobby Witt Jr. ($288 million, 11 years with Kansas City) and Julio Rodriguez ($209.3 million, 12 years with Seattle) also got massive guarantees early in their 20s to forgo an early free agency. The exception and wild card: Blue Jays slugger Vladimir Guerrero Jr. will be a 26-year-old free agent next offseason. Guerrero hasn't been as consistent in his young career as Soto, but a standout 2025 season could position him to threaten Soto's deal. More likely is that the player to pass Soto isn't in the majors yet — and might not even be in pro baseball. When 25-year-old Alex Rodriguez signed his record $252 million, 10-year deal with Texas in 2001, it took over a decade for another player to match that total, when Albert Pujols got $240 million over 10 years from the Angels in 2012. For many players, passing up life-changing money in their early or mid 20s is too enticing, even if it means that they might not maximize their value on the free agent market later in their careers. Soto was determined to test the market. He famously turned down a $440 million, 15-year offer to stay with the Washington Nationals in 2022, betting that he could make even more as a free agent. Not many players would turn down that kind of cash. Then again, that's what makes Soto so unique. And it's also why his $765 million deal could be the industry standard for some time.

OMAHA, Neb. — Plunging participation in girls basketball led one of Nebraska’s largest high schools to cancel its varsity team for the year. The decision by Grand Island Senior High School — the state’s third-largest with more than 2,600 students — reflects a national decline in participation in the girls sport, even as the popularity of women’s basketball behind the likes of Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese has sent record numbers of fans flocking to arenas or tuning in on TV. Schools across the country have made similar choices, but that hasn’t made the move any easier for those passionate about Grand Island basketball. “We’ve seen the train coming. I mean we’ve been sitting on the tracks forever. But frankly, people just didn’t want to do the heavy lifting that was required,” said Jeremy Jensen, a former Grand Island mayor and high school soccer coach who wishes more had been done to build a sustainable girls basketball program. What happened in Grand Island? The high school in the largely blue-collar city of 52,000 about 120 miles (190 kilometers) west of Omaha decided to cancel its varsity and junior varsity teams this year after no juniors or seniors went out for the sport. The team suffered a series of lopsided losses, and with many young athletes choosing to specialize in one sport and other activities competing for girls’ time, the school decided to focus on developing young players instead of putting a team of freshman and sophomores on the court. Still, the school’s decision was jarring at a time when college and professional women’s basketball has been surging in popularity, partly due to the phenomenal success of WNBA Indiana Fever guard Clark, who set records at the University of Iowa. Kansas State University women’s basketball coach Jeff Mittie said more viewers doesn’t necessarily mean more players. “Certainly in college, all of our games are on TV, easy for people to find, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they’re playing the sport,” Mittie said. “It just means they’re interested in watching it.” A declining trend Since Clark was born 22 years ago, participation in girls high school basketball has dropped nearly 20% and the sport has fallen from most popular to number four behind volleyball, soccer and track and field, which all have seen double-digit surges in participation, according to the National Federation of State High School Associations. Even as the basketball numbers have dropped, total participation in high school sports has grown, with more than 3.4 million girls competing in high school sports last year. Losing takes a toll In the past few years in Grand Island, Jim Ward watched every player on his oldest daughter’s middle school team quit basketball in high school, either to focus on another sport like volleyball or wrestling or because they lost interest. During that time, the high school girls team was losing games by margins of 70 points or more. The team lost 43 of its last 44 varsity games and has not won more than three games in a season since 2016-17, with its last winning season in 2009-10. “If you’re Grand Island going into Omaha facing some kids that are going to go D-1 (Division I) and you can only keep up with them for the first half of the first quarter, would you want to play longer?” asked Ward, who serves on the booster club board and has a daughter on the team in 10th grade. Kelli Jefferies knows success is possible in Grand Island because she led the school to its only state championship in 1979 as a player and racked up 231 victories over 33 years as coach before stepping down in 2012. But Jefferies said she understands the current struggles. “When you’re not really able to compete and be competitive, you can see why kids don’t want to do it anymore,” Jefferies said. “That’s not fun for everyone, for coaches and players and anyone involved.” Costly competition The problems in Grand Island and elsewhere run much deeper than a losing record. In some communities it can be hard for girls to find opportunities to compete and learn the game when they are young. Many families can’t afford to invest the thousands of dollars and countless hours required to play club basketball to prepare them to compete in high school, putting them behind in development. As teams get competitive earlier and earlier, girls might quit the sport if they are cut in grade school. Families in Grand Island who want their kids to compete at the highest levels of club sports must drive about two hours twice a week to Lincoln or Omaha for practices and again on the weekends for tournaments if they are not traveling farther to other cities. Can the sport recover? Grand Island’s current coach, Kathryn Langrehr, works with middle schoolers and offers free basketball clinics at all the city’s elementary schools to help build a pipeline of players for the sport. But rebuilding could be challenging, especially given the pressure on kids to specialize in just one sport. “It kind of speaks to the world that we’re living in with club sports and specialization of sports, where kids want to participate or are only able to participate in one activity,” said Jon Dolliver, who oversees basketball at the Nebraska School Activities Association. Volleyball in particular grew tremendously as the sport became much more visible on television and social media and the U.S. emerged as a world power. The sport is especially popular in Nebraska, where Creighton University and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, the state system’s flagship campus, are ranked in the collegiate top 10. Nebraska fell short in the national semifinals on Friday. Last year, 92,003 people filled Nebraska’s football stadium to watch a volleyball match, setting a world record for attendance at a women’s sporting event. Brandon Traudt’s daughter was a strong basketball player in middle school after growing up alongside her brother Isaac, who now plays for Creighton, but she always preferred volleyball. She will soon pursue that passion at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas. “I think girls just naturally — especially in the state of Nebraska — gravitate towards volleyball,” Traudt said. “Volleyball is just very, very good in this state.” Maybe the popularity of the WNBA and players like Clark could change the trends, but Ward, the Grand Island dad, can envision an 8-year-old telling her parents she wants to play basketball only to be told there is no time for that with volleyball and dance. “I think the Caitlin Clark thing — it’s tough to say if this third grader sees it that she’s just going to quit volleyball and start playing basketball now. I don’t know,” Ward said. Get local news delivered to your inbox!Now that Matt Gaetz is no longer a congressman and will not be the next attorney general of the United States, what does the future hold for the MAGA firebrand? Well, in the grand tradition of other famed Republicans who have fallen from grace, such as convicted felon George Santos or one-time America’s Mayor Rudy Giuliani , the former Florida congressman has joined Cameo. When reached for comment, Gaetz confirmed that he had indeed created a profile on the site. “I have joined cameo. I hope to bring people joy,” he said in a text to The Independent . Cameo is a website that allows fans to request personalized short videos from celebrities for a fee. Typically, a fan will send some basic information about a loved one or friend to a celebrity on the platform, and that celebrity will then use those details to craft a personal clip for the recipient. The service peaked during the Covid-19 pandemic due to lockdowns and social distancing requirements, prompting tens of thousands of famous (and semi-famous) people to join the site. According to Gaetz’s Cameo profile, which first went online Friday, the price for the former congressman’s videos starts at $500. One can also send a message to Gaetz for $2.99. “Whether it’s a milestone birthday, an anniversary, or a long-awaited reunion, make it unforgettable with a one-of-a-kind Cameo video from Matt Gaetz. You’ll have the chance to customize your request for Matt Gaetz, like asking them to mention inside jokes, share words of wisdom, or work in their signature catchphrases,” the profile states. “Don’t be afraid to get creative with your request, especially for celebrations like weddings, retirements, or bachelor and bachelorette parties that call for a good laugh. No matter the occasion, the video will be yours to keep - share the fun and relive the moment for years to come.” Gaetz describes himself as having “served in Congress” and having once been nominated “to be US Attorney General (that didn’t work out).” He also adds that he once “fired the House Speaker,” referencing his successful effort to drive Kevin McCarthy out of the speakership. It is still unclear what Gaetz plans to do in the immediate future. He did say on Friday that he will not return to the House, which he resigned from last week after he was first nominated for attorney general by President-elect Donald Trump. That resignation also came just two days before the House Ethics was scheduled to release a “damaging” report on Gaetz’s sexual misconduct allegations. Gaetz has maintained his innocence. Speculation has run rampant that Gaetz could be named as a replacement to serve in Marco Rubio’s Senate seat since Rubio is likely headed to serve as Trump’s secretary of state. He also could hold a position in Trump’s administration that is not subject to Senate confirmation, which ultimately kneecapped his attorney general bid. Another possibility is that he could just become a full-time right-wing media personality. On Thursday night, Newsmax host Greg Kelly went so far as to offer Gaetz a position at the network, noting that the former congressman has served as a guest host several times on the network’s airwaves.

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Matt Gaetz says he won't return to Congress next year after withdrawing name for attorney general WASHINGTON (AP) — Matt Gaetz is not coming back to Congress. The Florida Republican said Friday he has no intention of serving another term in the House now that he is no longer President-elect Donald Trump's nominee for attorney general. Gaetz withdrew as the nominee this week amid growing fallout from the allegations of sexual conduct against him. Gaetz denies the allegations. Gaetz didn't lay out his plans now that he's out of office, saying only, “I’m still going to be in the fight, but it’s going to be from a new perch." After Gaetz's withdrawal on Thursday, Trump named former Florida attorney general Pam Bondi to lead the Justice Department. Vance takes on a more visible transition role, working to boost Trump's most contentious picks WASHINGTON (AP) — After several weeks working behind closed doors, Vice President-elect JD Vance returned to Capitol Hill this week in a new, more visible role. He's been helping Donald Trump’s most contentious Cabinet picks try to win confirmation in the Senate, where he has served for the last two years. Vance spent part of Wednesday at the Capitol with Rep. Matt Gaetz sitting in on meetings with Trump’s controversial choice for attorney general. On Thursday, Vance was back, this time accompanying Pete Hegseth. Vance is expected to accompany other nominees for meetings over the coming weeks as he tries to leverage the two years he has spent in the Senate to help push through Trump’s picks. Beyond evangelicals, Trump and his allies courted smaller faith groups, from the Amish to Chabad Donald Trump’s lock on the white evangelical vote is legendary, but he didn't focus exclusively on large religious voter blocs. He and his allies also wooed smaller religious groups, away from the mainstream. He posted a tribute to Coptic church members on social media and met with members of Assyrians for Trump — two smaller Christian communities with Middle Eastern roots. He visited the grave of the revered late leader of an Orthodox Jewish movement. His allies sought votes from the separatist Amish community. While Trump won decisively, the outreaches reflected aggressive campaigning in what was expected to be a tight race. NATO and Ukraine to hold emergency talks after Russia's attack with new hypersonic missile KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — NATO and Ukraine will hold emergency talks Tuesday after Russia attacked a central city with a hypersonic ballistic missile that escalated the nearly 33-month-old war. Ukraine's parliament canceled a session Friday over the security threat. In a stark warning to the West, President Vladimir Putin said in a nationally televised speech Thursday that the attack with the intermediate-range Oreshnik missile was retaliation for Kyiv’s use of U.S. and British longer-range missiles capable of striking deeper into Russian territory. Putin said Russia is launching production of the Oreshnik, saying it's so powerful that several of them fitted with conventional warheads could be as devastating as a strike with strategic — or nuclear — weapons. Texas education board approves optional Bible-infused curriculum for elementary schools AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Texas’ education board has voted to allow Bible-infused teachings in elementary schools. The approval Friday follows other Republican-led states that have pushed this year to give religion a larger presence in public classrooms. The curriculum adopted by the Texas State Board of Education is optional for schools to adopt, but they’ll receive additional funding if they do so. Parents and teachers who opposed the curriculum say the lessons will alienate students of other faith backgrounds. Supporters argue the Bible is a core feature of American history and that teaching it will enrich learning. 2 convicted in human smuggling case after Indian family froze to death on US-Canada border FERGUS FALLS, Minn. (AP) — A jury has convicted two men of charges related to human smuggling for their roles in an international operation that led to the deaths of a family of Indian migrants who froze while trying to cross the Canada-U.S. border during a 2022 blizzard. Harshkumar Ramanlal Patel and Steve Shand each faced four charges related to human smuggling before being convicted on Friday. Patel is an Indian national. Shand is an American from Florida. They were arrested after the family froze while trying to cross the desolate border during a 2022 blizzard. Storm inundates Northern California with rain, heavy snow. Thousands remain in the dark in Seattle HEALDSBURG, Calif. (AP) — Heavy rain from a major storm prompted evacuation warnings for communities near a Northern California river that forecasters say could break its banks Friday, as the system continued to dump heavy snow in mountainous areas where some ski resorts opened for the season. The storm reached the Pacific Northwest earlier this week, killing two people and knocking out power to hundreds of thousands before moving through Northern California, where several roads were closed due to flooding and strong winds toppled some trees. Forecasters are warning about the risk of flash flooding and rockslides in areas north of San Francisco as the region was inundated by this season’s strongest atmospheric river. Archaeologists discover 4,000-year-old canals used to fish by predecessors of ancient Maya WASHINGTON (AP) — Using drones and Google Earth imagery, archaeologists have discovered a 4,000-year-old network of earthen canals in what’s now Belize. The research published Friday in Science Advances shows that long before the ancient Maya built temples, their predecessors were already altering the landscape of Central America’s Yucatan peninsula. The ancient fish canals were used to channel and catch freshwater species such as catfish. These structures were used for around 1,000 years — including during the “formative” period when the Maya began to settle in permanent farming villages and a distinctive culture started to emerge. California case is the first confirmed bird flu infection in a US child Health officials are confirming bird flu in a California child — the first reported case in a U.S. minor. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced confirmatory test results on Friday. Officials say the child had mild symptoms, was treated with antiviral medication and is recovering. The child’s infection brings the reported number of U.S. bird flu cases this year to 55, including 29 in California. State officials have said the child lives in Alameda County, which includes Oakland, and attends day care, but released no other details. Brazilian police formally accuse former President Bolsonaro and aides of alleged 2022 coup attempt SAO PAULO (AP) — Brazil’s Federal Police have formally accused former President Jair Bolsonaro and 36 other people of attempting a coup to keep him in office after his electoral defeat in the 2022 elections. The findings are to be delivered Thursday to Brazil’s Supreme Court, which will refer them to Prosecutor-General Paulo Gonet, who will either formally charge Bolsonaro and put the former president on trial or toss the investigation. The former right-wing president has denied all claims he tried to stay in office after his narrow electoral defeat in 2022 to his rival, leftist President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. Bolsonaro has faced a series of legal threats since then.

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He's been helping Donald Trump’s most contentious Cabinet picks try to win confirmation in the Senate.

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