B.C. Premier Eby says U.S. tariffs would be 'devastating' for forest industry
Betrayal
No. 1 South Carolina experiences rare sting of lossArizona man charged with threatening to harm Trump
Dallas Cowboys Issue 5-Word Message Before Thanksgiving GameBOSTON (AP) — Boston Celtics center Kristaps Porzingis is slated make his season debut Monday night against the Los Angeles Clippers following offseason ankle surgery. The 7-foot-2 Latvian center was upgraded from probable to available about an 90 minutes before tipoff, though Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla said how much he'd play was to be determined. Veteran center Al Horford, who has started 14 of the Celtics 17 games this season, is out Monday with an illness. Fellow big man Luke Kornet is also sitting out as he continues to deal with hamstring tightness. “He has worked hard, he's in good shape. We'll put him in position to be healthy and be successful and do what's best for the team,” Mazzulla said. “He's been pretty consistent, just based on his work ethic and what he's done to get to this point.” Porzingis had surgery to fix a tear in the tissue that holds the ankle tendons in place. The issue limited him to seven playoff games during the Celtics' NBA championship run last season. Boston is 14-3 this season, but has missed his presence on the inside, with teams routinely outscoring the defending champions in the paint. Mazzulla acknowledged that how Porzingis plays on the offensive end, particularly how he operates sometimes out of the high and low post, will force some adjustment from how the team has played this season without him on the floor. “I think last year we had an opportunity to see how teams were guarding him,” Mazzulla said. "That'll take a little bit of time to figure out what the coverages are, just get used to that spacing. That'll take some time. ... Then we'll figure out how we go from there." The original window for Porzingis' return following surgery was five to six months. But Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens said before the season that they didn't want to hold to a specific timeline because of the uniqueness of the injury. Porzingis injured his ankle in Game 2 of the NBA Finals against the Dallas Mavericks and missed the next two games. He returned for Game 5, contributing five points and one rebound in 16 minutes as the Celtics beat Dallas 106-88 to clinch their record 18th title. Porzingis averaged 20 points and seven rebounds in 57 games for last season. He signed a $60 million, two-year extension with Boston in the summer of 2023 after the Celtics acquired him in a trade with Washington. AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba
A veteran state Nationals leader has stepped down to make way for new blood as the party begins preparations for an election in 2026. or signup to continue reading Peter Walsh has resigned as leader of the Victorian Nationals, with Gippsland South MP Danny O'Brien elected unopposed as his replacement on Monday night. The 70-year-old has been a fixture of Victorian parliament since 2002, leader since December 2014, and will continue as the MP for Murray Plains. Mr O'Brien described his elevation to the top job as the greatest honour of his life. "I entered politics because I have always believed rural and regional people get a raw deal," he said. "As leader of our great party, I will fight every day for country people to get a fair go." Lowan MP Emma Kealy will remain the state party's deputy leader. It is unclear whether Mr Walsh will retire from politics or remain on the back bench until the next state election in 2026. Treasurer Tim Pallas said he had great respect for Mr Walsh and he deserved enormous credit. "Whatever he decides to do, he goes knowing that he's made a great contribution to the state," he told reporters. Mr Walsh helped his party net an extra three seats at the 2022 election, giving the Nationals nine of the 88 seats in the Legislative Assembly. 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 AdvertisementThe sting of defeat after being thoroughly dominated in a 77-62 loss to No. 5 UCLA on Sunday. Gone was the overall 43-game winning streak. Done was the run of 33 consecutive road victories. And the No. 1 ranking it's held for 23 consecutive polls will disappear Monday. "This is what we usually do to teams," coach Dawn Staley said. "We were on the receiving end of it." South Carolina hadn't lost since April 2023, when Caitlin Clark and Iowa beat the Gamecocks in the national semifinals of the NCAA Tournament. The Bruins (5-0) shot 47% from the floor and 3-point range, hit 11 of 14 free throws and had five players in double figures. "They actually executed our game plan to a T," Staley said. The Gamecocks (5-1) were held to 36% shooting, had just two players in double figures and neither was leading scorer Chloe Kitts, who was held to 2 points on 1 of 7 shooting. They never led, got beat on the boards, 41-34, and were outscored 26-18 in the paint and 8-1 in fast break points. They only made eight trips to the free throw line. "Our kids fought," Staley said, "but we ran into a buzzsaw." South Carolina did manage to limit 6-foot-7 UCLA star Lauren Betts, who had 11 points and 14 rebounds, despite no longer having a dominant center of their own. The Bruins responded by getting the ball to others and eight of their 10 players scored. "We did an excellent job on Betts and we got killed by everyone else," Staley said. Tessa Johnson was the only other Gamecock in double figures with 14. "We needed a lot more than Tessa today," Staley said. The Gamecocks never got their offense in gear, starting the game 0 for 9 before trailing 20-10 at the end of the first quarter. They were down 43-22 at halftime. "Our shot selection is something we're dealing with on a daily basis," Staley said. The Gamecocks outscored UCLA 40-34 in the second half, but the Bruins' big early lead easily held up. "Beautiful basketball by UCLA," Staley said. "You can't help but to love up on it cause it was fluid on both sides of the ball." Given that it's only late November, the Gamecocks have plenty of time to figure things out. "We had some really good contributions from people that don't play a whole lot and we could probably give a little bit more minutes to," Staley said. "Taking a loss will help us focus on anybody that we play."
No. 1 South Carolina experiences rare sting of lossCriminal cases against incoming president Trump being droppedAdam Pemble, AP journalist whose compassionate lens brought stories to life, dies at 52
With special counsel Jack Smith’s decision to drop his election case and classified documents appeal against President-elect Donald Trump, the soon-to-be 47th president’s legal woes appear to be mostly behind him. In the case, Smith had charged Trump in Washington over his alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 election results and for his activity around the breach of the U.S. Capitol building on Jan. 6, 2021. “Working with a team of private co-conspirators, the defendant acted as a candidate when he pursued multiple criminal means to disrupt, through fraud and deceit, the government function by which votes are collected and counted—a function in which the defendant, as President, had no official role,” Smith’s office wrote. Trump had pleaded not guilty to the charges, arguing they are politically driven and designed to interfere with the Nov. 5 election. At the time, Trump spokesman Steven Cheung said the brief was “falsehood-ridden” and accused Smith of being “hell-bent on weaponizing the Justice Department in an attempt to cling to power.” On Truth Social, meanwhile, Trump said the case would end with his “complete victory” during the 2024 election. “In ruling otherwise, the district court deviated from binding Supreme Court precedent, misconstrued the statutes that authorized the Special Counsel’s appointment, and took inadequate account of the longstanding history of Attorney General appointments of special counsels,” Cannon wrote at the time. Weeks later, Smith filed an appeal in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit to reverse her order, which Trump’s lawyers had opposed in subsequent court filings. Cannon wrote in her order, which came after U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas had cast doubt in July about Smith’s appointment, that Smith was an officer of the United States, which requires that Congress authorize the attorney general to appoint Smith as special counsel. Before Smith was named special counsel, the FBI searched Trump’s Mar-a-Lago property in August 2022 in a bid to look for classified materials. Around the same time, Trump argued that, as president, he had declassified the documents. During most of the trial, Judge Juan Merchan had a gag order in place that barred Trump from speaking about certain witnesses, the judge’s family, court staff, and Bragg’s staff—which Trump said was election interference. The president-elect had written on social media that Merchan’s daughter was a consultant for several Democratic Party heavyweights, including Vice President Kamala Harris. Late last week, Merchan indefinitely delayed sentencing for Trump in the business records case, after the president-elect’s attorneys called for its immediate dismissal due to the election results. Sentencing in the case was initially scheduled for mid-July but was postponed until Nov. 26. In his order on Nov. 22, Merchan wrote that he was granting a request to adjourn that sentencing date as well. Other notable co-defendants listed in the Georgia case include several former Trump advisers and lawyers, including former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani and former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows. Trump and several of his co-defendants appealed McAfee’s order to the Georgia Court of Appeals, which placed the matter on pause while it hears arguments on whether to dismiss Willis. Trump had appealed Judge Arthur Engoron’s Feb. 16 decision. The judge found that Trump, his company, and executives, including his sons Eric and Donald Trump Jr., schemed to pad his net worth by billions of dollars on financial statements given to banks, insurers, and others to make deals and secure loans. In oral arguments held in September, several New York appeals court judges signaled that Engoron’s ruling could be reversed. Members of the five-judge panel on the Appellate Division, the mid-level state appellate court hearing arguments in Trump’s appeal, had appeared concerned about possible overreach by New York Attorney General Letitia James, who brought the case. “Every case that you cite involves damage to consumers, damage to the marketplace,” Justice David Friedman told Judith Vale, the attorney arguing on behalf of James’s office. “We don’t have anything like that here,” Friedman said, saying that nobody “lost any money.”(Bloomberg) — In 2018, the arrest of an executive with Chinese tech giant Huawei Technologies Co. for breaching US laws shocked President Xi Jinping’s inner circle and raised questions over whether Donald Trump would intervene in the case. Trump now faces a similar dilemma after US prosecutors charged Gautam Adani — India’s most powerful businessman and a close ally of Prime Minister Narendra Modi — in a $250 million bribery scheme. While Modi’s party called it a private matter, and Adani’s company denied the allegations, the case threatens to roil US-India diplomatic ties. Although Trump didn’t intervene in the Huawei case, which was eventually settled in 2021 after he left office, on its face he’ll have more incentive to make this case go away. Beyond Trump’s personal connection with Modi, the incoming US president has packed his team with China hawks who want to see stronger ties with India to counterbalance Beijing’s power in the region. Yet even if Trump does a favor for Adani, who praised the president-elect’s “unbreakable tenacity” after his election win, the case is yet another reminder of the long reach of US law — one that can affect both friends and foes around the world. A proliferation of American sanctions targeting Russia, China and even India, although it’s mostly gotten waivers, has accelerated the expansion of the BRICS grouping as nations seek an alternative to the US dominance of the financial system. For India in particular, the charges against Adani only reinforces its strategy to keep a foot in both major camps, staying friendly with the US while also keeping up good ties with Russia, China and other major economies in what’s known as the Global South. India remains reliant on Russian weapons and energy, and soon plans to host Vladimir Putin for the first time since the war began. “The indictment of Adani is seen in New Delhi as politically driven and will have a bearing on US-India collaboration and mutual trust unless the incoming Trump administration drops the prosecution,” said Brahma Chellaney, a professor of strategic studies at the Center for Policy Research in New Delhi. “Much will be depend on how the next US administration seeks to chart the relationship with India.” India’s Ministry of External Affairs declined to comment when contacted for further information. Trump’s team didn’t respond to requests for further information. For the moment, it remains unclear if Modi will look to distance himself from Adani. He’s facing a more vocal opposition, who have more than doubled their support in the parliament after elections earlier this year, and are now pushing for federal investigators to probe Adani. Modi’s party suffered a setback in the polls that forced him to govern with coalition partners for the first time. Even so, if India has a national champion, it’s the Adani Group. Modi and the billionaire share deep links going back decades in their home state of Gujarat, and Adani was instrumental in helping revive the prime minister’s reputation when he came under attack over religious riots in 2002. After the arrest of Meng Wanzhou, the daughter of Huawei’s founder, the Communist Party eventually portrayed it as an attack on China and celebrated her return, even saying Xi personally gave instructions on the case. Modi may take a different approach, possibly using his personal ties with Trump and the US’s strategic need for India’s support in the region as leverage. And while Trump shares a mutual admiration with Modi, he’s long called out India for taking advantage of the US on trade. “I have no doubt that feelers have already been sent out to the Trump team,” said Milan Vaishnav, director and senior fellow of the South Asia Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. “Certainly, the Trump administration could decide not to pursue them or to settle them quickly and with little fanfare. The question, of course, is what will the famously transactional Trump want in return?” Trump’s Team Much will depend on who will run the Department of Justice. Trump personally has been prosecuted in a number of cases he says are politically motivated. His initial nomination of Matt Gaetz as attorney general and his subsequent pick of longtime ally Pam Bondi suggests there will be fewer guardrails on intervening in politically sensitive cases. Trump has already nominated several key people to his team who are pro-India supporters. Marco Rubio, Trump’s pick for secretary of state, introduced a bill to the US Senate in July to boost defense ties with India and treat the South Asian nation as a NATO ally like Japan. Mike Waltz, who Trump has chosen as his national security adviser, was a guest of Modi at India’s Republic Day celebrations last year. The US government will have its own balancing act to manage. It gave Adani an endorsement last year when the US International Development Finance Corp. announced it would provide $553 million in financing to one of his business units for a port terminal in Sri Lanka’s capital, marking the government agency’s largest infrastructure investment in Asia. It’s unclear whether that project will still go forward. For India, which has leaned closer to the US in recent years, the Adani case only underscores the risks of jumping too far into the American camp. Tensions had already been high after US prosecutors accused an Indian government employee of directing a foiled plot to assassinate a Sikh separatist with US citizenship in New York. India’s top diplomat, External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, once described the nation’s foreign policy in terms of “hedging.” That approach has allowed it to maintain friendly ties with the US and its allies while also remaining on good terms with Putin, who is a key supplier of oil and weapons. “India might be more cautious in diversifying its economic and strategic interests but the Modi government recognizes that the US is the most powerful country in the world and India can’t take it head on,” said Sushant Singh, a lecturer of South Asian studies at Yale University.Donald Trump Jr. and Elon Musk joke about MSNBC host’s ‘castration’
LOS ANGELES — Top-ranked South Carolina felt something it hasn't known in over 2 1/2 years. The sting of defeat after being thoroughly dominated in a 77-62 loss to No. 5 UCLA on Sunday. Gone was the overall 43-game winning streak. Done was the run of 33 consecutive road victories. And the No. 1 ranking it's held for 23 consecutive polls will disappear Monday. "This is what we usually do to teams," coach Dawn Staley said. "We were on the receiving end of it." South Carolina hadn't lost since April 2023, when Caitlin Clark and Iowa beat the Gamecocks in the national semifinals of the NCAA Tournament. The Bruins (5-0) shot 47% from the floor and 3-point range, hit 11 of 14 free throws and had five players in double figures. "They actually executed our game plan to a T," Staley said. The Gamecocks (5-1) were held to 36% shooting, had just two players in double figures and neither was leading scorer Chloe Kitts, who was held to 2 points on 1 of 7 shooting. They never led, got beat on the boards, 41-34, and were outscored 26-18 in the paint and 8-1 in fast break points. They only made eight trips to the free throw line. "Our kids fought," Staley said, "but we ran into a buzzsaw." South Carolina did manage to limit 6-foot-7 UCLA star Lauren Betts, who had 11 points and 14 rebounds, despite no longer having a dominant center of their own. The Bruins responded by getting the ball to others and eight of their 10 players scored. "We did an excellent job on Betts and we got killed by everyone else," Staley said. Tessa Johnson was the only other Gamecock in double figures with 14. "We needed a lot more than Tessa today," Staley said. The Gamecocks never got their offense in gear, starting the game 0 for 9 before trailing 20-10 at the end of the first quarter. They were down 43-22 at halftime. "Our shot selection is something we're dealing with on a daily basis," Staley said. The Gamecocks outscored UCLA 40-34 in the second half, but the Bruins' big early lead easily held up. "Beautiful basketball by UCLA," Staley said. "You can't help but to love up on it cause it was fluid on both sides of the ball." Given that it's only late November, the Gamecocks have plenty of time to figure things out. "We had some really good contributions from people that don't play a whole lot and we could probably give a little bit more minutes to," Staley said. "Taking a loss will help us focus on anybody that we play." Get local news delivered to your inbox!‘We’ve found one here’: Caulfield recruit blazes brilliant ton
Thunderbird Entertainment Group Announces 2024 Annual General Meeting and Update on Meeting MaterialsBacklash grows over failure on business rates as Kingfisher reveals £31m Budget hit By EMILY HAWKINS Updated: 22:01, 25 November 2024 e-mail 1 View comments The boss of B&Q owner Kingfisher last night joined the chorus of retailers calling for an ‘urgent’ overhaul of business rates to help offset the pain inflicted on corporate Britain in the Budget. As Rachel Reeves sought to defend her tax and spending plans at the CBI conference, Thierry Garnier said radical reform to the hated rates system was ‘even more vital’ given the extra costs facing the High Street. Retailers took at £7billion hit in the Budget as the Chancellor breached the Labour manifesto to raise National Insurance and approved an inflation-busting increase in the minimum wage. In a further costly setback to the industry, she left the High Street facing a £140million increase in business rates bills and put off any meaningful reform of the system until 2026. The British Retail Consortium estimates that 17,300 shops could close over the next decade unless the rates regime is overhauled. The issue has been highlighted by the Mail’s Save Our High Streets campaign. Kingfisher boss Thierry Garnier (pictured) said radical reform to the hated rates system was 'even more vital' given the extra costs facing the High Street Garnier revealed Kingfisher –which owns Screwfix as well as B&Q and is a member of the FTSE 100 index of Britain’s leading companies – will take a £31million hit next year from the National Insurance hike alone. The company also faces £14million of extra taxes in France, where it owns Castorama. Kingfisher shares tumbled 13.3 per cent, leaving it valued at £5.35billion, as the extra costs and sluggish sales led it to downgrade profit expectations for the year to between £510million and £540million, having previously targeted up to £550million. ‘With all the additional costs facing the retail sector, it’s even more vital and urgent that we see fundamental business rates reform to reduce the unfair burden on all retailers with stores,’ Garnier told the Mail. Business rates are a local levy based on the value of a commercial property, meaning shops pay a premium compared to online giants such as Amazon. Household names from Marks & Spencer to Currys have railed against this, calling it unfit for purpose and at odds with the modern age. RELATED ARTICLES Previous 1 Next The loss of ITV's independence would be a blow to creative... Why British newspapers are still in demand: New owners... Share this article Share HOW THIS IS MONEY CAN HELP How to choose the best (and cheapest) stocks and shares Isa and the right DIY investing account Labour promised to ‘replace the business rates system’ in its manifesto to ‘level the playing field between the High Street and online giants’. But instead of taking radical action in the Budget, Reeves slashed Covid-era rates relief from 75 per cent to 40 per cent and imposed a cap of £110,000. Launching a ‘conversation’ about what a fairer system would look like, she proposed lower bills for smaller buildings, but not until 2026, to be paid for by higher bills on more valuable properties. Garnier said this ‘will simply penalise retailers with larger stores and further hold back investment, growth and job creation right across the country’. His concerns were echoed by Gavin Peck, chief executive of High Street stationery chain The Works, who said: ‘We have repeatedly called for rates to be overhauled given the system is an unbalanced method of raising taxes and is completely out of touch with property values.’ He said he hopes ‘meaningful change is implemented’ but added that until then, he faces increases to National Insurance and the minimum wage as well as a higher business rates bill. In her first Budget as Chancellor last month, Reeves announced £40billion of tax hikes, including a £25billion National Insurance raid on employers. ‘There is no doubting the extent to which business has been milked in the last Budget,’ said the CBI’s chairman, Rupert Soames. 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That helps us fund This Is Money, and keep it free to use. We do not write articles to promote products. We do not allow any commercial relationship to affect our editorial independence. More top storiesCYTO stock plunges to 52-week low, touches $0.4