RESTON, Va., Dec. 4, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The board of directors of General Dynamics (NYSE: GD) today declared a regular quarterly dividend of $1.42 per share on the company's common stock, payable February 7, 2025, to shareholders of record on January 17, 2025. The board also provided management with the authority to repurchase an additional 10 million shares of the company's issued and outstanding common stock on the open market. General Dynamics is a global aerospace and defense company that offers a broad portfolio of products and services in business aviation; ship construction and repair; land combat vehicles, weapons systems and munitions; and technology products and services. General Dynamics employs more than 100,000 people across 65 countries worldwide and generated $42.3 billion in revenue in 2023. More information about General Dynamics is available at www.gd.com . View original content to download multimedia: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/general-dynamics-board-declares-dividend-authorizes-additional-share-repurchases-302322940.html SOURCE General DynamicsAnd single people are more likely to use mobility tools compared to those who are married, according to researchers from University College London (UCL) and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM). Researchers looked at information from a group of more than 12,000 adults in England aged 50 to 89 who were tracked over a 13-year period. At the start of the study, 8,225 adults had no mobility difficulty and did not use mobility assistive products (MAPs). Some 2,480 were deemed to have “unmet need” and 1,375 were using mobility aids. During the follow-up period, there were 2,313 “transitions” where people went from having no mobility issues to needing some help with getting around. And 1,274 people started to use mobility aids. Compared with men, women were 49% more likely to transition from not needing mobility aids to needing to use them, according to the study which has been published in The Lancet Public Health. But were 21% less likely to go on to use mobility aids when they needed them. The authors said their study showed “barriers to access” for women. For both men and women, with every year that passed during the study period the need for mobility aids increased. People who were older, less educated, less wealthy or reported being disabled were more likely to “transition from no need to unmet need, and from unmet need to use”, the authors said, with this indicating a “higher prevalence of mobility limitations and MAP need overall among these groups”. They added: “Finally, marital or partnership status was not associated with transitioning to unmet need; however, single people were more likely to transition from unmet need to use compared with married or partnered people.” Jamie Danemayer, first author of the study from UCL Computer Science and UCL’s Global Disability Innovation Hub, said: “Our analysis suggests that there is a clear gender gap in access to mobility aids. “Though our data didn’t ascertain the reason why participants weren’t using mobility aids, other research tells us that women are often more likely than men to face obstacles such as cost barriers as a result of well-documented income disparities between genders. “Many mobility aids are designed for men rather than women, which we think may be a factor. “Using mobility aids can also make a disability visible, which can impact the safety and stigma experienced by women, in particular. “There’s a critical need for further research to identify and break down the barriers preventing women from accessing mobility aids that would improve their quality of life.” Professor Cathy Holloway, also from UCL, added: “Not having access to mobility aids when a person needs one can have a big impact on their independence, well-being and quality of life. “Our analysis suggests that women, in particular, regardless of other factors such as education and employment status, are not getting the support that they need.” Professor Shereen Hussein, senior author of the study and lead of the social care group at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, said: “The research provides compelling evidence of gender disparities in accessing assistive technology, suggesting that cost, design bias, and social stigma are likely to disproportionally affect women. “This underscores the need for inclusive, gender-sensitive approaches in the design, production and inclusivity of assistive technologies.”TGM MOURNS DEATH OF CO-FOUNDER AND MANAGING PRINCIPAL STEVEN C. MACYssbet77 apk latest version 。

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The Texas Chain Saw Massacre's recently released 50th Anniversary Collector's Edition is on sale at Amazon. The unique box set comes with the 2023 asymmetric multiplayer game and the 4K Blu-ray edition of the 1974 horror masterpiece. The commemorative collection also includes a cool steelbook case and a pack of trading cards featuring characters from the game. Released in October for $100, you can now get the Xbox Series X version for $72.89 , and the PS5 edition is $87. Xbox Series X -- $72.89 ( $100 ) PS5 -- $87 ( $100 ) The steelbook case features exclusive artwork by renowned artist Gary Pullin, who is known for illustrating a substantial number of posters, covers, and other promotional materials for iconic horror films. The collectible trading cards have a fittingly classic look. The set also comes with 13 DLC add-ons for the game, including two additional playable characters. Our Texas Chain Saw Massacre review gave the 2023 game an impressive 9/10, praising it for its intricate map design and rewarding gameplay that pushes you to experiment with your play style. "The Texas Chain Saw Massacre plays, looks, and sounds like its team holds the source material in the highest regard," wrote critic Mark Delaney. "Faithfully transposing the film's signature terror into a modern multiplayer game is a feat on both ends. As one of the year's scariest and best-designed experiences, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre has reset the bar for multiplayer horror games." While this is a cool collection for fans of the game and the original movie, if you're only looking to own the movie, you can instead pick up The Texas Chain Saw Massacre 4K Steelbook for $33 (down from $55) at Amazon. This is essentially the same version of the film bundled in with the 50th Anniversary Collection, though the steelbook isn't as cool. However, the 40th Anniversary Black Maria Limited Edition is pretty darn cool, as the 4K and 1080p discs are housed in a replica of the Black Maria semi-truck from the movie. Remarkably, it's still in stock, and Amazon has discounted this five-disc set to $67 (was $100).

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Construction Equipment Market to Grow by USD 3.8 Billion (2024-2028) New Equipment Launches Boost Growth, Report on AI-Powered Market Evolution - TechnavioCharlotte, North Carolina–(Newsfile Corp. – December 12, 2024) – SOUP , the first fully AI-driven social platform, transforming idea-sharing and collaboration, has announced the launch of its crowdfunding campaign on Wefunder . Image 1 SOUP directly addresses modern communication challenges, such as information overload, toxicity, and inefficient discourse. By offering focused, AI-enhanced spaces for meaningful discussions, the platform empowers individuals, teams, and communities to achieve real-time consensus and actionable insights. The iOS beta version has already demonstrated SOUP’s transformative potential, streamlining brainstorming, feedback gathering, and sentiment analysis. Image 2 Key Features of SOUP SOUP’s Vision, Funding Goals, and Growth Potential SOUP is raising $200,000 to advance its platform and expand its reach. The funds will be strategically allocated to: With these funds, SOUP aims to build a strong user base of ~37,000 users within the first six months of launch. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/233482 #distro

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Fresh off of an incredible season, Prairie girls basketball is back on the hardwood. Last week, they opened their 2024-25 slate with a tight loss to Caliche before turning around to pummel Peetz. In their first appearance, the Mustangs played neck-and-neck with the Buffaloes in the first half, tying at 10 apiece by halftime, before the Buffaloes tapped into a little something extra. Caliche scored 17 points out of the break, while stymying the Mustangs to just 12 points, before carrying on to a 34-31 victory. Whatever offense woes plagued them in the first game evaporated overnight. The Mustangs then made the trip to Peetz, where they beat the Bulldogs 58-22. They took control from the very beginning, outscoring the Bulldogs 14-9 in the first quarter, then continued that double-digit scoring pace through every frame that followed. The Mustangs found some rhythm on both ends of the floor in the third quarter when they put up 19 points to Peetz’ two. They’ll enter Friday’s contest against Lone Star with a 1-1 record. The boys basketball team wasn’t nearly as successful, but it came tantalizingly close in both of its first two games. The Mustangs opened their season with a 43-39 loss against North Park, then turned around the next day to fall to Caliche by a similar, 49-45 margin. The Mustangs took control in the first quarter against the Wildcats, holding a 12-7 advantage by the time the clock hit zero, but relinquished the momentum to North Park from there on out. They kept play tight in the second and fourth quarters, but lost that offensive spark during a 10-4 third. Their loss to Caliche followed a similar pattern to start, when they ended the first eight minutes with a 16-9 lead, then ceded all of that momentum and then some to the Buffaloes over the next two quarters. The Mustangs found one last spark in a fourth quarter they held a 12-10 advantage in, but by that point, it was too little, too late. The boys will head into Lone Star with an 0-2 record.None

Jeju Air crash that killed 179 prompts South Korea to probe country's airline operation systemA new land use plan that will guide development in Missoula for the next two decades received strong support during a Missoula city-county planning board hearing this week, with all nine board members approving the years-long project. The Our Missoula 2045 Land Use and Code Reform plan most notably has a goal to add an additional 19,000 to 23,000 housing units to the Garden City over the next two decades . In total, the city expects 39,000 more residents by 2045. The plan now just needs final approval from city council, which is set for Dec. 9. The plan also simplifies how the city views zoning, allowing city planners to streamline and diversify new development, according to Ben Brewer, a long-range planning supervisor with the city. The full plan, with a new city zoning map, is available at engagemissoula.com . "An outcome, we hope, is accessible, walkable vibrant streets and neighborhoods that provide diverse, attainable housing options throughout the community," Brewer said at the planning board meeting. The land use plan also incorporates several rule changes brought forth by the Montana state Legislature during the last session. One change requires cities to allow duplexes in all urban residential place type areas. The plan updates and clarifies city code as well. Brewer said public comment so far has shown a general interest to increase mixed-use opportunities within the city and also coordinate the new land use plan with county zoning plans. "In our residential areas, this plan represents an increase in residential capacity and housing diversity in almost every portion of the planning area," Brewer said. "We heard from the community that every neighborhood should share the change that is occurring." Laval Means, the city's community planning manager, noted that older city master plans would be repealed if the new land use plan is approved. The 2023 Midtown Master Plan, 2020 Sxwtpqyen Master Plan and 2019 Missoula Downtown Master Plan would be incorporated because they are more recent, he added. Most public commenters on Tuesday night supported the plan. Some residents raised concerns about development in East Missoula, which is not within city limits, although the city has previously eyed annexing the community. David Gray, a longtime Missoula architect, said the plan could use some tweaks to prioritize larger multifamily developments and allow for workforce housing in light industrial areas. "Larger, multifamily buildings are a far more cost-effective way to provide more affordable housing for everyday Missoulians," Gray said at the meeting. Planning board members largely approved of the new plan, but expressed the need for Missoula's city council to take more public comment into consideration. "I am really hopeful with this plan," Vice Chair Shane Morrissey said. "It is a really good step in the right direction, and I don't believe it is all the way there, but that's what this iterative process is all about." The council is set to make a final decision on the plan on Dec. 9 at 6 p.m. in city council chambers at 140 W. Pine Street. Griffen Smith is the local government reporter for the Missoulian. Get Government & Politics updates in your inbox! Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter. City/County Government Reporter {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items.

David Muir doesn't always share glimpses of his personal life away from the ABC news desk, but when he does, he almost always includes his beloved German Shorthaired Pointer, Axel. Axel is always by the World News Tonight anchor's side, whether it's at his New York City home or his retreat upstate. His latest social media update is no exception, and it left his ABC colleagues absolutely gushing over it. As the weekend came to an end, David took to Instagram and shared an adorable selfie featuring Axel, who is licking his own nose, as David, sporting a Carhart beanie, planted a kiss on his head. The picture appears to have been taken upstate, where snow is everywhere already, presumably near Syracuse, where David grew up and near where he owns a second home. "You get one kiss a day from Axel," he wrote in his caption, and fans and colleagues alike were quick to take to the comments section under the post and gush over it, with Ginger Zee writing: "Sweetness," as Lara Spencer joked: "Playing hard to get. I like it," and his co-anchor Deborah Roberts ' husband Al Roker added: "Awww." Others followed suit with: "Great photo. It's wonderful to see the human side of a news anchor. Thank you for sharing!" and: "A dog's love is unconditional. Glad you have him David," as well as: "You both are so cute David." MORE: David Muir shares unseen glimpse of $7 million home's luxe bar MORE: Male TV anchor's surprising salaries revealed as Craig Melvin replaces Hoda Kotb on Today David was born in Syracuse, and grew up in Onondaga Hills. He was born to his father, Ronald Muir , and mother, Pat Mills , who divorced early on, but continued to co-parent amicably. He also has an older sister, Rebecca Muir , who runs a farm in Borodino, New York, plus two younger half-siblings from his father's second marriage. MORE: David Muir's cheeky remark to Kelly Ripa gets fans talking The veteran reporter purchased his home upstate, on Skaneateles Lake, for a whopping $7 million, according to records filed with the Onondaga County Clerk's office in 2019. MORE: David Muir receives very special honor alongside GMA co-anchor Built in 1890, the 4,300-square foot property boasts six bedrooms, two kitchens, three bathrooms, and a stunning fireplace, offering plenty of space for him and Axel. He also owns a townhouse back in Manhattan, in the West Village.Cowboys star G Zack Martin doubtful to play vs. Commanders

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Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance, Inc. Declares Quarterly Common Stock DividendDucks forward Trevor Zegras has surgery on torn knee meniscus, will be out for 6 weeksAnd single people are more likely to use mobility tools compared to those who are married, according to researchers from University College London (UCL) and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM). Researchers looked at information from a group of more than 12,000 adults in England aged 50 to 89 who were tracked over a 13-year period. At the start of the study, 8,225 adults had no mobility difficulty and did not use mobility assistive products (MAPs). Some 2,480 were deemed to have “unmet need” and 1,375 were using mobility aids. During the follow-up period, there were 2,313 “transitions” where people went from having no mobility issues to needing some help with getting around. And 1,274 people started to use mobility aids. Compared with men, women were 49% more likely to transition from not needing mobility aids to needing to use them, according to the study which has been published in The Lancet Public Health. But were 21% less likely to go on to use mobility aids when they needed them. The authors said their study showed “barriers to access” for women. For both men and women, with every year that passed during the study period the need for mobility aids increased. People who were older, less educated, less wealthy or reported being disabled were more likely to “transition from no need to unmet need, and from unmet need to use”, the authors said, with this indicating a “higher prevalence of mobility limitations and MAP need overall among these groups”. They added: “Finally, marital or partnership status was not associated with transitioning to unmet need; however, single people were more likely to transition from unmet need to use compared with married or partnered people.” Jamie Danemayer, first author of the study from UCL Computer Science and UCL’s Global Disability Innovation Hub, said: “Our analysis suggests that there is a clear gender gap in access to mobility aids. “Though our data didn’t ascertain the reason why participants weren’t using mobility aids, other research tells us that women are often more likely than men to face obstacles such as cost barriers as a result of well-documented income disparities between genders. “Many mobility aids are designed for men rather than women, which we think may be a factor. “Using mobility aids can also make a disability visible, which can impact the safety and stigma experienced by women, in particular. “There’s a critical need for further research to identify and break down the barriers preventing women from accessing mobility aids that would improve their quality of life.” Professor Cathy Holloway, also from UCL, added: “Not having access to mobility aids when a person needs one can have a big impact on their independence, well-being and quality of life. “Our analysis suggests that women, in particular, regardless of other factors such as education and employment status, are not getting the support that they need.” Professor Shereen Hussein, senior author of the study and lead of the social care group at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, said: “The research provides compelling evidence of gender disparities in accessing assistive technology, suggesting that cost, design bias, and social stigma are likely to disproportionally affect women. “This underscores the need for inclusive, gender-sensitive approaches in the design, production and inclusivity of assistive technologies.”Clippers’ Kawhi Leonard practices for first time this season

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Former President Jimmy Carter , who devoted his life after the presidency to humanitarian efforts, died Sunday at 100. He won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002 for his work in finding peaceful solutions to international conflicts, advancing democracy and human rights, and promoting social and economic development. For more than 35 years, Carter and wife Rosalynn volunteered with Habitat for Humanity, joining “Habitat builds” in the United States and abroad. They also founded the Carter Center , committing to human rights and to alleviating human suffering. Jimmy Carter, a peanut farmer from Georgia, served one term in the White House before losing the 1980 presidential election to Ronald Reagan. Carter served as a naval officer before entering politics he was elected governor of Georgia in 1970. Here are a few of the former president’s memorable quotes. On war and peace “War may sometimes be a necessary evil. But no matter how necessary, it is always an evil, never a good. We will not learn how to live together in peace by killing each other's children. The bond of our common humanity is stronger than the divisiveness of our fears and prejudices.” – Nobel lecture on Dec. 10, 2002, after winning the Nobel Peace Prize On government watchdogs “Thoughtful criticism and close scrutiny of all government officials by the press and the public are an important part of our democratic society.” – Presidential farewell address on Jan. 14, 1981 Peacemaker, not policeman “We have no desire to be the world's policeman. But America does want to be the world's peacemaker.” – 1979 State of the Union address On marijuana decriminalization "Penalties against possession of a drug should not be more damaging to an individual than the use of the drug itself; and where they are, they should be changed. Nowhere is this more clear than in the laws against possession of marijuana in private for personal use. We can, and should, continue to discourage the use of marijuana, but this can be done without defining the smoker as a criminal." – 1977 message to Congress about drug abuse On Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo “Since 2001, the U.S. government has abandoned its role as a champion of human rights and has perpetrated terrible and illegal abuses in prisons in Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo, sent prisoners secretly to other nations to be tortured, denied the applicability of the Geneva Convention restraints, and severely restricted time-honored civil liberties within our own country. Certain political leaders of other nations, who are inclined to perpetrate human rights abuses to quiet dissenting voices and were previously restrained by positive influence from Washington, now feel free to emulate or exceed the abuses approved by American leaders.” – 2007 book, "Beyond the White House: Waging Peace, Fighting Disease, Building Hope" On human rights “I realize that violence is not more prevalent today than in previous periods of human history, but there is a difference. We have seen visionary standards adopted by the global community that espouse peace and human rights, and the globalization of information ensures that the violation of these principles of nonviolence by a powerful and admired democracy tends to resonate throughout the world community. We should have advanced much further in the realization of women's rights, given these international commitments to peace and the rule of law.” – 2014 book, "A Call to Action: Women, Religion, Violence, and Power" On children and gun violence “Every day in the United States, seventeen children are killed by gunfire. That’s about 6,000 children each year who are killed by guns, as compared, for example, with about 3,000 a year who died at the height of the polio epidemic of the 1950s. We rose up as a society to fight against polio. Why do we not act more forcefully to halt today’s even greater scourge?” – 1997 book, "Sources of Strength: Meditations on Scripture for a Living Faith" On drugs and the justice system "I don't think there's any doubt that the drug culture has shaped at least one major change, and that is the treatment of prisoners. When I was governor, I competed with other progressive Southern governors in who could reduce our prison population the most. ... But now, with the increase of the drug culture, politicians brag about how many prisons they’ve built. We have a massive increase in prison occupancy, and the punishment for drug use has become the pre-eminent basis for overloading our courts and prisons." – 2007 Rolling Stone interviewAn eight-year-old boy from Charters Towers has become the first child in Queensland to undergo robotic-assisted surgery. Kruze Bott suffered from stomach pain for weeks that would come and go, before an ultrasound revealed one kidney was twice the size of the other. Doctors then discovered he had two ureteropelvic junction obstructions, which stopped urine flowing to his bladder. “Kruze had a blockage of the plumbing system of his kidney,” Mater Private Hospital urologist, Dr Janani Krishnan told 7NEWS. “He had blood vessels crossing the plumbing system, which caused a blockage from the outside, plus he had a blockage on the inside.” She said without intervention the blockages could lead to urinary tract infections and irreversible kidney damage. Kruze was originally due to undergo open surgery, which would have meant a long recovery and a big scar for an active little boy, which his mother, Jade Bott, wasn’t keen on. After being referred to Dr Krishnan, the family was excited to learn the eight-year-old was the perfect candidate for a robotic-assisted pyeloplasty. “She rang and said, ‘Hey there’s a new surgery, can we give it a go on Kruze?” Bott said. “We were thrilled for the opportunity for him to have it.” But while his mother was excited, Kruze admits he was nervous. Paediatric robotic-assisted surgery is performed all over the world in large numbers, but only one had been performed in Australia before this and none in Queensland. The $3.3 million da Vinci XI surgical system was purchased in 2021 by the Mater Foundation, using funds donated by Queenslanders. While almost 1,000 public and private adult patients have undergone surgery using the technology, in a partnership between Mater and Townsville University Hospital, extensive approvals were needed before children could undergo robotic surgery. With support from Cairns Urologist Dr Stefan Antoniou, Dr Krishnan removed the blockage and fixed the ‘plumbing’ of Kruze’s kidneys by taking healthy parts of the ureters and putting them together. She said the robot has better magnification than a laparoscope and she was able to perform the fine suturing required for a pyeloplasty with extreme precision. “He had minimal scarring,” Bott said. “He was up and out of hospital the next day, and a couple of days later you couldn’t even tell he had surgery.” Now fully recovered, Kruze has four small scars and said he was thankful to the doctors and the game-changing surgical technology. “I definitely wouldn’t be able to ride a bike, climb a tree, or swing on rope (if I’d had open surgery).” Dr Krishnan is now eager to set up a curriculum for paediatric robotics across Australia, as a blueprint for other centres to follow. “He was the perfect case and what made it even more so perfect was Jade, his mum, was extremely keen, extremely supportive of this,” she said. “To see him come this far, I’m very grateful that his body has done magic to heal himself well.”

Housing Minister Chris Bishop says all the changes are "sensible". Photo: RNZ The bill amends the Residential Tenancies Act, and makes the following changes: • Reintroduces 90-day notice 'no cause' terminations for periodic tenancies (rental agreements that do not specify an end date) • Reduces landlords' notice periods for ending periodic tenancies in specific circumstances from 63 to 42 days • Reduces tenants' notice periods for ending periodic tenancies, or renew or extend a fixed-term tenancy, from 28 days to 21 days • Reintroduces landlords' ability to give 21 to 90 days' notice to end a fixed-term tenancy at the end of its term, without requiring a specific reason • Brings in "pet bonds", allowing landlords to charge a higher bond amount if they allow pets, with the potential to retain that bond if the pet caused damage to the home • Clarifying that landlords can prohibit smoking inside the main rental premises • Clarifying provisions for withdrawing from a tenancy due to family violence Pet bonds can amount up to two weeks' rent, on top of the usual four weeks of general bond. Only one pet bond is allowed at a time, and it will be unlawful for landlords to refuse renters to keep pets without reasonable grounds. Periodic tenancies typically require 90 days' notice, the circumstances for the shorter 42-day period include if the landlord needs the property to live in, for a family member, or their employees to live in. Housing Minister Chris Bishop said re-introducing a "no cause" backstop would give landlords more confidence to rent their properties to tenants who "may otherwise have been considered too risky". "The suite of sensible pro-tenant and pro-landlord changes in the Bill passed into law by Parliament on (Thursday) will give landlords confidence to re-enter the market and tenants more ability to secure a rental home." The Green Party, however, said the no-cause tenancies would leave renters in limbo ahead of the festive season. "Housing is a human right, but this government is treating it like a business. Housing forms the foundation for our communities to thrive, it is something we can afford to provide to everyone," housing spokesperson Tamatha Paul said. "Successive governments have failed to treat housing as the public good it really is. It is no surprise the current landlord government has ignored the frankly overwhelming public opposition to this Bill." ACT's Housing spokesperson Cameron Luxton said it was "great news for renters and landlords". "(Thursday's) changes will bring much-needed flexibility to the rental market to restore confidence to landlords and tenants. "Ninety-day no-cause tenancy terminations are back, restoring an essential property right removed by Labour which hurt renters and property owners. "Pet bonds are here, an ACT policy celebrated across the political spectrum. Tenants will soon be able to pay a bond to keep their pets in rental properties. Pet Refuge has endorsed the policy saying it will help victims of abuse escape these relationships." Changes to tenants' notice periods would also give tenants more freedom to "more rapidly adjust to their changing life circumstances".

how to register ssbet77 ATLANTA (AP) — Jalen Johnson scored 28 points and the Atlanta Hawks closed out a four-game homestand, winning a third straight contest, 120-110 over the Miami Heat on Saturday. Trae Young added his 22nd double-double of the season, with 11 point and 15 assist, and De'Andre Hunter scored 26 points in his 14th consecutive game with at least 15 points coming off the bench. Tyler Herro scored 28 points and dished out 10 assists and Bam Adebayo added 17 points and 10 rebounds. It was the Heat's fourth game in a row without star Jimmy Butler , who sat out for what the team called “return to competition reconditioning.” Heat: Miami lost despite five players finishing with double-digit point totals. The Heat shot 44.4% from the field, but it wasn't enough to overcome a Hawks team that hit over half of its shots, 51.2% from the field. Hawks: Johnson has been on an offensive tear in his last two games. He finished two points shy of his single-game career high of 30 points, set in his last game, on Thursday against the Chicago Bulls. Hunter also finished just one point shy of his single-game career high of 27 points. After a close first half that featured nine lead changes, Atlanta seized control early in the second half. With five minutes to go in the third quarter, Atlanta’s Garrison Mathews and Hunter hit back-to-back 3s to give Atlanta an 81-72 lead, their biggest of the night, and forcing a Miami timeout. Young finished one assist shy of a franchise single-game record for assists against the Miami Heat, set by Mookie Blaylock in 1993. The Hawks begin a six-game road trip in Toronto on Sunday, while the Heat visits the Rockets on Sunday. AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA

One of the nation’s top collegiate tight ends hails from Gooding. In his sophomore year, Colston Loveland received his first college offer. Little did he know, that was just the beginning of what would become a battle of recruiters all looking to lock down Idaho’s top-ranked tight end for the 2022 class. Gooding High School graduate Colston Loveland became one of three finalists for the 2024 John Mackey Award, announced Tuesday. Gooding alumnus Colston Loveland will help try to lead Michigan to its first national championship since 1997 on Monday night, and the town is behind him all the way. Loveland, a junior at the University of Michigan, is the Wolverines’ second finalist for the award given annually to college football’s most outstanding tight end. The journey from Gooding to Ann Arbor, Michigan, to becoming one of the nation’s top tight ends continues for Colston Loveland. Michigan’s Jake Butt won the award in 2016. Another accolade for one of the nation’s top tight ends. Loveland joins Penn State’s Tyler Warren and Bowling Green’s Harold Fannin Jr. as 2024 finalists. Michigan tight end Colston Loveland greets fans following an NCAA college football game against Michigan State, Saturday, Oct. 26, 2024, in Ann Arbor, Mich. (AP Photo/Jose Juarez) Loveland, a 2023 All-Big Ten selection, leads the Wolverines with 54 catches (a Michigan single-season tight end record), 582 yards and five touchdowns. Gooding High School graduate Colston Loveland became a Walter Camp Preseason First Team All-American selection, announced Monday. He needs 99 more yards to become Michigan’s single-season tight end receiving yards record holder (748). Loveland helped Michigan to a 2024 national championship, which marked the Wolverines’ first national title since 1997. Colston Loveland, who rose from Gooding to national prominence as a First Team All-Big Ten sophomore tight end on Michigan, battles No. 4 Alabama on Monday in the Rose Bowl. Loveland, a projected NFL Draft first round pick will likely become Gooding’s first NFL player since 1939 when Stan Pavkov played two seasons for the Pittsburgh Steelers. The 2024 John Mackey Award winner will be announced Dec. 12. Your story lives in the Magic Valley, and our new mobile app is designed to make sure you don’t miss breaking news, the latest scores, the weather forecast and more. From easy navigation with the swipe of a finger to personalized content based on your preferences to customized text sizes, the Times-News app is built for you and your life. Don’t have the app? Download it today from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store. Get local news delivered to your inbox!

Amaravati: Andhra Pradesh DGP Dwaraka Tirumala Rao on Saturday claimed that the overall crime rate in the state declined by 5.7 per cent, while cybercrime had risen exponentially over the last 12 months. Addressing a press conference, Rao, the head of the police force in the southern state, stated that cybercrime, crimes against property, and Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) cases were the three categories of crime that showed an upward trend. “In the last year, we have made commendable progress without compromising on police performance. Cybercrime has increased. Major sensational crimes were successfully detected, and criminals were arrested. We have extensively used technology,” said Rao. According to the top cop, 916 cybercrime cases were registered in 2024, marking a 34 per cent increase compared to 682 cases in 2023. “We are pleased that people are coming forward with complaints, even for the smallest offences, such as harassment,” he said. “However, there is no need to worry or be anxious, as cybercrime is rising globally, including in India.” Under the category of cybercrimes, people lost Rs 1,229 crore, a 610 per cent increase compared to Rs 173 crore in 2023. Similarly, Rs 225 crore was frozen under the cybercrime category in the current year. Rao also highlighted a 3 per cent rise in ganja (marijuana) cases under the NDPS category, from 1,761 cases in 2023 to 1,819 in 2024, while crimes against property rose slightly by 0.2 per cent. Police arrested 4,851 drug smugglers, seized 52,479 kg of ganja, and busted 15 inter-state gangs, among other breakthroughs. Crimes that showed a decline included crimes against women, and children, as well as crimes against SC/ST communities, road accidents, and cheating cases. A total of 7,863 people died in road accidents last year, compared to 8,136 in 2023, reflecting a decline of 3.35 per cent. In embracing technology for policing, Rao mentioned that police deployed 1,376 drones for crowd management and law-and-order operations, including the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI). As part of smart policing, AI-assisted investigation officers in determining whether a case was suitable for appeal, helped in chargesheet vetting, provided forensic tips, and more. AI also proved valuable in traffic management, issuing real-time alerts, and enabling predictive analysis. Police used traffic congestion analytics with AI and solved some highly elusive cases, such as the recent Bhimavaram parcel murder case. Further, the DGP noted that establishing an extensive CCTV network, utilising AI for smart policing, setting up cyber police stations, and expanding the use of drones are the way forward for Andhra Pradesh police.

Rivals focus on different chipsIn the past few weeks, one thing has become crystal clear in America: The public outrage after the assassination of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson exposed a seething fury over the health insurance racket. No amount of media finger-wagging at public perversity or partisan attempts to frame Luigi Mangione’s act as a statement from the left or right can hide the reality: The people, from all sides, are livid about the healthcare system—and with good reason. In the 21st century, Americans have expressed their view that healthcare is deteriorating, not advancing. For example, according to recent Gallup polls , respondents’ satisfaction with the quality of healthcare has reached its lowest level since 2001. Key point: Americans in those polls “rate healthcare coverage in the U.S. even more negatively than they rate quality.” Coverage is the core failure, driven by the insurance industry’s profit-first approach to denying care. It’s a textbook case of “market failure.” Instead of healthy competition lowering prices and improving services, what we have is an oligopoly that drives up costs and leaves millions uninsured. So here we are, regardless of politicians’ rosy narratives or avoidance of the topic. Politicians on both sides of the aisle should be motivated to take on this scandalous state of affairs, but, as journalist Ken Klippenstein pointed out , presidential nominees Kamala Harris and Donald Trump barely acknowledged healthcare, mentioning it only twice, between them, in their convention speeches. “This is the first election in my adult memory that I can recall healthcare not being at the center of the debate,” Klippenstein remarked, recalling Biden’s 2020 nod to the public option and Bernie Sanders’ strong calls for universal healthcare in 2016. Meanwhile, Americans are crushed by skyrocketing premiums, crippling medical debt, and denial of care that devastates millions of lives. It should be no surprise that frustration has reached a boiling point, igniting a fierce, widespread demand for real, systemic change. Ordinary people are clear that insurance companies don’t exist to protect their health, but to protect and maximize profits for shareholders. Economist William Lazonick points out that we have every right to expect quality at a fair price, noting that a good health insurance policy should ensure accessible care with the insurer covering the costs—something a single-payer system could deliver. “A for-profit (business-sector) insurer such as UnitedHealthcare could make a profit by offering high-quality insurance,” Lazonick told the Institute for New Economic Thinking, “but they have chosen a business model that seeks to make money by denying as many claims as possible, delaying the payment of claims that they cannot avoid paying, and defending their positions in the courts, if need be.” This is capitalism run amok. And the profits are rolling in. Lazonick notes that in 2023, UnitedHealthcare enjoyed an operating profit margin of 8% on revenues of an eye-popping $281.4 billion, insuring 52,750,000 people, which equals revenues (premiums) of $5,334 per insured. The insured, meanwhile, pay not only the premiums, but deductibles, copays, and things like surprise billing. He argues that while the cost of medical care is artificially inflated, health insurers strategize to keep costs in check by enrolling young, healthy people—a windfall provided by the Affordable Care Act’s individual mandate, which forced consumers into the system while allowing insurers to keep operating as usual, engaging in their profit-maximizing schemes. In his view, the inflated costs of medical care are partly thanks to financialization—a process where healthcare companies prioritize financial strategies like stock buybacks and dividend payouts over actually improving patient care, investing in useful innovations, or lowering premiums. Alongside his colleague Oner Tulum, Lazonick has shown that the biggest health insurance companies have been on a stock buyback binge, padding their profits and lining the pockets of executives and shareholders : classic Wall Street greed in action. They note that of the top four companies by revenues over the most recent decade, UnitedHealth, CVS Health, Elevance, and Cigna, average annual buybacks were a stunning $3.7 billion. “Ultimately, the manipulative boosts that these buybacks give to the health insurers’ stock prices come out of the pockets of U.S. households in the form of higher insurance premiums,” they write. It’s easy to see why health insurance executives are obsessed with stock buybacks. Lazonick and Tulum point out that from 2000 to 2017, Stephen J. Helmsley, the CEO of UnitedHealth Group, raked in an annual average of $37.3 million—86% of it coming from stock-based compensation. His successor, Andrew Witty, wasn’t exactly slumming it either, pulling in $17 million a year (79% stock-based) between 2018 and 2023. And then there’s the assassinated Brian Thompson, former CEO of the UnitedHealth subsidiary UnitedHealthcare, who bagged $9.5 million a year (73% stock-based) from 2021 to 2023. It’s a deadly scam, to be sure—inflate the stock price with buybacks, fatten the paychecks for executives (not rank-and-file employees), and deny patients the care they need. Lazonick observes that the more profits that UnitedHealth Group makes, the more extra cash is available to distribute to shareholders as dividends and buybacks, “and, generally, the higher the stock price, the potential for higher top executive pay.” The unpleasant reality, according to him, is that “given UHC’s predatory business model, Thompson was incentivized by his stock-based pay to rip off customers, and he ascended to the United Healthcare CEO position because he was good at it.” Perhaps this helps explain why many Americans are not exactly mourning his passing. The roots of this mess trace back to the neoliberal, market-driven ideology that underpins the system. Neoclassical economics, the theory behind this philosophy, is all about maximizing profit and trusting the market to sort things out—like some magical invisible hand. In reality, it’s a blueprint for inequality: The rich, like insurance CEOS, get richer, and everyone else is subject to exploitation. Healthcare is a perfect example of why this system doesn’t work. When you turn human health into a business, where access is determined by how much you can pay, only the wealthy can count on top-notch, reliably available care. The fundamental contradiction at the heart of the U.S. system is simple: health is treated as a commodity, not a human right. This current system make sense to the economists still clinging to their outdated, flawed neoclassical principles, but for regular folks? It’s crystal clear: our system is untenable. The myth that the U.S. health insurance system runs efficiently in a competitive market is just that—a myth. In reality, a handful of for-profit insurers dominate, focused not on providing care, but on extracting profits. It’s a textbook case of “market failure.” Instead of healthy competition lowering prices and improving services, what we have is an oligopoly that drives up costs and leaves millions uninsured. Let’s go over three examples of this failure. 1. Information Asymmetry : In a real competitive market, you’d have clear, straightforward information to make good choices. But in the U.S. health insurance system? Not happening. Insurers deliberately obscure policy details, leaving you to guess the true costs and coverage—even the percentage of claims denied. This gives them all the power while you’re stuck with confusing, impenetrable contracts. They know exactly what they’re doing—and it’s not about helping you. Say you’re self-employed and stuck buying private insurance on the Health Insurance Marketplace. You don’t qualify for subsidies, so you figure the best you can do is a silver plan with a $1,000 monthly premium. It’s steep, but at least it lists a $45 co-pay for an in-network doctor visit—and it’s got to be in-network because the plan won’t cover a dime of out-of-network care. You sign up for the plan, and then you go to the doctor for a respiratory infection. Surprise! You’re hit with a $200 bill. Why? Because co-pays only apply after you meet your $2,200 deductible—that was in the fine print. At this point, avoiding the doctor sounds like the best plan. But wait, isn’t the Health Insurance Marketplace a government-driven system? How could it be so unfair and deceptive? Well, it isn’t exactly a government-driven system. The Marketplace is government-run in name, thanks to the Affordable Care Act, with the feds running HealthCare.gov—but let’s be clear: It’s controlled by private insurers. The government sets some rules, but the real power lies with for-profit companies pulling the strings. What’s sold as a consumer-friendly system is really just a cash cow for the insurance industry. 2. Adverse Selection : Let’s go back to that self-employed person hit with a $200 doctor bill. The next time they get sick, they decide to skip the doctor—why risk a bigger bill? The insurance companies love this—they don’t have to pay a thing while you must keep paying your premium. This is adverse selection in action. Healthy people forgo care to save money, while the sick are stuck with costly plans. Insurers raise premiums, pushing even more people out of the system. The result? A vicious cycle where prices keep climbing, and care becomes harder to access. 3. Externalities : The U.S. health insurance system’s failure to provide universal coverage creates what economists call “negative externalities.” Our self-employed person who didn’t go to the doctor to save money has ended up in the emergency room, where the costs quickly balloon. What started as a simple issue becomes a preventable hospitalization, driving up healthcare costs for everyone and straining public health resources. These added costs don’t just hit the individual—they’re a drag on society as a whole, with taxpayers and the healthcare system picking up the tab. And on top of it all, the person has missed work and spread their illness to others, amplifying both the social and economic damage. If you want to see information asymmetry, adverse selection, and externalities really come together, look no further than Medicare Advantage , which economist Eileen Appelbaum plainly calls a “scam” —and one that is liable to expand under Trump’s second term. As Appelbaum explains, Medicare Advantage is neither Medicare nor is it to anyone’s advantage except insurance companies. Medicare Advantage is actually a private insurance program that is sold as an alternative to traditional Medicare, advertised to combine hospital, medical, and often prescription coverage, and offer perks such as gym membership coverage. It was originally created in 1997 as part of the Balanced Budget Act under President Bill Clinton to allow private insurers to manage Medicare benefits with a focus on cost control and efficiency. Proponents claim that privately-run Medicare Advantage plans, which now enroll over half of all people eligible for Medicare , offer good value, but Appelbaum notes this is only the case if you manage not to get a chronic condition—you’d better not get cancer or get too sick. A 2017 report by the Government Accountability Office found that sicker patients not only don’t benefit from these plans, they are worse off than they would be under Medicare, barred from access to their preferred doctors and hospitals. Appelbaum notes that the Medicare Advantage program is really a patchwork of private plans run by for-profit companies that rake in billions in taxpayer subsidies while finding new ways to deny care—like endless preauthorizations and rejecting expensive post-acute treatments. Unlike traditional Medicare, which directly pays for services, these private insurers are paid per subscriber, boosting their profits by upcoding and cherry-picking healthier clients. The result: Taxpayers lose $88 to $140 billion a year. But what a boon to the insurers: Appelbaum notes that they now make more from Medicare Advantage than from all their other products combined. In a 2023 report, Appelbaum and her colleagues noted that recent evidence reveals that Medicare Advantage insurers have been denying claims at unreasonably high rates, particularly for home health services. They point to a 2022 report from the Office of the Inspector General for the U.S. Health and Human Services, which found that in 2019, 13% of prior authorization requests for medically necessary care, including post-acute home health services, were denied despite meeting Medicare coverage rules. These services would have been covered under traditional fee-for-service Medicare. Though some denied requests were later approved, the delays jeopardized patients’ health and imposed administrative burdens. On top of that, a 2021 Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services study showed that over 2 million of 35 million prior authorization requests were denied, with only 11% appealed. Of those, 82% of appeals were successful, highlighting a high rate of incorrect denials. Appelbaum points out that, despite the similar names, Medicare and Medicare Advantage are worlds apart. Medicare is a trusted public program, while Medicare Advantage is really just private insurance that’s marketed to look like the real thing, luring people in with misleading ads and false promises. The goal of Medicare Advantage supporters is to replace traditional, publicly funded Medicare with private, for-profit insurers—pushing for market competition and cost-cutting at the expense of direct, government-provided healthcare. It’s a prime example of what happens when neoclassical economics gets its way. “It goes back to the Affordable Care Act,” she explained in a conversation with the Institute for New Economic Thinking. “The ACA introduced many beneficial reforms, but it also required Medicare to experiment with Medicare Advantage plans as part of a broader push for “value-based” care, where providers are going to be incentivized to skimp on your care.” She stressed that this isn’t just financially harmful for patients—it can be deadly. It’s not merely about denying care; it’s about using delaying tactics that put lives at risk: “Widespread delay is a serious problem—when someone has cancer, two weeks of delays waiting for coverage to be approved can be deadly.” The reality is that with value-based care, providers are rewarded for reducing costs, rather than being paid for the volume of services they deliver, which can encourage cost-cutting measures that potentially compromise care quality. And as to that much-touted competition that neoclassical economists insist will lower costs and boost efficiency among insurers—good luck finding an example of that. The administrative costs of private insurers are staggering compared to single-payer systems. According to a 2018 study in The Lancet , the U.S. spends 8% of total national health expenditures on activities related to planning, regulating, and managing health systems and services, compared to an average of only 3% spent in single-payer systems. The excess administrative burden in the U.S. is a direct consequence of having to navigate a fragmented system with multiple insurers, each with its own rules, coverage policies, and approval processes. Beyond the outrageous administrative costs, the U.S. healthcare system’s reliance on employer-based insurance is a relic of 20th-century policy decisions that are downright outdated in today’s gig economy. It ties access to care to your job, effectively locking out millions of gig and part-time workers, freelancers, and the unemployed. The notion that people can “shop around” for insurance plans like they’re picking a toaster is absurd when the stakes are life and death. The exorbitant cost of this flawed approach to healthcare is borne by society—through higher overall health spending, worse outcomes, and a public system buckling under the weight of the uninsured and underinsured. The system doesn’t just fail to provide equitable care; it deepens social and economic inequality. Health should be a public good, with care guaranteed for all—regardless of income, job, or pre-existing conditions. Many argue that the solution isn’t patching the system with small reforms but rethinking it entirely—or, as documentary maker Michael Moore recently put it, “Throw this entire system in the trash.” That means embracing models like single-payer, where the state ensures health for all and care is based on need, not profit. Until the U.S. abandons its current insurance model, we’ll remain stuck with a system that enriches a few while exploiting the many—and the many are well and truly sick of it. America is ready to say goodbye to the Grinches that operate 365 days a year. NOW READ: America's dark past and the key to stopping Trump's authoritarian ruleTechnology and TV writer Sign up to our weekly newsletter , sent on Wednesdays Did you know with an ad-lite subscription to Harborough Mail, you get 70% fewer ads while viewing the news that matters to you. The winner of Great British Bake Off has been crowned. Three bakers competed in the grand final on Channel 4. GBBO’s 15th season has come to an end after 10 exciting episodes. The Great British Bake Off has come to an exciting conclusion as the winner for 2024 was crowned. Just three bakers were left in the famous tent after Gill was sent home in the semi-final last week. Christiaan, Dylan and Georgie were the contestants who competed for the crown on Tuesday November 26. Advertisement Advertisement Fans were warned to avoid making a mistake that could cost them a four figure fine, ahead of the final. While I have previously reported on if and how you can watch previous seasons on demand. Stay up-to-date with the latest UK news and culture with our free UK Today newsletter. Who was the favourite - before the final? According to the bookies, Dylan was the favourite ahead of Christiaan and then Georgie. At least that was the case before the final began on Channel 4. But Dylan really struggled in the first two challenges, leaving fans to take to social media and say the same thing . Who won the Great British Bake Off 2024? The winner of GBBO was Georgie. They were crowned after three intense challenges. Advertisement Advertisement What happened in the final? The judges avoided shaking the format up too much for the final of The Great British Bake Off in 2024. It featured all three of the challenges that the bakers - and audiences - are familiar with after the last 10 weeks. First up was a signature bake, in which the bakers had to make 24 scones. They had to make 12 sweet and 12 savoury - with Christiaan getting the best feedback, while the two others had more mixed results. Read More Waitrose Christmas advert 2024: who stole the bauble dessert - how to watch part two Is I’m a Celeb on at the same time as the Great British Bake Off final? How to watch both The Great British Bake Off 2024: fans are all saying the same thing about Dylan in the final Then came the technical challenge, set by Prue Leith. It saw the bakers tasked with making an afternoon tea display, including a bread roll, strawbery tart and sponge cake - and of course it was judged blind, as it always is. Dylan was ranked third, having struggled across all three bakes. Georgie was in second and Christiaan won the technical challenge - continuing his strong start to the final. Advertisement Advertisement Finally, the bakers had to take on the last showstopper challenge of the season was to bake a hanging three tiered cake, fit for a garden party and they had four and a half hours. Dylan slighly redeemed himself with his ‘abstract’ showstopper - although Paul found some flaws in the cake. Georgie’s cake was labelled ‘delicious’. After the three rounds, the judges crowned Georgie as the winner. What did you think of the Great British Bake Off final? Share your thoughts by emailing me: [email protected] . National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.

Please visit theroxytheater.org for up-to-date screen times. You can also trace your hand on this page and then draw a turkey. Opening Cillian Murphy as Bill Furlong and Zara Devlin as Sarah Redmond in "Small Things Like These." Yay! The first Christmas movie of the year! It’s the run-up to the 1985 holiday season in small-town Ireland. A coal merchant discovers that the nearby convent has a sinister secret. Oh no! It’s one of those Christmas movies. Rated PG-13. Cillian Murphy, Emily Watson and Eileen Walsh star in this critically acclaimed adaptation of Claire Keegan’s heartbreaking book. Opening Friday, Nov. 29. It’s gotta be the most screened Christmas movie of all time by this point, but every year we still return to Bob Clark’s classic adaptation of Jean Shepherd’s book “In God We Trust: All Others Pay Cash.” Looking back at his childhood in the 1940s, Shepherd reflects on his family, schoolmates and the one Christmas present he cannot do without. I hope he doesn’t shoot his eye out. Rated PG. Stars Peter Billingsley, Melinda Dillon and Darren “Kolchak: The Night Stalker” McGavin. Opening Sunday, Dec. 1. Continuing Ariana Grande in a scene from the film "Wicked." It’s a movie based on a smash-hit play that was based on a bestselling book which itself was based on another beloved book which was also adapted into a movie which has its own series of sequels and remakes. I feel like my brain is defying gravity trying to keep that all straight. Oz’s eponymous Wicked Witch of the West gets an origin story in this big-budget musical that is melting the world of licensed marketing tie-ins. What a world! What a world! Rated PG. Stars Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande and Jeff Goldblum. Hugh Grant plays against type in "Heretic," the new A24 horror film. The screenwriters of the first "A Quiet Place" step up to the director’s chair for this new horror film about two missionaries who attempt to convert a reclusive Englishman, only to find themselves in a bloody cat-and-mouse game for survival. Rated R. Stars Hugh Grant, Sophie Thatcher and Chloe East. Special screenings The Roxy holiday tradition returns! See the farewell performance of the legendary group the Band — as well as generation-defining artists, including Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell and Neil Young. What, were Harold Crosby and the Pine Tree Boys unavailable? Rated PG. Directed by the master, Martin Scorsese. Playing Friday, Nov. 29 through Sunday, Dec. 1. It’s the weekend after Thanksgiving, you know what that means! Trash Vault is serving up another classic from the greatest, splatteriest director of all time. Over a decade before he defined an entire genre with his spectacular "Spider-Man" films, director Sam Raimi desperately wanted to make a superhero picture of his own. But when the rights to “The Shadow” slipped through his fingers, Raimi instead made his own original superhero movie, deeply influenced by the grim and gothic horror movies of his youth. When a scientist is blown up by mobsters, he uses his research into prosthetic skin to take his violent revenge. Rated R. Stars Academy Award-nominee Liam Neeson, Academy Award-winner Frances McDormand and Fangoria Chainsaw Award-winner Bruce Campbell as the Final Shemp. Playing Saturday, Nov. 30. Stage on Screen brings the greatest contemporary theatrical performances to the Roxy’s silver screen. This month extraordinary soprano Lise Davidsen steps into the role of Puccini’s volatile diva Floria Tosca for her first time at the Met. Playing Monday, Dec. 2. Join Missoula’s funniest people for a free stand-up show that gives 5 minutes of stage time to both established and new comedians. Sign up for the show starts at 6:30 p.m., show starts at 7. Join the fun Tuesday, Dec. 3. Sometimes you look back at a movie and realize that while it might not have been a huge hit, it still left a huge footprint. In this coming-of-age drama, a young man struggles with PTSD while starting at a new high school. His new friendships bring him closer to healing. A snapshot of the era of Tumblr-aesthetic, Out at the Roxy presents this modern cult classic. Rated PG-13. Stars Logan Lerman, Emma Watson and on-screen superhero/off-screen supervillain Ezra Miller. Playing Thursday, Dec. 5. Show times Friday, Nov. 29-Thursday, Dec. 5 Wicked (PG) Fri: 2, 2:30, 5, 8 p.m. Sat: 2, 2:15, 5, 5:15, 8:15 p.m. Sun: 2, 2:30, 5, 8 p.m. Mon-Wed: 5:15, 8:15 p.m. Thu: 4:30, 5, 8 p.m. Heretic (R) Fri-Sun: 5:45, 8 p.m. Mon: 4:45 p.m. Tue: 7:30 p.m. Wed: 5:45, 8 p.m. Thu: 5:15 p.m. Small Things Like These (PG-13) Fri: 3, 5:15, 7:30 p.m. Sat: 3, 5:45 p.m. Sun-Mon: 5:15, 7:30 p.m. Tue: 4:45 p.m. Wed: 5:30, 7:45 p.m. Thu: 5:15, 7:30 p.m. The Last Waltz (PG) Fri: 5:30, 8:15 p.m. Sat: 8 p.m. Sun: 5:30, 8:15 p.m. Darkman (R) Sat: 8 p.m. A Christmas Story (PG) Sun: 3 p.m. Mon-Wed: 5, 7:30 p.m. Met Opera Live: Tosca Mon: 7 p.m. The Perks of Being a Wallflower (PG-13) Thu: 7:30 p.m. Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox!

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U.S. shoppers used their mobile phones, laptops, desktops and other devices to make roughly $10.8 billion in purchases online on Black Friday , an updated tally from Adobe Analytics showed. Black Friday, the day after American Thanksgiving, marks the official start of the holiday shopping season for retailers and competition has intensified among retailers to win every penny-pinched shopper seeking discounts. Increased online shopping potentially favors e-commerce giants such as Amazon.com and Walmart. Walmart, which operates 4,700 U.S. stores, has invested heavily in store-to-home deliveries for the holiday season to boost e-commerce. U.S. spending online on Black Friday rose 10.2%, said Adobe, which keeps track of devices that use its software to help power more than 1 trillion visits to U.S. retail sites. 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Top selling merchandise online included makeup, skincare and haircare products, as well as bluetooth speakers and espresso machines, Adobe said on Saturday. Online sales of toys rose 622% compared to average daily sales in October, while jewelry sales rose 561% and appliances spiked 476% compared to October, it added. Department store chains such as Macy's and Kohl's as well as big-box retailer Target could see muted sales this season, which is shorter with only 26 days between Thanksgiving and Christmas. In 2023, U.S. shoppers spent $9.8 billion online on Black Friday, and in 2022, they spent $9.1 billion, Adobe said. (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel )

As Atlanta prepares to take on Real Madrid, they do so with a sense of pride and determination. They know that they have the ability to compete with the best, and they are eager to prove it once again. For Lukman and his players, this match is not just another game. It is a chance to show the world that Atlanta is a team on the rise, a team that is capable of challenging the elite clubs in Europe.And then, in a heart-stopping climax, the decisive moment arrived. With a stunning display of teamwork and precision, the championship-winning team executed a flawless strategy that left their opponents reeling. The final blow was struck, and as the dust settled, it was clear that a new champion had emerged, their name forever etched in the annals of esports history.

Krunic, the Bosnian midfielder who once donned the red and black of AC Milan and made over 100 appearances for the storied club, is on the verge of a poignant reunion. As fate would have it, Krunic's current team is scheduled to face his former club, AC Milan, in an upcoming clash at the iconic San Siro stadium.The Courageous Contract Ant Esports National Challenge had come to a spectacular conclusion, with a deserving champion crowned and a legacy of excellence established. It was a journey marked by passion, perseverance, and the unbreakable spirit of competition. And as the curtain fell on this chapter of esports history, leaving behind memories that will endure, one thing was certain – the courage of the champions would never be forgotten.

Education Ministry and Six Other Departments Deploy Further Strengthening of Teacher Respect and Welfare Work

Poeltl, Olynyk, Mitchell return to Toronto Raptors' lineup versus Mavericks

Another factor to take into account is the current state of the real estate market. If housing inventory is low and demand is high, purchasing a property may still be a competitive option. In such a scenario, waiting for interest rates to go down may not necessarily result in a better deal.In a recent announcement, the United States Department of State has declared its intention to provide military gear and equipment to 18-year-old citizens from Ukraine who are willing to join the fight for their country's sovereignty and freedom. This decision comes as a response to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, where Russian forces have escalated their aggression and incursions into Ukrainian territory.The convergence of the anti-overwork trend and the support for new businesses on AliExpress creates a unique opportunity for entrepreneurs to enter the cross-border e-commerce race. The platform's commitment to promoting work-life balance and empowering sellers to achieve success sets a positive tone for the industry. By joining AliExpress at this pivotal moment, entrepreneurs can benefit from a supportive environment, access to global markets, and the potential for long-term growth and success.

While the concept of self-improvement and personal development is commendable, it is essential to approach such endeavors with caution and moderation. Extreme challenges that place undue physical or psychological strain on individuals can have detrimental effects on their well-being and may ultimately result in legal repercussions, as evidenced in this particular case.

ASIAN EXEMPLARS Often called Asia’s Nobel Prize, the Ramon Magsaysay Awards honors individuals or organizations embodying greatness of spirit, transformative leadership and selfless service, attributes that also define the legacy of the seventh Philippine president. Photo shows the 2024 awardees in rites held on Nov. 16 at the Manila Metropolitan Theater. —CONTRIBUTED PHOTO On Nov. 16, the Ramon Magsaysay Awards marked its 66th anniversary. For the first time, I was tasked with handing out the awards, as representative of the late president’s family. It was an honor for me, the grandson of the seventh president of the Philippines, to join five distinguished Asians who received the award established to perpetuate the values my lolo believed in. When I watched my father, his namesake and only son, hand out awards last year, I did not realize that he would ask me to do it for him this year. He decided it was time for the younger generation to do the honors of handing out the awards that have become Asia’s most prestigious. My dad simply said that he would rather I give out the awards this year, as he felt it was time for me to take over that duty. He has been telling me this day was going to come sooner than later since about three years ago. I have been to the Magsaysay awarding ceremonies since I returned from the United States in 1993 when I was 25 years old. But I was always just a spectator, watching my dad on stage with the Magsaysay laureates. The event was always amazing and inspiring and made me take stock of what I was doing in my own life and start thinking about doing my share to help those in need. I am used to being on stage as a speaker, so that part of the ceremonies was not new to me. What was different was participating in handing out the medals and citations. The people receiving the Magsaysay Awards had shown greatness of spirit in service to the peoples of Asia regardless of race, gender, or religion—an expanded version of my lolo’s commitment to serve the Filipinos. Being on stage gave me a very different perspective on the ceremony. For one, I got to see the reaction of the crowd to the introduction of the awardees and their acceptance speeches. The awe and inspiration were evident. Talking to the awardees, it was remarkable how simple they were and yet had the courage and fortitude to take on Herculean challenges to do what was right. It was inspiring to know that the values and virtues of my Lolo Monching are lived by the Magsaysay awardees. As the son of a former senator and the grandson of a former president, my relatives and I have always been exposed to these ideals from a very young age, and we have all tried to practice it in our daily lives, no matter where our paths took us. From a very young age, we were always told to keep the Magsaysay name “clean” and to live with the virtues of hard work, honesty and integrity. I did not get to meet my grandfather. When he died on March 17, 1957, my dad was only 18 years old. Admittedly, it was not easy having Ramon Magsaysay as a role model, even if I did not get to meet him personally. Even without the awards named after him, his shoes were already too big to fill—heroic World War II guerilla fighter, congressman, secretary of defense, and president. But we have always lived the way he would have wanted us to, so I do not know how difficult it must be for others as this is all we know. Fortunately, although I was told about the legacy of my Lolo Monching, I was not nagged about it. It was mentioned every once in a while. I only remember being told often to keep the name “clean.” Despite being the grandson of a president and the son of a senator, I was never pressured to join politics, nor was I inclined to. My father believed that one way to serve was to do well in one’s calling. Later, I would realize that, for me, that calling would be ice cream, Carmen’s Best. My dad told me that if I wanted to help people, I could help without being in politics or government. There are many credible foundations that are run very well and are transparent in doing their work. We were encouraged to help through them. This I have always tried to do when I took over the family business after my dad returned to politics as a senator in 1995. I did consider running for office in 2013, but after my cancer diagnosis I dropped the idea. And, by then, I had decided politics was really not for me. I wanted to create a name on my own and have my own identity. In our first year of operations in 2011, we started helping the PGH (Philippine General Hospital) Medical Foundation Inc. In 2018, we started to help the Good Shepherd Foundation in Baguio City. The business was really never about just making money. It was a passion project that just grew as people supported it. While I was the one tasked this year to represent the family in the annual Magsaysay Awards ceremonies, it does not mean I am the only one honoring my lolo’s legacy. I have cousins who have done more to help other people. Dr. Ralph Valenzuela, who teaches at the UERM (University of the East Ramon Magsaysay) Medical Center, has dedicated his life to healing the sick. His brother Mike is an educator and a La Salle Brother. I am now making sure to instill in my children the values that my grandfather stood for: integrity, hard work and honesty. There will come a time, hopefully in the far future, when I will have to pass the torch to the next generation as well. I want to make sure that my children are worthy of the legacy their great grandfather left, not just on the family, country and region, but also on the world. I tell them the same thing my father told me—how we have kept the name of the Magsaysay family clean and that we should continue doing so. That the Rockefeller family had such admiration for lolo and the ideals and values he lived by, that they initiated the establishment of the Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation. Subscribe to our daily newsletter By providing an email address. I agree to the Terms of Use and acknowledge that I have read the Privacy Policy . Former President Ramon Magsaysay may have left this world too soon, but in his short life, he managed to leave an enduring legacy that brings pride not just to us his family, but to all Filipinos. INQBuy these ASX 200 dividend stocks for 5%+ yields - The Motley Fool Australia

The Order review: a gripping true-crime thriller that will unsettle youThe case of Wu Yingjie serves as a cautionary tale for all public officials that the consequences of corruption are severe and far-reaching. Not only does corruption undermine the legitimacy of the Party and erode public trust, but it also has a direct impact on the well-being of the people by diverting resources away from essential services and infrastructure development.Driven largely by the accumulation of massive wealth by the richest people in the United States, the Swiss wealth manager UBS said Thursday the assets of billionaires around the world more than doubled over the past decade. Between 2015-24, the total wealth of billionaires increased by 121%, from $6.3 trillion to $14 trillion. Meanwhile, the MSCI AC World Index of global equities, which measures the performance of more than 3,000 stocks from both developed and emerging markets, rose by 73%. The planet’s total gross domestic product is about $105.4 trillion, with a population of just over 8 billion, underscoring the extreme concentration of wealth among the very richest people. The number of billionaires rose from 1,757 to 2,682 over the past decade, while the wealthiest people in the world boasted significant gains over just the past year. Billionaires’ wealth jumped by about 17% in 2024, with the accumulation of wealth among the richest people in the U.S. offsetting a decline in China. U.S. billionaires amassed wealth gains that were 27.6% higher than the previous year, accumulating a total of $5.8 trillion — more than 40% of international billionaire wealth. The tax cuts pushed through by President-elect Donald Trump and the Republican Party in 2017 are still in effect in the U.S. Tax policy analysts have found that the law was skewed to the rich, with households in the top 1% of incomes expecting to receive an average tax cut of more than $60,000 in 2025 compared to an average tax cut of less than $500 for people in the bottom 60%. As Common Dreams reported this week, the top 12 U.S. billionaires now control $2 trillion. The wealth of the four richest people in the U.S. — Tesla CEO Elon Musk, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison, and Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg — has hit $1 trillion. “These four men were worth $74 billion 12 short years ago,” said Americans for Tax Fairness. “Tax billionaires.” At the G20 Summit last month, world leaders agreed to “engage cooperatively to ensure that ultra-high-net-worth individuals are effectively taxed.”

LOS ANGELES -- Film Independent has announced its nominations for the 40th annual edition of the Film Independent Spirit Awards. "A Real Pain" has two nominations for Best Screenplay and Best Supporting Performance for Kieran Culkin. "Nightbitch" also has two, with nods for Amy Adams as Best Lead Performance and Best Editing. The Walt Disney Company was well represented on the TV side, with "Agatha All Along," "English Teacher," "Shogun" all getting nods for Best New Scripted Series. "Shogun" has five nominations in total, "English Teacher" has four and "Agatha All Along" scored three. "Under The Bridge" has two nominations, Lily Gladstone gets the nod for Lead Performance in a New Scripted Series and Best Supporting Performance. "Erased: WW2's Heroes of Color," "Social Studies" and "Photographer" are up for Best New Non-Scripted or Documentary Series while "Sugarcane" is nominated for the Truer Than Fiction Awards. "Anora" and "I Saw The Glow" lead all nominations with six each on the film side. On the TV side, "Baby Reindeer also has four nominations. The 40th Film Independent Spirit Awards will be handed out Feb. 22, 2025. The full list of nominations is below. 2025 FILM INDEPENDENT SPIRIT AWARD NOMINATIONS BEST FEATURE(Award given to the producer) Anora Producers: Sean Baker, Alex Coco, Samantha Quan I Saw the TV Glow Producers: Ali Herting, Sam Intili, Dave McCary, Emma Stone, Sarah Winshall Nickel Boys Producers: Joslyn Barnes, Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, David Levine Sing Sing Producers: Clint Bentley, Greg Kwedar, Monique Walton The Substance Producers: Tim Bevan, Coralie Fargeat, Eric Fellner BEST FIRST FEATURE (Award given to director and producer) Dìdi Director/Producer: Sean Wang Producers: Valerie Bush, Carlos López Estrada, Josh Peters In the Summers Director: Alessandra Lacorazza Samudio Producers: Janek Ambros, Lynette Coll, Alexander Dinelaris, Cynthia Fernandez De La Cruz, Cristóbal Güell, Sergio Alberto Lira, Rob Quadrino, Jan Suter, Daniel Tantalean, Nando Vila, Slava Vladimirov, Stephanie Yankwitt Janet Planet Director/Producer: Annie Baker Producers: Andrew Goldman, Dan Janvey, Derrick Tseng The Piano Lesson Director: Malcolm Washington Producers: Todd Black, Denzel Washington Problemista Director/Producer: Julio Torres Producers: Ali Herting, Dave McCary, Emma Stone JOHN CASSAVETES AWARD- Given to the best feature made for under $1,000,000. (Award given to the writer, director, and producer) Big Boys Writer/Director/Producer: Corey Sherman Producer: Allison Tate Ghostlight Writer/Director: Kelly O'Sullivan Director/Producer: Alex Thompson Producers: Pierce Cravens, Ian Keiser, Chelsea Krant, Eddie Linker, Alex Wilson Girls Will Be Girls Writer/Director/Producer: Shuchi Talati Producers: Richa Chadha, Claire Chassagne Jazzy Writer/Director/Producer: Morrisa Maltz Writer/Producer: Lainey Shangreaux Writers: Andrew Hajek, Vanara Taing Producers: Miranda Bailey, Tommy Heitkamp, John Way, Natalie Whalen, Elliott Whitton The People's Joker Writer/Director: Vera Drew Writer: Bri LeRose Producer: Joey Lyons BEST DIRECTOR Ali Abbasi The Apprentice Sean Baker Anora Brady Corbet The Brutalist Alonso Ruizpalacios La Cocina Jane Schoenbrun I Saw the TV Glow BEST SCREENPLAY Scott Beck, Bryan Woods Heretic Jesse Eisenberg A Real Pain Megan Park My Old Ass Aaron Schimberg A Different Man Jane Schoenbrun I Saw the TV Glow BEST FIRST SCREENPLAY Joanna Arnow The Feeling That the Time for Doing Something Has Passed Annie Baker Janet Planet India Donaldson Good One Julio Torres Problemista Sean Wang Dìdi BEST LEAD PERFORMANCE Amy Adams Nightbitch Ryan Destiny The Fire Inside Colman Domingo Sing Sing Keith Kupferer Ghostlight Mikey Madison Anora Demi Moore The Substance Hunter Schafer Cuckoo Justice Smith I Saw the TV Glow June Squibb Thelma Sebastian Stan The Apprentice BEST SUPPORTING PERFORMANCE Yura Borisov Anora Joan Chen Dìdi Kieran Culkin A Real Pain Danielle Deadwyler The Piano Lesson Carol Kane Between the Temples Karren Karagulian Anora Kani Kusruti Girls Will Be Girls Brigette Lundy-Paine I Saw the TV Glow Clarence "Divine Eye" Maclin Sing Sing Adam Pearson A Different Man BEST BREAKTHROUGH PERFORMANCE Isaac Krasner Big Boys Katy O'Brian Love Lies Bleeding Mason Alexander Park National Anthem René Pérez Joglar In the Summers Maisy Stella My Old Ass BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY Dinh Duy Hung Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell Jomo Fray Nickel Boys Maria von Hausswolff Janet Planet Juan Pablo Ramírez La Cocina Rina Yang The Fire Inside BEST EDITING Laura Colwell, Vanara Taing Jazzy Olivier Bugge Coutté, Olivia Neergaard-Holm The Apprentice Anne McCabe Nightbitch Hansjörg Weissbrich September 5 Arielle Zakowski Dìdi ROBERT ALTMAN AWARD- Given to one film's director, casting director, and ensemble cast His Three Daughters Director: Azazel Jacobs Casting Director: Nicole Arbusto Ensemble Cast: Jovan Adepo, Jasmine Bracey, Carrie Coon, Jose Febus, Rudy Galvan, Natasha Lyonne, Elizabeth Olsen, Randy Ramos Jr., Jay O. Sanders BEST DOCUMENTARY (Award given to the director and producer) Gaucho Gaucho Directors/Producers: Michael Dweck, Gregory Kershaw Producers: Christos Konstantakopoulos, Cameron O'Reilly, Matthew Perniciaro Hummingbirds Directors: Silvia Del Carmen Castaños, Estefanía "Beba" Contreras Co-Directors/Producers: Miguel Drake-McLaughlin, Diane Ng, Ana Rodriguez-Falco, Jillian Schlesinger Producers: Leslie Benavides, Rivkah Beth Medow No Other Land Directors/Producers: Yuval Abraham, Basel Adra, Hamdan Ballal, Rachel Szor Producers: Fabien Greenberg, Brd Kjge Rnning Patrice: The Movie Director: Ted Passon Producers: Kyla Harris, Innbo Shim, Emily Spivack Soundtrack to a Coup d'Etat Director: Johan Grimonprez Producers: Rémi Grellety, Daan Milius BEST INTERNATIONAL FILM (Award given to the director) All We Imagine as Light France, India, Netherlands, Luxembourg Director: Payal Kapadia Black Dog China Director: Guan Hu Flow Latvia, France, Belgium Director: Gints Zilbalodis Green Border Poland, France, Czech Republic, Belgium Director: Agnieszka Holland Hard Truths United Kingdom Director: Mike Leigh PRODUCERS AWARD presented by Bulleit Frontier Whiskey - The Producers Award, now in its 28th year, honors emerging producers who, despite highly limited resources, demonstrate the creativity, tenacity, and vision required to produce quality independent films. Alex Coco Sarah Winshall Zoë Worth SOMEONE TO WATCH AWARD - The Someone to Watch Award, now in its 31st year, recognizes a talented filmmaker of singular vision who has not yet received appropriate recognition. Nicholas Colia Director of Griffin in Summer Sarah Friedland Director of Familiar Touch Pham Thien An Director of Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell TRUER THAN FICTION AWARD- The Truer Than Fiction Award, now in its 30th year, is presented to an emerging director of non-fiction features who has not yet received significant recognition Julian Brave NoiseCat, Emily Kassie Directors of Sugarcane Carla Gutiérrez Director of Frida Rachel Elizabeth Seed Director of A Photographic Memory BEST NEW NON-SCRIPTED OR DOCUMENTARY SERIES (Award given to the Creator, Executive Producer, Co-Executive Producer) Erased: WW2's Heroes of Color Executive Producers: Idris Elba, Johanna Woolford Gibbon, Jamilla Dumbuya, Jos Cushing, Khaled Gad, Matt Robins, Chris Muckle, Sean David Johnson, Simon Raikes Co-Executive Producer: Annabel Hobley Hollywood Black Executive Producers: Shayla Harris, Dave Sirulnick, Stacey Reiss, Jon Kamen, Justin Simien, Kyle Laursen, Forest Whitaker, Nina Yang Bongiovi, Jeffrey Schwarz, Amy Goodman Kass, Michael Wright, Jill Burkhart Co-Executive Producers: David C. Brown, Laurens Grant Photographer Executive Producers: Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi, Jimmy Chin, Pagan Harleman, Betsy Forhan Co-Executive Producers: Anna Barnes, Brent Kunkle Ren Faire Executive Producers: Ronald Bronstein, Benny Safdie, Josh Safdie, Eli Bush, Dani Bernfeld, Lance Oppenheim, David Gauvey Herbert, Nancy Abraham, Lisa Heller, Sara Rodriguez Co-Executive Producers: Abigail Rowe, Christian Vasquez, Max Allman Social Studies Creator/Executive Producer: Lauren Greenfield Executive Producers: Wallis Annenberg, Regina K. Scully, Andrea van Beuren, Frank Evers, Caryn Capotosto BEST NEW SCRIPTED SERIES (Award given to the Creator, Executive Producer, Co-Executive Producer) Baby Reindeer Creator/Executive Producer: Richard Gadd Executive Producers: Wim De Greef, Petra Fried, Matt Jarvis, Ed Macdonald Diarra From Detroit Creator/Executive Producer: Diarra Kilpatrick Executive Producers: Kenya Barris, Miles Orion Feldsott, Darren Goldberg Co-Executive Producers: Ester Lou, Mark Ganek English Teacher Creator/Executive Producer: Brian Jordan Alvarez Executive Producers: Paul Simms, Jonathan Krisel, Dave King Co-Executive Producers: Kathryn Dean, Jake Bender, Zach Dunn Fantasmas Creator/Executive Producer: Julio Torres Executive Producers: Emma Stone, Dave McCary, Olivia Gerke, Alex Bach, Daniel Powell Co-Executive Producer: Ali Herting Shgun Creators/Executive Producers: Rachel Kondo, Justin Marks Executive Producers: Edward L. McDonnell, Michael De Luca, Michaela Clavell Co-Executive Producers: Shannon Goss, Andrew Macdonald, Allon Reich BEST LEAD PERFORMANCE IN A NEW SCRIPTED SERIES Brian Jordan Alvarez English Teacher Richard Gadd Baby Reindeer Lily Gladstone Under the Bridge Kathryn Hahn Agatha All Along Cristin Milioti The Penguin Julianne Moore Mary & George Hiroyuki Sanada Shgun Anna Sawai Shgun Andrew Scott Ripley Julio Torres Fantasmas BEST SUPPORTING PERFORMANCE IN A NEW SCRIPTED SERIES Tadanobu Asano Shgun Enrico Colantoni English Teacher Betty Gilpin Three Women Chloe Guidry Under the Bridge Moeka Hoshi Shgun Stephanie Koenig English Teacher Patti LuPone Agatha All Along Nava Mau Baby Reindeer Ruth Negga Presumed Innocent Brian Tee Expats BEST BREAKTHROUGH PERFORMANCE IN A NEW SCRIPTED SERIES Jessica Gunning Baby Reindeer Diarra Kilpatrick Diarra From Detroit Joe Locke Agatha All Along Megan Stott Penelope Hoa Xuande The Sympathizer BEST ENSEMBLE CAST IN A NEW SCRIPTED SERIES How to Die Alone Ensemble Cast: Melissa DuPrey, Jaylee Hamidi, KeiLyn Durrel Jones, Arkie Kandola, Elle Lorraine, Michelle McLeod, Chris "CP" Powell, Conrad Ricamora, Natasha Rothwell, Jocko Sims The Walt Disney Company is the parent company of Searchlight Pictures, Disney+, NatGeo, Hulu, Disney+ and this ABC station.

Ohio State, Michigan players involved in postgame scuffle

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WASHINGTON — Donald Trump said he can't guarantee his promised tariffs on key U.S. foreign trade partners won't raise prices for American consumers and suggested once more that some political rivals and federal officials who pursued legal cases against him should be imprisoned. The president-elect, in a wide-ranging interview with NBC's "Meet the Press" that aired Sunday, also touched on monetary policy, immigration, abortion and health care, and U.S. involvement in Ukraine, Israel and elsewhere. Trump often mixed declarative statements with caveats, at one point cautioning "things do change." Here's a look at some of the issues covered: President-elect Donald Trump takes the stage before he speaks at the FOX Nation Patriot Awards, Thursday, Dec. 5, 2024, in Greenvale, N.Y. (AP Photo/Heather Khalifa) Trump threatened broad trade penalties, but said he didn't believe economists' predictions that added costs on those imported goods for American companies would lead to higher domestic prices for consumers. He stopped short of a pledge that U.S. an households won't be paying more as they shop. "I can't guarantee anything. I can't guarantee tomorrow," Trump said, seeming to open the door to accepting the reality of how import levies typically work as goods reach the retail market. That's a different approach from Trump's typical speeches throughout the 2024 campaign, when he framed his election as a sure way to curb inflation. In the interview, Trump defended tariffs generally, saying that tariffs are "going to make us rich." He has pledged that, on his first day in office in January, he would impose 25% tariffs on all goods imported from Mexico and Canada unless those countries satisfactorily stop illegal immigration and the flow of illegal drugs such as fentanyl into the United States. He also has threatened tariffs on China to help force that country to crack down on fentanyl production. "All I want to do is I want to have a level, fast, but fair playing field," Trump said. He offered conflicting statements on how he would approach the justice system after winning election despite being convicted of 34 felonies in a New York state court and being indicted in other cases for his handling of national security secrets and efforts to overturn his 2020 loss to Democrat Joe Biden. "Honestly, they should go to jail," Trump said of members of Congress who investigated the Capitol riot by his supporters who wanted him to remain in power. The president-elect underscored his contention that he can use the justice system against others, including special prosecutor Jack Smith, who led the case on Trump's role in the siege on Jan. 6, 2021. Trump confirmed his plan to pardon supporters who were convicted for their roles in the riot, saying he would take that action on his first day in office. As for the idea of revenge driving potential prosecutions, Trump said: "I have the absolute right. I'm the chief law enforcement officer, you do know that. I'm the president. But I'm not interested in that." At the same time, Trump singled out lawmakers on a special House committee who investigated the insurrection, citing Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., and former Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo. "Cheney was behind it ... so was Bennie Thompson and everybody on that committee," Trump said. Asked specifically whether he would direct his administration to pursue cases, he said, "No," and suggested he did not expect the FBI to quickly undertake investigations into his political enemies. At another point, Trump said he would leave the matter up to Pam Bondi, his pick as attorney general. "I want her to do what she wants to do," he said. Such threats, regardless of Trump's inconsistencies, have been taken seriously enough by many top Democrats that Biden is considering issuing blanket, preemptive pardons to protect key members of his outgoing administration. Trump did seemingly back off his campaign rhetoric calling for Biden to be investigated, saying, "I'm not looking to go back into the past." Immigration advocates hold a rally in Sacramento, Calif. on Monday, Dec. 2, 2024, to protest President-Elect Donald Trump's plans to conduct mass deportation of immigrants without legal status. (AP Photo/Haven Daley) Trump repeatedly mentioned his promises to seal the U.S.-Mexico border and deport millions of people who are in the U.S. illegally through a mass deportation program. "I think you have to do it," he said. He suggested he would try to use executive action to end "birthright" citizenship under which people born in the U.S. are considered citizens — though such protections are spelled out in the Constitution. Asked specifically about the future for people who were brought into the country illegally as children and were shielded from deportation in recent years, Trump said, "I want to work something out," indicating he might seek a solution with Congress. But Trump also said he does not "want to be breaking up families" of mixed legal status, "so the only way you don't break up the family is you keep them together and you have to send them all back." President-elect Donald Trump shakes hands with Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Notre Dame Cathedral as France's iconic cathedral is formally reopening its doors for the first time since a devastating fire nearly destroyed the 861-year-old landmark in 2019, Saturday Dec.7, 2024 in Paris ( Ludovic Marin, Pool via AP) Long a critic of NATO members for not spending more on their own defense, Trump said he "absolutely" would remain in the alliance "if they pay their bills." Pressed on whether he would withdraw if he were dissatisfied with allies' commitments, Trump said he wants the U.S. treated "fairly" on trade and defense. He waffled on a NATO priority of containing Russia and President Vladimir Putin. Trump suggested Ukraine should prepare for less U.S. aid in its defense against Putin's invasion. "Possibly. Yeah, probably. Sure," Trump said of reducing Ukraine assistance from Washington. Separately, Trump called for an immediate cease-fire. Asked about Putin, Trump said initially that he has not talked to the Russian leader since Election Day last month, but then hedged. "I haven't spoken to him recently," Trump said when pressed, adding that he did not want to "impede the negotiation." Federal Reserve Board Chairman Jerome Powell speaks during a news conference at the Federal Reserve in Washington, Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein) The president-elect said he has no intention, at least for now, of asking Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell to step down before Powell's term ends in 2028. Trump said during the campaign that presidents should have more say in Fed policy, including interest rates. Trump did not offer any job assurances for FBI Director Christopher Wray, whose term is to end in 2027. Asked about Wray, Trump said: "Well, I mean, it would sort of seem pretty obvious" that if the Senate confirms Kash Patel as Trump's pick for FBI chief, then "he's going to be taking somebody's place, right? Somebody is the man that you're talking about." Trump promised that the government efficiency effort led by Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy will not threaten Social Security. "We're not touching Social Security, other than we make it more efficient," he said. He added that "we're not raising ages or any of that stuff." He was not so specific about abortion or his long-promised overhaul of the Affordable Care Act. On abortion, Trump continued his inconsistencies and said he would "probably" not move to restrict access to the abortion pills that now account for a majority of pregnancy terminations, according to the Guttmacher Institute, which supports abortion rights. But pressed on whether he would commit to that position, Trump replied, "Well, I commit. I mean, are — things do — things change. I think they change." Reprising a line from his Sept. 10 debate against Vice President Kamala Harris, Trump again said he had "concepts" of a plan to substitute for the 2010 Affordable Care Act, which he called "lousy health care." He added a promise that any Trump version would maintain insurance protections for Americans with preexisting health conditions. He did not explain how such a design would be different from the status quo or how he could deliver on his desire for "better health care for less money." Among President-elect Donald Trump's picks are Susie Wiles for chief of staff, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio for secretary of state, former Democratic House member Tulsi Gabbard for director of national intelligence and Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz for attorney general. Susie Wiles, 67, was a senior adviser to Trump's 2024 presidential campaign and its de facto manager. Trump named Florida Sen. Marco Rubio to be secretary of state, making a former sharp critic his choice to be the new administration's top diplomat. Rubio, 53, is a noted hawk on China, Cuba and Iran, and was a finalist to be Trump's running mate on the Republican ticket last summer. Rubio is the vice chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee and a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. “He will be a strong Advocate for our Nation, a true friend to our Allies, and a fearless Warrior who will never back down to our adversaries,” Trump said of Rubio in a statement. The announcement punctuates the hard pivot Rubio has made with Trump, whom the senator called a “con man" during his unsuccessful campaign for the 2016 GOP presidential nomination. Their relationship improved dramatically while Trump was in the White House. And as Trump campaigned for the presidency a third time, Rubio cheered his proposals. For instance, Rubio, who more than a decade ago helped craft immigration legislation that included a path to citizenship for people in the U.S. illegally, now supports Trump's plan to use the U.S. military for mass deportations. Pete Hegseth, 44, is a co-host of Fox News Channel’s “Fox & Friends Weekend” and has been a contributor with the network since 2014, where he developed a friendship with Trump, who made regular appearances on the show. Hegseth lacks senior military or national security experience. If confirmed by the Senate, he would inherit the top job during a series of global crises — ranging from Russia’s war in Ukraine and the ongoing attacks in the Middle East by Iranian proxies to the push for a cease-fire between Israel, Hamas and Hezbollah and escalating worries about the growing alliance between Russia and North Korea. Hegseth is also the author of “The War on Warriors: Behind the Betrayal of the Men Who Keep Us Free,” published earlier this year. Trump tapped Pam Bondi, 59, to be attorney general after U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz withdrew his name from consideration. She was Florida's first female attorney general, serving between 2011 and 2019. She also was on Trump’s legal team during his first impeachment trial in 2020. Considered a loyalist, she served as part of a Trump-allied outside group that helped lay the groundwork for his future administration called the America First Policy Institute. Bondi was among a group of Republicans who showed up to support Trump at his hush money criminal trial in New York that ended in May with a conviction on 34 felony counts. A fierce defender of Trump, she also frequently appears on Fox News and has been a critic of the criminal cases against him. Trump picked South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, a well-known conservative who faced sharp criticism for telling a story in her memoir about shooting a rambunctious dog, to lead an agency crucial to the president-elect’s hardline immigration agenda. Noem used her two terms leading a tiny state to vault to a prominent position in Republican politics. South Dakota is usually a political afterthought. But during the COVID-19 pandemic, Noem did not order restrictions that other states had issued and instead declared her state “open for business.” Trump held a fireworks rally at Mount Rushmore in July 2020 in one of the first large gatherings of the pandemic. She takes over a department with a sprawling mission. In addition to key immigration agencies, the Department of Homeland Security oversees natural disaster response, the U.S. Secret Service, and Transportation Security Administration agents who work at airports. The governor of North Dakota, who was once little-known outside his state, Burgum is a former Republican presidential primary contender who endorsed Trump, and spent months traveling to drum up support for him, after dropping out of the race. Burgum was a serious contender to be Trump’s vice presidential choice this summer. The two-term governor was seen as a possible pick because of his executive experience and business savvy. Burgum also has close ties to deep-pocketed energy industry CEOs. Trump made the announcement about Burgum joining his incoming administration while addressing a gala at his Mar-a-Lago club, and said a formal statement would be coming the following day. In comments to reporters before Trump took the stage, Burgum said that, in recent years, the power grid is deteriorating in many parts of the country, which he said could raise national security concerns but also drive up prices enough to increase inflation. “There's just a sense of urgency, and a sense of understanding in the Trump administration,” Burgum said. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. ran for president as a Democrat, than as an independent, and then endorsed Trump . He's the son of Democratic icon Robert Kennedy, who was assassinated during his own presidential campaign. The nomination of Kennedy to lead the Department of Health and Human Services alarmed people who are concerned about his record of spreading unfounded fears about vaccines . For example, he has long advanced the debunked idea that vaccines cause autism. Scott Bessent, 62, is a former George Soros money manager and an advocate for deficit reduction. He's the founder of hedge fund Key Square Capital Management, after having worked on-and-off for Soros Fund Management since 1991. If confirmed by the Senate, he would be the nation’s first openly gay treasury secretary. He told Bloomberg in August that he decided to join Trump’s campaign in part to attack the mounting U.S. national debt. That would include slashing government programs and other spending. “This election cycle is the last chance for the U.S. to grow our way out of this mountain of debt without becoming a sort of European-style socialist democracy,” he said then. Oregon Republican U.S. Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer narrowly lost her reelection bid this month, but received strong backing from union members in her district. As a potential labor secretary, she would oversee the Labor Department’s workforce, its budget and put forth priorities that impact workers’ wages, health and safety, ability to unionize, and employer’s rights to fire employers, among other responsibilities. Chavez-DeRemer is one of few House Republicans to endorse the “Protecting the Right to Organize” or PRO Act would allow more workers to conduct organizing campaigns and would add penalties for companies that violate workers’ rights. The act would also weaken “right-to-work” laws that allow employees in more than half the states to avoid participating in or paying dues to unions that represent workers at their places of employment. Scott Turner is a former NFL player and White House aide. He ran the White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council during Trump’s first term in office. Trump, in a statement, credited Turner, the highest-ranking Black person he’s yet selected for his administration, with “helping to lead an Unprecedented Effort that Transformed our Country’s most distressed communities.” Sean Duffy is a former House member from Wisconsin who was one of Trump's most visible defenders on cable news. Duffy served in the House for nearly nine years, sitting on the Financial Services Committee and chairing the subcommittee on insurance and housing. He left Congress in 2019 for a TV career and has been the host of “The Bottom Line” on Fox Business. Before entering politics, Duffy was a reality TV star on MTV, where he met his wife, “Fox and Friends Weekend” co-host Rachel Campos-Duffy. They have nine children. A campaign donor and CEO of Denver-based Liberty Energy, Write is a vocal advocate of oil and gas development, including fracking — a key pillar of Trump’s quest to achieve U.S. “energy dominance” in the global market. Wright also has been one of the industry’s loudest voices against efforts to fight climate change. He said the climate movement around the world is “collapsing under its own weight.” The Energy Department is responsible for advancing energy, environmental and nuclear security of the United States. Wright also won support from influential conservatives, including oil and gas tycoon Harold Hamm. Hamm, executive chairman of Oklahoma-based Continental Resources, a major shale oil company, is a longtime Trump supporter and adviser who played a key role on energy issues in Trump’s first term. President-elect Donald Trump tapped billionaire professional wrestling mogul Linda McMahon to be secretary of the Education Department, tasked with overseeing an agency Trump promised to dismantle. McMahon led the Small Business Administration during Trump’s initial term from 2017 to 2019 and twice ran unsuccessfully as a Republican for the U.S. Senate in Connecticut. She’s seen as a relative unknown in education circles, though she expressed support for charter schools and school choice. She served on the Connecticut Board of Education for a year starting in 2009 and has spent years on the board of trustees for Sacred Heart University in Connecticut. Brooke Rollins, who graduated from Texas A&M University with a degree in agricultural development, is a longtime Trump associate who served as White House domestic policy chief during his first presidency. The 52-year-old is president and CEO of the America First Policy Institute, a group helping to lay the groundwork for a second Trump administration. She previously served as an aide to former Texas Gov. Rick Perry and ran a think tank, the Texas Public Policy Foundation. Trump chose Howard Lutnick, head of brokerage and investment bank Cantor Fitzgerald and a cryptocurrency enthusiast, as his nominee for commerce secretary, a position in which he'd have a key role in carrying out Trump's plans to raise and enforce tariffs. Trump made the announcement Tuesday on his social media platform, Truth Social. Lutnick is a co-chair of Trump’s transition team, along with Linda McMahon, the former wrestling executive who previously led Trump’s Small Business Administration. Both are tasked with putting forward candidates for key roles in the next administration. The nomination would put Lutnick in charge of a sprawling Cabinet agency that is involved in funding new computer chip factories, imposing trade restrictions, releasing economic data and monitoring the weather. It is also a position in which connections to CEOs and the wider business community are crucial. Doug Collins is a former Republican congressman from Georgia who gained recognition for defending Trump during his first impeachment trial, which centered on U.S. assistance for Ukraine. Trump was impeached for urging Ukraine to investigate Joe Biden in 2019 during the Democratic presidential nomination, but he was acquitted by the Senate. Collins has also served in the armed forces himself and is currently a chaplain in the United States Air Force Reserve Command. "We must take care of our brave men and women in uniform, and Doug will be a great advocate for our Active Duty Servicemembers, Veterans, and Military Families to ensure they have the support they need," Trump said in a statement about nominating Collins to lead the Department of Veterans Affairs. Karoline Leavitt, 27, was Trump's campaign press secretary and currently a spokesperson for his transition. She would be the youngest White House press secretary in history. The White House press secretary typically serves as the public face of the administration and historically has held daily briefings for the press corps. Leavitt, a New Hampshire native, was a spokesperson for MAGA Inc., a super PAC supporting Trump, before joining his 2024 campaign. In 2022, she ran for Congress in New Hampshire, winning a 10-way Republican primary before losing to Democratic Rep. Chris Pappas. Leavitt worked in the White House press office during Trump's first term before she became communications director for New York Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik, Trump's choice for U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. Former Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard has been tapped by Trump to be director of national intelligence, keeping with the trend to stock his Cabinet with loyal personalities rather than veteran professionals in their requisite fields. Gabbard, 43, was a Democratic House member who unsuccessfully sought the party's 2020 presidential nomination before leaving the party in 2022. She endorsed Trump in August and campaigned often with him this fall. “I know Tulsi will bring the fearless spirit that has defined her illustrious career to our Intelligence Community,” Trump said in a statement. Gabbard, who has served in the Army National Guard for more than two decades, deploying to Iraq and Kuwait, would come to the role as somewhat of an outsider compared to her predecessor. The current director, Avril Haines, was confirmed by the Senate in 2021 following several years in a number of top national security and intelligence positions. Trump has picked John Ratcliffe, a former Texas congressman who served as director of national intelligence during his first administration, to be director of the Central Intelligence Agency in his next. Ratcliffe was director of national intelligence during the final year and a half of Trump's first term, leading the U.S. government's spy agencies during the coronavirus pandemic. “I look forward to John being the first person ever to serve in both of our Nation's highest Intelligence positions,” Trump said in a statement, calling him a “fearless fighter for the Constitutional Rights of all Americans” who would ensure “the Highest Levels of National Security, and PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH.” Kash Patel spent several years as a Justice Department prosecutor before catching the Trump administration’s attention as a staffer on Capitol Hill who helped investigate the Russia probe. Patel called for dramatically reducing the agency’s footprint, a perspective that sets him apart from earlier directors who sought additional resources for the bureau. Though the Justice Department in 2021 halted the practice of secretly seizing reporters’ phone records during leak investigations, Patel said he intends to aggressively hunt down government officials who leak information to reporters. Trump has chosen former New York Rep. Lee Zeldin to serve as his pick to lead the Environmental Protection Agency . Zeldin does not appear to have any experience in environmental issues, but is a longtime supporter of the former president. The 44-year-old former U.S. House member from New York wrote on X , “We will restore US energy dominance, revitalize our auto industry to bring back American jobs, and make the US the global leader of AI.” “We will do so while protecting access to clean air and water,” he added. During his campaign, Trump often attacked the Biden administration's promotion of electric vehicles, and incorrectly referring to a tax credit for EV purchases as a government mandate. Trump also often told his audiences during the campaign his administration would “Drill, baby, drill,” referring to his support for expanded petroleum exploration. In a statement, Trump said Zeldin “will ensure fair and swift deregulatory decisions that will be enacted in a way to unleash the power of American businesses, while at the same time maintaining the highest environmental standards, including the cleanest air and water on the planet.” Trump has named Brendan Carr, the senior Republican on the Federal Communications Commission, as the new chairman of the agency tasked with regulating broadcasting, telecommunications and broadband. Carr is a longtime member of the commission and served previously as the FCC’s general counsel. He has been unanimously confirmed by the Senate three times and was nominated by both Trump and President Joe Biden to the commission. Carr made past appearances on “Fox News Channel," including when he decried Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris' pre-Election Day appearance on “Saturday Night Live.” He wrote an op-ed last month defending a satellite company owned by Trump supporter Elon Musk. Trump said Atkins, the CEO of Patomak Partners and a former SEC commissioner, was a “proven leader for common sense regulations.” In the years since leaving the SEC, Atkins has made the case against too much market regulation. “He believes in the promise of robust, innovative capital markets that are responsive to the needs of Investors, & that provide capital to make our Economy the best in the World. He also recognizes that digital assets & other innovations are crucial to Making America Greater than Ever Before,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. The commission oversees U.S. securities markets and investments and is currently led by Gary Gensler, who has been leading the U.S. government’s crackdown on the crypto industry. Gensler, who was nominated by President Joe Biden, announced last month that he would be stepping down from his post on the day that Trump is inaugurated — Jan. 20, 2025. Atkins began his career as a lawyer and has a long history working in the financial markets sector, both in government and private practice. In the 1990s, he worked on the staffs of two former SEC chairmen, Richard C. Breeden and Arthur Levitt. Jared Isaacman, 41, is a tech billionaire who bought a series of spaceflights from Elon Musk’s SpaceX and conducted the first private spacewalk . He is the founder and CEO of a card-processing company and has collaborated closely with Musk ever since buying his first chartered SpaceX flight. He took contest winners on that 2021 trip and followed it in September with a mission where he briefly popped out the hatch to test SpaceX’s new spacewalking suits. Rep. Elise Stefanik is a representative from New York and one of Trump's staunchest defenders going back to his first impeachment. Elected to the House in 2014, Stefanik was selected by her GOP House colleagues as House Republican Conference chair in 2021, when former Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney was removed from the post after publicly criticizing Trump for falsely claiming he won the 2020 election. Stefanik, 40, has served in that role ever since as the third-ranking member of House leadership. Stefanik’s questioning of university presidents over antisemitism on their campuses helped lead to two of those presidents resigning, further raising her national profile. If confirmed, she would represent American interests at the U.N. as Trump vows to end the war waged by Russia against Ukraine begun in 2022. He has also called for peace as Israel continues its offensive against Hamas in Gaza and its invasion of Lebanon to target Hezbollah. President-elect Donald Trump says he's chosen former acting Attorney General Matt Whitaker to serve as U.S. ambassador to NATO. Trump has expressed skepticism about the Western military alliance for years. Trump said in a statement Wednesday that Whitaker is “a strong warrior and loyal Patriot” who “will ensure the United States’ interests are advanced and defended” and “strengthen relationships with our NATO Allies, and stand firm in the face of threats to Peace and Stability.” The choice of Whitaker as the nation’s representative to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization is an unusual one, given his background is as a lawyer and not in foreign policy. President-elect Donald Trump tapped former Sen. David Perdue of Georgia to be ambassador to China, saying in a social media post that the former CEO “brings valuable expertise to help build our relationship with China.” Perdue lost his Senate seat to Democrat Jon Ossoff four years ago and ran unsuccessfully in a primary against Republican Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp. Perdue pushed Trump's debunked lies about electoral fraud during his failed bid for governor. A Republican congressman from Michigan who served from 1993 to 2011, Hoekstra was ambassador to the Netherlands during Trump's first term. “In my Second Term, Pete will help me once again put AMERICA FIRST,” Trump said in a statement announcing his choice. “He did an outstanding job as United States Ambassador to the Netherlands during our first four years, and I am confident that he will continue to represent our Country well in this new role.” Trump will nominate former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee to be ambassador to Israel. Huckabee is a staunch defender of Israel and his intended nomination comes as Trump has promised to align U.S. foreign policy more closely with Israel's interests as it wages wars against the Iran-backed Hamas and Hezbollah. “He loves Israel, and likewise the people of Israel love him,” Trump said in a statement. “Mike will work tirelessly to bring about peace in the Middle East.” Huckabee, who ran unsuccessfully for the Republican presidential nomination in 2008 and 2016, has been a popular figure among evangelical Christian conservatives, many of whom support Israel due to Old Testament writings that Jews are God’s chosen people and that Israel is their rightful homeland. Trump has been praised by some in this important Republican voting bloc for moving the U.S. embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. Trump on Tuesday named real estate investor Steven Witkoff to be special envoy to the Middle East. The 67-year-old Witkoff is the president-elect's golf partner and was golfing with him at Trump's club in West Palm Beach, Florida, on Sept. 15, when the former president was the target of a second attempted assassination. Witkoff “is a Highly Respected Leader in Business and Philanthropy,” Trump said of Witkoff in a statement. “Steve will be an unrelenting Voice for PEACE, and make us all proud." Trump also named Witkoff co-chair, with former Georgia Sen. Kelly Loeffler, of his inaugural committee. Trump said Wednesday that he will nominate Gen. Keith Kellogg to serve as assistant to the president and special envoy for Ukraine and Russia. Kellogg, a retired Army lieutenant general who has long been Trump’s top adviser on defense issues, served as National Security Advisor to Trump's former Vice President Mike Pence. For the America First Policy Institute, one of several groups formed after Trump left office to help lay the groundwork for the next Republican administration, Kellogg in April wrote that “bringing the Russia-Ukraine war to a close will require strong, America First leadership to deliver a peace deal and immediately end the hostilities between the two warring parties.” (AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib) Trump asked Rep. Michael Waltz, R-Fla., a retired Army National Guard officer and war veteran, to be his national security adviser, Trump announced in a statement Tuesday. The move puts Waltz in the middle of national security crises, ranging from efforts to provide weapons to Ukraine and worries about the growing alliance between Russia and North Korea to the persistent attacks in the Middle East by Iran proxies and the push for a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas and Hezbollah. “Mike has been a strong champion of my America First Foreign Policy agenda,” Trump's statement said, "and will be a tremendous champion of our pursuit of Peace through Strength!” Waltz is a three-term GOP congressman from east-central Florida. He served multiple tours in Afghanistan and also worked in the Pentagon as a policy adviser when Donald Rumsfeld and Robert Gates were defense chiefs. He is considered hawkish on China, and called for a U.S. boycott of the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing due to its involvement in the origin of COVID-19 and its mistreatment of the minority Muslim Uighur population. Stephen Miller, an immigration hardliner , was a vocal spokesperson during the presidential campaign for Trump's priority of mass deportations. The 39-year-old was a senior adviser during Trump's first administration. Miller has been a central figure in some of Trump's policy decisions, notably his move to separate thousands of immigrant families. Trump argued throughout the campaign that the nation's economic, national security and social priorities could be met by deporting people who are in the United States illegally. Since Trump left office in 2021, Miller has served as the president of America First Legal, an organization made up of former Trump advisers aimed at challenging the Biden administration, media companies, universities and others over issues such as free speech and national security. Thomas Homan, 62, has been tasked with Trump’s top priority of carrying out the largest deportation operation in the nation’s history. Homan, who served under Trump in his first administration leading U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, was widely expected to be offered a position related to the border, an issue Trump made central to his campaign. Though Homan has insisted such a massive undertaking would be humane, he has long been a loyal supporter of Trump's policy proposals, suggesting at a July conference in Washington that he would be willing to "run the biggest deportation operation this country’s ever seen.” Democrats have criticized Homan for his defending Trump's “zero tolerance” policy on border crossings during his first administration, which led to the separation of thousands of parents and children seeking asylum at the border. Customs and Border Protection, with its roughly 60,000 employees, falls under the Department of Homeland Security. It includes the Border Patrol, which Rodney Scott led during Trump's first term, and is essentially responsible for protecting the country's borders while facilitating trade and travel. Scott comes to the job firmly from the Border Patrol side of the house. He became an agent in 1992 and spent much of his career in San Diego. When he was appointed head of the border agency in January 2020, he enthusiastically embraced Trump's policies. After being forced out under the Biden administration, Scott has been a vocal supporter of Trump's hard-line immigration agenda. He appeared frequently on Fox News and testified in Congress. He's also a senior fellow at the Texas Public Policy Foundation. Former Rep. Billy Long represented Missouri in the U.S. House from 2011 to 2023. Since leaving Congress, Trump said, Long “has worked as a Business and Tax advisor, helping Small Businesses navigate the complexities of complying with the IRS Rules and Regulations.” Former Georgia Sen. Kelly Loeffler was appointed in January 2020 by Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp and then lost a runoff election a year later. She started a conservative voter registration organization and dived into GOP fundraising, becoming one of the top individual donors and bundlers to Trump’s 2024 comeback campaign. Even before nominating her for agriculture secretary, the president-elect already had tapped Loeffler as co-chair of his inaugural committee. Dr. Mehmet Oz, 64, is a former heart surgeon who hosted “The Dr. Oz Show,” a long-running daytime television talk show. He ran unsuccessfully for the U.S. Senate as the Republican nominee in 2022 and is an outspoken supporter of Trump, who endorsed Oz's bid for elected office. Elon Musk, left, and Vivek Ramaswamy speak before Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump at an Oct. 27 campaign rally at Madison Square Garden in New York. Trump on Tuesday said Musk and former Republican presidential candidate Ramaswamy will lead a new “Department of Government Efficiency" — which is not, despite the name, a government agency. The acronym “DOGE” is a nod to Musk's favorite cryptocurrency, dogecoin. Trump said Musk and Ramaswamy will work from outside the government to offer the White House “advice and guidance” and will partner with the Office of Management and Budget to “drive large scale structural reform, and create an entrepreneurial approach to Government never seen before.” He added the move would shock government systems. It's not clear how the organization will operate. Musk, owner of X and CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, has been a constant presence at Mar-a-Lago since Trump won the presidential election. Ramaswamy suspended his campaign in January and threw his support behind Trump. Trump said the two will “pave the way for my Administration to dismantle Government Bureaucracy, slash excess regulations, cut wasteful expenditures, and restructure Federal Agencies.” Russell Vought held the position during Trump’s first presidency. After Trump’s initial term ended, Vought founded the Center for Renewing America, a think tank that describes its mission as “renew a consensus of America as a nation under God.” Vought was closely involved with Project 2025, a conservative blueprint for Trump’s second term that he tried to distance himself from during the campaign. Vought has also previously worked as the executive and budget director for the Republican Study Committee, a caucus for conservative House Republicans. He also worked at Heritage Action, the political group tied to The Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank. Dan Scavino, deputy chief of staff Scavino, whom Trump's transition referred to in a statement as one of “Trump's longest serving and most trusted aides,” was a senior adviser to Trump's 2024 campaign, as well as his 2016 and 2020 campaigns. He will be deputy chief of staff and assistant to the president. Scavino had run Trump's social media profile in the White House during his first administration. He was also held in contempt of Congress in 2022 after a month-long refusal to comply with a subpoena from the House committee’s investigation into the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. James Blair, deputy chief of staff Blair was political director for Trump's 2024 campaign and for the Republican National Committee. He will be deputy chief of staff for legislative, political and public affairs and assistant to the president. Blair was key to Trump's economic messaging during his winning White House comeback campaign this year, a driving force behind the candidate's “Trump can fix it” slogan and his query to audiences this fall if they were better off than four years ago. Taylor Budowich, deputy chief of staff Budowich is a veteran Trump campaign aide who launched and directed Make America Great Again, Inc., a super PAC that supported Trump's 2024 campaign. He will be deputy chief of staff for communications and personnel and assistant to the president. Budowich also had served as a spokesman for Trump after his presidency. Jay Bhattacharya, National Institutes of Health Trump has chosen Dr. Jay Bhattacharya to lead the National Institutes of Health. Bhattacharya is a physician and professor at Stanford University School of Medicine, and is a critic of pandemic lockdowns and vaccine mandates. He promoted the idea of herd immunity during the pandemic, arguing that people at low risk should live normally while building up immunity to COVID-19 through infection. The National Institutes of Health funds medical research through competitive grants to researchers at institutions throughout the nation. NIH also conducts its own research with thousands of scientists working at its labs in Bethesda, Maryland. Dr. Marty Makary, Food and Drug Administration Makary is a Johns Hopkins surgeon and author who argued against pandemic lockdowns. He routinely appeared on Fox News during the COVID-19 pandemic and wrote opinion articles questioning masks for children. He cast doubt on vaccine mandates but supported vaccines generally. Makary also cast doubt on whether booster shots worked, which was against federal recommendations on the vaccine. Dr. Janette Nesheiwat, Surgeon General Nesheiwat is a general practitioner who serves as medical director for CityMD, a network of urgent care centers in New York and New Jersey. She has been a contributor to Fox News. Dr. Dave Weldon, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Weldon is a former Florida congressman who recently ran for a Florida state legislative seat and lost; Trump backed Weldon’s opponent. In Congress, Weldon weighed in on one of the nation’s most heated debates of the 1990s over quality of life and a right-to-die and whether Terri Schiavo, who was in a persistent vegetative state after cardiac arrest, should have been allowed to have her feeding tube removed. He sided with the parents who did not want it removed. Jamieson Greer, U.S. trade representative Kevin Hassett, Director of the White House National Economic Council Trump is turning to two officials with experience navigating not only Washington but the key issues of income taxes and tariffs as he fills out his economic team. He announced he has chosen international trade attorney Jamieson Greer to be his U.S. trade representative and Kevin Hassett as director of the White House National Economic Council. While Trump has in several cases nominated outsiders to key posts, these picks reflect a recognition that his reputation will likely hinge on restoring the public’s confidence in the economy. Trump said in a statement that Greer was instrumental in his first term in imposing tariffs on China and others and replacing the trade agreement with Canada and Mexico, “therefore making it much better for American Workers.” Hassett, 62, served in the first Trump term as chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers. He has a doctorate from the University of Pennsylvania and worked at the right-leaning American Enterprise Institute before joining the Trump White House in 2017. Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter.

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New York Jets interim coach Jeff Ulbrich said Aaron Rodgers “absolutely” will remain the team's starting quarterback and start Sunday against the Seattle Seahawks. Rodgers, who turns 41 next Monday, has been hampered at times during the Jets' 3-8 start by various injuries to his left leg, including a sore knee, sprained ankle and balky hamstring. Ulbrich said Monday the quarterback came back from the team's bye-week break ready to go. “All I can say, and you'd have to ask Aaron if he's fully healthy, but he's better off today than he's been as of late,” Ulbrich said. "So he's definitely feeling healthier than he has probably for the past month. A healthy Aaron Rodgers is the Aaron Rodgers we all love. “So, I'm excited about what that looks like.” NFL Network reported on Sunday that Rodgers, who missed all but four snaps last season with a torn left Achilles tendon, has declined having medical scans on his injured leg so he can continue to play. The New York Jets are turning to one of their former general managers to help them find their next GM and head coach. The franchise announced Monday that The 33rd Team, a football media, analytics and consulting group founded by former Jets GM Mike Tannenbaum, will assist team owner Woody Johnson in the searches. Tannenbaum and Rick Spielman, former GM of the Miami Dolphins and Minnesota Vikings, will be The 33rd Team's primary representatives in helping find replacements for former coach Robert Saleh and GM Joe Douglas. Purdy resumes throwing, status unknown SANTA CLARA, Calif. — San Francisco quarterback Brock Purdy took part in some light throwing on Monday after missing his first career game because of an injury and the 49ers are hoping he can return this week. Purdy hurt his throwing shoulder during a loss to Seattle on Nov. 17. Purdy underwent two MRIs last week that showed no structural damage. But Purdy he felt discomfort after making a few throws at practice on Thursday and was shut down for the game at Green Bay on Sunday that San Francisco lost 38-10. Coach Kyle Shanahan said Monday that Purdy made it through the session without pain and will rest on Tuesday and hopefully be able to return to practice on Wednesday as the Niners prepare to play at Buffalo this coming week. “We rested it throughout the weekend hoping that would help,” Shanahan said. “He threw lighter today to see if that rest helps and the rest did help him. So we’ll see again, going through the same things we did last week. We’re going to let him rest all the way up to Wednesday. We’ll see how it feels on Wednesday and then we’ll take the exact same course throughout the week. Hopefully it responds better this week than it did last week with the rest.” Brandon Allen went 17 for 29 for 199 yards with a touchdown, an interception and a lost fumble in his first start since the 2021 season. Allen would play once again if Purdy is unable to go on Sunday at Buffalo. Patriots' Peppers cleared to practice, play FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — The NFL removed New England Patriots safety Jabrill Peppers from the commissioner exempt list on Monday, making him eligible to participate in practice and play in the team’s games. Peppers missed seven games since being placed on the list on Oct. 9 after he was arrested and charged with shoving his girlfriend’s head into a wall and choking her. The league said its review is ongoing and is not affected by the change in Peppers’ roster status. Braintree, Massachusetts, police said they were called to a home for an altercation between two people on Oct. 7, and a woman told them Peppers choked her. Police said they found at the home a clear plastic bag containing a white powder, which later tested positive for cocaine. Peppers, 29, pleaded not guilty in Quincy District Court to charges of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon and possession of a Class “B” substance believed to be cocaine. At a court appearance last week a trial date was set for Jan. 22. Raiders' Minshew out for season HENDERSON, Nev. — Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Gardner Minshew is out for the rest of the season with a broken collarbone, coach Antonio Pierce said Monday. Minshew was injured with 3:12 left in Sunday's 29-19 loss to the Denver Broncos. Pierce will have to decide whether Aidan O'Connell or Desmond Ridder will start Friday's game at Kansas City. The Raiders, who have lost seven consecutive games to fall to 2-9, could use a spark. Minshew's grip on the starting job was tenuous even before he was injured. He threw 10 interceptions to just nine touchdown passes this season and Minshew also lost four fumbles. Jaguars' Lawrence hopes for return JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence will practice Monday and “we'll see where he's at from there,” coach Doug Pederson said. Lawrence missed the past two games, losses to Minnesota and Detroit, with a sprained left shoulder. Lawrence had extra time to rest during Jacksonville's bye week. The Jaguars (2-9) host AFC South-leading Houston (7-5) on Sunday and need a victory to avoid being eliminated from playoff contention. Pederson said Lawrence is “feeling better" and they will know more about his playing status following practice Wednesday. Lawrence took a hit to his left shoulder while scrambling at Philadelphia on Nov. 3. Instead of sliding, he chose to go head-first and got hammered by linebacker Zack Baun. Lawrence has practiced some in a limited role since, but was inactive for both games.Applied Finance Capital Management LLC Sells 6,123 Shares of Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOGL)

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It wasn't DNA or facial recognition technology that cracked the case. Nor did amateur online sleuths make the breakthrough. In the end, it was a McDonald's restaurant employee - hours away from the scene of the crime - who spotted a man resembling a "person of interest" photo. The suspect was careful to wear a mask while traveling around New York City, but pulled it down for a second to flirt with a woman behind the desk at a youth hostel, and again to eat at McDonald's. That may have been enough. Police in Altoona, Pennsylvania, swooped into the restaurant and arrested Luigi Mangione, a 26-year-old from a wealthy Baltimore-area family with a private and Ivy League education. After six dramatic days, the hunt for the man alleged to have gunned down UnitedHealth CEO Brian Thompson was over. On Monday morning, a regular at the McDonald's in Altoona told the BBC that one of his friends spotted Mr Mangione as he entered the restaurant and commented: "There's that shooter from New York." "I thought he was kidding," the customer said. Police were called and when officers first approached Mr Mangione and asked him if he'd been in New York, he became "visibly nervous, kind of shaking", Altoona's Deputy chief of police Derick Swope told reporters. As he was being led into a court hearing on Tuesday, Mr Mangione shouted about an "insult to the American people and their lived experience". He now faces charges of second-degree murder along with weapons offences. New York police say the suspect first arrived in the city on 24 November, in the busy run-up to the Thanksgiving holiday. He visited the Hilton Hotel, where the shooting would later happen, and his encounter with a clerk at the hostel, where he stayed, was captured on camera. Ten days later, on 4 December, Mr Thompson was shot dead on his way to a meeting at about quarter to seven in the morning. The suspect fled on foot, bike and taxi to a bus station near the George Washington Bridge. From there, he exited the city. The killing was identified as a targeted attack early on in the investigation. Video showed the suspect ignored several pedestrians on the busy Manhattan pavement and zeroed in on Mr Thompson. Shell casings at the scene had words written on them, thought to be references to the insurance industry: "delay", "deny", "depose". Mr Mangione comes from a large and wealthy family in Baltimore, Maryland, with business interests in nursing homes, real estate, a country club and a radio station, . He attended the all-male private Gilman School, where he graduated as valedictorian – at the top of his class. A former classmate, Freddie Leatherbury, told the Associated Press news agency that Mr Mangione came from a wealthy family, even by that private school's standards. "Quite honestly, he had everything going for him," Mr Leatherbury said. Mr Mangione went on to the University of Pennsylvania. There he received bachelor's and master's degrees in computer science, according to the school, and founded a video game development club. A friend who attended the Ivy League college at the same time as Mr Mangione described him as a "super normal" and "smart person". He worked as a data engineer and a video game developer, and most recently was living in Hawaii. Social media posts show that friends and family members had recently been attempting to contact him and asking about his whereabouts. In a post on X from October, someone asked Mr Mangione: "Hey, are you ok? Nobody has heard from you in months, and apparently your family is looking for you." Monday's arrest ended a dramatic six days in which the alleged killer seemed to disappear, leaving few clues behind and eluding police. Not only was he able to leave one of the busiest cities in the world using public transport, before Monday his name was not publicly known. It's also unclear exactly where he was hiding in the days after he left New York. Juliette Kayyem, former assistant secretary for policy at the US Department of Homeland Security, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that his background in technology may have helped him evade capture for nearly a week. "This was someone who was studying how law enforcement and how these cities try to protect themselves, which is essentially they have lots of cameras around," she said. "Now that we know a little bit about him - that he's a smart person, he went to great schools, he had higher degrees, he studied engineering technology, he was into electronic gizmos - some of it is beginning to make sense," Kayyem said. The suspect also wore a face mask almost constantly, and Mr Mangione was found with a fake driving licence and an untraceable "ghost gun" – a firearm assembled by the owner without a serial number, which police said may have been 3D-printed. Authorities said he used cash for purchases in New York City and fled the scene of the crime into Central Park, where there are few surveillance cameras. But he also appeared to make some elementary mistakes – including revealing his face in the hostel, and holding on to the gun and the fake identification card. The Mr Mangione family released a statement Monday night through Mangione's cousin, a Maryland state lawmaker. "Our family is shocked and devastated by Luigi's arrest," said Nino Mangione. "We offer prayers to the family of Brian Thompson and we ask people to pray for all involved." Mr Mangione's online footprint shows few messages about healthcare or the insurance industry. Instead there are comments about artificial intelligence and technology, science and pop philosophy, and reviews of a range of books, including 1984 and the Harry Potter series. But a number of social media accounts matching his name and picture offer some potential clues about his motivation. RJ Martin, a former roommate of Mr Mangione in Hawaii, said the suspect had a back injury, but he "never complained" about it. "His back injury prohibited him, at times, from just doing many normal things," Mr Martin said. The banner image on Mr Mangione's X account shows an X-ray of a spine with hardware in it. Mr Martin, who eventually lost contact with Mr Mangione, said he believed his former friend "would have never conceived of hurting someone else". And Mr Mangione's account on Goodreads, a user-generated book review website, indicated that he had read several books about managing back pain, one of them called Crooked: Outwitting the Back Pain Industry. Also on the Goodreads site, Mr Mangione gave four stars to a text called Industrial Society and Its Future by Theodore Kaczynski – better known as the Unabomber manifesto. Starting in 1978, Kaczynski carried out a bombing campaign that killed three people and injured dozens of others. In his review, Mr Mangione acknowledged Kaczynski was a violent individual who killed innocent people. However, he also argued that the essay should not be dismissed as the manifesto of a lunatic but rather the work of an "extreme political revolutionary". He quoted another online commentator who said: "When all other forms of communication fail, violence is necessary to survive." Mr Mangione wrote that he found this viewpoint "interesting". Police said a three-page, handwritten document Mr Mangione had when he was arrested expressed "ill will" towards corporate America. A senior law enforcement official told the New York Times that the document said: "These parasites had it coming" and "I do apologise for any strife and trauma, but it had to be done". Meanwhile, mixed reactions to the shooting and Mr Mangione's arrest continue – sympathy for Mr Thompson and his family versus . Online, the shooting prompted some criticism of the medical insurance industry, and Mr Mangione was even hailed as a hero. Police in Altoona said the department received hundreds of emails and calls, including death threats. Some members of the public called police in support of Mr Mangione, claiming they were actually the killer and that police "have the wrong guy". And police are advising McDonald's employees not to give interviews or statements out of concern for their safety. The restaurant received hundreds of negative reviews online, calling employees "rats" and criticising them for calling the police. Similar sentiments have been expressed online, often in posts by anonymous accounts. But others have condemned such sentiments. "In America, we do not kill people in cold blood to resolve policy differences or express a viewpoint," Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro told reporters. "I understand people have real frustration with our healthcare system... But I have no tolerance, nor should anyone, for one man using an illegal ghost gun to murder someone because he thinks his opinion matters most. "In some dark corners, this killer is being hailed as a hero. Hear me on this: He is no hero," Shapiro said.

The New York Giants claimed tight end Greg Dulcich off waivers from the Denver Broncos on Tuesday. Holding the No. 2 spot on the waiver order, the Giants are bringing in Dulcich to compete with rookie Theo Johnson. Despite having some intriguing upside as a third-round pick in the 2022 NFL draft, Dulcich's tenure in Denver quickly burned out. The 24-year-old UCLA product recorded 33 receptions for 411 yards and two touchdowns during his rookie season, showing some promise. However, he suffered a hamstring injury during Week 1 of the 2023 season, which landed him on the Reserve/Injured list. He was activated in October, but went back on the reserve list after re-injuring his hamstring. Then, in a somewhat surprising development, Dulcich was a healthy scratch for the first eight games of the 2024 season before being waived by the Broncos. Despite their issues at the quarterback position and other positions across the roster, the promising duo of Johnson and Dulcich could provide an intriguing foundation if the Giants can get the latter on the right track. MORE NFL: Giants greatly improve 2025 NFL draft stock

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The Cincinnati Bengals got their fifth win of the season on Monday Night Football against the Dallas Cowboys . Quarterback Joe Burrow had another great game, proving that he and the offense have what it takes to win in the NFL. However, Burrow’s night worsened when he discovered that his Cincinnati home was Burglarized. Cincinnati Bengals QB Burglarized While Burrow was playing in the game on Monday night, police were called to his home for a report of a break-in. “Someone is trying to break into the house right now,” said a woman on the phone. Another burglary of an NFL star’s house during a game. The police report says a bedroom window was shattered and “the room ransacked. ... Mr. J Burrow (Victim) was out of town and could not provide details as to what items were removed from the home.” https://t.co/kIzHMCAGfP — Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) December 10, 2024 Someone is trying to break into the house right now. My daughter is there. This is Joe Burrow’s house. She is staying there. He’s at the football game. She’s wondering what she should do, if she should be hiding, or if she should go outside. Update On Joe Burrow The incident occurred around 11 p.m. on Monday, according to the incident report. According to the report, the woman who made the call and works for Burrow told the police that when she arrived back at the home, she discovered that a window was shattered in his bedroom that was trashed. With Burrow being out of town , he could not report on what was taken. While there are no further updates from Burrow, the investigation is ongoing and will be updated throughout the week. This article first appeared on Gridiron Heroics and was syndicated with permission.ITV cancel major drama adored by fans as bosses pull the plug

Manmohan Singh, a soft-spoken scholar of economics, who defeated poverty with education to rise to the highest echelon of politics, and transformed the Indian economy by unshackling growth as finance minister before becoming the country’s first Sikh prime minister, died in New Delhi on Thursday night. He was 92. Singh served with distinction as the deputy chief of the erstwhile Planning Commission and governor of the Reserve Bank of India before completing a landmark tenure as a Union finance minister who unveiled watershed reforms in 1991 that inaugurated India’s journey as a major world economy. The country’s 14th prime minister is survived by his wife, Gursharan Kaur, and three daughters Upinder Singh, Daman Singh, and Amrit Singh. “With profound grief, we inform the demise of former prime minister of India, Dr Manmohan Singh, aged 92,” said a press statement by the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, where the ailing leader was admitted earlier in the day with complications. The statement said he was being treated for age-related illnesses when he fell unconscious at home on Thursday. He was admitted to the hospital at 8.06pm and was declared dead at 9.51pm. Also Read: How Manmohan Singh’s economic reforms changed India Counted among India’s most erudite political thinkers, Singh was revered around the world for his academic acumen and won myriad accolades. As PM between 2004 and 2014, he instituted a string of social protection schemes that boosted rural wages and bolstered marginalised communities, stood his ground to forge the Indo-US civilian nuclear deal in 2008 that presaged a close relationship between the world’s two great democracies, and won global praise for his handling of the 2008 global financial crisis. But the second half of his tenure was bruised by a blizzard of corruption allegations, policy paralysis, and deep dissension inside his government that tarnished his legacy and led him to famously pronounce that history will be kinder to him. Also Read: Manmohan Singh, the astute economic thinker who leaves behind a lasting legacy “India mourns the loss of one of its most distinguished leaders, Dr. Manmohan Singh ji. Rising from humble origins, he rose to become a respected economist. He served in various government positions as well, including as finance minister, leaving a strong imprint on our economic policy over the years. His interventions in Parliament were also insightful. As our Prime Minister, he made extensive efforts to improve people’s lives,” said Prime Minister Narendra Modi on X. “Manmohan Singh ji led India with immense wisdom and integrity. His humility and deep understanding of economics inspired the nation...I have lost a mentor and guide. Millions of us who admired him will remember him with the utmost pride,” Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi said on X. Born on September 26, 1932, in a village in the Punjab province in what is now Pakistan, Singh was an emblem of the extraordinary strides made by independent India. He studied at Panjab University, and then the University of Cambridge, where he earned a degree in economics, before going to Oxford to secure a D Phil. He said in an April 210 interview that he spent the first 10 years of his life in a dusty village with no doctor, school, electricity or clean drinking water. “In my childhood, I had to walk a long distance to go to school. I read under the dim light of a kerosene lamp,” Singh said. “I am what I am today because of education. I want every Indian child, girl and boy, to be so touched by the light of education.” In 1971, Singh became the economic adviser in the commerce ministry before being appointed as the chief economic adviser in the Union finance ministry in 1972. He then served as the 15th RBI governor between 1982 and 1985. He was elected to the Rajya Sabha in 1991, and retired earlier this year on account of his frail health. In 1991, then PM PV Narasimha Rao appointed Singh as the finance minister. With the economy lurching from one crisis to another, the fiscal deficit ballooning, decades of tepid growth hurting the poor and stymying investment, and a balance of payments crunch tarnishing India’s global reputation, Singh had his task cut out. His budget speech that June was a watershed moment that banished a generation of byzantine laws, yanked the country on to the global economic highway, and birthed the middle class. “No power on earth can stop an idea whose time has come. I suggest to this august House that the emergence of India as a major economic power in the world happens to be one such idea,” he said in the milestone address. Known for his ability to broker compromises and genial nature that earned his respect across the political divide, Singh became India’s 14th PM in 2004 after then Congress chief Sonia Gandhi refused the position due to a controversy about her birth country. As prime minister, Singh propelled a period of high growth while simultaneously helping build a shield of social protections with the right to education and information and the rural jobs scheme. In his first term, the reticent academic helped manage an unwieldy and chaotic coalition. His strongest moment as leader came ahead of the 2008 Indo-US nuclear deal that upset the Left and threatened his government. Undaunted, he pushed on with the deal that was the precursor to a strong bilateral relationship and managed to save his government by cobbling together support from regional outfits. “I urge you to join us and strengthen our hands in our attempt to build a stronger and more open economy that is also committed to the principles of democracy and pluralism. India and the US are, in that sense, on the same side of history,” he wrote in HT in September 2004. In the 2009 general elections, the Congress was buoyed by an unexpectedly strong performance that saw the party cross 200 seats – a showing attributed largely to Singh’s deft handling of the economy that sheathed it from the worst effects of the 2008 economic crisis that ravaged other developing countries. But the wheels started coming off his administration shortly after its famous victory. As the ugly head of one corruption scandal after another – the Commonwealth Games scandal, the 2G scam, the coal block allocation case, among others – senior members of the government openly duked it out. The lack of a coherent response from the United Progressive Alliance only strengthened the perception that it was an administration in drift. Clad in his trademark sky-blue turban and white tunic, Singh still commanded respect for his erudition but was increasingly cornered in a system with dual power centres and seen as powerless. A string of terror attacks left him even more vulnerable, as did an anti-corruption protest by Anna Hazare that captivated young people and the 2012 December 16 gang rape case that galvanised women. “Undoubtedly, history shall judge you kindly, Dr. Manmohan Singh ji!” Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge said in a post on X. “I mourn the loss of a lifelong senior colleague, a gentle intellectual and a humble soul who embodied the aspirations of India, having risen through the ranks with unwavering dedication. I am proud to have been a part of his Cabinet as Labour Minister, Railway Minister and Social Welfare Minister. A man of action rather than words, his immense contribution to nation-building will forever be etched in the annals of Indian history,” he said. Still, his legacy will be burnished with many credentials, revolutionising the life of the ordinary citizen by unlocking the economy primary among them. As US President Barack Obama noted in his memoir, Singh was a man of uncommon decency and wisdom who was a “fitting emblem” of the progress made by India. “A member of the tiny, often persecuted Sikh religious minority who’d risen to the highest office in the land, and a self-effacing technocrat who’d won people’s trust not by appealing to their passions but by bringing about higher living standards and maintaining a well-earned reputation for not being corrupt.”

Undefeated Oregon and No. 23 Texas A&M will collide Tuesday afternoon in Las Vegas in the second game of the new Players Era Festival. Both teams are in the "Power" group of the eight-team event. All eight teams are receiving $1 million for their name, image and likeness (NIL) collectives, but placing fourth or higher in the tourney in order will net them anywhere from $1.1 million to $1.5 million. The Aggies (4-1) opened the season with a three-point loss at UCF, but since then have won four straight, all in convincing fashion. Texas A&M upset then-No. 21 Ohio State 78-64 on Nov. 15 at home in College Station, Texas. Then the Aggies crushed Southern 71-54 last Wednesday, when Wade Taylor IV led the way with 17 points and six assists. All of Texas A&M's wins have been by double digits. The Aggies and Ducks (5-0) have split the two previous meetings against each other. Until March 2022 in an NIT second-round game, they had not met since the 1970-71 season. Texas A&M tied the overall series with a 75-60 win at home in 2022. The only player on the Ducks' current roster who played in that game was 7-foot senior Nate Bittle, who has been one of Oregon's best players so far this season. Bittle's 16.2 points and 10.2 rebounds per game lead the Ducks so far this season, and the big man also averages two blocked shots per game. Texas A&M guard Zhuric Phelps, a transfer from SMU, leads the Aggies in scoring at 16 points per game. Taylor adds 14 points per game. The Aggies could be the best defensive team the Ducks will have seen this season. A&M is allowing teams to shoot only 36.6 percent in games. Head coach Buzz Williams and his staff are hoping the team gets better at taking charges on defense, as the Aggies have just one so far this season. "I guess the thing that you work on most is verticality around the rim," Texas A&M assistant coach Steve Roccaforte told KBTX television. "‘Hey, once you get there, if you try and take a charge, it's going to be a block. Just jump as high as you can, stay vertical, try to go chest-to-chest. Make it a hard shot.'" Oregon is coming off a 78-75 win at Oregon State, the Ducks' first road game of the season. The Ducks trailed by 10 points at halftime but, as they have in several games this season, they found a rhythm on offense in the second half and came up with a comeback win. Bittle's 23 points and 14 rebounds led the way. Jackson Shelstad had 15 points and Jadrian Tracey and Keeshawn Barthelemy both added 10. "We started rebounding the ball a little better. Nate really got it going inside and our guys got him the ball," Oregon head coach Dana Altman told the school's athletics website. "He had a heck of a game." --Field Level MediaAnti-fraud efforts meet real-world test during ACA enrollment period

Jets QB Aaron Rodgers addresses uncertain NFL future, 2025 plans on Pat McAfee ShowThe New York Yankees have added another star pitcher to the top of their rotation. The Yankees signed left-hander Max Fried to an eight-year, $218 million contract, per ESPN's Jeff Passan . Fried and returning ace Gerrit Cole are now set to lead the Yankees rotation into the 2025 season. Projected 2025 Yankees rotation The Yankees had a $193 million current total and $229 million projected total on the 2025 payroll prior to the Fried signing, according to Spotrac . Fried is set to earn an average of $27.25 million per year through the 2032 season. This article will be updated soon to provide more information and analysis. For more from Bleacher Report on this topic and from around the sports world, check out our B/R app , homepage and social feeds—including Twitter , Instagram , Facebook and TikTok .

ssbet77 apk download Results Summary 1 SUNNYVALE, Calif. , Dec. 4, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Synopsys, Inc. (Nasdaq: SNPS ) today reported results for its fourth quarter and fiscal year 2024. Revenue for the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2024 was $1.636 billion , compared to $1.467 billion for the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2023. Revenue for fiscal year 2024 was $6.127 billion , an increase of approximately 15% from $5.318 billion in fiscal year 2023. "The fourth quarter was a strong finish to a transformational year for Synopsys. We achieved record financial results while doubling down on our strategy with the sale of our Software Integrity business and the pending acquisition of Ansys," said Sassine Ghazi , president and CEO of Synopsys. "Looking ahead, the AI-driven reinvention of compute is accelerating the pace, scale and complexity of technology R&D, which expands our opportunity to solve engineering challenges from silicon to systems." "Continued strong execution drove excellent Q4 results, which exceeded the midpoint of our guidance targets and capped a year of 15% revenue growth for the company," said Shelagh Glaser , CFO of Synopsys. "The combination of our execution focus, operating discipline, and the critical nature of our industry-leading technology positions us well for the future. In 2025, we expect to deliver double-digit revenue growth grounded in pragmatism given continued macro uncertainties and the impact of our fiscal year calendar change." Synopsys' previously announced acquisition of Ansys is expected to close in the first half of 2025, subject to the receipt of required regulatory approvals and other customary closing conditions. This week marked the expiration of the Hart-Scott-Rodino (HSR) Act waiting period, and Synopsys is working cooperatively with Federal Trade Commission (FTC) staff to conclude the investigation and the staff's review of Synopsys' proposed remedies. _______________________________________________ 1 On September 30, 2024, Synopsys completed the sale of its Software Integrity business. Synopsys' Software Integrity business has been presented as a discontinued operation in the consolidated financial statements for all periods presented herein and all financial results and targets are presented herein on a continuing operations basis unless otherwise noted. Continuing Operations On September 30, 2024 , Synopsys completed the sale of its Software Integrity business. Unless otherwise noted, Synopsys' Software Integrity business has been presented as a discontinued operation in the Synopsys' consolidated financial statements for all periods presented herein and all financial results and targets are presented herein on a continuing operations basis. GAAP Results On a U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) basis, net income for the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2024 was $279.3 million , or $1.79 per diluted share, compared to $346.1 million , or $2.23 per diluted share, for the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2023. GAAP net income for fiscal year 2024 was $1.442 billion , or $9.25 per diluted share, compared to $1.227 billion , or $7.91 per diluted share, for fiscal year 2023. Non-GAAP Results On a non-GAAP basis, net income for the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2024 was $529.9 million , or $3.40 per diluted share, compared to non-GAAP net income of $464.1 million , or $3.00 per diluted share, for the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2023. Non-GAAP net income for fiscal year 2024 was $2.058 billion , or $13.20 per diluted share, compared to non-GAAP net income of $1.636 billion , or $10.54 per diluted share, for fiscal year 2023. For a reconciliation of net income, earnings per diluted share and other measures on a GAAP and non-GAAP basis, see "GAAP to Non-GAAP Reconciliation" in the accompanying tables below. Business Segments Synopsys reports revenue and operating income in two segments: (1) Design Automation, which includes our advanced silicon design, verification products and services, system integration products and services, digital, custom and field programmable gate array IC design software, verification software and hardware products, manufacturing software products and other and (2) Design IP, which includes our interface, foundation, security, and embedded processor IP, IP subsystems, and IP implementation services. Financial Targets Synopsys also provided its consolidated financial targets for the first quarter and full fiscal year 2025. These targets reflect a change in Synopsys' fiscal year from a 52/53-week period ending on the Saturday nearest to October 31 of each year to October 31 of each year. As a result of this change, there will be ten fewer days in the first half of fiscal year 2025 and two extra days in the second half of fiscal year 2025, which results in eight fewer days in the aggregate in Synopsys' fiscal year 2025 as compared to its fiscal year 2024. These targets also assume no further changes to export control restrictions or the current U.S. government "Entity List" restrictions. These targets constitute forward-looking statements and are based on current expectations. For a discussion of factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from these targets, see "Forward-Looking Statements" below. First Quarter and Full Fiscal Year 2025 Financial Targets (1) (in millions except per share amounts) Range for Three Months Ending Range for Fiscal Year Ending January 31, 2025 October 31, 2025 Low High Low High Revenue $ 1,435 $ 1,465 $ 6,745 $ 6,805 GAAP Expenses $ 1,142 $ 1,162 $ 4,926 $ 4,983 Non-GAAP Expenses $ 945 $ 955 $ 4,045 $ 4,085 Non-GAAP Interest and Other Income (Expense), net $ 20 $ 22 $ 94 $ 98 Non-GAAP Tax Rate 16 % 16 % 16 % 16 % Outstanding Shares (fully diluted) 156 158 157 159 GAAP EPS $ 1.81 $ 1.95 $ 10.42 $ 10.63 Non-GAAP EPS $ 2.77 $ 2.82 $ 14.88 $ 14.96 Operating Cash Flow ~ $1,800 Free Cash Flow (2) ~ $1,600 Capital Expenditures ~ $170 (1) Synopsys' first quarter of fiscal year 2025 will end on January 31, 2025 and its fiscal year 2025 will end on October 31, 2025. (2) Free cash flow is calculated as cash provided from operating activities less capital expenditures. For a reconciliation of Synopsys' first quarter and fiscal year 2025 targets, including expenses, earnings per diluted share and other measures on a GAAP and non-GAAP basis and a discussion of the financial targets that we are not able to reconcile without unreasonable efforts, see "GAAP to Non-GAAP Reconciliation" in the accompanying tables below. Earnings Call Open to Investors Synopsys will hold a conference call for financial analysts and investors today at 2:00 p.m. Pacific Time. A live webcast of the call will be available on Synopsys' corporate website at investor.synopsys.com . Synopsys uses its website as a tool to disclose important information about Synopsys and comply with its disclosure obligations under Regulation Fair Disclosure. A webcast replay will also be available on the corporate website from approximately 5:30 p.m. Pacific Time today through the time Synopsys announces its results for the first quarter of fiscal year 2025 in February 2025. Effectiveness of Information The targets included in this press release, the statements made during the earnings conference call, the information contained in the financial supplement and the corporate overview presentation, each of which are available on Synopsys' corporate website at www.synopsys.com (collectively, the " Earnings Materials "), represent Synopsys' expectations and beliefs as of December 4, 2024 . Although these Earnings Materials will remain available on Synopsys' website through the date of the earnings call for the first quarter of fiscal year 2025, their continued availability through such date does not mean that Synopsys is reaffirming or confirming their continued validity. Synopsys undertakes no duty and does not intend to update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information or future events, or otherwise update, the targets given in this press release unless required by law. Availability of Final Financial Statements Synopsys will include final financial statements for the fiscal year 2024 in its annual report on Form 10-K to be filed on or before January 2, 2025 . About Synopsys Catalyzing the era of pervasive intelligence, Synopsys, Inc. (Nasdaq: SNPS) delivers trusted and comprehensive silicon to systems design solutions, from electronic design automation to silicon IP and system verification and validation. We partner closely with semiconductor and systems customers across a wide range of industries to maximize their R&D capability and productivity, powering innovation today that ignites the ingenuity of tomorrow. Learn more at www.synopsys.com . Reconciliation of Fourth Quarter and Fiscal Year 2024 Results The following tables reconcile the specific items excluded from GAAP in the calculation of non-GAAP net income, earnings per diluted share, and tax rate for the periods indicated below. GAAP to Non-GAAP Reconciliation of Fourth Quarter and Fiscal Year 2024 Results (1) (unaudited and in thousands, except per share amounts) Three Months Ended Twelve Months Ended October 31, October 31, 2024 2023 2024 2023 GAAP net income from continuing operations attributed to Synopsys $ 279,281 $ 346,051 $ 1,441,710 $ 1,227,045 Adjustments: Amortization of acquired intangible assets 54,258 14,886 104,220 50,477 Stock-based compensation 165,116 128,286 656,632 511,730 Acquisition/divestiture related items 62,428 4,016 172,638 13,831 Restructuring charges — (1,348) — 53,091 Gain on sale of strategic investments — — (55,077) — Tax settlement — — — (23,752) Tax adjustments (31,158) (27,753) (262,322) (196,471) Non-GAAP net income from continuing operations attributed to Synopsys $ 529,925 $ 464,138 $ 2,057,801 $ 1,635,951 Three Months Ended Twelve Months Ended October 31, October 31, 2024 2023 2024 2023 GAAP net income from continuing operations per diluted share attributed to Synopsys $ 1.79 $ 2.23 $ 9.25 $ 7.91 Adjustments: Amortization of acquired intangible assets 0.35 0.10 0.67 0.33 Stock-based compensation 1.06 0.83 4.21 3.30 Acquisition/divestiture related items 0.40 0.03 1.11 0.09 Restructuring charges — (0.01) — 0.34 Gain on sale of strategic investments — — (0.35) — Tax settlement — — — (0.15) Tax adjustments (0.20) (0.18) (1.69) (1.28) Non-GAAP net income from continuing operations per diluted share attributed to Synopsys $ 3.40 $ 3.00 $ 13.20 $ 10.54 Shares used in computing net income per diluted share amounts: 155,991 154,845 155,944 155,195 (1) Synopsys' fourth quarter of fiscal year 2024 and 2023 ended on November 2, 2024 and October 28, 2023, respectively. For presentation purposes, we refer to the closest calendar month end. Fiscal year 2024 was a 53-week year, which included an extra week in the first quarter. GAAP to Non-GAAP Tax Rate Reconciliation (1)(2) (unaudited) Twelve Months Ended October 31, 2024 GAAP effective tax rate 6.6 % Stock-based compensation 2.9 % Income tax adjustments (3) 5.5 % Non-GAAP effective tax rate 15.0 % (1) Synopsys' fiscal year 2024 ended on November 2, 2024. For presentation purposes, we refer to the closest calendar month end. Fiscal year 2024 was a 53-week year, which included an extra week in the first quarter. (2) Presented on a continuing operations basis. (3) The adjustments are primarily related to the differences in the tax rate effect of certain deductions, such as the deduction for foreign-derived intangible income and credits. GAAP to Non-GAAP Reconciliation of 2025 Targets The following tables reconcile the specific items excluded from GAAP in the calculation of non-GAAP targets for the periods indicated below. GAAP to Non-GAAP Reconciliation of First Quarter Fiscal Year 2025 Targets (in thousands, except per share amounts) Range for Three Months Ending January 31, 2025 Low High Target GAAP expenses $ 1,142,000 $ 1,162,000 Adjustments: Amortization of acquired intangible assets (12,000) (15,000) Stock-based compensation (185,000) (192,000) Target non-GAAP expenses $ 945,000 $ 955,000 Range for Three Months Ending January 31, 2025 Low High Target GAAP earnings per diluted share attributed to Synopsys $ 1.81 $ 1.95 Adjustments: Amortization of acquired intangible assets 0.10 0.08 Stock-based compensation 1.22 1.18 Acquisition/divestiture related items (1) 0.08 0.06 Tax adjustments (0.44) (0.45) Target non-GAAP earnings per diluted share attributed to Synopsys $ 2.77 $ 2.82 Shares used in non-GAAP calculation (midpoint of target range) 157,000 157,000 GAAP to Non-GAAP Reconciliation of Full Fiscal Year 2025 Targets (in thousands, except per share amounts) Range for Fiscal Year Ending October 31, 2025 Low High Target GAAP expenses $ 4,926,000 $ 4,983,000 Adjustments: Amortization of acquired intangible assets (46,000) (51,000) Stock-based compensation (835,000) (847,000) Target non-GAAP expenses $ 4,045,000 $ 4,085,000 Range for Fiscal Year Ending October 31, 2025 Low High Target GAAP earnings per diluted share attributed to Synopsys $ 10.42 $ 10.63 Adjustments: Amortization of acquired intangible assets 0.32 0.29 Stock-based compensation 5.36 5.28 Acquisition/divestiture related items (1) 0.29 0.26 Tax adjustments (1.51) (1.50) Target non-GAAP earnings per diluted share attributed to Synopsys $ 14.88 $ 14.96 Shares used in non-GAAP calculation (midpoint of target range) 158,000 158,000 (1) Adjustments reflect certain contractually obligated financing fees and related amortization expenses, and do not fully reflect all potential adjustments for future periods for the reasons set forth in "GAAP to Non-GAAP Reconciliation" below. Forward-Looking Statements This press release and the investor conference call contain forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to, statements regarding short-term and long-term financial targets, expectations and objectives including, among others, our long-term financial objectives, which include the anticipated effects of our pending acquisition of ANSYS, Inc. (the Ansys Merger); business and market outlook, opportunities, strategies and technological trends, such as artificial intelligence; planned acquisitions and their expected impact, including the Ansys Merger; the potential impact of the uncertain macroeconomic and geopolitical environment on our financial results; the expected impact of U.S. and foreign government trade restrictions and regulatory changes, including export control restrictions and tariffs on our financial results; customer license renewals and the expected realization and timing of our contracted but unsatisfied or partially unsatisfied performance obligations (backlog); planned dispositions and their expected impact; customer demand and market expansion for our products and our customers' products; our ability to successfully compete in the markets we serve; our planned product releases and capabilities; industry growth rates; software trends; planned stock repurchases; our expected tax rate; and the impact and result of pending legal, regulatory, administrative and tax proceedings. These statements involve risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause our actual results, time frames or achievements to differ materially from those expressed or implied in such forward-looking statements. Such risks, uncertainties and factors include, but are not limited to: macroeconomic conditions and geopolitical uncertainty in the global economy; uncertainty in the growth of the semiconductor and electronics industries; the highly competitive industry we operate in; actions by the U.S. or foreign governments, such as the imposition of additional export restrictions or tariffs; consolidation among our customers and our dependence on a relatively small number of large customers; risks and compliance obligations relating to the global nature of our operations; failure to complete the Ansys Merger on the terms described in our filings with the SEC, if at all; failure to obtain required governmental approvals related to the Ansys Merger or the imposition of conditions to such governmental approvals that may have an adverse effect on us; failure to realize the benefits expected from the Ansys Merger; and more. Additional information on potential risks, uncertainties and other factors that could affect Synopsys' results is included in filings we make with the SEC from time to time, including in the sections entitled "Risk Factors" in our latest Annual Report on Form 10-K and in our latest Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q. The financial information contained in this press release should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and notes thereto included in Synopsys' most recent reports on Forms 10-K and 10-Q, each as may be amended from time to time. Synopsys' financial results for its fourth quarter and fiscal year 2024 are not necessarily indicative of Synopsys' operating results for any future periods. The information provided herein is as of December 4, 2024 . Synopsys undertakes no duty to, and does not intend to, update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, unless required by law. SYNOPSYS, INC. Unaudited Consolidated Statements of Income (1) (in thousands, except per share amounts) Three Months Ended Twelve Months Ended October 31, October 31, 2024 2023 2024 2023 Revenue: Time-based products $ 834,375 $ 780,725 $ 3,224,299 $ 3,016,256 Upfront products 520,939 441,494 1,802,222 1,400,125 Total products revenue 1,355,314 1,222,219 5,026,521 4,416,381 Maintenance and service 280,672 245,164 1,100,915 901,633 Total revenue 1,635,986 1,467,383 6,127,436 5,318,014 Cost of revenue: Products 216,485 197,540 770,238 697,686 Maintenance and service 91,707 76,043 367,055 287,876 Amortization of acquired intangible assets 66,831 12,598 107,996 45,281 Total cost of revenue 375,023 286,181 1,245,289 1,030,843 Gross margin 1,260,963 1,181,202 4,882,147 4,287,171 Operating expenses: Research and development 554,818 465,815 2,082,360 1,849,935 Sales and marketing 219,225 186,953 859,342 724,934 General and administrative 172,032 102,271 568,496 376,677 Amortization of acquired intangible assets 4,086 3,346 16,238 9,295 Restructuring charges — (1,348) — 53,091 Total operating expenses 950,161 757,037 3,526,436 3,013,932 Operating income 310,802 424,165 1,355,711 1,273,239 Interest and other income (expense), net 12,077 (20,400) 158,147 32,231 Income before income taxes 322,879 403,765 1,513,858 1,305,470 Provision (benefit) for income taxes 62,084 60,409 99,718 90,188 Net income from continuing operations 260,795 343,356 1,414,140 1,215,282 Income from discontinued operations, net of income taxes 834,825 3,139 821,670 2,843 Net income 1,095,620 346,495 2,235,810 1,218,125 Less: Net income (loss) attributed to non-controlling interest and redeemable non-controlling interest (18,486) (2,695) (27,570) (11,763) Net income attributed to Synopsys $ 1,114,106 $ 349,190 $ 2,263,380 $ 1,229,888 Net income attributed to Synopsys Continuing operations $ 279,281 $ 346,051 $ 1,441,710 $ 1,227,045 Discontinued operations 834,825 3,139 821,670 2,843 Net income $ 1,114,106 $ 349,190 $ 2,263,380 $ 1,229,888 Net income per share attributed to Synopsys - basic: Continuing operations $ 1.81 $ 2.28 $ 9.41 $ 8.06 Discontinued operations 5.43 0.02 5.37 0.02 Basic net income per share $ 7.24 $ 2.30 $ 14.78 $ 8.08 Net income per share attributed to Synopsys - diluted: Continuing operations $ 1.79 $ 2.23 $ 9.25 $ 7.91 Discontinued operations 5.35 0.03 5.26 0.01 Diluted net income per share $ 7.14 $ 2.26 $ 14.51 $ 7.92 Shares used in computing per share amounts: Basic 153,916 151,972 153,138 152,146 Diluted 155,991 154,845 155,944 155,195 (1) Synopsys' fourth quarter of fiscal year 2024 and 2023 ended on November 2, 2024 and October 28, 2023, respectively. For presentation purposes, we refer to the closest calendar month end. Fiscal year 2024 was a 53-week year, which included an extra week in the first quarter. SYNOPSYS, INC. Unaudited Consolidated Balance Sheets (1) (in thousands, except par value amounts) October 31, 2024 October 31, 2023 ASSETS: Current assets: Cash and cash equivalents $ 3,896,532 $ 1,433,966 Short-term investments 153,869 151,639 Total cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments 4,050,401 1,585,605 Accounts receivable, net 934,470 856,660 Inventories 361,849 325,590 Prepaid and other current assets 1,122,946 548,115 Current assets of discontinued operations — 114,654 Total current assets 6,469,666 3,430,624 Property and equipment, net 563,006 549,837 Operating lease right-of-use assets, net 565,917 559,923 Goodwill 3,448,850 3,346,065 Intangible assets, net 195,164 239,577 Deferred income taxes 1,247,258 853,526 Other long-term assets 583,700 444,820 Long-term assets of discontinued operations — 908,759 Total assets $ 13,073,561 $ 10,333,131 LIABILITIES, REDEEMABLE NON-CONTROLLING INTEREST AND STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY: Current liabilities: Accounts payable and accrued liabilities $ 1,163,592 $ 1,059,914 Operating lease liabilities 94,791 79,832 Deferred revenue 1,391,737 1,559,461 Current liabilities of discontinued operations — 286,244 Total current liabilities 2,650,120 2,985,451 Long-term operating lease liabilities 574,065 579,686 Long-term deferred revenue 340,831 150,827 Long-term debt 15,601 18,078 Other long-term liabilities 469,738 381,531 Long-term liabilities of discontinued operations — 33,257 Total liabilities 4,050,355 4,148,830 Redeemable non-controlling interest 30,000 31,043 Stockholders' equity: Preferred stock, $0.01 par value: 2,000 shares authorized; none outstanding — — Common stock, $0.01 par value: 400,000 shares authorized; 154,112 and 152,053 shares outstanding, respectively 1,541 1,521 Capital in excess of par value 1,211,206 1,276,152 Retained earnings 8,984,105 6,741,699 Treasury stock, at cost: 3,148 and 5,207 shares, respectively (1,025,770) (1,675,650) Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) (180,380) (196,414) Total Synopsys stockholders' equity 8,990,702 6,147,308 Non-controlling interest 2,504 5,950 Total stockholders' equity 8,993,206 6,153,258 Total liabilities, redeemable non-controlling interest and stockholders' equity $ 13,073,561 $ 10,333,131 (1) Synopsys' fiscal year 2024 and 2023 ended on November 2, 2024 and October 28, 2023, respectively. For presentation purposes, we refer to the closest calendar month end. Fiscal year 2024 was a 53-week year, which included an extra week in the first quarter. SYNOPSYS, INC. Unaudited Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows (1) (in thousands) Twelve Months Ended 2024 2023 CASH FLOWS FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES: Net income $ 2,235,810 $ 1,218,125 Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities: Amortization and depreciation 295,065 247,120 Reduction of operating lease right-of-use assets 97,273 97,705 Amortization of capitalized costs to obtain revenue contracts 73,587 82,190 Stock-based compensation 692,316 563,292 Allowance for credit losses 19,724 19,932 Gain on sale of strategic investments (55,077) — Gain on divestitures, net of transaction costs (868,830) — Amortization of bridge financing costs 33,677 — Deferred income taxes (407,649) (211,045) Other (1,295) 13,295 Net changes in operating assets and liabilities, net of effects from acquisitions and dispositions: Accounts receivable (103,460) (178,432) Inventories (51,449) (123,752) Prepaid and other current assets (410,432) (106,396) Other long-term assets (168,255) (100,618) Accounts payable and accrued liabilities 187,564 170,496 Operating lease liabilities (96,966) (73,281) Income taxes (73,215) 198,078 Deferred revenue 8,641 (113,435) Net cash provided by operating activities 1,407,029 1,703,274 CASH FLOWS FROM INVESTING ACTIVITIES: Proceeds from maturities and sales of short-term investments 138,961 130,435 Purchases of short-term investments (136,821) (131,079) Proceeds from sales of strategic investments 55,696 8,492 Purchases of strategic investments (1,293) (435) Purchases of property and equipment, net (123,161) (189,618) Acquisitions, net of cash acquired (156,947) (297,692) Proceeds from business divestiture, net of cash divested 1,446,578 — Capitalization of software development costs — (2,204) Net cash provided by (used in) investing activities 1,223,013 (482,101) CASH FLOWS FROM FINANCING ACTIVITIES: Repayment of debt (2,607) (2,603) Payment of bridge financing and term loan costs (72,265) — Issuances of common stock 232,212 252,986 Payments for taxes related to net share settlement of equity awards (337,541) (241,408) Purchase of equity forward contract — (45,000) Purchases of treasury stock — (1,160,724) Other (1,096) (122) Net cash used in financing activities (181,297) (1,196,871) Effect of exchange rate changes on cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash 8,797 (2,979) Net change in cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash 2,457,542 21,323 Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash, beginning of year, including cash from discontinued operations 1,441,187 1,419,864 Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash, end of period, including cash from discontinued operations 3,898,729 1,441,187 Less: Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash from discontinued operations — 4,947 Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash from continuing operations $ 3,898,729 $ 1,436,240 (1) Synopsys' fiscal year 2024 and 2023 ended on November 2, 2024 and October 28, 2023, respectively. For presentation purposes, we refer to the closest calendar month end. Fiscal year 2024 was a 53-week year, which included an extra week in the first quarter. Synopsys provides segment information, namely revenue, adjusted segment operating income and adjusted segment operating margin, in accordance with Financial Accounting Standards Board Accounting Standards Codification Topic 280, Segment Reporting. Synopsys' chief operating decision maker (" CODM ") is our Chief Executive Officer. In evaluating our business segments, the CODM considers the income and expenses that the CODM believes are directly related to those segments. The CODM does not allocate certain operating expenses managed at a consolidated level to our business segments and, as a result, the reported operating income and operating margin do not include these unallocated expenses as shown in the table below. These unallocated expenses are presented in the table below to provide a reconciliation of the total adjusted operating income from segments to our consolidated operating income from continuing operations: SYNOPSYS, INC. Business Segment Reporting (1)(2)(5) (in millions) Three Months Ended October 31, 2024 Three Months Ended October 31, 2023 Twelve Months Ended October 31, 2024 Twelve Months Ended October 31, 2023 Revenue by segment - Design Automation $ 1,118.2 $ 953.7 $ 4,221.1 $ 3,775.3 % of Total 68.3 % 65.0 % 68.9 % 71.0 % - Design IP $ 517.8 $ 513.7 $ 1,906.3 $ 1,542.7 % of Total 31.7 % 35.0 % 31.1 % 29.0 % Adjusted operating income by segment - Design Automation $ 413.3 $ 311.1 $ 1,631.9 $ 1,413.9 - Design IP $ 189.9 $ 236.4 $ 730.2 $ 514.1 Adjusted operating margin by segment - Design Automation 37.0 % 32.6 % 38.7 % 37.5 % - Design IP 36.7 % 46.0 % 38.3 % 33.3 % Total Adjusted Segment Operating Income Reconciliation (1)(2)(5) (in millions) Three Months Ended October 31, 2024 Three Months Ended October 31, 2023 Twelve Months Ended October 31, 2024 Twelve Months Ended October 31, 2023 GAAP total operating income – as reported $ 310.8 $ 424.2 $ 1,355.7 $ 1,273.2 Other expenses managed at consolidated level -Amortization of acquired intangible assets (3) 70.9 15.9 124.2 54.6 -Stock-based compensation (3) 165.4 128.6 657.9 513.1 -Non-qualified deferred compensation plan 9.2 (23.9) 85.4 20.2 -Acquisition/divestiture related items (4) 47.0 4.0 138.7 13.8 -Restructuring charges — (1.3) — 53.1 Total adjusted segment operating income $ 603.2 $ 547.5 $ 2,362.1 $ 1,928.0 (1) Synopsys manages the business on a long-term, annual basis, and considers quarterly fluctuations of revenue and profitability as normal elements of our business. Amounts may not foot due to rounding. (2) Synopsys' fourth quarter of fiscal year 2024 and 2023 ended on November 2, 2024 and October 28, 2023, respectively. For presentation purposes, we refer to the closest calendar month end. Fiscal year 2024 was a 53-week year, which included an extra week in the first quarter. (3) The adjustment includes non-GAAP expenses attributable to non-controlling interest and redeemable non-controlling interest. (4) The adjustment excludes the amortization of bridge financing costs entered into in connection with the pending acquisition of Ansys, that was recorded in interest and other income (expense), net, in our unaudited condensed consolidated statements of income. (5) Presented on a continuing operations basis. GAAP to Non-GAAP Reconciliation Synopsys continues to provide all information required in accordance with GAAP but acknowledges evaluating its ongoing operating results may not be as useful if an investor is limited to reviewing only GAAP financial measures. Accordingly, Synopsys presents non-GAAP financial measures in reporting its financial results to provide investors with an additional tool to evaluate Synopsys' operating results in a manner that focuses on what Synopsys believes to be its core business operations and what Synopsys uses to evaluate its business operations and for internal budgeting and resource allocation purposes. This press release includes non-GAAP earnings per diluted share, non-GAAP net income and non-GAAP tax rate for the periods presented. It also includes future estimates for non-GAAP expenses, non-GAAP interest and other income (expense), non-GAAP tax rate, non-GAAP earnings per diluted share and free cash flow. These non-GAAP financial measures may be different from non-GAAP financial measures used by other companies. When possible, Synopsys provides a reconciliation of non-GAAP financial measures to their most closely applicable GAAP financial measures. Synopsys is unable to provide a full reconciliation of certain first quarter and full fiscal year 2025 non-GAAP financial targets to the corresponding GAAP financial measures on a forward-looking basis because Synopsys believes that it would not be possible for it to have the required information necessary to quantitatively reconcile such measures with sufficient precision without unreasonable efforts due to, among other things, the potential variability and limited predictability of the excluded adjustment items necessary for a full reconciliation such as certain acquisition/divestiture related items, restructuring charges, tax deduction variability, changes in the fair value of non-qualified deferred compensation plan, and gains (losses) on the sale of strategic investments. For the same reasons, Synopsys is unable to address the probable significance of the unavailable information. Synopsys' management does not itself, nor does it suggest that investors should, consider such non-GAAP financial measures in isolation from, as superior to, or as a substitute for, financial information prepared in accordance with GAAP. These non-GAAP financial measures are meant to supplement, and be viewed in conjunction with, the corresponding GAAP financial measures. Synopsys' management believes presentation of non-GAAP financial measures, when shown in conjunction with the corresponding GAAP financial measures, provides useful information to investors allowing them to view financial and business trends relating to our financial condition and results of operations through the eyes of management. Synopsys' management evaluates and makes decisions about our business operations using both GAAP financial measures and non-GAAP financial measures to help facilitate internal comparisons to Synopsys' historical operating results and forecasted targets, planning and forecasting in subsequent periods and comparisons to competitors' operating results. The following are descriptions of the adjustments made to reconcile non-GAAP financial measures (other than free cash flow, which is defined in the footnote to the Financial Targets table above) to the most directly comparable GAAP financial measures: (i) Amortization of acquired intangible assets. We incur expenses from amortization of acquired intangible assets, which may include impairment charges from write-downs of acquired intangible assets. Acquired intangible assets include, among other things, core/developed technology, customer relationships, contract rights, trademarks and trade names, and other intangibles related to acquisitions. We amortize the intangible assets over their estimated useful lives. We do not enter into acquisitions on a predictable cycle. The amount of an acquisition's purchase price allocated to intangible assets and their estimated useful lives can vary significantly and are unique to each acquisition. From time to time, we incur impairment charges due to write-downs of acquired intangible assets. We believe that the presentation of non-GAAP financial measures that adjust for the amortization of intangible assets, including impairment charges, provides investors and others with a consistent basis for comparison across accounting periods. We also exclude this item because such expenses are non-cash in nature and we believe the non-GAAP financial measures excluding this item provide meaningful supplemental information regarding our core operational performance and liquidity, and ability to invest in research and development and fund future acquisitions and capital expenditures. (ii) Stock-based compensation . Stock-based compensation expenses consist primarily of expenses related to restricted stock units, stock options, employee stock purchase rights and other stock awards, including such expenses associated with acquisitions. We exclude stock-based compensation expense from our non-GAAP financial measures primarily because it is not an expense that typically requires or will require cash settlement by us. Further, the expense for the fair value of the stock-based instruments we utilize may bear little resemblance to the actual value realized upon the vesting or future exercise of the related stock-based awards and, therefore, is not used by management to assess the core profitability of our business operations. (iii) Acquisition/divestiture related items. In connection with certain of our business combinations and/or divestitures, we incur significant expenses that we would not have otherwise incurred as part of our business operations. These expenses include, among other things, compensation expenses, professional fees and other direct expenses, concurrent restructuring activities and divestiture activities, including employee severance and other exit costs, bridge financing costs, costs related to integration activities, changes to the fair value of contingent consideration related to the acquired company, and amortization of the fair value difference of below-market value assets arising from arrangements entered into or acquired in conjunction with an acquisition. We also recognize the gains and losses from the mark-up of equity or cost method investments to fair value upon obtaining control through acquisition. We exclude these items because they are related to acquisitions and have no direct correlation to the core operation of our business. Further, because we do not acquire businesses on a predictable cycle and the terms of each transaction can vary significantly and are unique to each transaction, we believe it is useful to exclude such expenses when looking for a consistent basis for comparison across accounting periods. (iv) Restructuring charges. We initiate restructuring activities to align our costs to our operating plans and business strategies based on then-current economic conditions, and such activities have a specific and defined term. Restructuring costs generally include severance and other termination benefits related to voluntary retirement programs, involuntary headcount reductions and facilities closures. Such restructuring costs include elimination of operational redundancy, permanent reductions in workforce and facilities closures and, therefore, are not considered by us to be a part of the core operation of our business and are not used by management when assessing the core profitability and performance of our business operations. (v) Gains (losses) on the sale of strategic investments. We exclude gains and losses on the sale of equity investments in privately held companies because we do not believe they are reflective of our core business and operating results. (vi) Deferred compensation . We exclude changes in the fair value of our non-qualified deferred compensation plan because we do not use these to assess the core profitability of our business operations. (vii) Income tax effect of non-GAAP pre-tax adjustments . Excluding the income tax effect of non-GAAP pre-tax adjustments from the provision for income taxes assists investors in understanding the tax provision associated with those adjustments and the effect on net income. We utilize an annual non-GAAP tax rate in calculating non-GAAP financial measures to provide better consistency across interim reporting periods by eliminating the effects of certain non-recurring and other period-specific items, which can vary in size and frequency and do not necessarily reflect our normal operations, and to more closely align our tax rate with our expected geographic earnings mix. This annual non-GAAP tax rate is based on an evaluation of our historical and projected mix of U.S. and international profit before tax, taking into account the impact of non-GAAP adjustments, U.S. tax law changes, as well as other factors such as our current tax structure, existing tax positions and expected recurring tax incentives. Based on these considerations, we have elected to adopt a non-GAAP tax rate of 16% for fiscal year 2025. INVESTOR CONTACT : Trey Campbell Synopsys, Inc. 650-584-4289 Synopsys-ir@synopsys.com EDITORIAL CONTACT : Cara Walker Synopsys, Inc. 650-584-5000 corp-pr@synopsys.com View original content to download multimedia: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/synopsys-posts-financial-results-for-fourth-quarter-and-fiscal-year-2024-302322901.html SOURCE Synopsys, Inc.Florida State has finished filling its coordinator vacancies as Nebraska 's Tony White signed a three-year contract to oversee the Seminoles' defense, sources told ESPN's Pete Thamel on Monday. White spent the past two seasons at Nebraska, which ranks 20th nationally in points allowed this season after finishing 13th in 2023. He replaces Adam Fuller, who was fired last month. White, who came up under defensive guru Rocky Long, has previously held coordinator posts at Syracuse , Arizona State and San Diego State . He played college football at UCLA . Editor's Picks Big upsets! Buzzer-beaters! A hook-and-ladder!! The 20 best games of Rivalry Week 23h Bill Connelly Florida State is 88th in points allowed and 87th in yards allowed, following a 2-10 season under coach Mike Norvell. The Seminoles on Monday also officially announced the hiring of Gus Malzahn as offensive coordinator. He replaces Alex Atkins, who was fired last month. Malzahn, who served as UCF 's head coach the past two seasons and was Auburn 's coach from 2013 to 2020, worked with Norvell on the Tulsa coaching staff in 2008 and 2009. "He has one of the most innovative minds in college football and a proven track record of developing elite offenses everywhere he's been," Norvell said in a statement. "His offenses have consistently showcased a tremendous running game combined with explosive plays through the air. I'm thrilled to work side-by-side with Gus again as we elevate the Florida State offense back to one of the elite groups in college football."It was a year of change in Ottawa in 2024, with federal public servants required to spend more time in the office, alcohol now available in grocery stores and gas stations, and the Ottawa Senators taking the next step towards moving downtown. 2024 was also a year of tragedy in the city, including six people killed inside a Barrhaven home and the Ottawa Police Service labelling a killing as a femicide for the first time. CTVNewsOttawa.ca looks at the top stories in Ottawa in 2024. 6 people killed, including mother and 4 children, in Barrhaven home A mother, her four children and a family acquaintance were killed in a "mass killing" at a Barrhaven home on March 6. The Ottawa Police Service says officers responded to two 9-1-1 calls from the Berrigan Drive area "reporting a suspicious incident where a male was yelling and asking people to call 9-1-1," Ottawa Police Chief Eric Stubbs told reporters. "Officers entered the home to check on the safety of those inside, and that is where they began to discover the six victims, the youngest of which is less than three months old. The family are newcomers to Canada and are originally from Sri Lanka." The victims were identified as 35-year-old Banbaranayake Gama Walwwe Darshani Dilanthika Ekanyake and her four children: 7-year-old Inuka Wickramasinghe, 4-year-old Ashwini Wickramasinghe, 3-year-old Ranaya Wickramasinghe and two-month-old Kelly Wickramasinghe. A sixth man, 40-year-old Gamini Amarakoon Amarakoon Mudiyanselage, was also found deceased at the home. Febrio De-Zoysa, 19, is facing six counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted murder. The Wickramasinghe family is pictured here in this undated image. The four young children and their mother were killed in their Ottawa home on March 6, 2024 alongside a family friend. The father was seriously injured in the attack. A 19-year-old suspect is in custody and is facing multiple counts of first-degree murder. First time the Ottawa Police Service labels a killing as a femicide The Ottawa Police Service labelled the death of a woman at a home in Ottawa's rural west end in August as a femicide, the first-time police used the term in a media release. Police say they were called to an address on Lady Slipper Way, a rural area just north of Highway 7 at about 6:40 p.m. on Aug. 25. The victim was identified as Jennifer Zabarylo, 47, of Ottawa. "In the context of police investigations, we consider this death to be a femicide, as it occurred in the context of intimate partner violence, which is one of the many forms of misogynist killings," Ottawa police said in a news release. "A femicide is generally defined as 'the killing of women and girls because of their gender' often driven by stereotyped gender roles, discrimination towards women and girls or unequal power relations between women and men. Michael Zabarylo, 55, of Ottawa, has been charged with second-degree murder. Ottawa police identified the victim of a homicide on Lady Slipper Way as Jennifer Zabarylo, 47, of Ottawa. Police have labelled her death a femicide. (Facebook) In October, police classified the death of Brkti Berhe , 36, of Ottawa as a femicide. The woman died in a stabbing at Paul Landry Park on Oct. 24. Ottawa Senators, National Capital Commission reach agreement for new NHL arena at LeBreton Flats The Ottawa Senators moved one step closer to building a new home in downtown Ottawa in 2024. After more than two years of talks, the Senators and the National Capital Commission reached an agreement in principle to build a new arena at LeBreton Flats. NCC CEO Tobi Nussbaum said the Senators will buy "just over 10 acres" of land to build the new arena. The Senators say it will be "years, not months, before shovels are in the ground." A rendering of what a new Ottawa Senators arena at LeBreton Flats could look like. (Capital Sports Development Inc.) Ottawa high school principal apologizes for song played during Remembrance Day assembly The principal of an Ottawa high school apologized to students, parents and guardians after an Arabic-language song was played during the school's Remembrance Day service. The assembly for students and staff at Sir Robert Borden High School on Nov. 11 included the song 'Haza Salam' being played. "It has come to my attention that the inclusion of the song 'Haza Salam' in the program caused significant distress to some members of our school community," principal Aaron Hobbs said in a letter to Sir Robert Borden families. "For this, I would like to offer my apologies." 'Haza Salam' translates in English to "This is Peace." On YouTube, there are several different versions of the song 'Haza Salam', and it has become a song to oppose the ongoing Israel-Hamas war in Gaza. The Ottawa-Carleton District School Board (OCDSB) said it was conducting a "thorough investigation into this issue to ensure it is addressed appropriately and meaningfully." Sir Robert Borden High School on Greenbank Road in Ottawa. (Google Maps) PSAC encourages federal workers to 'buy nothing' as civil servants return to the office Tens of thousands of federal public servants returned to the office more days a week in 2024. In September, the federal government introduced new rules requiring federal workers in the core public service to be in the office a minimum of three days a week, and executives to be in the office four days a week. Federal public service unions protested the new hybrid work requirements, including launching a federal court challenge. The Public Service Alliance of Canada encouraged workers to "buy nothing" at downtown Ottawa businesses as they returned to the office in September, in an apparent retaliation against downtown Ottawa businesses for the new protocols. "The needs of the downtown core shouldn't fall on the back of workers and the federal public service. How workers spend their money on in-office days will send a clear message to politicians," PSAC said in a post on Instagram. PSAC asked members to minimize spending on in-office days and buy from local businesses in their neighbourhoods. PSAC calls for downtown boycott The next day, PSAC encouraged its members to "buy local" and support neighbourhood businesses . This year, the federal government signalled it was going to cut 5,000 federal jobs through attrition. In November, the Canada Revenue Agency confirmed it was eliminating 600 temporary and contract employees by the end of the year. Alcohol in corner stores and gas stations 2024 marked the largest change to alcohol sales in Ontario in nearly a century. The Ontario government opened up the liquor market, allowing beer, wine and spirits to be sold in corner stores, gas stations and big box stores, including Costco. In September, Ontario allowed convenient stores in Ottawa and across Ontario to sell beer, cider, wine and ready-to-drink alcoholic beverages. More than 180 gas stations and convenience stores in Ottawa are selling alcoholic beverages. According to the Alcohol and Gaming Commission website, five Costco stores and four Walmart locations in Ottawa were licensed to sell alcohol starting Oct. 31. Licensed stores are only allowed to sell alcohol between the hours of 7 a.m. and 11 p.m. However, officials say deliveries of alcohol will only be permitted between 9 a.m. and 11 p.m. The AGCO says stores permitted to open on holidays will be allowed to sell alcohol between 7 a.m. and 11 p.m. Beer sits in storage at the Pioneer gas station on Industrial Avenue in Ottawa in advance Sept. 5, when convenience stores and gas stations are legally able to sell alcohol in Ontario. Aug. 27, 2024. (Katie Griffin/CTV News Ottawa) Trillium Line Commuters were hoping to ride the Trillium Line in 2024, but delays have pushed the opening of the new north-south light rail transit line until Jan. 6, 2025. Line 2 will run from Bayview Station to Limebank Station, including stops at Carleton University and South Keys. Line 4 will run from South Keys to the Ottawa International Airport. OC Transpo says the new Line 2 and Line 4 will open in three phases, beginning Jan. 6 with Monday to Friday service. The three-phase approach will look like this: A Trillium Line train entering South Keys station on Dec. 16, 2024. (Kimberley Johnson/CTV News Ottawa) Historic solar eclipse brings breathtaking views across eastern Ontario Thousands of people gathered as a solar eclipse moved across eastern Ontario on April 8, achieving totality in several communities. More than 5,500 people were at Fort Henry in Kingston, Ont. — one of the communities in the path of totality — and many more gathered in places like Brockville and Cornwall to witness the total eclipse, despite a cloudy day. Events in Ottawa, where the eclipse was partial, still drew crowds. The partial eclipse began the moment the edge of the moon touched the edge of the sun. Totality began when the edge of the moon covered all of the sun and totality ended when the edge of the moon exposed the sun. The partial eclipse ends the moment the edge of the moon leaves the edge of the sun. While total solar eclipses occur about once every 18 months, you need to be directly along the eclipse's specific path to see the full effect. A total solar eclipse hadn't been seen in Canada since 1979. A diamond ring effect is seen during the totality phase of a total solar eclipse, in Kingston, Ont., Monday, April 8, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang Rare cloud formations ripple the sky over Ottawa A unique cloud formation over Ottawa was the talk of social media in October. The clouds, known as asperitas clouds, are known for their distinctive formations that look like rippling waves. "The thing about these clouds is, I mean, they're beautiful to look at, but they're scientifically really compelling as well, because we don't really understand why they form," Dan Riskin, CTV Science and Technology specialist, told CTV News Ottawa. "I mean, they're kind of associated with bad weather, but they don't actually cause rain to come out. They tend to show up before a storm or after the storm, but not always. And they have this undulation to them. So, they make for beautiful images." The World Meteorological Organization added the asperitas clouds to its International Cloud Atlas in 2015. It is the latest cloud type to be added to its atlas and the first in more than 50 years. Its name comes from the Latin word for "roughness." "It looked biblical," Jody Harrison said. "We were just enjoying the rolling of them all from the west, just coming right at our place. So, it was really cool." Visiting Ottawa from Saskatchewan (land of living skies), I couldn't resist taking these photos that I'd never seen before!! (Barb McCaslin/CTV Viewer) Ottawa woman dies after battle with pancreatic cancer An Ottawa woman who raised more than $500,000 for cancer research at the Ottawa Hospital died after a lengthy battle with pancreatic cancer. Sindy Hooper passed away in September. "She did it in typical Sindy style, courageously and gracefully while surrounded by good friends. She was able to see many of our good friends over the last few days, had them reminiscing, laughing, and as always, she gently encouraged us and reminded us to make every moment count," said Jonathan Hooper, Sindy's husband in a post on her Instagram account. "There is no way I can coherently express what an incredible person, friend, wife and mother she is." Hooper was first diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2013. She was diagnosed with Stage 4 pancreatic cancer that spread to her lung, spine and ribs. Hooper continued to run, raising funds for pancreatic research and treatment. A fundraising campaign is underway as part of the 2025 Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend. An Ottawa woman who raised more than $500,000 for cancer research at the Ottawa Hospital has died after a lengthy battle with pancreatic cancer. (Jonathan Hooper/ Instagram) Other top stories on CTVNewsOttawa.ca in 2024 Shopping Trends The Shopping Trends team is independent of the journalists at CTV News. We may earn a commission when you use our links to shop. Read about us. Editor's Picks 10 Family Calendars And Planners That'll Help You Keep Track Of Everything In The New Year Our Guide To The Best Winter Boots You Can Get In Canada 16 Cozy Home Essentials That Cost Less Than $100 Home Our Guide To The Best Snow Shovels In Canada In 2024 (And Where To Get Them) 14 Of The Best Home Security Devices You Can Find Online Right Now (And They've Got The Reviews To Prove It) 13 Of The Best Fidget Toys For Adults Gifts The Clock Is Ticking — Shop These 25 Last-Minute Amazon Prime Gifts Now If You Have An Amazon Prime Account, These 70+ Crowd-Pleasing Gifts Will Still Arrive Before Christmas If You Have An Amazon Prime Account, These 50 Brilliant Stocking Stuffers Will Still Arrive Before Christmas Beauty 20 Products Your Dry, Dehydrated Skin Will Thank You For Ordering 14 Hydrating Face Masks That’ll Save Your Skin This December 12 Budget-Friendly Products To Add To Your Winter Skincare Routine Deals Set The Table For Less — Fable's Boxing Week Sale Is Here The Silk & Snow End Of Year Sale Is Officially On — Here's What To Add To Your Cart 50+ Of The Best Amazon Canada Boxing Day Sales, Deals, And Discounts For 2024 Ottawa Top Stories YEAR-IN-REVIEW | Top stories in Ottawa in 2024 PART 2 | Ottawa mayor speaks on Sprung structures, challenges facing the city in year-end interview OPP and Ottawa firefighters help remove vehicle wedged into Highway 417 overpass Friends, family reunite in Ottawa on Christmas Eve What's open and closed in Ottawa over the holidays Ottawa driver gets double licence suspension after allegedly going 3 times the speed limit Last minute shoppers in Ottawa wrap up Christmas wish lists Shoppers in Brockville, Ont. enjoying stress-free last-minute shopping CTVNews.ca Top Stories What is flagpoling? A new ban on the practice is starting to take effect Immigration measures announced as part of Canada's border response to president-elect Donald Trump's 25 per cent tariff threat are starting to be implemented, beginning with a ban on what's known as 'flagpoling.' Hong Kong police issue arrest warrants and bounties for six activists including two Canadians Hong Kong police on Tuesday announced a fresh round of arrest warrants for six activists based overseas, with bounties set at $1 million Hong Kong dollars for information leading to their arrests. Stunning photos show lava erupting from Hawaii's Kilauea volcano One of the world's most active volcanoes spewed lava into the air for a second straight day on Tuesday. Indigenous family faced discrimination in North Bay, Ont., when they were kicked off transit bus Ontario's Human Rights Tribunal has awarded members of an Indigenous family in North Bay $15,000 each after it ruled they were victims of discrimination. Heavy travel day starts with brief grounding of all American Airlines flights American Airlines briefly grounded flights nationwide Tuesday because of a technical problem just as the Christmas travel season kicked into overdrive and winter weather threatened more potential problems for those planning to fly or drive. OPP and Ottawa firefighters help remove vehicle wedged into Highway 417 overpass Ottawa firefighters and local Ontario Provincial Police officers were called to a bizarre scene Tuesday morning along Highway 417, where a driver managed to wedge his vehicle under an overpass. On Christmas Eve, Pope Francis appeals for courage to better the world Pope Francis said the story of Jesus' birth as a poor carpenter's son should instill hope that all people can make an impact on the world, as the pontiff on Tuesday led the world's Roman Catholics into Christmas. Read Trudeau's Christmas message Prime Minister Justin Trudeau issued his Christmas message on Tuesday. Here is his message in full. Ontario First Nation challenging selection of underground nuclear waste site in court A First Nation in northern Ontario is challenging the selection of a nearby region as the site of a deep geological repository that will hold Canada's nuclear waste, arguing in a court filing that it should have had a say in the matter as the site falls "squarely" within its territory. Atlantic Two deaths in Truro ruled homicides: RCMP Police in Nova Scotia are investigating after two deaths in Truro, N.S., over the weekend have been ruled homicides. Snow forecast through Christmas Eve for parts of the Maritimes Parts of the Maritimes that were hit by a weekend snowstorm are in for more of the white stuff this Christmas Eve. 'Can I taste it?': Rare $55,000 bottle of spirits for sale in Moncton, N.B. A rare bottle of Scotch whisky is for sale in downtown Moncton, N.B., with a price tag reading $55,000. Toronto Suspect charged in killing of senior found dead in North York driveway Toronto police have charged a suspect in the fatal shooting of a 69-year-old grandfather who was found in the driveway of a North York home earlier this month. Trudeau could stay or go. Either way, Canadians should brace for a spring election Canada appears to be barrelling toward a spring election now that the NDP is vowing to vote down the government early next year -- whether Prime Minister Justin Trudeau stays on or not. Norad crew waiting for Santa to fly over Canada as annual holiday track underway Departing from the North Pole while we were all sleeping, Santa Claus' journey around the world bringing presents and Christmas cheer for all of the good boys and girls who believe is underway. Montreal Snowfall means a white Christmas, but also traffic woes across southern Quebec roads A heavy snowfall has guaranteed much of Quebec a white Christmas, but it has also sent cars skidding off the province's roads during the busy holiday travel period. Montreal homeless centres lacking for space during cold snap Despite a cold snap, some Montreal homeless centres are being forced to turn people away as beds fill up. Warmer temperatures mean fewer Montreal ice rinks open for Christmas With climate change meaning warmer winter temperatures, fewer outdoor Montreal ice rinks are opening by the end of December. Northern Ontario Indigenous family faced discrimination in North Bay, Ont., when they were kicked off transit bus Ontario's Human Rights Tribunal has awarded members of an Indigenous family in North Bay $15,000 each after it ruled they were victims of discrimination. Norad crew waiting for Santa to fly over Canada as annual holiday track underway Departing from the North Pole while we were all sleeping, Santa Claus' journey around the world bringing presents and Christmas cheer for all of the good boys and girls who believe is underway. Dismiss Trump taunts, expert says after 'churlish' social media posts about Canada U.S. president-elect Donald Trump and those in his corner continue to send out strong messages about Canada. Windsor Mother daughter duo pursuing university dreams at the same time For one University of Windsor student, what is typically a chance to gain independence from her parents has become a chance to spend more time with her biggest cheerleader — her mom. 'We may have to look at other sensible locations': Where will Windsor’s new H4 be located? The search for a site to house Windsor’s new Homelessness and Housing Help Hub (H4) is back underway after the city scrapped plans at 700 Wellington Avenue on Monday. Sandwich Street officially opens after six months of construction A more than 2-kilometre stretch of Sandwich Street near the University of Windsor had been under construction since mid-June. London Palace Theatre boarded up over the holidays due to recent damage A break in, theft, and continued property damage has led to the boarding up of the Palace Theatre over the Christmas holidays. Knights stars ready to help Canada chase gold at World Juniors Three London Knights are on the roster, including Easton Cowan, who scored a hat-trick in Canada’s first exhibition game. London fire responds to Wellington Road collision, contains fuel leak London Fire Department was on the scene of a two vehicle collision involving a delivery truck on Tuesday morning. Kitchener Why holiday shopping may feel a little different this year At around 11 a.m. Tuesday at Kitchener’s Fairview Park Mall, there were plenty of parking spots available. It’s a sign that maybe this year, the rush for last minute gifts is no more. How to stay safe during the holiday season As fun festivities begin, the Canadian government, SickKids and fire departments in the Waterloo Region are reminding families of the higher safety risks during the holiday season. What’s open and what’s closed over the holidays A detailed guide to what’s open and closed between Dec. 24 and New Year's Day. Barrie Here's when Santa is coming down your chimney, live tracking underway in Simcoe County The spirit of Christmas is in the air as Santa Claus begins his lasting journey to deliver presents to children around the region. Help this missing pup make it home for Christmas The Ontario SPCA in Barrie needs your help bringing this handsome pup home to his family before Christmas. Last minute shoppers braced for chaos but found calm on Christmas Eve Many shoppers were out on Christmas Eve, and while the rush was expected to be chaotic, many found the day surprisingly manageable. Winnipeg 'They gambled with trees': Cutting down trees resumes in Lemay Forest The next chapter of the Lemay Forest saga has unfolded as the sounds of trees coming down could be heard Monday. One person dead, another injured following Monday night house fire One person has died and another is in unstable condition following a house fire Monday evening. Winnipeg police investigating string of packages being stolen The Winnipeg Police Service is investigating a string of package thefts in the Transcona area. Calgary Speed, alcohol possible factors in Glenmore Trail crash that left man, 18, dead: police Speed and alcohol are possible factors in a fatal crash on Glenmore Trail on Monday night, according to police. Person in critical condition after downtown Calgary fire A person was sent to hospital in life-threatening condition after a fire in downtown Calgary on Tuesday morning. Skier seriously injured in avalanche near Revelstoke, B.C. A skier was seriously injured after an avalanche near Revelstoke, B.C., over the weekend. Edmonton Edmonton apartment building boarded up after evacuation order from the city An Edmonton apartment building that was evacuated for safety reasons on Monday now sits boarded up. Panthers' Hubbard among NFL's elite running backs as he joins exclusive Canadian club Chuba Hubbard has reached 1,000 yards rushing this NFL campaign, joining a handful of others near the top of the league stats sheet, but also to become just the second Canadian to reach the mark in a season. 1 charged after van stolen from Edmonton's Food Bank on Monday One person has been arrested after a van was stolen from Edmonton's Food Bank on Monday. Regina Sask. RCMP still searching for man suspected of small-town break-ins spanning years A man suspected of breaking into offices and small businesses across Saskatchewan over the past number of years has struck again – according to RCMP. Tips on how to reduce, reuse and recycle in Sask. this holiday season The City of Regina is urging residents to recycle their holiday waste responsibly. 'A nice way to connect': Christmas card exchange between Sask. friends spans 60 years What started out as a little holiday fun between two Regina friends has turned into a tradition that now spans six decades. Saskatoon 'People prop the doors open': Saskatoon resident concerned as people shelter in her stairwell With the number of homeless people in Saskatoon at an unprecedented high, it’s no surprise people are looking for places to warm up. A separate Ukrainian Christmas may be a thing of the past There might be more households than usual celebrating this Christmas Eve, as many Ukrainians around the world are opting to abandon the orthodox calendar. Lloydminster man killed in Christmas Eve highway crash: RCMP A 24-year-old Lloydminster man was killed Tuesday after his pickup truck collided with a semi. Vancouver DEVELOPING | Several Christmas Day ferries between Tsawwassen, Victoria cancelled – and others are 'at risk' The stormy weather in the forecast for B.C.'s South Coast is already disrupting many Christmas Day travel plans. Rappelling RCMP members bring Christmas magic to B.C.’s Ronald McDonald house Children at the Ronald McDonald House at BC Children’s Hospital were paid a surprise visit from a number of nimble guests on Friday, sent from none other than the jolly old man himself. Striking janitors at Vancouver airport reach tentative deal, cancel escalation Escalating job action from striking janitors at the Vancouver International Airport was called off on Christmas Eve after the workers and their employer reached a tentative agreement. Vancouver Island Ripe avalanche conditions for parts of B.C. expected to persist this week A forecaster says ripe avalanche conditions are expected to persist across much of British Columbia for the rest of the week. Woman struck by vehicle dies in Burnaby, B.C. A 24-year-old woman who was struck by a vehicle last week in Burnaby, B.C., has died. Homicide victim identified as 36-year-old man from Langley, B.C. Homicide investigators are identifying the victim of a suspected murder last year in Langley, B.C. Kelowna Forfeited Hells Angels clubhouse in Kelowna, B.C., sold to the city A former Hells Angels clubhouse that was seized by the British Columbia government in 2023 after years of fighting in court has been sold to the City of Kelowna. Death of woman found in Kelowna's Waterfront Park in June deemed 'non-criminal in nature': RCMP Police in Kelowna say a death they began investigating back in June has now been confirmed as "non-criminal in nature." B.C. man sentenced for 'execution-style' murder of bystander in drug trade conflict A B.C. man convicted of the "intentional and ruthless killing of a bystander" while acting as an enforcer in the drug trade has been sentenced for a second time in the slaying. Stay Connected

BEREA, Ohio Disorderly conduct: Barrett Road A Berea man, 46, was cited at about 2:30 a.m. Nov. 29 after he yelled profanities at police from his eighth-floor apartment in Tower in the Park, 55 Barrett Road. Police were at the intersection of Barrett and West Bagley Road investigating a crash. A vehicle had slammed into a utility pole. Suddenly, police heard someone yelling, “(Fudge) you,” from a distance. The yeller also called police idiots. Police looked around and determined that the yeller was in the area of Tower in the Park. They yelled back at the man to stop yelling. The man laughed loudly and continuing yelling profanities. A Tower in the Park tenant called police to complain about the man yelling. He told police where the man lived. Police traced the man’s yelling to an apartment on the eighth floor of Tower in the Park. When he answered the door for police, he denied yelling at them, saying he had been sleeping. The man appeared to be under the influence of a stimulant. After police cited him, the yelling stopped. Disorderly conduct: North Quarry Lane An intoxicated Broadview Heights woman, 60, was arrested at about 7:30 p.m. Nov. 28 after police found her lying on a walking path along North Quarry Lane near South Rocky River Drive. The woman was unable to remember her last name or Social Security number. Police recognized her from previous incidents. Illegal dumping: West Bagley Road An unidentified person dumped parts of a broken pool table, vacuum cleaners and other household items into and next to a dumpster Dec. 2 behind Cornerstone Dentistry, 1497 W. Bagley Road. Security video showed a pickup truck entering the Cornerstone parking lot at about 3:15 a.m. After throwing the items into the dumpster, the person drove away. Theft: West Bagley Road An unidentified man stole a reusable grocery bag containing merchandise at about 2 p.m. Nov. 29 from Second Mile Outreach, 480 W. Bagley Road. A worker at the thrift store saw it happen and called police. After stealing the bag, the man climbed into a Nissan and drove away. Theft: Fuller Street Two unlocked bicycles were stolen between 8 p.m. Nov. 30 and 10 a.m. Dec. 1 from the driveway of a home on Fuller Street. Theft: Barrett Road An unidentified woman stole packages at about 1 a.m. Nov. 25 from the mail room at Tower in the Park, 55 Barrett Road. The theft was captured on security video. RECOMMENDED • cleveland .com North Royalton woman arrested in connection with shoplifting, vehicle crash in Berea & Middleburg Heights Dec. 5, 2024, 3:48 p.m. Girl’s arm broken during scuffle at Berea park Dec. 5, 2024, 4:03 p.m. After stealing the packages, the woman walked out of the apartment building. A Tower in the Park staff member didn’t believe the woman was a tenant and thought that she was visiting someone. Read more from the News Sun .Georgian police fired tear gas to disperse thousands of pro-EU demonstrators on Monday, who had rallied in the center of Tbilisi amid a deepening political crisis in the Black Sea nation. The country's prime minister hours earlier had vowed "no negotiations" with the opposition, enraged by the ruling Georgian Dream party's decision to shelve EU accession talks after it claimed victory in an election they decried as fraudulent. The Caucasus country of some 3.7 million has been rocked by turmoil since the Oct. 26 parliamentary elections, with Georgian Dream facing accusations of betraying the country's long-standing ambition of joining the EU and moving Tbilisi closer to Moscow. Opposition lawmakers are boycotting the country's parliament and the pro-EU president is seeking to throw out the election results in the constitutional court. Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze refused any potential negotiations with the opposition, as Monday marked five consecutive nights of clashes between protesters and riot police outside the parliament in central Tbilisi. Thousands of demonstrators, waving Georgian and EU flags and shouting "Georgia," were on the streets again, including in the second city of Batumi, to protest the government's decision to suspend EU accession talks. Police quickly moved in to disperse the crowds, firing tear gas at protestors, some of whom had launched fireworks at the police, who later regathered a few kilometers from the parliament building. 'No revolution' Kobakhidze claimed on Monday that the protests were "funded from abroad" and vowed "there will be no revolution in Georgia." He also lambasted Western countries for failing to condemn "organized violence" by protesters, as they have criticized excessive force by Georgian police. Those on the streets of Tbilisi said they were just as defiant about not backing down. "We don't care about their orders, they are breaking the law every day," Giorgi, 35, told AFP. "We have to stand here and protest against this dictatorship that is coming," he added. An AFP reporter saw several dozen young protestors standing still in front of a wall of masked riot police, singing the Georgian national anthem. Others took refuge in a church opposite the parliament while hundreds were hit by tear gas. Rights groups and pro-EU President Salome Zurabishvili have slammed the police's forceful crackdown over the last week. Zurabishvili, who backs what she calls a "resistance movement" against Georgian Dream, said Monday that those detained by police "have been subjected to systematic beatings." The "majority of the arrested protesters have injuries to their heads and faces, broken face bones, eye sockets, open wounds," she said. Authorities are accusing the protesters of turning violent and endangering public safety. 'Top priority' Dozens have been injured in the protests since Thursday including demonstrators, police and journalists, according to officials and activists, though the exact numbers were unclear. Some protesters have launched fireworks towards police, started fires and thrown projectiles, while police have been seen charging into and forcibly detaining protesters. Authorities have also deployed water cannon, tear gas and rubber bullets against the crowds. More than 200 were detained during the first four nights of protest, the interior ministry said. Tbilisi has seen numerous bouts of protest over the past two years, as the Georgian Dream party has pushed through legislation targeting civil society, independent media and the LGBTQ+ community. Brussels has warned those policies are incompatible with membership of the bloc. Georgia's constitution commits the country to seeking membership in the European Union, and opinion polls have regularly shown 80% of the country in favor. The prime minister has said that joining the bloc "by 2030" is still his "top priority," a claim not accepted by demonstrators angry at the formal shelving of talks. On Monday the premier said the government would make "maximum efforts" to join the EU, despite ruling out talks on accession for the next four years. He said he had discussed EU integration with Georgian diplomats earlier that day. Zurabishvili has asked the constitutional court to annul the election result, declaring the new parliament and government "illegitimate." Critics accuse Georgian Dream, in power for more than a decade, of having steered the country away from the European Union and closer to Russia, an accusation it denies. Russia on Monday defended Georgia's crackdown on protesters. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Tbilisi is acting to "stabilize" the situation, accusing protesters of wanting to "stir up" unrest. Peskov said he drew a "direct parallel" with Ukraine's 2014 Maidan protest, which ousted a Kremlin-backed leader who reneged on an EU partnership agreement.LOS ANGELES — Christmas could come early this year for anyone playing Tuesday’s Mega Millions jackpot worth an estimated $970 million. The odds of winning the jackpot are 1 in 302 million, according to lottery organizers, and the last jackpot was won in Texas on Sept. 10 for $810 million. Tuesday’s drawing is at 8 p.m. Pacific time. If there is a winner or winners on Tuesday, they will claim a portion of the seventh-largest prize in Mega Millions history. Only three tickets won the Mega Millions jackpot this year, the fewest since the multistate game launched in 2002. There have been 13 jackpot winners in December in the game’s history, but only one winning ticket was pulled on Christmas Eve — in 2002. That winning ticket was sold in New York for a $68-million prize that ultimately went unclaimed, according to the lottery organizers. While some people swear by their lucky numbers, there is little rhyme or reason behind purchasing a winning ticket. That being said, there are some locations that have sold more winning tickets than others. The California Lottery lists “Lucky Store” locations on its website . Bluebird Liquor in Hawthorne has a long, storied history of selling winning tickets to SoCal residents . Since 2021, the liquor store has sold four winning Powerball and four Mega Millions tickets, according to data from the California Lottery. Joe’s Service Center in Altadena sold a winning ticket for a $2-billion Powerball prize in November 2022 . Las Palmitas Mini Market in downtown Los Angeles sold a winning ticket that won a $1.08-billion prize in June 2023 . Mega Millions is played in 45 states as well as Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

New Delhi: Many adults and youngsters spend nearly a third of their time awake hooked to smartphones—an addiction phonemakers are trying to tackle by incorporating features that allow users to meaningfully take time off from their screens. Smartphone brands such as Vivo, Oppo and HMD have recognized the need for digital detox as a business opportunity, building strategies to cater to a growing preference for switching off—such as Zen Mode by OnePlus. Vivo, in fact, published a study earlier this month on the impact of smartphones on parent-child relationships. It found parents spend 5.5 hours and children about 4.5 hours on their phones each day, with social media and entertainment consuming a majority of this time. Vivo found that about 64% of the children who participated in its study felt they were addicted to their phones. About “73% of parents and 69% of children identify excessive smartphone usage as a major source of conflict," Vivo said in its report. A majority of the children surveyed—94%—said their parents’ smartphones should only include essential features such as calling, messaging and camera—excluding gaming and social media. Additionally, 66% of the children expressed willingness to leave social media if their friends did too, while one in three wished certain social media apps had never been invented. Also, 57% of the parents surveyed said that the first and last thing they saw soon after waking up and before going to bed was their smartphone. About 84% of the parents and 76% of the children that were part of the study said they aspired to build deeper connections and create meaningful moments by turning off their smartphones—in other words, a digital detox. Analysts tracking the sector say the need for digital detox has emerged from the excessive use of data on smartphones. This is largely owing to low-cost data plans being made available in the country, distinctly different from developed markets where data plans are high-cost and data usage is accordingly low. “The average time spent on smartphones has increased from 2-3 hours in 2015-16 to 4-5 hours today with a far younger user profile keen on building and boosting their digital presence," said Tarun Pathak, research director at Counterpoint Research. “The phenomenon is on the rise in the West, which is leading to the rise in use of featurephones with limited app functionality, which we’re yet to see in India. Perhaps we will see this becoming more mainstream in 2026," Pathak added. Detox mode or featurephone? Meanwhile, smartphone brands are introducing optional detox features on their devices. Some featurephone makers even go so far as to claim that the answer to digital detoxing is a 2G handset. “We have introduced Detox Mode on our HMD Skyline smartphones—a user-friendly feature designed to help individuals take intentional breaks from their devices," said Ravi Kunwar, chief executive and vice president, India and Asia-Pacific, at HMD, a Finnish company that sells smartphones under both HMD and Nokia brands. “Detox Mode allows users to temporarily hide their most distracting apps with just three simple clicks, enabling them to focus on work, spend quality time with loved ones, or recharge without constant digital interruptions." Kunwar added that Nokia and HMD featurephones were also evolving to include features such as UPI payments and improved usability. This, he said, would provide users with essential tools and reduce dependency on smartphones, making digital detox more accessible and convenient. “Technology should benefit mankind," added Peter Dohyung Lee, head of product strategy at OPPO, on the company’s plans to cater to the growing need for digital or smartphone detox. “We know it’s a long journey with constant fine-tuning." Vivo, on the other hand, has partnered with Catherine Price, the founder of Screen/Life Balance and the author of . Price has created a list of suggestions and advice for users to inculcate healthier smartphone habits. “All our devices come equipped with robust digital wellbeing tools, where users have the option to set time limits on apps, switch to do-not-disturb, designate focus modes, and set screen-time reminders," a spokesperson for Vivo said in response to ’s queries.The Duckhorn Portfolio Announces Fiscal First Quarter 2025 Financial Results

It looked like a recipe for disaster. So, when his country's swimmers were being accused of doping earlier this year, one Chinese official cooked up something fast. He blamed it on contaminated noodles. In fact, he argued, it could have been a culinary conspiracy concocted by criminals, whose actions led to the cooking wine used to prepare the noodles being laced with a banned heart drug that found its way into an athlete's system. This theory was spelled out to international anti-doping officials during a meeting and, after weeks of wrangling, finally made it into the thousands of pages of data handed over to the lawyer who investigated the case involving 23 Chinese swimmers who had tested positive for that same drug. The attorney, appointed by the World Anti-Doping Agency, refused to consider that scenario as he sifted through the evidence. In spelling out his reasoning, lawyer Eric Cottier paid heed to the half-baked nature of the theory. "The Investigator considers this scenario, which he has described in the conditional tense, to be possible, no less, no more," Cottier wrote. Even without the contaminated-noodles theory, Cottier found problems with the way WADA and the Chinese handled the case but ultimately determined WADA had acted reasonably in not appealing China's conclusion that its athletes had been inadvertently contaminated. Critics of the way the China case was handled can't help but wonder if a wider exploration of the noodle theory, details of which were discovered by The Associated Press via notes and emails from after the meeting where it was delivered, might have lent a different flavor to Cottier's conclusions. "There are more story twists to the ways the Chinese explain the TMZ case than a James Bond movie," said Rob Koehler, the director general of the advocacy group Global Athlete. "And all of it is complete fiction." In April, reporting from the New York Times and the German broadcaster ARD revealed that the 23 Chinese swimmers had tested positive for the banned heart medication trimetazidine, also known as TMZ. China's anti-doping agency determined the athletes had been contaminated, and so, did not sanction them. WADA accepted that explanation, did not press the case further, and China was never made to deliver a public notice about the "no-fault findings," as is often seen in similar cases. The stock explanation for the contamination was that traces of TMZ were found in the kitchen of a hotel where the swimmers were staying. In his 58-page report, Cottier relayed some suspicions about the feasibility of that chain of events — noting that WADA's chief scientist "saw no other solution than to accept it, even if he continued to have doubts about the reality of contamination as described by the Chinese authorities." But without evidence to support pursuing the case, and with the chance of winning an appeal at almost nil, Cottier determined WADA's "decision not to appeal appears indisputably reasonable." A mystery remained: How did those traces of TMZ get into the kitchen? Shortly after the doping positives were revealed, the Institute of National Anti-Doping Organizations held a meeting on April 30 where it heard from the leader of China's agency, Li Zhiquan. Li's presentation was mostly filled with the same talking points that have been delivered throughout the saga — that the positive tests resulted from contamination from the kitchen. But he expanded on one way the kitchen might have become contaminated, harkening to another case in China involving a low-level TMZ positive. A pharmaceutical factory, he explained, had used industrial alcohol in the distillation process for producing TMZ. The industrial alcohol laced with the drug "then entered the market through illegal channels," he said. The alcohol "was re-used by the perpetrators to process and produce cooking wine, which is an important seasoning used locally to make beef noodles," Li said. "The contaminated beef noodles were consumed by that athlete, resulting in an extremely low concentration of TMZ in the positive sample. "The wrongdoers involved have been brought to justice." This new information raised eyebrows among the anti-doping leaders listening to Li's report. So much so that over the next month, several emails ensued to make sure the details about the noodles and wine made their way to WADA lawyers, who could then pass it onto Cottier. Eventually, Li did pass on the information to WADA general counsel Ross Wenzel and, just to be sure, one of the anti-doping leaders forwarded it, as well, according to the emails seen by the AP. All this came with Li's request that the noodles story be kept confidential. Turns out, it made it into Cottier's report, though he took the information with a grain of salt. "Indeed, giving it more attention would have required it to be documented, then scientifically verified and validated," he wrote. Neither Wenzel nor officials at the Chinese anti-doping agency returned messages from AP asking about the noodles conspiracy and the other athlete who Li suggested had been contaminated by them. Meanwhile, 11 of the swimmers who originally tested positive competed at the Paris Games earlier this year in a meet held under the cloud of the Chinese doping case. Though WADA considers the case closed, Koehler and others point to situations like this as one of many reasons that an investigation by someone other than Cottier, who was hired by WADA, is still needed. "It gives the appearance that people are just making things up as they go along on this, and hoping the story just goes away," Koehler said. "Which clearly it has not." Get local news delivered to your inbox!

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US left facing a difficult situation in Syria as rebels make massive advances against Assad regimeShare Tweet Share Share Email Back in November 2016, Jack Maddox, a science teacher from Wyoming, was drawn into the domain of cryptocurrencies after overhearing a student discussion. Intrigued, he decided to explore further, leading to a decisive move that would dramatically alter his financial future. With an initial investment of $500, Jack placed his bet on Stellar (XLM), driven by strong Stellar price predictions and a personal goal to establish a children’s science center in his community. A year later, Stellar’s value skyrocketed, netting Jack $185,000. Buoyed by this success, he ventured into the Shiba Inu (SHIB) rally with a $1,000 investment, which ballooned into $7.9 million in less than a year. With these extraordinary gains, Jack not only realized his dream of building a science center but also ventured into angel investing to support budding entrepreneurs. Motivated by the returns from Stellar’s price prediction and the Shiba Inu (SHIB) rally, Jack now believes BlockDAG (BDAG) could be the best crypto to buy in 2024, offering potential returns akin to his previous returns. Jack’s Multi-Million Journey: Stellar Beginnings and SHIB Success Jack’s foray into crypto began with a strategic $500 investment in Stellar (XLM) in 2016, when it was priced at merely $0.001811 per coin. Convinced of its potential despite market doubts, he saw Stellar’s price prediction as a promising opportunity, purchasing 276,000 XLM coins. After diligently monitoring Stellar’s progress for over a year, its price climbed to $0.6721 by early 2018, transforming his modest investment into $185,000. While it wasn’t enough to fully fund his science center, it helped him eliminate his debt. In 2021, Jack took a chance on Shiba Inu (SHIB) at its inception, priced incredibly low at $0.00000001. He invested $1,000, catching the Shiba Inu (SHIB) rally at the perfect moment. Within eight months, SHIB’s price jumped to $0.00007923, turning his investment into a staggering $7.9 million. Having achieved his initial dream and empowered others through angel investing, Jack’s experiences with the Stellar price prediction and the Shiba Inu (SHIB) rally have now inspired him to explore opportunities with BlockDAG, anticipating it could mirror the financial successes of his past ventures. BlockDAG’s $20 Projection: Perfect Opportunity for Traders Like Jack Jack Maddox, previously inspired by the Stellar price prediction and the Shiba Inu (SHIB) rally, now sees similar potential in BlockDAG, a burgeoning force in the blockchain domain. Within less than a year, BlockDAG has amassed over $172 million, issued more than 17.5 billion BDAG coins, and yielded an astonishing 22400% ROI for early adopters. Its use of Directed Acyclic Graph (DAG) technology facilitates concurrent transaction processing, effectively addressing the scalability challenges that traditional blockchains face. For cryptocurrency enthusiasts like Jack, BlockDAG offers an exceptional prospect. Market analysts anticipate BDAG could reach a valuation of $20 per coin by 2027. With Jack’s upcoming strategy of contributing $10,000 at the current presale price of $0.0234, his stake could potentially escalate to an impressive $8.5 million. This growth prospect positions BlockDAG as one of the best crypto to buy in 2024 . Community Engagement & AMAs: Catalysts for BlockDAG’s Ascension A defining trait of BlockDAG is its steadfast dedication to community engagement. Through regular AMAs (Ask Me Anything), the project ensures transparency and keeps its community informed and involved. BlockDAG enriches its community with attractive opportunities like the BDAG400 offer, which consists of a five-tiered bonus system that escalates rewards for participants. Starting with a 250% bonus on the first purchase and a 270% on the second, the scheme intensifies engagement. Further bonuses are cleverly concealed within mystery chests, enhancing rewards for ongoing involvement. This strategy not only echoes the fervor observed during the Shiba Inu rally but also strengthens BlockDAG’s standing as a user-centric project poised for widespread adoption. The Bottom Line Jack Maddox’s evolution from a high school teacher to a crypto millionaire exemplifies the transformative impact of strategic early investments. His successful ventures guided by Stellar’s price prediction and participation in the Shiba Inu (SHIB) rally have afforded him financial independence and the means to pursue his passions. Now, Jack is convinced that BlockDAG holds the potential for similarly transformative returns. With its pioneering technology, growing community, and impressive presale achievements, BlockDAG is stirring excitement akin to what once boosted Stellar and Shiba Inu. For those aiming to emulate Jack’s financial success, BlockDAG presents as the best crypto to buy in 2024. However, this opportunity is fleeting—interested parties should act swiftly to seize this promising venture. Presale: https://purchase.blockdag.network Website: https://blockdag.network Telegram: https://t.me/blockDAGnetworkOfficial Discord: https://discord.gg/Q7BxghMVyu Related Items: BlockDAG , press release Share Tweet Share Share Email Recommended for you How Stellar’s Forecast & SHIB’s Surge Changed a Teacher’s Life—Is BlockDAG His Next Win? BlockDAG’s X1 Miner App Crosses 300K Users, Stealing the Spotlight as BNB Price Targets $3K – What’s Next for XRP? BlockDAG Now Offers $30M in Grants for Remarkable dApp Development – Plus, Updates on Cronos & Render Prices Comments

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It’s that time of year when proposed budget numbers get floated for towns and school boards to consider, with details now being presented in workshops for the weeks ahead. That includes Londonderry, where the budget work is underway to study all things in the school district and where money can be best spent while striving to keep taxpayers and their wallets happy. Superintendent Dan Black presented his hundreds of pages outlining his fiscal 2026 budget proposal before the school board at a meeting on Nov. 26, an early look at some numbers and how money might be spent in the most fiscally responsible way possible. Black’s proposed $89,116,875 number is a responsible one, he said at the meeting. That number does not include any warrant articles that may appear on the ballot next March. How to bring full-day kindergarten to town remains a priority, officials said. In addition to kindergarten, it’s also a hope to convince voters to approve a plan that includes bringing the district’s school administrative offices to a new location so as not to have to continue to pay to lease space on Kitty Hawk Landing. Last year, a warrant article had asked voters to approve a $34.2 million project to expand Moose Hill, but failed to pass at the polls. Now updated plans for how to move forward will be proposed to voters at the polls next March, a more pared down project that could cost less. Black said the proposed numbers are less than last year, but still maintain the quality of education in Londonderry for its students. “It’s a very solid plan,” Black said at the meeting. The superintendent said he is optimistic about how voters will receive the updated Moose Hill full-day kindergarten and SAU office plan. Black said the budget numbers he put forward showed ways to find efficiency with personnel, shifting programs and staff and making sure all district goals remain intact. There have been “tough” decisions made, the superintendent added. In addition to the proposed operating budget, warrant articles could include several requests that appear every year including money to support buildings and grounds, technology, equipment, and money for vehicles/machinery. Black said he remained very hopeful voters will support the budget and the Moose Hill, full-day kindergarten plan along with a new SAU location project. “I’m planning for a positive vote,” Black said at a recent meeting. And if it didn’t pass, Black said that would be a conversation for next year’s budget process. School board officials along with administration and budget committee members will continue workshops in the weeks ahead prior to finalizing numbers by Jan. 7. Meetings to follow include a public hearing on the budget on Jan. 14; Feb. 7 is the annual Deliberative Session at Londonderry High School and voters head to the polls on March 11. ldnews@unionleader.com

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DENVER — Amid renewed interest in the killing of JonBenet Ramsey triggered in part by a new Netflix documentary, police in Boulder, Colorado, refuted assertions this week that there is viable evidence and leads about the 1996 killing of the 6-year-old girl that they are not pursuing. JonBenet Ramsey, who competed in beauty pageants, was found dead in the basement of her family's home in the college town of Boulder the day after Christmas in 1996. Her body was found several hours after her mother called 911 to say her daughter was missing and a ransom note was left behind. The gravesite of JonBenet Ramsey is covered with flowers Jan. 8, 1997, at St. James Episcopal Cemetery in Marietta, Ga. JonBenet was bludgeoned and strangled. Her death was ruled a homicide, but nobody was ever prosecuted. The details of the crime and video footage of JonBenet competing in pageants propelled the case into one of the highest-profile mysteries in the United States. The police comments came as part of their annual update on the investigation, a month before the 28th anniversary of JonBenet's killing. Police said they released it a little earlier due to the increased attention on the case, apparently referring to the three-part Netflix series "Cold Case: Who Killed JonBenet Ramsey." People are also reading... ‘I don’t care who’s played': Nebraska’s Dana Holgorsen on personnel changes at tight end Search warrants lead to arrest of man in narcotics investigation At the courthouse, Nov. 23, 2024 Blue Springs family to host 2025 Cattleman's Ball La Segoviana finds new home in Court Street Plaza Streaming review: 'Landman' gives Billy Bob Thornton a real gusher of a series Amie Just: Bring out the tissues — and the brooms — for Nebraska volleyball's emotional win Fall Farmers Market and Brunch planned for Saturday Dale G. Lunsford Board of Supervisors denies permit for Filley telecom tower Amie Just: Could the Big 12 be left out of CFP? And, is Ohio State better than Oregon? 'The Message' religious sect sprouts destructive groups across globe They fell in love with Beatrice. So they opened a store in downtown. Video of postgame encounter between Luke Fickell, Donovan Raiola circulates online Courthouse lighting ceremony planned for Sunday In a video statement, Boulder Police Chief Steve Redfearn said the department welcomes news coverage and documentaries about the killing of JonBenet, who would have been 34 this year, as a way to generate possible new leads. He said the department is committed to solving the case but needs to be careful about what it shares about the investigation to protect a possible future prosecution. "What I can tell you though, is we have thoroughly investigated multiple people as suspects throughout the years and we continue to be open-minded about what occurred as we investigate the tips that come in to detectives," he said. The Netflix documentary focuses on the mistakes made by police and the "media circus" surrounding the case. A police officer sits in her cruiser Jan. 3, 1997, outside the home in which 6-year-old JonBenet Ramsey was found murdered Dec. 26, 1996, in Boulder, Colo. Police were widely criticized for mishandling the early investigation into her death amid speculation that her family was responsible. However, a prosecutor cleared her parents, John and Patsy Ramsey, and brother Burke in 2008 based on new DNA evidence from JonBenet's clothing that pointed to the involvement of an "unexplained third party" in her slaying. The announcement by former district attorney Mary Lacy came two years after Patsy Ramsey died of cancer. Lacy called the Ramseys "victims of this crime." John Ramsey continued to speak out for the case to be solved. In 2022, he supported an online petition asking Colorado's governor to intervene in the investigation by putting an outside agency in charge of DNA testing in the case. In the Netflix documentary, he said he advocated for several items that were not prepared for DNA testing to be tested and for other items to be retested. He said the results should be put through a genealogy database. In recent years, investigators identified suspects in unsolved cases by comparing DNA profiles from crime scenes and to DNA testing results shared online by people researching their family trees. In 2021, police said in their annual update that DNA hadn't been ruled out to help solve the case, and in 2022 noted that some evidence could be "consumed" if DNA testing is done on it. Last year, police said they convened a panel of outside experts to review the investigation to give recommendations and determine if updated technologies or forensic testing might produce new leads. In the latest update, Redfearn said that review ended but police continue to work through and evaluate a "lengthy list of recommendations" from the panel. True crime's popularity brings real change for defendants and society. It's not all good TRAVIS LOLLER Associated Press How The Monkees ended up with an FBI File | Late Edition: Crime Beat Chronicles podcast Lee Media Studio 13 min to read Receive the latest in local entertainment news in your inbox weekly!

PHOENIX — The Arizona Department of Public Safety has shared more information on a "well-trained criminal ring" accused of stealing several expensive cars throughout the Valley. Jorge Aguilar, Andrew Reyes, Luis Rodriguez, and Douglas Zelaya were indicted last month for several felony offenses related to stealing high-end vehicles and taking the cars over the border into Mexico. During a press conference on Monday, DPS officials explained how the suspects used a "very sound method" and "sophisticated means" to burglarize vehicles. The operation further involved utilizing technology to start the stolen vehicles and falsifying license plate numbers. The armed suspects were allegedly captured on camera stealing a vehicle outside of a West Valley residence in October. Up to 22 high-end vehicles have been connected to the alleged theft ring, officials said. The cars were collectively worth $1.4 million. The suspects are facing criminal charges of vehicle theft, trafficking stolen property, forgery, criminal impersonation and fraud. Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell said she's committed to holding participants of organized crime accountable in court. "Let me be very clear, my office will not tolerate enterprises that target the hard-working people of Maricopa County," Mitchell said during Monday's press conference. RELATED: 'There’s money all over the street': 2 suspects arrested for stealing $50,000 in cash in West Valley RELATED: 2 people indicted for allegedly defrauding Arizona's school voucher programATLANTA — Even when grappling with a four-game losing streak and the uncertainty generated by quarterback Kirk Cousins' eight interceptions and no touchdown passes in that span, there is some solace for the Atlanta Falcons. Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins walks off the field after throwing an interception during the second half of an NFL football game against the Minnesota Vikings, Sunday, Dec. 8, 2024, in Minneapolis. They play in the NFC South. There is more good news: The Falcons' next two opponents, the Las Vegas Raiders and New York Giants, are tied for the NFL's worst record at 2-11. Coach Raheem Morris says he is sticking with Cousins for next Monday night's game at Las Vegas. Sunday's 42-21 loss at Minnesota dropped Atlanta to 6-7, one game behind Tampa Bay in the NFC South. The Falcons hold the tiebreaker advantage over the Buccaneers, so if they can take advantage of their cushy closing stretch of games that also includes Washington and Carolina, they could salvage their season. "We're right in this thing," right guard Chris Lindstrom said Monday before acknowledging he is "obviously not happy or satisfied with where we're at." Lindstrom said he maintains "the ultimate belief in what we're doing and everything that we have going on and everything is still in front of us." Cousins and the Falcons must solve their red-zone woes to maintain hopes of the team's first playoff appearance since 2017. The Falcons rank eighth in the NFL with 371 yards per game but only 19th with their average of 21.4 points thanks to their persistent problems inside the 20. Even the forgiving NFC South can't make up for the scoring problems caused by penalties, turnovers and other persistent breakdowns. "You can't live with it at all," Morris said Monday when asked about Cousins' recent streak of interceptions. Even so, Cousins remains the starter as first-round draft pick Michael Penix Jr. awaits his opportunity. "It's for sure Kirk is our quarterback but I have no hesitations about what our young man has been doing and how he has been preparing and the things he is ready to do," Morris said. "So if that time ever came I would have a lot of confidence in what Mike is able to do, but Kirk is our quarterback. Kirk is the guy who is going to lead us." With four sacks against the Vikings, the Falcons may have finally solved their longtime pass-rush woes. Atlanta had five sacks in a 17-13 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers on Dec. 1, giving the team back-to-back games with at least four sacks for the first time since 2019. Outside linebacker Arnold Ebiketie had one of Sunday's sacks, giving him four for the season. With nine sacks in the last two games, the Falcons have almost doubled their NFL-low total of 10 through their first 11 games. Even as the pass rush was productive, the Falcons' defense showed a sudden inability to prevent big plays through the air. Atlanta allowed four completions of more than 40 yards as Vikings receivers Jordan Addison and Justin Jefferson combined to catch five scoring passes from Sam Darnold, who did not throw an interception. Morris said the Vikings' strategy was to avoid cornerback A.J. Terrell, "making other people make plays, and we didn't go out there and make them." Running back Tyler Allgeier had nine carries for 63 yards and a touchdown. Even while Bijan Robinson continued to produce with 22 carries for 92 yards and a score, Allgeier re-emerged as a strong complement with his second-highest rushing total of the season. Cousins has an unhealthy ratio of 17 touchdown passes to 15 interceptions. "Kirk was the guy who led us to the 6-3 record," Morris said. "We've got to find a way to get out of the funk. ... For us, it's going to be his opportunity to go out and right the ship and he has earned it." Former Atlanta quarterback Desmond Ridder is expected to start for the Raiders on Monday night after Aidan O'Connell's knee injury in Sunday's 28-13 loss at Tampa Bay. Sent weekly directly to your inbox!ssbet77 legit or not 。

Alice Weidel, the chancellor candidate of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) BERLIN: Alice Weidel , the chancellor candidate of the Alternative for Germany ( AfD ), is an unlikely public face for a male-dominated, anti-immigration far-right party that depicts itself as a defender of traditional family values and ordinary people. The 45-year-old is raising two sons with a Sri Lankan-born woman, a filmmaker, and speaks fluent Mandarin, having done a doctorate in economics in China. A west German leading a party that is strongest in the former communist East, she worked for Goldman Sachs and Allianz Global Investors and as a freelance business consultant before entering politics. Weidel's unusual profile, however, is precisely what makes her an asset to the AfD, say political analysts, lending a party that is suspected by authorities of being antidemocratic a veneer of well-heeled liberal respectability. She comes across as more poised and competent on various topics than some of her colleagues, they say. Her critics call her a ruthless opportunist and a "wolf in sheep's clothing". "Weidel is someone who can appeal to a broader public than the typical AfD constituency, to the middle class bourgeoisie", said Oliver Lembcke, political scientist at the University of Bochum. "She seems like the adult in the room among all these lunatics and extremists." As AfD co-leader, Weidel has overseen a surge in support for the party in recent years, benefiting from frustration with Chancellor Olaf Scholz's fractious coalition whose collapse is set to result in a Feb. 23 snap election. The party is polling in second place on around 17%, after the conservatives on 33% but well ahead of Chancellor Olaf Scholz's Social Democrats on 15%, the Greens on 14% and the pro-market Free Democrats (FDP) on 4%. This is the first time the AfD has nominated a chancellor candidate and Weidel has already acknowledged it is unlikely to enter government for now, given other parties refuse to work with it. Weidel expects this firewall to crumble by the 2029 election as voters clearly want a right-wing coalition, she told German outlet Compact. "That will be the decisive year for the AfD," said Weidel, sporting her trademark dark suit, white shirt and pearls, with her blonde hair tied back in a bun. NAZI GRANDFATHER Weidel describes her upbringing as "highly political", although her parents did not belong to any party. Her paternal grandfather had been a prominent Nazi judge, Die Welt newspaper reported last month, and the family was expelled from Silesia, now in Poland, after World War Two. The youngest of three, she recalls getting into trouble at school for being too argumentative as well as having uncomfortable encounters with Middle Eastern immigrants living in social housing in her west German town. "You don't enjoy going to the outdoor pool anymore as a teenager when people are always calling you "slut" or somesuch," she told WeltWoche. After getting two university studies in parallel, in business and economics, she joined Goldman Sachs, grew bored and moved to China to do a doctorate on the Chinese pension system while working as a business consultant. Weidel joined the AfD in 2013 over her opposition to bailouts during the euro zone crisis - before the party shifted rightwards to focus more on fighting immigration. Her status in the party cost Weidel her friendship circle, prompting the family to move towns, she told Weltwoche. An economic liberal, Weidel claims late British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher as her role model and wants Germany to push for a Brexit-style referendum on EU membership if it is unable to sufficiently reform the bloc to fix its "democratic deficit". A climate change sceptic, she wants to lower taxes, end the minimum wage, slim down the state and end the costly shift to a carbon neutral economy. She has also called for much tighter restrictions on immigration, tapping into a well of discontent in Germany with the large-scale arrivals from the Middle East in recent years. "Burqas, girls in headscarves, knife-wielding men on government benefits and other good-for-nothing people are not going to ensure our prosperity," Weidel told parliament in 2018 in a speech that also referenced "The Great Replacement" conspiracy theory popular among white nationalists. Versatility Her strength lies in her versatility, said Hans Vorlaender, a political scientist at Dresden University of Technology. She acts as a "moderating, well-mannered bourgeois politician" for established media, but then knows exactly how to reach her more extremist clientele elsewhere, in particular on social media. Weidel has acknowledged some friction over her personal lifestyle in a party that opposes gay marriage and expanding laws to allow same-sex couples to adopt. But she mostly does not focus on the issue of her identity - refusing to be called queer - and is adept at dealing with different wings of the party in order to maintain her position of power, tolerating rather than reining in the more extremist factions, said Lembcke. When same-sex marriage became law in Germany in 2017, she dismissed the matter as trivial compared to issues like mass migration. That same year Weidel said she was in the AfD "not despite her homosexuality but because of it" as it was the only party to address the issue of Muslim immigrants' hostility towards homosexuals, according to the Frankfurter Allgemeine newspaper.Delaware judge strikes down Elon Musk’s Tesla pay package for 2nd time

Tumor Resection at American Hospital Dubai Using Novarad's VisAR Navigation System a brain tumor was successfully resected. The VisAR system, known for its cutting-edge image placement, continuous registration, and instrument tracking capabilities, played a pivotal role in the successful resection of this complex tumor. By providing real-time 3D visualization of the tumor and surrounding blood vessels, the system allowed Dr. Dolati and his team to achieve precise navigation and ensure the highest level of safety throughout the procedure. Dr. Dolati shared his experience, stating, "I compared this amazing navigation system with Medtronic and I reached the same accuracy with a significantly higher number of options in terms of real-time window leveling, 3D visualization of the tumor, and blood vessels." He further praised the VisAR system's ability to enhance decision-making, particularly when dealing with such a delicate and complex surgery. This collaboration between Novarad and American Hospital Dubai highlights the hospital's commitment to pioneering new technologies and improving patient outcomes. By embracing the VisAR system, surgeons have access to real-time, highly detailed visualizations, improving precision and reducing the risks associated with challenging surgeries. The successful procedure continues to advance healthcare for both Novarad and American Hospital Dubai, demonstrating the potential of augmented reality in surgical navigation. The hospital continues to lead in adopting cutting-edge technologies to provide state-of-the-art care to its patients. About Novarad Novarad is a leading provider of innovative medical imaging solutions, committed to improving patient care and advancing healthcare technologies worldwide. With a focus on augmented reality and cutting-edge visualization tools, Novarad continues to set new standards in surgical navigation and medical imaging. Attachment Tumor Resection at American Hospital Dubai CONTACT: Novarad Corporation [email protected]

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia’s jailed ex-leader Najib Razak began his defence Monday against graft charges tied to more than $500 million in alleged bribes and several counts of money laundering, saying they were “politically motivated”. The former prime minister, already serving a six-year jail term for corruption related to the plunder of sovereign wealth fund 1MDB, faces several other cases linked to the financial scandal that led to his defeat in 2018 elections. Taking the witness stand, Najib told the court: “The charges against me are politically motivated.” The case involves 2.27 billion ringgit ($510 million) in alleged bribes and 21 counts of money laundering. If convicted, Najib faces hefty fines and sentences of up to 20 years for each count of abuse of power. Dressed in a navy blue suit with matching tie, the 71-year-old coughed throughout his opening statement. His wife Rosmah Mansor sat in the public gallery. The case involves Tanore Finance Corp, which US authorities have said was used to siphon money from 1MDB. It was allegedly used to channel money to Najib’s personal bank account. Najib issued an apology in October that the 1MDB scandal happened during his tenure, but maintained he had no knowledge of illegal transfers from the now-defunct state fund. His lead lawyer, Muhammad Shafee Abdullah, has said they were “more determined” than ever to fight the case. During Monday’s proceedings, Justice Collin Lawrence Sequerah granted Najib’s request to read aloud his entire witness statement — which runs to 525 pages. Graft probes globally Allegations that billions of dollars were pilfered from investment vehicle 1MDB and used to buy everything from a superyacht to artwork played a major role in prompting voters to oust Najib and the long-ruling United Malays National Organization party in the 2018 elections. The 1MDB scandal sparked investigations in the United States, Switzerland and Singapore, where the funds were allegedly laundered. The US Justice Department has said more than $4.5 billion was stolen from 1MDB between 2009 and 2015 by high-level officials at the fund and their associates. Najib began serving a 12-year jail term in August 2022 for offences linked to the misuse of public money from former 1MDB unit SRC International. The sentence was later halved by Malaysia’s pardons board. Since then, Najib has won some legal victories. On Nov 27, a Malaysian court allowed corruption charges in one of the five cases linked to 1MDB to be dropped against him. Another charge of audit tampering ended with an acquittal in 2023. Separately, the Court of Appeal will on Thursday hear Najib’s challenge against a lower court’s refusal to hear his request for house arrest. — AFPBy KAITLYN HUAMANI The commencement of the holiday season often means the lengthening of to-do lists. There are lights to hang, cards to mail , cookies to bake and, of course, gifts to buy . Gift exchanges, whether they’re among friends, family or co-workers, can be a fun way to get in the holiday spirit. But can also be another stressor during a busy time of year. Secret Santa exchanges — where participants are assigned a gift recipient and tasked with finding them a perfect present within a price limit — sometimes mean that those in friend groups are paired with “frenemies,” someone inevitably draws themselves, or colleagues who are virtually strangers are matched up. Those possible pitfalls inspired Peter Imburg to create Elfster , a free online Secret Santa organizer, after he saw the time and effort it took to coordinate the logistics of a gift exchange with his family over 20 years ago. More top-down organization, he says, helps things run more smoothly. Elfster, for instance, creates pairings, asks for wish lists, offers gift suggestions at different price points and sends reminders, among other features meant to make the organizational hurdles of a gift exchange less daunting. “The organizer is like the hero. They make it all happen,” Imburg said, adding that his site aims “to make it a lot easier for the organizer to do that with a minimal amount of effort.” Cameron Rogers, a New Jersey-based social media content creator and podcast host on wellness and motherhood, understands the stress that gift exchanges can bring up. “Having to give generic gifts to people I’m not necessarily close with is extremely difficult,” Rogers said. “I can pick a good gift for my husband or my kids or my mom, but for people who I don’t know the ins and outs of their lives, I think it’s hard to pick something that you know they’re actually going to enjoy.” Related Articles Health | Words on ammo in CEO shooting echo common phrase on insurer tactics: Delay, deny, defend Health | Nursing homes fell behind on vaccinating patients for COVID Health | A twice-yearly shot could help end AIDS. But will it get to everyone who needs it? Health | States poised to end coverage for millions if Trump cuts Medicaid funding Health | Tower Health announces leadership transition She recently shared a guide to Secret Santa gifts under $50 on her social media channels, emphasizing how challenging it can be to find something within a set price range that will be well-received. Gifts with a specific purpose — kitchen gadgets, home items or winter gear — and gifts that have a personalized aspect like a monogram are good go-to options for anyone feeling lost after receiving their Secret Santa assignment, she said. Imburg said the “gift gurus” at Elfster also have suggestions, especially for recipients who aren’t offering any clues as to what they’d like. In a similar vein as Rogers, the Elfster team offered ideas for some practical gifts, like water bottles, blankets and massage guns. Other no-nonsense home and kitchen items, like food storage containers, charging stations and more are featured on the site’s “Top Trending Gift Ideas for 2024” list. Gift cards, although they are not particularly glamorous, are an essentially foolproof option, Rogers said, and they won’t leave your recipient wondering where they’ll find room on their shelf for another mug or book. “I don’t want to give someone something solely to check a box,” Rogers said. “I want them to enjoy it, instead of being like, ‘What do I do with this now?’” Some gift-givers find that Secret Santa (and its many counterparts like White Elephant and Yankee Swap) actually cuts down on stress and spending, as it’s often done in place of giving individual presents to each member of a group. Nicole Troiano of Cranston, Rhode Island, finds them to be a fun way to handle holidays with large groups — even if co-workers may need to ask around to get specifics on their assigned person. “It’s fun to do it that way and think about something that would be good for that person,” she said. “And then, when they open it, they’re like, ‘Oh my God!’” By the weekend after Thanksgiving, Troiano had already purchased and wrapped her gift for the exchange she’s taking part in this year. After her swap, a lucky participant will be the new owner of a cutting board, two bottles of wine wearing bottle-size ugly sweaters, and gourmet chocolates.Kentucky Sen. Mitch McConnell chooses to steer ‘urgent mission’ on defense spending

BERLIN (AP) — Tech entrepreneur Elon Musk caused uproar after backing Germany’s far-right party in a major newspaper ahead of key parliamentary elections in the Western European country, leading to the resignation of the paper’s opinion editor in protest. Germany is to vote in an early election on Feb. 23 after Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s three-party governing coalition collapsed last month in a dispute over how to revitalize the country’s stagnant economy. Musk's guest opinion piece for Welt am Sonntag —a sister publication of POLITICO owned by the Axel Springer Group — published in German over the weekend, was the second time this month he supported the Alternative for Germany, or AfD. “The Alternative for Germany (AfD) is the last spark of hope for this country," Musk wrote in his translated commentary. He went on to say the far-right party “can lead the country into a future where economic prosperity, cultural integrity and technological innovation are not just wishes, but reality.” The Tesla Motors CEO also wrote that his investment in Germany gave him the right to comment on the country's condition. The AfD is polling strongly, but its candidate for the top job, Alice Weidel , has no realistic chance of becoming chancellor because other parties refuse to work with the far-right party. An ally of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, the technology billionaire challenged in his opinion piece the party's public image. “The portrayal of the AfD as right-wing extremist is clearly false, considering that Alice Weidel, the party’s leader, has a same-sex partner from Sri Lanka! Does that sound like Hitler to you? Please!” Musk’s commentary has led to a debate in German media over the boundaries of free speech, with the paper's own opinion editor announcing her resignation, pointedly on Musk's social media platform, X. “I always enjoyed leading the opinion section of WELT and WAMS. Today an article by Elon Musk appeared in Welt am Sonntag. I handed in my resignation yesterday after it went to print," Eva Marie Kogel wrote. A critical article by the future editor-in-chief of the Welt group, Jan Philipp Burgard, accompanied Musk’s opinion piece. “Musk’s diagnosis is correct, but his therapeutic approach, that only the AfD can save Germany, is fatally wrong,” Burgard wrote. Responding to a request for comment from the German Press Agency, dpa, the current editor-in-chief of the Welt group, Ulf Poschardt, and Burgard — who is due to take over on Jan. 1 — said in a joint statement that the discussion over Musk's piece was "very insightful. Democracy and journalism thrive on freedom of expression.” “This will continue to determine the compass of the “world” in the future. We will develop “Die Welt” even more decisively as a forum for such debates,” they wrote to dpa.CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (AP) — Kylan Boswell had 18 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists and Tomislav Ivisic scored 23 points to lead No. 24 Illinois to a 117-64 victory over winless Chicago State on Sunday. Boswell was one assist shy of his first triple-double and got it with a pass that set up Keaton Kutcher’s 3-pointer with 1:47 left. It was the seventh triple-double in program history. Dre Gibbs-Lawhorn scored 16 points, Kasparas Jakucionis had 14, Will Riley had 13 and Morez Johnson Jr. had 11 points and eight rebounds for the Illini (9-3). Gabe Spinelli, son of first-year Chicago State coach Scott Spinelli, led the Cougars (0-15) with 20 points and Noble Crawford scored 15. Illinois led 60-24 at halftime and built its lead to as many as 58 points in the second half. Illinois: This wasn’t much of a test for the Illini, who were facing a winless team that doesn’t have a player averaging in double figures and gives up 83 points per game. But it gave them a chance to shake off the rust from having a week off following their Braggin’ Rights win over Missouri on Dec. 21. Chicago State: It was another bad day for the Cougars, who were outrebounded 47-23, committed 15 turnovers and shot 37%. On a positive note, they were 4 for 4 at the free-throw line. A 14-point run over a 2 1/2-minute stretch early in the first half extended an 8-7 Illinois lead to 22-7 and propelled the Illini to the lopsided win. The Illini shoot a lot of 3s. They came into the day averaging 32 per game, No. 6 in the nation, and went 15 for 33. Illinois plays Thursday at No. 9 Oregon. Chicago State plays Friday at Wagner. Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here . AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball

LONDON (AP) — A woman who claimed mixed martial arts fighter Conor McGregor “brutally raped and battered” her in a Dublin hotel penthouse was awarded nearly 250,000 Euros (US$257,000) on Friday by a civil court jury in Ireland. Nikita Hand said the December 9, 2018, assault after a night of partying left her heavily bruised and suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. McGregor testified that he never forced the woman to do anything against her will and said she fabricated the allegations after the two had consensual sex. His lawyer had called Hand a gold digger. The fighter, once the face of the Ultimate Fighting Championship but now past his prime, shook his head as the jury of eight women and four men found him liable for assault after deliberating about six hours in the High Court in Dublin. He was mobbed by cameras as he left court but did not comment. He later said on the social platform X that he would appeal the verdict and the “modest award.” Hand's voice cracked and her hands trembled as she read a statement outside the courthouse, saying she would never forget what happened to her but would now be able to move on with her life. She thanked her family, partner, friends, jurors, the judge and all the supporters that had reached out to her online, but particularly her daughter. “She has given me so much strength and courage over the last six years throughout this nightmare to keep on pushing forward for justice,” she said. “I want to show (her) and every other girl and boy that you can stand up for yourself if something happens to you, no matter who the person is, and justice will be served.” The Associated Press generally does not name alleged victims of sexual violence unless they come forward publicly, as Hand has done. Under Irish law, she did not have the anonymity she would have been granted in a criminal proceeding and was named publicly throughout the trial. Her lawyer told jurors that McGregor was angry about a fight he had lost in Las Vegas two months earlier and took it out on his client. “He's not a man, he's a coward,” attorney John Gordon said in his closing speech. “A devious coward and you should treat him for what he is.” Gordon said his client never pretended to be a saint and was only looking to have fun when she sent McGregor a message through Instagram after attending a Christmas party. He said Hand knew McGregor socially and that they had grown up in the same area. She said he picked her and a friend up in a car and shared cocaine with them, which McGregor admitted in court, on the way to the Beacon Hotel. Hand said she told McGregor she didn't want to have sex with him and that she was menstruating. She said she told him “no” as he started kissing her but he eventually pinned her to a bed and she couldn't move. McGregor put her in a chokehold and later told her, “now you know how I felt in the octagon where I tapped out three times,” referring to a UFC match when he had to admit defeat, she said. Hand had to take several breaks in emotional testimony over three days. She said McGregor threatened to kill her during the encounter and she feared she would never see her young daughter again. Eventually, he let go of her. “I remember saying I was sorry, as I felt that I did something wrong and I wanted to reassure him that I wouldn't tell anyone so he wouldn't hurt me again,” she testified. She said she then let him do what he wanted and he had sex with her. A paramedic who examined Hand the next day testified that she had never before seen someone with that intensity of bruising. A doctor told jurors Hand had multiple injuries. Hand said the trauma of the attack had left her unable to work as a hairdresser, she fell behind on her mortgage and had to move out of her house. Police investigated the woman's complaint but prosecutors declined to bring charges, saying there was insufficient evidence and a conviction was unlikely. McGregor, in his post on X, said he was disappointed jurors didn't see all the evidence prosecutors had reviewed. Follow The Gleaner on X, formerly Twitter, and Instagram @JamaicaGleaner and on Facebook @GleanerJamaica. Send us a message on WhatsApp at 1-876-499-0169 or email us at onlinefeedback@gleanerjm.com or editors@gleanerjm.com .THREE KEY FACTS A2 Milk said last month that it was still eyeing acquisitions. Craigs Investment Partners’ Mohandeep Singh in August said renewed M&A activity had helped to put some life back into the market. Some unsuccessful takeover attempts on the New Zealand market have included Eroad, Rakon, and Comvita. The deflated mergers and acquisitions space is back on the rise in 2024, with deal-making ticking up in New Zealand. Technology, healthcare, energy, and financial deals are prominent in the rising activity. Investment bankers and legal eagles are eyeing the upswing.SHAREHOLDER ALERT: The M&A Class Action Firm Investigates the Merger of Future Vision II Acquisition Corp. - FVNNU

Insurgents reach gates of Syria’s capital, threatening to upend decades of Assad rule BEIRUT (AP) — A Syrian opposition war monitor and a pro-government media outlet say government forces have withdrawn from much of the central city of Homs. The pro-government Sham FM reported that government forces took positions outside Syria’s third-largest city, without elaborating. Rami Abdurrahman who heads the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said Syrian troops and members of different security agencies have withdrawn from the city, adding that rebels have entered parts of it. Losing Homs is a potentially crippling blow for Syria’s embattled leader, Bashar Assad. An archbishop's knock formally restores Notre Dame to life as winds howl and heads of state look on PARIS (AP) — France’s iconic Notre Dame Cathedral has formally reopened its doors for the first time since a devastating fire nearly destroyed the 861-year-old landmark in 2019. The five-year restoration is widely seen as a boost for French President Emmanuel Macron, who championed the ambitious timeline, and brings a welcome respite from his domestic political woes. World leaders, dignitaries, and worshippers gathered on Saturday evening for the celebrations under the cathedral's soaring arches. The celebration was attended by 1,500 dignitaries, including President-elect Donald Trump, Britain’s Prince William, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. For Catholics, Notre Dame’s rector said the cathedral “carries the enveloping presence of the Virgin Mary, a maternal and embracing presence.′′ Trump is welcomed by Macron to Paris with presidential pomp and joined by Zelenskyy for their talks PARIS (AP) — French President Emmanuel Macron has welcomed Donald Trump to Paris with a full dose of presidential pomp. And they held a hastily arranged meeting with Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy on a day that's mixing pageantry with attention to pressing global problems. The president-elect's visit to France is part of a global a celebration of the reopening of Notre Dame Cathedral five years after a devastating fire. Macron and other European leaders are trying to win Trump’s favor and persuade him to maintain support for Ukraine in its defense against Russia’s invasion. Trump isn't back in office but he's already pushing his agenda and negotiating with world leaders NEW YORK (AP) — Donald Trump is making threats, traveling abroad, and negotiating with world leaders. He has more than a month-and-a-half to go before he’s sworn in for a second term. But the president-elect is already moving aggressively to not only fill his Cabinet and outline policy goals, but also to try to achieve his priorities. In recent days, Trump has threatened to impose a 25% tariff on goods from Canada and Mexico, two of the country’s largest trading partners. That led to emergency calls and a visit. And he's warned of “ALL HELL TO PAY” if Hamas doesn't release the hostages still being held captive in Gaza. South Korea's president avoids an impeachment attempt over short-lived martial law SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea’s embattled President Yoon Suk Yeol has avoided an opposition-led attempt to impeach him over his short-lived imposition of martial law. Most of Yoon's ruling party lawmakers boycotted a parliamentary vote Saturday to deny a two-thirds majority needed to suspend his presidential powers. The scrapping of the motion is expected to intensify protests calling for Yoon’s ouster and deepen political chaos in South Korea. A survey suggests a majority of South Koreans support the president’s impeachment. Yoon’s martial law declaration drew criticism from his own ruling conservative People Power Party. But the party also apparently fears losing the presidency to liberals. Days after gunman killed UnitedHealthcare's CEO, police push to ID him and FBI offers reward NEW YORK (AP) — Nearly four days after the shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, police still do not know the gunman’s name or whereabouts or have a motive for the killing. But they have made some progress in their investigation into Wednesday's killing of the leader of the largest U.S. health insurer, including that the gunman likely left New York City on a bus soon after fleeing the scene. The also found that the gunman left something behind: a backpack that was discovered in Central Park. Police are working with the FBI, which on Friday night announced a $50,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction. UnitedHealthcare CEO's shooting opens a door for many to vent frustrations over insurance The fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare's CEO has opened the door for many people to vent their frustrations and anger over the insurance industry. The feelings of exasperation, anger, resentment, and helplessness toward insurers aren’t new. But the shooting and the headlines around it have unleashed a new wave of patients sharing such sentiments and personal stories of interactions with insurance companies. Conversations at dinner tables, office water coolers, social gatherings and on social media have pivoted to the topic. Many say they hope the new amplified voices can bring about change for companies often accused of valuing profits over people. 2 Pearl Harbor survivors, ages 104 and 102, return to Hawaii to honor those killed in 1941 attack PEARL HARBOR, Hawaii (AP) — The bombing of Pearl Harbor 83 years ago launched the United States into World War II. Two survivors returned to the Hawaii military base on Saturday for a remembrance ceremony on the attack's anniversary. Both are over 100 years old. They joined active-duty troops, veterans and members of the public for an observance hosted by the Navy and the National Park Service. A third survivor was planning to join them but had to cancel due to health issues. The bombing killed more than 2,300 U.S. servicemen. An explosion destroys an apartment block in a Dutch city, killing at least 3 and injuring others THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — An explosion and fire has rocked a neighborhood in the Dutch city of The Hague, killing three people and injuring other people and destroying several apartments. The cause of the disaster is unclear. Emergency authorities said four people were rescued from the rubble and taken to the hospital. The mayor said rescuers were no longer looking for survivors but for eventual bodies, but could not specify how many people might still be unaccounted for. Residents of the northeastern neighborhood of Mariahoeve in The Hague heard a huge bang and screams before dawn. Dutch authorities have deployed a specialized urban search and rescue team to find victims. How 'Mufasa' rose with Aaron Pierre and Blue Ivy's voices along with new Lin-Manuel Miranda music SAN DIEGO (AP) — When Aaron Pierre was cast as Mufasa, the weight of following in the late James Earl Jones’ legendary footsteps was enough to rattle any actor. But instead of letting the pressure roar too loudly, he harnessed his nerves to breathe fresh life into his young lion character. Pierre found parallels between himself and his character while filming his leading role in “Mufasa: The Lion King,” which opens in theaters Dec. 20. He took the reigns as the new voice of Mufasa after Jones played the iconic King Mufasa in both the 1994 and 2019 versions of Disney’s “The Lion King.” The prequel offers a fresh exploration into Mufasa’s origin story.DURHAM, N.C. — Duke's Cooper Flagg knows what's coming from older and stronger defenders. So too does Auburn coach Bruce Pearl when it comes to the pressure facing his frontcourt star, Johni Broome. On Wednesday night, the two preseason Associated Press All-Americans headlined a heavyweight matchup worthy of March, though from very different positions: Flagg as the 17-year-old touted freshman mentioned as a possible No. 1 overall NBA draft pick long before showing up on campus, Broome as the 22-year-old fifth-year senior who started his career at a mid-major. Yet they're each shouldering the burden of top billing on a team with national title aspirations, all on display as the ninth-ranked Blue Devils beat the second-ranked Tigers 84-78 in the ACC/SEC Challenge. The 6-foot-9, 205-pound Flagg finished with a game-high 22 points and 11 rebounds with four assists, three steals and two blocks. The 6-10 240-pound Broome had 20 points, 12 rebounds and three assists before fouling out late. They didn't match up directly, but remained the gravitational force at the center of everything — from offensive plans to collapsing defenses — all the same. For Flagg, it was sign of big-game growth after late stumbles in losses to Kentucky and Kansas, along with handling the physical play of the Tigers. "That's something I'm going to start to see more and more," Flagg said. "It's definitely going to be a game plan for the other team, just to try and be physical with me. I think that's something that I've been dealing with since I was in sixth, seventh grade. People look at me and think they can just out-tough me, be more physical with me, and it would take me out the game. "But I've just got to keep playing through it, keep learning how to use that against them and just keep getting better." He did that against the veteran-laden Tigers, scoring 16 points and drawing seven fouls while getting to the line nine times after halftime. He felt several of those, too, such as Chaney Johnson's off-ball bump that knocked him to the hardwood midway through the second half and left him wincing. "I told him all week: 'They're going at you the whole time,'" junior teammate Tyrese Proctor said. "They had a couple of dirty plays. I just told him to keep his head composed and poised and just trust himself." Flagg pushed through regardless and showed some of his smooth moves, particularly in the second half. A dribble drive into the lane for a fallaway jumper over 6-11 big man Dylan Cardwell; pouncing on a defensive switch to drive and easily score over 6-4 guard Denver Jones; a spinning drop-step score in the paint while being fouled, leaving Pearl staring at officials and pointing to the Tigers' end of the court about an earlier no-call. Flagg also had no turnovers in his 37 minutes, a reversal after losing late turnovers in the losses to the Wildcats and Jayhawks. "To be able to coach him, he never fights you," Duke coach Jon Scheyer said. "He just never fights you. In a game, you can get on him. In practice he's always wanting to get better and in every aspect of his game. "I've always felt like Cooper's a one-time guy. He needs to experience something one time to get adjusted." As for Broome, he was coming off a dominating run through the Maui Invitational that made him the AP men's college basketball national player of the week Tuesday. Auburn also jumped two spots in Monday's latest AP Top 25, erasing nearly all of top-ranked Kansas' previous margin on the No. 2-ranked team. And that made the Tigers just the second top-2 nonconference team to play in Cameron Indoor Stadium since 1965 and first since top-ranked Michigan's "Fab Five" lost here December 1992 — exactly 32 years ago Thursday. Broome, who played his first two college seasons at Morehead State, offered matchup concerns with his ability to handle the ball on the perimeter, alter shots and attack the glass. And he was unbothered by the hostility of Duke's famously rambunctious "Cameron Crazies" fans, staring at them through much of pregame warmups with a grin and even laughing multiple times. He didn't shoot well early (2 for 9 in the first half) but started thriving in the pick-and-roll after halftime with Duke's defense stretched by Auburn's 3-point shooters. He nearly had a double-double in the second half (15 points, nine rebounds), including when he finished at the rim through Mason Gillis' foul and knocked Gillis to the ground — then gave him a lengthy stare as he stood over him. Broome led the Tigers until fouling out with 15 seconds left with Blue Devils fans starting to chant "Our house! Our house!" to mark another home win in their famed arena. He never flinched, even in the face of Auburn's first loss. "I think he's handled (the pressure) really well," Pearl said. "One of the reasons our team has played well so far this year is Johni's been a tremendously consistent player. Clearly a (national) player of the year candidate. If our team continues to win, he's our best player. ... He's able to do it on both ends, and he's able to do it inside and out."

In final meeting of 2024, Annapolis City Council bans new drive-thru windows, withdraws tenant funding billJack Alban is a freelance journalist for the Daily Dot covering trending human interest/social media stories and the reactions real people have to them. He always seeks to incorporate evidence-based studies, current events, and facts pertinent to these stories to create your not-so-average viral post.

Asian Stocks Eye Gains as Wall Street Awaits Data: Markets Wrap

Georgia suffers huge CFP blow after QB Carson Beck is hurt as SEC title game against Texas descends into chaos

Chase Hooper needed less than four minutes to dispatch Clay Guida in dominant fashion on the UFC 310 prelims on Saturday. After securing a couple of takedowns during the fight, Hooper ended up jumping on Guida’s back before transitioning into the armbar on the canvas. Despite Guida’s best efforts to scramble and break free, he couldn’t get loose and once Hooper arched his back, the 42-year-old veteran had no choice but to tap out or risk serious injury to his arm. The tap came at 3:41 in the opening round. Quick work for Chase Hooper #UFC310 | LIVE NOW | ESPN+ https://t.co/XX1YuUOYuv pic.twitter.com/jZGDWqQl0J Following the win, Hooper paid homage to recent UFC signee Mikey Musumeci for showing him how to get that armbar submission, which he employed to finish Guida on Saturday. “Feels like everything’s coming full circle,” Hooper said about returning to the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas where he started his UFC career. “That armbar was my butchered version of what [Mikey Musumeci] showed me. 10 fights, I’m here.” Prior to the finish, Hooper also showed off some solid improvements with his striking as well but his grappling game never gave Guida a chance to breathe. While Guida did manage to get back to his feet on a couple of occasions, he just couldn’t keep Hooper off him long enough to mount any real offense. Once the fight hit the floor the final time, Hooper set up the submission perfectly and he tapped Guida for his fourth straight win in a row overall. Now 15-3-1 overall, Hooper really seems like he’s coming into his own while building momentum in the lightweight division while Guida suffers his third straight loss while falling to 1-4 in his past five outings.

Syrian opposition fighters have reached the suburbs of the capital, Damascus, and government forces abandoned the central city of Homs as the rebels' surprising offensive picks up speed. President Bashar Assad's whereabouts are unknown. Homs is an important intersection between Damascus and Syria’s coastal provinces that are the Syrian leader’s base of support. In Damascus, residents described a city on edge, with security forces on the streets and many shops running out of staple foods. The rapidly developing events have shaken the region. Lebanon said it was closing all its land border crossings with Syria except for one that links Beirut with Damascus. Jordan closed a border crossing with Syria, too. Eight key countries gathered with the U.N. special envoy on Syria on the sidelines of the Doha Summit for two hours of discussions Saturday night, and more will follow. The U.N. envoy seeks urgent talks in Geneva to ensure an “orderly political transition.” Here's the Latest: The Syrian insurgency announced Saturday that it has taken over Homs, following reports of government forces withdrawing from the strategic city. This latest development in the rebels’ swift shock offensive in the war-torn country has left embattled Syrian President Bashar Assad effectively in control of the capital Damascus and two other cities where his key support base among the Alawite Muslim population are based. Homs is an important intersection between Damascus and Syria’s coastal provinces that are the Syrian leader’s base of support. Syrian opposition fighters have reached the suburbs of the capital, Damascus as the rebels’ offensive picks up speed. President Bashar Assad’s whereabouts are unknown. The mother of an Israeli man held hostage in Gaza and seen in a newly released video by Hamas says “enough with the games” and calls for more pressure on the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Einav Zangauker told a demonstration in Tel Aviv on Saturday night that like her son Matan, “there are a few dozen who are currently alive. Don’t allow them to be brought back dead in bags. Take to the streets.” Matan Zangauker, speaking under duress, appealed to the public to protest in front of Netanyahu’s home and “not let him sleep even for a minute.” Zangauker also referred to 420 days of being held by Hamas militants and said “isolation is killing us.” Police used a water cannon on the demonstrators as thousands took to the streets for the weekly anti-government protests. Two officials with Iran-backed Iraqi militias in Syria say the militias are monitoring the situation and have not made a decision to enter in support of Iran’s ally, Syrian President Bashar Assad. One of the officials said Iranian militias had withdrawn to Iraq from their positions in Syria. “All the militias are waiting to see what Bashar Assad will do in Damascus. If he resists and does not allow Damascus to fall, it is possible that the Iraqi factions will intervene for the purpose of support,” he said. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly about the matter. -- Qassim Abdul-Zahra in Baghdad Multi-country discussions on Syria have ended on the sidelines of the Doha Summit. Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein says the countries will issue a statement, and there will be follow-up talks “taking into consideration the practical and real situation on the ground.” He said the talks, which lasted over two hours Saturday evening, focused on how to stop the fighting. Eight key countries including Saudi Arabia, Russia, Egypt, Turkey and Iran gathered with the U.N. special envoy for Syria, Geir Pedersen. When asked where Syrian President Bashar Assad is, Iraq's foreign minister replied, “I don’t know.” He declined to speculate on whether Assad would be overthrown. Opposition fighters have reached the Damascus suburbs. BEIRUT — Lebanon’s Health Ministry says two Israeli airstrikes in southern Lebanon on Saturday killed six people and wounded five others. The ministry said an airstrike on the village of Beit Leif killed five people and wounded five, while a drone strike on the village of Deir Serian killed one person. Israel’s military said it was looking into the report. Despite a ceasefire that went into effect on Nov. 27 to end the 14-month fighting between Israel and Lebanon-based Hezbollah militants that had escalated into all-out war, violations of the truce have continued. The director of Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza says the facility came under heavy Israeli bombardment again on Saturday and three medical staff were killed. Dr. Hussam Abu Safia in a statement posted by Gaza’s Health Ministry said the hospital was hit by over 100 projectiles and bombs, and electricity was cut off. He said the surgery department and neonatal unit were hit, and he pleaded for “immediate coordination for repair operations.” Kamal Adwan is one of the last remaining hospitals in northern Gaza. Israeli forces are pressing an offensive that has almost completely sealed off the area from humanitarian aid for two months. Israel’s military said it wasn’t aware of any attack Saturday. The hospital director on Friday said Israeli strikes had killed at least 29 people including four medical staff. Israeli Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi says the military is monitoring the Syrian border to make sure that “local factions do not direct actions towards us,” adding that Israel is not intervening in the events in Syria. Israel’s military has said it is reinforcing its deployment along the border with Syria. Halevi said if “confusion” arises and actions are directed toward Israel by “local factions” taking control of parts of Syria, Israel has a strong “offensive response.” The United Nations humanitarian coordinator in Syria says the U.N. is relocating non-critical staff outside the country. Adam Abdelmoula in a statement Saturday called it a precautionary measure to protect U.N. teams. “Let me emphasize—this is not an evacuation and our dedication to supporting the people of Syria remains unwavering,” Abdelmoula said. The statement did not say how many U.N. staffers were leaving Syria as opposition fighters reached the suburbs of Syria’s capital, Damascus. The statement said the fighting in Syria has displaced over 370,000 people as the humanitarian situation deteriorates, “with many seeking refuge in the northeast and others trapped in frontline areas, unable to escape.” Foreign ministers and senior diplomats from eight key countries including Saudi Arabia, Russia, Egypt, Turkey and Iran have gathered on the sidelines of the Doha Summit along with the U.N. special envoy for Syria, Geir Pedersen, to discuss the situation in Syria. The talks continued late Saturday and no details were immediately available. Qatar, Jordan and Iraq also were part of the discussions as opposition fighters closed in on the Syrian capital, Damascus. BAGHDAD — An Iraqi government spokesperson says about 2,000 Syrian army soldiers have crossed into Iraq seeking refuge as opposition forces advance in Syria. Bassem al-Awadi said the soldiers’ equipment and weapons were registered and taken into custody by the Iraqi army. “We dealt with them according to the principle of good neighborliness and humanity,” he said Saturday. Al-Awadi also said Iraqi officials are concerned about the security of the al-Hol camp and other facilities in northeast Syria where suspected Islamic State group members and their families are detained. The facilities are guarded by U.S.-backed Kurdish forces. Al-Awadi said there is “high security coordination” between Iraqi officials and those forces to “prevent the prisoners from escaping.” Syria's army says it is fortifying its positions in the suburbs of Damascus and in the country’s south, as opposition fighters close in on the capital. The army statement on Saturday also asserted that Syria is being subjected to a “terrorist” and propaganda campaign aiming to destabilize and spread chaos. The statement also said the military is continuing with operations in areas including the central provinces of Hama and Homs, and that it has killed and wounded hundreds of opposition fighters. At least two people were wounded in a car-ramming attack in the West Bank on Saturday, according to the Israeli army and rescue services. The army said the attack took place in the area of the Fawwar refugee camp, near the city of Hebron. It said a soldier was severely wounded, and security forces were looking for the attacker. Israel’s Magen David Adom rescue service said another man in his 40s suffered light injuries from shrapnel. The West Bank has seen a surge in violence since Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023 attack out of Gaza sparked the war there. Israel has intensified its military raids in the West Bank, targeting what it says are militants planning attacks, and there has also been a rise in Palestinian attacks on Israelis. The Israeli military says it is helping United Nations forces to head off an attack on a U.N. position in Syria close to the Israeli border. The army said in a statement Saturday that an attack was carried out by “armed individuals” on a U.N. post near the Syrian town of Hader and it was “assisting U.N. forces in repelling the attack.” On Friday, Israel’s military said it would reinforce its forces in the Golan Heights and near the border with Syria, where civil war has reignited between the government and opposition fighters. Hamas has released a video showing Israeli hostage Matan Zangauker making an emotional plea for his release and describing the conditions he and other hostages face in Gaza after being seized in the Oct. 7, 2023 attack on Israel. His mother, Einav, has become a symbol of the fight to bring back the hostages and is an outspoken critic of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government. Matan Zangauker, speaking under duress, appealed to the public to protest in front of Netanyahu’s home and “not let him sleep even for a minute.” Zangauker also referred to 420 days of being held by Hamas militants. “We want to return before we go crazy. Isolation is killing us, and the darkness here is frightening,” he said, describing having little food and medicine and “undrinkable” water. President-elect Donald Trump has made his first extensive comments on dramatic advances by opposition fighters in Syria, saying the besieged President Bashar Assad didn’t deserve U.S. support to stay in power. “THIS IS NOT OUR FIGHT,” Trump posted on the Truth Social platform on Saturday. Syrian opposition activists and regional officials have been watching closely for any indication from both the Biden administration and the incoming Trump administration of how the U.S. would handle the sudden advances against Syria’s Russian- and Iranian-allied leader. Trump condemned the overall U.S. handling of the 13-year civil war in Syria, but spoke favorably of the routing of Assad and Russian forces. ISTANBUL — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Saturday that there was “now a new reality in Syria” following the rapid advance of rebel forces. Speaking in Gaziantep, a city less than 30 miles (48 kilometers) from the Syrian border, Erdogan said that “increasing attacks on civilians” in Syria’s northwest Idlib province “triggered the latest events like the straw that broke the camel’s back.” It was not possible for Turkey to ignore developments in a country with which it shares a lengthy border and it would not allow any threats to its national security, he added in a televised speech. “Our wish is for our neighbor Syria to attain the peace and tranquility it has been longing for for 13 years,” he told a rally of supporters. “We want to see a Syria where different identities live side by side in peace. We hope to see such a Syria in the very near future.” Erdogan claimed President Bashar Assad had erred in rebuffing Turkey’s previous efforts to establish relations, saying Damascus “could not appreciate the value of the hand Turkey extended.” Ankara has supported anti-Assad rebel groups since the early months of the conflict and hosts 3 million refugees dislodged by the fighting. While Turkey lists HTS, the group leading the latest offensive, as a terrorist organization, the Turkey-backed Syrian National Army has worked alongside it. BEIRUT — A resident of the Syrian capital of Damascus says the city is very tense as troops and members of security agencies are deployed on main streets and intersections. The resident told The Associated Press that many shops are closed and those that are open have run out of main commodities such as sugar. He added that if food products are available, some shops are selling them for a price three times higher than usual. “The situation is very strange. We are not used to that,” the resident said on condition of anonymity, fearing retributions. “People are worried whether there will be a battle (in Damascus) or not.” — Bassem Mroue in Beirut DOHA, Qatar — Russia’s foreign minister says he has met his Turkish and Iranian counterparts in Doha and that all three countries were calling for an “immediate end to hostile activities” in Syria. Russia and Iran are the chief supporters of Syria’s government, while Turkey backs opposition fighters trying to remove President Bashar Assad from power. Speaking at the annual Doha Forum, Sergey Lavrov said Russia continues to help the Syrian army confront insurgents, military via airstrikes. Asked whether Assad’s rule is threatened by the fast-moving rebel offensive, he said, “We are not in the business of guessing what’s gong to happen.” He blamed the United States and the West for the events in Syria and said, “We are very sorry for the Syrian people who became a subject of another geopolitical experiment. “We are doing everything we can not to make terrorists prevail, even if they say they are not terrorists,” Lavrov said, referring to the de facto leader of the Syrian insurgents, Abu Mohammed al-Golani, who says he has cut links with al-Qaida. His group, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, is listed as a terrorist organization by the U.S. and United Nations. He said Russia, Iran and Turkey want the full implementation of a U.N. resolution, which endorsed a road map to peace in Syria. Resolution 2254 was adopted unanimously in December 2015. The measure called for a Syrian-led political process, starting with the establishment of a transitional governing body, followed by the drafting of a new constitution and ending with U.N.-supervised elections. Lavrov also downplayed reports that Moscow had withdrawn ships from Russia’s base in Syrian city of Tartus, saying that the vessels had left to take part in naval exercises in the Mediterranean. DOHA, Qatar — The U.S. envoy who brokered the ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah says the deal has created a new opportunity for Lebanon to reshape itself. Amos Hochstein told the Doha Forum that the weakness of Hezbollah after nearly 14 months of fighting along, along with blows to its Syrian and Iranian allies, give the Lebanese military and government a chance to reassert itself. “Now is the moment with this ceasefire to rebuild Lebanon again for a much more prosperous future and stronger state institutions,” Hochstein told The Associated Press on the sidelines of the conference. He said Lebanon needs “to do its part” by rebuilding its economy, choosing a president after years of delays and strengthening its central government to attract investors. “And the international community has a requirement and a responsibility to support Lebanon after this devastating conflict and after years of Hezbollah control,” he said. Hochstein told the conference that the turning point in ceasefire efforts was Hezbollah dropping its pledge to keep fighting as long as the war in Gaza continues. He said the change in position was the result of the heavy losses inflicted on Hezbollah, and Lebanese public opinion in favor of delinking the two conflicts. He said key tests for the ceasefire will be whether Israel carries out its promised phased withdrawal from southern Lebanon over the coming two months and whether the Lebanese army is able to move into those areas. BEIRUT — Insurgents and a war monitor say opposition fighters are taking over military posts evacuated by Syrian government forces in the country’s south, bringing them closer to the capital, Damascus. An insurgent official known as Maj. Hassan Abdul-Ghani posted on the Telegram messaging app that opposition fighters are now in the town of Sanamein, about 20 kilometers (12 miles) from the southern outskirts of Damascus, President Bashar Assad’s seat of power. Rami Abdurrahman, who heads the Britain-based opposition Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said insurgents have entered the town of Artouz, which is about 10 kilometers (6 miles) southwest of Damascus. Opposition fighters have captured wide parts of Syria, including several provincial capitals, since they began their offensive on Nov. 27. BEIRUT — Lebanon’s government has approved a plan to deploy more troops along the border with Israel, part of the ceasefire deal that ended the Israel-Hezbollah war. In a rare Cabinet meeting outside of Beirut, held Saturday at a military base in the southern port city of Tyre, the government also approved a draft law to reconstruct buildings destroyed during the Israel-Hezbollah war that broke out in October 2023 and ended with a U.S.-brokered ceasefire last week. Information Minister Ziad Makary told reporters after the meeting that the committee whose job is to monitor the ceasefire that went into effect on Nov. 27 will hold its first meeting on Monday. The committee is made up of military officials from the U.S., France, Israel and Lebanon as well as the U.N. peacekeeping force deployed along the border. As part of the ceasefire deal, during the first 60 days Israeli troops will have to withdraw from Lebanon, while Hezbollah will have to pull its heavy weapons away from the border area to north of the Litani river. The Lebanese army said this week it will begin recruiting more soldiers, apparently to deploy them along the border with Israel. BEIRUT — The Syrian army withdrew from much of southern Syria on Saturday, leaving more areas of the country, including two provincial capitals, under the control of opposition fighters, the military and an opposition war monitor said. The redeployment away from the provinces of Daraa and Sweida came as Syria’s military sent large numbers of reinforcements to defend the key central city of Homs, Syria’s third largest, as insurgents approached its outskirts. The rapid advances by insurgents are a stunning reversal of fortunes for Syria’s President Bashar Assad , who appears to be largely on his own, with erstwhile allies preoccupied with other conflicts. His chief international backer, Russia, is busy with its war in Ukraine, and Lebanon’s powerful Hezbollah, which at one point sent thousands of fighters to shore up his forces, has been weakened by a yearlong conflict with Israel. Iran, meanwhile, has seen its proxies across the region degraded by Israeli regular airstrikes. JERUSALEM — Israeli security forces killed a Palestinian man after he attacked them at a border crossing in the Israeli-occupied West Bank on Saturday morning, police said. The man shot firecrackers at security forces at the checkpoint and threatened them with a knife, the police statement said. The man wore a t-shirt emblazoned with a symbol of the Islamic State militant group, according to an Associated Press reporter Israeli fire has killed at least 700 Palestinians in the West Bank since the Israel-Hamas war began last year, Palestinian health officials said. In that time, Palestinian militants have launched a number of attacks on soldiers at checkpoints and within Israel. DOHA, Qatar — The prime minister of Qatar says he has seen new momentum in Gaza ceasefire efforts since the U.S. presidential election, with the incoming Trump administration seeking an end to the conflict before it takes office. Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, a key mediator in the ceasefire efforts, declined to give specifics of the negotiations but told an international conference in Doha that the gaps between the sides are not large. Qatar, which has served as a mediator throughout the 14-month war, suspended its efforts last month in frustration over the lack of progress. But Sheikh Mohammed said his government has re-engaged in recent days after determining a new willingness by both parties to reach a deal. ’We have sensed after the election that the momentum is coming back,” he told the Doha Forum on Saturday. He said has been in touch with both the outgoing Biden administration and the incoming Trump administration and found that while there are some differences in approach, both are committed to the same goal of ending the war. ’We have seen a lot of encouragement from the incoming administration in order to achieve a deal, even before the president comes to the office,” Sheikh Mohammed said. He declined to discuss details, saying he wanted to “protect the process,” but expressed hope for a deal “as soon as possible.” ’If you look at the gaps and the disagreements, they are not something substantial that really affects the agreement,” he said. CAIRO — At least 29 people were killed, including four medical staff, when Israeli strikes pummeled the area around one of the last remaining hospitals in northern Gaza, Palestinian officials said. The situation in and around the Kamal Adwan hospital is “catastrophic,” according to Dr. Hussam Abu Safia, the director of the hospital. The dead included five children and five women, according to the hospital casualty list, which was obtained by The Associated Press. Friday’s strikes also wounded 55 people including six children and the five women, according to the hospital. Kamal Adwan Hospital in Beit Lahiya is one of the few hospitals still partially operating in the Gaza’s northernmost province , where Israeli forces are pressing an offensive that has almost completely sealed off the area from humanitarian aid for two months. Israel’s military denied that its forces had struck the hospital or operated inside it. The army said that in the past few weeks, “coordinated efforts with international organizations have been underway in order to transfer patients, companions, and medical staff to other hospitals.” An Indonesian medical team which had been assisting in Kamal Adwan for the past week was forced to evacuate on foot after the area was surrounded by Israeli soldiers, according to a statement from the team. The Israeli military did not immediately comment on the medical team’s expulsion. Dr. Rik Peeperkorn, the World Health Organization representative in the Palestinian territories, said an Israeli tank approached the hospital at around 4 a.m. Friday. Although no official Israeli evacuation order was issued, “people started to climb the wall to escape, and this panic attracted IDF (Israeli) fire,” he said. He spoke by video from Gaza to journalists in Geneva. Kamal Adwan Hospital has been struck multiple times over the past two months since Israel launched a fierce military operation in northern Gaza against Hamas militants. In October, Israeli forces raided the hospital, saying that militants were sheltering inside and arrested a number of people, including some staff. Hospital officials denied the claim. MANAMA, Bahrain — Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister has reiterated the kingdom’s call for an end to the war in the Gaza Strip. Prince Faisal bin Farhan described Israel as acting with “impunity and is getting away without punishment” in its war on Hamas there. The prince said that any permanent solution requires a two-state solution, with the Palestinians having east Jerusalem as their capital. After the speech, Prince Turki al-Faisal, a prominent royal in the kingdom who led Saudi intelligence for more than two decades and served as ambassador to the U.S. and Britain, took the stage. He harshly criticized Israel’s conduct in the wars. “Israel has become an apartheid, colonial and genocidal state,” Prince Turki said. “It is about time for the world to address that issue and take the necessary steps to bring those who are thus charged by the International Criminal Court to justice.” Israeli officials could not be immediately reached for comment on Prince Turki’s remarks. The Saudis spoke at the International Institute for Security Studies’ Manama Dialogue in Bahrain.