Cutting in line? American Airlines’ new boarding tech might stop you at now over 100 airportsPridgen scores 23 in Montana's 83-73 win against Denver at Stew Morrill ClassicUS President Joe Biden on Sunday said deposed Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad should be "held accountable" but called the nation's political upheaval a "historic opportunity" for Syrians to rebuild their country. In the first full US reaction to Assad's overthrow by an Islamist-led coalition of rebel factions, Biden also warned that Washington will "remain vigilant" against the emergence of terrorist groups, announcing that US forces had just conducted fresh strikes against militants from the Islamic State organization. "The fall of the regime is a fundamental act of justice," Biden said, speaking from the White House. "It's a moment of historic opportunity for the long-suffering people of Syria." Asked by reporters what should happen to the deposed president, who reportedly has fled to Moscow, Biden said that "Assad should be held accountable." Biden -- set to step down in January and make way for Republican Donald Trump's return to power -- said Washington will assist Syrians in rebuilding. "We will engage with all Syrian groups, including within the process led by the United Nations, to establish a transition away from the Assad regime toward independent, sovereign" Syria "with a new constitution," he said. However, Biden cautioned that hardline Islamist groups within the victorious rebel alliance will be under scrutiny. "Some of the rebel groups that took down Assad have their own grim record of terrorism and human right abuses," Biden said. The United States had "taken note" of recent statements by rebels suggesting they had since moderated, he said, but cautioned: "We will assess not just their words, but their actions." Biden said Washington is "clear eyed" that the Islamic State extremist group, often known as ISIS, "will try to take advantage of any vacuum to reestablish" itself in Syria. "We will not let that happen," he said, adding that on Sunday alone, US forces had conducted strikes against ISIS inside Syria. The US military said the strikes were conducted by warplanes against Islamic State operatives and camps. Strikes were carried out against "over 75 targets using multiple US Air Force assets, including B-52s, F-15s, and A-10s," the US Central Command said on social media. Earlier, Biden met with his national security team at the White House to discuss the crisis. Assad's reported departure comes less than two weeks after the Islamist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) group challenged more than five decades of Assad family rule with a lightning rebel offensive that broke long-frozen frontlines in Syria's civil war. They announced Sunday they had taken the capital Damascus and that Assad had fled, prompting celebrations nationwide and a ransacking of Assad's luxurious home. A Kremlin source told Russian news agencies that the deposed leader was now in Moscow, along with his family. The US military has around 900 troops in Syria and 2,500 in Iraq as part of the international coalition established in 2014 to help combat the Islamic State jihadist group. It has regularly struck targets in the country including those linked to Iranian-backed militias. Tehran was a major backer of Assad's government. Biden also confirmed US authorities believe the American journalist Austin Tice, who was abducted in Syria in 2012, still lives. "We believe he's alive," Biden said, but the US has yet "to identify where he is." bur-sms/mlm'Tally-ho': Tester bids the U.S. Senate farewellextreme lightning roulette 。

Information commissioners presented appointment lettersThe African country that looks just like Italy and is a haven for dark tourism

Maximizing brand visibility for Pinoy Christmas shoppersDonald Trump said “unity” would be the message of his inauguration speech as he backed away from his threat to set a special prosecutor on Joe Biden while suggesting his top legal officials should “look at” his political enemies. Trump also said he would consider child migrants who had been in the US for many years for citizenship as he appeared less aggressive in his first TV interview since the election than on the campaign trail. He said the US would “absolutely” leave Nato if other members did not pay enough and suggested some rivals like Liz Cheney “should go to jail” but would leave any prosecutions up to Pam Bondi, his nominee for attorney-general. He said he would look at pardons for jailed January 6 rioters on his first day.Moving from the US to Morocco taught me a different way of living. I sundry my clothes and consume less.Published 4:32 pm Saturday, November 23, 2024 By Data Skrive The Minnesota Timberwolves and Boston Celtics square off in one of six compelling games on the NBA menu on Sunday. Coverage of all the NBA action on Sunday is available to you, with the info provided below. Get the latest news sent to your inbox Sign up for NBA League Pass to get access to games, live and on-demand, and more for the entire season and offseason. Watch ESPN originals, The Last Dance and more NBA content on ESPN+. Use our link to sign up for ESPN+ or the Disney bundle. Not all offers available in all states, please visit BetMGM for the latest promotions for your area. Must be 21+ to gamble, please wager responsibly. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, contact 1-800-GAMBLER .

Everyone benefits from transparency and Australians have a right to know who is funding our political parties and candidates. But for decades Australians have been left in the dark about the rivers of gold flowing to our political parties. Last year's Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) data shows more than $50 million in " " going to the major parties. In fact, over the past five years that number has ballooned to more than $290 million - with no public record of where it has come from. or signup to continue reading Thanks to the AEC data we do know, although often 18 months after the fact, that wealthy individuals and powerful interests like the gambling and fossil fuel sectors, and trade unions, have been bankrolling our major parties for years. Like topping up your tank with petrol, the major parties regularly go cap in hand to these powerful groups to fund their election campaigns. Cash for access, pay-to-play, call it what you will. This system of political financing, and its bedfellow - opaque lobbying - harm our democracy. It also creates an uneven playing field and risks corrupting the policy-making process. So how do the Albanese government's proposed electoral reforms which look set to pass the Senate this week tackle the issue of big money in politics? The good news is that political parties and candidates would be required to disclose any donations for election campaigns on a "real-time" or monthly basis. This would be more frequent during, and seven days after, federal elections. What's more, all donations over $1000 would need to be disclosed. This is down from the current rate of disclosure of $16,300. These long-overdue changes, promised before the 2022 election by the ALP, are to be celebrated. In fact, Transparency International Australia first called for them federally similar laws almost 10 years ago. Like grocery shopping, election campaigns have become eye-wateringly expensive. In the year leading up to the 2022 election, Australia's political parties spent a massive $418 million in an US-style arms race. The Coalition spent $132 million, Labor $116 million, and Clive Palmer's United Australia Party burned through $123 million but secured just one MP. On face value the proposed expenditure caps of $800,000 per electorate and $200,000 cap for Senate candidates sound reasonable. As does reducing the overall expenditure of political parties to $90 million per election compared to previous elections. But major parties might still be able to game the system. For example, parties could thwart the $800,000 electorate cap by simply advertising for their party - Labor or Liberal and not the local candidate - which comes under their $90 million national advertising cap instead. Similarly, separate Senate caps might also help major parties scale up campaign resources in marginal seats they want to win. Every electoral system is different. However, a key part of electoral reform globally to reduce the impact of big money has over politics has also been to cap donations that fund election campaigns. A majority of the 38 like Canada, Ireland and even the US, have some form of limits or caps on how much people or corporations can donate. France and South Korea even ban corporates and other legal entities from financing candidates and some nations ban donations from state-owned enterprises or corporations that have government contracts. Other countries cap the amount as multiple of the minimum wage. The government's proposal caps the amount one recipient, for example a state or federal branch of the Labor or Liberal party, can receive per person at $20,000 annually. Those donating to multiple candidates will also have an annual cap of $600,000. It's an OK start but still a bit of cash to splash over three years to try and influence a candidate or party's views. The three pages of exemptions for donations also raise a few alarm bells. For example, it appears that a mining billionaire or Big Four consultancy company could donate to the "administration" costs of a party as opposed to :electoral" costs so wouldn't be included in the caps. Also money left by someone in a bequest is also a "gift" under the changes. The Albanese government's proposed electoral reforms promise much progress, but they fall short of cleaning up the system. To be clear, the transparency measures, such as real-time donation disclosures and a lower threshold, are welcome steps. And the principle behind caps on donations and how much parties, candidates and third parties can spend during elections are critically important. International experience shows that caps need to be carefully calibrated with public funding models and other laws. The proposed caps will help get some private money out of the system and will limit how much can be spent specifically on one seat and overall by political parties. But the devil is in the detail. In fact, there are more than 400 pages of detail in the and explanatory memorandum alone. The scale and scope of the legislation - the biggest electoral reforms in 40 years - warrant much close examination. And good process in developing legislation is important for democracy. Another bill relating to money that's in the Senate this week is the Anti-Money Laundering/Counter Terrorism Financing bill. In contrast, there's been two formal consultations, numerous stakeholder briefings, 100s of submission, a senate inquiry and a robust process running over the last 18 months. Since the electoral reform bill was tabled last Monday, Transparency International Australia alongside other civil society voices, have repeatedly called for , a senate inquiry and an . This would empower Parliament to review the changes, put forward amendments to pair back any unintended consequences and close any loopholes. With a proper process, consultation and some changes, these important reforms have a much greater chance of getting big money out of politics and ensuring a level playing field to benefit all Australians. DAILY Today's top stories curated by our news team. WEEKDAYS Grab a quick bite of today's latest news from around the region and the nation. WEEKLY The latest news, results & expert analysis. WEEKDAYS Catch up on the news of the day and unwind with great reading for your evening. WEEKLY Get the editor's insights: what's happening & why it matters. WEEKLY Love footy? We've got all the action covered. WEEKLY Every Saturday and Tuesday, explore destinations deals, tips & travel writing to transport you around the globe. WEEKLY Going out or staying in? Find out what's on. WEEKDAYS Sharp. Close to the ground. Digging deep. Your weekday morning newsletter on national affairs, politics and more. TWICE WEEKLY Your essential national news digest: all the big issues on Wednesday and great reading every Saturday. WEEKLY Get news, reviews and expert insights every Thursday from CarExpert, ACM's exclusive motoring partner. TWICE WEEKLY Get real, Australia! Let the ACM network's editors and journalists bring you news and views from all over. AS IT HAPPENS Be the first to know when news breaks. DAILY Your digital replica of Today's Paper. Ready to read from 5am! DAILY Test your skills with interactive crosswords, sudoku & trivia. Fresh daily! Advertisement Advertisement

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Londynn Jones scored 15 points, making all five of her 3-pointers, and fifth-ranked UCLA stunned No. 1 South Carolina 77-62 on Sunday, ending the Gamecocks’ overall 43-game winning streak and their run of 33 consecutive road victories. The Gamecocks (5-1) lost for the first time since April 2023, when Caitlin Clark and Iowa beat them in the NCAA Tournament national semifinals. Te-Hina Paopao scored 18 points and Tessa Johnson scored 14 for the Gamecocks, whose road winning streak was third-longest in Division I history. It was the first time UCLA took down a No. 1 team in school history, having been 0-20 in such games. The program's previous best wins were over a couple of No. 2s — Oregon in 2019 and Stanford in 2008. Elina Aarnisalo added 13 points as one of five Bruins in double figures. UCLA (5-0) dominated from start to finish, with the Bruins' suffocating defense preventing the Gamecocks from making any sustained scoring runs. South Carolina: The Gamecocks trailed by double-digits at halftime for the first time since Dec. 21, 2021, against Stanford, according to ESPN. Chloe Kitts, who averages a team-leading 14 points, finished the game with 2 points on 1 of 7 shooting. UCLA: The Bruins led 43-22 at halftime. Eight different players scored and contributed to 11-0 and 7-0 runs in the first and second quarters as they shot 52% from the field. The first quarter set the tone for a game in which the Gamecocks never led. They missed their first nine shots and were 4 of 18 from the floor in the quarter. UCLA ran off 11 straight points to take a 20-10 lead into the second quarter. The Bruins dominated the boards, 41-34, and held the Gamecocks well under their scoring average of 80.2 points. South Carolina travels to Florida to meet Iowa State in the Fort Myers Tipoff on Thanksgiving. UCLA travels to the Rainbow Wahine Showdown in Hawaii to play UT Martin on Friday. Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 all season. Sign up here. AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball

How to Watch the NBA Today, November 24Cutting in line? American Airlines’ new boarding tech might stop you at now over 100 airports

The traditional holiday movie launch may be getting supplanted by blockbuster video games, with major interactive releases increasingly taking up prime advertising space and drawing consumer dollars. There have been examples of video games out-grossing the box office since the ’90s. Culturally, films have been thought of as a group entertainment activity, while games have been regarded as more of a gift to put under the tree for kids and game fans. A new study suggests that’s shifting. An ad for holiday blockbuster game Indiana Jones and the Great Circle on a Melbourne tram. Credit: Simon Schluter About three in five adult Australians play games, and more than half of the population intends to make a gaming-related purchase as part of their holiday spending, according to the survey conducted by YouGov. Of those people, the average anticipated spend was about $200, whereas Australians in general anticipated spending about $82 at the cinema. Millennials were expected to be the highest spenders, with the largest proportion of that age group planning to spend up to $250 on gaming purchases over the holiday period. The survey, commissioned by Xbox, also found that more than half of adult Australians prioritised games in their holiday entertainment, and that 61 per cent of families with children agreed gaming was a bonding family tradition. Xbox Australia’s games lead Eve Oorloff said the medium was becoming more of a shared holiday experience, as families increasingly have multiple generations of game-players. “This shift in perception is really encouraging, as more people are beginning to see the value of gaming in bringing people together, much like the movies have done for generations,” she said. “We love being at the forefront of this continued evolution and adoption of gaming across generations, and watching it become a shared experience between players.” Telsyte analyst Foad Fadaghi, who was not involved in the research, said video games are appealing as gifts and activities when families are looking to maximise value in terms of dollars spent per hour of entertainment. A trip to the cinema with the whole family can easily cost as much as the most expensive new game. “According to everything we’ve seen, there’s been a shift against that kind of retail spending. People are spending a lot more time at home for their entertainment,” he said. “Entertainment is always a function of discretionary income, and clearly families see a lot of value in games.” Xbox says families are increasingly playing video games together as a holiday tradition. New games for this holiday period include Indiana Jones and the Great Circle and Call of Duty Black Ops 6 , both published by Microsoft-owned studios, as well as Astro Bot , Lego Horizon Adventures , Super Mario Party Jamboree and Sonic X Shadow Generations . Microsoft’s own games are included in its Game Pass Ultimate subscription service – meaning families could also play Indiana Jones and hundreds of other games for $23 a month, roughly the price of a movie ticket – on Xbox consoles or on PCs, which the study indicated were used for gaming by about half the playing population. But Fadaghi said the increased digitisation of the games marketplace came with certain dangers for game sales, especially at Christmas. Digital gifts are available but might not be preferred by family members who want to wrap up a present, and games could become less favourable as a gift if the trend towards subscriptions continue. In the era of Netflix, few people get DVDs as a gift. Harrison Ford has been digitally recreated as he looked in 1980 for The Great Circle, a globe-spanning, fascist-punching adventure set just after Raiders of the Lost Ark. “Subscriptions represent great value for money. But they represent an ongoing payment, so for some people it’s a little bit different from that one-off gift,” he said. The YouGov study indicated that, of the people who intended to make a gaming purchase these holidays, about two in five expected to buy a gift card or voucher. Loading Oorloff said Xbox invested in a wide variety of games to enhance the value of Game Pass, but Hollywood-style release campaigns were still vital for blockbuster games, which take many years and millions of dollars to make. “Making a splash at launch helps capture interest and build momentum and awareness. It also sets the title up for ongoing success through fan engagement with downloadable content, updates, expansions, and community events,” she said. “Games offer rich narratives, cinematic experiences, and interactive storytelling that rival any Hollywood production; the launch of a hotly anticipated title can feel similar to a movie premiere.” Get news and reviews on technology, gadgets and gaming in our Technology newsletter every Friday. Sign up here. Save Log in , register or subscribe to save articles for later. License this article Video games For subscribers Tim Biggs is a writer covering consumer technology, gadgets and video games. Connect via Twitter or email . Most Viewed in Technology LoadingPresident Joe Biden spoke Sunday on the collapse of the Syrian government under Bashar Assad, calling the moment a "fundamental act of justice" after more than two decades of oppression. "After 13 years of civil war in Syria and more than half a century of brutal authoritarian rule by Bashar Assad and his father before him, rebel forces have forced Assad to resign his office and flee the country," Biden said. "We're not sure where he is but there's word that he's in Moscow. At long last the Assad regime has fallen. This regime brutalized and tortured and killed literally hundreds of thousands of innocent Syrians. The fall of the regime is a fundamental act of justice. It's a moment of historic opportunity for the long-suffering people of Syria." RELATED STORY | The fall of Bashar Assad after 13 years of war in Syria brings to an end a decades-long dynasty President Biden, speaking from the White House just hours after rebels overthrew the Syrian government and Assad fled the country, said while the news is positive for the Middle East, warned that it marks "a moment of risk and uncertainty." "As we all turn to the question of what comes next, the United States will work with our partners and the stakeholders in Syria to help them seize an opportunity to manage the risks," he said. "You know, for years, the main backers of Assad have been Iran, Hezbollah and Russia. But over the last week their support collapsed — all three of them. Because all three of them are far weaker today than they were when I took office." RELATED STORY | Family of kidnapped American reporter still believes he is alive in Syria Meanwhile, President Biden also spoke on Austin Tice, a former U.S. Marine and freelance journalist who disappeared in August 2012 while covering the Syrian civil war. Tice's family believes he is still alive in Syria, and President Biden said his administration will continue to work to locate him and bring him home. "We believe he's alive. We think we can get him back. But we have no direct evidence of that yet and Assad should be held accountable," he said. "... We want to get him out."

I was shocked, but sadly not surprised, to read recently that one in five small businesses have zero cash reserves. or signup to continue reading About 18 per cent have less than a month's worth of cash to fulfil their obligations and 21 per cent have reserves to cover only one to two months. This research commissioned by Prospa, showing the modest to zero reserves held by 60 per cent of small businesses, is frightening and a message we can't ignore. And about one in three have dipped into personal funds to and the business cupboard is bare. Cash flow is the oxygen of enterprise. Requests for help to my agency from distressed small and family business owners seeking assistance with insolvency or the risk that a business they are dealing with is in trouble, have increased by over 50 per cent this year. Business creation and new entrepreneurship are essential to driving economic growth, generating jobs, and boosting innovation. We particularly need more younger people to take up the opportunity of owning and running a small business; yet the risk reward balance is off-putting. The drain on resources during the establishment phase can be too much. The early years for a new business can be the valley of death for cash flow. Having every available dollar to re-invest in the business will help more to survive and build the foundations for success. In Singapore, a tax discount scheme is available in the early years of a new enterprise in recognition of the need to counter this cash flow valley of death. There is merit in Australia exploring the feasibility of introducing a similar early-stage incentive in the form of a tax discount or offset scheme to support businesses retaining more of the early-stage earnings for reinvestment in the business when it is needed most. This incentive would encourage business formation and reward risk-taking to energise enterprise. Singapore's start-up tax exemption scheme is specifically designed to recognise that new "home-grown" enterprises are an important component of a vibrant economy. It provides eligible new companies the exemption for the first three years, reducing their taxable income by 75 per cent for the first $100,000 of income and by 50 per cent for the next $100,000 of income. Under that model a business with a taxable income of $200,000 would pay no tax on $125,000 for each year of assessment (with the remaining $75,000 taxed at the prevailing company tax rate). Any Australian scheme should have the characteristics and settings that would be most appropriate for our business environment and complement existing incentives. For example, alternative models could see the rate of the tax discount or offset taper over the first three years and be adapted for equivalent benefit for differing entity structures. It should also have safeguards drawing on existing initiatives to tackle illegal business "phoenixing", including DirectorID, to prevent businesses from rebirthing or restructuring in order to misuse the incentive. What is important is to send a clear message supported by practical help, that small business is crucial for our economy and our communities. Small business is rightly celebrated for generating 33 per cent of our nation's gross domestic product and providing jobs for 5.36 million people - 42 per cent of the private workforce. But in 2006, small business contributed 40 per cent of GDP and employed 53 per cent of those with a private sector job. I fear we are sleepwalking into a "big corporate economy with this worrying trajectory. We need to energise enterprise and providing a boost to inspire new small businesses will help lift our country's rate of economic growth. In the US and UK election campaigns, candidates offered support for new small businesses to get started and recognition for the self-employed. Getting the incentives right is important because we need to find the next generation of small business owners. The average age of a small business owner right now is 50 and climbing. In the 1970s, 17 per cent of business owners were under the age of 30, but that's down to 8 per cent. CPA Australia's Asia-Pacific Small Business Survey found of the 11 regions and thousands of businesses surveyed, Australia had the highest percentage of small business owners aged 50 and over. And Australia ranked third lowest for business owners under 40. The survey also found business owners aged 30 to 50 were the most likely to innovate, to use technology, to grow new value, to drive economic opportunity, which further reinforces the need to provide incentives. The ASBFEO Pulse, a world-leading health check of objective vital signs for small business, showed a sustained decline in small business conditions over the last 2 years that is now levelling out, and fewer people considering starting a business over the same period. Is the next generation increasingly not seeing self-employment or their own enterprise as a pathway for the future? At a time when young people, particularly, look for purpose as well as profit in their lives, to choose their own path and shape their own story, isn't self-employment or running your own businesses a seemingly natural fit? No one starts a small business because they are excited about the paperwork involved; yet the cumulative compliance burden and fear and consequences of doing something wrong is having a chilling effect on entrepreneurship. We need to create a more supportive ecosystem to , build a business, adopt the risk and responsibility of creating a new enterprise and employ that extra person. We need to give enterprising people the best chance to be successful and a cash flow boost in the early years can help them to thrive and benefit our community and our economy. DAILY Today's top stories curated by our news team. WEEKDAYS Grab a quick bite of today's latest news from around the region and the nation. WEEKLY The latest news, results & expert analysis. WEEKDAYS Catch up on the news of the day and unwind with great reading for your evening. WEEKLY Get the editor's insights: what's happening & why it matters. WEEKLY Love footy? We've got all the action covered. WEEKLY Every Saturday and Tuesday, explore destinations deals, tips & travel writing to transport you around the globe. WEEKLY Going out or staying in? Find out what's on. WEEKDAYS Sharp. Close to the ground. Digging deep. Your weekday morning newsletter on national affairs, politics and more. TWICE WEEKLY Your essential national news digest: all the big issues on Wednesday and great reading every Saturday. WEEKLY Get news, reviews and expert insights every Thursday from CarExpert, ACM's exclusive motoring partner. TWICE WEEKLY Get real, Australia! Let the ACM network's editors and journalists bring you news and views from all over. AS IT HAPPENS Be the first to know when news breaks. DAILY Your digital replica of Today's Paper. Ready to read from 5am! DAILY Test your skills with interactive crosswords, sudoku & trivia. Fresh daily! Advertisement AdvertisementShare this Story : Ottawa councillor's profane outburst with daycare staff 'bullying and intimidation' Copy Link Email X Reddit Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Breadcrumb Trail Links News Local News Ottawa councillor's profane outburst with daycare staff 'bullying and intimidation' The city's integrity commissioner recommended official sanctions against rural Coun. Clarke Kelly for his behavior toward daycare staff. Get the latest from Blair Crawford straight to your inbox Sign Up Author of the article: Blair Crawford Published Nov 23, 2024 • 4 minute read Join the conversation You can save this article by registering for free here . Or sign-in if you have an account. West Carleton-March Coun. Clarke Kelly. Photo by JULIE OLIVER / Postmedia Article content Ottawa’s integrity commissioner is recommending an official reprimand for West Carleton-March Coun. Clarke Kelly over a heated exchange he had last summer with staff at a daycare next to his rural Ottawa office. In her report on the July 3 incident, commissioner Karen E. Shepherd found Kelly’s “aggressive” behaviour toward the owner and staff of the West Carleton Kids Korner Daycare “did not meet the standards expected of elected officials.” Advertisement 2 Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 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Activate your Online Access Now Article content “I find that Councillor Kelly’s actions on July 3, 2024 were aggressive and amounted to bullying and intimidation of the staff of the Daycare, including the owner,” Shepherd wrote in her report, released Nov. 20 . Kelly was participating in a meeting of the Planning and Housing Committee that day via Zoom from his office in the West Carleton Community Complex on Carp Road near Kinburn Side Road. The daycare shares space in the complex and Shepherd found that Kelly had had previous run-ins with the owner because of the noise and behaviour of some of the children who attend. That morning, kids were playing outside his office window and banging on the glass during the meeting. Eventually, Kelly left his desk and went to an outside door to complain to daycare staff “in an aggressive manner” about the noise. Later, daycare staff said they heard Kelly shouting and dropping “F bombs” about the encounter through the walls of his office, although it’s not clear if the profanity was directed at anyone in particular. One daycare employee said children she was with probably heard it too, but couldn’t say if they would have recognized it as cursing. Evening Update The Ottawa Citizen’s best journalism, delivered directly to your inbox by 7 p.m. on weekdays. There was an error, please provide a valid email address. Sign Up By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Thanks for signing up! A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Evening Update will soon be in your inbox. We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try again Article content Advertisement 3 Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Article content Shortly after that, there was a third encounter when Kelly went to the daycare door and argued with the owner, an encounter that was captured by a security camera with video, but no sound. The “kerfuffle in Kinburn” was previously reported by the Ottawa Citizen and in other local media outlets. “There is no question Councillor Kelly’s conduct was inappropriate,” Shepherd wrote. “Under the circumstances, it is understandable that Councillor Kelly was frustrated and felt the need to address the situation. That said, the manner in which Councillor Kelly spoke to the daycare owner, particularly the use of profanities, was aggressive and intimidating. “To be clear, at no time did Councillor Kelly enter Chambers to shout at or use vulgarities directed at daycare workers or children,” she added. Shepherd said she received four separate complaints in the days following the incident, although her report does not say who they were from. The daycare owner also contacted Ottawa police about the encounter. Investigators with the integrity commissioner’s office interviewed 11 people for the report, including Kelly and members of his staff who were in the office that day. Advertisement 4 Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Article content In her findings, Shepherd acknowledged that Kelly’s concerns about the noise and the cleanliness of building’s public washrooms during the daycare’s summer sessions had been well documented. “I believe Councillor Kelly has a reasonable expectation of a professional work environment. Before the start of the 2024 summer camp program, Councillor Kelly and his staff made efforts to address their concerns through the appropriate channels. Though not an excuse for Councillor Kelly’s conduct that day, it does not appear that any action was taken in response to complaints from the Councillor’s Office about the noise and bathroom issues associated with the summer camp in 2023,” she wrote. Nevertheless, that didn’t excuse Kelly’s actions, she wrote. “Councillor Kelly’s actions that day fall within the realm of bullying and intimidation, but they do not meet the threshold for discrimination or harassment. While not acceptable conduct, Councillor Kelly’s interaction with daycare staff and the daycare owner were brief incidents in which he was responding to stressful conditions in his workplace.” Advertisement 5 Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Article content Kelly admitted to investigators that his swearing was “inexcusable” and said he has since taken anger management training through the city’s employee assistance program. He promised “to learn from his mistakes.” In an email to the Citizen, Kelly said he appreciated the thoroughness of the commissioner’s investigation and that his handling of the incident had been a mistake. “I take responsibility for my reaction and use of strong language during an exchange on July 3rd. Everyone deserves to have a safe and positive work environment, and I am committed to ensuring that I will do my part to contribute to this,” Kelly said. “At the same time, I am grateful that the report concludes that I did not direct profanities at children or staff of the daycare, and that the commissioner carefully considered the context in which this situation occurred.” A call to the daycare for comment was not immediately returned. A reprimand is the lowest level of punishment that can be levelled under Ontario’s Municipal Act. For more serious infractions, councillors can be suspended without pay for up to 90 days. Council is to receive Shepherd’s report and vote on the reprimand recommendation at its next meeting on Nov. 27. West Carleton-March Coun. Clarke Kelly, lower right, leaves his seat during a July 3, 2024 planning and housing committee meeting to confront staff of a day care to complain about noise outside his office window. Photo by Postmedia / Postmedia Article content Share this article in your social network Share this Story : Ottawa councillor's profane outburst with daycare staff 'bullying and intimidation' Copy Link Email X Reddit Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Comments You must be logged in to join the discussion or read more comments. Create an Account Sign in Join the Conversation Postmedia is committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion. Please keep comments relevant and respectful. Comments may take up to an hour to appear on the site. You will receive an email if there is a reply to your comment, an update to a thread you follow or if a user you follow comments. Visit our Community Guidelines for more information. Trending Government auctioning off 'rare' Pokémon card from surplus list Public Service Return-to-office rules broken by almost a third of Treasury Board staff: document Public Service GAMEDAY: Ottawa Senators change up lines as they prepare for Canucks Ottawa Senators Ottawa LRT system to shut down morning of Dec. 1 for software integration on new Line 2 News 'Critical' watermain break prompts no-dig order in Ottawa Local News Read Next Latest National Stories Featured Local Savings

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Watch: Rams WR Puka Nacua makes incredible toe-tap catch vs. BillsLOS ANGELES (AP) — Londynn Jones scored 15 points, making all five of her 3-pointers, and fifth-ranked UCLA stunned No. 1 South Carolina 77-62 on Sunday, ending the Gamecocks’ overall 43-game winning streak and their run of 33 consecutive road victories. The Gamecocks (5-1) lost for the first time since April 2023, when Caitlin Clark and Iowa beat them in the NCAA Tournament national semifinals. Te-Hina Paopao scored 18 points and Tessa Johnson scored 14 for the Gamecocks, whose road winning streak was third-longest in Division I history. It was the first time UCLA took down a No. 1 team in school history, having been 0-20 in such games. The program's previous best wins were over a couple of No. 2s — Oregon in 2019 and Stanford in 2008. Elina Aarnisalo added 13 points as one of five Bruins in double figures. UCLA (5-0) dominated from start to finish, with the Bruins' suffocating defense preventing the Gamecocks from making any sustained scoring runs. South Carolina: The Gamecocks trailed by double-digits at halftime for the first time since Dec. 21, 2021, against Stanford, according to ESPN. Chloe Kitts, who averages a team-leading 14 points, finished the game with 2 points on 1 of 7 shooting. UCLA: The Bruins led 43-22 at halftime. Eight different players scored and contributed to 11-0 and 7-0 runs in the first and second quarters as they shot 52% from the field. The first quarter set the tone for a game in which the Gamecocks never led. They missed their first nine shots and were 4 of 18 from the floor in the quarter. UCLA ran off 11 straight points to take a 20-10 lead into the second quarter. The Bruins dominated the boards, 41-34, and held the Gamecocks well under their scoring average of 80.2 points. South Carolina travels to Florida to meet Iowa State in the Fort Myers Tipoff on Thanksgiving. UCLA travels to the Rainbow Wahine Showdown in Hawaii to play UT Martin on Friday. Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 all season. Sign up here. AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball

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Settling a footnoteLaBeaux 1-3 0-0 3, Walker 6-12 8-9 20, R.Felton 8-19 1-1 20, Hayes 0-6 3-4 3, Riley 4-11 1-1 9, Farell 4-7 0-0 12, Woodard 3-4 0-0 6, Soumaoro 2-2 0-0 5, Malonga 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 28-66 13-15 78. Brigham 3-4 5-7 11, Nicholson 2-3 0-0 4, Cotton 5-9 2-2 15, Franklin 2-5 0-0 5, Pierre 4-10 7-11 16, Ituka 5-10 6-8 18, Houge 6-11 3-3 15, Niagu 1-1 0-0 2. Totals 28-53 23-31 86. Halftime_East Carolina 39-37. 3-Point Goals_East Carolina 9-27 (Farell 4-6, R.Felton 3-10, Soumaoro 1-1, LaBeaux 1-2, Woodard 0-1, Riley 0-2, Walker 0-2, Hayes 0-3), Jacksonville St. 7-15 (Cotton 3-3, Ituka 2-6, Pierre 1-2, Franklin 1-3, Houge 0-1). Fouled Out_LaBeaux, Riley, Woodard. Rebounds_East Carolina 29 (Walker, R.Felton 7), Jacksonville St. 33 (Brigham, Pierre, Houge 6). Assists_East Carolina 9 (Hayes 4), Jacksonville St. 13 (Pierre 6). Total Fouls_East Carolina 21, Jacksonville St. 13.

Century-old department store Nordstrom has agreed to be acquired and taken private by Nordstrom family members and a Mexican retail group in a $6.25 billion deal with the industry being squeezed by discount chains and other competition. Public companies are under a lot more scrutiny and if private, the Nordstrom may have more leeway in reviving a department store chain that has been attempting to reinvigorate sales for years. Nordstrom shareholders will receive $24.25 in cash for each share of Nordstrom common stock, or about $4 billion in all, representing a 42% premium on the company’s stock as of March 18, when reports of a potential transaction was reported by the media. The acquiring group will also pick up more than $2 billion in Nordstrom debt. | The traditional department stores have suffered in the face of withering competition from giants like Walmart and Target, as well as a host of fast-fashion bands and Amazon.com. Nordstrom rivals Macy’s and Kohl’s have been pressured by major investors to make huge changes in order to return more profit to shareholders. Sales at Nordstrom have essentially flatlined over the past decade or so and it announced last year that it was closing all of its Canadian stores and cutting 2,500 jobs as it winds down operations in the country. Nordstrom first announced plans to expand to Canada in 2012 and opened its first store in Calgary at CF Chinook Centre in September 2014. The offer announced Monday tops the previous $23-per-share bid that the Nordstrom family and Mexican retail group, El Puerto de Liverpool, made in September. The board also plans to authorize a special dividend of up to 25 cents per share, based on Nordstrom’s cash on hand immediately prior to and contingent on the close of the transaction. The deal is expected to close in the first half of 2025, at which time the company’s shares will no longer trade publicly. “While a change in ownership does not automatically remedy all of the problems with the department store operation, it will allow the family and their backers to take a long-term view of the business and make necessary investments and changes away from the short-term scrutiny of public markets,” wrote Neil Saunders, Managing Director of GlobalData, in a note to clients. Nordstrom’s board of directors unanimously approved the the proposed transaction, with members Erik and Pete Nordstrom, part of the Nordstrom family taking over the company—recusing themselves from that vote. Following the close of the transaction, the Nordstrom family will have a majority ownership stake in the company. Erik and Pete Nordstrom are the fourth-generation leadership at the Seattle retailer, which was founded in 1901 as a shoe store. Erik is the company’s chief executive and Peter is president. After opening 23 new stores so far this year, the company now operates a combined 381 Nordstrom and Nordstrom Rack stores in the U.S. Nordstrom shares fell about 1.5% Monday, but they are up 34% this year on rumors of a family takeover. The company’s stock is still down considerably from post-pandemic highs above $40 per share. In May of this year, Bruce Nordstrom, a retail executive who helped expand his family’s Pacific Northwest department store chain into an upscale national brand, died at age 90 . He was one of several Nordstrom family members who in 2017 made a push to take the company private, proposing to buy out the 70% of the department store’s stock they didn’t already own. Those talks failed in 2018 but earlier this year, his sons started another series of buyout negotiations , leading to Monday’s announcement. —Matt Ott, Associated Press business writerMagness Blake is a longtime philanthropist, businesswoman and Arabian horse trainer. Subscribe to continue reading this article. Already subscribed? To login in, click here.

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Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra promised to redefine Thailand's future by embracing its unique strengths, exploring new opportunities, and harnessing technology for the greater good. Speaking at the Bangkok Post Forum 2024, "Redefine Thailand: Road to Prosperity", Ms Paetongtarn said on Thursday that she was confident that she could lead Thailand to a brighter future. "It is a promise to create shared prosperity for all -- our people, communities, and the wider region," the prime minister told the participants at the forum held yesterday evening at Centara Grand at CentralWorld, who included foreign dignitaries, business executives and politicians. For decades, she said, Thailand's growth relied on strategies which focused on mass production and heavy industries. "These approaches brought progress, but in a world undergoing rapid changes, they are no longer enough," she said. "Thailand stands at a crossroads. We must pursue bold, innovative solutions that reflect our unique strengths and set us apart. "Our potential lies not in following the paths of others but in leveraging what makes us truly exceptional -- our strategic location, abundant natural resources, and the creativity of our people. "By embracing our identity and reimagining our future, we can chart a new course towards prosperity and establish Thailand as a leader in an interconnected, dynamic world," the prime minister said. Ms Paetongtarn went on to discuss Thailand's unique strengths, which she said should be utilised to achieve shared prosperity. She said Thailand's first strength is its geographical location because the country is positioned at the heart of Southeast Asia. As a result, Thailand has the opportunity to become a hub for logistics, trade and exchange, connecting countries in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) with the Asia-Pacific region and beyond. "With plans for high-speed rail, an aviation hub and improved cold-chain logistics networks, we can enhance the movement of goods, people, and ideas across borders," she said. Thailand can also serve as a bridge between East and West, fostering global partnerships for mutual growth and understanding. "In an era of division, we can stand as a beacon of collaboration and shared prosperity,'' she said. Thailand's second strength is its abundance of natural resources and cultural richness, which gives the country unparalleled opportunities. "Thailand has long been known as the 'Kitchen of the World', but now, it is time to elevate this legacy even further," the prime minister said. "With our agricultural resources, culinary expertise, and advanced technologies like precision farming and blockchain for traceability, we can transform traditional farming into a modern industry that prioritises quality, sustainability, and innovation," she stressed. Turning her attention to Thailand's tourism industry, the prime minister said there is an urgent need to help the industry evolve because the country is so much more than just a destination for sightseeing. "With our renowned hospitality and cultural heritage, we are uniquely positioned to offer wellness tourism, from spa therapies to meditation retreats, and become a top destination for digital nomads and retirees," she said. The premier also stressed the importance of technology in transforming the country, urging the country to prepare for a tech-driven future. "This is Thailand's next chapter," she said. "We invite our friends and partners to join us on this journey."

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NINGDE, China , Dec. 24, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- On December 24th, CATL officially launched the CATL Bedrock Chassis, the world's first ultra-safe skateboard chassis. With its outstanding performance of withstanding 120 km/h frontal impact without catching fire or exploding, CATL's Bedrock Chassis sets a new standard for intelligent chassis safety, providing comprehensive protection across all scenarios and speed ranges. Lead the industry with the most stringent safety tests With the battery-centered design, CATL's Bedrock Chassis utilizes Cell-to-Chassis integration technology, which directly integrates the battery cells into the chassis, allowing for a shared structural design between them. And based on the decoupling of the chassis from the upper body, the Bedrock Chassis is capable of absorbing 85% of the vehicle's collision energy (compared to around 60% absorbed by traditional chassis). Through various technological breakthroughs, the Bedrock Chassis successfully passed the world's first "highest speed + strongest impact" dual extreme safety test. This achievement enables the chassis to pass the 120 km/h frontal central pole impact test without catching fire, exploding or thermal runway, redefining the benchmark for safety in the industry. Currently, the speed for frontal impact safety test in the commonly used C-NCAP (China New Car Assessment Program) is 56km/h, which, when experiencing a frontal impact at this speed, generates collision energy equivalent to falling from 12-meter-high building. In comparison, a frontal impact at 120km/h is equivalent to falling from a 56-meter-high building, generating a collision energy 4.6 times that of collision at 56km/h. In more stringent frontal pole crash tests, which simulate crashes with non-standard objects such as power poles, large trees, or animals, the impact area is only 1/6 of that in a full-width frontal impact, exponentially increasing impact pressure. At a speed of 120km/h, the impact pressure on the chassis per unit area in a frontal central pole impact is 21 times that of the 56 km/h full-width frontal impact in C-NCAP testing. Due to the extremely high crash speed and intensity, there has been no previous instance of any new energy vehicle daring to challenge a 120km/h frontal pole impact test. With this extreme challenge, CATL's Bedrock Chassis has blazed a fresh trail for the industry. Open the era of ultra-safe transportation through three technological breakthroughs CATL's Bedrock Chassis has delved deep into the realm of structure and material innovation, leveraging three technological breakthroughs to provide unparalleled protection in all scenarios and speed ranges, ensuring rock-solid safety for the entire vehicle. The CATL Bedrock Chassis introduces a revolutionary three-dimensional biomimetic tortoise shell structure, where the body and energy unit framework are integrated, deeply coupled to provide the energy unit with indestructible protection. And its aircraft carrier-grade arresting structure disperses impact forces across multiple pathways during a crash, gradually decelerating the vehicle and significantly reducing the depth and speed at which obstacles intrude the cabin. The utilization of submarine-grade hot-formed steel with a strength of 2000MPa, aerospace-grade aluminum alloy with a strength of 600MPa, and multiple barrier structures further enhance the chassis' rigidity, making it virtually impervious. Moreover, the CATL Bedrock Chassis incorporates an ultra-safe battery cell design, NP technology, and a high-ductility energy-absorbing insulation film, leading the industry in a groundbreaking manner. In terms of high-voltage disconnection, it achieves instantaneous disconnection of high voltage circuit within 0.01 seconds of impact and completes the discharge of residual high-voltage energy in the vehicle within 0.2 seconds, setting a new industry record. Notably, the battery cells have undergone highly demanding tests, including high-speed sled impact tests at 60 km/h, 90-degree bending tests, and breakthrough sawing tests, the battery did not catch fire or explode across all three tests. These tests, all industry-firsts by CATL, have elevated the safety standards of battery cells to new heights. Unlocking the era of customization, and activating a trillion-yuan market The launch of the Bedrock Chassis not only redefines the standard for intelligent chassis safety but also activates a trillion-yuan market. It greatly accelerates the shift towards modular, personalized, and intelligent automotive design. Addressing the common pain points of high investment, long development cycles, and accelerated product iteration in the industry, the Bedrock Chassis incorporates three core characteristics: internal integration, decoupling of the chassis from the upper body, and external openness. With a rich array of toolkits and solution packages, it offers a scalable software and hardware architecture and standardized interfaces, enabling flexible configurations for different vehicle models and scenarios. This allows the realization of a "one chassis architecture, multiple vehicle models" concept and significantly improves development efficiency and shortens the R&D cycle. The time required for mass production of a vehicle is reduced from the traditional 36 months or longer to 12 to 18 months. Furthermore, the Bedrock Chassis breaks the limits of safety and modeling, and expands design flexibility through the design of decoupling of the chassis from the upper body. The fourth-generation Cell-to-Chassis (CTC) technology and inverted battery cell technology enhance the utilization of chassis space while reducing the risk of chassis scraping. Additionally, in terms of intelligence, the chassis supports mechanical decoupling, software decoupling and EE decoupling, enabling L3 to L4 intelligent driving capabilities. It provides high adaptability interfaces and promotes collaborative intelligent applications. At the launch ceremony, AVATR, the first automaker to use Bedrock Chassis, and CAIT-SH, CATL's skateboard chassis arm, signed an agreement to deepen cooperation on CATL's Bedrock Chassis to create a safer, higher-quality travel experience for users. Safety is a never-ending journey. In the future, CATL will continue to break technological barriers through continuous innovation, and work with partners to build a safe ecosystem for EV batteries and vehicles, safeguarding the safety of users. View original content to download multimedia: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/catl-launches-the-bedrock-chassis-that-withstands-120-kmh-impact-without-catching-fire-or-exploding-302338927.html SOURCE Contemporary Amperex Technology Co., Limited (CATL)

Share Tweet Share Share Email In today’s financial landscape, the markets can feel like a rollercoaster ride—thrilling yet unpredictable. For traders and investors alike, navigating this volatility has never been more crucial. Enter mobile investment apps: your pocket-sized gateway to making informed decisions in real-time, no matter where you are. Whether you’re an experienced trader or just dipping your toes into the world of investing, these powerful tools can help you seize opportunities and manage risks with ease. In this blog post, we’ll explore essential tips for mastering effective trading on mobile platforms that will empower you to ride out market fluctuations like a pro. Get ready to unlock the potential of your smartphone and transform those turbulent tides into profitable ventures! Introduction to Mobile Investment Apps In today’s fast-paced financial world, investing has never been more accessible. Mobile investment apps have transformed how we trade, allowing us to make quick decisions and act on market trends right from our smartphones. But with great power comes great responsibility—especially when navigating the unpredictable waters of market volatility. As stock prices soar and plummet in response to global events, economic shifts, or even social media buzz, having the right tools at your fingertips is crucial for successful trading. Whether you’re a seasoned investor or just starting out, understanding how to leverage these mobile platforms can make all the difference during turbulent times. Let’s dive into this dynamic landscape and explore strategies that will empower you while using your favorite investment apps in today’s ever-changing market environment. Understanding Market Volatility and its Impact on Trading Market volatility refers to the rapid price fluctuations that can occur in financial markets. This unpredictability often stems from economic events, political changes, or even global crises. For traders, understanding this volatility is crucial. It can create opportunities for profit but also poses significant risks. A sudden drop in stock prices might lead to panic selling, while unexpected gains could tempt reckless buying. Volatility affects trading strategies too. High volatility may encourage short-term trades and quick decisions rather than long-term investments. Traders must stay alert and adaptable. Moreover, market sentiment plays a vital role during volatile periods. Emotional responses can drive prices more than fundamentals do. Recognizing these patterns helps traders make informed choices amid chaos. Being aware of how market conditions influence trading decisions is essential for success in today’s fast-paced environment. Top Mobile Investment Apps for Navigating Volatility When it comes to navigating volatility, the right mobile investment app can make all the difference. Several platforms stand out for their user-friendly interfaces and robust features. Robinhood is a popular choice due to its commission-free trades and easy access to stocks , ETFs, and options. This makes quick trading during turbulent times much simpler. Another strong contender is Webull. Known for its advanced charting tools, it provides real-time market data that allows traders to analyze trends effectively. For those looking for educational resources alongside trading capabilities, E TRADE shines with its comprehensive research materials. Users can gain insights into market movements while executing trades seamlessly. Lastly, TD Ameritrade offers powerful mobile functionality combined with extensive customer support. Its Thinkorswim platform is excellent for serious investors wanting in-depth analysis on-the-go. These apps cater well to both novice and experienced traders facing today’s unpredictable markets. Features to Look for in a Trading App for Volatile Markets When navigating volatile markets, choosing the right trading app is crucial. Look for real-time market data and alerts. Staying updated on price changes can make a significant difference. User-friendly interfaces are essential too. A clean design helps you execute trades swiftly without getting lost in complicated menus. Advanced charting tools enhance your analysis capabilities. They allow you to visualize trends and patterns effectively, giving you an edge in decision-making. Also consider risk management features like stop-loss orders. These can protect your investments during sudden market shifts. Lastly, ensure that the app has robust customer support. Quick access to assistance is vital when time is of the essence during turbulent trading sessions. Tips for Effective Trading with Mobile Investment Apps during Market Turmoil Stay calm when trading during market turmoil. Emotions can lead to rash decisions, so take a moment to breathe and analyze the situation. Utilize real-time data. Mobile investment apps offer live stock prices and news updates. This information is crucial for making informed choices in fast-moving markets. Set clear goals for each trade. Define your entry and exit points ahead of time. Sticking to these plans helps prevent impulsive trades based on fear or excitement. Use stop-loss orders strategically. They act as a safety net during volatile periods, protecting you from significant losses if the market takes an unexpected turn. Regularly review your portfolio performance. Assess what’s working and what isn’t, allowing you to pivot quickly when necessary without second-guessing yourself constantly. Lastly, engage with online communities or forums within your app for shared insights and support from fellow traders navigating similar challenges. Benefits of Using Mobile Investment Apps in Today’s Market Environment Mobile investment apps have transformed how individuals engage with the stock market. These tools offer investors instant access to real-time data, allowing for informed decisions on the go. With features like customizable alerts and live streaming quotes, users can track market movements without being tethered to a desk. This flexibility is especially valuable during periods of volatility when every second counts. Additionally, many apps provide educational resources right at your fingertips. You can learn about different trading strategies while executing trades simultaneously, enhancing both knowledge and experience. The intuitive interfaces of these platforms make trading more accessible for beginners. Plus, advanced analytics empower seasoned traders to refine their strategies effectively in dynamic conditions. Security measures integrated into these applications ensure that your investments are safeguarded against potential threats. All these advantages create a compelling case for using mobile investment apps in today’s fast-paced financial landscape. Conclusion In today’s fast-paced and ever-changing market, it is important for traders to stay flexible and adaptable. Mobile investment apps provide a convenient way to monitor your investments on-the-go and make quick decisions. By following these tips for effective trading with mobile investment apps, you can navigate volatility in the market and potentially increase your profits. Remember to always do thorough research, diversify your portfolio, and keep track of market trends. With the right mindset and strategies, mobile investment apps can be powerful tools for successful trading in today’s dynamic market. Related Items: Investment , Stock Market , trading , volatility Share Tweet Share Share Email Recommended for you Cryptocurrency Investment Platforms: Strategies and Market Potential Crowdfunding Investment Platforms: Democratizing Financial Opportunities B2CORE Android App 2.1: Smarter, Faster, and Equipped with New Features CommentsLUQUE, Paraguay — Sake is perhaps more Japanese than the world-famous sushi. It's brewed in centuries-old mountaintop warehouses, savored in the country’s pub-like izakayas, poured during weddings and served slightly chilled for special toasts. The smooth rice wine that plays a crucial role in Japan's culinary traditions was enshrined on Wednesday by UNESCO on its list of the “intangible cultural heritage of humanity." At a meeting in Luque, Paraguay, members of UNESCO’s committee for safeguarding humanity's cultural heritage voted to recognize 45 cultural practices and products around the world, including Brazilian white cheese, Caribbean cassava bread and Palestinian olive oil soap. Unlike UNESCO’s World Heritage List, which includes sites considered important to humanity like the Pyramids of Giza in Egypt, the Intangible Cultural Heritage designation names products and practices of different cultures that are deserving of recognition. Japan's Takehiro Kano, ambassador to UNESCO, reacts after the traditional Japanese brewing of sake was officially named to UNESCO's "intangible cultural heritage of humanity" list during a World Heritage Convention in Asuncion, Paraguay on Wednesday. A Japanese delegation welcomed the announcement in Luque. “Sake is considered a divine gift and is essential for social and cultural events in Japan,” Kano Takehiro, the Japanese ambassador to UNESCO, told The Associated Press. The basic ingredients of sake are few: rice, water, yeast and koji, a rice mold that breaks down the starches into fermentable sugars like malting does in beer production. The whole two-month process of steaming, stirring, fermenting and pressing can be grueling. The rice — which wields tremendous marketing power as part of Japan's broader cultural identity — is key to the alcoholic brew. For a product to be categorized Japanese sake, the rice must be Japanese. Japanese sake, a nominee for UNESCO's "intangible cultural heritage of humanity" list, are displayed on Japan's delegation table, during a UNESCO World Heritage Convention in Asuncion, Paraguay, on Wednesday. The UNESCO recognition, the delegation said, captured more than the craft knowledge of making high-quality sake. It also honored a tradition dating back some 1,000 years — sake makes a cameo in Japan’s famous 11th century novel, “The Tale of Genji,” as the drink of choice in the refined Heian court. Now, officials hope to restore sake's image as Japan's premier alcoholic drink even as the younger drinkers in the country switch to imported wine or domestic beer and whiskey. Japanese breweries also expressed hope the listing could give a lift to the country's export economy as the popularity of sake booms around the world and in the United States amid heightened interest in Japanese cuisine. “I hope that this will also be an opportunity for Japanese people to take another look at sake, shochu and awamori, which are the essence of their culture," Hitoshi Utsunomiya, director of the trade group Japan Sake and Shochu Makers Association, said in Tokyo. "I would like them to try it even once and see what it tastes like,” he said. Sake exports, mostly to the U.S. and China, now rake in over $265 million a year, according to the association. Japan's Takehiro Kano, ambassador to UNESCO, reacts as the traditional Japanese brewing of sake was named to UNESCO's "intangible cultural heritage of humanity" list during a World Heritage Convention in Asuncion, Paraguay on Wednesday. Japan's delegation appeared ready to celebrate Wednesday — in classic Japanese style. After the announcement, Takehiro raised a cypress box full of sake to toast the alcoholic brew and cultural rite. “It means a lot to Japan and to the Japanese,” he said of the UNESCO designation. "This will help to renew interest in traditional sake elaboration.” In Tokyo, Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said he was “delighted” by UNESCO's recognition of traditional sake-making techniques, and he congratulated those dedicated to preserving and promoting the tradition. The crisp autumn air ushers in more than just pumpkin spice latte season. Consider cozying up inside with friends for a wine tasting and sharing delicious food and drinks with more complex flavors than cinnamon and sugar. Perhaps once thought of as stuffy affairs only for wine connoisseurs, today a tasting can be as casual as pouring a few bottles while doing another activity—say, bar games like darts or art activities like painting. The tasting can also be more traditional, especially if held at a winery or local wine shop, which is a great way to learn about what wines you might like to later serve at home. To host the ultimate wine tasting, it pays to do some R&D. One of the best aspects of hosting a wine tasting at home is that you get to establish the mood, tone, and guest list for the gathering—you can't pick a playlist when you sample wines at a bar or wine shop or make the dress code loungewear. So whether the mood is serious or playful, sophisticated or laid-back, the key to a successful tasting is enjoying and appreciating the wine and having fun with friends and family. Of course, there are a few other things to figure out along the way. Peerspace put together a few tips for hosting your wine-tasting party. A tasting party is all about sampling different wines and evaluating and hopefully enjoying them—and there are a variety of ways to do that. Would you like to host a playful gathering where each guest brings a mystery bottle of wine within a certain price range—a BYOB affair? Or would it be better to have more control over which wines are featured by curating and supplying all the wines as a host? This decision sets the tone—a tasting where guests contribute wine can be a bit of a free-for-all, whereas one where you select wines you supply allows guests to sit back and simply enjoy. And you don't have to break the bank to buy excellent wines—there are lots of wine experts ready to share their affordable picks. How much folks know about wine differs—and that's a good thing. Tastings are group learning experiences. Expertise isn't necessary to host or attend a tasting, but it is helpful to think about what will keep guests comfortable and having fun. Decide whether the vibe will be relaxed and laid-back, like friends sipping wine fireside, or more upbeat and formal. Think about elements like the atmosphere and the location, and consider whether folks will be seated or standing. Will you have a spirited playlist (couldn't resist) or live music? Do you want an expert to introduce each wine, or will you be that expert? Consider how guests will share their thoughts on what they are tasting. Do you want to just talk about them or do something more organized, like take notes or give ratings? Then supply notebooks or notecards and pencils, with categories or questions established ahead of time—all of which can reflect your evening's tone as well. How many people to invite is a question largely informed by the answers to tip #1: Are you having a big, formal affair or an intimate catch-up with close friends? Or something in between? Whatever the case, an RSVP is essential because not only do you need to plan the setup of the space, but you must also make sure there's enough wine for everyone to taste, including each of the wines featured. There's nothing worse than a tasting that runs dry! The math to determine how much wine you need considers the size of the tasting pours—a full glass of wine at a restaurant is usually around 5 ounces, which yields around five glasses of wine from a standard bottle. For tastings, you'll want to do less, depending on how many wines you are featuring—say, 2 ounces if you'll be trying a lot of different wines. Experts agree, having more wine than you need is always a good idea—that way you can send guests home with a bottle should there be a prize at the end of the night. Picking a theme is essential to curating the selection of wines—it's the organizing principle behind your selections. Otherwise, your tasting might as well be just walking down the wine aisle at the grocery store and taking sips from random bottles. There's too much wine out there not to be strategic about this. Plus, a theme helps you to tell the story of each wine better—it's the plot line of the night, if you will. Common themes are types of wine, regions they are from, or even price points—really, one can get as creative as they wish. For inspiration, check out local wine shops and see what they do for tastings. Often, they will follow seasonality and group wines in novel ways for their own in-house tastings. Don't let food be an afterthought for the festivities—after all, food can enhance particular qualities of wine and vice versa. There are many rules around what foods to pair with which wines, but consider this simple advice from Alder Yarrow's Vinography : "Stick with eating good food and drinking good wine." Since the focus is on the wines, allow the drinks to determine what food makes sense, but don't overthink it. Food is a supporting character here—at the very least, guests will need something to soak up all the alcohol (unless you are spitting it out). Eating foods that contain a mixture of protein, fats, and carbs when drinking helps increase the rate of alcohol elimination . Whether it's a full meal or heavy hors d'oeuvres, thoughtful noshes are necessary. The bottom line is, however you do it, hosting the ultimate wine tasting should be fun. Wine can feel intimidating to many people, but most wine experts are passionate, inspired folks who want to share what they know and help you find wines you like. So visit your local wine store or winemaker and ask questions. There are good guides specifically concerning how to taste wine. Dig a little, taste a lot, and have fun. It's all research for your next ultimate wine tasting. Story editing by Carren Jao. Additional editing by Kelly Glass. Copy editing by Kristen Wegrzyn. Photo selection by Lacy Kerrick. This story originally appeared on Peerspace and was produced and distributed in partnership with Stacker Studio. Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox!

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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. People are also reading... "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." Something in the kitchen was contaminated 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." But how did the drugs get into the kitchen? 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." New information sent to WADA ... eventually 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." Be the first to know

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French President Emmanuel Macron announced plans to name a new prime minister in the coming days after Michel Barnier resigned following a no-confidence vote in parliament. Barnier’s tenure of just three months makes him the shortest-serving prime minister in modern French history. In a televised address on Thursday, Macron emphasized that the incoming prime minister’s primary task would be securing parliamentary approval for the 2025 budget. He also proposed a temporary measure to extend the 2024 budget by mid-December to avoid any financial disruptions, with a comprehensive budget to be presented early next year to account for inflation. Macron attributed the government’s collapse to an “anti-republican front” formed by far-right and far-left parties, accusing them of fostering political instability. Despite criticism, Macron rejected calls for his resignation, reaffirming his commitment to completing his term, which ends in May 2027. “The mandate you have given me is for five years, and I will fulfill it until the very end,” Macron stated during his 10-minute speech. Macron did not reveal a successor during his address, and the announcement is now expected early next week. Barnier’s successor will face significant challenges in navigating a divided National Assembly, with no guarantees of a longer tenure. Since Macron took office in 2017, each successive prime minister has served for a shorter period than the last. Barnier’s replacement will be Macron’s sixth prime minister, underscoring the challenges of maintaining political stability in his administration. Speculation is rife about who will succeed Barnier, with four prominent names emerging as likely contenders. All of them were previously considered for the role before Barnier’s appointment. 1. Sebastien Lecornu Lecornu, 38, is a steadfast Macron loyalist who currently serves as defense minister. Known for his low-profile approach, he has played a key role in coordinating France’s support for Ukraine. Reports suggest Macron considered Lecornu but faced resistance from some quarters, citing his perceived right-wing stance. 2. Francois Bayrou A veteran politician and leader of the MoDem party, Bayrou, 73, has been a key ally of Macron since 2017. Recently acquitted in a long-running fraud case, Bayrou’s potential return to government is seen as a possibility, given his political experience and loyalty. 3. Xavier Bertrand Bertrand, 59, is a former labor and health minister under presidents Jacques Chirac and Nicolas Sarkozy. Currently the head of the Hauts-de-France region, he is a seasoned media performer and has ties to Sarkozy, who still wields influence in right-wing politics. 4. Bernard Cazeneuve A former Socialist Party member, Cazeneuve, 61, briefly served as prime minister under President Francois Hollande. Known for his tenure as interior minister during the 2015 Paris attacks, Cazeneuve left the Socialist Party in 2022 over its alliance with the far-left. His experience could make him a strong candidate. Macron’s next choice for prime minister will signal his strategy to address the ongoing political crisis. Whether he opts for a loyalist or seeks a broader coalition, the decision will shape the remainder of his presidency. The incoming government is expected to represent a mix of political forces or, at the very least, secure a commitment from opposition parties to avoid further no-confidence votes. ALSO READ: Who Is Tania Fernandes Anderson And Why Was The Boston City Councilor Arrested On Federal Charges?Bitcoin’s ‘Kimchi Premium’ jumps amid South Korean political turmoil

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TORONTO, Dec. 27, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Clear Blue Technologies International Inc. (TSXV: CBLU) (FRANKFURT: OYA) (OTCQB: CBUTF) (“ CBLU ” or the “ Company ”) today announces that as a result of strong support from its secured lenders, its shareholders, customers, suppliers, employees and convertible debenture holders and other creditors and investors, it has initiated a proposed package of financial restructuring which should position the company well to embrace the opportunities in front of it in 2025 and beyond. The Package consists of the following: A Shares for Debt Transaction to convert existing convertible debentures, shareholder loans, and other creditor amounts into equity. A Private Placement to raise additional working capital funds. A share consolidation of 6:1 to meet certain TSX Venture Exchange (“ TSXV ”) regulatory requirements. A cost reduction program within the Company to reduce operating expenses and R&D investments. “Clear Blue is strongly positioned to address North American and African Telecom and Smart City opportunities. It is a leader in its target markets and now has 4 proven products, each with strong growth potential. The last 3 years of Covid, war, inflation, interest rate hikes and related events have held the Company back from being able to capitalize on this opportunity. As a result of this financial restructuring, the Company can now move forward and focus on the opportunity in front of it,” said Miriam Tuerk, Co-Founder and CEO of Clear Blue. “A community builds a company, and the Clear Blue community has stepped forward at this stage to support the Company in a big way. We cannot thank everyone enough for their contribution and willingness to work together to achieve this milestone.” Details of the above are provided below: The Company will be entering into debt settlement agreements with certain debenture holders and other creditors to settle an aggregate of approximately $8.77 million indebtedness that will be converted into units of the Company, with each unit comprised of one common share and one common share purchase warrant at a price per common share of $0.03, with each warrant exercisable for 24 months at a strike price of $0.05 (the “ Shares for Debt Transaction ”). If $8.77 million indebtedness is settled then an aggregate of 292,438,847 common shares and 272,503,847 warrants will be issued on closing. The completion of the Shares for Debt Transactions is subject to a number of conditions, including the approval of the TSXV. Upon finalizing agreements with all creditors, the Company will issue a subsequent news release outlining the precise amount of debt settled and the number of units issued on closing. Alongside the Shares for Debt Transaction, the Company has also initiated a non-brokered private placement on identical terms to the Shares for Debt Transaction, with units of the Company to be issued comprised of one common share and one common share purchase warrant at a price per common share of $0.03, with each warrant exercisable for 24 months at a strike price of $0.05 (the “ Private Placement ”, and together with the Shares for Debt Transaction, the “ Transactions ”), for gross proceeds of up to $2 million. The net proceeds from the Private Placement will be used for working capital and general corporate purposes. If the maximum of $2 million is raised, an aggregate of 66,666,666 common shares and 66,666,666 warrants will be issued on closing the Private Placement. The Company also announces a plan to proceed with a consolidation of its issued and outstanding common shares on the basis of six (6) pre-consolidation shares for each one (1) post-consolidation share (the “ Consolidation ”). The Company believes that the Consolidation is in the best interests of shareholders as it will allow the Company to complete the Transactions in accordance with abiding by TSXV policies as well as enhance the marketability of the common shares. Accordingly, the Company plans to hold a special meeting of shareholders on or around the beginning of March 2025, prior to which time an information circular will be sent to shareholders containing additional details pertaining to the Consolidation. No fractional shares will be issued as a result of the Consolidation. Any fractional shares resulting from the Consolidation will be rounded down to the next whole common share. The initial closings of the Transactions are expected to occur on or before December 31, 2024, or such other date as the creditors, investors and the Company may agree upon, and are subject to the completion of formal documentation and the Company receiving all necessary regulatory approvals, including the approval of the TSXV. The securities issued pursuant to the Transactions will be subject to a hold period of four months and one day from the issuance date in accordance with applicable securities laws. Insiders may participate in the Transactions and the participation of insiders will be considered a related party transaction subject to Multilateral Instrument 61-101 – Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions (“ MI 61-101 ”). The Company intends to rely on exemptions from the formal valuation and minority shareholder approval requirements provided under subsections 5.5(b) and 5.7(1)(a) of MI 61-101 on the basis that no securities of the Company are listed on specified markets and the fair market value of the debt being settled by interested parties does not exceed 25% of the Company’s market capitalization. Additionally, the Company announces that it entered into a promissory note dated September 30, 2024, pursuant to which, Miriam and John Tuerk, directors and officers of the Company, collectively loaned the Company the principal amount of $994,704 (the “ Loan ”). The Loan is repayable on January 1, 2026, without interest. The lenders are control persons and directors and officers of the Company, and accordingly, the Loan constitutes a “related party transaction” pursuant to MI 61-101. The Loan is exempt from the formal valuation and minority shareholder approval requirements of 61-101. The Company is exempt from the formal valuation requirement contain in section 5.5(b) of MI 61-101 as the Company does not have securities listed on a specified stock exchange. The Loan is further exempt from the minority shareholder approval requirement pursuant to section 5.7(1)(a) of MI 61-101 as the fair market value of Loan is less than 25% of the Company’s market capitalization. This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any of the securities described in this news release. Such securities have not been, and will not be, registered under the U.S. Securities Act, or any state securities laws, and, accordingly, may not be offered or sold within the United States, or to or for the account or benefit of persons in the United States or "U.S. Persons", as such term is defined in Regulation S promulgated under the U.S. Securities Act, unless registered under the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws or pursuant to an exemption from such registration requirements. For more information, contact: Miriam Tuerk, Co-Founder and CEO +1 416 433 3952 investors@clearbluetechnologies.com www.clearbluetechnologies.com/en/investors About Clear Blue Technologies International Clear Blue Technologies International, the Smart Off-GridTM company, was founded on a vision of delivering clean, managed, “wireless power” to meet the global need for reliable, low-cost, solar and hybrid power for lighting, telecom, security, Internet of Things devices, and other mission-critical systems. Today, Clear Blue has thousands of systems under management across 37 countries, including the U.S. and Canada. (TSXV: CBLU) (FRA: 0YA) (OTCQB: CBUTF) Legal Disclaimer Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any of the securities described in this news release. Such securities have not been, and will not be, registered under the U.S. Securities Act, or any state securities laws, and, accordingly, may not be offered or sold within the United States, or to or for the account or benefit of persons in the United States or “U.S. Persons”, as such term is defined in Regulation S promulgated under the U.S. Securities Act, unless registered under the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws or pursuant to an exemption from such registration requirements. Forward-Looking Statement This press release contains certain "forward-looking information" and/or "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Such forward-looking information and forward-looking statements are not representative of historical facts or information or current condition, but instead represent only Clear Blue’s beliefs regarding future events, plans or objectives, many of which, by their nature, are inherently uncertain and outside of Clear Blue's control. Generally, such forward-looking information or forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "plans", "expects" or "does not expect", "is expected", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", or "believes", or variations of such words and phrases or may contain statements that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will be taken", "will continue", "will occur" or "will be achieved". The forward-looking information contained herein may include, but is not limited to, information concerning the Company's current and future financial position. By identifying such information and statements in this manner, Clear Blue is alerting the reader that such information and statements are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements of Clear Blue to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such information and statements. An investment in securities of Clear Blue is speculative and subject to several risks including, without limitation, the risks discussed under the heading "Risk Factors" in Clear Blue's listing application dated July 12, 2018. Although Clear Blue has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking information and forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. In connection with the forward-looking information and forward-looking statements contained in this press release, Clear Blue has made certain assumptions. Although Clear Blue believes that the assumptions and factors used in preparing, and the expectations contained in, the forward-looking information and statements are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on such information and statements, and no assurance or guarantee can be given that such forward-looking information and statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such information and statements. The forward-looking information and forward-looking statements contained in this press release are made as of the date of this press release. All subsequent written and oral forward- looking information and statements attributable to Clear Blue or persons acting on its behalf is expressly qualified in its entirety by this notice. This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any of the securities described in this news release. Such securities have not been, and will not be, registered under the U.S. Securities Act, or any state securities laws, and, accordingly, may not be offered or sold within the United States, or to or for the account or benefit of persons in the United States or “U.S. Persons”, as such term is defined in Regulation S promulgated under the U.S. Securities Act, unless registered under the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws or pursuant to an exemption from such registration requirements.Top Fashion PR Agency JPR Media Group celebrates decade of London PR business 12-06-2024 10:02 PM CET | Leisure, Entertainment, Miscellaneous Press release from: ABNewswire December 12, 2024 - London - Fashion PR agency [ https://www.jprmediagroup.com/fashion-pr/ ] JPR Media Group has been established for over 10 years and is a leading lifestyle PR agency for luxury, fashion, and beauty brands. JPR Media Group has organised product launches, marketing activations, brand partnerships, and UHNW private client shopping experiences. For restaurant PR and members club PR clients, JPR Media Group has invited PR's of brands such as Louis Vuitton, Burberry, Agent Provocateur, Calvin Klein, Ralph Lauren, Fendi, Stella McCartney, Elie Saab, Jimmy Choo, Hublot, Loewe, LVMH Watches and Jewellery, Audemars Piguet, Panerai, Mont Blanc, Dior Parfums, Coach, Nars, Tag Heuer, Saint Laurent, Veuve Clicquot, Tiffany & Co, Van Cleef & Arpels, Manolo Blahnik, Alexander McQueen, Amouage, Beats by Dre, Levi's, La Perla, Belstaff, Smythson, Roland Mouret, Boodles, Coty, De Beers, Gucci, Hugo Boss, Jaeger le-Coultre, and more. Case Study: #WomansCrushWednesday Club JPR Media Group launched a women's empowerment concept called the #WomansCrushWednesday Club that became trending and was tweeted about by Vanity Fair and written about in Grazia . The concept was to create a social media buzz around celebrating successful women. JPR Media Group partnered with fashion brands and had the brand decide which woman would be celebrated on the evening of the dinner party in stylish London venues. Case Study: YOPE For beauty PR client YOPE, JPR Media Group helped build the brand strategy for the UK launch, creating a whole brand campaign for #beeYOPE to promote YOPE's Linden Blossom range with wild bees and other pollinators in mind. JPR Media secured press for YOPE in Forbes, GQ, Glamour, Dazed, Woman & Home, BuzzFeed, and more. About YOPE Every YOPE beauty product and home care product is created with the environment in mind. They use ingredients from sustainable sources and environmentally friendly packaging. In the spirit of "zero-waste" living, they encourage refilling and make refills available for a growing number of products. Taking on Earth-friendly initiatives is an important part of their mission. From protecting wilderness areas to planting trees and giving pollinators a habitat, they believe they can and must make a positive difference. Case Study: Atelier Zuhra x Royal Opera House JPR Media Group worked with Atelier Zuhra to deliver fashion press, business profile press for the founders, and organise top stylists ( Vogue, L'Officiel ) and celebrities to attend the LFW 2020 show at the Royal Opera House. About Atelier Zuhra Atelier Zuhra is an incredible couture and ready-to-wear brand started by a female businesswoman from the Middle East (Oman), now run by both her and her daughter. The brand has been worn by international celebrities, Bollywood stars, and Middle East royals including Beyonce, Mariah Carey, Carrie Underwood, Christina Aguilera, Nicki Minaj, Kate Beckinsale, Paris Hilton, Eva Longoria, Taraji P Henson, Karol G, Winnie Harlow, Shanina Shaik, Madelaine Petsch, Amanda Holden, Nicole Scherzinger, Leona Lewis, Katherine Jenkins OBE, April Love Geary, Heart Evangelista, Kareena Kapoor, Mariam Abadi, Ayesha Omar, Farhani Bodi, Sarah Abdallah, Mona Zaki, Farah Alhady, Buthaina Alraisi, Joelle Mardinian, Aishwarya Rai, and more. https://www.jprmediagroup.com/ jessica@jprmediagroup.com [mailto:jessica@jprmediagroup.com] M: +44(0)7950977765 Media Contact Company Name: JPR Media Group Contact Person: Jessica Patterson Email:Send Email [ https://www.abnewswire.com/email_contact_us.php?pr=top-fashion-pr-agency-jpr-media-group-celebrates-decade-of-london-pr-business ] Phone: +447950 977765 Address:14th Floor 33 Cavendish Square City: London W1G 0PW Country: United Kingdom Website: https://www.jprmediagroup.com/ This release was published on openPR.

Crews in a Twin Cities suburb dug up soil sacred to the Dakota people. Now, they’re trying to find a solutionThis week saw No. 2 Texas travel from Austin, Texas to Atlanta for the Longhorns ' first SEC championship game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. But one massive star was missing from the Texas travel party for its rematch against No. 5 Georgia . As reported by the Austin American-Statesman's David Eckert , Bevo — Texas' live longhorn steer mascot, believed to be the biggest livestock mascot in college sports — will not join the Longhorns at their first SEC championship game due to space inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Georgia's mascot, Uga XI, is expected to attend the game on Saturday. REQUIRED READING: College football Week 15 predictions: Expert picks for every conference championship game "When we received the request for Bevo to be on the sideline in Mercedes-Benz Stadium, our staff looked at several alternatives including the sideline location. The reality is there is limited sideline space at the stadium. We can’t jeopardize the safety of Bevo or the game participants," an SEC spokesperson told the Statesman, part of the USA Today Network, on Thursday. "With the narrow sidelines, location of multiple sets for television and camera carts, there is not enough space. While we want to honor tradition across the conference, the space limitation is a reality. "We did identify several options for Bevo including a location at SEC FanFare but there was no opportunity for him to be in the stadium due to space." As noted by ESPN, Bevo weighs more than 1,700 pounds while its horns span a distance of 58 inches. SEC commissioner Greg Sankey was asked about the matter Friday on ESPN's "The Pat McAfee Show," echoing similar remarks. "That's the problem. We looked at alternatives and have limited space reality here," Sankey said Friday. "We looked at alternatives but we are going to go forward with the football game as is." Of note: Bevo charged Georgia's former live Bulldog mascot, Uga X, in pregame of the 2019 Sugar Bowl at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans. Uga XI did not make the trip to Austin in Week 8 earlier this year due to the travel impact on a young pet, as he is only 2 years old. Texas and Georgia will kick off at 4 p.m. ET in Atlanta's Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Saturday, with the winner receiving one of the four automatic bids to the College Football Playoff that also comes with a first-round bye.

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( ) shares are a popular option for Aussie investors. But are the giant's shares a good one right now? According to Goldman Sachs they are. The broker has named a number of reasons why it thinks investors should be snapping up the company's shares for the year ahead. Four reasons to buy Telstra shares The first reason that Telstra could be a good option for investors is its low risk earnings and dividend growth. Particularly in the current uncertain economic environment. It said: Telstra is the incumbent telecom operator in Australia. We believe the low risk earnings (and dividend) growth that Telstra is delivering across FY22-25, underpinned through its mobile business, is attractive. Another reason to buy Telstra shares could be its potential to unlock significant value through asset divestments. This includes both its InfraCo Fixed assets and its NBN payment stream. Goldman explains: We also believe that Telstra has a meaningful medium term opportunity to crystallise value through commencing the process to monetize its InfraCo Fixed assets – which we estimate could be worth between A$22-33bn. Although there is some debate around the strategic benefits, we see a strong rationale for monetizing the recurring NBN payment stream, given its inflation-linked, long duration cash flows could be worth A$14.5bn to A$17.9bn, with no loss of strategic benefit. What else? Goldman also believes that Telstra's shares look good value when adjusting out its NBN recurring payments. It notes: Although at a headline level, Telstra valuation appears relatively full (vs. peers and vs. 10Y yield), we note: Adjusting out NBN recurring payments (a unique asset), Telstra trades at a much more compelling multiple. Finally, the broker highlights the attractive on offer with its shares as a reason to buy. It concludes: Although its yield spread is compressed vs. history, when factoring dividend growth this is more attractive. Hence we rate Telstra Buy. Goldman is forecasting fully franked dividends per share of 19 cents in FY 2025, 20 cents in FY 2026, and then 21 cents in FY 2027. Based on its current share price of $4.03, this equates to yields of 4.7%, 4.95%, and 5.2%, respectively. The broker currently has a buy rating and $4.50 price target on its shares. This implies potential upside of over 11.5% for investors over the next 12 months. And including dividends, the total potential return stretches to over 16%.Citius Oncology, Inc. Reports Fiscal Full Year 2024 Financial Results and Provides Business Update

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plunger roulette The hot water waste is incredible; it’s left running while the person talks and tells stories. And they’re slow to boot. We’ve gently tried to redirect them with. They also dismiss that the machine is more efficient. No other chores make sense due to physical limitations, and they decline just socializing. It burns to acquiesce to money cost and environmental cost to coddle a person’s self-esteem. We’re even trying to figure out a fictitious reason to build a boundary. Any ideas? — Waste Water Dear Water: There’s a classic Shel Silverstein poem, “How Not to Have to Dry the Dishes” in which the instruction for avoiding the chore is simple: Do such a bad job, they won’t let you do it anymore. Ironically, you’re facing the opposite: This person is doing a bad job and won’t stop. This may not be a self-esteem issue or stubbornness. This could be a person genuinely thinking they’re helping, all evidence to the contrary notwithstanding. Try not to pin too much on age, also. Let the actions speak for themselves, not a generation. Gentle suggestion didn’t work, so you’ll need to be firmer about your boundary. A sign on the sink reading “No dishwashing, please. It costs too much,” might be clear enough. Or even a direct conversation stating that you appreciate your relative’s generosity, and you don’t want them to feel unwelcome, but you are not allowing anyone to hand wash dishes in the home anymore and you’ll feel disrespected if these wishes aren’t honored. Dear Eric: I have a friend who is an angry and impatient driver. On a recent trip, he was the driver, and it was a very stressful experience for his passengers. He cursed at other drivers, slammed on the brakes and yelled loudly in the car. He is also the type of person who is impatient with wait staff, grabs the change out of a cashier’s hand, complains about parking, gets huffy about too many people in a store and gets very angry when he is asked to calm down. Normally, other members of our party try to ignore it or just say “That’s who he is,” but after this last trip I’m wondering if you can give some suggestions on what we can say and how we can behave when we are uncomfortable with his behavior. — Calm Friend Dear Calm: Respectfully, I’m not sure why you’re still friends with this person. This isn’t a dig at you. Rather, this person’s behavior is blatantly antisocial and concerning to boot. It’s hard to see an upside to the friendship. This could be the result of a psychological or emotional issue. Try speaking to him about it at a calm moment. Acknowledge his feelings while also letting him know how his behavior is impacting those around him. “When [x] happened, I felt scared/stressed/uncomfortable. It’s concerning to me, and I feel it’s negatively affecting our friendship. When we’re together, I want to feel [x] instead.” You can also use this opportunity to set a non-negotiable limit to what you’ll be a party to. If you don’t feel safe riding in a car with your friend, say that. And follow that statement with action. Don’t get in the car.JAMBALOO Announces Lineup Additions & WFAA+ Streaming Partnership

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Two leading proxy advisory firms have recommended Religare Enterprises investors Ltd (REL) to vote against giving a fresh five-year term on the company's board to chairperson Rashmi Saluja, further turning the odds against her re-appointment that was already hanging in the balance amidst her ongoing feud with the company's largest shareholders, the Burman family. Religare has issued a rebuttal to the opinion of the proxy advisors, standing behind Saluja. Justifying their call for Saluja's ouster, proxy advisors InGovern and Institutional Investor Advisory Services (IiAS) said that the protracted battle between the Saluja-led management and the Burman family and the resultant litigation could be a distraction for the company's board. Also Read: Kalyani "The various legal disputes and police cases may be potential distractions to the board and to her in her ability to execute her responsibilities as Executive Chairperson of the company," the IIAS report read. InGovern also raised concerns over her compensation of almost 69 crore a year, which it said was much higher than industry peers. "The ongoing scrutiny of Religare raises questions about the effectiveness of governance under her leadership, which reflects poorly on her oversight and governance capabilities," read the InGovern report released over the weekend. "There are also concerns about her compensation practices and adherence to regulatory guidelines regarding executive remuneration." The proxy advisors' opinion was also influenced by the episode of Religare subsidiary Care Health Insurance issuing stock options to Saluja despite a denial from Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (Irdai). Shareholders will now put to vote the future of Saluja at Religare at the company's annual general meeting (AGM) on the last day of 2024. In August, Religare had moved the Registrar of Companies to delay its AGM by three months to 31 December. Also Read: An ordinary resolution seeking Saluja's re-appointment as a director will need at least half the shareholder votes to be cast in her favour to go through. Passing the shareholder muster seems to becoming ever more difficult for Saluja following the proxy advisor report that institutional investors generally rely upon. Institutional investors like mutual funds own a 13.43% stake in the company. The largest amongst these are Motilal Oswal (7.3%) and Samco (1.37%). Religare's largest shareholders, the Burman family, which control 25.12% shares of the company through four entities, are also expected to vote against Saluja's re-appointment. Saluja joined the board of Religare in 2018 as an independent director when the company was in the midst of a crisis that culminated in its erstwhile promoters being impeached. "It is particularly noteworthy that these attempts to question and malign Dr. Saluja and the board come only after the company has achieved remarkable success, transforming from a 17 share price to touching 315, creating substantial shareholder value," read a statement from Religare. "This timing, coupled with the Burmans' pending legal cases that remain unquestioned, paints a clear picture of the motivations behind these recent developments." Regarding Saluja's compensation and the Care Health Insurance ESOPs, Religare said that the matter was sub-judice. However, it reiterated that the company was in compliance with all legal and regulatory framework. Religare's board, including its independent directors, continues to back Saluja's re-appointment, the statement added. "As REL stands at the cusp of its next growth phase (Religare 2.0), Dr. Saluja's continued leadership as executive chairperson is crucial." Also Read: Earlier this month, the Reserve Bank of India approved the open offer of the Burman family, promoters of FMCG company Dabur, to acquire an additional 26% stake in Religare to become it promoters. The central bank also directed maintaining the current board and management structure of the company.Share this Story : Pure Kitchen shuts doors on Rideau Street location Copy Link Email X Reddit Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Breadcrumb Trail Links Local Business News Local News Pure Kitchen shuts doors on Rideau Street location Owners say crime in the ByWard Market area was not a factor in closing. Get the latest from Lynn Saxberg straight to your inbox Sign Up Author of the article: Lynn Saxberg Published Dec 06, 2024 • 1 minute read Join the conversation You can save this article by registering for free here . Or sign-in if you have an account. Pure Kitchen on Rideau Street in Ottawa. Photo by JULIE OLIVER / Postmedia Article content The owners of Ottawa’s vegan-friendly Pure Kitchen restaurants have closed their two-year-old location at the corner of Rideau Street and the ByWard Market’s William Street. Article content We apologize, but this video has failed to load. Try refreshing your browser, or tap here to see other videos from our team . Pure Kitchen shuts doors on Rideau Street location Back to video Article content Co-owner David Leith said business at the downtown location never lived up to expectations, particularly during the summer patio season. “It just didn’t work out the way we planned in terms of sales and profitability,” Leith said. “Maybe our concept wasn’t as wide-reaching as one would think in the healthy food market.” Advertisement 2 Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Exclusive articles from Elizabeth Payne, David Pugliese, Andrew Duffy, Bruce Deachman and others. Plus, food reviews and event listings in the weekly newsletter, Ottawa, Out of Office. Unlimited online access to Ottawa Citizen and 15 news sites with one account. Ottawa Citizen ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles, including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Exclusive articles from Elizabeth Payne, David Pugliese, Andrew Duffy, Bruce Deachman and others. Plus, food reviews and event listings in the weekly newsletter, Ottawa, Out of Office. Unlimited online access to Ottawa Citizen and 15 news sites with one account. Ottawa Citizen ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles, including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Sign In or Create an Account Email Address Continue or View more offers If you are a Home delivery print subscriber, online access is included in your subscription. Activate your Online Access Now Article content He emphasized they’re not closing the restaurant because of crime in the ByWard Market area . While it was a problem when the eatery opened in 2022, Leith said things have improved this year. “In the last six months whoever has been in charge of that area has been doing a good job of keeping it cleaned up,” he said. Leith speculated that the Elgin and Rideau Street locations might have been too close together. “ It might have split our client base up a little bit,” he said. Dave Leith, co-owner of Ottawa’s Pure Kitchen chain, enjoys mocktails with colleague Megan Campbell in 2022. The Rideau Street location of Pure Kitchen closed this week. Photo by Tony Caldwell / Postmedia The first Pure Kitchen opened in Westboro in 2015 , with a menu that Ottawa Citizen restaurant critic Peter Hum said “ caters to vegans, vegetarians, organic-food advocates and gluten-avoiders.” The Elgin Street location opened in 2016, followed by one in Kanata in 2018. “We’re focusing on those now, and continuously upping our game,” Leith said. “We’re excited about the other locations.” There was also a location on Preston Street that closed about two years ago. The Rideau Street closure puts about a dozen employees out of work less than three weeks before Christmas. Some will be placed at other Pure Kitchen locations or at other colleagues’ establishments, Leith said. lsaxberg@postmedia.com Recommended from Editorial Nine of the best vegetarian and health-conscious restaurants in Ottawa Comfort food: Three Ottawa chefs take home-style cooking to the next level Article content Share this article in your social network Share this Story : Pure Kitchen shuts doors on Rideau Street location Copy Link Email X Reddit Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Comments You must be logged in to join the discussion or read more comments. Create an Account Sign in Join the Conversation Postmedia is committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion. Please keep comments relevant and respectful. Comments may take up to an hour to appear on the site. You will receive an email if there is a reply to your comment, an update to a thread you follow or if a user you follow comments. Visit our Community Guidelines for more information. Trending Brady Tkachuk to New York Rangers rumour is 'Total bulls--t' and 'garbage' Ottawa Senators Pure Kitchen shuts doors on Rideau Street location Local Business Ottawa's Trillium Line LRT to open Jan. 6 Local News Ottawa man and woman face drug charges after south-end traffic stop News Former Ottawa Senators star Dany Heatley says criticism hurt, turns jeers to cheers in return Ottawa Senators Read Next Latest National Stories Featured Local Savings

Structural health monitoring (SHM) is vital for safeguarding infrastructure by identifying and addressing damage risks. Traditional methods, however, often struggle to deliver accurate real-time data on high-stress areas, like crack tips, where failure is most likely. These regions require careful monitoring to predict and prevent catastrophic structural failure. Yet, capturing the complexities of stress concentrations at crack tips remains a significant challenge. This study addresses these shortcomings by proposing a novel solution to achieve real-time structural assessments of pre-cracked structures. Researchers from the National University of Sciences & Technology, Islamabad, and the University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, have introduced an innovative contribution to the field of SHM, in the . Their study introduces a two-dimensional, six-node triangular inverse crack-tip element formulated to ensure strain singularities at the crack tip without compromising computational efficiency, enabling real-time health assessments of cracked structures. The study presents a two-dimensional, six-node triangular inverse crack-tip element, marking a significant advancement in SHM of through-thickness pre-cracked structures. The proposed crack-tip element integrates seamlessly with the inverse finite element method (iFEM) for shape-sensing and health assessment applications of engineering structures with and without preexisting cracks. A critical characteristic for accurate fracture analysis is maintaining strain singularities at the crack tip, accomplished by strategically repositioning mid-side nodes in this research. The element is adaptable to both structured and unstructured mesh discretization, making it highly versatile for modeling complex geometries, particularly in areas of high stress, such as crack tips. Rigorous validation confirms its effectiveness in shape-sensing and computing stress intensity factors (SIFs) across various crack geometries and loading conditions, highlighting its potential to revolutionize real-time monitoring of structures with preexisting cracks. Prof. Dr. Erkan Oterkus, the corresponding author and supervisor of the research, is of the view that "the formulation of the inverse crack-tip element represents a step forward in monitoring and the assessment of engineering structures with preexisting cracks. This approach enables precise shape-sensing capabilities and accurate reconstruction of critical fracture parameters, which are crucial for timely and informed decision-making regarding the maintenance and safety of critical infrastructure." This research has transformative potential across industries where structural integrity is paramount, notably in the aerospace and marine sectors. It enhances safety by detecting issues early, reduces maintenance costs through targeted repairs, and extends the lifespan of vital structures. Automating and streamlining the evaluation process minimizes downtime and operational disruptions, paving the way for more innovative, efficient, and sustainable infrastructure management.WASHINGTON — President-elect Donald Trump offered a public show of support Friday for Pete Hegseth, his choice to lead the Defense Department, whose confirmation by the Senate is in doubt as he faces questions over allegations of excessive drinking, sexual assault and his views on women in combat roles. Hegseth, a former Fox News host, Army National Guard major and combat veteran, spent much of the week on Capitol Hill trying to salvage his Cabinet nomination and privately reassure Republican senators that he is fit to lead Trump's Pentagon. "Pete Hegseth is doing very well," Trump posted on his social media site. "He will be a fantastic, high energy, Secretary of Defense." The president added that "Pete is a WINNER, and there is nothing that can be done to change that!!!" The nomination battle is emerging not only as a debate about the best person to lead the Pentagon, but an inflection point for a MAGA movement that appears to be relishing a public fight over its hard-line push for a more masculine military and an end to the "woke-ism" of diversity, equity and inclusion efforts. Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump's nominee to be defense secretary, responds to reporters during a meeting with Sen. Mike Rounds, R-S.D., a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, at the Capitol in Washington, Thursday, Dec. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) Military leaders are rattled by a list of “woke” senior officers that a conservative group urged Hegseth to dismiss for promoting diversity in the ranks if he is confirmed to lead the Pentagon. The list compiled by the American Accountability Foundation includes 20 general officers or senior admirals and a disproportionate number of female officers. It has had a chilling effect on the Pentagon’s often frank discussions as leaders try to figure out how to address the potential firings and diversity issues under Trump. Those on the list in many cases seem to be targeted for public comments they made either in interviews or at events on diversity, and in some cases for retweeting posts that promote diversity. Tom Jones, a former aide to Republican senators who leads the foundation, said Friday those on the list are “pretty egregious” advocates for diversity, equity and inclusion, or DEI, policies, which he called problematic. “The nominee has been pretty clear that that has no place in the military,” Jones said of Hegseth. Hegseth embraced Trump’s effort to end programs that promote diversity in the ranks and fire those who reflect those values. Other Trump picks, like Kash Patel for FBI director, have suggested targeting those in government who are not aligned with Trump. Trump's allies forcefully rallied around Hegseth — the Heritage Foundation's political arm promised to spend $1 million to shore up his nomination — as he vows to stay in the fight, as long as the president-elect wants him to. Vice President-elect JD Vance offers a public show of support for Pete Hegseth, the embattled choice to lead the Defense Department. "We're not abandoning this nomination," Vance told reporters during a tour of western North Carolina. "We're not abandoning this nomination," Vice-President-elect JD Vance said as he toured post-hurricane North Carolina. He said he spoke with GOP senators and believes Hegseth will be confirmed. The effort became a test of Trump's clout and of how far loyalty for the president-elect goes with Republican senators who have concerns about his nominees. Two of Trump's other choices stepped aside as they faced intense scrutiny: former Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., his first choice for attorney general, and Chad Chronister, a Florida sheriff who was Trump's first choice to lead the Drug Enforcement Administration. Thanking the president-elect for the support, Hegseth posted on social media, "Like you, we will never back down." Hegseth faces resistance from senators as reports emerged about his past, including the revelation that he made a settlement payment after being accused of a sexual assault that he denies. He promised not to drink on the job and told lawmakers he never engaged in sexual misconduct, even as his professional views on female troops came under intensifying scrutiny. He said as recently as last month that women "straight up" should not serve in combat. He picked up one important endorsement from Republican Sen. Katie Britt of Alabama, whose support was seen as a potentially powerful counterweight to the cooler reception Hegseth received from Sen. Joni Ernst, a former Army National Guard lieutenant colonel. Ernst, who is also a sexual assault survivor, stopped short of an endorsement after meeting with Hegseth this week. On Friday, Ernst posted on X that she would meet with him again next week. “At a minimum, we agree that he deserves the opportunity to lay out his vision for our warfighters at a fair hearing,” she wrote. On Friday, Trump put out the statement in response to coverage saying he lost faith in Hegseth, according to a person familiar with his thinking who was not authorized to discuss it publicly. The president-elect and his team were pleased to see Hegseth putting up a fight and his performance this week reiterates why he was chosen, the person said. They believe he can still be confirmed. Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump's nominee to be defense secretary, left, joined by his wife Jennifer Rauchet, attends a meeting with Sen. Mike Rounds, R-S.D., a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, at the Capitol in Washington, Thursday, Dec. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) If Hegseth goes down, Trump's team believes the defeat would empower others to spread what they cast as "vicious lies" against every candidate Trump chooses. Still, Trump's transition team is looking at potential replacements, including former presidential rival Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. DeSantis plans to attend the Dec. 14 Army-Navy football game with Trump, according to a person familiar with the Florida governor's plans who spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity. DeSantis and Trump spoke about the defense secretary post Tuesday at a memorial service for sheriff deputies in West Palm Beach, Fla., according to people familiar with the matter who said Trump was interested in DeSantis for the post, and the governor was receptive. DeSantis is poised to select a replacement for the expected Senate vacancy to be created by Marco Rubio becoming secretary of state, and Trump's daughter-in-law Lara Trump is seen as the preferred choice by those in Trump's orbit. 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. 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. 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. 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.rihanna russian roulette lyrics 。

NPSS Volleyball teams shine at B.C. Provincials, Girls finish 6th in best showing in 15 yearsWASHINGTON (AP) — The Commerce Department's efforts to curb China's and Russia's access to American-made advanced computer chips have been “inadequate” and will need more funding to stymie their ability to manufacture advanced weapons, according to a report published Wednesday by the Senate's Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations. The Biden administration imposed export controls to limit the ability of China and Russia ability to access U.S.-made chips after Russia's invasion of Ukraine nearly three years ago. The agency's Bureau of Industry and Security, according to the report, does not have the resources to enforce export controls and has been too reliant on U.S. chip makers voluntarily complying with the rules. But the push for bolstering Commerce's export control enforcement comes as the incoming Trump administration says it is looking to dramatically reduce the size and scope of federal government . President-elect Donald Trump has tapped entrepreneurs Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy to lead a new “Department of Government Efficiency” to dismantle parts of the federal government. The Trump transition team did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the report. BIS’s budget, about $191 million, has remained essentially flat since 2010 when adjusted for inflation. “While BIS’ budget has been stagnant for a decade, the bureau works diligently around the clock to meet its mission and safeguard U.S. national security,” Commerce Department spokesperson Charlie Andrews said in a statement in response to the report. Andrews added that with “necessary resources from Congress” the agency would be "better equipped to address the challenges that come with our evolving national security environment.” In a letter to Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo on Wednesday, Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, chair of the subcommittee, pointed to an audit of Texas Instruments that showed the Russian military continued to acquire components from Texas Instruments through front companies in Hong Kong to illustrate how the export controls are failing as an effective tool. The committee's findings, Blumenthal said, suggest that Texas Instruments “missed clear warning signs” that three companies in its distribution chain had been diverting products to Russia. Texas Instruments did not immediately respond to a request for comment. “While Congress must provide BIS more resources to undertake its critical mission, it is long past time for BIS to make full use of the enforcement powers Congress has conferred upon it and take aggressive steps to cut the flow of U.S. semiconductors into the Russian war machine,” Blumenthal wrote. It's not just Texas Instruments that's the issue. The subcommittee in September published a report that found aggregated exports from four major U.S. advanced chip manufacturers nearly doubled from 2021 to 2022 to Armenia and Georgia. Both of those countries are home to front companies known to assist Russia in acquiring advanced chips made in the U.S. despite export controls. China, meanwhile, has created “vast, barely disguised smuggling networks which enable it to continue to harness U.S. technology,” the subcommittee report asserts. Washington has been gradually expanding the number of companies affected by such export controls in China, as President Joe Biden’s administration has encouraged an expansion of investments in and manufacturing of chips in the U.S. But Chinese companies have found ways to evade export controls in part because of a lack of China subject matter experts and Chinese speakers assigned to Commerce's export control enforcement. The agency's current budget limits the number of international end-use checks, or physical verification overseas of distributors or companies receiving American-made chips that are the supposed end users of products. Currently, Commerce has only 11 export control officers spread around the globe to conduct such checks. The committee made several recommendations in its report, including Congress allocating more money for hiring additional personnel to enforce export controls, imposing larger fines on companies that violate controls and requiring periodic reviews of advanced chip companies’ export control plans by outside entities. Boak reported from West Palm Beach, Florida.

VANCOUVER - Global Affairs Canada is warning Canadians in South Korea to avoid demonstrations and exercise caution after the country’s president imposed an hours-long period of martial law. The situation in South Korea arose after President Yoon Suk Yeol imposed martial law on Tuesday, vowing to eliminate what he described as “anti-state” forces from the opposition that controls parliament. Yoon’s declaration triggered tense political drama, as troops surrounded the parliament while 190 lawmakers gathered inside to vote to lift the martial law shortly after it was imposed. Global Affairs Canada has not raised the risk level for Canadians in South Korea but did ask those in the country to monitor local media for the latest information, while following authorities’ instructions, such as curfew orders. A Vancouver-based travel agent says the chaos in Seoul is not likely to have a major effect on Canadian visitor numbers to South Korea. Glynnis Chan, owner of Happy Times Travel, says the martial law dissolved quickly and will likely have minimal impact on people’s travel plans, which tend to be made at least two months in advance. “There’s always some sort of impact, but it really depends on what happens with the situation over the long term,” Chan says. “If nothing more happens, people forget after a week or so about what took place.” Chan says she is not expecting any impact on her business, since Japan is a more popular destination among her customers. Several Korean-Canadian travel agencies in Metro Vancouver declined to comment on the political situation in Seoul. After Yoon’s declaration of martial law, hundreds of protesters gathered in front of the national assembly, waving banners and calling for Yoon’s impeachment, while others scuffled with military troops. The South Korean parliamentary members eventually voted to lift the declaration, with national assembly Speaker Woo Won Shik declaring it “invalid.” Police and military personnel were then seen leaving the assembly’s grounds after Woo’s call for their withdrawal. Jae-Yeon Lim, vice-president of the Canada Korea Business Association, says seeing military personnel clash with protesters and lawmakers brought back “harrowing” memories of the 1980 student-led demonstrations in Gwangju that were violently suppressed. Yoon’s move was the first declaration of martial law since the country’s democratization in 1987, and South Korea’s last previous martial law was in October 1979. “It has been a very difficult experience to see that,” Lim says of the latest martial law declaration. “But that said, I’m really happy to see that ... the national assembly managed to get the majority vote to repeal this, and they managed to do that at the risk of their own lives, even though military was there. “This is a country that will stand up for democracy.” Lim also says there would likely be little impact on bilateral relations or trade between the two countries stemming from the sudden onset of political drama, given how quickly martial law was lifted. “It’s not going to stop business from seeking to expand in Canada,” Lim says. “There’s still a very strong interest to do so from many businesses (in South Korea). “We have yet to see what will happen next, but I think that I’m a little bit reassured in seeing what has transpired ... that people are ready to defend their country and democratic rule-of-law.” — With files from The Associated Press This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 3, 2024.

Copy link Copied Copy link Copied Subscribe to gift this article Gift 5 articles to anyone you choose each month when you subscribe. Already a subscriber? Login Sales teams that are not using artificial intelligence (AI) to augment their efforts are being left behind as agencies and businesses increasingly rely on these tools to get an ever-harder-to-find edge in the market. Smartlead is transforming sales lead generation for agencies and large sales teams, drawing on sophisticated AI to construct email marketing campaigns that get delivered and seen. Smartlead “AI is a strategic partner in the sales process,” says Vaibhav Namburi, director of AI-powered lead generation platform Smartlead. “This transformation is particularly evident in the realm of email marketing, where staying ahead of Outlook and Google’s algorithms is crucial for ensuring that messages reach their intended audience,” he adds. The challenge of email marketing lies in the constantly changing algorithms of major email platforms. These algorithms are designed to filter out what they perceive as spam, often leading to legitimate marketing emails being relegated to the depths of the junk folder. AI-powered tools are often the only way around this. The promise of AI – now Sponsored by Smartlead This content has been funded by an advertiser and written by the Nine commercial editorial team. Copy link Copied Copy link Copied Subscribe to gift this article Gift 5 articles to anyone you choose each month when you subscribe. Already a subscriber? Login Introducing your Newsfeed Follow the topics, people and companies that matter to you. Latest In Technology Fetching latest articles Most Viewed In TechnologyCOPPER MOUNTAIN, Colo. — For a pair of lower-level downhill events, this sure had plenty of Olympic medal-capturing and World Cup-winning ski racers. The stage belonged to Lindsey Vonn, the 40-year-old who took another step on her comeback trail Saturday with her first races in nearly six years. Vonn wasn't particularly speedy and finished in the middle of the pack on a cold but sunny day at Copper Mountain. Times and places weren't the mission, though, as much as getting used to the speed again and gaining the necessary points to compete on the World Cup circuit this season. Vonn accomplished both, finishing 24th in the first downhill race of the day and 27th in the second. She posted on social media after the FIS races that she had enough points to enter World Cup events. The timing couldn't be more perfect — the next stop on the women's circuit is Beaver Creek, Colorado, in a week. Vonn, who used to own a home in nearby Vail, hasn't committed to any sort of timetable for a World Cup return. People are also reading... Paige Hubl, former Nebraska volleyball player and Lincoln Southeast coach, dies at age 34 Man found dead in north Lincoln, police say Lincoln Southwest vs. East boys basketball game briefly suspended due to 'unsafe environment' 'It could be very special': Why signs point to strong match between Nebraska, Pinstripe Bowl Andi's Ascent: She didn't want to play volleyball. Now Andi Jackson is the sport's next best thing Wisconsin officer grabbing Donovan Raiola's arm a 'misunderstanding,' UW police say 'Straight up theft': Lincoln craft fair organizer under fire after canceling event Nebraska defensive lineman announces he’ll return for 2025 season Tony White leaves Nebraska for Florida State defensive coordinator job 140 layoffs hit Lincoln immigration services center; more likely Taco restaurant started by brothers in Grand Island expands to Lincoln Lincoln Public Schools chief Gausman announces plans to retire Matt Rhule, Luke Fickell both downplay postgame encounter between Fickell, Donovan Raiola 'Not what we want to do': Nebraska's Matt Rhule talks pregame handshake snub with Iowa Nebraska volleyball aces first test, sweeps Florida A&M in first round of NCAA Tournament “Today was a solid start and I had a blast being in start with my teammates again!” Vonn wrote on X. “While I’m sure people will speculate and say I’m not in top form because of the results, I disagree. This was training for me. I’m still testing equipment and getting back in the groove.” Her competition — a veritable who's who of high-profile ski racers — applauded her efforts. “I don't expect her to come back and win — just that she comes back and she has fun,” said Federica Brignone of Italy, a former overall World Cup champion and three-time Olympic medalist. “She's having fun, and she’s doing what she loves. That’s the best thing that she could do.” In the first race on a frigid morning, Vonn wound up 1.44 seconds behind the winning time of 1 minute, 5.79 seconds posted by Mirjam Puchner of Austria. In her second race through the course later in the morning, Vonn was 1.53 seconds behind Cornelia Huetter of Austria, who finished in 1:05.99. Huetter is the reigning season-long World Cup downhill champion. “It’s really nice to compare with her again, and nice to have her (racing) again,” Huetter said. “For sure, for the skiing World Cup, we have a lot of more attention. It's generally good for all racers because everyone is looking.” Also in the field were Nadia Delago of Italy, who won a bronze medal in downhill at the 2022 Beijing Olympics, and Puchner, the Olympic silver winner in super-G in Beijing. In addition, there was Marta Bassino of Italy, a winner of the super-G at the 2023 world championships, and two-time Olympic champion Michelle Gisin of Switzerland. “For me, it was really a training, but it was fun to have a World Cup race level right here,” Gisin said. “It was a crazy race.” Vonn remains a popular figure and took the time after each run to sign autographs for young fans along with posing for photos. When she left the sport, Vonn had 82 World Cup race victories, which stood as the record for a woman and within reach of the all-time Alpine record of 86 held by Swedish standout Ingemar Stenmark. The women’s mark held by Vonn was surpassed in January 2023 by Mikaela Shiffrin, who now has 99 wins — more than any Alpine ski racer in the history of the sport. Shiffrin is currently sidelined after a crash in a giant slalom event in Killington, Vermont, last weekend. Vonn’s last major race was in February 2019, when she finished third in a downhill during the world championships in Sweden. The three-time Olympic medalist left the circuit still near the top of her game. But all the broken arms and legs, concussions and torn knee ligaments took too big a toll and sent her into retirement. She had a partial knee replacement last April and felt good enough to give racing another shot. “It's very impressive to see all the passion that Lindsey still has,” Gisin said. Also racing Saturday was 45-year-old Sarah Schleper, who once competed for the United States but now represents Mexico. Schleper was the next racer behind Vonn and they got a chance to share a moment between a pair of 40-somethings still racing. “I was like, ‘Give me some tips, Lindsey,’” Schleper said. “She’s like, ‘Oh, it’s a highway tuck, the whole thing.’ Then she’s like, ‘It’s just like the good old days.’"

COPPER MOUNTAIN, Colo. — For a pair of lower-level downhill events, this sure had plenty of Olympic medal-capturing and World Cup-winning ski racers. The stage belonged to Lindsey Vonn, the 40-year-old who took another step on her comeback trail Saturday with her first races in nearly six years. Vonn wasn't particularly speedy and finished in the middle of the pack on a cold but sunny day at Copper Mountain. Times and places weren't the mission, though, as much as getting used to the speed again and gaining the necessary points to compete on the World Cup circuit this season. Vonn accomplished both, finishing 24th in the first downhill race of the day and 27th in the second. She posted on social media after the FIS races that she had enough points to enter World Cup events. The timing couldn't be more perfect — the next stop on the women's circuit is Beaver Creek, Colorado, in a week. Vonn, who used to own a home in nearby Vail, hasn't committed to any sort of timetable for a World Cup return. “Today was a solid start and I had a blast being in start with my teammates again!” Vonn wrote on X. “While I’m sure people will speculate and say I’m not in top form because of the results, I disagree. This was training for me. I’m still testing equipment and getting back in the groove.” Lindsey Vonn reacts after her run at a downhill skiing race at Copper Mountain Ski Resort on Saturday in Copper Mountain, Colo. Her competition — a veritable who's who of high-profile ski racers — applauded her efforts. “I don't expect her to come back and win — just that she comes back and she has fun,” said Federica Brignone of Italy, a former overall World Cup champion and three-time Olympic medalist. “She's having fun, and she’s doing what she loves. That’s the best thing that she could do.” In the first race on a frigid morning, Vonn wound up 1.44 seconds behind the winning time of 1 minute, 5.79 seconds posted by Mirjam Puchner of Austria. In her second race through the course later in the morning, Vonn was 1.53 seconds behind Cornelia Huetter of Austria, who finished in 1:05.99. Huetter is the reigning season-long World Cup downhill champion. “It’s really nice to compare with her again, and nice to have her (racing) again,” Huetter said. “For sure, for the skiing World Cup, we have a lot of more attention. It's generally good for all racers because everyone is looking.” Also in the field were Nadia Delago of Italy, who won a bronze medal in downhill at the 2022 Beijing Olympics, and Puchner, the Olympic silver winner in super-G in Beijing. In addition, there was Marta Bassino of Italy, a winner of the super-G at the 2023 world championships, and two-time Olympic champion Michelle Gisin of Switzerland. “For me, it was really a training, but it was fun to have a World Cup race level right here,” Gisin said. “It was a crazy race.” Vonn remains a popular figure and took the time after each run to sign autographs for young fans along with posing for photos. Lindsey Vonn competes in a downhill skiing race at Copper Mountain Ski Resort on Saturday in Copper Mountain, Colo. When she left the sport, Vonn had 82 World Cup race victories, which stood as the record for a woman and within reach of the all-time Alpine record of 86 held by Swedish standout Ingemar Stenmark. The women’s mark held by Vonn was surpassed in January 2023 by Mikaela Shiffrin, who now has 99 wins — more than any Alpine ski racer in the history of the sport. Shiffrin is currently sidelined after a crash in a giant slalom event in Killington, Vermont, last weekend. Vonn’s last major race was in February 2019, when she finished third in a downhill during the world championships in Sweden. The three-time Olympic medalist left the circuit still near the top of her game. But all the broken arms and legs, concussions and torn knee ligaments took too big a toll and sent her into retirement. She had a partial knee replacement last April and felt good enough to give racing another shot. “It's very impressive to see all the passion that Lindsey still has,” Gisin said. Also racing Saturday was 45-year-old Sarah Schleper, who once competed for the United States but now represents Mexico. Schleper was the next racer behind Vonn and they got a chance to share a moment between a pair of 40-somethings still racing. “I was like, ‘Give me some tips, Lindsey,’” Schleper said. “She’s like, ‘Oh, it’s a highway tuck, the whole thing.’ Then she’s like, ‘It’s just like the good old days.’" Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen, foreground right, dives toward the end zone to score past San Francisco 49ers defensive end Robert Beal Jr. (51) and linebacker Dee Winters during the second half of an NFL football game in Orchard Park, N.Y., Sunday, Dec. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Adrian Kraus) South Carolina guard Maddy McDaniel (1) drives to the basket against UCLA forward Janiah Barker (0) and center Lauren Betts (51) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game, Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer) LSU punter Peyton Todd (38) kneels in prayer before an NCAA college football game against Oklahoma in Baton Rouge, La., Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024. LSU won 37-17. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert) South Africa's captain Temba Bavuma misses a catch during the fourth day of the first Test cricket match between South Africa and Sri Lanka, at Kingsmead stadium in Durban, South Africa, Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe) Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley, left, is hit by Baltimore Ravens cornerback Marlon Humphrey, center, as Eagles wide receiver Parris Campbell (80) looks on during a touchdown run by Barkley in the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 1, 2024, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough) Los Angeles Kings left wing Warren Foegele, left, trips San Jose Sharks center Macklin Celebrini, center, during the third period of an NHL hockey game Monday, Nov. 25, 2024, in San Jose, Calif. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez) Olympiacos' Francisco Ortega, right, challenges for the ball with FCSB's David Miculescu during the Europa League league phase soccer match between FCSB and Olympiacos at the National Arena stadium, in Bucharest, Romania, Thursday, Nov. 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Andreea Alexandru) Brazil's Botafogo soccer fans react during the Copa Libertadores title match against Atletico Mineiro in Argentina, during a watch party at Nilton Santos Stadium, in Rio de Janeiro, Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Bruna Prado) New York Islanders left wing Anders Lee (27), center, fight for the puck with Boston Bruins defensemen Parker Wotherspoon (29), left, and Brandon Carlo (25), right during the second period of an NHL hockey game, Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2024, in Elmont, N.Y. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson) Jiyai Shin of Korea watches her shot on the 10th hole during the final round of the Australian Open golf championship at the Kingston Heath Golf Club in Melbourne, Australia, Sunday, Dec. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Asanka Brendon Ratnayake) New York Islanders goaltender Ilya Sorokin cools off during first period of an NHL hockey game against the Boston Bruins, Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2024, in Elmont, N.Y. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson) Brazil's Amanda Gutierres, second right, is congratulated by teammate Yasmin, right, after scoring her team's first goal during a soccer international between Brazil and Australia in Brisbane, Australia, Thursday, Nov. 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Pat Hoelscher) Las Vegas Raiders tight end Brock Bowers (89) tries to leap over Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Joshua Williams (2) during the first half of an NFL football game in Kansas City, Mo., Friday, Nov. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Ed Zurga) Luiz Henrique of Brazil's Botafogo, right. is fouled by goalkeeper Everson of Brazil's Atletico Mineiro inside the penalty area during a Copa Libertadores final soccer match at Monumental stadium in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko) Gold medalists Team Netherlands competes in the Team Sprint Women race of the ISU World Cup Speed Skating Beijing 2024 held at the National Speed Skating Oval in Beijing, Sunday, Dec. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan) Minnesota Vikings running back Aaron Jones (33) reaches for an incomplete pass ahead of Arizona Cardinals linebacker Mack Wilson Sr. (2) during the second half of an NFL football game Sunday, Dec. 1, 2024, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr) Melanie Meillard, center, of Switzerland, competes during the second run in a women's World Cup slalom skiing race, Sunday, Dec. 1, 2024, in Killington, Vt. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty) Houston Rockets guard Jalen Green goes up for a dunk during the second half of an Emirates NBA cup basketball game against the Minnesota Timberwolves, Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2024, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr) Mari Fukada of Japan falls as she competes in the women's Snowboard Big Air qualifying round during the FIS Snowboard & Freeski World Cup 2024 at the Shougang Park in Beijing, Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Andy Wong) Seattle Kraken fans react after a goal by center Matty Beniers against the San Jose Sharks was disallowed due to goaltender interference during the third period of an NHL hockey game Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024, in Seattle. The Sharks won 4-2. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson) Mathilde Gremaud of Switzerland competes in the women's Freeski Big Air qualifying round during the FIS Snowboard & Freeski World Cup 2024 at the Shougang Park in Beijing, Friday, Nov. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Andy Wong) Lara Gut-Behrami, of Switzerland, competes during a women's World Cup giant slalom skiing race, Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024, in Killington, Vt. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty) England's Alessia Russo, left, and United States' Naomi Girma challenge for the ball during the International friendly women soccer match between England and United States at Wembley stadium in London, Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth) Get local news delivered to your inbox!

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 a dose of presidential pomp. And they held a hastically-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. Syrian insurgents reach the capital's suburbs. Worried residents flee and stock up on supplies BEIRUT (AP) — Insurgents’ stunning march across Syria is gaining speed with news that they have reached the suburbs of the capital of Damascus. The government on Saturday was forced to deny rumors that President Bashar Assad had fled the country. The rebels’ moves around Damascus were reported by an opposition war monitor and a rebel commander. They came after the Syrian army withdrew from much of southern part of the country, leaving more areas, including two provincial capitals, under the control of opposition fighters. The advances in the past week were among the largest in recent years by opposition factions. The factions are by a group that has its origins in al-Qaida and is considered a terrorist organization by the U.S. and the United Nations. 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. 100-year-old Pearl Harbor survivor recalls confusion and chaos during Japanese bombing 83 years ago PEARL HARBOR, Hawaii (AP) — The bombing of Pearl Harbor 83 years ago launched the United States into World War II. Two survivors are planning to return to the Hawaii military base on Saturday for a remembrance ceremony on the attack's anniversary. They are each over 100 years old. They will join active-duty troops, veterans and members of the public for a remembrance ceremony 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.WASHINGTON — President-elect Donald Trump offered a public show of support Friday for Pete Hegseth, his choice to lead the Defense Department, whose confirmation by the Senate is in doubt as he faces questions over allegations of excessive drinking, sexual assault and his views on women in combat roles. Hegseth, a former Fox News host, Army National Guard major and combat veteran, spent much of the week on Capitol Hill trying to salvage his Cabinet nomination and privately reassure Republican senators that he is fit to lead Trump's Pentagon. "Pete Hegseth is doing very well," Trump posted on his social media site. "He will be a fantastic, high energy, Secretary of Defense." The president added that "Pete is a WINNER, and there is nothing that can be done to change that!!!" The nomination battle is emerging not only as a debate about the best person to lead the Pentagon, but an inflection point for a MAGA movement that appears to be relishing a public fight over its hard-line push for a more masculine military and an end to the "woke-ism" of diversity, equity and inclusion efforts. People are also reading... Statesville native Tomlin leads Delaware State to MEAC volleyball title, NCAA berth Top vote-getter Houpe: Why am I not chairman of Iredell board of commissioners? Trump, Musk can learn from North Carolina, Raleigh writer says 4 pounds of marijuana, gun seized by Mooresville police officers Letter to the editor: Charging kids to play baseball at Jennings Park is poor idea Iredell-Statesville Schools closed Tuesday due to snow, ice Tiny, 4 more dogs seeking homes at Iredell County Animal Services Iredell County deputies charge 7 people in drug trafficking investigation New school chairman rules 2 fellow board members out of order in Iredell North Dakota man brings shed-building expertise to Troutman 3 Eagle Scouts and 1 grateful Iredell County resident Get to know Mooresville basketball player Cadence Lane Mooresville’s bid to topple No. 3 seed East Forsyth comes up short in third round Iredell County woman celebrates $100,000 scratch-off win Lake Norman residents voice concerns with Marshall Steam Station changes Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump's nominee to be defense secretary, responds to reporters during a meeting with Sen. Mike Rounds, R-S.D., a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, at the Capitol in Washington, Thursday, Dec. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) Military leaders are rattled by a list of “woke” senior officers that a conservative group urged Hegseth to dismiss for promoting diversity in the ranks if he is confirmed to lead the Pentagon. The list compiled by the American Accountability Foundation includes 20 general officers or senior admirals and a disproportionate number of female officers. It has had a chilling effect on the Pentagon’s often frank discussions as leaders try to figure out how to address the potential firings and diversity issues under Trump. Those on the list in many cases seem to be targeted for public comments they made either in interviews or at events on diversity, and in some cases for retweeting posts that promote diversity. Tom Jones, a former aide to Republican senators who leads the foundation, said Friday those on the list are “pretty egregious” advocates for diversity, equity and inclusion, or DEI, policies, which he called problematic. “The nominee has been pretty clear that that has no place in the military,” Jones said of Hegseth. Hegseth embraced Trump’s effort to end programs that promote diversity in the ranks and fire those who reflect those values. Other Trump picks, like Kash Patel for FBI director, have suggested targeting those in government who are not aligned with Trump. Trump's allies forcefully rallied around Hegseth — the Heritage Foundation's political arm promised to spend $1 million to shore up his nomination — as he vows to stay in the fight, as long as the president-elect wants him to. Vice President-elect JD Vance offers a public show of support for Pete Hegseth, the embattled choice to lead the Defense Department. "We're not abandoning this nomination," Vance told reporters during a tour of western North Carolina. "We're not abandoning this nomination," Vice-President-elect JD Vance said as he toured post-hurricane North Carolina. He said he spoke with GOP senators and believes Hegseth will be confirmed. The effort became a test of Trump's clout and of how far loyalty for the president-elect goes with Republican senators who have concerns about his nominees. Two of Trump's other choices stepped aside as they faced intense scrutiny: former Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., his first choice for attorney general, and Chad Chronister, a Florida sheriff who was Trump's first choice to lead the Drug Enforcement Administration. Thanking the president-elect for the support, Hegseth posted on social media, "Like you, we will never back down." Hegseth faces resistance from senators as reports emerged about his past, including the revelation that he made a settlement payment after being accused of a sexual assault that he denies. He promised not to drink on the job and told lawmakers he never engaged in sexual misconduct, even as his professional views on female troops came under intensifying scrutiny. He said as recently as last month that women "straight up" should not serve in combat. Biden is considering preemptive pardons for officials and allies before Trump takes office COLLEEN LONG, ZEKE MILLER and LISA MASCAROAssociated Press He picked up one important endorsement from Republican Sen. Katie Britt of Alabama, whose support was seen as a potentially powerful counterweight to the cooler reception Hegseth received from Sen. Joni Ernst, a former Army National Guard lieutenant colonel. Ernst, who is also a sexual assault survivor, stopped short of an endorsement after meeting with Hegseth this week. On Friday, Ernst posted on X that she would meet with him again next week. “At a minimum, we agree that he deserves the opportunity to lay out his vision for our warfighters at a fair hearing,” she wrote. On Friday, Trump put out the statement in response to coverage saying he lost faith in Hegseth, according to a person familiar with his thinking who was not authorized to discuss it publicly. The president-elect and his team were pleased to see Hegseth putting up a fight and his performance this week reiterates why he was chosen, the person said. They believe he can still be confirmed. Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump's nominee to be defense secretary, left, joined by his wife Jennifer Rauchet, attends a meeting with Sen. Mike Rounds, R-S.D., a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, at the Capitol in Washington, Thursday, Dec. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) What to know about Pete Hegseth, Trump's pick to serve as defense secretary By MEG KINNARD - Associated Press If Hegseth goes down, Trump's team believes the defeat would empower others to spread what they cast as "vicious lies" against every candidate Trump chooses. Still, Trump's transition team is looking at potential replacements, including former presidential rival Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. DeSantis plans to attend the Dec. 14 Army-Navy football game with Trump, according to a person familiar with the Florida governor's plans who spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity. DeSantis and Trump spoke about the defense secretary post Tuesday at a memorial service for sheriff deputies in West Palm Beach, Fla., according to people familiar with the matter who said Trump was interested in DeSantis for the post, and the governor was receptive. DeSantis is poised to select a replacement for the expected Senate vacancy to be created by Marco Rubio becoming secretary of state, and Trump's daughter-in-law Lara Trump is seen as the preferred choice by those in Trump's orbit. Trump Pentagon pick had been flagged by fellow service member as possible 'Insider Threat' By TARA COPP, MICHELLE R. SMITH and JASON DEAREN - Associated Press Pete Hegseth's mother says The New York Times made 'threats' by asking her to comment on a story By DAVID BAUDER - AP Media Writer Here are the people Trump picked for key positions so far President-elect Donald Trump 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, White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, 67, was a senior adviser to Trump's 2024 presidential campaign and its de facto manager. Marco Rubio, Secretary of State 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, Secretary of Defense 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. Pam Bondi, Attorney General 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. Kristi Noem, Secretary of Homeland Security 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. Doug Burgum, Secretary of the Interior 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., Secretary of Health and Human Services 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, Treasury Secretary 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. Lori Chavez-DeRemer, Labor Secretary 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, Housing and Urban Development 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, Secretary of Transportation 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. Chris Wright, Secretary of Energy 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. Linda McMahon, Secretary of Education 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, Secretary of Agriculture 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. Howard Lutnick, Secretary of Commerce 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, Secretary of Veterans Affairs 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, White House press secretary 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. Tulsi Gabbard, National Intelligence Director 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. John Ratcliffe, Central Intelligence Agency Director 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, Federal Bureau of Investigation Director 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. Lee Zeldin, Environmental Protection Agency Administrator 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.” Brendan Carr, Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission 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. Paul Atkins, Chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission 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, NASA Administrator 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. Elise Stefanik, Ambassador to the United Nations 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. Matt Whitaker, Ambassador to NATO 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. David Perdue, Ambassador to China 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. Mike Huckabee, Ambassador to Israel 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. Steven Witkoff, Special Envoy to the Middle East 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. Keith Kellogg, Special Envoy for Ukraine and Russia 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) Mike Waltz, National Security Adviser 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, Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy 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. Tom Homan, ‘Border Czar’ 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. Billy Long, Internal Revenue Service commissioner 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.” Kelly Loeffler, Small Business Administration administrator 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, Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services administrator 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 and Vivek Ramaswamy to advise White House on government efficiency 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, Office of Management and Budget 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. Additional selections to the incoming White House 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.

Stanley Tucci is known for his iconic roles in films like The Devil Wears Prada , The Hunger Games , and The Lovely Bones, but the Italian-American actor has also made a name for himself as a major foodie. Jump to the recipes As is evident from his travel and food show Searching For Italy, his multiple food-focused books (including the latest What I Ate in One Year) , and his foodie videos on social media, Tucci loves to cook. His specialty, of course, is Italian dishes, many of which are pretty vegan-friendly (with a few tweaks). Find some of our favorite Tucci meals below, from hearty pasta e fagioli to sweet pitti fritti. Is Stanley Tucci a vegetarian? If you’ve seen S earching For Italy, read his books, or follow him on Instagram, you’ll know that Tucci is not a vegetarian. Italian cuisine traditionally relies heavily on ingredients like meat, cheese, and cream, and the Italian-American actor indulges in all of it. However, he does make good use of plant-based ingredients, too. Many of Tucci’s recipes are plant-forward, made with traditional Italian plant-based ingredients like tomatoes, zucchini, broccoli, and chickpeas. Last year, he told Eating Well that many of his go-to pantry staples are plant-based ingredients. RELATED: Stanley Tucci Loves Pasta e Fagioli, Here’s How to Make the Classic Italian Dish Dairy-Free “ Olive oil , tomatoes, garlic, onion, basil, carrots, celery, you can do a lot with that right there,” he said. “Risotto rice, polenta, pasta, and any kind of vegetable. You can do a million things with all of that.” Below, we’ve compiled some of our favorite Tucci recipes—some are already plant-based as is, and others are easy to make plant-based with a few simple swaps. All are hearty, delicious, and inspired by the rich flavors of Italy. 5 of Stanley Tucci’s best vegan-friendly recipes Cook like Tucci with these five vegan-friendly recipes from the actor himself. BECOME A VEGNEWS VIP : Get exclusive product deals, freebies, and perks galore! Stanley Tucci 1 String Bean Minestra One of Tucci’s go-to family recipes is string bean minestra, which is a plant-based Italian soup laden with vegetables. “It’s this incredibly easy thing that my grandmother and my mother always made and now I make,” he says in a cooking video posted to Instagram. “You take a little bit of garlic, you take a little piece of onion, you take potatoes, zucchini, and some fresh tomatoes, and maybe a little splotch of marinara, and string beans and you throw them all into a pot.” He goes on to explain that you simply cook it down with olive oil and salt, to create a “very light soup that is absolutely delicious.” Get the recipe 2 Pasta e Fagioli In a Today segment earlier this year, Tucci demonstrated how to make pasta e fagioli, which is another simple Italian soup, this time made with beans and vegetables. “It’s a classic, classic dish, it’s been around forever,” he said, before whipping up his own version with cannellini beans, onions, and marinara. The recipe for the dish is also available in Tucci’s cookbook, Taste: My Life Through Food. The actor also adds chicken stock and dairy cheese to the recipe, but these can be swapped for vegetable stock and dairy-free cheese to make the dish 100 percent plant-based. “[Pasta e fagioli] has been abused sometimes, and made, sometimes, really badly, but it doesn’t have to be. It’s incredibly simple,” he explained. Find out more Stanley Tucci 3 Broccoli Rabe Tropiano Style One of Tucci’s favorite side vegetable options is broccoli rabe , which, despite the name, is actually a bitter green more related to turnip than broccoli. It’s a popular Southern Italian ingredient, which is usually cooked with garlic and olive oil, just like Tucci does in his Instagram cooking video dedicated to the green. In the video, he demonstrates how he blanches the broccoli rabe first, before frying it in a pan with chopped garlic and olive oil. He adds that you can also throw in some salt, pepperoncini, and lemon for extra flavor. “It’s really a great side dish,” he says. “Lovely.” Get the recipe 4 Pitti Fritti In Italy, pizza dough isn’t just for, well, pizza. It can be many things, including a sweet celebratory treat. In one video on Instagram, Tucci explains how he’s celebrating his birthday with pitti fritti, which is simply pizza dough deep-fried in oil and then served with sugar. “It’s my birthday tomorrow so to celebrate I’ve made some pitti fritti,” Tucci captioned the post. “[It’s] essentially fried pizza dough for breakfast. Nutritious and delicious.” Get the recipe Stanley Tucci 5 Pasta e Ceci Another of Tucci’s favorites is a plant-based pasta dish called pasta e ceci, which translates to simply “pasta with chickpeas.” In another video posted to Instagram, Tucci demonstrates how to make the dish by following a recipe from British farmer, author, and chef Julius Roberts. “I think he’s amazing,” Tucci says in the video. The dish is made with leek, onions, carrots, tomato purée, plum tomatoes, canned chickpeas, and pureed chickpeas. “It’s a great recipe,” says Tucci. “So simple.” Get the recipe DON'T MISS OUT : Get breaking news, recipes, and our weekly vegan deal by signing up for our FREE VegNewsletter Experts Share Their Tips for Perfect Homemade Pasta, No Eggs Required Italian Noodles You Need to Know (Plus, 10 Vegan Recipes Your Nonna Will Love) 10 Delicious, Protein-Packed Pasta Recipes to Cook Tonight JUMP TO ... Latest News | Recipes | Guides | Health | Shop Charlotte is a VegNews editor and writer based in sunny Southsea on England's southern coast.

roulette app Dec. 29—When Penguins coach Mike Sullivan decided to break up his stars into two separate power-play units on Nov. 7, he wasn't certain how long he would stick with that. "I just felt at the time that we were stale and from a process standpoint we weren't where we needed to be. ... I wasn't sure how that was going to go," he admitted Sunday evening. "You never really know until it actually plays out in front of you." Considering those changes are still intact today, yeah, it's safe to say it went OK. The power play came up big again in Sunday's 3-2 win over New York at PPG Paints Arena, helping the Penguins split their weekend back-to-back versus the Islanders. They went 2 for 2 on Sunday, getting their final two goals on the power play. It was the fifth time they scored two or more goals on the power play since Thanksgiving. The Penguins have capitalized on 19 of their 68 power plays — with no shorthanded goals against — since Sullivan split up Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin last month. "[One thing that] it has done has created an opportunity for us to have two pretty good power-play units," Sullivan said. "And on any given night, one of them could be better than the other one, because we've got some talented people on both." It's been Crosby's quintet more often, but both units got one against the Islanders. On the first, scored by Michael Bunting, the Penguins did a few of the things that have keyed their success. They had a clean entry into the zone — one area that the coaching staff has really harped on. Bunting won a puck battle to help them reestablish possession. Then the Penguins went right to work with a straight-ahead mindset. When the puck came to Crosby below the goal line, he didn't reset up high. Instead, he hit Bunting in the slot with a no-look pass, and he beat goalie Marcus Hogberg. "In my experience of being around our star players, that is when they are at their very best, because it's not any set plays," Sullivan said. "It's just them playing instinctive hockey." Malkin got credit for a power-play goal in the third period that made it a 3-0 game. That ended up being the winning goal, the power play making the difference again. "Right now it's working extremely well for us, and we'd be foolish to tinker with it," Sullivan said of that unit, which has seven goals over the team's last four games. O'Connor fights back The last time that Drew O'Connor got a goal in an NHL game, the Penguins had just sent down Rutger McGroarty, Tristan Jarry hadn't yet gone on his conditioning stint to the American Hockey League and Lars Eller was still a member of the Penguins. That's how long his drought has lasted. It's 32 games now dating back to Oct. 18. The way Friday's 6-3 loss on Long Island went, it was fair to wonder if Sullivan would make O'Connor a healthy scratch on Sunday and give the winger a chance to reset. But Sullivan kept him in the lineup and he responded with an inspired performance. "I thought this was the best game that he has played in two months," Sullivan said. O'Connor got inside offensively — something he hasn't done much of lately — and unloaded two shots from the slot in the first period. He hustled to win back pucks at 5-on-5 and on the power play. Sullivan felt his speed as noticeable, especially in the puck pursuit. And O'Connor rushed to defend Cody Glass in the second period. All and all, this effort was more like what the Penguins are used to seeing from the 26-year-old, who did everything but put the puck in the net against the Islanders. "If he plays the game like that, night in and night out, he's gonna score," Sullivan said. Bunting brings it (again) After an uncharacteristically quiet first month of the season for a premier pest with a little scoring touch, Bunting is back to making his presence felt on most nights. "He gave us a lot of momentum. I hated playing against him throughout the years," Glass said. "He went through a little bit of a rough patch at the beginning of the year. But once he got back to his game — he was getting in opponents' faces and getting back to the net front — he started producing more. He's getting rewarded for it." That was the case Sunday. He had a hand in each of the Penguins' first two goals. Bunting drove the net to set up Anthony Beauvillier off the rush 3:54 into the game. He later pushed the lead to 2-0 when he cashed in Crosby's pass on the power play. He has buried four goals in the last three games and has seven goals and 14 points in the last 13 to provide Pittsburgh with needed scoring from beyond its first line. So, yeah, Bunting is having a blast right now helping the Penguins keep on rolling. "I'm having fun. We're winning, too. Everyone is playing well and I find that when the team is having success, individuals are having success, as well," he said. "And it's going around this whole room and you can see that. We want to keep this going." Penguins hold on late Islanders coach Patrick Roy, somewhat ironically, was one of the NHL's pioneers at pulling the goalie earlier than usual for an extra attacker. He did that Sunday before Anders Lee beat Alex Nedeljkovic with 7:01 left. Bo Horvat added another 3:11 later with the New York net empty again. The Penguins held on at the end to take the rematch. Despite a few anxious moments late in the game, it was a much better performance than what the Penguins had put on the ice one night earlier, according to Sullivan. Added Glass: "We played our game. Obviously, they had a couple of 6-on-5 goals, which sucked. And we gave them momentum on their power play. But I felt like we did a really good job of answering back 5-on-5, and our power played stepped up." Ice chips —Crosby officially surpassed Mario Lemieux for the most assists in Penguins history when he set up Bunting in the second period. That was his 1,034th NHL assist. The lively crowd at PPG Paints Arena gave him a loud ovation when it was announced. From one legend to another. pic.twitter.com/hLTmRvPipk — Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) December 30, 2024 —Kris Letang suffered a lower-body injury on Saturday and sat out Sunday's win. —With Letang out, Nathan Clurman made his NHL debut Sunday. He skated on the third pair. He was the fourth Penguins player to make his NHL debut this season. —Nedeljkovic was sharp even though this was just his third start in the month of December. He finished with 29 saves. He was at his best when the Islanders were on the power play late in the second period, making six of his saves at that moment. —Marcus Pettersson sat out another game with a lower-body injury, making it six in a row. However, there is a chance the blue-liner could return in the coming days. Coming up The Penguins will not practice Monday after the weekend back-to-back. They next will travel to Detroit, and ring in the New Year against the Red Wings on Tuesday. (c)2024 the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Visit the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette at www.post-gazette.com Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.Overall, the December Political Bureau Meeting has been interpreted by brokerage firms as a positive development for the markets, with policies exceeding expectations and providing a welcome boost to investor confidence. As investors navigate the ever-changing market landscape, staying informed and adapting investment strategies in line with the latest policy developments will be crucial for maximizing opportunities and achieving long-term investment success.

The news of her untimely death has sent shockwaves through the online community, prompting discussions about the dangers and potential complications of cosmetic surgeries, particularly when performed for purely aesthetic reasons. Liposuction, a procedure aimed at removing excess fat from the body, is one of the most popular cosmetic surgeries worldwide. However, like any surgical procedure, it carries inherent risks that can sometimes lead to devastating consequences.

BLINCYTO® (BLINATUMOMAB) ADDED TO CHEMOTHERAPY SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVES SURVIVAL IN NEWLY DIAGNOSED PEDIATRIC PATIENTS WITH B-CELL PRECURSOR ACUTE LYMPHOBLASTIC LEUKEMIA (B-ALL)However, with the introduction of the Blue Skin, some players have raised concerns about its availability and accessibility. Limited-time offers and exclusive promotions have caused frustration among players who may have missed out on the opportunity to obtain the Blue Skin. This has sparked heated debates within the community, with players expressing their disappointment over the perceived exclusivity of the skin and calling for more inclusive distribution methods in future updates.

Globus Medical CEO Scavilla sells $11.05 million in stockOver 40% of money market funds have seen their 7-day annualized yield drop below 1.5% due to the significant impact of the downward adjustment of interbank deposit rates.

Looking ahead, TSMC remains optimistic about its future prospects, buoyed by the growing demand for semiconductor solutions in key sectors such as 5G technology, artificial intelligence, and high-performance computing. By leveraging its technological expertise and production capacity, TSMC is well-positioned to capitalize on emerging opportunities and sustain its growth momentum in the coming months.Guangzhou Metro Customer Service Responds to New Security Measures: Routine Measures UnchangedLAS VEGAS (AP) — Formula 1 on Monday at last said it will expand its grid in 2026 to make room for an American team that is partnered with General Motors. “As the pinnacle of motorsports, F1 demands boundary-pushing innovation and excellence. It’s an honor for General Motors and Cadillac to join the world’s premier racing series, and we’re committed to competing with passion and integrity to elevate the sport for race fans around the world," GM President Mark Reuss said. "This is a global stage for us to demonstrate GM’s engineering expertise and technology leadership at an entirely new level.” The approval ends years of wrangling that launched a U.S. Justice Department investigation into why Colorado-based Liberty Media, the commercial rights holder of F1, would not approve the team initially started by Michael Andretti. Andretti in September stepped aside from leading his namesake organization, so the 11th team will be called Cadillac F1 and be run by new Andretti Global majority owners Dan Towriss and Mark Walter. The team will use Ferrari engines its first two years until GM has a Cadillac engine built for competition in time for the 2028 season. Towriss is the the CEO and president of Group 1001 and entered motorsports via Andretti's IndyCar team when he signed on financial savings platform Gainbridge as a sponsor. Towriss is now a major part of the motorsports scene with ownership stakes in both Spire Motorsports' NASCAR team and Wayne Taylor Racing's sports car team. Walter is the chief executive of financial services firm Guggenheim Partners and the controlling owner of both the World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers and Premier League club Chelsea. “We’re excited to partner with General Motors in bringing a dynamic presence to Formula 1," Towriss said. “Together, we’re assembling a world-class team that will embody American innovation and deliver unforgettable moments to race fans around the world.” Mario Andretti, the 1978 F1 world champion, will have an ambassador role with Cadillac F1. But his son, Michael, will have no official position with the organization now that he has scaled back his involvement with Andretti Global. “The Cadillac F1 Team is made up of a strong group of people that have worked tirelessly to build an American works team,” Michael Andretti posted on social media. “I’m very proud of the hard work they have put in and congratulate all involved on this momentous next step. I will be cheering for you!” The approval has been in works for weeks but was held until after last weekend's Las Vegas Grand Prix to not overshadow the showcase event of the Liberty Media portfolio. Max Verstappen won his fourth consecutive championship in Saturday night's race, the third and final stop in the United States for the top motorsports series in the world. Grid expansion in F1 is both infrequent and often unsuccessful. Four teams were granted entries in 2010 that should have pushed the grid to 13 teams and 26 cars for the first time since 1995. One team never made it to the grid and the other three had vanished by 2017. There is only one American team on the current F1 grid — owned by California businessman Gene Haas — but it is not particularly competitive and does not field American drivers. Andretti’s dream was to field a truly American team with American drivers. The fight to add this team has been going on for three-plus years and F1 initially denied the application despite approval from F1 sanctioning body FIA . The existing 10 teams, who have no voice in the matter, also largely opposed expansion because of the dilution in prize money and the billions of dollars they’ve already invested in the series. Andretti in 2020 tried and failed to buy the existing Sauber team. From there, he applied for grid expansion and partnered with GM, the top-selling manufacturer in the United States. The inclusion of GM was championed by the FIA and president Mohammed Ben Sulayem, who said Michael Andretti’s application was the only one of seven applicants to meet all required criteria to expand F1’s current grid. “General Motors is a huge global brand and powerhouse in the OEM world and is working with impressive partners," Ben Sulayem said Monday. "I am fully supportive of the efforts made by the FIA, Formula 1, GM and the team to maintain dialogue and work towards this outcome of an agreement in principle to progress this application." Despite the FIA's acceptance of Andretti and General Motors from the start, F1 wasn't interested in Andretti — but did want GM. At one point, F1 asked GM to find another team to partner with besides Andretti. GM refused and F1 said it would revisit the Andretti application if and when Cadillac had an engine ready to compete. “Formula 1 has maintained a dialogue with General Motors, and its partners at TWG Global, regarding the viability of an entry following the commercial assessment and decision made by Formula 1 in January 2024,” F1 said in a statement. “Over the course of this year, they have achieved operational milestones and made clear their commitment to brand the 11th team GM/Cadillac, and that GM will enter as an engine supplier at a later time. Formula 1 is therefore pleased to move forward with this application process." Yet another major shift in the debate over grid expansion occurred earlier this month with the announced resignation of Liberty Media CEO Greg Maffei, who was largely believed to be one of the biggest opponents of the Andretti entry. “With Formula 1’s continued growth plans in the US, we have always believed that welcoming an impressive US brand like GM/Cadillac to the grid and GM as a future power unit supplier could bring additional value and interest to the sport," Maffei said. "We credit the leadership of General Motors and their partners with significant progress in their readiness to enter Formula 1." AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing

In conclusion, Ding Yanyuhang's stellar performance against Zhou Qi and the Xinjiang Flying Tigers underscores his immense talent, work ethic, and impact on the game. As he continues to shine on the court and make a case for being one of the top players in the CBA, the narrative of his rise to stardom will undoubtedly be one to watch in the coming seasons.

In a landmark move, Armor Hero, a leading technology company specializing in advanced robotics and artificial intelligence, has confirmed its initial public offering (IPO) price at ¥1455 per share. This decision has not only generated significant buzz in the financial markets but has also set a new record high for market value in Japan this year.

In light of these developments, the police have emphasized the importance of conducting a thorough and comprehensive investigation to ensure that all parties involved are held accountable for their actions. The safety and well-being of the victim remain a top priority, and the authorities are working diligently to provide her with the necessary support and assistance during this challenging time.

The review process for the 6 language-related programs is rigorous, with a panel of experts evaluating the quality and cultural significance of each performance. The goal is to ensure that the selected programs not only entertain but also educate and inspire audiences, fostering a greater appreciation for the richness and diversity of world languages.* Says God ordained his electoral mandate Adibe Emenyonu in Benin City President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio, yesterday, said the Edo State governor, Monday Okpebholo’s one month in office had “so far renewed the hope of Edo people and given them a clear insight into the determination and preparedness of the present administration to bring development and progress to the state”. Akpabio described the mandate of the governor as “divinely ordained by God to bring respite and development to the state”. A statement by Chief Press Secretary to Okpebholo, Fred Itua, said Akpabio made the remarks at the weekend, when he received the governor at his residence in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State. Ascribing Okpebholo’s electoral victory to God, Akpabio said God had chosen him at this time to rewrite the history of Edo State and place it on the path of development. The statement quoted Akpabio as saying, “Your excellency, every leadership comes from God, and God chooses whom He pleases. It pleases Him at this time to choose you and the APC to lead Edo people at a time like this. “You are a man of few words but full of action. Edo people have not misplaced their votes in choosing you. You have the heart of the common man, and I am confident that your leadership will bring development and transformation to your state.” While thanking Edo people for choosing the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the September governorship election, Akpabio said aligning the state with the government at the centre portended many positives for the state and the South-south, stressing that the zone is now stronger as a negotiating voice at the federal level. The senate president said, “Edo State is one of the states in the South-south, before Niger Delta, and this is predominantly a minority area in Nigeria. There is always a need to link up with the federal government to be able to contribute our quota to nation building. “Through the providence of God, most of the resources that have kept the country going for decades come from this area, but in terms of representation at the national level, we are always found wanting, except for the period that circumstances brought us Dr Goodluck Jonathan. “Under the APC administration, many of us decided there was need for us to change the political basket to enable us represent our people at the national level and also have a say in what was going on in the country. “So, when I made that strong movement to the APC, it was to move our people in the South-south region to the centre.” Okpebholo said he was in Akwa Ibom to share ideas with Akpabio and tap from his wealth of experience. “Seeing the development in Akwa Ibom, I have come to learn from my leader, seek his advice, and draw from his wealth of experience. He has graciously advised me,” he said.

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I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here ! campmate Dean McCullough was delighted with the results of his hair transplant prior to heading down under. The BBC Radio 1 DJ, 32, planned his major glow-up back in April when he underwent a hair transplant at the Ksl Clinics' Manchester branch. The ITV fan favourite documented the lengthy procedure on TikTok and revealed his post-op swollen face. "I didn't realise when you got a hair transplant you got new cheek bones as well," he said, as he laughed in the video. Dean even described himself as "Shrek's wee cousin". He added: "You can nearly balance a plant pot on them cheek bones." Two weeks later, the DJ revealed he was now able to wash his hair and took to social media to flaunt his new hairline and curly locks. Dean ensured he would be jungle-ready as he followed a rigorous aftercare plan set by the clinic. Back in July, the I'm a Celeb star documented his PRP treatment. Dean captioned the post: "Come with me to get PRP after my hair transplant @ksl_clinics. I had a FUE hair transplant 3 months ago and I'm buzzing with the results so far." PRP, which stands for platelet-rich plasma, is a blood-based treatment that utilises injections to accelerate the healing of specific areas of the body. PRP can be used for a variety of conditions, from sports injuries to hair loss. In September, Dean shared a final transformation video. He said: "5 months post hair transplant and I can't believe these results. I've been following my aftercare plan, taking biotin, using 100% natural hair oils & having PRP to give my transplant the best chance of success. I wasn't expecting this growth until around Jan/Feb time." Apart from showing off his new hairline, the star has been causing quite the rumble in the jungle lately. The DJ has been nominated more than any other campmate by the public to compete in the Bushtucker Trials. Unfortunately, Dean has won minimal stars and left his campmates to endure bland rice and beans. However, on last night's episode, Dean was joined by fellow campmate and McFly star Danny Jones for the trial. The pair bagged eight stars during 'High Street Of Horrors', the latest Bushtucker Trial. The ITV show pleased viewers with more twists, as the radio DJ was asked to join TV personality Maura Higgins and writer Reverend Richard Coles in the luxurious Jungle Junkyard.

DANIA BEACH, Florida (AP) — Border Patrol agents are tasked with enforcing hotly contested immigration policies as many Americans at both ends of the political spectrum look askance at the border — and the agents. That's taking a mounting toll, so the agency is training more among its ranks to become chaplains and provide spiritual care for their fellow agents on and off the job. “That’s a really hard thing to deal with, as things tend to flip from one side to the other, and we’re still in the crossfire,” said Border Patrol assistant chief and chaplaincy program manager Spencer Hatch. Unlike in the military or law enforcement, Border Patrol chaplains are usually lay agents endorsed by their faith denominations who are trained by the agency to become chaplains through a 2.5-week academy. Their numbers have grown to about 240 from 130 four years ago. Three times a year, an academy is held at a different Border Patrol station. About a dozen Border Patrol personnel, plus a few Fish and Wildlife Service and Bureau of Land Management officers, graduated from the most recent academy, held near Miami earlier this month. The program, and a nonreligious, mental-health focused peer support program, were started by grassroots efforts in the 1990s. Chaplains stay in their regular jobs, but are on call to assist. Border Patrol agents say they're motivated by the desire to protect U.S. borders from security threats, including the powerful cartels that control much of the border dynamics. They also often rescue migrants lost and dying in the harsh deserts that line the southern U.S. border. But many agents feel the American public sees them as obstacles to migrants seeking a better life in the United States. They often tell their children to say their parent does “government work” for fear of reprisals, especially in the border communities where they live. That dissonance between upholding a duty they feel proud of, and getting called “terrible names” for it, adds an emotional toll to the already dangerous, often isolating work the agents do. That's where the chaplains come in — to help their fellow 20,000 agents cope and prevent the trauma from degenerating into family crises, addiction or even suicide. While most chaplains are Christian, with a smattering of Muslim and Jewish agents, they don’t offer faith-specific worship and only bring up religion if the person they’re helping does first. Rather, they are a comforting presence during critical moments like assisting a suicidal colleague, notifying a family their loved one was killed on the job, and counseling those dealing with addiction, survivor guilt and other traumas. Those are the scenarios that chaplains-in-training practice role-playing at the academy. They also learn about communication and family dynamics, because constant redeployments — some up to 9 times over 18 months during the record border crossings early in the Biden administration — affect their families too. Hatch teaches about the need to maintain both the “hypervigilance” of law enforcement and the humanitarian instinct to empathize with fellow agents as well as migrants. Many agents say they are especially affected by the plight of migrant children at the hands of smugglers. “One tries to give them support within the limits of what your work allows. I always have the biggest smile,” said a newly minted chaplain, Yaira Santiago, a former schoolteacher who runs a Border Patrol migrant processing center in Southern California. By relying on their faith, their commitment to help their colleagues, and their training, chaplains can make a difference. "Even in moments of uncertainty, your presence is often enough,” said Matt Kiniery, an agent in El Paso, Texas, for 15 years and a graduate of the latest chaplain academy. Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.

US sanctions founder of Georgia’s ruling political party

NEW YORK — A slide for market superstar Nvidia on Monday knocked Wall Street off its big rally and helped drag U.S. stock indexes down from their records. The S&P 500 fell 0.6%, coming off its 57th all-time high of the year so far. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dipped 240 points, or 0.5%, and the Nasdaq composite pulled back 0.6% from its own record. Nvidia's fall of 2.5% was by far the heaviest weight on the S&P 500 after China said it's investigating the company over suspected violations of Chinese anti-monopoly laws. Nvidia skyrocketed to become one of Wall Street's most valuable companies because its chips are driving much of the world's move into artificial-intelligence technology. That gives its stock's movements more sway on the S&P 500 than nearly every other. Nvidia's drop overshadowed gains in Hong Kong and for Chinese stocks trading in the United States on hopes that China will deliver more stimulus for the world's second-largest economy. Roughly 3 in 7 of the stocks in the S&P 500 also rose. The week's highlight for Wall Street will arrive midweek when the latest updates on inflation arrive. Economists expect Wednesday's report to show the inflation that U.S. consumers are feeling remained stuck at close to the same level last month. A separate report on Thursday, meanwhile, could show an acceleration in inflation at the wholesale level. "Investors should enjoy this rally while it lasts — there's little on the horizon to disrupt the momentum through year-end," according to Mark Hackett, chief of investment research at Nationwide, though he warns stocks could stumble soon because of how overheated they've gotten. On Wall Street, Interpublic Group rose 3.6% after rival Omnicom said it would buy the marketing and communications firm in an all-stock deal. The pair had a combined revenue of $25.6 billion last year. Omnicom, meanwhile, sank 10.2%. Macy's climbed 1.8% after an activist investor, Barington Capital Group, called on the retailer to buy back at least $2 billion of its own stock over the next three years and make other moves to help boost its stock price. All told, the S&P 500 fell 37.42 points to 6,052.85. The Dow dipped 240.59 to 4,401.93, and the Nasdaq composite lost 123.08 to 19,736.69. In the oil market, a barrel of benchmark U.S. crude rallied 1.7% to settle at $68.37 following the overthrow of Syrian leader Bashar Assad, who sought asylum in Moscow after rebels overthrew his regime. Brent crude, the international standard, added 1.4% to $72.14 per barrel. The price of gold also rose 1% to $2,685.80 per ounce amid the uncertainty created by the end of the Assad family's 50 years of iron rule. Get local news delivered to your inbox!Eagles boss Oliver Glasner was reluctant to put a definite time frame on the comeback of the £30 million attacker but hopes it will come within the next two weeks. Earlier this month, Glasner took accountability for Nketiah’s injury, confessing he left the former Arsenal forward on the field for too long against Wolves. MORE PALACE NEWS Providing an update today, the Europa League winning coach said: “Let’s say [he will be available] during the week with three games against Newcastle, Ipswich and Manchester City. “I hope he’s available. I don’t know if it will be the first one or if it will be for Ipswich or Manchester City. We hope he’s back.” The South London club have just three senior attackers at their disposal when they travel to Villa Park tomorrow with Eberechi Eze and Nketiah absent through injury, while Daichi Kamada serves the first of his three-match ban.‘First Buddy’ Elon Musk accuses Trump impeachment witness of ‘treason’ and calls for ‘appropriate penalty’Evans started 15 games last season, but he had been relegated to a special teams role this year after the Vikings added veteran cornerbacks Stephon Gilmore and Shaquill Griffin. Evans was a fourth-round pick out of Missouri, one of three defensive backs among Minnesota's first five selections in 2022. Lewis Cine (first round) was waived and Andrew Booth (second round) was traded earlier this year. One of their second-round picks, guard Ed Ingram, lost his starting spot last week. Evans was let go to clear a roster spot for tight end Nick Muse, who was activated from injured reserve to play on Sunday at Chicago. The Vikings ruled tight end Josh Oliver out of the game with a sprained ankle. AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL

Latest loss shows issues go beyond coach as Bears' skid hits 7 in first game under Thomas Brown

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The P-8 Poseidon stands out from other maritime patrol aircraft (MPAs) thanks to its long list of features like, state-of-the-art ISR systems, exceptional operational efficiency, modular architecture and hard-points for weapons. Developed by Boeing for the US Navy , the Poseidon was specifically created to fulfill the anti-submarine warfare (ASW), anti-surface warfare (ASuW), and intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR). The Poseidon was crafted with years of expert knowledge to be the best in class. Owing to its numerous advances over its predecessors and competitors, the P-8 Poseidon has earned a reputation as the most outstanding big-wing jet in Navy history. Poseidon tech Unlike most conventional maritime patrol aircraft, the P-8 Poseidon incorporates a number of innovative technologies. One of its primary systems is a powerful search radar, which can identify surface ships and submarines at great range. As for tracking submarines and other underwater threats, the Poseidon is equipped with sophisticated acoustic sensors. The big jet can drop sono-buoys into the ocean to observe the subsurface environment with sonar. The Poseidon is a very useful tool in ASW missions because of its sensors and radar, which allow it to cover a large operational area. The P-8 can easily coordinate with other military assets thanks to these sensors and a variety of onboard systems built for real-time communication and data sharing. The Poseidon's cutting-edge, military-grade avionics suite is based on the Boeing 737. A proven and widely used commercial airliner that flies for many civilian fleets around the world. The Navy took the commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) philosophy all the way to the airframe and then built up from there with military modifications until they arrived at a premier patrol craft. Designed to be the ultimate advantage in surveillance missions, the P-8 has a highly advanced mission system that combines surveillance, radar, and sonar information into the data network between US and joint platforms. This combined data, from the P-8 and other platforms, works to build a complete picture of the battlespace. Its sensors have been specifically engineered to detect, classify, and track multiple targets at once, empowering mission operators to achieve the best real-time situational awareness possible for the US and its allies. P-8 Tech Combining the Boeing 737 's well-proven structure with the latest and greatest military sensors make it an extremely powerful platform for maritime ops. The P-9 can stay in the air for extended missions on station, all while carrying anti-ship or anti-submarine weapons along with its surveillance equipment. Specifications of the Boeing P-8: Length: 39.5 m/129 ft 6 in Wingspan: 37.6 m/123 ft 2 in Height: 12.8 m/42 ft 2 in Maximum Takeoff Weight: 85,820 kg/189,200 lbs Cruise Speed: 903 kmh/560 mph Range: 2,225+ km/1,200+ nm Service Ceiling: 41,000 ft/12,497 m They can operate in almost any weather condition and deploy from austere airfields. Their long-range and aerial refueling (AR) capabilities grant them virtually unlimited staying power to remain on mission as needed. Their high ceiling allows them to remain out of reach of many conventional anti-air systems. These features enable the P-8 Poseidon to conduct its range of mission profiles over the vast expanses of open ocean. Armed patrol Another important factor in the P-8 Poseidon's future-proofed and highly versatile design is the range of weaponry it is capable of carrying. The Poseidon’s predecessor was much more limited to its aged design—Lockheed Martin built the P-3 Orion in the Cold War, a propeller-driven aircraft far smaller compared to the P-8. A range of modern torpedoes, high-tech missiles, and depth charges are all in the Poseidon’s arsenal. As reported by PlaneHistoria , the Poseidon is equipped with Harpoon anti-ship missiles, torpedoes, and other weapons that make it an all-in-one platform for anti-submarine and anti-surface warfare. The ability to carry more modern weapons and a larger payload of them as well, coupled with the Poseidon’s advanced targeting and sensor systems, allow it to conduct complex missions. The P-8 can deploy many of its weapons at long ranges, granting it a stand-off buffer where the enemy is unable to target the P-8. The Poseidon is a truly formidable asset in both defensive and offensive maritime operations. The P-8 Poseidon plays a critical role in maritime patrol and combating enemy surface and submarine fleets. Range and endurance The P-8 Poseidon's endurance and range enable it to conduct extended patrols across vast expanses of water, a powerful tool not only for military but also humanitarian operations. The Poseidon can cover large regions in a single mission or stay on station to provide search and rescue or surveillance for maritime security operations like counter-trafficking. As Business Insider noted, the Poseidon is designed to fly for long durations without needing to return to base, which provides it with the operational flexibility to support diverse mission types. With the ability to stay airborne for more than 10 hours on a single sortie, the P-8 Poseidon can operate efficiently even if tanker support is unavailable. With its distinct advantages in technology, weapons, range, and endurance, the P-8 Poseidon stands apart from all other maritime patrol aircraft. It is a vital component of contemporary maritime operations thanks to its sophisticated sensor suite, as well as, its deadly arsenal of ASW and ASuW weapons. The P-8 also has a major operational advantage from using the airframe of one of the most prolific commercial airliners flying today. The Navy will put the Poseidon to the test as time goes on, but to be sure, the P-8 is ready for whatever the future may throw at it. Reviewing the countries flying and about to fly the Boeing P-8A Poseidon.Two 2025 Kathy A. Possinger Housing Policy Fellows announced

Marc Casado has revealed the player who has surprised him most at Barcelona after cementing his place in the first team this season. The midfielder has been a revelation so far in the 2024-25 campaign and has become a key player for Hansi Flick. He’s been asked about life in the first team and had no hesitation when asked about the first teamer who has surprised him most. “Lamine Yamal, but that was when I saw him for the first time. I think I played with him against AZ in the Youth League, I think it was in the round of 16,” he told Mundo Deportivo. “And the truth is that he surprised me. You could see a lot of things in him. Nowadays, the people who come up do so with a lot of enthusiasm and a lot of quality.” Casado also revealed how much he loves playing alongside Pedri in the first team at Barca. “Well, it’s clear that he’s a world-class player,” he added. “I think he’s one of the best in his position and he shows it in every game. He makes my job on the pitch much easier. Playing with him makes everything easier. And I’m very happy to be able to share the midfield with him.” Pedri has looked back to his very best this season under Flick and formed a fine partnership with Casado. The two will be back in action in January for Barca, while Yamal is also expected to return from injury early in the New Year .Steve Millar’s top 10 boys basketball teams and 25 players to watch in the Southland for the 2024-25 season

UNT in market for new volleyball coach after firing Kristee PorterNate Johnson scores 25 as Akron defeats Alabama State 97-78

Merry Christmas everyone. This is my final newsletter of 2024, marking the end of my first full year with The Herald since joining half-way through 2023. It has been a busy, but very enjoyable, twelve months. We’ve got a full ‘review of the year’ to come next weekend in which I look back over the biggest stories and developments of 2024 – through our coverage of teacher cuts and a marking ‘fiasco’, three separate in-depth series, and quite a bit more – but there are a few more I’d like to highlight too. Most of the work on these was done by my colleague Garrett Stell, who formally joined the team right at the start of the year. The first story concerns a new campaign in the Highlands, where parents from Farr, Gairloch, Kinlochbervie and Ullapool told Garrett that teacher shortages are putting their schools, and therefore their whole communities, at risk. Save Our Rural Schools submitted an open letter to both the education secretary Jenny Gilruth and Highland Council calling for staffing policies to be changed and protections for their schools introduced. All four schools are small: Ullapool is the largest with around 180 pupils, while Kinlochbervie is the smallest with fewer than 30. Parent councils say that an inappropriate staffing formula is leaving these schools unable to offer as full a curriculum as their children deserve. They also say that the use of part-time contracts within that framework means that schools have to choose between the range of subjects on offer and the levels at which those subjects can be studied. The concern, as articulated by one pupil, is that this causes a slow but ultimately disastrous trickle of students away from these schools, and in many cases that will also mean the movement of families away from these areas. Schools are essential to communities, and if the former is undermined or neglected, the latter inevitably suffers the consequences. It's hugely serious stuff, which is why campaigners were so unhappy with the ‘stock responses’ they received. They warned that schools are at ‘breaking point’ and called for a ‘system-wide change in the approach to how education is resourced in small schools’. There are obvious parallels between this issue and our reporting from south-west Scotland, where parents in Dalry successfully campaigned to prevent Dumfries and Galloway Council from mothballing their local secondary school. Towards the end of the year, a story with similar undercurrents started to emerge from the Isle of Mull. The island currently has a single secondary school, but it is not a school for the whole community, because the location in Tobermory means that it is too far away for young people from the south of the island to travel back and forth each day. As a result, they currently have to go to Oban, where they board through the week. But now, a new school is to be built, and many people living in communities around the island are asking if this might be an opportunity to build something new that better serves the whole of Mull. The clear solution here is to build the new secondary school somewhere like Craignure. This would allow every single young person from the island to complete their education in their own community, and could play a major part in attempts to attract more families to the parts of Mull that some might not currently consider to be viable options. But of course it’s not that simple, because this is a country that is largely run by and for the central belt, and the rules around these sorts of construction projects are not immune from that sad reality. In very simple terms, the council wants to use a government-funded scheme to help finance the school, but that programme is predicated on the assumption that all projects are ‘like for like’ replacements. The trouble is, that’s not the case on Mull, because the current high school is actually part of a larger entity that includes early years and primary provision, and it doesn’t make any sort of sense to move those services miles outside of Tobermory. Another way to think of ‘like for like’ is ‘status quo’, and that is clearly not what Mull requires – what the island needs and deserves is something better than what it has right now. Will that be possible? Jenny Gilruth told the Scottish Parliament that the scheme “could potentially” fund a split site, but that the council would have to cover the extra costs. Which, just as in Dalry, Farr, Kinlochbervie, Ullapool and Gairloch, raises questions of fairness and the government – arguably even much of Scotland’s – commitment to the sort of places that are all too often labelled, and dismissed, as ‘remote’.Dayan Nessah scores 19 as George Washington defeats UVA-Wise 102-62

7 of our best science-based tips for mental and cognitive healthAP Business SummaryBrief at 1:27 p.m. EST

Finding the perfect gift can be challenging, but when it comes to creativity, timeless fun, and display-worthy craftsmanship, Lego sets are a universal favorite. This guide to the best Lego gifts has been curated to include options for every age group and interest —from young kids just starting their building adventures to adults who have admired Lego for decades. Whether building Legos is his or her creative outlet , a collectible hobby, or a brand new journey, there’s a perfect set for all. These Lego gifts include something for everyone—from nostalgic designs inspired by hit movies like Harry Potter , Encanto , or Wicked to innovative builds like Minecraft’s anniversary celebration (there’s even a stunning bouquet of Lego flowers if you want to go romantic!). Don’t forget to consider the skill level of the person you’re shopping for before making a purchase. While adults can dive into detailed, intricate models like the Home Alone McCallisters’ House or Star Wars Millennium Falcon, the littles can stick with sparking their imaginations with interactive playsets like the Gabby’s Dollhouse Garden Party or a novelty hot dog food truck. So, if you’re shopping for an experienced builder or someone new to Lego, these best Lego gifts combine fun, brain power , and collector’s items that will delight any recipient regardless of age. Explore the possibilities and make this holiday season unforgettable with a gift that inspires creativity and endless play. ‘Home Alone’ House Lego Set – Best Gift for the Christmas Movie Lover Nothing captures Christmas better than the movie . This Home Alone Lego gift (aka the iconic McCallisters’ House) set is the ultimate must-have for the festive friend or family member on your list. The 3,955-piece collectible for fans of the iconic movie is designed for ages 18 and up. Consider it an advanced Lego building kit that features a detailed, interactive house, a treehouse, and the crooks’ van, complete with traps, swinging paint cans, and more. You can recreate the memorable scenes from the Christmas classic . It’s an unforgettable gift that combines nostalgia, creativity, and expert Lego craftsmanship. Beginners, beware! Marvel Avengers Tower Lego Set – Best Gift for Marvel Fan This Tower depicts the headquarters of the Avengers in Lego form. Gift it to someone who loves the mighty heroes of the Marvel superhero franchise. They’ll receive 31 figures in all, plus the detailed tower and other authentic accessories to recreate scenes from the movie. Superheroes in the set include Iron Man, Captain America, Thor—just to name a few—offering both an immersive building experience and an epic display piece. Super Mario World: Mario & Yoshi Lego Set – Best Gift for the Mario Maven No, your eyes aren’t playing tricks on you. This Mario & Yoshi Lego set appears in a pixelated design. This kit from the Super Mario World collection comes with 1,215 pieces that will thrill both big kids and adults who understand gaming nostalgia. Although this best Lego gift is designed for 18+, it features interactive elements—including a handle to make Yoshi run and a tongue action for playful adventures—that builders of all ages will like. ‘Star Wars’ Millennium Falcon Lego Set – Best Gift for the Star Wars Collector The Lego Star Wars Millennium Falcon is a 1,351-piece masterpiece recreating the iconic Corellian freighter. Packed with rotating turrets, detailed interiors, and seven beloved characters, Han Solo’s legendary ship from is the best Lego gift for the building enthusiast who’s also a die-hard Star Wars fan. Once built, display it on a shelf as a collector’s item. ‘Harry Potter’ Hogwarts & Grounds Lego Set – Best Gift for the Potter Head This Hogwarts Castle and Grounds Lego set is a dream gift for adult fans of the Wizarding World. It comes with 2,660 pieces to recreate Hogwarts in stunning detail. Consider this ideal for true Lego pros, not little ones. Think: collectors who display and admire their work, or those who will then play with their creation for years to come. Tuxedo Cat Lego Set – Best Gift for the Cat Parent This Tuxedo Cat made of Legos has gone viral on TikTok with cat parents who showcase it alongside their actual fur baby who resemble it. This Lego Ideas Tuxedo Cat set features 1,710 pieces to build a lifelike, poseable black-and-white cat model with customizable details like eye color and mouth expression. Your gift recipient can use it as part of their decor or their next social media reel. Icons PAC-MAN Arcade Retro Game Lego Set – Best Gift for the Nostalgic Builder The Lego Icons PAC-MAN Arcade Retro Game Building Set embodies nostalgia and fun. This masterpiece comes with 2,651 pieces, recreating the iconic 1980s arcade game. It even features intricate retro details like a 4-way joystick, mechanical maze, and illuminating coin slot. On its pretend screen, a mini 1980s arcade scene is displayed. Perfect for the retro gaming guru, gift this to a loved one for timeless fun! Icons Over the Moon with Pharrell Williams Building Kit – Best Gift for the Pop Culture Fiend The Icons Over the Moon with Pharrell Williams consists of 966 pieces and, once built, showcases a stunning black-and-gold space shuttle, a vibrant jet-stream display, and exclusive minifigures. A true collector’s item that celebrates space exploration, this set is designed by Grammy-winning artist Pharrell Williams himself and coincides with the music icon’s Lego movie that tells the story of his life. Ideal for adult Lego collectors, pop culture aficionados, and space fans, this gift is meant to inspire its builder. Nintendo Entertainment System Lego Set – Best Gift for the ’90s Kid at Heart Combine two of their favorite passions with this Lego gift. This Lego Nintendo Entertainment System set is a 2,646-piece masterpiece for retro gamers who also love building things out of Legos. This nostalgic kit recreates the iconic NES console that was introduced to us in 1990. It even comes complete with a buildable retro TV and an interactive scrolling 8-bit Mario screen. The grown Lego collector in your life can display their Super Mario Bros. creation on a shelf somewhere in their home. LEGO Stationary Set with Minifigure – Best Gift for the Person Who Loves a Novelty Gift Fun and functional, this Lego Stationery Set can be gifted to Lego fans of all ages. This 8-piece set comes with pencils, an eraser, a sharpener, and a buildable minifigure. Perfect for school, work, or just as a novelty gift, it’s a playful way to tell your Lego-obsessed loved one you “get” them! Pixar ‘Up’ House Lego Set – Best Gift for the Adventure Seeker This Up House Lego set recreates the home from the beloved Pixar movie, . The house is also the setting of where Carl Fredricksen embarks on a balloon-fueled adventure with Russell and Dug. This 598-piece building set captures the heartwarming charm of the film, so it’s an inspiring gift for Pixar fans who loved the unforgettable animated film. The Magical Madrigal House from ‘Encanto’ Lego Set – Best Gift for the Magical Family The Magical Madrigal House Lego set is a vibrant, detailed recreation of the family home from the hit Disney’s movie. Perfect for kids ages seven and up, this 1,560-piece best Lego gift features eight colorful rooms and nine of your favorite characters, like Mirabel, Isabela, and Luisa, allowing fans to recreate iconic scenes or imagine new magical adventures. We appreciate the set’s intricate movie-inspired details and interactive play elements. Forest Animals: Red Fox Lego Set – Best Gift for the Animal Lover This Lego Creator Forest Animals: Red Fox building kit is the ultimate collector’s item for the Lego lover in your life. Not only does it give the Lego fan a chance to build one of three charming woodland creatures that came out in the original collection (there’s an owl and squirrel too), this particular box is practically out of stock everywhere. With posable limbs and intricate details, this 667-piece set sparks endless creativity and play. This rare find makes for a special gift for those ages nine and up. T. Rex Lego Set – Best Gift for the Kid Who Digs Dinos This T. Rex comes with 626 pieces. And if the dinosaur lover in your life can’t get enough, there are also a triceratops and a pterodactyl that can be combined with this gift a set of three. And the best part is, each of these dino kits feature creations with posable limbs for action-packed play. Combining the thrill of dinosaurs with the creativity of building, this gift promotes problem-solving and imagination for kids nine and up. ‘Despicable Me 4’ Minions and Gru’s Family Mansion Lego Set – Best Gift for the Little Minion in Your Life Fans of the franchise will appreciate this Minions and Gru’s Family Mansion Lego set. The master builder minions in your life can stay busy with this 868-piece set that recreates Gru’s iconic house and treehouse, packed with rooms to explore, fun accessories, and beloved characters like Gru, Lucy, and their minions. Lego Storage Cinch Bucket – Best Gift for the Most Organized Neat freaks, rejoice. This Lego Storage Cinch Bucket will keep the Lego lover in your life super organized. Made from durable polyester with a cinch closure and clear base for easy visibility, this portable bucket makes cleanup effortless while doubling as stylish on-the-go storage for Lego bricks whether they’re home building or traveling with their sets. Choose from different colors, like blue, grey, purple, orange, and red. Room Copenhagen Lego Ceramic Mug – Best Gift for the Gag Gift Exchange The Room Copenhagen Lego Ceramic Mug showcases the fun Lego Iconic Boy design we’ve come to know and love. Give it to truly Lego-obsessed fans who appreciate novelty items. Made of durable ceramic, it’s dishwasher safe and holds 17.9 oz, making it great for coffee, tea, or hot cocoa. If you don’t love this Lego face, there are other variations like Winking Face and Silly Boy. Beach Camper Van Lego Set – Best Gift for the Travel Savvy The Lego Creator Beach Camper Van set is like a fun, pretend vacation in a box. Gift it to kids 8 and up who love building and imaginative play. With 556 pieces, it transforms into a camper van, ice cream shop, and beach house. Your little builder can then immerse himself in a summer-themed scene! ‘Friends’ Central Perk Lego Building Kit – Best Gift for the Sitcom Queen Only the biggest fanatics will appreciate the Lego Ideas Central Perk set. This 1,070-piece treasure is geared towards 16+, but let’s be honest, us 40-somethings would squeal if this is gifted to us. For those who missed out on the best sitcom of all time, Central Perk was the characters’ iconic hangout spot. This detailed build includes the New York City cafe where Chandler, Monica, Ross, Rachel, Phoebe, and Joey would spend most of their days, seven minifigures, and accessories, celebrating nostalgia, creativity, and endless storytelling fun. Duplo Peppa Pig Garden and Tree House – Best Gift for Kids Under 6 Give the Lego Duplo Peppa Pig Garden and Tree House set to the toddler with a patient parent. This delightful 20-piece gift for kids age two and up features Peppa and George Pig figures, gardening tools, and a fun treehouse. Encouraging creative play and motor skill development, moms and dads may have to pitch in if the little one hasn’t quite grasped the Lego-building process. Magical Unicorn Lego Set – Best Gift for the Unicorn Kid You Know The Lego Creator Magical Unicorn delivers endless creative play for kids ages 7 and up. With 145 pieces, kids can build and transform a colorful unicorn with movable features. (There are also a seahorse and peacock in this collection if the unicorn isn’t for you.) Perfect for imaginative adventures, this set combines mythical magic with display-worthy designs kids will love. Lego Creative Suitcase – Best Gift for the Little One Who’s Always On-the-Go With Mom and Dad A portable Lego set might just be what your family needs! This Lego Classic Creative Suitcase comes with 213 colorful pieces for endless creations, housed in a sturdy, portable case. Consider it for kids ages four and up. This set sparks creativity with limitless building possibilities. Busy parents on-the-go will appreciate the convenient storage compartments provided for organization. ‘Wicked’ Welcome to Emerald City Lego Set – Best Gift for the ‘Wicked’ Obsessed Celebrate the magic of Wicked with the Lego Welcome to Emerald City set. Perfect for fans of the Broadway classic or the latest movie iteration, this enchanting 945-piece build features Glinda, Elphaba, and the iconic Emerald City. It’s the season’s must-have gift for ages nine and up. ‘Wicked’ Glinda & Elphaba’s Dormitory Lego Set – Best Gift for Your Bestie (Whether You’re the Elphaba and She’s Glinda, or Vice Versa) We don’t know about you, but we can’t get enough of Wicked . This Lego Wicked Glinda & Elphaba’s Dormitory set is perfect for kids ages 8 and up (plus, grown-ups). Your gift recipient can transform herself to one of her favorite scenes from the movie while she sings “Popular.” Gabby’s Dollhouse Kitty Fairy’s Garden Party Lego Set – Best Gift for the Gabby Watcher This Gabby’s Dollhouse Kitty Fairy’s Garden Party Lego set makes an enchanting gift for kids aged four and up. It comes with 130 pieces, and features a treehouse, slide, swing, merry-go-round, and of course the lovable characters from the hit Netflix children’s series. Hello, Gabby, Pandy Paws, and Kitty Fairy! Kids can create magical garden adventures while developing creative building and storytelling skills with this gift, too! Hot Dog Food Truck Lego Set – Best Gift for the Silliest Kid You Know To that fun-loving kid or the adult who’s really a kid-at-heart, this Lego Friends Hot Dog Food Truck set is one fun way to spend a Friday evening. With 100 pieces, it includes a buildable truck, two mini-dolls, and a cat figure, along with pretend play food accessories. Kids (or super-fun grown-ups) can enjoy role-playing adventures, or simply display their creation on a bookshelf or side table. Sea Rescue Center Lego Set – Best Gift for the Kid Who Has a Great Imagination The Lego Friends Sea Rescue Center will engage kids seven and up with its 376 pieces. This gift is perfect for kids who love animals and ocean adventures. It features three minidolls, sea otters, a seahorse, and a turtle. Once he builds the rescue center (which comes with a super-cool water scooter and slide), he can use the vet tools for imaginative marine life-saving play. Flower Bouquet Lego Set – Best Gift for the Love of Your Life She’s not impressed by a bouquet of flowers, she says. But how about a Leco Flower Bouquet Building Set? This 756-piece gift for ages 18 and up combines creativity, thoughtful thinking, and lasting beauty. Not only is it a unique alternative to real flowers, this sweet gesture comes with 15 lifelike stems, including roses and snapdragons, with posable petals. Customize your arrangement—for real—by setting it up your way. Unlike a dozen roses from the flowers hop, this timeless treasure can be displayed for a lifetime. Retro Roller Skate Lego Set – Best Gift for the Trendsetter Friend You may have seen the TikTok reels: retro skating is having a moment right now. This Retro Roller Skate building kit captures the nostalgia perfectly with its vibrant design and overall cuteness. Gift this 264-piece set to the skaters of your life (ages eight and up). They can celebrate their new hobby as they build and transform a roller skate with moving wheels. Lego Storage 3-Piece Organizer Cubes – Best Gift for Moms Who Hate Clutter Combine your pal’s love of Legos with their desire to keep their playroom in tip-top shape. Enter, the Lego Storage Organizer Cubes. This 3-piece set will keep Lego pieces and accessories neat yet accessible. Designed for ages three and up (and moms who have no patience to keep picking up kids’ Legos), this gift comes with three durable, zippered cubes with clear windows for easy organization. Use them for Lego bricks, action figures, or travel essentials for a practical, lightweight storage solution with iconic LEGO charm. Minecraft The Crafting Table Lego Set – Best Gift for the Minecraft Player Minecraft fan or not, this showpiece set can be displayed for all to see. Minecraft The Crafting Table comes with 1,195 pieces that, when built, celebrates Minecraft’s 15th anniversary. Consider it for the adult Minecraft fan or experienced builders who love a collector’s item. It also includes 12 biomes, eight iconic micro figures, and five detachable mini builds for various display options. Lego Medium Creative Brick Box – Best Gift for the Lego Beginner The best starter set for those ages four to 99, this Lego Classic Medium Creative Brick Box comes with 484 pieces for limitless creations. It includes colorful bricks, wheels, windows, and a green baseplate. They can also use the pieces to make trains, cars, structures, and scenes. This set wonderfully fosters creativity, offers hours of imaginative play, and doubles as convenient storage. Unlike other Lego sets that have defined instructions, the little builder in your life can make whatever they want! BTS Dynamite Lego Set – Best Gift for the K-Pop Fan Have a BTS fan in your life? The Lego Ideas BTS Dynamite set lets K-pop lovers build an iconic scene from their hit music video, “Dynamite” (the group’s first-ever all-English single). Featuring all seven band members as Lego minifigures, this 749-piece kit—complete with a retro, feel-good vibe like the music video—is the perfect gift for collectors who happen to also be BTS-obsessed.Thailand is in the middle of a demographic crisis of unprecedented proportions: with its birth rate ranking among the lowest in the world, the kingdom is at risk of seeing an irreversible decline that will see its population shrink by 50% in just a few decades. Recent figures published by Chulalongkorn University's Sasin School of Management say Thailand -- where the national birth rate has declined by 81% over the past 74 years -- is third globally in terms of declining birth rates. Only South Korea (-88%) and China (-83%) saw bigger drops in birth rates over the same period, while Japan -- long seen as the epitome of demographic decline -- performed slightly better at -80%. If the trend is not reversed, the kingdom's population could shrink by half, from about 66 million people to about 33 million, in just 60 years, according to the study. The implications of this decline extend far beyond mere academic concerns. A rapidly ageing population will dampen economic growth, strain healthcare systems and undermine Thailand's competitiveness on the global stage. Failure to act decisively today risks triggering a domino effect. The acute demand for labour could lead to an uncontrolled influx of foreign workers, which in turn could trigger social, economic and security challenges, destabilising the entire nation. These concerns aren't new; in fact, experts have been urging the government to act for years. Despite their repeated urgings, Thailand still do not have a comprehensive set of policies to address the situation. Past governments placed too much focus on short-term, populist policies that neglect to address the root cause of the demographic crisis. It is time for the government to start looking at the population decline as a top priority. This issue transcends political cycles and requires long-term cooperation from all stakeholders. Establishing a dedicated ministerial-level organisation to focus exclusively on reversing this trend is no longer optional, but essential. Addressing the crisis requires an integrated approach that combines tax incentives, subsidies for families with children, and targeted campaigns to promote having children, particularly among the younger generations. The government must also reduce the costs associated with raising children, from healthcare to education, while working to improve household incomes. Past administrations have introduced subsidies for first cars and houses. The current government should consider a similar financial incentive for couples to have children, making it the cornerstone of a broader, long-term family planning initiative. Thailand's 20-year strategic plan must also be revised. More investment in automation technology will help ease the pressure posed by a shrinking workforce. However, they cannot replace the need for human capital. As such, the education system also be adapted to equip future generations with the skills needed to remain competitive. Thailand can learn from other nations experiencing a similar decline. Singapore, for one, has rolled out extensive financial incentives, while the introduction of family-friendly policies in France has helped improve fertility rates. Adapting these strategies to fit Thailand's context could prove to be the answer that the country needs to solve its demographic woes. Unless the government acts now, Thailand's stability and prosperity may be in jeopardy.

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Driver charged following collision with hydro box that plunged Listowel into darkness SaturdayShare Tweet Share Share Email Shiba Inu is losing momentum alongside Dogecoin in late December as both coins have fallen by double-digits in the past week. This sharp fall is pushing investors to other altcoin alternatives with high return potential. One token that is attracting major focus is Propichain, an AI token that tokenizes real estate assets, making them more accessible to investors. Read on to see why analysts say Propichain (PCHAIN) will outperform Shiba Inu and Dogecoin in 2025. Shiba Inu and Dogecoin Fall as Mid-December Brings a Meme Coin Correction Shiba Inu and Dogecoin holders are disappointed over the recent price correction that has affected the meme coin industry. Both Shiba Inu and Dogecoin were high performers in early November, capitalizing on Bitcoin’s surge to a new ATH. However, their momentum has waned significantly in the past week. Shiba Inu currently trades at $0.00002417, with a 17% drop in the past week. Likewise, Dogecoin has dropped by 12.54% at the same time to its current price of $0.3631. This downturn isn’t just limited to Shiba Inu and Dogecoin. According to an article from BeinCrypto, analysts have noted that meme coins, in general, are losing market dominance, contributing to the double-digit corrections observed in both coins. As Shiba Inu and Dogecoin face continued struggles, many investors are turning their attention to more stable and promising alternatives. Propichain, a real estate platform, presents a refreshing shift in focus by offering a tangible, real estate-backed investment model that bypasses the volatility of meme coins. Propichain (PCHAIN): An Ethereum-Based Real Estate Solution that Incorporates Artificial Intelligence Propichain (PCHAIN) is a real estate platform that tackles all the major issues that plague the housing sector. The platform also focuses on removing cost and geographical barriers while creating easy avenues for both beginners and experts. The first real estate investing solution that Propichain provides is access to a lower-cost investing model that involves buying tokenized shares in housing assets. This creates more affordable investment opportunities, especially for investors with lower budgets. Propichain’s tokenized assets can also be used as collateral for loans, unlocking additional profit avenues.While tokenized assets lower the cost of entry, Propichain doesn’t stop there. To further enhance your investment experience, it offers cutting-edge AI-powered tools that can help you identify superior investment opportunities in real time. These automated tools handle several functions, including market analysis, trend spotting, and asset valuation. This way, investors always have the best market data to guide their investment decisions. Propichain’s AI tools further increase investor convenience by offering an automated trading service. This service allows investors to buy and sell real estate assets using automated commands that will be executed in the future. For instance, using Propichain’s (PCHAIN) automated trading function, you can acquire shares in a luxury apartment as soon as their value drops to your preferred level. This takes investing ease to another level, allowing investors to close deals ahead of time while taking a more passive investing approach. While the automated trading function helps investors act quickly, Propichain takes it a step further by offering access to global housing opportunities. As a user, you can scout housing assets worldwide using Propichain’s cross border investing service. Via its metaverse-based virtual tours, you can get an accurate 3D viewing of your desired housing assets. This way, you can sidestep geographical barriers, thus accessing more investment opportunities. This directly increases profit opportunities for all traders in the Propichain (PCHAIN) ecosystem. Global reach requires seamless, efficient transactions, and Propichain achieves this with the help of smart contracts. These smart contracts facilitate near-instant transactions, leading to high efficiency for real estate dealings. They also offer a high level of customization, allowing investors to use their technology to form unique lease and rental agreements. Finally, these smart contracts have been audited by BlockAudit, showing their high level of security. Propichain and Shiba Inu: How These Tokens Stack Up Against Each Other Propichain (PCHAIN) is gaining investor attention like Shiba Inu, driven by the rising demand for RWA-based altcoins. It has also been listed on CoinMarketCap, further sparking excitement among many investors who are now rushing to join its presale. Amid its soaring fame, some experts predict that $1,000 worth of PCHAIN will rise to $70,000 by Q3 2025. PCHAIN’s Ongoing Presale: Investors Rush to Secure its Coming 108.93% Returns in the Next Round With these innovative features and the growing demand for tokenized real estate, Propichain’s presale is gaining significant traction, selling over $1.5 million tokens since its launch. PCHAIN is now in round two, trading at $0.011, after growing by 208.17% from its previous round. Buying PCHAIN now grants investors the opportunity to secure 108.93% ROI when PCHAIN rises to its round three price of $0.023. It will keep growing till it reaches an official launch price of $0.032. Hurry now and join Propichain’s (PCHAin) ecosystem to secure your share of high returns. For more information about the PropiChain Presale: Website: https://propichain.finance/ Join Community: https://linktr.ee/propichain Related Items: PropiChain PCHAIN , Shiba Inu (SHIB) Share Tweet Share Share Email Recommended for you We Asked ChatGPT To Predict A Crypto That Could Outperform Shiba Inu’s Legendary 2021 Price Rally Cardano Price Consolidation Creates Buzz Around an Undervalued Real Estate Token Set to Explode XRP Price Prediction vs. PropiChain: Where to Place Your Bets for the Highest ROI by 2025? Comments

AKRON, Ohio (AP) — Nate Johnson scored 25 points to help Akron defeat Alabama State 97-78 on Sunday. Johnson added five rebounds for the Zips (4-2). Bowen Hardman scored 19 points, shooting 6 for 7 from beyond the arc. Isaiah Gray went 4 of 7 from the field to finish with 11 points. The Hornets (3-3) were led by CJ Hines with 19 points. Tyler Mack added 18 points and Antonio Madlock scored 17. Akron took the lead with 6:46 left in the first half and did not relinquish it. Johnson led their team in scoring with 13 points in the first half to help put them up 50-41 at the break. The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar .Netflix ‘s second season of Squid Game follows past winner Gi-hun’s ( Lee Jung-jae ) vengeful return to the games as Player 456. His goal this time around isn’t to win the enormous cash prize, but to end Squid Game once and for all. **Spoilers for Squid Game Season 2, now streaming on Netflix** Over the course of Squid Game Season 2’s seven episodes, we watch as Gi-hun steps up to play the hero. He tracks down the mysterious “Recruiter” played by Gong Yoo and survives a heady game of Russian roulette against the games’ cynical true believer. Gi-hun then teams up with Hwang Jun-ho ( Wi Hajoon ), who has spent the last few years since Season 1 searching for the secret island that hosts the games (and his long-lost brother, In-ho, who is now the Front Man played by Lee Byung-hun ). When Gi-hun finds himself volunteering to play the games again, he does so with the hope of not only leading Jun-ho to the island, but also to save as many lives as possible. He takes it upon himself to lead his fellow players through the perilous danger of “Red Light, Green Light” and implores the group to vote for their freedom over more games. However, when it ultimately becomes obvious that the only way out of the games is to fight the mysterious game masters themselves, Gi-hun organizes a rebellion. Childhood best friend Park Jung-bae, aka Player 390 (Lee Seo-hwan), joins in, as do new allies like transgender woman Hyun-ju, Player 120 (Park Sung-soon), former marine Dae-ho, Player 388 (Kang Ha-neul), and “Oh Young-il,” Player 001, whom the audience knows is secretly the Front Man himself. So does Gi-hun survive Squid Game Season 2? Do the games kill him? Will Player 456 return for Squid Game Season 3? Will there even be a Squid Game Season 3? And what’s the deal with that creepy post credits scene? Here’s everything you need to know about the ending of Squid Game Season 2... Squid Game Season 2 Ending Explained: Does Gi-hun (Player 456) Die? Watching Squid Game Season 2 in the utter terror that our boy Gi-hun might die? Don’t worry, Gi-hun survives Squid Game Season 2! But he might wishes he hadn’t... Squid Game Season 2 introduces a new wrinkle to the games wherein players get to vote after each round whether or not they want to stay or leave, splitting what exists of the cash prize. After three games, the surviving players are split equally between staying and leaving. That is when the situation becomes all the more dire. Having survived the games before, Gi-hun knows that waiting overnight for a revote is the game masters’ plan to have the players turn on each other...and they do. First, there’s a bloody brawl in the men’s restroom, which sees crypto bro Lee Myung-gi, Player 333 (Yim Si-wan), stabbing the rapper Thanos (Choi Seung-hyun) with a fork snuck into his dinner. Player 333 survives the chaos by hiding in a stall, but Nam-gyu, Player 124 (Roh Jae-won), gets his fork. When the bloodied up survivors shuffle back into the dorms, two things become obvious. One, the nay votes — i.e. the people who want out — now outweigh the players who want to stay. The other? As soon as the lights go out, Nam-gyu and his camp will murder as many of the “no” votes to stay in the game. Gi-hun convinces his core group of allies that they should use the grisly massacre strategically. He knows that eventually the lights will come back on and the pink-suited guards will suppress any more violence. By hiding during the chaos and playing possum, they can overwhelm the guards and steal their guns. Gi-hun, Jung-bae, Hyung-ju, Dae-ho, and “Young-il” succeed and are soon joined by other men willing to fight back for their freedom. What follows is a surprisingly effective rebellion, with our heroes shooting their way through Squid Game ‘s Pepto Bismal pink sets until reaching a stand off with other guards. The group splits, with Gi-hun and Jung-bae using a guard’s mask to move closer and closer to the control room, while the rest of the group covers them. When it’s obvious that our rebels are running out of ammo, Dae-ho volunteers to circle back and gather magazines from the dead guards in the dorm. As Gi-hun and Jung-bae get closer, the shooting gets more intense. Dae-ho gets to the dorms and gathers the ammo, but his nerves overtake him. He doesn’t return to his friends. That sends Hyung-ju back to the dorms as the Front Man moves forward to meet up with Gi-hun and Jung-bae. Naturally, the Front Man turns on his “friends,” leading the guards to suppress the rebellion. The rebellious players left standing either take their own lives or beg mercy before being shot. Hyung-ju is back in the dormitory as the guards come in and the maternal Player 149 (Kang Ae-shim) advises her to stand down. Back, closer to the control room, the Front Man mocks Gi-hun for trying to “play the hero” before showing him what that nobility gets him. The Front Man shoots Jung-bae in the head. Gi-hun is left alive...but why? For what purpose would the powers that be keep him alive? Squid Game Season 2: What Does That Post Credits Scene Mean? Meet Young-hee’s Boyfriend Cheol-su If you stuck around after the devastating end of Squid Game Season 2, you would have gotten a sneak peek of what’s yet to come! After the initial credits roll, we watch some of the surviving players enter a new arena. Young-hee, the massive, murderous doll who oversees “Red Light, Green Light” is back — but she’s not alone. She’s looking across the room at a boy. “That’s actually a [sneak peek] of Cheol-su, who, like Young-hee, is a new giant doll that we’re going to be showcasing in Season 3,” Squid Game creator, writer, and director Hwang Dong-hyuk told Entertainment Weekly . Hwang first teased Cheol-su’s appearance around the time the second season of Squid Game was first announced, referring to him as Young-hee’s boyfriend. In fact, both characters originate from classic Korean textbooks. While it’s unclear what game the dolls will be presiding over — although it appears railroad-themed — Hwang told Entertainment Weekly this end credits scene is a “a hint at the most exciting game in Season 3.” Will There Be a Squid Game Season 3? Why Does Squid Game Season 2 End on a Cliffhanger? Yes, there will be! Netflix has already confirmed that Squid Game will return in 2025 for its third and final season. However, you might be wondering why Season 2 was so short — seven episodes compared to Season 1’s nine — and why it ended on such a bummer of a cliffhanger. During a virtual roundtable Decider attended, series creator, writer, and director Hwang Dong-hyuk told CinemaBlend’s Alexandra Ramos that originally Season 2 and Season 3 were “originally envisioned...as a single series.” “Then as I wrote the story along, it became to be too many episodes and too long of a story,” Hwang said. “You see Gi-hun’s journey where he returns to the game, but also he goes through a revolt. That is actually the climax of that storyline where he tries to create an uprising, but then that all goes to failure. And I also saw that aspect of it as yet another game as well.” The auteur explained that he thought it made sense to divide it into two seasons, with Season 2 focusing on one major arc for Gi-hun. “You know, Gi-hun’s revolt going into a failure, him ending up losing his best friend...I thought that would just be the right adequate moment to rest and have it continue on in the further season.” Hwang teased that Gi-hun’s “immense sense of guilt” will fuel his journey in Season 3. “You’re going to get yet another character arc from Gi-hun,” he said, “and so I thought it would be better to divide that for another season.”

Jordan Sears scores 25 points, Jalen Reed has double-double and LSU outlasts UCF 109-102 in 3OT

Sindh govt dedicated to realising Benazir's vision of equitable society: CMNEW YORK - Brian Thompson, the CEO of UnitedHealth's insurance unit, was killed on Wednesday morning outside a Midtown Manhattan hotel in what police described as a targeted attack by a gunman lying in wait for him. Thompson, 50, was shot around 6:45 a.m. ET (1145 GMT) outside the Hilton on Sixth Avenue, just before the company's annual investor conference. He was rushed to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Police said the gunman was at large and they were still investigating a motive. "This does not appear to be a random act of violence," New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said at a press conference. "Every indication is that this was a premeditated, pre-planned, targeted attack." The suspect, wearing a mask and carrying a gray backpack, fled on foot before mounting an electric bike and riding into Central Park, police said. The killing took place just hours before the city's annual Christmas tree lighting at Rockefeller Center a few blocks away, a televised event that draws massive crowds. Police officials said that event would proceed as planned under heavy security. Thompson's wife, Paulette, told NBC News that he had received some threats, though she did not know any specifics. "Basically, I don’t know, a lack of coverage?" she said, appearing to allude to a potential insurance-related motive, according to the network. "I don't know details. I just know that he said there were some people that had been threatening him." UnitedHealth is the largest U.S. health insurer, providing benefits to tens of millions of Americans, who pay more for healthcare than people in any other country. Thompson had been the CEO of UnitedHealthcare, a unit of UnitedHealth Group, since April 2021. The company has been grappling with the fallout from a massive data hack of its Change Healthcare unit that provides technology for U.S. health providers, disrupting medical care for patients and reimbursement to doctors for months. 'SPECIFICALLY TARGETED' The gunman arrived outside the Hilton about five minutes before Thompson, and he ignored other people walking by. He then shot Thompson in the back when he passed, NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny told reporters. "It does appear that the victim was specifically targeted, but at this point we do not know why," Kenny said. The pistol appeared to be fitted with a silencer, according to surveillance video, although Kenny said use of a silencer could not be verified from the images. At about 9 a.m. ET, an hour after UnitedHealth's conference started, Chief Executive Andrew Witty took the stage and announced the program was canceled because of a "very serious medical situation." Baird investment analyst Michael Ha, who attended the UnitedHealth event, said people were frightened, confused and crying in the hotel hallway. "At the time, we did not know what had happened, when it had happened, where it had happened. So we didn't even know if there was a potentially a shooter in the actual building itself," he said. The company later removed photos of its leaders from its website. BUSY TOURIST AREA Dave Ricks, CEO of pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly who spoke at another business conference in New York on Wednesday, said Thompson's killing was shocking. "He was assassinated essentially in the street going to his investor conference." Thompson had worked at UnitedHealth since 2004 in several divisions, according to a biography later removed from the company's website. "Our hearts go out to Brian's family and all who were close to him," the company said in a statement. Ha said Thompson was an "incredibly smart, talented healthcare leader, with such a bright future ahead of him." The police department in Maple Grove, Minnesota, where Thompson lived, said it had no record of threats against him, and the Minneapolis Police Department said there was "no occurrence" of Thompson in its records. In May, a firefighters pension fund in Hollywood, Florida, sued the company and three executives, including Thompson, accusing them of selling a combined $120 million in company shares before a U.S. Department of Justice antitrust probe was disclosed publicly, according to the complaint. The shooting happened at the outset of New York's busy holiday season, expected to bring more than 7.5 million visitors to the city, according to a local tourism bureau. Heather Higginson, a visitor from London staying at the Hilton where the shooting occurred, said the violence was shocking. "That's not what you want to hear at Christmas, is it? ... It's very sad." New York's murder rate spiked after the COVID-19 pandemic, but has since dropped to pre-COVID levels. This year, 347 homicides were recorded in the city through Dec. 1 compared with 370 in the same period of 2023, according to police data. --Reuters

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa led the NFL in passing yards in 2023, and he has been just as sharp for much of this season. But on Wednesday, Tagovailoa shouldered a share of the blame for what he called a surprising 5-7 start, saying his month-long stint on injured reserve with a concussion played a huge part in the way this season has unfolded. “I don’t think that (record) shows the character of who we are as a team,” Tagovailoa said. "It doesn’t show the work that we’ve put in this offseason together. “Nobody else will say it but me, and I feel like this has a lot to do with myself, obviously putting myself in harm’s way in the second game, going down and basically leaving my guys out to dry ... I do take heart to that as well and don’t want to do that to my guys again.” The Dolphins looked like they were returning to last season's form during a recent three-game winning streak, but questions about Miami's toughness resurfaced after a poor performance at frigid Lambeau Field last Thursday, when the temperature at kickoff was around 27 degrees. Miami missed 20 tackles, per Next Gen Stats, and allowed 114 yards on the ground while only rushing for 39 yards. Tagovailoa was sacked five times. The Dolphins have lost their past 12 regular-season or postseason games in which the temperature at kickoff was 40 degrees or lower, with more potential cold weather games coming up at Houston, Cleveland and the New York Jets later this season. Miami was 4-10 in games played in December or later in the past two seasons. “Collectively you’ve got to all have that same mindset,” Tagovailoa said of Miami's toughness. “That’s why we have team football, that’s why you’re in team sports. I think you’ve got to look at it as, are you mentally tough and are you physically tough? They have to go hand in hand. If one of those things has a kink in it, it could go one way or the other.” A few weeks after former Dolphins safety DeShon Elliott said the Dolphins were “soft” when he played there, linebacker Jordyn Brooks criticized his team's toughness after losing to Green Bay. “I feel like we let the elements control the way we played,” Brooks said after the 30-17 loss. “As a group, I thought we were soft. Simple as that.” Coach Mike McDaniel said he expects all kinds of criticisms to come when the team fails to reach expectations, but added that he uses the game tape to measure toughness. “If I have an example of weak-mindedness or situations where a guy is turning something down or how he’s loafing because of a result, those are things I can coach,” McDaniel said. McDaniel added he didn't see anything on the tape to suggest players weren't giving full effort, but he did see many instances of missed tackles because of straining and poor technique — not bringing their feet through the tackle — which got worse as the game went on. He also said players would have insisted he bench teammates if they were “loafing” or turning down assignments, which he indicated didn't happen. “I'm very aware that the narrative exists," McDaniel said, "and with absolute certainty, I know that the narrative will exist unless it changes. There’s one way to change it. And that’s winning a game against the New York Jets. "And you know what? People still might not call you tough. Cool. I take it very serious as a head coach to be responsible for things that can help to be accountable and to bring forth information that’s actually helpful, not finger pointing." Some Dolphins players disagreed with the notion the team isn't tough enough. “I guess we’ve got to prove it wrong," said defensive tackle Zach Sieler. “If people think that, we’ve got to go out there and beat it. I don’t think that’s the case. I think we play physically up front. I think we play physically all around. I think we’ve got to make sure we’re showing that on Sunday.” Miami placed backup cornerback Cam Smith on injured reserve after he dislocated his shoulder against Green Bay. The Dolphins also signed tackle Jackson Carman off the practice squad and signed cornerback Jason Maitre to the practice squad. ... Edge rushers Bradley Chubb and Cameron Goode practiced Wednesday for the first time this season, and McDaniel didn't rule out the possibility of one or both of them playing on Sunday. Chubb tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee in Week 17 last season, and Goode ruptured a patella tendon in the season finale. AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFLWASHINGTON — A top White House official said Wednesday at least eight U.S. telecom firms and dozens of nations were impacted by a Chinese hacking campaign. Deputy national security adviser Anne Neuberger offered new details about the breadth of the sprawling Chinese hacking campaign that gave officials in Beijing access to private texts and phone conversations of an unknown number of Americans. FILE - The American and Chinese flags wave at Genting Snow Park ahead of the 2022 Winter Olympics, in Zhangjiakou, China, on Feb. 2, 2022. A top White House official on Wednesday said at least eight U.S. telecom firms and dozens of nations have been impacted by a Chinese hacking campaign. (AP Photo/Kiichiro Sato, File) Neuberger divulged the scope of the hack a day after the FBI and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency issued guidance intended to help root out the hackers and prevent similar cyberespionage in the future. White House officials cautioned that the number of telecommunication firms and countries impacted could grow. People are also reading... Trump, Musk can learn from North Carolina, Raleigh writer says Statesville native Tomlin leads Delaware State to MEAC volleyball title, NCAA berth Top vote-getter Houpe: Why am I not chairman of Iredell board of commissioners? Letter to the editor: Charging kids to play baseball at Jennings Park is poor idea Iredell-Statesville Schools closed Tuesday due to snow, ice Iredell-Statesville Schools nutrition department receives award 'The Message' religious sect sprouts destructive groups across globe Iredell deputies charge Catawba County men with stealing Duke Energy wire North Dakota man brings shed-building expertise to Troutman Lake Norman residents voice concerns with Marshall Steam Station changes New school chairman rules 2 fellow board members out of order in Iredell Cabinet manufacturer closing Statesville facility, laying off all 74 employees Women report widespread misogyny in churches tied to religious group 'The Message' Iredell County woman celebrates $100,000 scratch-off win Mooresville’s bid to topple No. 3 seed East Forsyth comes up short in third round The U.S. believes the hackers were able to gain access to communications of senior U.S. government officials and prominent political figures through the hack, Neuberger said. “We don’t believe any classified communications has been compromised,” Neuberger added during a call with reporters. She added that Biden was briefed on the findings and the White House “made it a priority for the federal government to do everything it can to get to the bottom this.” US officials recommend encrypted messaging apps amid "Salt Typhoon" cyberattack, attributed to China, targeting AT&T, Verizon, and others. The Chinese embassy in Washington rejected the accusations that it was responsible for the hack Tuesday after the U.S. federal authorities issued new guidance. “The U.S. needs to stop its own cyberattacks against other countries and refrain from using cyber security to smear and slander China,” embassy spokesperson Liu Pengyu said. The embassy did not immediately respond to messages Wednesday. White House officials believe the hacking was regionally targeted and the focus was on very senior government officials. Federal authorities confirmed in October that hackers linked to China targeted the phones of then-presidential candidate Donald Trump and his running mate, Sen. JD Vance, along with people associated with Democratic candidate Vice President Kamala Harris. FBI tells telecom firms to boost security following wide-ranging Chinese hacking campaign By DAVID KLEPPER - Associated Press The number of countries impacted by the hack is currently believed to be in the “low, couple dozen,” according to a senior administration official. The official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity under rules set by the White House, said they believed the hacks started at least a year or two ago. The suggestions for telecom companies released Tuesday are largely technical in nature, urging encryption, centralization and consistent monitoring to deter cyber intrusions. If implemented, the security precautions could help disrupt the operation, dubbed Salt Typhoon, and make it harder for China or any other nation to mount a similar attack in the future, experts say. Trump's pick to head the Federal Bureau of Investigation Kash Patel was allegedly the target of cyberattack attempt by Iranian-backed hackers. Neuberger pointed to efforts made to beef up cybersecurity in the rail, aviation, energy and other sectors following the May 2021 ransomware attack on Colonial Pipeline . “So, to prevent ongoing Salt Typhoon type intrusions by China, we believe we need to apply a similar minimum cybersecurity practice,” Neuberger said. The cyberattack by a gang of criminal hackers on the critical U.S. pipeline, which delivers about 45% of the fuel used along the Eastern Seaboard, sent ripple effects across the economy, highlighting cybersecurity vulnerabilities in the nation’s aging energy infrastructure. Colonial confirmed it paid $4.4 million to the gang of hackers who broke into its computer systems as it scrambled to get the nation's fuel pipeline back online. 5 tips for protecting your phone while traveling abroad 5 tips for protecting your phone while traveling abroad Picture this: You're on vacation in a city abroad, exploring museums, tasting the local cuisine, and people-watching at cafés. Everything is going perfectly until you get a series of alerts on your phone. Someone is making fraudulent charges using your credit card, sending you into a panic. How could this have happened? Cyberattacks targeting travelers are nothing new. But as travel has increased in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, so has the volume of hackers and cybercriminals preying upon tourists. Financial fraud is the most common form of cybercrime experienced by travelers, but surveillance via public Wi-Fi networks, social media hacking, and phishing scams are also common, according to a survey by ExpressVPN . Spokeo consulted cybersecurity sources and travel guides to determine some of the best ways to protect your phone while traveling, from using a VPN to managing secure passwords. Online attacks are not the only type of crime impacting travelers—physical theft of phones is also a threat. Phones have become such invaluable travel aids, housing our navigation tools, digital wallets, itineraries, and contacts, that having your phone stolen, lost, or compromised while abroad can be devastating. Meanwhile, traveling can make people uniquely vulnerable to both cyber and physical attacks due to common pitfalls like oversharing on social media and letting your guard down when it comes to taking risks online. Luckily, there are numerous precautions travelers can take to safeguard against cyberattacks and phone theft. Use a VPN Hackers can—and do—target public Wi-Fi networks at cafés and hotels to gain access to your personal information or install malware onto your device, particularly on unsecured networks. Travelers are especially vulnerable to these types of cybersecurity breaches because they are often more reliant on public Wi-Fi than they would be in their home countries where they have more robust phone plans. This reliance on public, unsecured networks means travelers are more likely to use those networks to perform sensitive tasks like financial transfers, meaning hackers can easily gain access to banking information or other passwords. One easy way to safeguard yourself against these breaches is to use a virtual private network, or VPN, while traveling. VPNs are apps that encrypt your data and hide your location, preventing hackers from accessing personal information. An added bonus is that VPNs allow you to access websites that may be blocked or unavailable in the country you are visiting. To use a VPN, simply download a VPN app on your phone or computer, create an account, choose a server, and connect. Wear a cross-body bag or antitheft strap Pickpockets, scammers, and flagrant, snatch-your-phone-right-out-of-your-hand thieves can be found pretty much everywhere. In London, for instance, a staggering 91,000 phones were reported stolen to police in 2022 , breaking down to an average of 248 per day, according to the BBC. Whether you're visiting a crowded tourist attraction or just want peace of mind, travel experts advise taking precautions to make sure your phone isn't physically stolen or compromised while traveling. There are several antitheft options to choose from. If you want a bag that will protect your phone from theft, experts recommend looking for features like slash-resistant fabric, reinforced shoulder straps, hidden zippers that can be locked, and secure attachment points, like a cross-body strap or a sturdy clip. For tethers, look for those made of tear-resistant material with a reinforced clip or ring. Turn on "Find My Phone" In order for the previous tip on this list to work, "Find My Phone" must be turned on in advance, but remotely wiping your device isn't the only thing this feature allows you to do. The "Find My Phone" feature enables you to track your device, as long as it's turned on and not in airplane mode. This is particularly helpful if you misplaced your phone or left it somewhere since it can help you retrace your steps. While this feature won't show you the live location of a phone that has been turned off, it will show the phone's last known location. With "Find My Phone," you can also remotely lock your phone or enable "Lost Mode," which locks down the phone, suspends any in-phone payment methods, and displays contact information for returning the phone to you. If your phone was stolen, experts caution against taking matters into your own hands by chasing down the thief, since this could land you in a potentially dangerous situation and is unlikely to result in getting your phone back. Protect your passwords Strong passwords for important accounts help protect your information while you travel, but it's just a first step. The National Cybersecurity Alliance recommends creating long, unique, and complex passwords for every account and combining them with multifactor authentication to create maximum barriers to entry. If you're worried about remembering these passwords, password managers can be a vital tool for both creating and storing strong passwords. Password managers are apps that act as secure vaults for all your passwords. Some even come with a feature that allows you to temporarily delete sensitive passwords before you travel and then easily restore them once you return. Story editing by Mia Nakaji Monnier. Additional editing by Kelly Glass. Copy editing by Tim Bruns. Photo selection by Lacy Kerrick. This story originally appeared on Spokeo and was produced and distributed in partnership with Stacker Studio. Get the latest local business news delivered FREE to your inbox weekly.