In conclusion, Song Zhongping's assessment of Macron's government as a "lame duck" reflects the growing sense of disillusionment and frustration with the French president's leadership. As Macron struggles to regain control and address the mounting challenges facing France, the specter of a weakened and ineffective government looms large.Only time will tell whether Macron can turn the tide and restore confidence in his leadership, or if he will ultimately become a footnote in French political history.PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The Philadelphia Phillies have no plans to pitch prized prospect Andrew Painter in spring training games as he recovers from Tommy John surgery. The 21-year-old Painter hurt his elbow during spring training in 2023 and had surgery that July 25 with Los Angeles Dodgers head team physician Dr. Neal ElAttrache. Painter was the 13th overall pick in the 2021 amateur draft and signed for a $3.9 million bonus. “He'll throw but not plan on pitching” in games, Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said Monday. “We're going to push the innings back.” Dombrowski said Painter will build up at some point in the minor leagues and could make his major league debut at some point in the summer. Painter made six starts and allowed four runs in the Arizona Fall League. He struck out 18 batters in 15 2/3 innings after he sat out each of the last two seasons. Painter sprinted through Philadelphia’s system in 2022, going 6-2 with a 1.48 ERA in 26 appearances spread across two Class A teams and Double-A Reading. AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB
Georgia QB Carson Beck Undergoes Season-Ending Surgery on Elbow Injury Amid CFPHoops star Nurse joins Athletes Unlimited aiming to rebound from ‘rocky’ two years
Michigan State lands starting LB transfer from Air ForceThe visa restrictions imposed by China are a legitimate and proportionate response to the US government's inappropriate behavior in Hong Kong affairs. By restricting the entry of individuals who have actively supported anti-China activities in Hong Kong, China is asserting its right to protect its national interests and preserve its territorial integrity.
Parents and students alike were impressed by the passion and dedication of the school's faculty and staff, who were on hand to answer questions and provide insights into the school's curriculum and extracurricular activities. The sense of community and camaraderie on display throughout the event underscored the school's ethos of fostering a supportive and nurturing environment for all its students.Parliamentary Panel To Examine Issue of Lateral Entry In Government Departments
Dole: Release 13th month pay before Christmas eve
In a small town, a tragic yet inspiring story unfolded that touched the hearts of many. A young man, known for his kindness and generosity during his lifetime, passed away unexpectedly. However, even in death, his spirit of giving lived on through his decision to donate his organs to save multiple lives.
Jimmy Carter wore a button-down shirt in Khartoum. It was a sweltering morning and the sun shone on the Nile as the clamorous city was rousing to life. Carter was in the Sudanese capital to monitor the 2010 election that was certain to extend the rule of autocrat Omar Hassan Ahmed Bashir, who had been indicted on international charges of crimes against humanity. Carter was not deterred. He believed the first multiparty election in decades — no matter how flawed — would bring the war-scarred country closer to democracy. His blue eyes agleam, his trousers pressed, the former president, a wanderer accustomed to the planet's cruel and harsh predicaments, offered coffee and pastries in his hotel room. He was optimistic but knew well what could happen when leaders with outsize ambitions controlled holy men and armies. I was in town covering the story for the Los Angeles Times, and a representative from the Carter Center called and invited me to breakfast. Carter, who died Sunday at 100 , was president when I was a teenager. I knew him well from TV — that swoop of hair, Southern accent and disarming resolve that confronted a post-Watergate world of gas lines, inflation, the Iranian hostage crisis and a sense that America was adrift. His presidency had been much maligned. But his second act as humanitarian, house builder, Guinea worm exterminator and Nobel Peace Prize winner was a portrait of perseverance and grace. An aide greeted me when I entered the hotel room. She quietly vanished. Carter walked in and sat on a small couch. Coffee was poured. A Danish slid onto a plate, a bit of fruit. Fishing boats were busy in the currents below and tea ladies dressed in plumes of colors stoked fires beneath blackened kettles on the corners. Carter spoke about Sudan — its possibilities and dangers, and the fact that in coming months the country's south, with its vast oil reserves, would hold an independence referendum on whether to secede from the north. Would Bashir relinquish the south to let it be governed by a former enemy in a cowboy hat, who presided over a territory with fewer than 100 miles of paved roads and a population that was 80% illiterate? Carter knew the personalities and pitfalls, the egos and secrets, the maps and ledgers. He had traveled across Sudan; years earlier he'd brokered a ceasefire in its civil war. He always went to the source, to places of refugees, poverty, disease and despair. To see and bear witness, much like the Bible school teacher he was back in Plains, Ga. He didn't know what would happen. But he had hope. The sun rose higher in the midmorning sky. The room quieted. "You're based in Cairo," he said. "Yes." He leaned closer. "Tell me about things," he said. "What's happening?" I felt like I was being quizzed by a man who had read countless dossiers and was intimate with the rise and fall of power. It was at once intimidating and bracing. The restlessness and anger in the Arab world were nearing a breaking point that would erupt months later. Tunisia would ignite into nationwide protests. An uprising in Egypt would bring down President Hosni Mubarak. Tremors would spread from Syria and Yemen and from Libya to Bahrain. There were few inklings when we met of what would unfold, but the Middle East that Carter had spent so much time navigating was about to come undone yet again. He mostly wanted to discuss the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and the possibilities, no matter how remote, of any progress toward reconciliation on that front. In 1978, Carter had held talks at Camp David with Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin and Egyptian President Anwar Sadat that would lead to a historic peace treaty. Carter believed then — apparently wrongly, given the problems that would come — that the pact would bring wider regional stability. And he hoped it would one day lead to a two-state solution for Israelis and Palestinians. Carter would later face criticism for his opinions on the issue. Many Jews and others were angered by his 2006 book, "Palestine Peace Not Apartheid," which they saw as painting Israel as an aggressor and being overly sympathetic to Palestinians. Carter defended the book as well as his meetings with Hamas, which critics argued enhanced the stature of the militant group that the U.S. and Israel consider a terrorist organization. Carter later told an audience in Cairo that apartheid "is the exact description of what's happening in Palestine now." But his vision remained focused, his commitment to peace unwavering. Three years later, in his book "We Can Have Peace in the Holy Land," Carter wrote: "Everyone who engages in Middle East peacemaking is bound to make mistakes and suffer frustrations. Everyone must overcome the presence of hatred and fanaticism, and the memories of horrible tragedies. Everyone must face painful choices and failures in negotiations. Nevertheless, I am convinced that the time is ripe for peace in the region." It was questionable then, and appears no less easier now. Carter had been in hospice since before Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7 and killed some 1,200 people. Israel has been retaliating with an ongoing bombardment of the Gaza Strip that health authorities there say has killed more than 45,000 Palestinians. The Carter Center released a statement late last year saying: "The violence must stop now. There is no military solution to this crisis, only a political one that acknowledges the common humanity of both Israelis and Palestinians, respects the human rights of all, and creates a path for both societies to live side by side in peace." It would have been good to have heard Carter's own voice, his Southern-inflected resolve and traveler's wisdom. What struck me most in that Khartoum hotel room were his empathy and his insatiable need to know. He was relentless in his pursuit, to track down threads and unfold scenarios, to follow the great maneuverings and go where needed — like to Sudan, where years earlier he'd landed to try to help end fighting between Bashir's troops and rebels who later ascended to power in a new country. Bashir was overthrown in 2019, and Sudan is again in turmoil. It is difficult to mend the hard corners of the world. To find justice amid the stain of transgression. Carter's gift was his capacity to wonder; to know the bitter truths and imagine something better. ©2024 Los Angeles Times. Visit at latimes.com . Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.Austin, TX, Dec. 23, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Morpheus , the leading platform to launch Smart Agents, has announced that its native utility token MOR has been listed on Unocoin , one of India’s leading crypto trading platforms. The listing signals Unocoin’s intent to tap into the burgeoning AI space, amid growing interest among the country’s investor base for quality AI-driven crypto projects, which have exploded in popularity over the course of 2024. The listing extends the reach of MOR to one of the world’s largest and fastest-growing markets for crypto and digital innovation, driven by an increasingly tech-savvy population. Founded in July 2013, Unocoin emerged as India’s first bonafide crypto exchange, and has gone on to serve over 1.5 million customers – playing a pivotal role in driving adoption of bitcoin and crypto in the country. The announcement comes just weeks after Morpheus Open Source developers made $20 million MOR rewards available for AI Compute Providers, following its recent mainnet launch . What Ethereum did for Smart Contracts, Morpheus is now doing for Smart Agents. The platform is built on four types of contributions: Code, Capital, Compute and Builders. Compute providers receive the Morpheus native token, MOR, based on hosting AI LLMs. MOR currently has over 5,000 holders and is available for trading on Aerodrome, Uniswap and CoinEx. Morpheus offers a unique model where MOR holders are entitled to receive a share of the entire network’s compute on a daily basis. The Morpheus fair launch tokenomics structure ensures the sustained development, deployment, and operation of Decentralized AI applications deployed on the Morpheus platform. Fostering a balanced and self-sustaining ecosystem where all participants — be it capital providers, compute providers, coders, or builders — are fairly compensated in MOR. This structure drives a global community of contributors and builders to collaborate on an ever-expanding scale. As AI agents increasingly dominate economic activity, Morpheus will stand at the forefront, serving as the driving force behind the evolution of Free AI. “The intersection of AI and blockchain technology is a powder keg of innovation, and India continues to provide fertile ground for AI-centric Web3 projects to thrive,” said Open Source Contributor to Morpheus, David Johnston. “We are very excited to broaden our community in the region as we segway into 2025, which will be a banner year for our platform.” The Morpheus Decentralized AI network more efficiently allocates AI compute power and enables users to engage in a ChatGPT-like interface that includes decentralized AI data routing, permissionless and censorship-resistant access to personal AIs, crypto payments for AIs, an AI marketplace, and AI images with multiple LLMs. The Morpheus community has been built through the support of a community of hundreds of open-source developers and partners such as Lumerin. For more information, visit https://mor.org/ About Morpheus Morpheus is a decentralized network of personal general-purpose AIs called Smart Agents. These agents execute smart contracts, connecting to users’ Web3 wallets, DApps, and smart contracts. Morpheus incorporates a large language model, the SmartContractRank algorithm, and long-term memory to enhance user interactions and decision-making. The Morpheus community has been built through the support of a community of hundreds of open-source developers and allied projects. For more information on the Morpheus Ecosystem, visit: https://www.mor.builders/ *Disclaimer: The information provided in this press release is not a solicitation for investment, nor is it intended as investment advice, financial advice, or trading advice. It is strongly recommended that you practice due diligence, including consultation with a professional financial advisor, before investing in or trading cryptocurrency and securities.
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — RJ Felton had 21 points in East Carolina's 71-64 victory over Stetson on Friday. Felton also added eight rebounds for the Pirates (5-1). Joran Riley scored 14 points while going 4 of 11 and 5 of 6 from the free-throw line and added five rebounds. Cam Hayes shot 3 for 7 (2 for 4 from 3-point range) and 5 of 6 from the free-throw line to finish with 13 points. The Hatters (1-5) were led in scoring by Mehki, who finished with 15 points and two steals. Abramo Canka added 14 points for Stetson. Jordan Wood had 12 points. East Carolina led Stetson at the half, 39-33, with Hayes (10 points) its high scorer before the break. East Carolina took the lead for good with 6:56 left in the second half on a free throw from Felton to make it a 60-59 game. The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar .
As the community grapples with the aftermath of this tragedy, questions linger about what could drive someone to commit such a brazen act of violence. The incident serves as a stark reminder of the fragility of life and the need for greater vigilance in ensuring the safety and security of all individuals, regardless of their status or position in society.In recent years, the topic of personal pensions has been gaining increasing attention in the financial industry. With the aging population and the pressure on traditional pension systems, there is a growing need for individuals to take responsibility for their own retirement planning. In response to this trend, the personal pension industry is set to undergo significant development and expansion in the coming years.
Tokyo, Japan - Ricoh Group, a global leader in imaging and electronics, has once again been recognized for its commitment to sustainability and corporate social responsibility. The company has received a coveted five-star rating in the 2024 Nikkei Sustainable Development Index, marking the sixth consecutive year that Ricoh has achieved this prestigious accolade.In the coming days and weeks, the country will be closely watching as events unfold, and the implications of this decision reverberate throughout the political sphere. The fate of President Moon Jae-in and the future of South Korea's democracy now rest on how the government handles this crisis and whether it can effectively address the challenges ahead.EAST 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. People are also reading... 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." Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox!BOX SCORE SAN FRANCISCO – No lead is safe in the NBA, as the Warriors again learned Monday night at Chase Center against the rebuilding, short-handed Brooklyn Nets. Watch NBC Bay Area News 📺 Streaming free 24/7 The Warriors on Saturday in San Antonio led by 17 points in the third quarter and wound up losing by 10 . After one day’s worth of rest, the Warriors enjoyed an 18-point lead over the Nets in the third quarter. That lead then was down to only five going into the fourth quarter. Just a little more than three minutes into the fourth, the lead was gone. The Warriors never got it back, losing 128-120. Brooklyn outscored Golden State 41-28 in the fourth quarter. Steph Curry scored a team-high 28 points, going 8 of 16 on 3-pointers. Andrew Wiggins added 18. Moses Moody had 15, but all in the first half. Lindy Waters gave the Warriors 13 points, 10 of which were in the first half. Inexcusably, the Warriors again were crushed at the free-throw line. The Nets made 26 of their 30 free throws. The Warriors however, shot 11 of 17 on free throws, making 15 fewer free throws in an eight-point loss. Here are three takeaways from Golden State's second consecutive frustrating loss. 3-Point Party As it often does in the NBA, the deciding factor between these two teams clearly was going to be the 3-point line. The Warriors and Nets entering Monday both ranked in the top seven in 3-point attempts per game. While Brooklyn was seventh, averaging 40.6 attempts per game, Golden State was slightly above at 41.6 tries – fourth in the NBA. Right away, it was clear it was going to be a 3-point shootout at Chase Center. The first quarter saw the Warriors and Nets combine to take 48 shots, and 31 were beyond the arc. Though the Warriors were more accurate to start the game, the Nets held a six-point advantage from deep through the first 12 minutes and led by four. The advantage at halftime then belonged to the Warriors. They hit two more 3s than the Nets in the first half and led by nine points. Six Warriors had already cashed in from deep. Both teams then were tied at 15 3s apiece going into the fourth quarter as the Nets outscored the Warriors 29-25 in the third quarter. The final tally was 20 3s for the Nets, and 19 for the Warriors – with nearly half coming from Curry. Nets coach Jordi Fernandez gave time to nine players, and each made at least one three. Paint Night The Nets, when healthy, are a much longer and taller team than the Warriors. But down multiple big men, coach Jordi Fernandez turned to 6-foot-9 small forward Ziaire Williams to be his small-ball center and the Warriors took advantage. And more than their post players like Draymond Green and Trayce Jackson-Davis contributed to the action. Whenever Andrew Wiggins is playing downhill, that’s a positive for the Warriors. Within the first two minutes, he had a diving layup and didn’t shy away from contact. Moses Moody had several reasons to flex on the Nets, too. Gary Payton II, at 6-foot-2, showcased his uniqueness in many ways. With around four minutes remaining in the first half, Payton sprinted down the court after a Nets missed layup and sealed off Cam Thomas (6-foot-4), getting in position for a fastbreak layup after Brandin Podziemski found him for an easy bucket. Later in the first half, Payton threw down a dunk off a Curry missed three. The Warriors in the first quarter had eight more points in the paint than the Nets, 12 to 4. By halftime, those numbers rose to 30 points in the paint for the Warriors, 16 more than the Nets’ 14. In their Saturday night loss against the Spurs, the Warriors feasted in the paint early but settled far too often as their lead unraveled. The Warriors scored more than twice the Nets’ points in the paint, 52 to 34, but other aspects of the game were too much to overcome. Dynamic Duo For more than a decade, the combination of Curry and Draymond Green have completely changed the way basketball can be viewed, offensively and defensively. One sequence in the third quarter showed exactly how. Roaming like an All-Pro free safety, Green scoured the Nets’ offense before surprising their sensational scorer Cam Thomas. As Thomas sprinted off a dribble-handoff with the shot clock running down, he thought he’d have an opening for a three. Green thought otherwise. The legendary defender jumped the switch, closed out on Thomas and forced an errant deep off the back of the rim. The ball then bounced to Curry, who took it down the court and let it fly from the left wing, splashing a triple on Thomas and Jalen Wilson. Fouled on the shot by Wilson, Curry completed the four-point play after celebrating on the floor. STEPH 4-POINT PLAY 🤑 pic.twitter.com/KgbykTNbKh Those 30 seconds perfectly showcase the kind of impact only Curry and Green can have on the game. They’ll also be forgotten after such an ugly loss. Download and follow the Dubs Talk Podcast