Moreover, personal pension plans offer individuals a greater degree of control and flexibility over their retirement savings. Unlike traditional pension schemes, which are often rigid and limited in terms of investment options, personal pension plans allow individuals to choose how their contributions are invested and to tailor their pension arrangements to suit their individual needs and preferences.Title: Safeguarding the Growth of Minors with Legal Protection: "Prosecutors Open Class" Series Broadcast on Kwai
The CBA best lineup for the 15th round of the regular season serves as a recognition of the exceptional talent and skill displayed by these five players. Their dedication to the game, hard work on and off the court, and commitment to excellence have set them apart as true stars of the league. As the season progresses, fans can expect to see more impressive performances from Li Fei, Fogg, and the rest of the best lineup, as they continue to showcase their incredible abilities and compete at the highest level of the game.Title: Warhammer 40K: Space Marine 2 - Major Update Released! Introducing New Maps and DLSS Frame Generation Support
The latest round of airstrikes by Israel has once again highlighted the complex web of alliances and rivalries that characterizes the conflict in Syria. It also raises questions about the potential for a wider regional conflagration, as various actors, including Russia and the United States, have competing interests in the conflict.
So don't miss out on the chance to bring a bit of joy and cheer to your Twitch chats with the TGA trophy moe emoji pack. Follow the official channel, start using the emojis, and join the fun-filled world of TGA esports today!Bola Ige’s daughter reflects on father assassination and unresolved justiceSuspect in the killing of UnitedHealthcare’s CEO struggles, shouts while entering courthouse ALTOONA, Pa. (AP) — The suspect in the killing of UnitedHealthcare’s CEO struggled with deputies and shouted while arriving for a court appearance in Pennsylvania a day after he was arrested at a McDonald’s and charged with murder. Luigi Nicholas Mangione emerged from a patrol car, spun toward reporters and shouted something partly unintelligible while deputies pushed him inside Tuesday. At the brief hearing, the defense lawyer informed the court that Mangione would not waive extradition to New York but instead wants a hearing on the issue. Mangione was denied bail. Brian Thompson, who led the United States’ largest medical insurance company, was killed last Wednesday as he walked alone to a Manhattan hotel for an investor conference. From wealth and success to murder suspect, the life of Luigi Mangione took a hard turn Luigi Nicholas Mangione was apparently living a charmed one: the grandson of a wealthy real estate developer, valedictorian of his elite Baltimore prep school and with degrees from one of the nation’s top private universities. Friends at an exclusive co-living space at the edge of touristy Waikiki in Hawaii where the 26-year-od Mangione once lived widely considered him a “great guy.” Pictures on his social media accounts show a fit, smiling, handsome young man on beaches and at parties. Now, investigators are working to piece together why Mangione diverged from a path of seeming success to make the violent and radical decision to gun down UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in a brazen attack on a Manhattan street. Key details about the man accused of killing of UnitedHealthcare's CEO The 26-year-old man charged in last week’s killing of UnitedHealthcare’s CEO in New York City has appeared in a Pennsylvania courtroom. Luigi Nicholas Mangione was arrested Monday after a worker at a McDonald's in Altoona, Pennsylvania, notified police that he resembled the suspect in last Wednesday's killing of Brian Thompson. While being led into court to be arraigned Tuesday, Mangione shouted something that was partly unintelligible but referred to an “insult to the intelligence of the American people.” During the hearing in Hollidaysburg, Mangione was denied bail and his attorney said Mangione would not waive extradition. DA suggests unusual idea for halting Trump’s hush money case while upholding his conviction NEW YORK (AP) — Prosecutors are trying to preserve President-elect Donald Trump’s hush money conviction as he returns to office, and they're suggesting various ways forward. One novel notion is based on how some courts handle criminal cases when defendants die. In court papers made public on Tuesday, the Manhattan district attorney’s office proposed an array of options for keeping the historic conviction on the books. The proposals included freezing the case until he’s out of office, or agreeing that any future sentence wouldn’t include jail time. Another idea: closing the case with a notation that acknowledges his conviction but says that he was never sentenced and that his appeal wasn’t resolved because of presidential immunity. There's no immediate response from Trump's lawyers. Middle East latest: Israel bombs hundreds of sites across Syria as army pushes into border zone Israel says it bombed more than 350 military sites in Syria during the previous 48 hours, targeting “most of the strategic weapons stockpiles” in the country. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the wave of strikes was necessary to keep the weapons from being used against Israel following the Syrian government’s stunning collapse. Israel also acknowledged its troops were pushing into a border buffer zone inside Syria, which was established after the 1973 Mideast war. However, Israel denied its forces were advancing Tuesday toward the Syrian capital of Damascus. Life in the capital was slowly returning to normal. People celebrated for a third day in a main square, and shops and banks reopened. Donald Trump is returning to the world stage. So is his trolling NEW YORK (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump’s recent dinner with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his visit to Paris for the reopening of the Notre Dame Cathedral were not just exercises in policy and diplomacy. For Trump, they were also prime trolling opportunities. Throughout his first term in the White House and his recent campaign to return there, the Republican has dished out provocative, antagonizing and mocking statements. Now that’s he’s preparing to return to the Oval Office, Trump is back at it, and his trolling is attracting more attention — and eyerolls. Report on attempts to kill Trump urges Secret Service to limit protection of foreign leaders WASHINGTON (AP) — A congressional task force looking into the assassination attempts against Donald Trump during his presidential campaign is recommending changes to the Secret Service. These include protecting fewer foreign leaders during the height of the election season and considering moving the agency out of the Department of Homeland Security. The 180-page report was released Tuesday. It constitutes one of the most detailed looks so far into the July 13 assassination attempt against Trump during a campaign rally in Pennsylvania and a second one in Florida two months later. South Korea's ex-defense minister is formally arrested over brief imposition of martial law SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea's previous defense minister has been formally arrested over his alleged collusion with President Yoon Suk Yeol and others in imposing martial law last week. Kim Yong Hyun resigned last week and has been detained since Sunday. He is the first person arrested in the case. Prosecutors have up to 20 days to determine whether to indict him. A conviction on the charge of playing a key role in rebellion carries the maximum death sentence. Kim is accused of recommending martial law to Yoon and sending troops to the National Assembly to block lawmakers from voting on it. Homes burn as wind-driven wildfire prompts evacuations in Malibu, California MALIBU, Calif. (AP) — Thousands of Southern California residents are under evacuation orders and warnings as firefighters battle a wind-driven wildfire in Malibu. The flames burned near seaside mansions and Pepperdine University, where students sheltering at the school’s library on Monday night watched as the blaze intensified. Officials on Tuesday said a “minimal number” of homes burned, but the exact amount wasn’t immediately known. More than 8,100 homes and other structures are under threat, including more than 2,000 where residents have been ordered to evacuate. Pepperdine University on Tuesday morning said the worst of the fire has pushed past campus. It was not immediately known how the blaze started. More beans and less red meat: Nutritionists weigh in on US dietary guidelines Americans should eat more beans, peas and lentils and cut back on red and processed meats and starchy vegetables. That's advice from a panel of expert nutritionists charged with counseling the U.S. government about the next edition of the dietary guidelines. The panel did not weigh in on the growing role of ultraprocessed foods that have been linked to health problems or alcohol use. But they did say people should continue to limit added sugars, sodium and saturated fat in pursuit of a healthy diet. Tuesday’s recommendations now go to federal officials, who will draft the final guidance set for release next year.
Amidst global economic challenges and uncertainties, China's economy has exhibited remarkable resilience and adaptability. The release of the October China Corporate Credit Index reinforces the notion that the country's business landscape is on a trajectory of recovery and growth. This steady progress is a testament to the efficacy of strategic policies implemented by the Chinese government and the unwavering determination of businesses to navigate through turbulent times.As the hours passed, the servers began to stabilize, and more users were able to access the platform. The initial chaos gave way to a sense of excitement and exploration as users navigated the site, discovering its features and engaging with its content.
Wang Chuqin and Sun Yingsha Continue to Dominate World Rankings, Lin Shidong and Wang Manyu Rank Second: Chinese Table Tennis Strength on Full Display
From Barn to Runway: The Journey of Barn ChicThe Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) will launch its final mission for 2024 on December 30 with the PSLV C60/SPADEX Mission. The launch is scheduled at 9.58 p.m. from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota. The space agency, for the first time, will be attempting the Space Docking Experiment (SPADEX) mission which will demonstrate in-space docking using two small spacecraft. According to ISRO, SPADEX is designed to develop and demonstrate the technology needed for spacecraft rendezvous, docking, and undocking using two small satellites. “SPADEX will serve as a milestone in advancing India’s capabilities in space docking, a critical technology for future space missions, including satellite servicing, space station operations, and interplanetary missions,” the space agency said. The demonstration of this technology is essential for futuristic missions such as sending an Indian astronaut on the Moon, sample return from the Moon, the building and operation of the Indian Space Station. The PSLV-C60 will launch the two small spacecraft Chaser and Target also named SDX01 and SDX02 weighing about 220 kg each into a 470 km circular orbit at 55-degree inclination separately. SDX02 spacecraft will be the first to separate 15 minutes after the launch followed by SDX01 spacecraft a few seconds later. Incremental velocity “The demonstrated precision of the PSLV vehicle will be utilised to give a small relative velocity between the Target and Chaser spacecraft at the time of separation from the launch vehicle. This incremental velocity will allow the Target spacecraft to build a 10-20 km inter-satellite separation with respect to the Chaser within a day. At this point, the relative velocity between the Target will be compensated using the propulsion system of the Target spacecraft,” ISRO said. ISRO added that at the end of this drift arrest maneuver, the Target and Chaser will be in the same orbit with identical velocity but separated by about 20 km, known as Far Rendezvous. “With a similar strategy of introducing and then compensating for a small relative velocity between the two spacecraft, the Chaser will approach the Target with progressively reduced inter-satellite distances of 5 km, 1.5 km, 500 m, 225 m, 15 m, and 3 m, ultimately leading to the docking of the two spacecraft,” it added. The docking is expected to take place in the first week of January 2025. Twenty-four PS4-Orbital Experiment Module (POEM-4) payloads will be flown onboard the PSLV-C60 SPADEX mission. Published - December 29, 2024 07:22 pm IST Copy link Email Facebook Twitter Telegram LinkedIn WhatsApp Reddit space programme / space programme
As the brand festival continues to unfold on Steam, fans can look forward to even more surprises, announcements, and content drops that will keep them coming back for more. Whether you're a seasoned pro looking to test your skills on the track or a newcomer eager to dive into the world of racing simulation, the "Shenkuu Motorsport" series has something for everyone.Croatia’s incumbent President Zoran Milanovic has a sweeping lead in Sunday’s election and could win the five-year presidency in the first round, according to an exit poll released immediately after the voting. The poll by the Ipsos polling agency and released by the state HRT television showed Milanovic winning over 50% of the votes, while his main challenger Dragan Primorac, a candidate of the conservative HDZ ruling party trailed far behind with 19%. Milanovic thanked voters in a post on social networks. The first official results are yet to be published. Pre-election polls predicted that the two would face off in the second round on Jan. 12, as none of all 8 presidential election contenders were projected to get more than 50% of the vote. Left-leaning Milanovic is an outspoken critic of Western military support for Ukraine in its war against Russia. He is often compared to Donald Trump for his combative style of communication with political opponents. The most popular politician in Croatia, 58-year-old Milanović has served as prime minister in the past. Populist in style, he has been a fierce critic of current Prime Minister Andrej Plenković and continuous sparring between the two has lately marked Croatia’s political scene. Plenković, the prime minister, has sought to portray the vote as one about Croatia’s future in the EU and NATO. He has labeled Milanović “pro-Russian” and a threat to Croatia’s international standing. “The difference between him and Milanović is quite simple: Milanović is leading us East, Primorac is leading us West,” he said. Though the presidency is largely ceremonial in Croatia, an elected president holds political authority and acts as the supreme military commander. Milanović has criticized the NATO and European Union support for Ukraine and has often insisted that Croatia should not take sides. He has said Croatia should stay away from global disputes, though it is a member of both NATO and the EU. Milanović has also blocked Croatia’s participation in a NATO-led training mission for Ukraine, declaring that “no Croatian soldier will take part in somebody else’s war.” His main rival in the election, Primorac, has stated that “Croatia’s place is in the West, not the East.” His presidency bid, however, has been marred by a high-level corruption case that landed Croatia’s health minister in jail last month and featured prominently in pre-election debates. During the election campaign, Primorac has sought to portray himself as a unifier and Milanović as divisive. “Today is an extremely important day,” Primorac said after casting his ballot. "Croatia is going forward into the future. Croatia needs unity, Croatia needs its global positioning, and above all Croatia needs peaceful life.” Trailing a distant third in the pre-election polls is Marija Selak Raspudić, a conservative independent candidate. She has focused her election campaign on the economic troubles of ordinary citizens, corruption and issues such as population decline in the country of some 3.8 million. Sunday’s presidential election is Croatia’s third vote this year, following a parliamentary election in April and the European Parliament balloting in June.
Collingwood will head into next season with 10 players on their list over 30 – two more than any other team, and with Scott Pendlebury leading the age bracket at 37. When the Pies won the flag in 2023, the team contained eight players over 30; the 2024 premiership Lions had six players aged above 30 and Geelong defied the critics to win the flag in 2022 with seven players aged above 30. The ultra-consistent Magpie Jack Crisp shows no signs of slowing down as he charges into his 30s. Credit: AFL Photos via Getty Images But three of this year’s preliminary finalists – Geelong, the Lions and the Sydney – are the only other teams to have more than six players aged above 30 on their list. Premiership midfielder Jack Crisp, one of the 10 over-30s in Collingwood’s team, says age is just a number. At 31, the dual best and fairest winner is the ninth-oldest player on the Magpies list as the club goes all in with their veterans to win next year’s flag after injury and form derailed this year’s campaign. Though he’s over 30, Crisp is hardly a concern. He has not missed a game in 10 seasons at the Magpies to draw his consecutive games tally to 237. He is now just seven games shy of the league record, held by Melbourne legend Jim Stynes who played 244 consecutive games from 1987-1998. He finished fourth in the club best and fairest in 2024 and could break Stynes’ record against Geelong in round eight. The midfielder was speaking at Kingston Heath, where he played on Sunday ahead of the Australian Open that starts on Thursday. “Times have changed now. Blokes are really professional and look after their body and if they can keep playing at the high level, why do they have to retire?” Crisp said. It’s the question the Magpies have had to ponder as they chased Port Adelaide’s All-Australian defender Dan Houston in the trade period, giving up a first-round pick from this year and the next year in the process. The club also added the Giants’ Harry Perryman as a free agent and veteran Saints forward Tim Membrey as a delisted free agent. Their first selection in this year’s draft was pick 47 , which they used on Sydney academy graduate Joel Cochran. Crisp said he was looking forward to several younger players on the list making their way into the team next season and cementing a spot. Ed Allan was impressive in the final round last season while Tew Jiath, Harry DeMattia, Jakob Ryan and Harvey Harrison will be looking to edge out their more experienced teammates for a spot in the line-up. “No doubt they’ll continue their development over the pre-season and probably get some looks early,” Crisp said. He finished just ahead of champion midfielder Scott Pendlebury (fifth) and his All-Australian sidekick Steele Sidebottom (sixth) to be one of the three 30-pluses to finish top 10 in the club best and fairest. Loading Crisp said he was very optimistic the Pies could regain the form that helped them to a one-point preliminary final loss in 2022, coach Craig McRae’s first year in charge, and then become premiers in 2023 after winning a tight grand final against the Lions. Only Nathan Murphy (retired) and Jack Ginnivan (Hawthorn) are missing from their 2023 premiership team. “Last year [2024 season] we had a fair few things go wrong, particularly with injuries. We had makeshift midfields and forward lines and we didn’t really have a set team all year,” Crisp said. “If all goes to plan this year and we don’t have any injuries ... we bought in some good players, Harry Perryman and Dan Houston, to help lighten the load on a few blokes in different roles. “We’ve got what it takes. It’s just about making sure we play consistent football.” The absence of experienced football manager Graham Wright through 2024 unsettled the Collingwood football department as people were asked to step into unfamiliar roles. The Magpies are yet to appoint a football manager to replace Wright, who has since joined Carlton as their CEO elect , but are expected to do so soon. Keep up to date with the best AFL coverage in the country. Sign up for the Real Footy newsletter . Save Log in , register or subscribe to save articles for later. License this article AFL 2025 Collingwood Magpies Carlton Blues Peter Ryan is a sports reporter with The Age. Connect via Twitter or email . Most Viewed in Sport LoadingSome media organisations are choosing to leave Musk’s divisive platform – but is migrating to alternatives, like Bluesky, really a solution? Recent decisions by major news outlets like The Guardian and La Vanguardia and more niche publications such as Sex Tech Guide to leave X put under the spotlight a new dilemma experienced by global media: Should they stay on a popular platform that has become a primary source of fake news and hate speech to maintain relevance, or should they leave to uphold ethical responsibilities? Once the go-to place for any and all global discourse, X (formerly Twitter) has seen its reputation turn to rubbish under South African multibillionaire and self-declared free-speech absolutist Elon Musk. The ethical decline of X has gained momentum in the run-up to the 2024 US presidential election, as Musk made his political alignment with Donald Trump and his Make America Great Again movement clear, turning the platform into a megaphone for hate, racism and xenophobia. As neo-Nazi, white-nationalist accounts started to gain prominence, and racist pile-ons, doxxing and other abuse became a daily occurrence on the platform, several media outlets – but also millions of everyday users – made the decision to leave X for good. For them, leaving X clearly represented a moral stand against racism and hate, and the misappropriation of a platform that was once accepted widely as the global public square. But is media organisations migrating to alternatives, like Bluesky, a genuine solution, or does it risk creating new problems, such as ideological bubbles, financial losses, and diminished influence? For many, remaining on X feels like tacit approval of the direction the platform took under Musk. For some news outlets, especially those whose corporate identity of progressive values take pride in their journalistic ethics, perceived association with the controversy-ridden platform of a far-right Trump surrogate is obviously unacceptable. However, X’s vast audience – still unrivalled by any other similar social media platform – remains an undeniable asset. The platform’s global reach and its ability to amplify messages cannot be ignored. Leaving it entirely may mean severing ties with a massive, global audience still relying on the platform for news, potentially leaving a vacuum that would be happily filled by less credible voices – or outright fake news machines. For those outlets fleeing X, Bluesky has emerged as an attractive alternative . A decentralised platform, it offers an environment where hate speech and misinformation are less prevalent. Its structure promises healthier, more values-aligned discourse. The point of Bluesky is not that it is free of disinformation, hate speech and fake news, but that its operation naturally reduces the reach of such content instead of promoting it – and that it offers additional tools to users to better control the information and content they consume. But Bluesky is not without flaws. Its user base is much smaller and its geographical reach much more moderate than X. Meanwhile, its design, critics say, risks creating ideological echo chambers: If Bluesky becomes a refuge primarily for liberal-leaning users and journalists, it could perpetuate the same insular dynamics critics say plague other alternative platforms. The argument, however, falls apart when one considers the alternative X offers to Bluesky’s supposed ideological bubbles: social media that is open to all ideologies, but is driven by hate. As journalist and professor Marcelo Soares wrote , X “is not a public square, it’s a shopping centre. There are no debates in a shopping centre.” Unlike X, which thrives on conflict to drive engagement, Bluesky lets users take control of their experience, and select what goes on their own feeds without algorithmic manipulation. If someone chooses a bubble, it’s a personal choice, not a structural imposition. Meanwhile, X’s so-called alternative to bubbles replaces connection with hostility, turning the platform into a battlefield rather than a space for dialogue. There are other arguments against a collective move by media from X to Bluesky. As journalist Sophia Smith Galer observed on LinkedIn , Bluesky is a platform designed to cater to journalists rather than their audiences. It recalls an earlier era when journalists dominated Twitter’s ecosystem, engaging primarily with one another. This dynamic, while comfortable for those in the media, might not translate to meaningful audience engagement in a world where users are moving towards video-driven platforms like TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram. So opening up an account on Bluesky, where they could interact with like-minded colleagues directly, without facing much abuse from neo-Nazis and conspiracy theorists, would undoubtedly be a positive for journalists. Yet, does it offer a clear alternative to X for the organisations that want and need to share their content with wider and ever more diverse audiences? X, tragically, remains the only platform where media outlets can reach a vast – if not the best-behaved and receptive – global audience. Leaving X also has practical, monetary implications for media organisations. Musk’s platform is still a major advertising revenue generator. X’s vast reach and user base make it a critical platform for driving traffic to news sites and attracting advertisers. Abandoning it risks shrinking audience engagement, which could affect revenue streams. Bluesky, Threads, and other alternative platforms are still in their infancy. Their smaller audiences and limited advertising opportunities make them less viable for organisations that rely on scale to sustain their operations. Media outlets must navigate this trade-off carefully: prioritising ethics while finding ways to maintain financial viability. Luckily for ethically concerned but cash-poor media outlets – and the entire humanity – Musk’s behaviour on X, and on the global political stage, is driving a lot of people away from X. Many of these people are finding refuge on Bluesky, meaning one day this new platform may actually become as profitable and useful as X for media organisations. Once the migration out of X is complete, and everyone who has an objection to the passing of disinformation, propaganda and hate as “news” has left the platform, serious media organisations would have no reason to remain there either. The exodus from X represents more than just a shift in social media strategy — it’s a reflection of the broader challenges facing journalism in the digital age. As media outlets grapple with the ethical implications of staying on problematic platforms, they must also contend with changing audience behaviours, financial pressures, and the rise of content-driven ecosystems. While platforms like Bluesky offer a glimmer of hope, they are not the solution for all of the many issues journalism faces today. The path forward requires a delicate balance: embracing innovation without sacrificing the core values of journalism; and adhering to less-toxic social networks, but without abandoning the public. The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeera’s editorial stance.