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ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Michigan's defense of the national championship has fallen woefully short. The Wolverines started the season ranked No. 9 in the AP Top 25, making them the third college football team since 1991 to be ranked worse than seventh in the preseason poll after winning a national title. Michigan (6-5, 4-4 Big Ten) failed to meet those modest expectations, barely becoming eligible to play in a bowl and putting the program in danger of losing six or seven games for the first time since the Brady Hoke era ended a decade ago. The Wolverines potentially can ease some of the pain with a win against rival and second-ranked Ohio State (10-1, 7-1, No. 2 CFP) on Saturday in the Horseshoe, but that would be a stunning upset. Ohio State is a 21 1/2-point favorite, according to the BetMGM Sportsbook, and that marks just the third time this century that there has been a spread of at least 20 1/2 points in what is known as "The Game." Michigan coach Sherrone Moore doesn't sound like someone who is motivating players with an underdog mentality. "I don't think none of that matters in this game," Moore said Monday. "It doesn't matter the records. It doesn't matter anything. The spread, that doesn't matter." How did Michigan end up with a relative mess of a season on the field, coming off its first national title since 1997? Winning it all with a coach and star player contemplating being in the NFL for the 2024 season seemed to have unintended consequences for the current squad. The Wolverines closed the College Football Playoff with a win over Washington on Jan. 8; several days later quarterback J.J. McCarthy announced he was skipping his senior season; and it took more than another week for Jim Harbaugh to bolt to coach the Los Angeles Chargers. In the meantime, most quality quarterbacks wanting to transfer had already enrolled at other schools and Moore was left with lackluster options. Davis Warren beat out Alex Orji to be the team's quarterback for the opener and later lost the job to Orji only to get it back again. No matter who was under center, however, would've likely struggled this year behind an offensive line that sent six players to the NFL. The Wolverines lost one of their top players on defense, safety Rod Moore, to a season-ending injury last spring and another one, preseason All-America cornerback Will Johnson, hasn't played in more than a month because of an injury. The Buckeyes are not planning to show any mercy after losing three straight in the series. "We're going to attack them," Ohio State defensive end Jack Sawyer said. "We know they're going to come in here swinging, too, and they've still got a good team even though the record doesn't indicate it. This game, it never matters what the records are." While a win would not suddenly make the Wolverines' season a success, it could help Moore build some momentum a week after top-rated freshman quarterback Bryce Underwood flipped his commitment from LSU to Michigan. "You come to Michigan to beat Ohio," said defensive back Quinten Johnson, intentionally leaving the word State out when referring to the rival. "That's one of the pillars of the Michigan football program. "It doesn't necessarily change the fact of where we are in the season, but it definitely is one of the defining moments of your career here at Michigan." AP Sports Writer Mitch Stacy in Columbus, Ohio, contributed to this report. Get local news delivered to your inbox!

With “Nosferatu,” director Robert Eggers reinvents the F.W. Murnau 1922 silent classic by emphasizing the folk tale mythology and leaning more into the supernatural. We find Ellen (Lily-Rose Depp ) demonically possessed by vampire Count Orlok (Bill Skarsgård) after inadvertently awakening him from the dead. It’s a twisted reversal of “Sleeping Beauty,” in which she becomes haunted and he becomes increasingly obsessed. Be careful what you wish for. For Linda Muir, the director’s go-to costume designer, it was essential to dig deeply into 1838 fashion for Ellen, who hails from a German village, and late 16th-century fashion for Orlok, the nobleman from Transylvania. This enabled Muir to convey the necessary authenticity, emotion, and social status of the characters, creating a costume story with its own arc. “For me, it was interesting to have all the taboos that are embedded in the period with a character like Ellen, who’s not adhering to what the norms are,” Muir told IndieWire. “Thomas [Nicholas Hoult], her husband, wants comfort and luxury, he’s trying to do what he thinks is best for her. But she comes from all that, and she doesn’t care about it. What she wants is him, she wants love.” Ellen valiantly fights Orlok’s power, but he’s obsessed with an all-consuming appetite for her and schemes to tear her apart from Thomas. “I thought it was fascinating to watch Bill and think that, under all of that prosthetic decay and decomposition, there was such a strong, visceral feeling of the guy, obviously wealthy, entitled, the beautiful young man that he might’ve been centuries before.” Ellen’s wardrobe, which is part of a pre-Victorian transitional period, reflects her confined status in the male-dominated society (she’s put in a self-tightening corset to help cure her), as well as an ethereal quality as a result of Orlok’s thrall. But as she gains confidence, Ellen’s wardrobe becomes less restrictive. “In the 1830s, women had a huge gigot sleeve, really extended puffy tops coming down into a tighter forearm,” Muir said. “Then, around 1836, that style starts to change. Women had taken all that excess fabric and didn’t want to cut it all out, it’s expensive. So they would fold it all in and then stitch it down and make it slightly smaller. So that would start to change the dimension of the sleeve.” Since Ellen’s costume choices are reduced and they repeat costumes, Muir learned that you could make a dress with removable sleeves. “So we actually shot a scene [which was cut] where she has short sleeves as well,” added Muir. “And the long sleeve is hanging over her dressing screen at the back.” Ellen’s most prominent evening dress is indigo with lilacs embroidered and beaded on the front and on the sleeves. This lavender hue subliminally underscores the connection between Ellen and Orlok, who remembers lilacs from when he was alive. “The period had some extraordinary patterns on the same piece of fabric: paisley, dots, ombre,” said Muir. “On the one hand, it’s very schitzy and overpowering, but I chose cotton as the fabric to make it calmer.” Meanwhile, Muir had fun digging into the 16th-century costuming for Orlok in a way that affected everything about him, from his speech to his manners to his castle. She went for an overall look of decadence and opulence, epitomized by the gold bar-like buttons on his large cloak (called a mantle), which was lined in fur and had a massive collar. It only slightly recalled the silhouette of Max Schrek’s Orlok from Murnau’s “Nosferatu.” The outer coat has very long arms, which got Muir researching how the men wore them. “You could put your arms through the coat and wear it, or you could wear it as more of a cape, like Dracula, without putting your arms through it,” Muir said. “And I thought that’s really fascinating because that’s like on the super-rich nobility level, and it’s also on the poorest of the peasants in the mountain by themselves, shepherds. So Orlok has that as his major piece. And he has the Hungarian fur hat and we played with the size of that so that it appears significant.” Muir wanted to convey the image of an ancient nobleman without overwhelming Skarsgård with a heavy outfit while obscuring enough of his decay to not arouse fear when he meets with Thomas in his castle. “And then he has underneath a beautiful dolman, which is like a tunic,” Muir said. “And that is layered and layered and layered. It has patterned silk, and I tried to choose textiles that have a lot of gold threads because I knew [cinematographer] Jarin [Blaschke] would be using firelight and candlelight and this beautiful moonlight. So things that could twinkle and reflect back to us to give the shape of an outline. “And then he has kind of Mick Jagger trousers,” she continued, “which are mustard-colored, kind of shiny gold thread, skin-tight trousers and a beautiful sash at his waist. And then he has the coolest footwear. He has leather. They’re like mules, so a slip-on. But for safety and comfort, they gave Bill another 4 inches or so in what is already a really beautiful, thin, tall outline.” And, for practical purposes, Skarsgård wore a hefty harness next to his body that came through the tunic and clamped inside of the cloak because of the tremendous weight, heat, and prosthetic makeup. “So we tried to make it so that we could release him as quickly as possible,” said Muir. “We cooled him off between takes, in between setups, and not tire him out from walking around with this. It also had to look effortless, like he wouldn’t fall off, like it’s mesmerized onto his shoulders, and magical, too.” Focus Features will release “Nosferatu” in theaters nationwide December 25.

Former world champion Rob Cross is back in action at the PDC World Darts Championship tonight as he faces Scott Williams. Cross won the tournament back in 2018 but crashed out of last year's tournament at the semi-final stage, losing to teenage sensation Luke Littler. He comes into this year's championships as the fifth-highest-ranked player and is expected to reach the latter stages, but his opponent tonight will be eyeing an upset. Williams is no stranger to causing a stir either, having made headlines during his stint at Alexandra Palace a year ago due to some controversial comments. Following his 4-3 win over Germany's Martin Schindler in last year's third round, Williams told Sky Sports: "I've never had the crowd on my side like that. I know we won two World Wars and one World Cup but that was... the German fans in here were huge." The broadcaster was then forced to apologise for the Englishman's 'offensive language', with Williams - nicknamed 'Shaggy' - later issuing an apology of his own. Expressing his regret, he wrote: "I was advised to come off social media, just X, what I said in the last interview on stage was stupid, genuinely stupid. The guys from Germany know I love Germany. "My deepest apologies to anyone who took offence, I have had a lot of messages from people who haven't taken offence, but that has gone now and I am looking forward to Monday," he added. Williams continued to play up to crowds in his first round win over Niko Springer at this year's championships, as he pulled off a 'no look' 180 on his way to a 3-1 victory.

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Published 5:39 pm Thursday, November 21, 2024 By Data Skrive The New Orleans Pelicans (4-12) will be monitoring eight players on the injury report, including Brandon Ingram, ahead of a Friday, November 22 matchup with the Golden State Warriors (11-3) at Smoothie King Center. The Warriors have listed two injured players. The game begins at 7:30 PM ET. Watch the NBA, other live sports and more on Fubo. What is Fubo? Fubo is a streaming service that gives you access to your favorite live sports and shows on demand. Use our link to sign up for a free trial. In their last matchup on Wednesday, the Pelicans suffered a 128-100 loss to the Cavaliers. In the losing effort, Antonio Reeves paced the Pelicans with 34 points. The Warriors head into this contest after a 120-97 win over the Hawks on Wednesday. Andrew Wiggins scored 27 points in the Warriors’ victory, leading the team. Sign up for NBA League Pass to get live and on-demand access to NBA games. Get tickets for any NBA game this season at StubHub. Catch NBA action all season long on Fubo. 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 .President-elect Donald Trump announced on his social media platform, Truth Social, the appointment of David Sacks, a venture capitalist and prominent Silicon Valley figure, as the White House's first AI and crypto czar. Sacks will serve in this newly created position, which reflects Donald Trump's ambition to bolster America's leadership in AI and cryptocurrency advancements. In a post on Truth, Trump said, "David will guide policy for the Administration in Artificial Intelligence and Cryptocurrency, two areas critical to the future of American competitiveness. David will focus on making America the clear global leader in both areas." Trump also added that Sacks would also lead the Presidential Council of Advisors for Science and Technology. Sacks is the former COO of PayPal and is also famed as a part of the " ." He played a key role in Trump's fundraising campaigns, including co-hosting an event at his San Francisco home, with tickets costing $300,000 a head. A close ally of Vice President-elect JD Vance, Sacks also founded "Yammer," a workspace communication platform, which was acquired by Microsoft for $1.2 billion in 2012. His venture capital firm, Craft Ventures, has investments in major companies like Elon Musk's SpaceX, Reddit, and ClickUp. In one of his "All-In" podcasts, Sacks mentioned that his contractual obligations with Craft Ventures may prevent him from taking a full-time government position. Still, he could take up an advisory role in Trump's administration. Trump expressed confidence in Sacks's ability to "safeguard Free Speech online, and also counter "Big Tech bias and censorship." While the precise scope of this new "czar" role remains unclear, the move clearly shows Trump's admin will put a high priority on AI and cryptocurrency to bolster the US economy. Source:

Record producer Mike Stock took aim at Bob Geldof over his explanation as to why Band Aid 2 - the 1989 follow-up to the original 1984 charity single 'Don't They Know It's Christmas?' has been excluded from the latest 2024 version. Mike, who is a co-creator of the second version of Band Aid, shared his frustrations on social media. The 1989 single included vocals from the likes of Bananarama and Kylie Minogue, who weren't on the original version, but despite spending three weeks on the UK Singles Chart at the time, their contributions won't be heard this Christmas. That's also in spite of Pete Waterman postponing his wedding to get the supergroup together and record the song, called Band Aid II, along with Mike and Matt Aitken. Explaining the decision to an X radio host, Geldof stated: "We asked Pete Waterman where the tapes were and he said, 'I don't know.' "But Stock... what's Stock's actual name? Ah yeah, Mike Stock, he got a bit miffed and said 'I could've found them' - and we would have put them in, but these are the actual three Band Aid officials..." he continued as he discussed the remake. Mike, who has been responsible for more than 100 top-40 chart hits in the UK during his career, addressed Bob's explanation in a rant on X (Twitter) on Monday. He wrote: "The thing is Sir Bob, while you were outside being feted, lauded and fawned over by the press and TV media, I was the one inside putting the whole thing together. Here's Sir Bob Geldof explaining why the 1989 version of Band Aid 2 was left out @mikestockmusic ?????? pic.twitter.com/VuC8k6CJwu "It was a Sunday. Coincidentally, it was my birthday. You can imagine my surprise to learn that all the effort involved in bringing Band Aid 2 to the attention of the world is now being dismissed and reduced to the level of ‘unofficial’," he exclaimed. "A mere footnote in the history of Band Aid. This is at variance with the general view of the record buyers who supported the cause at the time and loved the record. A feeling which persists to this day. "As well as an unnecessary diminution in the integrity of the charitable trust. I mean, why on earth did all those artists turn up?" He added: "It also reflects badly on the commercial potential of the 2024 version to leave out the artists who were involved in Band Aid 2. Many of whom are still relevant today. "All in all a bit of a mistake if the aim is to maximise appeal in order to raise the most money for the cause. Instead of which decisions appear to have been made on a different basis. People have speculated about this." It comes after Geldof made headlines after Ed Sheeran revealed that he hadn't been asked permission for his vocals to be used on the 2024 version of the single - and would have refused to give consent had he been consulted.S&P 500, Dow Hit New Records Despite Tariff Talk

WE all love a good bargain bargain buy, so it's no surprise fashion fans obsess over some of the slashed prices in retailers like TK Maxx. The shop is known for selling brand-name and designer clothing at discounted prices. But a fashion stylist recently noticed a problem with some of the clothes on the rails and urged shoppers to think twice before picking clothes up there. Kenzie Welch took to Instagram and explained that despite her love of the budget-friendly retailer she can't un-see one major probloem. "Ever since I noticed this one thing I can never look at their clothing the same," she explained. The issue? Some of the cloths in the shop aren't quite up to scratch and have some subtle design flaws. To prove her point, Kenzie picked up a trendy silver midi skirt which looked perfectly fine at first glance. But when she turned it around the show the back of the garment she pointed out that the back pockets were unevenly spaced out, which could make it fit weird on your bum, she said. And it wasn't just the one skirt that had this subtle design problem all of the silver skirts on the rail did too. The problem continued with a cable knit jumper, which also looked totally fine at first. But, unlike the rest of the same jumpers on the rail, one of them was missing a design feature on the top of the sleeve, which might seem like a small problem but could completely change the way the garment fits and looks. Elsewhere in the shop, a plaid shacket also fell victim to the same issue. Kenzie explained: "Here on this shacket you can see the pockets are misaligned, so this one is slightly higher on the left "It's not the most obvious thing you would notice but I can't walk into a TK Maxx anymore and not notice these small details." And if you thought the problem wouldn't continue into the show section - you'd be wrong. Kenzie also found a pair of UGG boot dupes which had been stitched up wrong, leaving some of the inside panelling of the shoe visible. Unlike the skirt, it seemed like the problem was only on one pair of the shoes though. "Make sure you are inspecting your clothing at TK Maxx," she added. After sharing her video on social media people were left divided over the issue. One commented on the clip: "That's literally why they're at TK Maxx." A second agreed: "That's why a lot of these items end up at TK Maxx, many of them are seconds, meaning they had slaws when created so ended up in discount shops." But others thanked Kenzie for pointing the issue out. "This is great intel , thank you," one said. "That's fascinating! Such great tips to look out for, I had no idea," another fashion fan wrote. And someone else added: "I've noticed this and have to remind myself to slow down and be more mindful when shopping! "Stop and inspect the quality of things!"Householders who are affected by Storm Darragh will be able to receive support under the Humanitarian Assistance Scheme. Seven counties have been hit with a red weather warning as the entire country is under an orange warning for wind, and a yellow warning for rain, with the storm set to batter the country. With potential damage to homes being an expected impact of the storm, the Department of Social Protection have said that those whose homes are affected by the storm may be able to avail of the Humanitarian Assistance Scheme. ⚠️The Humanitarian Assistance Scheme is available to support those householders affected by Storm Darragh. If any homeowner affected by severe weather needs to access these supports, our emergency Community Welfare Service contact details are here @ https://t.co/lUBVhbJORD pic.twitter.com/9GHcklEn1G ‘The Humanitarian Assistance Scheme will be available to provide support to those living in properties directly affected by Storm Darragh,’ the Department of Social Protection said on their website. ‘The Humanitarian Assistance Scheme prevents hardship by providing income-tested financial support to people whose homes are damaged from severe weather events and who are unable to meet costs for essential needs, household items and structural repair.’ The Department have also said that the Intreo and Branch Offices are closed over the weekend, but there is a Community Welfare Service emergency number. ‘In the event of an extreme emergency (damaged property from extreme weather) occurring due to Storm Darragh on the days our Intreo/ Branch Offices are closed over the weekend, [but] the Community Welfare Services can be contacted,’ the Department added. ‘Phone 087 2895001 from 10am to 4.30pm Saturday and Sunday (this phoneline is for emergencies only). Outside of these hours please email DNCWS@welfare.ie. ‘Our offices and our designated Community Welfare Service phoneline (0818 60 70 80) will be open again on Monday 9 December at 9.15am.’ Galway, Clare, Mayo, Donegal, Leitrim, Sligo and Wicklow are hit with red weather warnings from Storm Darragh, while the rest of the country will be under an orange weather warning. The red warnings will hit Galway, Mayo and Clare at first, beginning at 9pm and lasting until 2am on Saturday morning (Galway and Clare) and 3am (Mayo). Donegal, Leitrim and Sligo’s red warning will begin at 10pm on Friday, and will last at 3am on Saturday morning. Finally, at 1am on Saturday morning, the red warning will reach Wicklow and will stay in effect until 6am. Potential impacts of the red warnings include fallen trees, damage to power lines, dangerous travel conditions and structural damage. The rest of the weather warnings, including an orange wind warning and yellow rain warning for the entire country, will finally dissipate at around 3pm on Saturday.

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Solar Backsheet Market: Projected to Hit $3.67B by 2031, 5.52% CAGR 11-24-2024 09:02 PM CET | Industry, Real Estate & Construction Press release from: SkyQuest Technology Group Solar Backsheet Market Scope: Key Insights : Solar Backsheet Market size was valued at USD 1.54 billion in 2022 and is poised to grow from USD 1.86 billion in 2023 to USD 3.67 billion by 2031, growing at a CAGR of 5.52% in the forecast period (2024-2032). Discover Your Competitive Edge with a Free Sample Report : https://www.skyquestt.com/sample-request/solar-backsheet market Access the full 2024 Market report for a comprehensive understanding @ https://www.skyquestt.com/report/solar-backsheet market In-Depth Exploration of the global Solar Backsheet Market: This report offers a thorough exploration of the global Solar Backsheet market, presenting a wealth of data that has been meticulously researched and analyzed. It identifies and examines the crucial market drivers, including pricing strategies, competitive landscapes, market dynamics, and regional growth trends. By outlining how these factors impact overall market performance, the report provides invaluable insights for stakeholders looking to navigate this complex terrain. Additionally, it features comprehensive profiles of leading market players, detailing essential metrics such as production capabilities, revenue streams, market value, volume, market share, and anticipated growth rates. This report serves as a vital resource for businesses seeking to make informed decisions in a rapidly evolving market. Trends and Insights Leading to Growth Opportunities The best insights for investment decisions stem from understanding major market trends, which simplify the decision-making process for potential investors. The research strives to discover multiple growth opportunities that readers can evaluate and potentially capitalize on, armed with all relevant data. Through a comprehensive assessment of important growth factors, including pricing, production, profit margins, and the value chain, market growth can be more accurately forecast for the upcoming years. Top Firms Evaluated in the Global Solar Backsheet Market Research Report: 3M Arkema Cybrid Technologies DuPont de Nemours, Inc. (DuPont) FLEXcon Company, Inc. (FLEXcon) Honeywell International Inc. (Honeywell) Jiangsu Zhongtian Technology Co Ltd. (Jolywood) Nippon Light Metal Holdings Company, Ltd. (Nippon Light Metal) Krempel GmbH Toyal Key Aspects of the Report: Market Summary: The report includes an overview of products/services, emphasizing the global Solar Backsheet market's overall size. It provides a summary of the segmentation analysis, focusing on product/service types, applications, and regional categories, along with revenue and sales forecasts. Competitive Analysis: This segment presents information on market trends and conditions, analyzing various manufacturers. It includes data regarding average prices, as well as revenue and sales distributions for individual players in the market. Business Profiles: This chapter provides a thorough examination of the financial and strategic data for leading players in the global Solar Backsheet market, covering product/service descriptions, portfolios, geographic reach, and revenue divisions. Sales Analysis by Region: This section provides data on market performance, detailing revenue, sales, and market share across regions. It also includes projections for sales growth rates and pricing strategies for each regional market, such as: North America: United States, Canada, and Mexico Europe: Germany, France, UK, Russia, and Italy Asia-Pacific: China, Japan, Korea, India, and Southeast Asia South America: Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, etc. Middle East and Africa: Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, Nigeria, and South Africa This in-depth research study has the capability to tackle a range of significant questions that are pivotal for understanding the market dynamics, and it specifically aims to answer the following key inquiries: How big could the global Solar Backsheet market become by the end of the forecast period? Let's explore the exciting possibilities! Will the current market leader in the global Solar Backsheet segment continue to hold its ground, or is change on the horizon? Which regions are poised to experience the most explosive growth in the Solar Backsheet market? Discover where the future opportunities lie! Is there a particular player that stands out as the dominant force in the global Solar Backsheet market? Let's find out who's leading the charge! What are the key factors driving growth and the challenges holding back the global Solar Backsheet market? Join us as we uncover the forces at play! To establish the important thing traits, Ask Our Experts @ https://www.skyquestt.com/speak-with-analyst/solar-backsheet-market Table of Contents Chapter 1 Industry Overview 1.1 Definition 1.2 Assumptions 1.3 Research Scope 1.4 Market Analysis by Regions 1.5 Market Size Analysis from 2023 to 2030 11.6 COVID-19 Outbreak: Medical Computer Cart Industry Impact Chapter 2 Competition by Types, Applications, and Top Regions and Countries 2.1 Market (Volume and Value) by Type 2.3 Market (Volume and Value) by Regions Chapter 3 Production Market Analysis 3.1 Worldwide Production Market Analysis 3.2 Regional Production Market Analysis Chapter 4 Medical Computer Cart Sales, Consumption, Export, Import by Regions (2023-2023) Chapter 5 North America Market Analysis Chapter 6 East Asia Market Analysis Chapter 7 Europe Market Analysis Chapter 8 South Asia Market Analysis Chapter 9 Southeast Asia Market Analysis Chapter 10 Middle East Market Analysis Chapter 11 Africa Market Analysis Chapter 12 Oceania Market Analysis Chapter 13 Latin America Market Analysis Chapter 14 Company Profiles and Key Figures in Medical Computer Cart Business Chapter 15 Market Forecast (2023-2030) Chapter 16 Conclusions Address: 1 Apache Way, Westford, Massachusetts 01886 Phone: USA (+1) 351-333-4748 Email: sales@skyquestt.com About Us: SkyQuest Technology is leading growth consulting firm providing market intelligence, commercialization and technology services. It has 450+ happy clients globally. This release was published on openPR.Market participants on Wall Street in the holiday-shortened week ahead will have a lot of significant economic data to watch for. Among the economic reports, the week will see third quarter gross domestic product (GDP) numbers, the personal income and Personal Consumption Expenditures price index data, the Fed’s preferred inflation gauge, for October. Investors will also closely watch the Federal Reserve’s minutes of November monetary policy committee meeting to be unveiled later in the week. Economic calendar On November 26 (Tuesday), minutes of Federal Reserve’s FOMC (Federal Open Market Committee) meeting held in November will be released. Separate reports on S&P Case-Shiller home price index (20 cities) for September, consumer confidence for November, and new home sales for October will also be released on the same day. On November 27 (Wednesday), separate reports on durable-goods orders for October, gross domestic product(first revision) third quarter (Q3), Chicago Business Barometer (PMI) for November, and personal income (nominal) for October, personal spending (nominal) for October, Personal Consumption Expenditure (PCE) index for October, and pending home sales for October will be released. Earnings Following companies are due to report third quarter earnings in the week ahead — Agilent Technologies, Zoom Video Communications, Woodward, Bath & Body Works, Semtech, Analog Devices, Dell Technologies, CrowdStrike Holdings, Guess?, Manchester United, Workday, Autodesk, Patterson Companies, Zuora, Frontline, and MINISO Group Holding. Markets last week US stock indices closed higher on Friday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 426.16 points, or 0.97 per cent, to 44,296.51, the S&P 500 gained 20.63 points, or 0.35 per cent, to 5,969.34 and the Nasdaq Composite gained 31.23 points, or 0.16 per cent, to 19,003.65. For the week, the S&P 500 gained 1.68 per cent, the Nasdaq rose 1.73 per cent, and the Dow climbed 1.96 per cent. In the bond market, the yield on the 10-year Treasury fell to 4.41 per cent from 4.42 per cent. In the crypto market, bitcoin hovered around $99,000.https://arab.news/j2n4a RIYADH: Saudi esports team Twisted Minds claimed victory against Dragons during the first ESL Saudi Challenge Grand Final, scooping the lion’s share of the tournament’s $20,000 prize pool. They become the first team to hold the title of ESL Saudi Champions in the region’s first ESL competition dedicated exclusively to the Saudi Arabian gaming community. In the semifinals, Dragons triumphed in a hard-fought best-of-five series to win 3-2, while Twisted Minds delivered a commanding performance with an unbeaten 4-0 sweep in a best-of-seven match. The finals featured Overwatch 2, an online, multiplayer, first-person shooter video game. Twisted Minds member Ibrahim Al-Ali told Arab News his team’s key to a successful gameplan was practice. “We do the basic stuff. We just practice before every tournament and keep practicing along the year ... A typical day of practice for a professional player usually is basic practice in game (which is) two hours of practice with each team, (up to) four to six hours a day.” Al-Ali has been playing Overwatch for nine years. His favorite character is “Widowmaker,” one of the game’s most popular heroes who is known for her powerful sniper rifle. Founded in 2021, Twisted Minds is known for impressive gameplay and consistent performance. The team competes in Rocket League, EA Sports FC and PUBG and recently won the PUBG Global Series 6, after claiming victory in both Series 4 and 5. Saudi Arabia boasts one of the region’s fastest-growing gaming sectors which is playing a pivotal role in the Kingdom’s transformation. FACEIT is the digital platform offering of ESL FACEIT Group, a gaming and esports company procured for $1.5 billion in 2022 by Saudi Arabia’s Savvy Games Group, which is 100 percent owned by the country’s public investment fund.

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SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — De'Vondre Campbell's decision to quit on his team in the middle of a game overshadowed the bigger issues for the San Francisco 49ers. An offense that was one of the most dynamic in the NFL during a run to the Super Bowl last season has been just ordinary for most of 2024 and was downright bad in a 12-6 loss to the Los Angeles Rams on Thursday night that just about ended San Francisco's playoff hopes. San Francisco (6-8) was held to its fewest yards (191) in a regular-season game in eight seasons under coach Kyle Shanahan and its fewest points since Shanahan's debut in 2017 on a rainy night that will be remembered mostly for Campbell walking off the field in the middle of the game with a towel draped over his head. The game also featured San Francisco going three-and-out on four drives as Brock Purdy struggled to connect with his receivers. Deebo Samuel dropped a potential touchdown pass after complaining earlier in the week about a lack of touches. Purdy then missed Ricky Pearsall on an underthrown deep shot in the fourth quarter before throwing an interception into the end zone that ended the Niners' comeback attempt. “I just feel like I had a lot of plays left out there that I could have made for our team,” Purdy said. “I thought the defense and special teams played so good. That’s what’s hurting me is I just feel like I failed the team. I could have been better for our offense and we could have put up more points.” Scoring has been an issue this season for the 49ers, who have been missing key playmakers like Christian McCaffrey and Brandon Aiyuk for much of the season. San Francisco is scoring 8.5 fewer points per game on offense than the Niners did through 14 games last season. What’s working Red-zone defense. After allowing touchdowns on 13 consecutive red-zone drives over the previous four games, the 49ers kept the Rams out of the end zone on all three drives that went inside the 20. What needs help Receivers. The 49ers failed to get much production from their wide receivers with Purdy going 6 for 20 for 63 yards with an INT and a 19.4 rating when targeting wideouts. Samuel had 16 yards on seven targets with the key drop. Jauan Jennings had two drops and was the target on the interception. Pearsall had one catch for 16 yards on four targets. Stock up LB Dre Greenlaw returned for the first time since tearing his left Achilles tendon in last season's Super Bowl. Greenlaw had eight tackles in the first half as he brought needed intensity and physical play that had been missing for much of the season. Stock down Campbell. The 49ers are deciding whether to waive or suspend Campbell, who lost his starting job when Greenlaw returned and then refused to play when he was needed. “His actions from the game just is not something you can do to your team or your teammates and still expect to be a part of our team,” Shanahan said. “We’re working through exactly the semantics of it right now, but we’ll handle the situation appropriately.” Injuries Greenlaw came out of the game feeling OK after leaving with soreness in his knee and Achilles tendon. He is day to day. ... S Ji’Ayir Brown (groin) and LB Dee Winters (neck) are also day to day. ... LT Trent Williams (ankle) is still trying to get back to play after missing the last four games. Shanahan said Williams' recovery has been "a lot slower than anticipated.” Key number 0 — The Niners didn't reach the red zone once all game, with their deepest penetration into Rams territory being when they reached the 27 on a third-quarter field goal drive. This marked the first time since Week 11 in 2010 that the 49ers didn't run a single play inside the opponent's 25. What’s next The 49ers visit Miami on Dec. 22. ___ AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL Josh Dubow, The Associated PressCroatia’s incumbent president wins most votes at polls but still faces runoff

Patrik Laine is happy, healthy and showing he still has a howitzer of a shot. His return from a lengthy hockey absence has come just in the nick of time, with the dynamic Finnish sniper set to face the Winnipeg Jets on Saturday night. Read this article for free: Already have an account? To continue reading, please subscribe: * Patrik Laine is happy, healthy and showing he still has a howitzer of a shot. His return from a lengthy hockey absence has come just in the nick of time, with the dynamic Finnish sniper set to face the Winnipeg Jets on Saturday night. Read unlimited articles for free today: Already have an account? Patrik Laine is happy, healthy and showing he still has a howitzer of a shot. His return from a lengthy hockey absence has come just in the nick of time, with the dynamic Finnish sniper set to face the Winnipeg Jets on Saturday night. “It’s good to see Patty back to himself,” former teammate Mason Appleton said Friday. “The last couple years for him have been a little tougher. In this league, you’re kind of all rooting for each other to have success when you’re not playing one another. Patty’s a guy most of us know in this room, so to see him happy and back to his normal ways is a good sign.” Laine, 26, was limited to just 18 games last year with the Columbus Blue Jackets as he first dealt with an injury, then entered the NHL/NHLPA player assistance program for a lengthy spell to deal with his mental health. He was traded last summer to the Montreal Canadiens, but his debut was delayed after he suffered a knee sprain in the preseason. CHRISTINNE MUSCHI / THE CANADIAN PRESS Patrik Laine is back to his old tricks with the Montreal Canadiens, scoring three goals and adding an assist in his first five games with the Habs. Laine returned to action last week and has three goals and an assist in his first five games with the Habs. This will mark his third game as a visitor at Canada Life Centre, but the first in more than two years. “As human beings, we want to see guys be the best they can be. He had a great time here and I cherish all of those memories,” said Jets winger Kyle Connor. “You never want to see anybody go through the stuff he’s gone through. I don’t want to speak for him, but it’s just great to see him look like he’s loving the game again and enjoying his teammates in Montreal and playing well as well. He’s a great guy, he was a great teammate. I always love the guy. Good to see him back on the ice and having some success. I think we’re all cheering for him.” Laine — the second-overall pick of Winnipeg in 2016 who was traded along with Jack Roslovic in exchange for Pierre-Luc Dubois in January 2021 — was held off the scoresheet the first time he returned to face the Jets in March 2022. But he had two goals in a 4-1 Blue Jackets victory during his most recent visit on Dec. 12, 2022. “A dynamic player, he’s right up there with Ovie sitting on that side with that shot,” said Jets coach Scott Arniel. CHRISTINNE MUSCHI / THE CANADIAN PRESS Patrik Laine (centre) celebrates his first goal of the season with teammates Nick Suzuki (14), Lane Hutson (48), Cole Caufield (13) and Juraj Slafkovsky (20) during the second period against the New York Islanders earlier this month. Laine was named first star following the game in Montreal. “We’re always trying to sell this league. You hate to see any time when your star players aren’t able to play. Glad to see him back. Hopefully, he’s not feeling so good (Saturday).” Laine and his current teammates are likely feeling a bit sour after they were trounced 9-2 on home ice Thursday night by the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Jets aren’t feeling so hot either after blowing a late lead and falling 3-2 in overtime to the Vegas Golden Knights in a game they admittedly were far from their best. “Obviously had a little slice of humble pie,” is how Appleton described it. Connor was even more blunt: “That was unacceptable and probably one of the worst games we’ve had in a very long time. It was very disappointing.” Not surprisingly, the Jets spent much of Friday’s practice getting back to some of the basics which they believe have slipped during a busy stretch of hockey that has seen them follow up a record-setting 15-1-0 start with a 6-8-1 stretch over the last 15 games. “You get into some bad habits and play so many games in a short period of time, the bad habits show up,” is how Arniel explained it. “And also the other side of that, the fatigue, you make some mental mistakes that maybe you didn’t earlier in the year.” “That was unacceptable and probably one of the worst games we’ve had in a very long time. It was very disappointing.” The Jets don’t have to look very far to find a game they really liked, as they were clicking on all cylinders in Tuesday’s 8-1 victory over the Boston Bruins, only to follow that up 48 hours later with a bit of a clunker. “You never want to take any team lightly in this league. I know (Montreal) just got beat pretty good coming off their last game. So did we, so we’re going to be a pretty motivated group,” said Connor. “I think just focusing on us and what we can control. We have stuff we’re trying to work on, and like you said, hopefully this benefits us for the long-term and it’s something we can maybe build on and show some growth in our game.” Expect the Jets to make one lineup change, with defenceman Colin Miller replacing Ville Heinola. Forwards Nikolaj Ehlers and David Gustafsson and blue-liner Dylan Samberg remain out with injuries, although Ehlers took a big step Friday as he joined the main group for practice in a non-contact sweater. Ehlers suffered a lower-body injury on Nov. 29 in Vegas and resumed skating by himself earlier this week. Winnipeg Jets Game Days On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop. “Any time Fly is coming back off an injury you definitely are going to get a huge spark to your lineup really quick here,” said Appleton. “He’s been great for us to start, he’s such a dynamic player and he really drives whatever line he’s on. Obviously, whenever he’s back we’ll be thrilled for that.” You know Ehlers would love to face the Habs, considering he’s best friends with Laine, but that is unlikely. Arniel is hopeful a return is just around the corner. After closing out this four-game homestand against Montreal, the Jets will hit the road for back-to-back games next Tuesday and Wednesday against the San Jose Sharks and Anaheim Ducks. They’ll also have some special company as this will be mom’s trip. “We went 0-3 last mom’s trip so there’s a little bit of pressure,” Connor said of the 2020 trek through Carolina, Columbus and Chicago. “I think the moms are well aware. It’s going to be fun. It kind of breaks up the whole routine of everything and obviously, it’s a shared experience of what we do every day with some of the people that we love.” mike.mcintyre@freepress.mb.ca X and Bluesky: @mikemcintyrewpg Mike McIntyre is a sports reporter whose primary role is covering the Winnipeg Jets. After graduating from the Creative Communications program at Red River College in 1995, he spent two years gaining experience at the before joining the in 1997, where he served on the crime and justice beat until 2016. . Every piece of reporting Mike produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the ‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about , and . Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider . Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. 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Editor’s note: If you or someone you know is in crisis, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988 or contact the Crisis Text Line by texting TALK to 741741. COLLEGEVILLE, Minn. — When Lilly Goyah struggled with mental health, she found comfort in Christian music. Now, as a 22-year-old senior at the College of St. Benedict, Goyah is pursuing an individualized major that blends music and business. She’s part of the university’s Entrepreneur Scholars program, a selective course designed to help students launch business ventures. For Goyah, the program became a launchpad for her idea: ANP Streaming, a Christian-based music platform tailored to users’ emotional needs. Her vision stems from her personal experiences. Born to Liberian immigrants, Goyah’s childhood was marked by frequent moves between shelters, government and transitional housing on the East Coast and, later, in Minnesota. She had a brief hope of housing stability when she was in eighth grade, when she and her brother moved to live with her father in Champlin, a northwest suburb in the Twin Cities. That hope shattered when the family returned one day to find the locks changed and their belongings gone. “We had been through a lot of instability, obviously and homelessness before that. But I had a lot of hope once we were able to move into that house,” Goyah said. “When we were put back in that shelter, I had this feeling of we were never going to get past that part of life.” The upheaval, combined with school struggles and a falling out with her father, plunged Goyah into depression and suicidal thoughts. By the end of her freshman year at Anoka High School, Goyah had made the decision to end her life. “For me, that was one of the worst moments ever. Because while I was also struggling with mental health, I didn’t relate to or feel a genuine feeling when it came to religion, Christianity, or God ... I had this disconnection from religion as a whole,” she said. Before she could act, her mother sent Goyah on a life-changing youth retreat in Olney, Maryland. On the first night, Goyah watched a skit depicting a child grappling with depression and suicidal thoughts. “That kind of changed my mind and my thoughts toward Christianity,” she said. Her views on Christian music, the only genre she was allowed to listen to growing up, also changed on the trip. At one point, she viewed the genre as “corny” and “not a real representation of life.” Those views quickly shifted during the retreat after she heard the song “My World Needs You” by Kirk Franklin for the first time. He quickly became her favorite artist, and still is to this day. The retreat sparked a new hope for Goya, who graduated from Anoka High School in 2020. “Music was really pivotal in helping me get through those moments and have a healthy coping mechanism,” said Goyah, who was also part of her high school choir. After graduation, Goyah followed her friends to Augsburg University in Minneapolis. However, she quickly found herself isolated and again struggling with her mental health. She realized a need for change and, on the advice of her high school counselor, transferred to the College of St. Benedict in the fall of 2021. When she hit campus, Goyah took up her individualized major and discovered the Entrepreneur Scholars program. That program is a cohort of about a dozen students, according to academic director Paul Marsnik. He noted the program’s selectivity, which usually sees about 30 to 35 applicants a year. “We’re looking for students with what we call an entrepreneurial mindset, young people who see opportunities and get things done,” Marsnik said. The program launched 20 years ago. One day, Goyah appeared in his office, eager to learn more about the program, which includes trips to Silicon Valley and Vietnam. Those trips allow cohort students to talk and network with companies. “I could see her face light up; she was like, ‘Oh, this is exactly what I’m looking for,” Marsnik said. Despite a full cohort, there was a last-minute opening that allowed Goyah to join. Marsnik said the program has featured many talented students, but he thinks Goyah is one of the best. “She’s an inspiration to a lot of people and could be to a lot more, I think,” Marsnik said. Goyah's original idea was a record label, but she pivoted toward ANP Streaming, a platform that she said would fill a unique need in Christian music. ANP — which stands for "A New Psalm — Streaming will offer Christian music tailored to emotional needs, filling a gap in the market, Goyah said. “I’m really excited to put this in the space for people,” said Goyah. “If you’re not talking niche, then obviously it would be like Spotify or YouTube Music or Apple Music." She envisions ANP as a way for users to connect with faith and find solace through music, just as she did. “The No. 1 mission with the application, of course, with it being Christian-based, is kind of helping people to discover individual relationships with God, which can be fostered through music,” Goyah said. During her time in Vietnam, she secured a partnership with Saigon Technology to develop the app for an estimated $50,000. Goyah has opened a crowdfunding campaign to support development costs. She is securing licensing and catalog agreements to make the platform a reality. ANP Streaming will launch a “freemium” model, Goyah said. That will include a free version with advertisements and a premium version with no ads and additional features. The application will be available in the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store. Development for the application is underway and will launch in middle to late 2025. As music remains vital to Goyah, she has also recently started to write original songs, including "Freedom," which she performed last year on the Johnnie Bennie Media YouTube channel. While unsure if she’ll remain in the area or head somewhere like Nashville, Goyah is eager to see where her vision can have the most significant impact as the app is developed. “I’ve just been so overwhelmed with how amazing this community is and how resourceful it is,” Goyah said. “So part of me really wants to stay, but I think wherever this journey takes me and where I can have the most impact is really, ultimately, where I’m looking to go.” Lilly Goyah has launched a campaign on Indiegogo to help fund her Christian music mobile app, ANP Streaming. To donate to the campaign, visit tinyurl.com/ANPStreaming-donate. For more about ANP Streaming, visit anpstreaminginfo.com.Trump taps Rollins as agriculture chief, completing proposed slate of Cabinet secretaries

NEW YORK (AP) — Romad Dean had 16 points in Fordham's 87-72 victory against Maine on Sunday. Dean also had five rebounds and four steals for the Rams (6-5). Jackie Johnson III had 16 points and six assists. Abdou Tsimbila finished with 10 points and eight rebounds. The Black Bears (6-5) were led by AJ Lopez with 24 points. Keelan Steele added 10 points and two steals. Christopher Mantis scored eight. Fordham took the lead with 18:36 left in the first half and never looked back. Dean led their team in scoring with nine points in the first half to help put them up 37-23 at the break. The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar .WASHINGTON — President-elect Donald Trump said Saturday that he will nominate former White House aide Brooke Rollins to be his agriculture secretary, the last of his picks to lead executive agencies and another choice from within his established circle of advisers and allies. The nomination must be confirmed by the Senate, which will be controlled by Republicans when Trump takes office Jan. 20. Rollins would succeed Tom Vilsack , President Joe Biden’s agriculture secretary who oversees the sprawling agency that controls policies, regulations and aid programs related to farming, forestry, ranching, food quality and nutrition. 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. Rollins previously served as an aide to former Texas Gov. Rick Perry and ran a think tank, the Texas Public Policy Foundation. The pick completes Trump’s selection of the heads of executive branch departments, just two and a half weeks after the former president won the White House once again. Several other picks that are traditionally Cabinet-level remain, including U.S. Trade Representative and head of the small business administration. Rollins, speaking on the Christian talk show “Family Talk" earlier this year, said Trump was an “amazing boss” and confessed that she thought in 2015, during his first presidential campaign, that he would not last as a candidate in a crowded Republican primary field. “I was the person that said, ‘Oh, Donald Trump is not going to go more than two or three weeks in the Republican primary. This is to up his TV show ratings. And then we’ll get back to normal,’” she said. “Fast forward a couple of years, and I am running his domestic policy agenda.” Trump didn’t offer many specifics about his agriculture policies during the campaign, but farmers could be affected if he carries out his pledge to impose widespread tariffs. During the first Trump administration, countries like China responded to Trump’s tariffs by imposing retaliatory tariffs on U.S. exports like the corn and soybeans routinely sold overseas. Trump countered by offering massive multibillion-dollar aid to farmers to help them weather the trade war. President Abraham Lincoln founded the USDA in 1862, when about half of all Americans lived on farms. The USDA oversees multiple support programs for farmers; animal and plant health; and the safety of meat, poultry and eggs that anchor the nation’s food supply. Its federal nutrition programs provide food to low-income people, pregnant women and young children. And the agency sets standards for school meals. Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Trump’s nominee to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, has vowed to strip ultraprocessed foods from school lunches and to stop allowing Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program beneficiaries from using food stamps to buy soda, candy or other so-called junk foods. But it would be the USDA, not HHS, that would be responsible for enacting those changes. In addition, HHS and USDA will work together to finalize the 2025-2030 edition of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. They are due late next year, with guidance for healthy diets and standards for federal nutrition programs. Gomez Licon reported from Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Associated Press writers Josh Funk and JoNel Aleccia contributed to this report.

Jimmy Carter: Many evolutions for a centenarian ‘citizen of the world’Former New Zealand prime minister John Key has three white rabbits painted on his helicopter, a nod to his "massively superstitious" habit of repeating "white rabbits" three times at the start of every month. Tennis champion Rafael Nadal performs the same sequence of actions (shirt-tug, hair-tuck, face-wipe) before every serve. Taylor Swift paints '13' on her hand for good luck before a show, while Rihanna won't allow anything yellow in her dressing room. Perhaps you, too, are superstitious. Maybe you have a lucky number, avoid black cats, or shudder at the thought of opening an umbrella indoors. Even if you don't consider yourself superstitious, little things like saying "bless you" after a sneeze, knocking on wood or crossing your fingers are all examples of behaviours with superstitious origins. We humans are particularly susceptible to superstitions. But why are we so quick to develop superstitious behaviours, and do we really believe they can bring good or bad luck? In our new research , we set out to answer this question. We tested whether people could tell the difference between outcomes they caused and outcomes they didn't cause, and this told us something about the cognitive roots of human superstition. Learning about cause and effect From as early as four months, infants learn their actions produce outcomes - kicking their legs shakes the crib, shaking a rattle makes an interesting noise, dropping a toy on the floor means mum or dad picks it up. As we grow older, we develop a more sophisticated understanding of cause-and-effect relationships, asking "why?" questions about the world around us. This sensitivity to causes and effects sets the stage for important developmental milestones, like imaginative play, planning actions to achieve a goal, predicting others' intentions, anticipating and regulating emotions, and cooperating with others. The ability to learn about relationships between causes and effects is a defining feature of human cognition. But how does this square with our superstitious tendencies? When cause and effect is an illusion We learn about causes and effects from experience. When our behaviour is followed by an outcome, we learn about the relationship between our action and that outcome. The more often this action-outcome pairing occurs, the stronger the perceived link between them. This is why we repeat behaviours that produce rewarding outcomes, and avoid repeating behaviours that produce punishing ones. But what happens if an outcome follows our actions by coincidence? If I wear my lucky socks and my favourite sports team wins, this is probably just a coincidence (it's unlikely my sock-wearing actually caused the win). But if this happens a few times, I may develop a superstition about my lucky socks. This suggests superstitious behaviour arises because we aren't particularly good at discerning when our actions cause an outcome, versus when our actions just coincide with (but do not cause) an outcome. This is a common explanation for superstition - but does it have any weight? Testing our ability to detect causality We can test what underpins superstitious behaviour by simply asking people "who caused that outcome?". Getting it right would suggest we can discern action-outcome relationships (and therefore that there must be some other explanation for superstitious behaviour). Our research did exactly that. We asked whether people could tell when their actions did or didn't cause an outcome. We recruited 371 undergraduate students from a large New Zealand university, who participated in one experimental session for a course credit. Participants played a game where a positive outcome (winning) or a negative outcome (losing) occurred either after their own action (clicking a button), or independently of their action. Importantly, participants weren't given any information beforehand about the type of outcome or whether it would depend on their behaviour. This meant they had to rely on what they actually experienced during the game, and we could test their ability to judge whether they had caused the outcome. This also meant participants' preexisting superstitions and other characteristics (such as age) didn't affect our results. Their behaviour during the task was representative of human behaviour more generally. Participants' scores indicated they often got it right: in about 80% of trials, they knew when they'd caused the outcome, and when they hadn't. A built-in bias The distinction between causing and not causing the outcomes was sometimes very subtle. This made it more difficult for participants to tell what had occurred. When they weren't sure, participants defaulted to saying "I caused it", even if they actually hadn't. They were biased to attribute outcomes to their own actions, particularly after winning outcomes. This bias may be the key to explaining why we're superstitious: something I did caused something to happen, even if I can't be sure what it was. And it suggests knowing superstitions aren't real may not actually stop us from behaving superstitiously. On the surface, this may not make sense - why expend energy doing things we know don't affect outcomes? But if we look deeper, this bias serves an important purpose, because it helps ensure we don't miss any potential connections between our actions and their outcomes. In other words, it's better to be safe than sorry. Research shows that engaging in superstitious behaviour can also increase confidence in our abilities to achieve a goal, improve performance in different tasks, and alleviate anxiety by giving us a sense of control. The tendency to attribute positive outcomes to our actions (as we found) can boost self-esteem and psychological wellbeing. So, perhaps we'd all benefit by indulging in a little superstitious behaviour. Touch wood.

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Jimmy Carter: Many evolutions for a centenarian ‘citizen of the world’— Oct. 1, 1924: James Earl Carter Jr. is born in Plains, Georgia, son of James Sr. and Lillian Gordy Carter. — June 1946: Carter graduates from the U.S. Naval Academy. — July 1946: Carter marries Rosalynn Smith, in Plains. They have four children, John William (“Jack”), born 1947; James Earl 3rd (“Chip”), 1950; Donnel Jeffrey (Jeff), 1952; and Amy Lynn, 1967. — 1946-1953: Carter serves in a Navy nuclear submarine program, attaining rank of lieutenant commander. — Summer 1953: Carter resigns from the Navy, returns to Plains after father’s death. — 1953-1971: Carter helps run the family peanut farm and warehouse business. — 1963-1966: Carter serves in the Georgia state Senate. — 1966: Carter tries unsuccessfully for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination. — November 1970: Carter is elected governor of Georgia. Serves 1971-75. — Dec. 12, 1974: Carter announces a presidential bid. Atlanta newspaper answers with headline: “Jimmy Who?” — January 1976: Carter leads the Democratic field in Iowa, a huge campaign boost that also helps to establish Iowa’s first-in-the-nation caucus. — July 1976: Carter accepts the Democratic nomination and announces Sen. Walter Mondale of Minnesota as running mate. — November 1976: Carter defeats President Gerald R. Ford, winning 51% of the vote and 297 electoral votes to Ford’s 240. — January 1977: Carter is sworn in as the 39th president of the United States. On his first full day in office, he pardons most Vietnam-era draft evaders. —September 1977: U.S. and Panama sign treaties to return the Panama Canal back to Panama in 1999. Senate narrowly ratifies them in 1978. — September 1978: Egyptian President Anwar Sadat, Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin and Carter sign Camp David accords, which lead to a peace deal between Egypt and Israel the following year. — June 15-18, 1979: Carter attends a summit with Soviet President Leonid Brezhnev in Vienna that leads to the signing of the SALT II treaty. — November 1979: Iranian militants storm the U.S. Embassy in Tehran, taking 52 hostages. All survive and are freed minutes after Carter leaves office in January 1981. — April 1980: The Mariel boatlift begins, sending tens of thousands of Cubans to the U.S. Many are criminals and psychiatric patients set free by Cuban leader Fidel Castro, creating a major foreign policy crisis. — April 1980: An attempt by the U.S. to free hostages fails when a helicopter crashes into a transport plane in Iran, killing eight servicemen. — Nov. 4, 1980: Carter is denied a second term by Ronald Reagan, who wins 51.6% of the popular vote to 41.7% for Carter and 6.7% to independent John Anderson. — 1982: Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter co-found The Carter Center in Atlanta, whose mission is to resolve conflicts, protect human rights and prevent disease around the world. — September 1984: The Carters spend a week building Habitat for Humanity houses, launching what becomes the annual Carter Work Project. — October 1986: A dedication is held for The Carter Presidential Center in Atlanta. The center includes the Carter Presidential Library and Museum and Carter Center offices. — 1989: Carter leads the Carter Center’s first election monitoring mission, declaring Panamanian Gen. Manuel Noriega’s election fraudulent. — May 1992: Carter meets with Mikhail and Raisa Gorbachev at the Carter Center to discuss forming the Gorbachev Foundation. — June 1994: Carter plays a key role in North Korea nuclear disarmament talks. — September 1994: Carter leads a delegation to Haiti, arranging terms to avoid a U.S. invasion and return President Jean-Bertrand Aristide to power. — December 1994: Carter negotiates tentative cease-fire in Bosnia. — March 1995: Carter mediates cease-fire in Sudan’s war with southern rebels. — September 1995: Carter travels to Africa to advance the peace process in more troubled areas. — December 1998: Carter receives U.N. Human Rights Prize on 50th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. — August 1999: President Bill Clinton awards Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter the Presidential Medal of Freedom. — September 2001: Carter joins former Presidents Ford, Bush and Clinton at a prayer service at the National Cathedral in Washington after Sept. 11 attacks. — April 2002: Carter’s book “An Hour Before Daylight: Memories of a Rural Boyhood” chosen as finalist for Pulitzer Prize in biography. — May 2002: Carter visits Cuba and addresses the communist nation on television. He is the highest-ranking American to visit in decades. — Dec. 10, 2002: Carter is awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his “untiring effort to find peaceful solutions to international conflicts, to advance democracy and human rights, and to promote economic and social development.” — July 2007: Carter joins The Elders, a group of international leaders brought together by Nelson Mandela to focus on global issues. — Spring 2008: Carter remains officially neutral as Sens. Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton battle each other for the Democratic presidential nomination. — April 2008: Carter stirs controversy by meeting with the Islamic militant group Hamas. — August 2010: Carter travels to North Korea as the Carter Center negotiates the release of an imprisoned American teacher. — August 2013: Carter joins President Barack Obama and former President Bill Clinton at the 50th anniversary of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have A Dream” speech and the March on Washington. — Oct. 1, 2014: Carter celebrates his 90th birthday. — December 2014: Carter is nominated for a Grammy in the best spoken word album category, for his book “A Call To Action.” — May 2015: Carter returns early from an election observation visit in Guyana — the Carter Center’s 100th — after feeling unwell. — August 2015: Carter has a small cancerous mass removed from his liver. He plans to receive treatment at Emory Healthcare in Atlanta. — August 2015: Carter announces that his grandson Jason Carter will chair the Carter Center governing board. — March 6, 2016: Carter says an experimental drug has eliminated any sign of his cancer, and that he needs no further treatment. — May 25, 2016: Carter steps back from a “front-line” role with The Elders to become an emeritus member. — July 2016: Carter is treated for dehydration during a Habitat for Humanity build in Canada. — Spring 2018: Carter publishes “Faith: A Journey for All,” the last of 32 books. — March 22, 2019: Carter becomes the longest-lived U.S. president, surpassing President George H.W. Bush, who died in 2018. — September 18, 2019: Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter deliver their final in-person annual report at the Carter Center. — October 2019: At 95, still recovering from a fall, Carter joins the Work Project with Habitat for Humanity in Nashville, Tennessee. It’s the last time he works personally on the annual project. — Fall 2019-early 2020: Democratic presidential hopefuls visit, publicly embracing Carter as a party elder, a first for his post-presidency. — November 2020:The Carter Center monitors an audit of presidential election results in the state of Georgia, marking a new era of democracy advocacy within the U.S. — Jan. 20, 2021: The Carters miss President Joe Biden’s swearing-in, the first presidential inauguration they don’t attend since Carter’s own ceremony in 1977. The Bidens later visit the Carters in Plains on April 29. — Feb. 19, 2023: Carter enters home hospice care after a series of short hospital stays. — July 7, 2023: The Carters celebrate their 77th and final wedding anniversary. — Nov. 19, 2023: Rosalynn Carter dies at home, two days after the family announced that she had joined the former president in receiving hospice care. — Oct. 1, 2024 — Carter becomes the first former U.S. president to reach 100 years of age , celebrating at home with extended family and close friends. — Oct. 16, 2024 — Carter casts a Georgia mail ballot for Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris, having told his family he wanted to live long enough to vote for her. It marks his 21st presidential election as a voter. — Dec. 29, 2024: Carter dies at home.

The UK Government was warned that a “save David campaign” for UUP leader Lord Trimble would ruin progress made under the Good Friday Agreement. Extensive confidential documents in the lead-up to the collapse of Northern Ireland’s institutions in 2002 have been made available to the public as part of annual releases from the Irish National Archives. They reveal that the Irish Government wanted to appeal to the UK side against “manipulating” every scenario for favourable election results in Northern Ireland, in an effort to protect the peace process. In the years after the landmark 1998 Good Friday Agreement, a number of outstanding issues left the political environment fraught with tension and disagreement. Mr Trimble, who won a Nobel Peace Prize with SDLP leader John Hume for their work on the Agreement, was keen to gain wins for the UUP on policing, ceasefire audits and paramilitary disarmament – but also to present his party as firmer on these matters amid swipes from its Unionist rival, the DUP. These issues were at the front of his mind as he tried to steer his party into Assembly elections planned for May 2003 and continue in his role as the Executive’s first minister despite increasing political pressure. The documents reveal the extent to which the British and Irish Governments were trying to delicately resolve the contentious negotiations, conscious that moves seen as concessions to one group could provoke anger on the other side. In June 2002, representatives of the SDLP reported to Irish officials on a recent meeting between Mr Hume’s successor Mark Durkan and Prime Minister Tony Blair on policing and security. Mr Blair is said to have suggested that the SDLP and UUP were among those who both supported and took responsibility for the Good Friday Agreement. The confidential report of the meeting says that Mr Durkan, the deputy First Minister, was not sure that Mr Trimble had been correctly categorised. The Prime Minister asked if the SDLP could work more closely with the UUP ahead of the elections. Mr Durkan argued that Mr Trimble was not only not saleable to nationalists, but also not saleable to half of the UUP – to which Mr Blair and Northern Ireland Secretary John Reid are said to have laughed in agreement. The SDLP leader further warned that pursuing a “save David” campaign would ruin all they had worked for. Damien McAteer, an adviser for the SDLP, was recorded as briefing Irish officials on September 10 that it was his view that Mr Trimble was intent on collapsing the institutions in 2003 over expected fallout for Sinn Fein in the wake of the Colombia Three trial, where men linked to the party were charged with training Farc rebels – but predicted the UUP leader would be “in the toilet” by January, when an Ulster Unionist Council (UUC) meeting was due to take place. A week later in mid September, Mr Trimble assured Irish premier Bertie Ahern that the next UUC meeting to take place in two days’ time would be “okay but not great” and insisted he was not planning to play any “big game”. It was at that meeting that he made the bombshell announcement that the UUP would pull out of the Executive if the IRA had not disbanded by January 18. The move came as a surprise to the Irish officials who, along with their UK counterparts, did not see the deadline as realistic. Sinn Fein described the resolution as a “wreckers’ charter”. Doubts were raised that there would be any progress on substantive issues as parties would not be engaged in “pre-election skirmishing”. As that could lead to a UUP walkout and the resulting suspension of the institutions, the prospect of delaying the elections was raised while bringing forward the vote was ruled out. Therefore, the two Governments stressed the need to cooperate as a stabilising force to protect the Agreement – despite not being sure how that process would survive through the January 18 deadline. The Irish officials became worried that the British side did not share their view that Mr Trimble was not “salvageable” and that the fundamental dynamic in the UUP was now Agreement scepticism, the confidential documents state. In a meeting days after the UUC announcements, Mr Reid is recorded in the documents as saying that as infuriating as it was, Mr Trimble was at that moment the “most enlightened Unionist we have”. The Secretary said he would explore what the UUP leader needed to “survive” the period between January 18 and the election, believing a significant prize could avoid him being “massacred”. Such planning went out the window just weeks later, when hundreds of PSNI officers were involved in raids of several buildings – including Sinn Fein’s offices in Stormont. The resulting “Stormontgate” spy-ring scandal accelerated the collapse of powersharing, with the UUP pulling out of the institutions – and the Secretary of State suspending the Assembly and Executive on October 14. For his part, Irish officials were briefed that Mr Reid was said to be “gung ho” about the prospect of exercising direct rule – reportedly making no mention of the Irish Government in a meeting with Mr Trimble and Mr Durkan on that day. The Northern Ireland Secretary was given a new role and Paul Murphy was appointed as his successor. A note on speaking points for a meeting with Mr Murphy in April showed that the Irish side believed the May elections should go ahead: “At a certain stage the political process has to stand on its own feet. “The Governments cannot be manipulating and finessing every scenario to engineer the right result. “We have to start treating the parties and the people as mature and trusting that they have the discernment to make the right choices.” However, the elections planned for May did not materialise, instead delayed until November. Mr Trimble would go on to lose his Westminster seat – and stewardship of the UUP – in 2005. The November election saw the DUP emerge as the largest parties – but direct rule continued as Ian Paisley’s refused to share power with Sinn Fein, which Martin McGuinness’ colleagues. The parties eventually agreed to work together following further elections in 2007. – This article is based on documents in 2024/130/5, 2024/130/6, 2024/130/15A leading “misinformation expert” has come under fire for citing seemingly nonexistent sources in an affadavit supporting Minnesota’s new law banning some AI-generated deepfakes. Opposing lawyers claim the Stanford professor used AI to write his legal document, which backfired when the system “hallucinated” by generating false references to imaginary academic papers. Minnesota Reformer reports that Professor Jeff Hancock, the founding director of the Stanford Social Media Lab, is facing accusations of citing fabricated sources in his affidavit supporting Minnesota’s recently enacted legislation that prohibits the use of “deep fake” technology to influence elections. The law, which is being challenged in federal court by a conservative YouTuber and Republican state Rep. Mary Franson on First Amendment grounds, has sparked a debate about the role of AI-generated content in legal matters. Hancock, who is known for his research on deception and technology, submitted a 12-page expert declaration at the request of Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison (D). However, attorneys representing the plaintiffs have discovered that several academic works cited in the declaration appear to be non-existent. For instance, a study titled “The Influence of Deepfake Videos on Political Attitudes and Behavior,” allegedly published in the Journal of Information Technology & Politics in 2023 , cannot be found in the journal or any academic databases. The pages referenced in the declaration contain entirely different articles. The plaintiffs’ attorneys suggest that the citation bears the hallmarks of an “artificial intelligence (AI) ‘hallucination,'” likely generated by a large language model such as ChatGPT. They question how this “hallucination” ended up in Hancock’s declaration and argue that it calls the entire document into question. Libertarian law professor Eugene Volokh also found that another cited study, “Deepfakes and the Illusion of Authenticity: Cognitive Processes Behind Misinformation Acceptance,” does not appear to exist. The use of AI-generated content in legal proceedings has led to several embarrassing incidents in recent years. In 2023, two New York lawyers were sanctioned by a federal judge for submitting a brief containing citations of non-existent legal cases made up by ChatGPT. While some lawyers involved in previous mishaps have pleaded ignorance about the software’s limitations and tendency to fabricate information, Hancock’s expertise in technology and misinformation makes the fake citations particularly concerning. Frank Bednarz, an attorney for the plaintiffs, argues that proponents of the deep fake law claim AI-generated content cannot be countered by fact-checks and education, unlike other forms of online speech. However, by calling out the AI-generated fabrication to the court, Bednarz believes they demonstrate that “the best remedy for false speech remains true speech — not censorship.” Read more at Minnesota Reformer here. Lucas Nolan is a reporter for Breitbart News covering issues of free speech and online censorship.

Saints QB Derek Carr injures left hand on dive in 4th quarter of win over Giants EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — New Orleans Saints quarterback Derek Carr injured his left hand late in the fourth quarter of Sunday's 14-11 victory over the New York Giants when he went airborne while trying for a first down and crashed to the turf. Tom Canavan, The Associated Press Dec 8, 2024 3:23 PM Share by Email Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn Print Share via Text Message New Orleans Saints quarterback Derek Carr (4) walks off the field after an injury during the fourth quarter of an NFL football game against the New York Giants, Sunday, Dec. 8, 2024, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/John Munson) EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — New Orleans Saints quarterback Derek Carr injured his left hand late in the fourth quarter of Sunday's 14-11 victory over the New York Giants when he went airborne while trying for a first down and crashed to the turf. Carr tried to leap over a Giants tackler and landed at the New Orleans 39-yard line, extending his non-throwing hand to break his fall. He was on the turf for a minute or two before walking to the medical tent. He was examined and slowly walked to an area where X-rays are done. “A phenomenal effort trying to make a first down,” interim coach Darren Rizzi said of the play that happened with the Saints leading 14-11 and just under four minutes remaining. Carr missed three games earlier this season with an oblique injury. Tight end Juwan Johnson, who had a TD catch on Sunday, said it looks like the QB will miss more time. Carr was not available to speak to reporters after the game. “He’s just been having a rough go. We’re behind him,” Johnson said. “He’s still Derek Carr, aside from the football field. You just have to be there for him, emotionally, spiritually and physically.” The injury could hurt the already slim playoff hopes of the Saints (5-8), who trail Tampa Bay by two games and Atlanta by one in the weak NFC South. Rizzi was asked whether Carr would enter the concussion protocol after his jarring impact with the turf, but the coach could not confirm that. Johnson said Carr had told teammates it was time to lay it on the line before he got hurt. “And that’s the true example of laying out on the line. The dude just cares about his team a lot,” Johnson said. Carr finished 20 of 31 for 219 yards with an 11-yard touchdown pass to Johnson in the third quarter. He also led a 98-yard drive that Kendre Miller capped with a 6-yard run in the first quarter as New Orleans won for the third time in four games under Rizzi, who took over last month when Dennis Allen was fired. Jake Haener replaced Carr and handed off to Miller, who was stopped on third-and-1 by Giants linebacker Micah McFadden. The Saints punted. After an interception by New Orleans' Demario Davis, Haener went three-and-out on the next series. The Giants got the ball back with 1:21 to play and came within a thumb of forcing overtime. New York drove to the Saints 12-yard line and defensive tackle Bryan Bresee got a thumb on Graham Gano's game-tying 35-yard field goal attempt. ___ AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl Tom Canavan, The Associated Press See a typo/mistake? Have a story/tip? This has been shared 0 times 0 Shares Share by Email Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn Print Share via Text Message Get your daily Victoria news briefing Email Sign Up More Football (NFL) Tua Tagovailoa's TD pass to Jonnu Smith gives Dolphins 32-26 overtime win over Aaron Rodgers, Jets Dec 8, 2024 3:25 PM Wilson throws for 2 touchdowns as Steelers cruise past mistake-prone Browns 27-14 Dec 8, 2024 3:05 PM Saquon Barkley sets Eagles season rushing record and has Dickerson's NFL mark in his sights Dec 8, 2024 2:55 PMUtah Hockey Club bring 3-game losing streak into matchup with the PenguinsSan Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey and top backup Jordan Mason are being placed on injured reserve. McCaffrey left the snowy field in Buffalo on Sunday night after a 5-yard gain that was preceded by him heading to the sideline in apparent pain at the end of an 18-yard run. McCaffrey was diagnosed with a posterior cruciate ligament injury in his right knee and did not play in the second half. The 49ers also lost Jordan Mason, who emerged in a starting role with McCaffrey out the first two months of the season, to an ankle injury. Head coach Kyle Shanahan said Monday that Mason has a high-ankle sprain, which typically requires a recovery window of 4-6 weeks. Those moves push rookie Isaac Guerendo into the RB1 spot. He scored the team's only touchdown at Buffalo. The IR slots in San Francisco are manned by multiple starters, including wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk, linebacker Dre Greenlaw, defensive tackle Javon Hargrave and safety Talanoa Hufanga. Mason had a team-leading 789 rushing yards and scored three touchdowns. Being placed on IR means he's not eligible to play until the regular-season finale at Arizona. McCaffrey had 53 yards on seven carries on Sunday night and caught two passes for 14 yards before exiting. He was playing in just his fourth game of the season after missing the first eight because of Achilles tendinitis. McCaffrey was the NFL Offensive Player of the Year last season, when he led the league with 2,023 yards from scrimmage: a league-leading 1,459 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns plus 67 catches for 564 yards and seven scores. McCaffrey hasn't scored a touchdown in his four appearances this season. He has rushed for 202 yards on 50 carries and caught 15 passes for 146 yards. "It was frustrating," Shanahan said after the game. "He had a great week of practice and I could feel his urgency and stuff and thought he came out great, looking really good, and it looked like he just got his shoestring there. ... I hurt for him, and tough for our team not having him." The 49ers (5-7) played without defensive end Nick Bosa (oblique) and left tackle Trent Williams (ankle) in the 35-10 loss. San Francisco has lost three in a row heading into next Sunday's game against the Chicago Bears (4-8) in Santa Clara, Calif. San Francisco resides two games behind the NFC West-leading Seattle Seahawks (7-5) with five games remaining on the schedule. Seattle and San Francisco split their season series. --Field Level MediaLONDON: The new British government’s plan to increase taxes on businesses contributed to the first contraction in private sector activity in over a year, a survey showed, after signs the economy was losing momentum even before last month’s budget. The preliminary S&P Global Flash Composite Purchasing Managers’ Index, published on Friday, fell to 49.9 in November from 51.8 in October. “The first survey on the health of the economy after the budget makes for gloomy reading,” Chris Williamson, Chief Business Economist at S&P Global Market Intelligence, said. It is the first time the index has been below the 50.0 no-change level in 13 months. Williamson said the survey suggested the economy was contracting at a quarterly 0.1 percent pace, but the hit to confidence hinted at worse to come, including further job losses. Sterling fell to stand half a cent lower against the US dollar on the day, with investors almost fully pricing in the Bank of England cutting interest rates to 4 percent by the end of 2025 from 4.75 percent now. “For policymakers, the key question now will be to assess whether the potential inflationary hit from higher taxes offsets the potential demand hit from weaker private demand,” Sanjay Raja, Deutsche Bank’s chief UK economist, said. Some manufacturers worried about renewed trade tensions once Donald Trump becomes the next US president. Others hoped clarity after the vote would unblock investment decisions. The PMI also showed employers cut staffing levels for a second month in a row while the measure of overall new business was the weakest in a year. A weaker outlook for the global economy weighed on companies with the automotive sector in a slump. But the first moves of Britain’s Labour government were also a cause for concern. “Companies are giving a clear ‘thumbs down’ to the policies announced in the budget, especially the planned increase in employers’ National Insurance Contributions,” Williamson said. Finance minister Rachel Reeves increased the annual burden of social security payments for employers by around 25 billion pounds ($31 billion) a year. Many businesses have said her Oct. 30 budget flies in the face of the government’s pledge to turn Britain into the fastest-growing Group of Seven economy. Momentum was already weak with Britain’s gross domestic product edging up by only 0.1 percent in the three months to the end of September, according to official data last week, and retail sales fell sharply in October as shoppers worried about the budget. Figures on Thursday showed government borrowing shot past private-sector economists’ forecasts last month, underscoring how reliant Reeves is likely to be on stronger economic growth to fund more spending on public services. However, a measure of consumer confidence published on Friday suggested individuals turned a bit more optimistic this month after they avoided the brunt of the tax increases. Friday’s PMI survey found firms were not replacing departing staff as they braced for April’s rise in payroll costs. Selling prices rose at the slowest rate since the coronavirus pandemic but high rates of growth in input prices and costs related to wages were hurting the service sector. — Reuters

Romad Dean scores 16 to lead Fordham over Maine 87-72

Tech entrepreneur Elon Musk caused uproar after backing Germany’s far-right party in a major newspaper ahead of key parliamentary elections in the Western European country, leading to the resignation of the paper’s opinion editor in protest. Germany is to vote in an early election on Feb 23 after Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s three-party governing coalition collapsed last month in a dispute over how to revitalize the country’s stagnant economy. Musk's guest opinion piece for Welt am Sonntag — a sister publication of POLITICO owned by the Axel Springer Group — published in German over the weekend, was the second time this month he supported the Alternative for Germany, or AfD. “The Alternative for Germany (AfD) is the last spark of hope for this country," Musk wrote in his translated commentary. He went on to say the far-right party “can lead the country into a future where economic prosperity, cultural integrity and technological innovation are not just wishes, but reality.” The Tesla Motors CEO also wrote that his investment in Germany gave him the right to comment on the country's condition. The AfD is polling strongly, but its candidate for the top job, Alice Weidel, has no realistic chance of becoming chancellor because other parties refuse to work with the far-right party. An ally of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, the technology billionaire challenged in his opinion piece the party's public image. “The portrayal of the AfD as right-wing extremist is clearly false, considering that Alice Weidel, the party’s leader, has a same-sex partner from Sri Lanka! Does that sound like Hitler to you? Please!” Musk’s commentary has led to a debate in German media over the boundaries of free speech, with the paper's own opinion editor announcing her resignation, pointedly on Musk's social media platform, X. “I always enjoyed leading the opinion section of WELT and WAMS. Today an article by Elon Musk appeared in Welt am Sonntag. I handed in my resignation yesterday after it went to print," Eva Marie Kogel wrote. The newspaper was also attacked by politicians and other media for offering Musk, an outsider, a platform to express his views, in favor of the AfD. Candidate for chancellor, Friedrich Merz, of the Christian Democratic Union, said Sunday that Musk's comments were “intrusive and presumptuous”. He was speaking to the newspapers of the German Funke Media Group. Co-leader of the Social Democratic Party, Saskia Esken said that “Anyone who tries to influence our election from outside, who supports an anti-democratic, misanthropic party like the AfD, whether the influence is organized by the state from Russia or by the concentrated financial and media power of Elon Musk and his billionaire friends on the Springer board, must expect our tough resistance,” according to the ARD national public TV network. Musk's opinion piece in the Welt am Sonntag was accompanied by a critical article by the future editor-in-chief of the Welt group, Jan Philipp Burgard. “Musk’s diagnosis is correct, but his therapeutic approach, that only the AfD can save Germany, is fatally wrong,” Burgard wrote. Responding to a request for comment from the German Press Agency, dpa, the current editor-in-chief of the Welt group, Ulf Poschardt, and Burgard — who is due to take over on Jan. 1 — said in a joint statement that the discussion over Musk's piece was "very insightful. Democracy and journalism thrive on freedom of expression.” “This will continue to determine the compass of the “world” in the future. We will develop “Die Welt” even more decisively as a forum for such debates,” they wrote to dpa.WASHINGTON (AP) — As a former and potentially future president, Donald Trump hailed what would become as a road map for “exactly what our movement will do” with another crack at the White House. As for a hard-right turn in America became a liability during the 2024 campaign, . He denied knowing anything about the “ridiculous and abysmal” plans written in part by his first-term aides and allies. Now, after being elected the 47th president on Nov. 5, Trump is stocking his second administration with key players in the detailed effort he temporarily shunned. Most notably, Trump has tapped for an encore as director of the Office of Management and Budget; Tom Homan, his former immigration chief, as and immigration hardliner Stephen Miller as . Those moves have accelerated criticisms from Democrats who warn that Trump's election hands government reins to movement conservatives who spent years envisioning how to concentrate power in the West Wing and impose a starkly rightward shift across the U.S. government and society. Trump and his aides maintain that he won a mandate to overhaul Washington. But they maintain the specifics are his alone. “President Trump never had anything to do with Project 2025,” said Trump spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt in a statement. “All of President Trumps' Cabinet nominees and appointments are whole-heartedly committed to President Trump's agenda, not the agenda of outside groups.” Here is a look at what some of Trump's choices portend for his second presidency. As budget chief, Vought envisions a sweeping, powerful perch The Office of Management and Budget director, a role Vought held under Trump previously and requires Senate confirmation, prepares a president's proposed budget and is generally responsible for implementing the administration's agenda across agencies. The job is influential but Vought made clear as author of a Project 2025 chapter on presidential authority that he wants the post to wield more direct power. “The Director must view his job as the best, most comprehensive approximation of the President’s mind,” Vought wrote. The OMB, he wrote, “is a President’s air-traffic control system” and should be “involved in all aspects of the White House policy process,” becoming “powerful enough to override implementing agencies’ bureaucracies.” Trump did not go into such details when naming Vought but implicitly endorsed aggressive action. Vought, the president-elect said, “knows exactly how to dismantle the Deep State” — Trump’s catch-all for federal bureaucracy — and would help “restore fiscal sanity.” In June, speaking on former Trump aide Steve Bannon’s “War Room” podcast, Vought relished the potential tension: “We’re not going to save our country without a little confrontation.” Vought could help Musk and Trump remake government's role and scope The strategy of further concentrating federal authority in the presidency permeates Project 2025's and Trump's campaign proposals. Vought's vision is especially striking when paired with Trump's proposals to dramatically expand the president's control over federal workers and government purse strings — ideas intertwined with the president-elect tapping mega-billionaire Elon Musk and venture capitalist Vivek Ramaswamy to Trump in his first term sought to remake the federal civil service by reclassifying tens of thousands of federal civil service workers — who have job protection through changes in administration — as political appointees, making them easier to fire and replace with loyalists. Currently, only about 4,000 of the federal government's roughly 2 million workers are political appointees. President Joe Biden rescinded Trump's changes. Trump can now reinstate them. Meanwhile, Musk's and Ramaswamy's sweeping “efficiency” mandates from Trump could turn on an old, defunct constitutional theory that the president — not Congress — is the real gatekeeper of federal spending. In his “Agenda 47,” Trump endorsed so-called “impoundment,” which holds that when lawmakers pass appropriations bills, they simply set a spending ceiling, but not a floor. The president, the theory holds, can simply decide not to spend money on anything he deems unnecessary. Vought did not venture into impoundment in his Project 2025 chapter. But, he wrote, “The President should use every possible tool to propose and impose fiscal discipline on the federal government. Anything short of that would constitute abject failure.” Trump's choice immediately sparked backlash. “Russ Vought is a far-right ideologue who has tried to break the law to give President Trump unilateral authority he does not possess to override the spending decisions of Congress (and) who has and will again fight to give Trump the ability to summarily fire tens of thousands of civil servants,” said Sen. Patty Murray of Washington, a Democrat and outgoing Senate Appropriations chairwoman. Reps. Jamie Raskin of Maryland and Melanie Stansbury of New Mexico, leading Democrats on the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability, said Vought wants to “dismantle the expert federal workforce” to the detriment of Americans who depend on everything from veterans' health care to Social Security benefits. “Pain itself is the agenda,” they said. Homan and Miller reflect Trump's and Project 2025's immigration overl ap Trump’s protests about Project 2025 always glossed over . Both want to reimpose Trump-era immigration limits. Project 2025 includes a litany of detailed proposals for various U.S. immigration statutes, executive branch rules and agreements with other countries — reducing the number of refugees, work visa recipients and asylum seekers, for example. Miller is one of Trump's longest-serving advisers and architect of his immigration ideas, including his promise of the largest deportation force in U.S. history. As deputy policy chief, which is not subject to Senate confirmation, Miller would remain in Trump's West Wing inner circle. “America is for Americans and Americans only,” Miller said at Trump’s on Oct. 27. “America First Legal,” Miller’s organization founded as an ideological counter to the American Civil Liberties Union, was listed as an advisory group to Project 2025 until Miller asked that the name be removed because of negative attention. Homan, a Project 2025 named contributor, was an acting U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement director during Trump’s first presidency, playing a key role in what became known as Trump's Previewing Trump 2.0 earlier this year, Homan said: “No one’s off the table. If you’re here illegally, you better be looking over your shoulder.” Project 2025 contributors slated for CIA and Federal Communications chiefs John Ratcliffe, Trump's , was previously one of Trump's directors of national intelligence. He is a Project 2025 contributor. The document's chapter on U.S. intelligence was written by Dustin Carmack, Ratcliffe's chief of staff in the first Trump administration. Reflecting Ratcliffe's and Trump's approach, Carmack declared the intelligence establishment too cautious. Ratcliffe, like the chapter attributed to Carmack, is hawkish toward China. Throughout the Project 2025 document, Beijing is framed as a U.S. adversary that cannot be trusted. Brendan Carr, the senior Republican on the Federal Communications Commission, wrote Project 2025's FCC chapter and is to chair the panel. Carr wrote that the FCC chairman “is empowered with significant authority that is not shared” with other FCC members. He called for the FCC to address “threats to individual liberty posed by corporations that are abusing dominant positions in the market,” specifically “Big Tech and its attempts to drive diverse political viewpoints from the digital town square.” He called for more stringent transparency rules for social media platforms like Facebook and YouTube and “empower consumers to choose their own content filters and fact checkers, if any.” Carr and Ratcliffe would require Senate confirmation for their posts. ___ Bill Barrow, The Associated PressTanker overturns on major road in Cirencester area

After Trump's Project 2025 denials, he is tapping its authors and influencers for key roles

Titans topple Winner for seventh place at Class A volleyball tournamentALL 174 OF Ireland’s Dáil seats are now filled after a mammoth three-day shift put in by count centre staff across the country. Fianna Fáil, with 48 TDs, comes out of this election with the most seats in the 34th Dáil. With a gain of 10 TDs, and his party are unquestionably the of the 2024 general election after a three-week campaign that saw no real blunders for the outgoing Tánaiste or his team. It is now more likely than not that Martin will become Taoiseach for a second time, with Fine Gael as a minority government partner alongside a small mix of Independents or a centre-left party like Labour or the Social Democrats. Fine Gael’s representation in the Dáil will now rise to 38 TDs, only 3 more seats than the party won under Leo Varadkar’s leadership in 2020. Where Fianna Fáil and Micheál Martin’s campaign was steady and understated, Simon Harris’s and Fine Gael’s was shaky and beset by self-inflicted blunders from the very first weekend when Ryanair’s . John McGahon’s selection as a candidate in Louth cast a shadow that just would not budge over Fine Gael’s entire campaign and ultimately led to the Taoiseach saying he was “not sure” if he would let the By the end of week two, Harris had a mess of his own making on his hands when he was filmed walking away from a . The writing was on the wall for Fine Gael and its untested leader the very next morning when just one week out from election day, polling showed the party’s considerable lead had vanished. Ultimately, whether this election was a success or not for Simon Harris is debatable. On one hand, to go from the high level of both personal and party support he had just weeks earlier to only returning one TD more than Sinn Féin isn’t great. But on the other, we can’t forget that Fine Gael was in freefall for months in the last year – . To come out of this election three seats up on 2020, doesn’t look so bad in that context. Plus, Fine Gael is more than likely to be back in Government. Even though it looks like Simon Harris will have to forfeit being Taoiseach initially, the numbers suggest that a rotating Taoiseach deal is very much still on the cards. So for that reason, we’re classing Harris and as - but just about. For Sinn Féin, it wasn’t an unmitigated disaster but with no prospect of Mary Lou McDonald’s party finding a route to government it certainly isn’t a roaring victory, despite what her TDs might be saying. Sinn Féin will enter this Dáil with 39 Dáil seats, only two more than it won in 2020. Again, the scale of Sinn Féin’s defeat here is debatable. Considering the difficult year the party has had and the multiple crises it was rocked by in the weeks before the election was called, to come out one seats ahead of Fine Gael is decent. It has also had notable success in a number of constituencies, getting two TDs across the line in six areas. Comparing the two parties directly, Sinn Féin has had a better election than Fine Gael hands down. If the lay of the political land was different in Ireland and Sinn Féin was seen as a viable coalition partner for Fianna Fáil, then McDonald’s party would be a winner here, but we have to deal in political realities. And for that reason, is a in this election. , , and are all going home with badges for increasing their seats, as is Donegal’s Charles Ward for winning the sole seat for his party . is getting the badge for dropping from five seats to three, with Gino Kenny and Mick Barry both losing their seats. The biggest of all in this election is the losing all but one (leader Roderic O’Gorman) of its 12 seats.

WASHINGTON — President-elect Donald Trump said Saturday that he will nominate former White House aide Brooke Rollins to be his agriculture secretary, the last of his picks to lead executive agencies and another choice from within his established circle of advisers and allies. The nomination must be confirmed by the Senate, which will be controlled by Republicans when Trump takes office Jan. 20. Rollins would succeed Tom Vilsack , President Joe Biden’s agriculture secretary who oversees the sprawling agency that controls policies, regulations and aid programs related to farming, forestry, ranching, food quality and nutrition. Then-President Donald Trump looks to Brooke Rollins, president and CEO of the Texas Public Policy Foundation, as she speaks during a Jan. 11, 2018, prison reform roundtable in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington. 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. Rollins previously served as an aide to former Texas Gov. Rick Perry and ran a think tank, the Texas Public Policy Foundation. The pick completes Trump’s selection of the heads of executive branch departments, just two and a half weeks after the former president won the White House once again. Several other picks that are traditionally Cabinet-level remain, including U.S. Trade Representative and head of the small business administration. Brooke Rollins, assistant to the president and director of the Domestic Policy Council at the time, speaks during a May 18, 2020, meeting with restaurant industry executives about the coronavirus response in the State Dining Room of the White House in Washington. Rollins, speaking on the Christian talk show “Family Talk" earlier this year, said Trump was an “amazing boss” and confessed that she thought in 2015, during his first presidential campaign, that he would not last as a candidate in a crowded Republican primary field. “I was the person that said, ‘Oh, Donald Trump is not going to go more than two or three weeks in the Republican primary. This is to up his TV show ratings. And then we’ll get back to normal,’” she said. “Fast forward a couple of years, and I am running his domestic policy agenda.” Trump didn’t offer many specifics about his agriculture policies during the campaign, but farmers could be affected if he carries out his pledge to impose widespread tariffs. During the first Trump administration, countries like China responded to Trump’s tariffs by imposing retaliatory tariffs on U.S. exports like the corn and soybeans routinely sold overseas. Trump countered by offering massive multibillion-dollar aid to farmers to help them weather the trade war. Brooke Rollins speaks at an Oct. 27 campaign rally for then-Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump at Madison Square Garden in New York. President Abraham Lincoln founded the USDA in 1862, when about half of all Americans lived on farms. The USDA oversees multiple support programs for farmers; animal and plant health; and the safety of meat, poultry and eggs that anchor the nation’s food supply. Its federal nutrition programs provide food to low-income people, pregnant women and young children. And the agency sets standards for school meals. Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Trump’s nominee to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, has vowed to strip ultraprocessed foods from school lunches and to stop allowing Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program beneficiaries from using food stamps to buy soda, candy or other so-called junk foods. But it would be the USDA, not HHS, that would be responsible for enacting those changes. In addition, HHS and USDA will work together to finalize the 2025-2030 edition of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. They are due late next year, with guidance for healthy diets and standards for federal nutrition programs. Gomez Licon reported from Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Associated Press writers Josh Funk and JoNel Aleccia contributed to this report. Among President-elect Donald Trump's picks are Susie Wiles for chief of staff, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio for secretary of state, former Democratic House member Tulsi Gabbard for director of national intelligence and Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz for attorney general. Susie Wiles, 67, was a senior adviser to Trump's 2024 presidential campaign and its de facto manager. Trump named Florida Sen. Marco Rubio to be secretary of state, making a former sharp critic his choice to be the new administration's top diplomat. Rubio, 53, is a noted hawk on China, Cuba and Iran, and was a finalist to be Trump's running mate on the Republican ticket last summer. Rubio is the vice chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee and a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. “He will be a strong Advocate for our Nation, a true friend to our Allies, and a fearless Warrior who will never back down to our adversaries,” Trump said of Rubio in a statement. The announcement punctuates the hard pivot Rubio has made with Trump, whom the senator called a “con man" during his unsuccessful campaign for the 2016 GOP presidential nomination. Their relationship improved dramatically while Trump was in the White House. And as Trump campaigned for the presidency a third time, Rubio cheered his proposals. For instance, Rubio, who more than a decade ago helped craft immigration legislation that included a path to citizenship for people in the U.S. illegally, now supports Trump's plan to use the U.S. military for mass deportations. Pete Hegseth, 44, is a co-host of Fox News Channel’s “Fox & Friends Weekend” and has been a contributor with the network since 2014, where he developed a friendship with Trump, who made regular appearances on the show. Hegseth lacks senior military or national security experience. If confirmed by the Senate, he would inherit the top job during a series of global crises — ranging from Russia’s war in Ukraine and the ongoing attacks in the Middle East by Iranian proxies to the push for a cease-fire between Israel, Hamas and Hezbollah and escalating worries about the growing alliance between Russia and North Korea. Hegseth is also the author of “The War on Warriors: Behind the Betrayal of the Men Who Keep Us Free,” published earlier this year. Trump tapped Pam Bondi, 59, to be attorney general after U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz withdrew his name from consideration. She was Florida's first female attorney general, serving between 2011 and 2019. She also was on Trump’s legal team during his first impeachment trial in 2020. Considered a loyalist, she served as part of a Trump-allied outside group that helped lay the groundwork for his future administration called the America First Policy Institute. Bondi was among a group of Republicans who showed up to support Trump at his hush money criminal trial in New York that ended in May with a conviction on 34 felony counts. A fierce defender of Trump, she also frequently appears on Fox News and has been a critic of the criminal cases against him. Trump picked South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, a well-known conservative who faced sharp criticism for telling a story in her memoir about shooting a rambunctious dog, to lead an agency crucial to the president-elect’s hardline immigration agenda. Noem used her two terms leading a tiny state to vault to a prominent position in Republican politics. South Dakota is usually a political afterthought. But during the COVID-19 pandemic, Noem did not order restrictions that other states had issued and instead declared her state “open for business.” Trump held a fireworks rally at Mount Rushmore in July 2020 in one of the first large gatherings of the pandemic. She takes over a department with a sprawling mission. In addition to key immigration agencies, the Department of Homeland Security oversees natural disaster response, the U.S. Secret Service, and Transportation Security Administration agents who work at airports. The governor of North Dakota, who was once little-known outside his state, Burgum is a former Republican presidential primary contender who endorsed Trump, and spent months traveling to drum up support for him, after dropping out of the race. Burgum was a serious contender to be Trump’s vice presidential choice this summer. The two-term governor was seen as a possible pick because of his executive experience and business savvy. Burgum also has close ties to deep-pocketed energy industry CEOs. Trump made the announcement about Burgum joining his incoming administration while addressing a gala at his Mar-a-Lago club, and said a formal statement would be coming the following day. In comments to reporters before Trump took the stage, Burgum said that, in recent years, the power grid is deteriorating in many parts of the country, which he said could raise national security concerns but also drive up prices enough to increase inflation. “There's just a sense of urgency, and a sense of understanding in the Trump administration,” Burgum said. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. ran for president as a Democrat, than as an independent, and then endorsed Trump . He's the son of Democratic icon Robert Kennedy, who was assassinated during his own presidential campaign. The nomination of Kennedy to lead the Department of Health and Human Services alarmed people who are concerned about his record of spreading unfounded fears about vaccines . For example, he has long advanced the debunked idea that vaccines cause autism. Scott Bessent, 62, is a former George Soros money manager and an advocate for deficit reduction. He's the founder of hedge fund Key Square Capital Management, after having worked on-and-off for Soros Fund Management since 1991. If confirmed by the Senate, he would be the nation’s first openly gay treasury secretary. He told Bloomberg in August that he decided to join Trump’s campaign in part to attack the mounting U.S. national debt. That would include slashing government programs and other spending. “This election cycle is the last chance for the U.S. to grow our way out of this mountain of debt without becoming a sort of European-style socialist democracy,” he said then. Oregon Republican U.S. Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer narrowly lost her reelection bid this month, but received strong backing from union members in her district. As a potential labor secretary, she would oversee the Labor Department’s workforce, its budget and put forth priorities that impact workers’ wages, health and safety, ability to unionize, and employer’s rights to fire employers, among other responsibilities. Chavez-DeRemer is one of few House Republicans to endorse the “Protecting the Right to Organize” or PRO Act would allow more workers to conduct organizing campaigns and would add penalties for companies that violate workers’ rights. The act would also weaken “right-to-work” laws that allow employees in more than half the states to avoid participating in or paying dues to unions that represent workers at their places of employment. Scott Turner is a former NFL player and White House aide. He ran the White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council during Trump’s first term in office. Trump, in a statement, credited Turner, the highest-ranking Black person he’s yet selected for his administration, with “helping to lead an Unprecedented Effort that Transformed our Country’s most distressed communities.” Sean Duffy is a former House member from Wisconsin who was one of Trump's most visible defenders on cable news. Duffy served in the House for nearly nine years, sitting on the Financial Services Committee and chairing the subcommittee on insurance and housing. He left Congress in 2019 for a TV career and has been the host of “The Bottom Line” on Fox Business. Before entering politics, Duffy was a reality TV star on MTV, where he met his wife, “Fox and Friends Weekend” co-host Rachel Campos-Duffy. They have nine children. A campaign donor and CEO of Denver-based Liberty Energy, Write is a vocal advocate of oil and gas development, including fracking — a key pillar of Trump’s quest to achieve U.S. “energy dominance” in the global market. Wright also has been one of the industry’s loudest voices against efforts to fight climate change. He said the climate movement around the world is “collapsing under its own weight.” The Energy Department is responsible for advancing energy, environmental and nuclear security of the United States. Wright also won support from influential conservatives, including oil and gas tycoon Harold Hamm. Hamm, executive chairman of Oklahoma-based Continental Resources, a major shale oil company, is a longtime Trump supporter and adviser who played a key role on energy issues in Trump’s first term. President-elect Donald Trump tapped billionaire professional wrestling mogul Linda McMahon to be secretary of the Education Department, tasked with overseeing an agency Trump promised to dismantle. McMahon led the Small Business Administration during Trump’s initial term from 2017 to 2019 and twice ran unsuccessfully as a Republican for the U.S. Senate in Connecticut. She’s seen as a relative unknown in education circles, though she expressed support for charter schools and school choice. She served on the Connecticut Board of Education for a year starting in 2009 and has spent years on the board of trustees for Sacred Heart University in Connecticut. Brooke Rollins, who graduated from Texas A&M University with a degree in agricultural development, is a longtime Trump associate who served as White House domestic policy chief during his first presidency. The 52-year-old is president and CEO of the America First Policy Institute, a group helping to lay the groundwork for a second Trump administration. She previously served as an aide to former Texas Gov. Rick Perry and ran a think tank, the Texas Public Policy Foundation. Trump chose Howard Lutnick, head of brokerage and investment bank Cantor Fitzgerald and a cryptocurrency enthusiast, as his nominee for commerce secretary, a position in which he'd have a key role in carrying out Trump's plans to raise and enforce tariffs. Trump made the announcement Tuesday on his social media platform, Truth Social. Lutnick is a co-chair of Trump’s transition team, along with Linda McMahon, the former wrestling executive who previously led Trump’s Small Business Administration. Both are tasked with putting forward candidates for key roles in the next administration. The nomination would put Lutnick in charge of a sprawling Cabinet agency that is involved in funding new computer chip factories, imposing trade restrictions, releasing economic data and monitoring the weather. It is also a position in which connections to CEOs and the wider business community are crucial. Doug Collins is a former Republican congressman from Georgia who gained recognition for defending Trump during his first impeachment trial, which centered on U.S. assistance for Ukraine. Trump was impeached for urging Ukraine to investigate Joe Biden in 2019 during the Democratic presidential nomination, but he was acquitted by the Senate. Collins has also served in the armed forces himself and is currently a chaplain in the United States Air Force Reserve Command. "We must take care of our brave men and women in uniform, and Doug will be a great advocate for our Active Duty Servicemembers, Veterans, and Military Families to ensure they have the support they need," Trump said in a statement about nominating Collins to lead the Department of Veterans Affairs. Karoline Leavitt, 27, was Trump's campaign press secretary and currently a spokesperson for his transition. She would be the youngest White House press secretary in history. The White House press secretary typically serves as the public face of the administration and historically has held daily briefings for the press corps. Leavitt, a New Hampshire native, was a spokesperson for MAGA Inc., a super PAC supporting Trump, before joining his 2024 campaign. In 2022, she ran for Congress in New Hampshire, winning a 10-way Republican primary before losing to Democratic Rep. Chris Pappas. Leavitt worked in the White House press office during Trump's first term before she became communications director for New York Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik, Trump's choice for U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. Former Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard has been tapped by Trump to be director of national intelligence, keeping with the trend to stock his Cabinet with loyal personalities rather than veteran professionals in their requisite fields. Gabbard, 43, was a Democratic House member who unsuccessfully sought the party's 2020 presidential nomination before leaving the party in 2022. She endorsed Trump in August and campaigned often with him this fall. “I know Tulsi will bring the fearless spirit that has defined her illustrious career to our Intelligence Community,” Trump said in a statement. Gabbard, who has served in the Army National Guard for more than two decades, deploying to Iraq and Kuwait, would come to the role as somewhat of an outsider compared to her predecessor. The current director, Avril Haines, was confirmed by the Senate in 2021 following several years in a number of top national security and intelligence positions. Trump has picked John Ratcliffe, a former Texas congressman who served as director of national intelligence during his first administration, to be director of the Central Intelligence Agency in his next. Ratcliffe was director of national intelligence during the final year and a half of Trump's first term, leading the U.S. government's spy agencies during the coronavirus pandemic. “I look forward to John being the first person ever to serve in both of our Nation's highest Intelligence positions,” Trump said in a statement, calling him a “fearless fighter for the Constitutional Rights of all Americans” who would ensure “the Highest Levels of National Security, and PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH.” 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. 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. 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 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. McGinley was White House Cabinet secretary during Trump's first administration, and was outside legal counsel for the Republican National Committee's election integrity effort during the 2024 campaign. In a statement, Trump called McGinley “a smart and tenacious lawyer who will help me advance our America First agenda, while fighting for election integrity and against the weaponization of law enforcement.” Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter.

Bangladeshi literature likely to remain absent from Kolkata’s cultural festivalsFormer UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya has shed light on his retirement plans, acknowledging that his illustrious fighting career may soon be coming to an end. ‘The Last Stylebender,’ now 35, last competed at UFC 305 in August, where he suffered a fourth-round submission loss to South African middleweight champion Dricus du Plessis. The bout marked Adesanya’s first since losing his title in a shock decision defeat to Sean Strickland a year earlier. Speaking on the FLAGRANT Podcast, Adesanya reflected on his achievements in the sport and hinted at a possible timeline for his retirement. “I’ve said this already, with what I’ve already done in this game, a lot of people don’t even get to the belt, get to the UFC,” he stated. “I’ve done it twice. Still the only two-time UFC middleweight champion.” Related News Adesanya to headline UFC event in Saudi Usman warns young prospect who called out Adesanya UFC: Adesanya ‘insulted’ by Magomedov challenge Adesanya admitted he remains unbooked for a return to the Octagon but has been linked to a potential clash with Nassourdine Imavov at UFC Saudi Arabia next year. While he still has ambitions to achieve more in the sport, he is also realistic about the toll it takes. “You’ve got to break up with fighting before fighting breaks up with you,” Adesanya explained. “When will I? I don’t know... I’m 35 now. I know I’m over the halfway point and I’m definitely a few years away, maybe three years away. But who knows? I know I don’t want to be fighting at 40.” Despite the uncertainty, Adesanya remains proud of his journey, having captured the middleweight belt twice—an accomplishment that cements his legacy as one of the sport’s greats. “If what I’ve already done won’t make me happy, what will? I’m happy but I’m not content,” he said, hinting at a few more goals he wishes to achieve before stepping away from the cage.

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Mesoblast’S RYONCIL® Is The First U.S. FDA-Approved Mesenchymal Stromal Cell (MSC) TherapyDETROIT (AP) — For a second time, a Delaware judge has nullified a pay package that Tesla had awarded its CEO, Elon Musk, that once was valued at $56 billion. Read this article for free: Already have an account? To continue reading, please subscribe: * DETROIT (AP) — For a second time, a Delaware judge has nullified a pay package that Tesla had awarded its CEO, Elon Musk, that once was valued at $56 billion. Read unlimited articles for free today: Already have an account? DETROIT (AP) — For a second time, a Delaware judge has nullified a pay package that Tesla had awarded its CEO, Elon Musk, that once was valued at $56 billion. On Monday, Chancellor Kathaleen St. Jude McCormick turned aside a request from Musk’s lawyers to reverse a ruling she announced in January that had thrown out the compensation plan. The judge ruled then that Musk effectively controlled Tesla’s board and had engineered the outsize pay package during sham negotiations. Lawyers for a Tesla shareholder who sued to block the pay package contended that shareholders who had voted for the 10-year plan in 2018 had been given misleading and incomplete information. In their defense, Tesla’s board members asserted that the shareholders who ratified the pay plan a second time in June had done so after receiving full disclosures, thereby curing all the problems the judge had cited in her January ruling. As a result, they argued, Musk deserved the pay package for having raised Tesla’s market value by billions of dollars. McCormick rejected that argument. In her 103-page opinion, she ruled that under Delaware law, Tesla’s lawyers had no grounds to reverse her January ruling “based on evidence they created after trial.” What will Musk and Tesla do now? On Monday night, Tesla posted on X, the social media platform owned by Musk, that the company will appeal. The appeal would be filed with the Delaware Supreme Court, the only state appellate court Tesla can pursue. Experts say a ruling would likely come in less than a year. “The ruling, if not overturned, means that judges and plaintiffs’ lawyers run Delaware companies rather than their rightful owners — the shareholders,” Tesla argued. Later, on X, Musk unleashed a blistering attack on the judge, asserting that McCormick is “a radical far left activist cosplaying as a judge.” What do experts say about the case? Legal authorities generally suggest that McCormick’s ruling was sound and followed the law. Charles Elson, founding director of the Weinberg Center for Corporate Governance at the University of Delaware, said that in his view, McCormick was right to rule that after Tesla lost its case in the original trial, it created improper new evidence by asking shareholders to ratify the pay package a second time. Had she allowed such a claim, he said, it would cause a major shift in Delaware’s laws against conflicts of interest given the unusually close relationship between Musk and Tesla’s board. “Delaware protects investors — that’s what she did,” said Elson, who has followed the court for more than three decades. “Just because you’re a ‘superstar CEO’ doesn’t put you in a separate category.” Elson said he thinks investors would be reluctant to put money into Delaware companies if there were exceptions to the law for “special people.” What will the Delaware Supreme Court do? Elson said that in his opinion, the court is likely to uphold McCormick’s ruling. Can Tesla appeal to federal courts? Experts say no. Rulings on state laws are normally left to state courts. Brian Dunn, program director for the Institute of Compensation Studies at Cornell University, said it’s been his experience that Tesla has no choice but to stay in the Delaware courts for this compensation package. Tesla has moved its legal headquarters to Texas. Does that matter? Winnipeg Jets Game Days On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop. The company could try to reconstitute the pay package and seek approval in Texas, where it may expect more friendlier judges. But Dunn, who has spent 40 years as an executive compensation consultant, said it’s likely that some other shareholder would challenge the award in Texas because it’s excessive compared with other CEOs’ pay plans. “If they just want to turn around and deliver him $56 billion, I can’t believe somebody wouldn’t want to litigate it,” Dunn said. “It’s an unconscionable amount of money.” Would a new pay package be even larger? Almost certainly. Tesla stock is trading at 15 times the exercise price of stock options in the current package in Delaware, Morgan Stanley analyst Adam Jonas wrote in a note to investors. Tesla’s share price has doubled in the past six months, Jonas wrote. At Monday’s closing stock price, the Musk package is now worth $101.4 billion, according to Equilar, an executive data firm. And Musk has asked for a subsequent pay package that would give him 25% of Tesla’s voting shares. Musk has said he is uncomfortable moving further into artificial intelligence with the company if he doesn’t have 25% control. He currently holds about 13% of Tesla’s outstanding shares. Advertisement Advertisement

SAN DIEGO, Dec. 03, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Fate Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: FATE), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company dedicated to bringing a first-in-class pipeline of induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived cellular immunotherapies to patients with cancer and autoimmune diseases, today announced that on December 2, 2024 the Company granted restricted stock units (RSUs) representing 18,600 shares of its common stock to one newly-hired non-executive employee. The grant was approved by the Compensation Committee of the Company's Board of Directors and granted under the Company's Amended and Restated Inducement Equity Plan as an inducement material to the new employee entering into employment with the Company in accordance with Nasdaq Listing Rule 5635(c)(4). The RSUs will vest over four years, with 25% of the shares underlying each RSU award vesting on each anniversary of the grant date, subject to the employee being continuously employed by the Company through each vesting date. About Fate Therapeutics, Inc. Fate Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company dedicated to bringing a first-in-class pipeline of induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived cellular immunotherapies to patients with cancer and autoimmune diseases. Using its proprietary iPSC product platform, the Company has established a leadership position in creating multiplexed-engineered iPSC lines and in the manufacture and clinical development of off-the-shelf, iPSC-derived cell products. The Company's pipeline includes iPSC-derived natural killer (NK) cell and T-cell product candidates, which are selectively designed, incorporate novel synthetic controls of cell function, and are intended to deliver multiple therapeutic mechanisms to patients. Fate Therapeutics is headquartered in San Diego, CA. For more information, please visit www.fatetherapeutics.com . Contact: Christina Tartaglia Precision AQ 212.362.1200 [email protected]Activating your credit card? Don’t skip the mobile wallet stepYear-round cloud seeding suggested to improve AQI

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Packers start short week with injury concerns ahead of Thanksgiving game vs DolphinsMichael Jordan and Tiger Woods are alike in many ways - even politics. The legendary NBA star and the all-time PGA Tour professional are two of the greatest in the history of sports. Few athletes, if any, were more iconic than Michael and Tiger. They both dominated their respective sports and went on to become billionaires off of it. Michael made most of his money with Nike, while Tiger has also landed some massive endorsements. Both Michael and Tiger seem to be on the same page politically, as well. James Gilbert/Getty Images Pedro Salado/Getty Images Both Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods seem to be pretty close to the center. Michael might lean a little more left, with Tiger a little more right - but both have made it clear that they think you should respect the office. Tiger Woods said back in 2018 that he thinks everyone should respect the office. "Well, he's the president of the United States. You have to respect the office. No matter who is in the office, you may like, dislike personality or the politics, but we all must respect the office," Woods said when asked about Donald Trump in 2018. He added: "I've known Donald for a number of years. We've played golf together. We've had dinner together. I've known him pre-presidency and obviously during his presidency.'' Michael Jordan, meanwhile, has also shown support for the office and the troops. He's also stood up for causes like Black Lives Matter. "We have been beaten down [as African Americans] for so many years. It sucks your soul," he said in 2020 according to The Washington Post. "You can't accept it anymore. This is a tipping point. We need to make a stand. We've got to be better as a society regarding race." He added: “We understand that one of the main ways we can change systemic racism is at the polls. “We know it will take time for us to create the change we want to see, but we are working quickly to take action for the Black Community’s voice to be heard.” Neither man has taken too many risks with their political statements, which isn't too surprising, given their celebrity and influence.

Writing on the wall for 49ers to cut ties with $71 million superstar via trade | Sporting NewsIPL 2025 mega auction As a passionate WWE content writer, Raunak craft engaging narratives that bring the thrilling world of wrestling to life, capturing the drama, excitement, and heroism of the ring. His work fuels the imagination of WWE fans, making every match and storyline unforgettable. Read More 2nd Test: India beat Bangladesh by seven wickets to sweep series 2nd Test, Day 4: India push for victory with T20-style batting 2nd Test, Day 1: B'desh 107/3 vs India on rain-shortened opening day Ashwin shines as India hammer Bangladesh in Chennai Test 1st Test, Day 3: India hold upper hand despite spirited Bangladesh chase 1st Test, Day 2: India in box seat after Bumrah takes four-for vs B'desh 1st Test, Day 1: Ashwin, Jadeja dig India out of trouble vs B'desh France waves farewell to Paralympics with spectacular ceremony Navdeep's gold, Simran's bronze take India's medal tally to 29 Paris Paralympics: India's flag bearers for closing ceremony

Sharad Kumar Srivatsava, Director General of Indian Railway Institute of Signal Engineering and Telecommunications (Iriset) said the institute had imparted training to a record number of 5,195 personnel by conducting 221 courses this year, with productivity of 74,800 trainee days. The institute has trained 1,014 personnel on ‘Kavach,’ the Indian Railways’ anti-collision system, through 45 programmes. Speaking at the 67 annual day celebrations on Sunday, Srivastava said that Iriset had signed memoranda of understanding with three universities and engineering colleges to offer open electives on railway signalling and kavach for BTech students. Speaking at the event, Dr Radha Krishna Ganti, professor of electrical engineering, IIT Madras, stressed the importance of involving engineering students in railway signalling technologies to enhance capacity. He encouraged the use of AI to modernise training and improve learning outcomes. Arun Kumar Jain, General Manager, South Central Railway, underscored the necessity to upgrade training programmes to build capabilities to design and execute infrastructure works at fast pace to ease out bottlenecks in the train operation. Vijaylaxmi Kaushik, additional member (signal), Railway Board called for skill enhancement to match the capital expenditure on infrastructure. Sameer Dikshit, additional member (telecom), Railway Board, stated the need to find innovative solutions and create an enabling environment for excellence to meet the expectations of the country. A technical magazine, ‘Gyandeep’, was released during the event. The institute has also set up exhibition stalls with products of signalling and telecommunication systems and upcoming developments.St. Petersburg council approves $23M repair to hurricane-ravaged Tropicana Field roof

The Wallabies could yet have code-hopping star Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii in the team to play Ireland in the final match of the UK tour after he was cleared of a broken wrist. Suaalii, who signed the most lucrative contract in Australian rugby history, was left wounded after handing out a big hit on Scottish captain Sione Tuipulotu, the Melbourne-born former junior Wallaby who was inspirational in his team’s 27-13 win that halted Australia’s UK winning streak. Amid serious concerns about Suaalii’s wrist, after he walked from the field in Edinburgh, coach Joe Schmidt tried to downplay fears of a more serious injury and subsequent tests delivered the relieving news. “After making a tackle yesterday Joseph Suaalii lost function and had severe pain in his right arm and was substituted,” a statement from the Wallabies camp said. Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii hurt his wrist against Scotland. Picture: Stu Forster/Getty Images “Since full time and after travelling with the team to Ireland, his function is returning and pain is subsiding. He was medically reviewed post-game and there is no evidence of a fracture and will be monitored throughout the week.” Suaalii’s loss in the opening half in Edinburgh proved pivotal as the Wallabies’ chance of winning the grand slam for the first time since 1984 evaporated. In more positive news, Jeremy Williams also travelled with the side and is recovering positively from illness that ruled him out of the loss to Scotland. Originally published as Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii cleared of broken wrist after tackle against Scotland Rugby Don't miss out on the headlines from Rugby. Followed categories will be added to My News. More related stories Sport ‘Fired up’: Hunt on at Pasifika Youth Cup for new President’s XV rugby talent The hunt is on at the Pasifika Youth Rugby Cup for a slew of special teenagers to fill two President’s XV teams to play in a new girls U16s and U18s event against NSW and Western Force. Read more Wallabies Wallabies legend: ‘One year of AJ was enough for me’ Forty years on, Wallabies legend Mark Ella has revealed why he walked away from the game at the height of his powers. Read moreHemant to take oath as 14th CM today, top INDIA bloc leaders to attend ceremony

David Herndon, the Kansas bank commissioner, told a joint committee of the Kansas Legislature that he continued to have reservations about the banking charter issued to Beneficient Fiduciary Financial LLC of Hesston because the law creating the unique form of banking prevented state regulators from fully reviewing operations of SFF. (Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector) TOPEKA — The Kansas banking commissioner renewed apprehension about regulatory limitations in state law that inhibit thorough examination of the unusual business granted a banking charter by order of the Kansas Legislature. State banking commissioner David Herndon said Kansas law adopted in 2022 provided the charter to Beneficient Fiduciary Financial LLC of Hesston and simultaneously forbid the Kansas Office of State Banking Commissioner from applying international evaluation standards to BFF. The statute blocked the commissioner from rating BFF in terms of capital adequacy, asset quality, management, earnings, liquidity and sensitivity to market risk. Kansas kept state banking regulators from fully examining operations of BFF, Herndon said, despite his belief BFF’s debt instruments should be considered a “substandard asset.” Two recent limited evaluations of BFF by Herdon’s staff remain confidential, he said. In addition, Herndon last week told the Kansas Joint Committee on Fiduciary Financial Institutions that state law failed to meet requirements established by the Federal Bureau of Investigation for background checks of organizers at BFF or any other technology-enabled fiduciary financial institution, or TEFFI, authorized by the state. So far, BFF is the lone TEFFI in Kansas. “Those concerns remain, and in some cases, have deepened,” said Herndon, who had sounded alarms since inception of the TEFFI concept. “It is still impossible to conduct a meaningful safety and soundness examination.” The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission launched an investigation of Beneficient, the Dallas-based parent company of BFF. In July, Beneficient said the SEC closed that inquiry and wouldn’t recommend enforcement action by the SEC. However, Herndon said, financial problems at the parent company could bleed into BFF and other Beneficient subsidiaries. A series of executives associated with Beneficient and BFF offered the bipartisan House and Senate oversight committee a contrary perspective on work to implement a TEFFI law unique to Kansas. The executives said the company had faced challenges, but were bullish on prospects of generating revenue, contributing to economic development in Kansas and serving as a positive example for how business could be conducted under a TEFFI model. The heart of the operation involved Beneficient assisting wealthy individuals and business owners to exchange illiquid assets locked in investment funds for liquid assets such as cash and stock. Beneficient has no interest in the deals on expensive artwork, antique vehicles or wine collections, but has targeted private equity assets that hold value but don’t produce regular cash flow. The Kansas-endorsed business earns fees for work with these alternative assets. Twenty percent of a 2.5% cut in fee revenue must be diverted to the Kansas Department of Commerce for distribution to economic development projects across the state. The remaining 80% of this slice of fee revenue must flow to the Beneficient Heartland Foundation for economic development in Hesston. Brad Heppner, CEO and board chairman of BFF, said constraints in the U.S. economy inhibited mergers and acquisitions that would have contributed to Beneficient’s TEFFI business model. After taking Beneficient public on Nasdaq in 2023, the financial services company’s stock crashed. The 52-week high in Beneficient stock value was $51.14 per share and the 52-week low was less that $1 per share. On Tuesday, it sat at 82 cents per share. Heppner told state lawmakers he was optimistic there would be a surge during the next year or so in U.S. mergers and acquisitions. He said the forecast was based, in part, on promises made by President-elect Donald Trump. “We have turned the corner,” Heppner said. “Finally, after a pretty disastrous previous year.” He said there were no guarantee of a stronger market for alternative asset deals, “but there’s general euphoria.” In April 2022, Heppner predicted as many as 50 companies eager to operate as a TEFFI could open offices in Hesston within two years. None have done so. Rep. Stephen Owens, a Hesston Republican and legislative champion of BFF and Beneficient, said when the TEFFI law was created that it could attract alternative asset businesses to Kansas in the same way the credit card issuing industry boomed in South Dakota. He said two years ago a business-friendly TEFFI model could drive as much as $1 billion over a decade into Kansas. Owens is on the joint legislative oversight committee responsible for monitoring BFF. Democratic Sen. Jeff Pittman of Leavenworth, another member of the committee, said he was concerned the TEFFI concept hadn’t taken off in the way Heppner and Owens predicted in the past. He said members of the Legislature would benefit from testimony by independent experts in the banking industry who might explain what was holding back investment in the TEFFI market. During the joint committee’s recent hearing at the Capitol, testimony came from BFF associates, the state banking commissioner and the state Department of Commerce. Heppner said it was true BFF remained the lone TEFFI in the United States, but he asserted there was interest from two out-of-state groups that might be willing to enter the alternative asset business in Kansas. He didn’t identify those entities. The state banking commissioner said he’d had no inquiries from companies intrigued by Kansas’ first-of-its-kind alternative asset framework. Sen. Michael Fagg, R-El Dorado, praised BFF’s distribution of several million dollars in economic development seed grants through the Department of Commerce. The third round of grants were released by the Department of Commerce in September. Fagg lauded plans to move ahead with revitalization of Main Street in Hesston, including development of a grocery store. That work is funneled through the Beneficient’s foundation. “We wouldn’t have any of this economic development without BFF,” Fagg said. “We’re trying to promote a new idea. I wanted to personally and publicly thank them (BFF) for that.” Former state Sen. Jeff King, an attorney with Crossroads Legal Solutions who represents Benificient and BFF, said the federal SEC investigation of Beneficient came to an end. He said the Beneficient believed it was time for the Legislature to consider how the current regulatory structure had performed and how changes could more effectively attract clients. Alan Dienes, managing director and chief operating office at BFF, urged lawmakers to exempt BFF from certain regulations typical of a bank. He said state law required BFF to complete daily and monthly reports in the manner of a bank, but the TEFFI shouldn’t be treated as such. He said the 2025 Legislature should allow BFF more time to compile quarterly reports and be exempted from lending limits. “We think it’s time to start fine-tuning the statute,” he said. “The world changes a little bit.” BFF executives urged the Legislature to compel the Department of Commerce to launch a marketing campaign to recruit businesses that might make use of a TEFFI charter. BFF president Derek Fletcher said the state’s TEFFI law should be amended during the upcoming session to recognize movement toward digitization of asset ownership. He said the state’s $250,000 application fee for a TEFFI was too high, despite the scheduled lowering of that fee to $100,000 next year. He said the fee was a barrier to entry into the TEFFI business world. If the Legislature took up a TEFFI reform bill, the state banking commissioner said lawmakers should include provisions that would address voluntary or involuntary termination of BFF operations or of any subsequent TEFFI. Beneficient executives previously opposed placement into statute of language that outlined what would happen if a TEFFI was declared insolvent. In the past, Sen. Tom Holland, D-Baldwin City, was unsuccessful in generating interest in legislation that would grant state regulators the authority to suspend Beneficient’s operations. Holland also had sought a state-led inquiry of Beneficient and Beneficient’s former parent company, GWG Holdings. A federal lawsuit alleges GWG Holdings misled investors by selling hundreds of millions of dollars in bonds. GWG Holdings spun off Beneficient in 2022 as the Legislature was engaged in developing a program to create the TEFFI sought by Beneficient.

Qatar tribune Nick Kyrgios has described Jannik Sinner and Iga Swiatek’s positive doping tests as “disgusting” ahead of his return to tennis. The controversial Australian has played only one match in more than two years because of injury but that has not stopped him being an outspoken presence on social media during a difficult few months for the sport. First it was announced in August that Sinner had failed two doping tests in March but was cleared of fault, while in November Swiatek was handed a one-month ban for a failed test caused by contaminated medication. Kyrgios has been particularly vociferous in his criticism of Sinner, who could yet face a ban after the World Anti-Doping Agency appealed the finding of no fault or negligence in his case. At a press conference ahead of the Brisbane International, Kyrgios told reporters: “I have to be outspoken about it because I don’t think there’s enough people that are speaking about it. I think people are trying to sweep it under the rug. I just think that it’s been handled horrifically in our sport. Two world number ones both getting done for doping is disgusting for our sport. It’s a horrible look. The tennis integrity right now - and everyone knows it, but no one wants to speak about it - it’s awful.” Kyrgios initially underwent knee surgery in January 2023. The 29-year-old will make his comeback in Brisbane this week. “It’s good to be back,” said Kyrgios. (PA Media/DPA) Copy 29/12/2024 10NoneNoneOlivia Hussey, star of the 1968 film 'Romeo and Juliet,' dies at 73。

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NoneLONDON — Olivia Hussey, the actor who starred as a teenage Juliet in the 1968 film "Romeo and Juliet," died, her family said on social media Saturday. She was 73. Hussey died Friday "peacefully at home surrounded by her loved ones," a statement posted to her Instagram account said. Hussey was 15 when director Franco Zeffirelli cast her in his adaptation of the William Shakespeare tragedy after spotting her onstage in the play "The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie," which also starred Vanessa Redgrave. "Romeo and Juliet" won two Oscars and Hussey won a Golden Globe for best new actress for her part as Juliet, opposite British actor Leonard Whiting, who was 16 at the time. "Romeo and Juliet" movie director Franco Zeffirelli, left, and actors Olivia Hussey, center, and Leonard Whiting are seen Sept. 25, 1968, in Paris after the Parisian premiere of the film. Decades later Hussey and Whiting brought a lawsuit against Paramount Pictures alleging sexual abuse, sexual harassment and fraud over nude scenes in the film. Listen now and subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify | RSS Feed | SoundStack | All Of Our Podcasts They alleged they were initially told they would wear flesh-colored undergarments in a bedroom scene, but on the day of the shoot Zeffirelli told the pair they would wear only body makeup and the camera would be positioned in a way that would not show nudity. They alleged they were filmed in the nude without their knowledge. The case was dismissed by a Los Angeles County judge in 2023, who found their depiction could not be considered child pornography and the pair filed their claim too late. Leonard Whiting, left, and Olivia Hussey arrive April 26, 2018, at the screening of "The Producers" at the 2018 TCM Classic Film Festival Opening Night at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles. Whiting was among those who paid tribute to Hussey on Saturday. "Rest now my beautiful Juliet no injustices can hurt you now," he wrote. "And the world will remember your beauty inside and out forever." Hussey was born April 17, 1951, in Bueno Aires, Argentina, and moved to London as a child. She studied at the Italia Conti Academy drama school. She also starred as Mary, the mother of Jesus, in the 1977 television series "Jesus of Nazareth," as well as the 1978 adaptation of Agatha Christie's "Death on the Nile" and horror movies "Black Christmas" and "Psycho IV: The Beginning." She is survived by her husband, David Glen Eisley, her three children and a grandson. Photos: Notable deaths in 2024 Andreas Brehme Germany players celebrate after Andreas Brehme, left on ground, scores the winning goal in the World Cup soccer final match against Argentina, in the Olympic Stadium, in Rome, July 8, 1990. Andreas Brehme, who scored the only goal as West Germany beat Argentina to win the 1990 World Cup final, died Feb. 20, 2024. He was 63. AP Photo/Carlo Fumagalli, File Brian Mulroney Brian Mulroney, the former prime minister of Canada, listens during a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on the Canada-U.S.-Mexico relationship, Tuesday, Jan. 30, 2018, on Capitol Hill in Washington. Mulroney died at the age of 84 on Feb. 29, 2024. Jacquelyn Martin The Rev. James Lawson Jr. The Rev. James Lawson Jr. speaks Sept. 17, 2015, in Murfreesboro, Tenn. Lawson Jr., an apostle of nonviolent protest who schooled activists to withstand brutal reactions from white authorities as the Civil Rights Movement gained traction, has died, his family said Monday. He was 95. His family said Lawson died on Sunday after a short illness in Los Angeles, where he spent decades working as a pastor, labor movement organizer and university professor. Lawson was a close adviser to the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., who called him “the leading theorist and strategist of nonviolence in the world.” Lawson met King in 1957, after spending three years in India soaking up knowledge about Mohandas K. Gandhi’s independence movement. King would travel to India himself two years later, but at the time, he had only read about Gandhi in books. Mark Humphrey, Associated Press Jerry West Basketball Hall of Fame inductee Jerry West, representing the 1960 USA Olympic Team, is seen Aug. 13, 2010, during the enshrinement news conference at the Hall of Fame Museum in Springfield, Mass. Jerry West, who was selected to the Basketball Hall of Fame three times in a storied career as a player and executive, and whose silhouette is considered to be the basis of the NBA logo, died June 12, the Los Angeles Clippers announced. He was 86. West, nicknamed “Mr. Clutch” for his late-game exploits as a player, was an NBA champion who went into the Hall of Fame as a player in 1980 and again as a member of the gold medal-winning 1960 U.S. Olympic Team in 2010. He will be enshrined for a third time later this year as a contributor, and NBA Commissioner Adam Silver called West “one of the greatest executives in sports history.” Elise Amendola, Associated Press Ron Simons Actor and director Ron Simons, seen Jan. 23, 2011, during the 2011 Sundance Film Festival, died June 12. Simons turned into a formidable screen and stage producer, winning four Tony Awards and having several films selected at the Sundance Film Festival. He won Tonys for producing “Porgy and Bess,” “A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder,” “Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike,” and “Jitney.” He also co-produced “Hughie,” with Forest Whitaker, “The Gin Game,” starring Cicely Tyson and James Earl Jones, “Ain’t Too Proud: The Life and Times of The Temptations,” an all-Black production of “A Streetcar Named Desire,” the revival of "for colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf" and the original work “Thoughts of a Colored Man.” He was in the films “27 Dresses” and “Mystery Team,” as well as on the small screen in “The Resident,” “Law & Order,” “Law & Order: Criminal Intent” and “Law & Order: SVU.” Victoria Will, Associated Press Bob Schul Bob Schul of West Milton, Ohio, hits the tape Oct. 18, 1964, to win the 5,000 meter run at the Olympic Games in Tokyo. Schul, the only American distance runner to win the 5,000 meters at the Olympics, died June 16. He was 86. His death was announced by Miami University in Ohio, where Schul shined on the track and was inducted into the school’s hall of fame in 1973. Schul predicted gold leading into the 1964 Tokyo Olympics and followed through with his promise. On a rainy day in Japan, he finished the final lap in a blistering 54.8 seconds to sprint to the win. His white shorts were covered in mud at the finish. He was inducted into the USA Track and Field Hall of Fame in 1991. He also helped write a book called “In the Long Run.” Associated Press Willie Mays San Francisco Giants superstar Willie Mays poses for a photo during baseball spring training in 1972. Mays, the electrifying “Say Hey Kid” whose singular combination of talent, drive and exuberance made him one of baseball’s greatest and most beloved players, died June 18. He was 93. The center fielder, who began his professional career in the Negro Leagues in 1948, had been baseball’s oldest living Hall of Famer. He was voted into the Hall in 1979, his first year of eligibility, and in 1999 followed only Babe Ruth on The Sporting News’ list of the game’s top stars. The Giants retired his uniform number, 24, and set their AT&T Park in San Francisco on Willie Mays Plaza. Mays died two days before a game between the Giants and St. Louis Cardinals to honor the Negro Leagues at Rickwood Field in Birmingham, Alabama. Over 23 major league seasons, virtually all with the New York/San Francisco Giants but also including one in the Negro Leagues, Mays batted .301, hit 660 home runs, totaled 3,293 hits, scored more than 2,000 runs and won 12 Gold Gloves. He was Rookie of the Year in 1951, twice was named the Most Valuable Player and finished in the top 10 for the MVP 10 other times. His lightning sprint and over-the-shoulder grab of an apparent extra base hit in the 1954 World Series remains the most celebrated defensive play in baseball history. For millions in the 1950s and ’60s and after, the smiling ballplayer with the friendly, high-pitched voice was a signature athlete and showman during an era when baseball was still the signature pastime. Awarded the Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama in 2015, Mays left his fans with countless memories. But a single feat served to capture his magic — one so untoppable it was simply called “The Catch.” Associated Press Donald Sutherland Actor Donald Sutherland appears Oct. 13, 2017, at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in Beverly Hills, Calif. Sutherland, the Canadian actor whose wry, arrestingly off-kilter screen presence spanned more than half a century of films from “M.A.S.H.” to “The Hunger Games,” died June 20. He was 88. Kiefer Sutherland said on X he believed his father was one of the most important actors in the history of film: “Never daunted by a role, good, bad or ugly. He loved what he did and did what he loved, and one can never ask for more than that.” The tall and gaunt Sutherland, who flashed a grin that could be sweet or diabolical, was known for offbeat characters like Hawkeye Pierce in Robert Altman's "M.A.S.H.," the hippie tank commander in "Kelly's Heroes" and the stoned professor in "Animal House." Before transitioning into a long career as a respected character actor, Sutherland epitomized the unpredictable, antiestablishment cinema of the 1970s. He never stopped working, appearing in nearly 200 films and series. Over the decades, Sutherland showed his range in more buttoned-down — but still eccentric — roles in Robert Redford's "Ordinary People" and Oliver Stone's "JFK." More, recently, he starred in the “Hunger Games” films. A memoir, “Made Up, But Still True,” is due out in November. Chris Pizzello, Associated Press Bill Cobbs Actor Bill Cobbs, a cast member in "Get Low," arrives July 27, 2010, at the premiere of the film in Beverly Hills, Calif. Cobbs, the veteran character actor who became a ubiquitous and sage screen presence as an older man, died June 25. He was 90. A Cleveland native, Cobbs acted in such films as “The Hudsucker Proxy,” “The Bodyguard” and “Night at the Museum.” He made his first big-screen appearance in a fleeting role in 1974's “The Taking of Pelham One Two Three." He became a lifelong actor with some 200 film and TV credits. The lion share of those came in his 50s, 60s, and 70s, as filmmakers and TV producers turned to him again and again to imbue small but pivotal parts with a wizened and worn soulfulness. Cobbs appeared on television shows including “The Sopranos," “The West Wing,” “Sesame Street” and “Good Times.” He was Whitney Houston's manager in “The Bodyguard” (1992), the mystical clock man of the Coen brothers' “The Hudsucker Proxy” (1994) and the doctor of John Sayles' “Sunshine State” (2002). He played the coach in “Air Bud” (1997), the security guard in “Night at the Museum” (2006) and the father on “The Gregory Hines Show." Cobbs rarely got the kinds of major parts that stand out and win awards. Instead, Cobbs was a familiar and memorable everyman who left an impression on audiences, regardless of screen time. He won a Daytime Emmy Award for outstanding limited performance in a daytime program for the series “Dino Dana” in 2020. Chris Pizzello, Associated Press Kinky Friedman Independent gubernatorial candidate Kinky Friedman speaks with the media Nov. 7, 2009, at his campaign headquarters in Austin, Texas. The singer, songwriter, satirist and novelist, who led the alt-country band Texas Jewboys, toured with Bob Dylan, sang with Willie Nelson, and dabbled in politics with campaigns for Texas governor and other statewide offices, died June 27. He was 79 and had suffered from Parkinson's disease. Often called “The Kinkster" and sporting sideburns, a thick mustache and cowboy hat, Friedman earned a cult following and reputation as a provocateur throughout his career across musical and literary genres. In the 1970s, his satirical country band Kinky Friedman and the Texas Jewboys wrote songs with titles such as “They Ain't Makin' Jews Like Jesus Anymore” and “Get Your Biscuits in the Oven and Your Buns in Bed.” Friedman joined part of Bob Dylan's Rolling Thunder Revue tour in 1976. By the 1980s, Friedman was writing crime novels that often included a version of himself, and he wrote a column for Texas Monthly magazine in the 2000s. Friedman's run at politics brought his brand of irreverence to the serious world of public policy. In 2006, Friedman ran for governor as an independent in a five-way race that included incumbent Republican Rick Perry. Friedman launched his campaign against the backdrop of the Alamo. Eric Gay, Associated Press Martin Mull Martin Mull participates in "The Cool Kids" panel during the Fox Television Critics Association Summer Press Tour on Aug. 2, 2018, at The Beverly Hilton hotel in Beverly Hills, Calif. Mull, whose droll, esoteric comedy and acting made him a hip sensation in the 1970s and later a beloved guest star on sitcoms including “Roseanne” and “Arrested Development,” died June 28. He was 80. Mull, who was also a guitarist and painter, came to national fame with a recurring role on the Norman Lear-created satirical soap opera “Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman,” and the starring role in its spinoff, “Fernwood Tonight." His first foray into show business was as a songwriter, penning the 1970 semi-hit “A Girl Named Johnny Cash” for singer Jane Morgan. He would combine music and comedy in an act that he brought to hip Hollywood clubs in the 1970s. Mull often played slightly sleazy, somewhat slimy and often smarmy characters as he did as Teri Garr's boss and Michael Keaton's foe in 1983's “Mr. Mom.” He played Colonel Mustard in the 1985 movie adaptation of the board game “Clue,” which, like many things Mull appeared in, has become a cult classic. The 1980s also brought what many thought was his best work, “A History of White People in America,” a mockumentary that first aired on Cinemax. Mull co-created the show and starred as a “60 Minutes” style investigative reporter investigating all things milquetoast and mundane. Willard was again a co-star. In the 1990s he was best known for his recurring role on several seasons on “Roseanne,” in which he played a warmer, less sleazy boss to the title character, an openly gay man whose partner was played by Willard, who died in 2020. Mull would later play private eye Gene Parmesan on “Arrested Development,” a cult-classic character on a cult-classic show, and would be nominated for an Emmy, his first, in 2016 for a guest run on “Veep.” Willy Sanjuan, Invision Robert Towne Screenwriter Robert Towne poses at The Regency Hotel, March 7, 2006, in New York. Towne, the Oscar-winning screenplay writer of "Shampoo," "The Last Detail" and other acclaimed films whose work on "Chinatown" became a model of the art form and helped define the jaded allure of his native Los Angeles, died Monday, July 1, 2024, surrounded by family at his home in Los Angeles, said publicist Carri McClure. She declined to comment on any cause of death. Jim Cooper - stringer, ASSOCIATED PRESS Vic Seixas Vic Seixas of the United States backhands a volley from Denmark's Jurgen Ulrich in the first round of men's singles match at Wimbledon, England, June 27, 1967. Vic Seixas, a Wimbledon winner and tennis Hall of Famer who was the oldest living Grand Slam champion, has died July 5 at the age of 100. The International Tennis Hall of Fame announced Seixas’ death on Saturday July 6, 2024, based on confirmation from his daughter Tori. AP Photo/File James Inhofe In this June 30, 2020, file photo, Sen. James Inhofe, R-Okla., speaks to reporters following a GOP policy meeting on Capitol Hill in Washington. Former Sen. Jim Inhofe of Oklahoma died July 9. He was 89. The family says in a statement that the Republican had a stroke during the July Fourth holiday and died Tuesday morning. Inhofe was a powerful fixture in state politics for decades. He doubted that climate change was caused by human activity, calling the theory “the greatest hoax ever perpetrated on the American people.” As Oklahoma’s senior U.S. senator, he was a staunch supporter of the state’s military installations. He was elected to a fifth Senate term in 2020 and stepped down in early 2023. Manuel Balce Ceneta Joe Bonsall The Oak Ridge Boys, from left, Joe Bonsall, Richard Sterban, Duane Allen and William Lee Golden hold their awards for Top Vocal Group and Best Album of the Year for "Ya'll Come Back Saloon", during the 14th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards in Los Angeles, Calif., May 3, 1979. Bonsall died on July 9, 2024, from complications of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis in Hendersonville, Tenn. He was 76. A Philadelphia native and resident of Hendersonville, Tennessee, Bonsall joined the Oak Ridge Boys in 1973, which originally formed in the 1940s. He saw the band through its golden period in the '80s and beyond, which included their signature 1981 song “Elvira.” The hit marked a massive crossover moment for the group, reaching No. 1 on the country chart and No. 5 on Billboard’s all-genre Hot 100. The group is also known for such hits as 1982’s “Bobbie Sue." Lennox Mclendon - staff, ASSOCIATED PRESS Shelley Duvall Shelley Duvall poses for photographers at the 30th Cannes Film Festival in France, May 27, 1977. Duvall, whose wide-eyed, winsome presence was a mainstay in the films of Robert Altman and who co-starred in Stanley Kubrick's “The Shining,” died July 11. She was 75. Jean-Jacques Levy - staff, ASSOCIATED PRESS Dr. Ruth Westheimer Dr. Ruth Westheimer holds a copy of her book "Sex for Dummies" at the International Frankfurt Book Fair 'Frankfurter Buchmesse' in Frankfurt, Germany, Thursday, Oct. 11, 2007. Westheimer, the sex therapist who became a pop icon, media star and best-selling author through her frank talk about once-taboo bedroom topics, died on July 12, 2024. She was 96. Bernd Kammerer - stringer, ASSOCIATED PRESS Richard Simmons Richard Simmons sits for a portrait in Los Angeles, June 23, 1982. Simmons, a fitness guru who urged the overweight to exercise and eat better, died July 13 at the age of 76. Simmons was a court jester of physical fitness who built a mini-empire in his trademark tank tops and short shorts by urging the overweight to exercise and eat better. Simmons was a former 268-pound teen who shared his hard-won weight loss tips as the host of the Emmy-winning daytime “Richard Simmons Show" and the “Sweatin' to the Oldies” line of exercise videos, which became a cultural phenomenon. Richard Drew - staff, ASSOCIATED PRESS Jacoby Jones Former NFL receiver Jacoby Jones died July 14 at age 40. Jones' 108-yard kickoff return in 2013 remains the longest touchdown in Super Bowl history. The Houston Texans were Jones’ team for the first five seasons of his career. They announced his death on Sunday. In a statement released by the NFL Players Association, his family said he died at his home in New Orleans. A cause of death was not given. Jones played from 2007-15 for the Texans, Baltimore Ravens, San Diego Chargers and Pittsburgh Steelers. He made several huge plays for the Ravens during their most recent Super Bowl title season, including that kick return. AP File Photo Shannen Doherty The "Beverly Hills, 90210" star whose life and career were roiled by tabloid stories, Shannen Doherty died July 13 at 53. Doherty's publicist said the actor died Saturday following years with breast cancer. Catapulted to fame as Brenda in “Beverly Hills, 90210,” she worked in big-screen films including "Mallrats" and "Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back" and in TV movies including "A Burning Passion: The Margaret Mitchell Story," in which she played the "Gone with the Wind" author. Doherty co-starred with Holly Marie Combs and Alyssa Milano in the series “Charmed” from 1998-2001; appeared in the “90210” sequel series seven years later and competed on “Dancing with the Stars” in 2010. Peter Kramer, Associated Press James Sikking Actor James Sikking poses for a photograph at the Los Angeles gala celebrating the 20th anniversary of the National Organization for Women, Dec. 1, 1986. Sikking, who starred as a hardened police lieutenant on “Hill Street Blues” and as the titular character's kindhearted dad on “Doogie Howser, M.D.,” died July 13 of complications from dementia, his publicist Cynthia Snyder said in a statement. He was 90. Avery - staff, ASSOCIATED PRESS Pat Williams Pat Williams chats with media before the 2004 NBA draft in Orlando, Fla. Williams, a co-founder of the Orlando Magic and someone who spent more than a half-century working within the NBA, died July 17 from complications related to viral pneumonia. The team announced the death Wednesday. Williams was 84. He started his NBA career as business manager of the Philadelphia 76ers in 1968, then had stints as general manager of the Chicago Bulls, the Atlanta Hawks and the 76ers — helping that franchise win a title in 1983. Williams was later involved in starting the process of bringing an NBA team to Orlando. The league’s board of governors granted an expansion franchise in 1987, and the team began play in 1989. AP File Photo Lou Dobbs Lou Dobbs speaks Feb. 24, 2017, at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Oxon Hill, Md. Dobbs, the conservative political pundit and veteran cable TV host who was a founding anchor for CNN and later was a nightly presence on Fox Business Network for more than a decade, died July 18. He was 78. His death was announced in a post on his official X account, which called him a “fighter till the very end – fighting for what mattered to him the most, God, his family and the country.” He hosted “Lou Dobbs Tonight” on Fox from 2011 to 2021, following two separate stints at CNN. No cause of death was given. Alex Brandon, Associated Press Bob Newhart Bob Newhart, center, poses with members of the cast and crew of the "Bob Newhart Show," from top left, Marcia Wallace, Bill Daily, Jack Riley, and, Suzanne Pleshette, foreground left, and Dick Martin at TV Land's 35th anniversary tribute to "The Bob Newhart Show" on Sept. 5, 2007, in Beverly Hills, Calif. Newhart has died at age 94. Jerry Digney, Newhart’s publicist, says the actor died July 18 in Los Angeles after a series of short illnesses. The accountant-turned-comedian gained fame with a smash album and became one of the most popular TV stars of his time. Newhart was a Chicago psychologist in “The Bob Newhart Show” in the 1970s and a Vermont innkeeper on “Newhart” in the 1980s. Both shows featured a low-key Newhart surrounded by eccentric characters. The second had a twist ending in its final show — the whole series was revealed to have been a dream by the psychologist he played in the other show. Mark J. Terrill - staff, ASSOCIATED PRESS Cheng Pei-Pei Cheng Pei-pei, a Chinese-born martial arts film actor who starred in Ang Lee’s “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon,” died July 17 at age 78. Her family says Cheng, who had been diagnosed with a rare illness with symptoms similar to Parkinson’s disease, passed away Wednesday at home surrounded by her loved ones. The Shanghai-born film star became a household name in Hong Kong, once dubbed the Hollywood of the Far East, for her performances in martial arts movies in the 1960s. She played Jade Fox, who uses poisoned needles, in “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon,” which was released in 2000, grossed $128 million in North America and won four Oscars. Chris Pizzello - invision linkable, Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP Abdul 'Duke' Fakir Abdul “Duke” Fakir holds his life time achievement award backstage at the 51st Annual Grammy Awards on Feb. 8, 2009, in Los Angeles. The last surviving original member of the Four Tops died July 22. Abdul “Duke” Fakir was 88. He was a charter member of the Motown group along with lead singer Levi Stubbs, Renaldo “Obie" Benson and Lawrence Payton. Between 1964 and 1967, the Tops had 11 top 20 hits and two No. 1′s: “I Can’t Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch)” and the operatic classic “Reach Out I’ll Be There.” Other songs, often stories of romantic pain and longing, included “Baby I Need Your Loving,” “Standing in the Shadows of Love,” “Bernadette” and “Just Ask the Lonely.” Matt Sayles, Associated Press Bernice Johnson Reagon Sculptress Elizabeth Catlett, left, then-Washington D.C. Mayor Sharon Pratt Dixon, center, and then-curator, division of community life, Smithsonian institution Bernice Johnson Reagon chat during the reception at the Candace awards on June 25, 1991 in New York. Reagon, a musician and scholar who used her rich, powerful contralto voice in the service of the American Civil Rights Movement and human rights struggles around the world, died on July 16, 2024, according to her daughter's social media post. She was 81. Chrystyna Czajkowsky - staff, ASSOCIATED PRESS John Mayall John Mayall, the British blues musician whose influential band the Bluesbreakers was a training ground for Eric Clapton, Mick Fleetwood and many other superstars, died July 22. He was 90. He is credited with helping develop the English take on urban, Chicago-style rhythm and blues that played an important role in the blues revival of the late 1960s. A statement on Mayall's official Instagram page says he died Monday at his home in California. Though Mayall never approached the fame of some of his illustrious alumni, he was still performing in his late 80s, pounding out his version of Chicago blues. Sandro Campardo - foreign subscriber, ASSOCIATED PRESS Erica Ash Erica Ash, an actor and comedian skilled in sketch comedy who starred in the parody series “Mad TV” and “Real Husbands of Hollywood,” has died. She was 46. Her publicist and a statement by her mother, Diann, says Ash died July 28 in Los Angeles of cancer. Ash impersonated Michelle Obama and Condoleeza Rice on “Mad TV,” a Fox sketch series, and was a key performer on the Rosie O’Donnell-created series “The Big Gay Sketch Show.” Her other credits included “Scary Movie V,” “Uncle Drew” and the LeBron James-produced basketball dramedy “Survivor’s Remorse.” On the BET series “Real Husbands of Hollywood,” Ash played the ex-wife of Kevin Hart’s character. Richard Shotwell - invision linkable, Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP Jack Russell Jack Russell, the lead singer of the bluesy '80s metal band Great White whose hits included “Once Bitten Twice Shy” and “Rock Me” and was fronting his band the night 100 people died in a 2003 nightclub fire in Rhode Island, died Wednesday, Aug. 7, 2024. He was 63. AP Photo/Jill Connelly, file Chi Chi Rodriguez Juan “Chi Chi” Rodriguez, a Hall of Fame golfer whose antics on the greens and inspiring life story made him among the sport’s most popular players during a long professional career, died Thursday, Aug. 8, 2024. AP Photo/Steven Senne, File Susan Wojcicki Susan Wojcicki, the former YouTube chief executive officer and longtime Google executive, died Friday, Aug. 9, 2024, after suffering with non small cell lung cancer for the past two years. She was 56. AP Photo/Markus Schreiber Frank Selvy Frank Selvy, an All-America guard at Furman who scored an NCAA Division I-record 100 points in a game and later played nine NBA seasons, died Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2024. He was 91. AP Photo/Mary Ann Chastain, File Wally Amos Wallace “Wally” Amos, the creator of the cookie empire that took his name and made it famous and who went on to become a children’s literacy advocate, died Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2024, from complications with dementia. He was 88. AP Photo/Lucy Pemoni, File Gena Rowlands Gena Rowlands, hailed as one of the greatest actors to ever practice the craft and a guiding light in independent cinema as a star in groundbreaking movies by her director husband, John Cassavetes, and who later charmed audiences in her son's tear-jerker “The Notebook,” died Wednesday, Aug. 14, 2024. She was 94. Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP, File Peter Marshall Peter Marshall, the actor and singer turned game show host who played straight man to the stars for 16 years on “The Hollywood Squares,” died. Thursday, Aug. 15, 2024 He was 98. Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP, File Alain Delon Alain Delon, the internationally acclaimed French actor who embodied both the bad guy and the policeman and made hearts throb around the world, died Sunday, Aug. 18, 2024. He was 88. Arthur Mola/Invision/AP, File Phil Donahue Phil Donahue, whose pioneering daytime talk show launched an indelible television genre that brought success to Oprah Winfrey, Montel Williams, Ellen DeGeneres and many others, died Sunday, Aug. 18, 2024, after a long illness. He was 88. AP Photo/Mark Lennihan, File Al Attles Al Attles, a Hall of Famer who coached the 1975 NBA champion Warriors and spent more than six decades with the organization as a player, general manager and most recently team ambassador, died Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2024. He was 87. AP Photo/Ben Margot, File John Amos John Amos, who starred as the family patriarch on the hit 1970s sitcom “Good Times” and earned an Emmy nomination for his role in the seminal 1977 miniseries “Roots,” died Wednesday, Aug. 21, 2024. He was 84. Amy Sussman/Invision/AP, File James Darren James Darren, a teen idol who helped ignite the 1960s surfing craze as a charismatic beach boy paired off with Sandra Dee in the hit film “Gidget,” died Monday, Sept. 2, 2024. He was 88. AP Photo, File James Earl Jones James Earl Jones, who overcame racial prejudice and a severe stutter to become a celebrated icon of stage and screen has died. He was 93. His agent, Barry McPherson, confirmed Jones died Sept. 9 at home. Jones was a pioneering actor who eventually lent his deep, commanding voice to CNN, “The Lion King” and Darth Vader. Working deep into his 80s, he won two Emmys, a Golden Globe, two Tony Awards, a Grammy, the National Medal of Arts, the Kennedy Center Honors and was given an honorary Oscar and a special Tony for lifetime achievement. In 2022, a Broadway theater was renamed in his honor. Michael Zorn - invision linkable, Michael Zorn/Invision/AP Frankie Beverly Frankie Beverly, who with his band Maze inspired generations of fans with his smooth, soulful voice and lasting anthems including “Before I Let Go,” has died. He was 77. His family said in a post on the band’s website and social media accounts that Beverly died Sept. 10. In the post, which asked for privacy, the family said “he lived his life with a pure soul, as one would say, and for us, no one did it better.” The post did not say his cause of death or where he died. Beverly, whose songs include “Joy and Pain,” “Love is the Key,” and “Southern Girl,” finished his farewell “I Wanna Thank You Tour” in his hometown of Philadelphia in July. Patrick Semansky - freelancer, ASSOCIATED PRESS Joe Schmidt Joe Schmidt, the Hall of Fame linebacker who helped the Detroit Lions win NFL championships in 1953 and 1957 and later coached the team, has died. He was 92. The Lions said family informed the team Schmidt died Sept. 11. A cause of death was not provided. One of pro football’s first great middle linebackers, Schmidt played his entire NFL career with the Lions from 1953-65. An eight-time All-Pro, he was enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1973 and the college football version in 2000. Born in Pittsburgh, Schmidt played college football in his hometown at Pitt. Jose Juarez, AP File Chad McQueen Chad McQueen, an actor known for his performances in the “Karate Kid” movies and the son of the late actor and racer Steve McQueen, died Sep. 11. His lawyer confirmed his death at age 63. McQueen's family shared a statement on social media saying he lived a life “filled with love and dedication.” McQueen was a professional race car driver, like his father, and competed in the famed 24 Hours of Le Mans and the 24 Hours of Daytona races. He is survived by his wife Jeanie and three children, Chase, Madison and Steven, who is an actor best known for “The Vampire Diaries.” Lionel Cironneau - stringer, ASSOCIATED PRESS Tito Jackson Tito Jackson, one of the brothers who made up the beloved pop group the Jackson 5, died at age 70 on Sept. 15. Jackson was the third of nine children, including global superstars Michael and Janet. The Jackson 5 included brothers Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, Marlon and Michael. They signed with Berry Gordy’s Motown empire in the 1960s. The group was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1997 and produced several No. 1 hits in the 1970s, including “ABC,” “I Want You Back” and “I’ll Be There.” Mark Von Holden, Associated Press JD Souther John David “JD” Souther has died. He was a prolific songwriter and musician whose collaborations with the Eagles and Linda Ronstadt helped shape the country-rock sound that took root in Southern California in the 1970s. Souther joined in on some of the Eagles’ biggest hits, such as “Best of My Love,” “New Kid in Town,” and “Heartache Tonight." The Songwriters Hall of Fame inductee also collaborated with James Taylor, Bob Seger, Bonnie Raitt and many more. His biggest hit as a solo artist was “You’re Only Lonely.” He was about to tour with Karla Bonoff. Souther died Sept. 17 at his home in New Mexico, at 78. In this photo, JD Souther and Alison Krauss attend the Songwriters Hall of Fame 44th annual induction and awards gala on Thursday, June 13, 2013 in New York. Charles Sykes - invision linkable, Charles Sykes/Invision/AP Dan Evans Sen. Dan Evans stands with his three sons, from left, Mark, Bruce and Dan Jr., after he won the election for Washington's senate seat in Seattle, Nov. 8, 1983. Evans, a former Washington state governor and a U.S. Senator, died Sept. 20. The popular Republican was 98. He served as governor from 1965 to 1977, and he was the keynote speaker at the 1968 National Republican Convention. In 1983, Evans was appointed to served out the term of Democratic Sen. Henry “Scoop” Jackson after he died in office. Evans opted not to stand for election in 1988, citing the “tediousness" of the Senate. He later served as a regent at the University of Washington, where the Daniel J. Evans School of Public Policy and Governance bears his name. Barry Sweet - staff, ASSOCIATED PRESS Mercury Morris Eugene “Mercury” Morris, who starred for the unbeaten 1972 Miami Dolphins as part of a star-studded backfield and helped the team win two Super Bowl titles, died Sept. 21. He was 77. The team on Sunday confirmed the death of Morris, a three-time Pro Bowl selection. In a statement, his family said his “talent and passion left an indelible mark on the sport.” Morris was the starting halfback and one of three go-to runners that Dolphins coach Don Shula utilized in Miami’s back-to-back title seasons of 1972 and 1973, alongside Pro Football Hall of Famer Larry Csonka and Jim Kiick. Morris led the Dolphins in rushing touchdowns in both of those seasons. Charles Rex Arbogast, AP File John Ashton John Ashton, the veteran character actor who memorably played the gruff but lovable police detective John Taggart in the “Beverly Hills Cop” films, died Thursday, Sept. 26, 2024. He was 76. Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP, file Maggie Smith Maggie Smith, who won an Oscar for 1969 film “The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie” and won new fans in the 21st century as the dowager Countess of Grantham in “Downton Abbey” and Professor Minerva McGonagall in the Harry Potter films, died Sept. 27 at 89. Smith's publicist announced the news Friday. She was frequently rated the preeminent British female performer of a generation that included Vanessa Redgrave and Judi Dench. “Jean Brodie” brought her the Academy Award for best actress in 1969. Smith added a supporting actress Oscar for “California Suite” in 1978. Reed Saxon, Associated Press Kris Kristofferson Kris Kristofferson, a Rhodes scholar with a deft writing style and rough charisma who became a country music superstar and an A-list Hollywood actor, died Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024. He was 88. Owen Sweeney/Invision/AP, File Drake Hogestyn Drake Hogestyn, the “Days of Our Lives” star who appeared on the show for 38 years, died Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024. He was 70. AP Photo/Lionel Cironneau, File Ron Ely Ron Ely, the tall, musclebound actor who played the title character in the 1960s NBC series “Tarzan,” died Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024, at age 86. AP Photo/Reed Saxon, File Dikembe Mutombo Dikembe Mutombo, a Basketball Hall of Famer who was one of the best defensive players in NBA history and a longtime global ambassador for the game, died Monday, Sept. 30, 2024, from brain cancer, the league announced. He was 58. AP Photo/David Zalubowski, File Frank Fritz Frank Fritz, left, part of a two-man team who drove around the U.S. looking for antiques and collectibles to buy and resell on the reality show “American Pickers,” died Monday, Sept. 30, 2024. He was 60.He's shown here with co-host Mike Wolfe at the A+E Networks 2015 Upfront in New York on April 30, 2015. Andy Kropa/Invision/AP, File Pete Rose Pete Rose, baseball’s career hits leader and fallen idol who undermined his historic achievements and Hall of Fame dreams by gambling on the game he loved and once embodied, died Monday, Sept. 30, 2024. He was 83. AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File Cissy Houston Cissy Houston, the mother of Whitney Houston and a two-time Grammy winner who performed alongside superstar musicians like Elvis Presley and Aretha Franklin, died Monday, Oct. 7, 2024, in her New Jersey home. She was 91. Charles Sykes/Invision/AP, File Ethel Kennedy Ethel Kennedy, the wife of Sen. Robert F. Kennedy, who raised their 11 children after he was assassinated and remained dedicated to social causes and the family’s legacy for decades thereafter, died on Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024, her family said. She was 96. AP Photo/Henry Burroughs, File Liam Payne Former One Direction singer Liam Payne, 31, whose chart-topping British boy band generated a global following of swooning fans, was found dead Wednesday, Oct. 16, 2024, after falling from a hotel balcony in Buenos Aires, local officials said. He was 31. Rich Fury/Invision/AP, File Mitzi Gaynor Mitzi Gaynor, among the last survivors of the so-called golden age of the Hollywood musical, died of natural causes in Los Angeles on Thursday, Oct. 17, 2024. She was 93. Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP, File Fernando Valenzuela Fernando Valenzuela, the Mexican-born phenom for the Los Angeles Dodgers who inspired “Fernandomania” while winning the NL Cy Young Award and Rookie of the Year in 1981, died Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2024. He was 63. AP Photo/Abbie Parr, File Jack Jones Jack Jones, a Grammy-winning crooner known for “The Love Boat” television show theme song, died, Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2024. He was 86. AP Photo/Reed Saxon, File Phil Lesh Phil Lesh, a founding member of the Grateful Dead, died Friday, Oct. 25, 2024, at age 84. AP Photo/Morry Gash, File Teri Garr Teri Garr, the quirky comedy actor who rose from background dancer in Elvis Presley movies to co-star of such favorites as "Young Frankenstein" and "Tootsie," died Tuesday, Oct 29, 2024. She was 79. AP Photo/Mark Terrill, File Quincy Jones Quincy Jones, the multitalented music titan whose vast legacy ranged from producing Michael Jackson’s historic “Thriller” album to writing prize-winning film and television scores and collaborating with Frank Sinatra, Ray Charles and hundreds of other recording artists, died Sunday, Nov 3, 2024. He was 91 Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP, File Bobby Allison Bobby Allison, founder of racing’s “Alabama Gang” and a NASCAR Hall of Famer, died Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024. He was 86. AP Photo/File Song Jae-lim Song Jae-lim, a South Korean actor known for his roles in K-dramas “Moon Embracing the Sun” and “Queen Woo,” was found dead at his home in capital Seoul, Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2024. He was 39. Jo Soo-jung/Newsis via AP Timothy West British actor Timothy West, who played the classic Shakespeare roles of King Lear and Macbeth and who in recent years along with his wife, Prunella Scales, enchanted millions of people with their boating exploits on Britain's waterways, died Tuesday, Nov 12, 2024. He was 90. Gareth Fuller/PA via AP Bela Karolyi Bela Karolyi, the charismatic if polarizing gymnastics coach who turned young women into champions and the United States into an international power in the sport, died Friday, Nov. 15, 2024. He was 82. AP Photo/Susan Ragan, File Arthur Frommer Arthur Frommer, whose "Europe on 5 Dollars a Day" guidebooks revolutionized leisure travel by convincing average Americans to take budget vacations abroad, died Monday, Nov. 18, 2024. He was 95. AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File) Bob Love Former Chicago Bulls forward Bob Love, a three-time All-Star who spent 11 years in the NBA, died Monday, Nov. 18, 2024. He was 81. AP Photo/Fred Jewell, File Chuck Woolery Chuck Woolery, the affable, smooth-talking game show host of “Wheel of Fortune,” “Love Connection” and “Scrabble” who later became a right-wing podcaster, skewering liberals and accusing the government of lying about COVID-19, died Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024. He was 83. Ronda Churchill/Las Vegas Review-Journal via AP, File Barbara Taylor Bradford Barbara Taylor Bradford, a British journalist who became a publishing sensation in her 40s with the saga "A Woman of Substance" and wrote more than a dozen other novels that sold tens of millions of copies, died Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024. She was 91. Caroll Taveras/Bradford Enterprises via AP Rickey Henderson Hall of Famer Rickey Henderson, the brash speedster who shattered stolen base records and redefined baseball's leadoff position, died Friday, Dec. 20, 2024. He was 65. AP Photo/Jeff Chiu, File Will these predictions come true in 2025? | The Ethical Life podcast Greg Gumbel Greg Gumbel, left, watches as then-Connecticut head coach Jim Calhoun talks to Butler head coach Brad Stevens, right, prior to taping a television interview April 3, 2011, for that year's men's NCAA Final Four college basketball championship game in Houston. Gumbel's family announced Dec. 27 that the longtime CBS sportscaster died from cancer at the age of 78. Eric Gay, Associated Press Obituaries Newsletter

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VOTERS IN DUBLIN Mid-West might think they’re seeing double when they open their ballot paper on 29 November. Two candidates with the same name – and similar taste in snazzy spectacles – are standing in the five-seat constituency. There’s Sinn Féin’s high profile housing spokesman Eoin Ó Broin – and there’s Independent-turned-Social Democrats councillor for Clondalkin Eoin Ó Broin. Sinn Féin’s Ó Broin, on his second canvas of the day at teatime on Tuesday in freezing conditions, is taking no chances: every prospective Sinn Féin voter is warned about the Other Eoin. “Don’t forget, there will be a second Eoin Ó Broin on the ballot,” he explains to one older voter in an estate on the outskirts of Clondalkin village. “Is he with...?” the woman trails off, seemingly confused. “He’s with the Social Democrats. The way it will be on the ballot, my name will be first with my face and the logo. Just follow the face and the logo.” The two men know each other. They both live in this area – they’ve even received each other’s post. Sinn Féin’s Ó Broin first became aware of his fellow Eoin 20 years ago when, at a conference in Canada, the person introducing him included details in his potted biography seemingly found online in relation to another Eoin Ó Broin, then president of the University of Limerick students’ union. The two met a couple of years later, when Ó Broin (of Sinn Féin) joined a Shell to Sea protest, alighting a bus in Ballinaboy to see “this fella looking at me”. “And I’m look at him, and I’m going: ‘Are you Eoin Ó Broin?’ And he goes: ‘Are you Eoin Ó Broin’? So we had a big chat.” The Social Democrats’ Eoin is a fluent Irish speaker, having attended Irish-medium schools in Clondalkin; there is a large Irish-speaking community in the area, associated with the longstanding Áras Chrónáin cultural centre. Sinn Féin’s Eoin doesn’t speak Irish, but the Irish language surname is on his birth cert; his father attended a Gaelscoil. A few streets away, earlier that day, the Soc Dems’ Eoin Ó Broin doesn’t let the freezing rain stop him from going door to door. Like his fellow Eoin, he’s out twice a day as the election approaches. His biggest pitch to voters, apart from his own track record as a councillor (he got the council to fix a footpath in this particular estate), is his party’s commitment to – the plan to reform healthcare to end the current two-tier system, a policy with which Social Democrats founder Róisín Shortall has been particularly associated. He believes small parties need to be strategic, and the Social Democrats can position themselves as authoritatively on universal access to healthcare as his namesake has managed to do on housing. He adds that he believes Sláintecare would be “transformative” not only for healthcare but for citizens’ relationship with society and the state in Ireland. “I’ve seen a one-tier health system in Sweden, when I lived there. I didn’t need health insurance, and a trip to the doctor was a tenner,” the Soc Dems’ Ó Broin says. “It gives everybody a sense that they’re getting something back. They don’t have this unfortunate bitterness which exists [among] those who are above thresholds.” He believes the Irish system of means-tested thresholds for medical cards is a “Victorian charity” approach, whereas universal access would be “a game changer we need in Ireland for people to feel that we’re all in this together.” The Soc Dems’ Ó Broin completed a PhD in energy systems modelling in Sweden, before undertaking postdoctoral research in France. With his background in environmental science, he was a member of the Green movement when he lived in Sweden, but he believes the Green Party do not sufficiently prioritise housing and workers’ rights. In the estate he’s canvassing today, he meets some voters who say he’ll get their number one, and a few undecideds. Do people bring up the name much? “Yeah. Some people say, ‘this will be fun’. Some people say, ‘that’s confusing, you should change your name’.” He is not impressed by this suggestion. “You know, you don’t just change your name. I grew up in Clondalkin, I went to the all-Irish school here, so because I grew up here and it is my name, why should I change?” the Soc Dems candidate says. (Although Sinn Féin’s Eoin Ó Broin has been living in Clondalkin for many years with his partner, Sinn Féin MEP Lynn Boylan, he is originally from Cabinteely and went to school in Blackrock. A blow-in Ó Broin, if you will.) Housing, waiting times for healthcare and access to supports for those with disabilities and additional needs are among the top issues that come up on the doorsteps in Clondalkin. Access to school places is also a big issue in this area, where public services do not seem to have kept pace with population growth. Both Eoin Ó Broins say the heat has somewhat gone out of the issue of immigration, relative to the local elections in June; this mirrors what heard However, immigration is definitely still on the agenda, and it’s raised a few times with Sinn Féin’s Ó Broin. He pushes back hard against the idea that immigrants are being prioritised on the housing list, as one Sinn Féin voter alleges, telling the man that that “every single one of those families” waited on the list for the same length of time as Irish families. “The only people who get council houses are people who have a legal right to reside and work with the state,” he says. However at another house (also voting Sinn Féin) he criticises the government for not consulting with the local community on a nearby accommodation centre for people seeking international protection. He tells a couple who say they’re concerned about the safety of women in the area that “a lot of concerns that you have, which are genuine concerns, can be addressed” through immigration being “properly managed”. “It’s the fear of not knowing what’s going on in your own community, and that’s why, for me, community engagement and consultation is key, right? People are gonna come, right? You can’t stop people coming, but what you have to make sure is when people arrive to claim international protection, there’s a proper process,” Ó Broin tells them. It is understood there have not been any incidents affecting the safety of local residents involving residents of this accommodation centre. Sinn Féin’s immigration manifesto, launched last week, promises to take the provision of accommodation for international protection applicants into complete state control, and pledges that new purpose built centres will not be located in deprived communities. Sinn Féin’s Ó Broin explains that to protect “community cohesion”, good quality accommodation has to provided in communities that “have capacity”, not in those that have been marginalised, and which are struggling already with a lack of basic infrastructure. He says these areas are identifiable using the produced by Pobal, the state’s social inclusion agency. By that metric, would areas in this constituency be suitable for new centres – in, say, Lucan, much of which is classified as “affluent” or “very affluent” by Pobal? Ó Broin seems to accept this could indeed by the case, telling that “the definition of ‘deprived’ is objective, and it has to be”, and adding that “large parts of Dublin city” would be deemed suitable for new centres under Sinn Féin’s plan. However, he adds that Sinn Féin would additionally require audits of local services to check whether there are enough school places and GP places before new accommodation for international protection applicants is approved. It sounds like you could rule out almost every area of Dublin with those additional criteria? “No, I don’t believe that,” Ó Broin says, reiteriating that he “absolutely” believes there are areas of Dublin that would right now be suitable for new asylum accommodation. He adds that while he advocates for more community consultation, he does not believe anyone should get a “veto” in the same way that nobody gets to veto Irish people moving into their area. “It’s about respect. It’s about engagement. It’s about talking to people, letting people know what the plan is,” he says. Sinn Féin wants to lead Ireland’s first left-wing government after the election, so if it gets enough seats there’s no doubt Social Democrats leader Holly Cairns will be getting a call from her counterpart, Mary Lou McDonald. For her part, Cairns has indicated she hasn’t ruled out taking that call and talking to Sinn Féin. What do the two Eoin Ó Broins think are the biggest points of difference between their parties? Sinn Féin’s Ó Broin says: “Sinn Fein is the only political party that can lead an alternative government of change. So if people want a change of government, they really need to think wisely as to where they give that vote.” He adds that there are “significant policy differences” between the two parties; the examples he gives are USC (Sinn Féin wants to reduce this tax and the Social Democrats don’t) and the fact that a united Ireland is a “key part of [Sinn Féin's] agenda”. He acknowledges that on healthcare and childcare the two parties’ policies “chime”, but claims Sinn Féin’s housing and other policies are more comprehensive. The other Eoin Ó Broin says the Social Democrats are a “coherent, centre-left party in an international left-wing tradition, whereas Sinn Féin struggle to define where they are politically”. “Migration is a good example,” he says, instancing Sinn Féin’s election literature ahead of the June local elections, which stated that the party was opposed to open borders. “That’s rhetoric borrowed from the United States. The EU has open borders by default. There’s an open border with Northern Ireland that they fought very hard to keep. So it’s that kind of inconsistency, I would say, which differentiates us,” the Social Democrats’ Ó Broin says. He adds that he believes it to be “disingenuous to people” for Sinn Féin “put it out there that we can have a society without property taxes or carbon taxes”. “We’re solid that we want healthcare, education, childcare, elderly care, to be available free at the point of use and paid for by tax, and we’re strong on the environment as well,” he adds. in this election, so Sinn Féin will be hoping it can once again return two TDs, Ó Broin and Mark Ward. Fine Gael TD Emer Higgins will also try to bring in a running mate, while Fianna Fáil, which lost its seat in 2020, is also running two candidates. People Before Profit TD Gino Kenny is running again. The Social Democrats aren’t the only party to have poached an Independent councillor – Labour has nabbed Clondalkin’s longstanding council poll-topper, Francis Timmons. Independent councillor and former Green Party TD Paul Gogarty, who topped the poll in the June elections in Lucan, could benefit from the fact that the incumbent TDs skew to the Clondalkin end of the constituency, while Independent Ireland councillor Linda de Courcey is running on an immigration platform. There are also candidates from the Greens and Aontú, as well as the anti-EU Irish Freedom Party and anti-immigration Irish People Party, along with other Independents.

Iowa followed its lowest-scoring game of the season with a 110-point eruption the next time out. The Hawkeyes will be one week removed from that scorching effort when they host Northwestern in Tuesday's Big Ten opener in Iowa City, but rust won't be the only roadblock for a potential repeat showing. Iowa (6-1) also is bracing for stiffer competition in conference play while navigating an injury to Seydou Traore. The reserve forward suffered a sprained ankle midway through the first half of a 110-77 home rout of South Carolina Upstate on Nov. 26. Also missing frontcourt contributors Even Brauns and Cooper Koch, the Hawkeyes still flexed their resilience and depth. Brock Harding notched a double-double of 20 points and 10 rebounds and Owen Freeman netted 17 points as five Iowa players scored in double figures. "Coming off a loss, going into Thanksgiving break here, we've got a couple days off coming, it'd be easy to kinda (think), ‘All right, let's relax for this one, guys sit out,'" Harding said. "But I think we really locked in." Northwestern (6-2) overcame 40.8 percent shooting to defeat UNLV 66-61 in the third-place game of the Arizona Tip-Off on Friday in Tempe, Ariz. Brooks Barnhizer, a preseason All-Big Ten pick who was sidelined by a foot injury during the Wildcats' first four games, had team highs of 23 points, nine rebounds and six assists. He has scored at least 20 points in three of four games. Northwestern limited UNLV to a 42.1 percent effort from the floor. Matthew Nicholson propelled the defense with two of the Wildcats' seven steals to go with two blocks. "We're a defensive-minded team and, you know, our identity is just getting stops," Barnhizer said. "Everything else will take care of itself. So, the older guys were trying to come out here and do that tonight and I think we did a pretty good job of it." Strong ‘D' helped Northwestern's ball movement, too, as the Wildcats assisted on 15 of 20 made field goals. Northwestern went 8-for-18 (44.4 percent) from long range to improve to 3-0 this season when connecting on 40 percent of its 3-point shots or better. --Field Level MediaHowever, some state workers failed to return to their jobs and a United Nations official said the country’s public sector had come “to a complete and abrupt halt”. Meanwhile, streams of refugees crossed back into Syria from neighbouring countries, hoping for a more peaceful future and looking for relatives who disappeared during Mr Assad’s brutal rule. There were already signs of the difficulties ahead for the rebel alliance now in control of much of the country. The alliance is led by a former senior al-Qaida militant, who severed ties with the extremist group years ago and has promised representative government and religious tolerance. The rebel command said they would not tell women how to dress. “It is strictly forbidden to interfere with women’s dress or impose any request related to their clothing or appearance, including requests for modesty,” the command said in a statement on social media. Nearly two days after rebels entered the capital, some key government services had shut down after state workers ignored calls to go back to their jobs, the UN official said, causing issues at airports and borders and slowing the flow of humanitarian aid. Rebel leader Ahmad al-Sharaa, who was known by his nom de guerre Abu Mohammed al-Golani, also met with Prime Minister Mohammad Ghazi Jalali for the first time. Mr Jalali stayed in Syria when Mr Assad fled and has sought to project normalcy since. “We are working so that the transitional period is quick and smooth,” he told Sky News Arabia TV on Monday, saying the security situation had already improved from the day before. At the court of Justice in Damascus, which was stormed by the rebels to free detainees, Judge Khitam Haddad, an aide to the justice minister in the outgoing government, said that judges were ready to resume work quickly. “We want to give everyone their rights,” Mr Haddad said outside the courthouse. “We want to build a new Syria and to keep the work, but with new methods.” But a UN official said some government services had been paralysed as worried state employees stayed at home. The public sector “has just come to a complete and abrupt halt,” said Adam Abdelmoula, UN resident and humanitarian co-ordinator for Syria, noting, for example, that an aid flight carrying urgently needed medical supplies had been put on hold after aviation employees abandoned their jobs. “This is a country that has had one government for 53 years and then suddenly all of those who have been demonised by the public media are now in charge in the nation’s capital,” Mr Abdelmoula told The Associated Press. “I think it will take a couple of days and a lot of assurance on the part of the armed groups for these people to return to work again.” In a video shared on a rebel messaging channel, Mr al-Sharaa said: “You will see there are skills” among the rebels. The Kremlin said Russia has granted political asylum to Mr Assad, a decision made by President Vladimir Putin. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov declined to comment on Mr Assad’s specific whereabouts and said Mr Putin did not plan to meet with him. Damascus was quiet Monday, with life slowly returning to normal, though most shops and public institutions were closed. In public squares, some people were still celebrating. Civilian traffic resumed, but there was no public transport. Long lines formed in front of bakeries and other food stores. There was little sign of any security presence though in some areas, small groups of armed men were stationed in the streets.

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A Connecticut couple has been charged in Minnesota with being part of a shoplifting ring suspected of stealing around $1 million in goods across the country from the upscale athletic wear retailer Lululemon. Jadion Anthony Richards, 44, and Akwele Nickeisha Lawes-Richards, 45, both of Danbury, Connecticut, were charged this month with one felony count of organized retail theft. Both went free last week after posting bail bonds of $100,000 for him and $30,000 for her, court records show. They're due back in Ramsey County District Court in St. Paul on Dec. 16. According to the criminal complaints, a Lululemon investigator had been tracking the pair even before police first confronted them on Nov. 14 at a store in suburban Roseville. The investigator told police the couple were responsible for hundreds of thousands of dollars in losses across the country, the complaints said. They would steal items and make fraudulent returns, it said. Police found suitcases containing more than $50,000 worth of Lululemon clothing when they searched the couple's hotel room in Bloomington, the complaint said. According to the investigator, they were also suspected in thefts from Lululemon stores in Colorado, Utah, New York and Connecticut, the complaint said. Within Minnesota, they were also accused of thefts at stores in Minneapolis and the suburbs of Woodbury, Edina and Minnetonka. The investigator said the two were part of a group that would usually travel to a city and hit Lululemon stores there for two days, return to the East Coast to exchange the items without receipts for new items, take back the new items with the return receipts for credit card refunds, then head back out to commit more thefts, the complaint said. In at least some of the thefts, it said, Richards would enter the store first and buy one or two cheap items. He'd then return to the sales floor where, with help from Lawes-Richards, they would remove a security sensor from another item and put it on one of the items he had just purchased. Lawes-Richards and another woman would then conceal leggings under their clothing. They would then leave together. When the security sensors at the door went off, he would offer staff the bag with the items he had bought, while the women would keep walking out, fooling the staff into thinking it was his sensor that had set off the alarm, the complaint said. Richards' attorney declined comment. Lawes-Richards' public defender did not immediately return a call seeking comment Monday. “This outcome continues to underscore our ongoing collaboration with law enforcement and our investments in advanced technology, team training and investigative capabilities to combat retail crime and hold offenders accountable,” Tristen Shields, Lululemon's vice president of asset protection, said in a statement. "We remain dedicated to continuing these efforts to address and prevent this industrywide issue.” The two are being prosecuted under a state law enacted last year that seeks to crack down on organized retail theft. One of its chief authors, Sen. Ron Latz, of St. Louis Park, said 34 states already had organized retail crime laws on their books. “I am glad to see it is working as intended to bring down criminal operations," Latz said in a statement. "This type of theft harms retailers in myriad ways, including lost economic activity, job loss, and threats to worker safety when crime goes unaddressed. It also harms consumers through rising costs and compromised products being resold online.” Two Minnesota women were also charged under the new law in August. They were accused of targeting a Lululemon store in Minneapolis.

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TORONTO - The Winnipeg Jets had payback on their minds and top spot in the National Hockey League in their final game before the holiday break. The Jets made good on both accounts with a 5-2 win against the Toronto Maple Leafs before 18,923 at Scotiabank Arena on Monday. The win avenged a 6-4 home loss to Toronto on Oct. 28, that halted the Jets’ eight-game win streak to begin the season. It also pushed the Jets into first overall. “They don’t hand out awards at Christmas, but obviously, we’re happy,” said Jets centre Mark Scheifele, who enjoyed a three-goal, four-point outing. “It’s good to get a couple of days off, get recharged and get going for the next half of the season.” Surprisingly, the Jets (25-10-1) are only one point ahead of the 36-game pace of 23-9-4 set a year ago. “We’ve been good from top to bottom and we need everybody in this group,” said Kyle O’Connor, who scored the Jets first two goals and helped set up Scheifele for his first of three third-period goals. “I just think our ability to roll over lines and be hungry, and not to be satisfied with anything. We also have taken a day-to-day approach, learning what we can improve on from wins and losses and implementing the adjustments.” Besides defeating the Maple Leafs after what transpired in late October, Scheifele had extra motivation after being left off Canada’s roster for the 4 Nations Face-Off in February. In the 10 games since Canada’s roster was announced, Scheifele has eight goals and 15 points. “You’re disappointed, but at the end of the day, you just want to play well for your group of guys,” Scheifele said. “There’s always a bit of motivation you can draw from in every game. But it’s just a matter of playing good for the Winnipeg Jets and controlling what I can control.” He also enjoys playing in Toronto, an hour from his hometown of Kitchener. “I love coming to Toronto to have the opportunity to play in front of a lot of friends and family,” Scheifele said. “Being so close to home, I get a little extra excited to play here. “I think the biggest thing is we didn’t play our best when we played them last. We were excited to get another crack at them and how them the game we can play. All in all, it’s a big win for us.” MATTHEWS STILL OUT WITH INJURY While the Jets enter the Christmas break with back-to-back wins, the Maple Leafs dropped their second in a row at home without wounded captain Auston Matthews, out with an upper-body injury. “We just have to clean up some things off the rush, the transition part especially against a team that’s obviously very good with their top line that takes advantage of time and space,” said Maple Leafs centre John Tavares, who scored both Toronto goals. The Maple Leafs have gone 7-4-0 with Matthews on the sidelines this season and 42-23-2 in his career. Toronto was also missing defenceman Chris Tanev, out day-to-day with a lower-body ailment. Tanev missed his first game after skating in the pre-game warm-up. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 23, 2024.

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A Connecticut couple has been charged in Minnesota with being part of a shoplifting ring suspected of stealing around $1 million in goods across the country from the upscale athletic wear retailer Lululemon. Jadion Anthony Richards, 44, and Akwele Nickeisha Lawes-Richards, 45, both of Danbury, Connecticut, were charged this month with one felony count of organized retail theft. Both went free last week after posting bail bonds of $100,000 for him and $30,000 for her, court records show. They're due back in Ramsey County District Court in St. Paul on Dec. 16. According to the criminal complaints, a Lululemon investigator had been tracking the pair even before police first confronted them on Nov. 14 at a store in suburban Roseville. The investigator told police the couple were responsible for hundreds of thousands of dollars in losses across the country, the complaints said. They would steal items and make fraudulent returns, it said. Police found suitcases containing more than $50,000 worth of Lululemon clothing when they searched the couple's hotel room in Bloomington, the complaint said. According to the investigator, they were also suspected in thefts from Lululemon stores in Colorado, Utah, New York and Connecticut, the complaint said. Within Minnesota, they were also accused of thefts at stores in Minneapolis and the suburbs of Woodbury, Edina and Minnetonka. The investigator said the two were part of a group that would usually travel to a city and hit Lululemon stores there for two days, return to the East Coast to exchange the items without receipts for new items, take back the new items with the return receipts for credit card refunds, then head back out to commit more thefts, the complaint said. In at least some of the thefts, it said, Richards would enter the store first and buy one or two cheap items. He'd then return to the sales floor where, with help from Lawes-Richards, they would remove a security sensor from another item and put it on one of the items he had just purchased. Lawes-Richards and another woman would then conceal leggings under their clothing. They would then leave together. When the security sensors at the door went off, he would offer staff the bag with the items he had bought, while the women would keep walking out, fooling the staff into thinking it was his sensor that had set off the alarm, the complaint said. Richards' attorney declined comment. Lawes-Richards' public defender did not immediately return a call seeking comment Monday. “This outcome continues to underscore our ongoing collaboration with law enforcement and our investments in advanced technology, team training and investigative capabilities to combat retail crime and hold offenders accountable,” Tristen Shields, Lululemon's vice president of asset protection, said in a statement. "We remain dedicated to continuing these efforts to address and prevent this industrywide issue.” The two are being prosecuted under a state law enacted last year that seeks to crack down on organized retail theft. One of its chief authors, Sen. Ron Latz, of St. Louis Park, said 34 states already had organized retail crime laws on their books. “I am glad to see it is working as intended to bring down criminal operations," Latz said in a statement. "This type of theft harms retailers in myriad ways, including lost economic activity, job loss, and threats to worker safety when crime goes unaddressed. It also harms consumers through rising costs and compromised products being resold online.” Two Minnesota women were also charged under the new law in August. They were accused of targeting a Lululemon store in Minneapolis.HARTFORD, Conn. — The UConn women’s basketball team remained ranked No. 2 in the AP Top 25 poll for the fifth straight week and continued receiving first-place votes after winning the Baha Mar Women’s Championship. The Huskies earned seven of a possible 32 first-place votes entering Week 5, coming in behind No. 1 UCLA with 25. UConn recorded its second ranked win of the season over No. 18 Ole Miss, 73-60, in the Bahamas on Wednesday, and the team also handled Oregon State 71-52 at the tournament to improve to 6-0. UConn star Paige Bueckers was also named Big East Player of the Week for the second time this season for her performance at the Baha Mar Women’s Championship. The redshirt senior averaged 26 points, five assists, 3.5 rebounds and two steals per game across the Huskies’ pair of wins, shooting 66.7% from the field and 55.6% from 3-point range. She currently has the highest field goal percentage in the country among players averaging 22 points or more. After hosting Holy Cross at Gampel Pavilion on Tuesday (7 p.m. ET, SNY), UConn is headed into a gauntlet of ranked opponents beginning with No. 22 Louisville on Saturday in the Women’s Champions Classic at Barclays Center in Brooklyn. The Huskies then travel to South Bend, Indiana on Dec. 12 to face Notre Dame, which dropped seven places to No. 10 after losses to both TCU and Utah in Week 4. The Irish still have an elite ceiling with a statement win over No. 6 USC on their resume, and No. 9 TCU skyrocketed into the top 10 for the first time in program history with the upset. Duke also made its season debut in the top 10 at No. 8 after beating No. 11 Oklahoma last week. The Huskies will face No. 20 Iowa State at Mohegan Sun Arena in the Basketball Hall of Fame Showcase on Dec. 17, and the Cyclones have also looked less than their best over the past two weeks. They entered the season ranked No. 8 but plummeted after a loss to Northern Iowa on Nov. 20, and No. 3 South Carolina routed them 76-36 last Thursday. UConn then concludes its loaded slate on Dec. 21 with a sold-out home showdown against USC, a rematch from last year’s Elite Eight. AP Top 25 women’s basketball poll: Week 5 ©2024 Hartford Courant. Visit at courant.com . Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.Hong Kong becoming a hub for financial misconduct, US warns

A couple who bought the vacant home next door without ever looking inside have shocked the internet by revealing what they found when they finally entered. Homeowners Ray, 57, and Tracey, 53, who reside in Chicago, bought their second home in New Buffalo, Michigan, several years ago after falling in love with the lakefront location. Three years ago, they learned that the house next door was vacant, and rather than letting it lay dormant, they wanted to revive it. Tracey told Newsweek that they've "bought and renovated several other homes" in New Buffalo, and they love being able to transform a space into something beautiful. But there was one problem: they'd never seen inside the property and if they wanted it, they would have to buy the house without ever seeing inside, known as sight unseen. "The seller wouldn't allow us to go inside the house, show us pictures, or tell us anything as far as floor plan, number of beds, baths," Tracey said. "All the windows and doors were completely covered up too. She continued: "We had no idea what was inside, but knew the land itself was valuable because of the lakefront location. And even more valuable to us because we wanted to prevent someone from tearing it down and building next door to us." It was a big risk to buy the home without knowing what was inside, and Tracey said "there weren't any perks" to it. They would have much preferred seeing what they were working with, but the first time they saw the interior was when they picked up the keys on December 14, 2024. The couple were "very nervous" as they opened the front door and stepped inside the home. They were incredibly shocked by the chaos inside that awaited them. "We hadn't been told anything about the condition of the home. We had no idea what we'd find when we walked in," Tracey told Newsweek . "We were taken aback by the amount of stuff that was still in there, and by all the personal belongings they left behind and the condition they were left in. It looked like the house had been ransacked." As they made their way round the lakefront home, the couple found rooms filled with old furniture, stacks of boxes filled with belongings, and even a hidden attic room that was completely untouched. Needless to say, Tracey and Ray have a huge task on their hands to turn this outdated home into a modern and vibrant place people want to stay in. They've found mold in some of the rooms, and damp throughout, which will need to be addressed. They've started by clearing out the items inside the house, and then will be able to start on the renovations , which they expect to take at least six months. "We hope to keep as much of the original structure as possible, but a lot depends on what we find when we open up the walls," Tracey continued. "There's a lot of water damage, but we weren't that surprised since the roof is covered by a tarp." Social Media Reaction The couple started documenting the experience of buying the house sight unseen on social media (@houseontheharbor on TikTok ) and the clips went viral. The first video, showing what they found when they walked in , had amassed over 1 million views and 22,200 likes at the time of writing. Alongside the clip, the caption joked that they've "bitten off more than we could chew." Despite the challenge, Tracey tells Newsweek that they "don't regret it at all" and they're excited about the DIY project that awaits. Tracey said: "The social media response is a total surprise. We've been trying to buy this house for three years, and when we finally got the keys, we thought it'd be fun to document seeing the house for the first time, and that's how the post came to be." As for the advice they'd share with anyone else considering buying sight unseen , Tracey jokes that they should put very little stock in the structure being entirely stable, and just "hope you're pleasantly surprised." The couple's decision to buy the neigbor's home without seeing inside has astounded many people, leading to more than 590 comments on the viral TikTok video. Indeed, there are plenty of social media users who look forward to following along with their renovation journey in the months ahead. Yep, definitely in over our heads!😳 #homerenovation #homemakeover #homeremodel #beforeandafter #diy #diyproject #interiordesign #fyp #foryoupage One comment on the TikTok post reads: "It's in good shape. As someone who used to buy and flip properties, you are EXTREMELY lucky." Another TikTok user wrote: "Some beautiful old pieces there! Just go slow, it all has great potential." While another commenter added: "I actually think it has the bones to be a charming mid-century house!" Do you have any viral videos or pictures that you want to share? We want to see the best ones! Send them in to life@newsweek.com and they could appear on our site.

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AI Is Being Used to Exploit Our ChildrenAll amounts in US dollars unless otherwise indicated BROOKFIELD, News, Dec. 13, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Brookfield Renewable today announced that the Toronto Stock Exchange (the “TSX”) has accepted notices filed by Brookfield Renewable believes that the renewed normal course issuer bid will provide the flexibility to use available funds to purchase LP Units, Preferred Units, Exchangeable Shares or Preferred Shares, as applicable, should they be trading in price ranges that do not fully reflect their value, representing an attractive use of available funds. There are currently three series of Preferred Units and five series of Preferred Shares outstanding and listed on the TSX. Under BEP’s normal course issuer bid for LP Units, BEP is authorized to repurchase up to 14,255,578 LP Units, representing 5% of its issued and outstanding LP Units. At the close of business on December 5, 2024, there were 285,111,569 LP Units issued and outstanding. Under BEP’s normal course issuer bid, it may repurchase up to 74,937 LP Units on the TSX during any trading day, which represents 25% of the average daily trading volume of 299,749 LP Units for the six months ended November 30, 2024. Under BEPC’s normal course issuer bid for Exchangeable Shares, BEPC is authorized to repurchase up to 8,982,042 Exchangeable Shares, representing 5% of its issued and outstanding Exchangeable Shares. At the close of business on December 5, 2024, there were 179,640,851 Exchangeable Shares issued and outstanding. Under BEPC’s normal course issuer bid, it may repurchase up to 70,747 Exchangeable Shares on the TSX during any trading day, which represents 25% of the average daily trading volume of 282,988 Exchangeable Shares for the six months ended November 30, 2024. Under BEP’s normal course issuer bid for Preferred Units, BEP is authorized to repurchase a total of approximately 10% of the public float of each respective series of the Preferred Units as follows: 1. Calculated as at Dece mber 5 , 202 4 . 2. For the 6 months ended November 30 , 20 2 4 . 3. In accordance with TSX rules, any daily repurchases with respect to t he Series 18 Preferred Units would be limited to 1,000 Series 18 Preferred Units . Under BRP Equity’s normal course issuer bid for Preferred Shares, BRP Equity is authorized to repurchase a total of approximately 10% of the public float of each respective series of the Preferred Shares as follows: 4. Calculated as at Decembe r 5 , 2 02 4 . 5. For the 6 months ended November 30 , 20 2 4 . 6. In accordance with TSX rules, any daily repurchases with respect to the Series 2 Preferred Shares , the Series 5 Preferred Shares and the Series 6 Preferred Shares would be limited to 1,000 Preferred Shares of such series . Repurchases under each normal course issuer bid are authorized to commence on December 18, 2024 and each normal course issuer bid will terminate on December 17, 2025, or earlier should Brookfield Renewable or BRP Equity, as applicable, complete repurchases under its respective normal course issuer bids prior to such date. Under BEP’s prior normal course issuer bid for LP Units that commenced on December 18, 2023 and expires on December 17, 2024, BEP previously sought and received approval from the TSX to repurchase up to 14,361,497 LP Units. As of December 5, 2024, BEP has repurchased 2,279,654 LP Units under its current normal course issuer bid through open market transactions on the TSX and alternative trading systems at a weighted average price per LP Unit of approximately CDN$30.86. Under BEPC’s prior normal course issuer bid that commenced on December 18, 2023 and expires on December 17, 2024, BEPC previously sought and received approval from the TSX to repurchase up to 8,982,586 Exchangeable Shares. BEPC has not repurchased any Exchangeable Shares under its existing normal course issuer bid in the past 12 months. Under BEP’s prior normal course issuer bid for Preferred Units that commenced on December 18, 2023 and expires on December 17, 2024, BEP previously sought and received approval from the TSX to repurchase up to 700,000 Series 7 Preferred Units, 1,000,000 Series 13 Preferred Units, 700,000 Series 15 Preferred Units and 600,000 Series 18 Preferred Units. BEP did not repurchase any Preferred Units under this normal course issuer bid. Under BRP Equity’s prior normal course issuer bid that commenced on December 18, 2023 and expires on December 17, 2023, BRP Equity previously sought and received approval from the TSX to repurchase up to 684,953 Series 1 Preferred Shares, 311,053 Series 2 Preferred Shares, 996,139 Series 3 Preferred Shares, 411,450 Series 5 Preferred Shares and 700,000 Series 6 Preferred Shares. BRP Equity did not repurchase any Preferred Shares under this normal course issuer bid. All purchases of the LP Units and Exchangeable Shares will be effected through the facilities of the TSX and/or the New York Stock Exchange and/or alternative trading systems in Canada and/or the United States. All purchases of Preferred Units and Preferred Shares will be effected through facilities of the TSX and/or alternative trading systems in Canada. All LP Units, Preferred Units, Exchangeable Shares and Preferred Shares acquired under the applicable normal course issuer bid will be cancelled. Repurchases will be subject to compliance with applicable Canadian securities laws. BEP and BEPC intend to enter into automatic share purchase plans, which have been pre-cleared by the TSX, on or about the week of December 23, 2024 in relation to their respective normal course issuer bids. The automatic share purchase plans will allow for the purchase of LP Units, Preferred Units and Exchangeable Shares, as applicable, subject to certain trading parameters, at times when BEP or BEPC, as applicable, ordinarily would not be active in the market due to its own internal trading blackout periods, insider trading rules or otherwise. Outside these periods, LP Units, Preferred Units or Exchangeable Shares, as applicable, will be repurchased in accordance with management’s discretion, in compliance with applicable law. Brookfield Renewable Brookfield Renewable operates one of the world’s largest publicly traded platforms for renewable power and sustainable solutions. Our renewable power portfolio consists of hydroelectric, wind, utility-scale solar, distributed generation and storage facilities in North America, South America, Europe and Asia. Our operating capacity totals over 35,000 megawatts and our development pipeline stands at approximately 200,000 megawatts. Our portfolio of sustainable solutions assets includes our investments in Westinghouse (a leading global nuclear services business) and a utility and independent power producer with operations in the Caribbean and Latin America, as well as both operating assets and a development pipeline of carbon capture and storage capacity, agricultural renewable natural gas and materials recycling. Investors can access the portfolio either through Brookfield Renewable Partners L.P. (NYSE: BEP; TSX: BEP.UN), a Bermuda-based limited partnership, or Brookfield Renewable Corporation (NYSE, TSX: BEPC), a Canadian corporation. Brookfield Renewable is the flagship listed renewable power and transition company of Brookfield Asset Management, a leading global alternative asset manager with over $1 trillion of assets under management. Please note that Brookfield Renewable’s previous audited annual and unaudited quarterly reports filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) and securities regulators in Canada, are available on our website at https://bep.brookfield.com , on SEC’s website at www.sec.gov and on SEDAR+’s website at www.sedarplus.com . Hard copies of the annual and quarterly reports can be obtained free of charge upon request. Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-looking Statements This news release contains forward-looking statements and information within the meaning of Canadian securities laws and “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of applicable U.S. securities laws. Forward-looking statements and information may include estimates, plans, expectations, opinions, forecasts, projections, guidance or other statements that are not statements of fact. Forward-looking statements and information can be identified by the use of words such as “will”, “believes” and “may” or variations of such words and phrases and include statements regarding the potential future purchases by BEP of its LP Units and Preferred Units, by BEPC of its Exchangeable Shares and by BRP Equity of its Preferred Shares pursuant to their respective normal course issuer bids and, as applicable, automatic repurchase plans. Although Brookfield Renewable believes that these forward-looking statements and information are based upon reasonable assumptions and expectations, the reader should not place undue reliance on them, or any other forward-looking statements or information in this news release. The future performance and prospects of Brookfield Renewable are subject to a number of known and unknown risks and uncertainties. Factors that could cause actual results of Brookfield Renewable to differ materially from those contemplated or implied by the statements in this news release include: general economic conditions; interest rate changes; availability of equity and debt financing; the performance of the LP Units, the Preferred Units, the Exchangeable Shares or the Preferred Shares or the stock exchanges generally; and other risks and factors described in the documents filed by Brookfield Renewable with securities regulators in Canada and the United States including under “Risk Factors” in Brookfield Renewable’s most recent Annual Report on Form 20-F and other risks and factors that are described therein. Except as required by law, Brookfield Renewable does not undertake any obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements or information, whether written or oral, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.Fresno Council Changes Rules on Presidency, Vice Presidency

Electric skepticismEMCOR Group, Inc. (EME) Gains Stifel’s Buy Rating with Strong Data Center and Manufacturing ProspectsOTTAWA — Canada’s public safety minister says he has discussed the idea of allowing Canada Border Services Agency to patrol between points of entry, but it is not a priority for Ottawa as it looks for more urgent ways to bolster border security. Dominic LeBlanc joined Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on a trip last Friday to Palm Beach, Fla., to see president-elect Donald Trump at his Mar-a-Lago estate, where they dined with other incoming White House cabinet nominees. The unannounced trip had been arranged earlier in the week when the leaders spoke by phone after Trump threatened to slap a 25 per cent tariff on imports from Mexico and Canada over concerns about illegal immigration and the flow of fentanyl into the U.S., when he takes office in January. Since Trump’s threat, LeBlanc has sought to reassure Canadians and his American counterparts that it takes border security seriously, pledging in the wake of the threat to send additional police drones and helicopters to the RCMP, as well as having personnel redeployed. Mark Weber, the national president of the c ustoms and immigration union representing border services officers, said Ottawa should give the agency the power to patrol the entire border, not just official entry points. He called on the Liberals to repeal an order dating back to 1932, which made the Mounties responsible for border security between entry points, which Weber said is clearly “outdated.” “The situation is so silly now that if our officers are sitting at one of their workplaces and they see someone crossing just off to where the port is, we have to call the RCMP.” “It’s frustrating for members.” With a nearly 9,000-kilometre border, Weber said he does not want to replace the RCMP, but for its members to be able to assist. “It seems like an obvious part of this solution to the problem.” Speaking to reporters on Monday, LeBlanc said the federal Liberals have “taken note” of the idea. “I’ve discussed that with the commissioner of the RCMP,” the minister said, adding no decision has been made. LeBlanc defended the job done by the RCMP when it comes to border security, saying as a national police force it has the necessary access to criminal intelligence and has long-established relationships with other policing organizations, such as the FBI. “If we were to undertake a big machinery (of) government change, that may require legislation in the room behind me,” LeBlanc said, referring to the House of Commons. “I’m not sure it would speak to the urgency of the matter.” The government “is always looking at good ideas and we’re not dismissing this one,” LeBlanc said, “but it’s not a priority for us in terms of arriving at the conclusion we want.” The minister declined to provide specifics around the plans to deploy additional technologies, saying that he spoke to both RCMP Commissioner Mike Duheme and Canada Border Services Agency President Erin O’Gorman earlier in the day about the matter. Exactly where the equipment and personnel will be deployed are matters of police operations, LeBlanc said. Weber added the border services agency still faces a staffing shortage, saying it has not recovered from the 1,200 jobs that were cut under the former Conservative government. In a statement on Monday, a spokesman for the agency reiterated that border security is a responsibility it shares with the RCMP. The national force did not respond to a request for comment by press time. Kelly Sundberg, a criminologist and former border services officer who now teaches at Mount Royal University, said the fact that successive governments have kept such an “antiquated” order in place reflects the “neglect” Ottawa has shown to border issues. “We just haven’t taken it seriously.” “The RCMP is understaffed already,” Sundberg added. “Buying a bunch of helicopters to patrol a 9,000-kilometre border is nothing short of ridiculous. It’s just performative security theatre.” Sundberg believes the country needs to transform the border services agency into a “true policing agency.” Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has called on the federal Liberals to present a plan to Parliament for how it plans to address border security. Besides increasing patrols and ensuring collaboration with local police, he said Trudeau should expand the mandate of the border service’s agency. Both federal officials and the RCMP have said they are ready for a potential influx of people who may try entering Canada illegally, in light of president-elect Trump’s vow to deport millions of people from the U.S. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada is preparing to roll out an updated version of an advertising campaign it has been running since 2018, laying out the facts about claiming asylum in Canada. Those searching online for information about claiming asylum will see an advertisement appear warning there are “strict guidelines” to follow, according to a statement from Immigration Minister Marc Miller’s office. The ads will appear in different languages, including Tamil, Hindi, Arabic and Persian. “We strongly discourage irregular crossings, which can be risky and dangerous, especially as the winter approaches,” a spokeswoman said in a statement. “We are monitoring the situation closely with the U.S. and reviewing our policies and processes to help address the issue.” National Post staylor@postmedia.com Get more deep-dive National Post political coverage and analysis in your inbox with the Political Hack newsletter, where Ottawa bureau chief Stuart Thomson and political analyst Tasha Kheiriddin get at what’s really going on behind the scenes on Parliament Hill every Wednesday and Friday, exclusively for subscribers. Sign up here . Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark nationalpost.com and sign up for our politics newsletter, First Reading, here .

World junior roundup: Finland bounces back with 3-1 win over Germany

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Can a Free VPN Be Trusted?NEW YORK, Dec. 12, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- WHY: Rosen Law Firm, a global investor rights law firm, continues to investigate potential securities claims on behalf of shareholders of Light & Wonder, Inc. (NASDAQ: LNW) resulting from allegations that Light & Wonder may have issued materially misleading business information to the investing public. SO WHAT: If you purchased Light & Wonder securities you may be entitled to compensation without payment of any out of pocket fees or costs through a contingency fee arrangement. The Rosen Law Firm is preparing a class action seeking recovery of investor losses. WHAT TO DO NEXT: To join the prospective class action, go to https://rosenlegal.com/submit-form/?case_id=29678 or call Phillip Kim, Esq. toll-free at 866-767-3653 or email case@rosenlegal.com for information on the class action. WHAT IS THIS ABOUT: On September 24, 2024, the Las Vegas Review-Journal published an article entitled “Slot manufacturer scores major win against Las Vegas-based rival.” It stated that “Aristocrat Technologies Inc.’s request for a preliminary injunction in its trade-secret and copyright infringement lawsuit against Light & Wonder” had been granted, and that the “order prohibits [Light & Wonder] from the ‘continued or planned sale, leasing, or other commercialization of Dragon Train,’ which Aristocrat claims uses intellectual property developed for its Dragon Link and Lightning Link games.” On this news, the price of Light & Wonder common stock fell 19.49% on September 24, 2024. WHY ROSEN LAW: We encourage investors to select qualified counsel with a track record of success in leadership roles. Often, firms issuing notices do not have comparable experience, resources, or any meaningful peer recognition. Many of these firms do not actually litigate securities class actions. Be wise in selecting counsel. The Rosen Law Firm represents investors throughout the globe, concentrating its practice in securities class actions and shareholder derivative litigation. Rosen Law Firm achieved the largest ever securities class action settlement against a Chinese Company at the time. Rosen Law Firm was Ranked No. 1 by ISS Securities Class Action Services for number of securities class action settlements in 2017. The firm has been ranked in the top 4 each year since 2013 and has recovered hundreds of millions of dollars for investors. In 2019 alone the firm secured over $438 million for investors. In 2020, founding partner Laurence Rosen was named by law360 as a Titan of Plaintiffs’ Bar. Many of the firm’s attorneys have been recognized by Lawdragon and Super Lawyers. Follow us for updates on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-rosen-law-firm , on Twitter: https://twitter.com/rosen_firm or on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rosenlawfirm/ . Attorney Advertising. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. ------------------------------- Contact Information: Laurence Rosen, Esq. Phillip Kim, Esq. The Rosen Law Firm, P.A. 275 Madison Avenue, 40th Floor New York, NY 10016 Tel: (212) 686-1060 Toll Free: (866) 767-3653 Fax: (212) 202-3827 case@rosenlegal.com www.rosenlegal.comOntario to restrict electricity to US if Trump tariffs applied

She still owed more than $7000 for hiring a truck, so Robyn Michelle Manning created a fake bank letter to claim the cash was coming. or signup to continue reading It wasn't, for the Wodonga woman - who has a criminal history for deception - had no way to pay her debt. The 56-year-old is now facing sentence for her latest crime, after pleading guilty in Albury Local Court. But it took three years to reach that point, having been invoiced by Albury's Hume Hire back in late 2021 for a total of $11,089.42. Manning made four payments between October 17 and 31 - for $1837, $1485 and $178 - but that's as far as she got. Magistrate Sally McLaughlin was told this week that the earth-moving equipment hire business sent Manning four more invoices for the balance of $7589.42. She failed to pay. However, on Manning being convicted after admitting to the charge of dishonestly obtain financial advantage or cause disadvantage by deception, Ms McLaughlin ordered she pay compensation in that amount owed. Manning will be sentenced on Wednesday, December 18, after Ms McLaughlin ordered the preparation of a duty sentencing report by Albury Community Corrections. After Ms McLaughlin earlier sought clarification on the charge, defence lawyer Sascha McCorriston said the deception was the provision of the letter by Manning. "Your client," Ms McLaughlin told Ms McCorriston, "has had a habit of similar offending over the years." She said the report - to investigate if there are any options not involving custody - was required as Manning was "a senior member of our community who has committed a serious offence". Manning carried out a similar crime in 2015. Police told the court, in an outline of the case, how Manning hired the truck for her business - D&R Gerogery Firewood and Garden Pty Ltd - on October 6, 2021. It was on March 3, 2022, that she created a document on which she placed the logo for WAW Bank. Manning used this for a letter, which stated $30,000 had been transferred into her WAW Bank account, and so the victim would receive the money owed to him "as soon as the funds were released". Police said the letter was sent by Manning with the name Elaine Brown at the bottom - someone who supposedly was a customer service officer with the bank. On June 3, 2023, after about 20 months without any more payments from Manning, the business owner attended Albury police station. He provided a statement and several documents, including the supposed WAW letter sent by Manning. Police investigations with the bank's Dean Street, Albury branch "confirmed the document was fake". They attended the Wodonga branch on February 15, 2024, and got a statement from the bank's fraud and payments manager, who agreed the letter was not genuine. Further, the manager said someone by the name of Elaine Brown "has never held a position at WAW Bank". Police went to Manning's Bell Court home on June 17, when she made full admissions to creating the fake document. Manning's excuse was she was under financial pressure from both debt collectors and the hire company "to repay an outstanding debt". She said she did the letter to give herself more time to repay the business. 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

US President-elect Donald Trump has paid homage to former US President Jimmy Carter, who died at the age of 100 in Georgia. Trump referred to Carter as a "good man" while acknowledging his significant impact on the country. The President-elect took to his social media platform, Truth Social, to express gratitude, stating that all Americans owe Carter a 'debt of gratitude' for his contributions. In Trump's first statement on Truth Social, the President-elect expressed sorrow upon hearing the news of Carter's passing, and spoke of the unique responsibility held by members of the presidential 'club.' He praised Carter for his efforts to improve American lives during a challenging period. Trump, along with his wife Melania, extended warm thoughts to the Carter family. Despite differing political ideologies, Trump acknowledged Carter's devotion to the US and commended his hard work in striving to enhance the nation. Former President Carter, who became the first Democratic president since Johnson, was praised for his humanitarian efforts post-presidency. Carter's legacy extends through achievements like the Camp David Accords and securing the Nobel Peace Prize for his dedication to peace and democracy. (With inputs from agencies.)

The week in whoppers: Joe Biden gaslights about his foreign-policy record, Ana Navarro fearmongers about Pete Hegseth and moreLetter: No silenceHeisman Trophy finalist and two-way Colorado star Travis Hunter was named The Associated Press Big 12 defensive player of the year while also being a first-team selection at wide receiver on Thursday. Buffaloes quarterback Shedeur Sanders is the league's top offensive player. Kenny Dillingham, the 34-year-old in his second season at Arizona State, was the unanimous choice as Big 12 coach of the year after leading his alma mater to a championship and a spot in the 12-team College Football Playoff. The Sun Devils (11-2) went into their league debut as the preseason pick to finish last among the 16 teams. At cornerback, Hunter had 31 tackles, tied for the Big 12 lead with 11 pass breakups and was tied for second with four interceptions. On offense, he leads the Big 12 with 92 receptions and 14 receiving touchdowns, and is second with 1,152 yards receiving. His 21 catches of at least 20 yards are the most nationally. He is also the AP's player of the year. Sanders is the Big 12 passing leader, completing 337 of 454 passes (74.2%) for 3,926 yards and a school-record 35 touchdowns with eight interceptions for the Buffaloes (10-2) Arizona State freshman quarterback Sam Leavitt, who is 11-1 as a starter, is the league’s top newcomer. The Michigan State transfer has 2,663 yards passing with 24 touchdowns and only five picks in 304 attempts. LAS VEGAS — UNLV is reaching into the Southeastern Conference to keep momentum going for its 24th-ranked football team, hiring former Florida and Mississippi State coach Dan Mullen on Thursday. He will be introduced in a news conference Friday morning. UNLV athletic director Erick Harper, in a news release, called Mullen "an innovator and nationally respected leader.” “The momentum of UNLV football continues to skyrocket with Coach Mullen coming aboard and is even more proof that our university is serious about success," Harper said. "Rebel Nation came alive while watching this program reach new heights the last two seasons and we are excited to keep it moving forward under the leadership of someone the caliber of Dan Mullen.” The 52-year-old Mullen replaces Barry Odom, who left for Purdue on Sunday after going 19-8 and helping the Rebels receive back-to-back bowl invitations for the first time in program history. UNLV will play California in the LA Bowl on Wednesday. Mullen, most recently an ESPN college football analyst, went 103-61 at Florida and Mississippi State. Rich Rodriguez is returning to West Virginia for a second stint as head coach at his alma mater. Athletic director Wren Baker announced the hiring on Thursday, 17 years after Rodriguez made a hasty exit for what became a disastrous three-year experiment at Michigan. “We are thrilled to welcome Coach Rich Rodriguez and his family back home,” Baker said in a statement. “Coach Rodriguez understands what it takes to win at West Virginia, and I believe he will pour his heart, soul and every ounce of his energy into our program. I am convinced Coach Rodriguez wants what is best for West Virginia, WVU and West Virginia football, and I am excited about the future of our program.” Rodriguez, who is the current coach at Jacksonville State, an architect of the spread offense and a polarizing figure in his home state, replaces Neal Brown, who was fired on Dec. 1 after going 37-35 in six seasons, including 6-6 this year. TUCSON, Ariz. — Arizona star receiver Tetairoa McMillan declared for the NFL draft following three stellar seasons. McMillan announced his decision Thursday on Instagram. “Now, it’s time to take the next step. ... I’m officially declaring for the 2025 NFL Draft,” McMillan posted. “This is only the beginning.” McMillian is Arizona's all-time leader in receiving yards, finishing with 3,423 in three seasons, and is projected to be a first-round NFL draft pick. BRIEFLY FCS: The NCAA is taking its Football Championship Subdivision title game back to Tennessee. The FCS championship games at the end of the 2025 and 2026 seasons will be played in Nashville on the Vanderbilt campus. This season’s game will be played Jan. 6 at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas, which will host the game for a record 15th season in a row and was set for at least two more. OC: UCLA announced Tino Sunseri’s hiring as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. Sunseri replaces Eric Bieniemy, who was fired on Dec. 5 after fielding one of the nation’s worst offenses this season. Sunseri spent one season as Indiana’s co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach after following Hoosiers coach Curt Cignetti from James Madison.

Cage Rage, the biggest MMA event and organization in Sri Lanka, concluding a highly-successful year of fighting action by organising its final event for the year - ‘Cage Rage powered by Birds Resort Hambantota’ at the Royal-MAS Arena recently. The key highlight of the evening was the highly-anticipated showdown between Caesar vs Meshack where Caesar emerged victorious after a close battle. Caesar received the official Title Belt, a sparkling belt with 22-karat gold and studded with valuable jewelry that gave it a dazzling bling effect, bringing it on par with what fans have seen on TV in international events. This was followed by the fights between Malinda and Dilukshan (Winner – Diluksha), Vimukthi and Abhishek (Winner – Abhishek), Sahan and Theminda (Winner – Theminda), Chamoth and Musharraf (Winner – Chamoth), Sithara and Thilanka (Winner – Sithara) and Rahuman vs Heshan (Winner – Heshan). All fighters were given the royal treatment and made a spectacular entrance at the event. This is the fourth Cage Rage event organised this year, with the first three events achieving success on many fronts, including by securing the biggest social media reach of over a 130,000+ individuals. This highlights Cage Rage as the undisputed market leader in combat sports industry in Sri Lanka. The company has taken numerous steps to create excitement through promotional videos, post fight interviews, and bigger payments to fighters. Several local celebrity fans of MMA and Boxing actively promoted the event. Special guest appearances by famous personalities and performances by popular DJs have helped to enhance the entertainment levels and ensure audiences are offered an entertainment experience on par with international fighting events. Cage Rage Founder Dhiren Mapagunaratne commented, “We are thrilled to end a successful year for Cage Rage with our fourth event of 2024. We are certainly heading in the right direction in elevating Sri Lanka’s MMA and boxing events to international standards. With the support of our loyal fan base, both in the stadium and online, together with the help of our wonderful sponsors, I am confident that we can take Cage Rage to the next level in 2025.” As Sri Lanka’s pioneering fight event company, Cage Rage has been harnessing all their efforts on nurturing the sports of MMA and boxing in the country. With several successful fight events under its belt already, Cage Rage is able to provide a platform for local MMA fighters to showcase their fighting skills to a loyal, growing fan base. The events also help to enhance their skills by pitting the best local fighters with each other as well as against top fighters from the international arena. The company has made a notable difference in the income levels of fighters for participation and has also enhanced their exposure to a wider audience, driven by the campaign for the event carried out on multiple platforms. Birds Resort Hambantota, Sri Lanka’s first luxury aviary resort located inside South Asia’s largest bird park, was once again the Main Sponsor of Cage Rage. Cage Rage was also supported by Hype Bam, Sri Lanka's very own energy drink built to Fuel the Rebel, LAUGFS Lubricants, a subsidiary of LAUGFS Holdings and the only company to launch its own oil manufacturing in Sri Lanka, Morven Colombo, a premier boutique hotel in Colombo which is also the official Hospitality Partner, Supreme Sports, Sri Lanka's 1st Sports Entertainment Channel and the jeweller Silver Sparkles.

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Artificial intelligence has changed how people work and live in 2024, as companies create tools that can write code, generate images, and solve complex problems. The technology is seemingly everywhere, and while the advances have brought excitement, they have also kindled concern about AI's growing influence. Reflecting on another big year for AI, Creatie.ai curated five of the biggest AI stories in 2024. Issues of copyright and intellectual property, creative control, and how AI is being leveraged in business topped the list. "There's still a pretty wide delta that exists between a power user who's using it [AI] in their workflows, every different way, who has multiscreens, multitools... and those who are still resistant, saying they don't want to get involved with it," Brandon Z. Hoff told Stacker. Hoff, the founder of RUDI AI, a consultancy that helps organizations implement AI technology responsibly, found this "shocking" given that AI is "really one of the most revolutionary technologies of our time." As more people integrate AI tools into their personal and professional lives, questions emerge about privacy and fairness. Some businesses praise AI's ability to speed up productivity, while civil liberties groups and data privacy organizations worry about data protection and job security. Government officials have also stepped in to figure out how best to implement guardrails on this fast-moving technology while also allowing room for it to evolve. Some of 2024's biggest AI headlines came from policymakers working to establish safe practices. In the U.S., the Colorado AI Act was the first state legislation of its kind intended to set requirements for high-risk AI systems used in education, financial services, and other critical industries. It also sought consumer protections and accountability measures. It was modeled after the EU Artificial Intelligence Act , which set guidelines for high-risk AI system providers and worked to safeguard transparent and safe development of AI applications. The year's biggest developments in AI illustrate the technology's rapid shift from a future possibility into a present reality. Read on to see where AI made the most significant impact. OpenAI debuted AI models in 2024 called o1-preview and o1-mini that can tackle harder problems by working through solutions. The company offered o1-preview for general users, while o1-mini provided a faster, cheaper option for writing code, according to the company's official system card . These tools mark an important shift in AI's capacity for reasoning , Northwestern University researchers explain. Instead of just giving quick answers like earlier AI, these new models work through problems step-by-step, more like how humans solve complex tasks. OpenAI reported that tests showed significant improvements in the system's abilities. The model could solve 83% of complex math competition problems, while older versions only solved 13%, illustrating how this slower, more careful approach dramatically improved results. In analyzing chemistry, physics, and biology problems, the new model outperformed PhD-level scientists in problem-solving proficiency. However, these advances worry experts in the field. In an interview with Newsweek, computer science professor and AI pioneer Yoshua Bengio called the improvement in AI's reasoning and potential for deception "particularly dangerous" and called for better regulation. Two Nobel Prizes recognized AI's growing impact on science in 2024, marking the first time artificial intelligence received such prestigious recognition. John Hopfield and Geoffrey Hinton received the Nobel Prize in physics for laying the groundwork for modern machine learning, while Google DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis and researcher John Jumper shared half the chemistry prize for using AI to solve a 50-year-old protein structure problem, according to the Nobel Committee. The awards highlighted AI's potential and risks should the technology fall into the wrong hands. Hinton, dubbed the "godfather of AI," uses his Nobel platform to warn about the technology's potential for "getting out of control," The New York Times reported. He had previously told MIT Technology Review that he was deeply concerned that AI will surpass a human's ability to learn, creating a superintelligence that could too easily cause widespread harm, manipulation, or warfare in the hands of bad actors. Hassabis compared AI's risks to climate change, telling The Guardian that "we can't afford the same delay with AI." "This is more a Nobel moment for AI risk , rather than for AI itself," Bhaskar Chakravorti, dean of global business at Tufts University, wrote in Foreign Policy. He noted the prizes served as recognition of AI's transformative growth and a warning about its unchecked development. Apple, Samsung, Microsoft, and Google began building AI directly into everyday devices, bringing it to broader audiences in 2024. Features like enhanced photos, text-to-speech tools, personalized recommendations, and myriad other AI optimizations helped integrate AI into everyday tasks. Adoption varied widely, however. In CNBC's bi-annual survey of executives on its Technology Executive Council in October, 79% said their company was using Microsoft Copilot AI —though many questioned its $30 monthly per-user cost. Google's Gemini chatbot attracted 42 million active users and 1.5 million developers since its May launch, according to the Business of Apps. Apple followed with its own AI Intelligence that works across devices, though it's initially limited to its newest phones and computers with specific chips, the company announced in October. Samsung introduced Galaxy AI, which lets users translate conversations in real time and edit photos with simple taps, according to the company. The focus shifted from standalone AI tools to integrated features, but questions about data security were raised. While Apple emphasized the importance of privacy through on-device processing, sending personal data to company servers could expose it to government agencies, employees, or bad actors, according to security experts The New York Times interviewed in June. "We should be really looking at the cost benefit in terms of what we give up and what we get in exchange," said Hoff, who shares insights on AI and digital intelligence with his 14,000 TikTok followers. "Tools like Google's suite are free because they're tracking our information to sell to advertisers. Now, large language models are aggregating all our data at once, putting everything into an algorithmic black box that nobody really knows how works." Despite significant concerns, businesses increasingly embraced AI tools in 2024. "Business executives were, I think, resistant," Hoff said. "And now there's definitely an opening and receptiveness and a fear of missing out that exists on the private side." When it launched in June 2024, Claude 3.5 Sonnet changed how coders work, quickly becoming a Silicon Valley favorite. The AI model solved 64% of coding problems in internal testing, according to Anthropic, the AI safety and research company behind Claude. The system could write new code and update old programs with fewer errors than previous versions, making it one of the most proficient—and popular—models powering AI-based software development tools such as Cursor. In October, Anthropic announced new features that let Claude use computers similarly to humans. The model could move a mouse, click buttons, and read screens to complete tasks. Tests by GitLab, a major software development platform, showed a 10% improvement in development tasks with these updates, spurring debates about AI's growing role in software development and its impact on programming jobs. Many current top-scoring AI software development agents are already based on Claude. Letting the model control computers directly could unlock even further productivity gains for businesses. In addition to coding, the model has been praised for its uncanny analytical ability and capacity to understand what users want. Many users have reported success using Claude as a sounding board to help them think through complex problems and make decisions in their personal lives. Skateboarding cats, dazzlingly beautiful crystals, and politicians in compromising situations are just some of the ways Flux, a new AI image generation system from Black Forest Labs, churned up viral buzz around its hyper-realistic images. The system launched in August with $31 million in funding from Andreessen Horowitz. The model uses 12 billion parameters to create images, making it more powerful than previous systems, according to the company. Advancements in parameters like fractal dimension and relative smoothness all contribute to Flux's ability to render extraordinary detail in human features, deft animations, and high-quality images. The model quickly drew the attention of the tech world. X (formerly Twitter) chose it to power image generation in its Grok-2 AI system, making the technology available to millions of users. However, this wide availability raised concerns about potential misuse, particularly around creating misleading images of political figures and spreading false content. Story editing by Alizah Salario. Additional editing by Kelly Glass. Copy editing by Kristen Wegrzyn. Photo selection by Ania Antecka. This story originally appeared on creatie.ai and was produced and distributed in partnership with Stacker Studio.

OTTAWA — As Canada looks to beef up its border security after president-elect Donald Trump threatened tariffs while raising concerns about illicit fentanyl pouring into his country, border officials pointed out there's barely any coming from Canada. Though, none of them wanted to say the name Trump when they said so. “Canada is not a significant source of fentanyl in the United States," said Aaron McCrorie, vice-president of intelligence and enforcement at the Canada Border Services Agency. He made the comment to a House of Commons committee studying the impact of president-elect Donald Trump's plans for border security and migration. McCrorie said border officials seized 4.9 kg of fentanyl in the first three quarters of the year, with the biggest amount being 4.1 kg bound for the Netherlands. The other seizures were all small, personal amounts caught along the land border, and there are no statistics to suggest significant shipments out of Canada. CBSA President Erin O'Gorman also said the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration has characterized the amount coming from Canada as "slippage" — small amounts sent over for personal use, mostly by post. Still, that doesn't trivialize the problem. Small package shipments are where CBSA is focusing its efforts, she said, which are hard to detect and can result in many lives lost. Trump has threatened 25 per cent tariffs against Canada and Mexico unless the two countries step up on border security to tamp down on flows of illicit fentanyl. During the presidential race, Trump also threatened to deport millions of undocumented people, stirring fears that could trigger an influx of migrants into Canada. When questioned by NDP MP Alistair MacGregor about what Canada could face if Trump follows through and if the country's immigration detention centres are up to the task, O'Gorman said her organization does not have projections or estimates of what that could look like. “We are prepared for a surge,” O'Gorman said. Ottawa is compiling new measures to bolster border security through more staff and equipment in the face of Trump's tariff threats. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau shared his border plan with the premiers during a Wednesday evening meeting, and Ottawa plans to add their suggestions into the soon-to-come package of measures. Several media outlets have reported that the tab for that could surpass $1 billion, citing confidential sources. RCMP Commissioner Michael Duheme said he was surprised to see that figure bandied about in headlines, but he's not clear whether Ottawa will actually put that much into beefing up the border. He would not share with reporters any of the specifics on his wish list -- or how much money he's asked for, saying the announcement is coming soon enough. "You heard the minister in the past saying drones, helicopters, and we want to modernize everything we have with technological equipment and additional human resources," he said outside the committee room. "We have drones right now that we use to patrol areas that are hard to get to and what not. We just want to modernize the equipment and go to the more advanced technology that they have so we can better secure the border." An RCMP official said the police force currently has more than 900 drones and nine helicopters located across the country, with six helicopters that occasionally provide border surveillance. Meantime, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith, when announcing Alberta's own new border security plan Thursday featuring a new patrol unit and drones, said the province doesn’t support retaliatory tariffs and prefers the diplomatic route. Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe said he and other premiers support the need for stronger border security to deal with illegal migrants and street drugs. “There is broad support to increase the investment in border security on behalf of Canadians, not just because President-elect (Trump) has asked for it,” Moe said. According to the CBSA, there are 1,200 ports of entry across the country staffed by approximately 8,500 front-line employees. CBSA also employs over 200 criminal investigators and some 60 international officers at 40 missions in 35 countries abroad. "The CBSA strategically dedicates its resources to address the threats that Canada faces while supporting the flow of legitimate trade and travel across the border," said CBSA spokesperson Rebecca Purdy. In the past fiscal year, she said CBSA seized close to 51 million grams of illicit drugs, more than 27,000 banned weapons and almost 900 firearms. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 12, 2024. -- With files from Chris Purdy in Edmonton and Jeremy Simes in Regina. Kyle Duggan, The Canadian PressThe Defence Secretary has said that “proscription is not a matter for now” in relation to the UK’s ban on the group that has taken power in Syria. John Healey said that the Government’s “interest” in Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), is “that they live up to their promises to protect” rights, when he spoke to reporters after a Cobra meeting on Thursday. HTS is banned in the UK because of its past association with al Qaida, the terrorist organisation once led by Osama bin Laden. But its leader, Abu Mohammed al-Golani, cut ties with al Qaida years ago and has sought to present his group as a more moderate and inclusive organisation, leading some to suggest the group should no longer be proscribed. “It doesn’t stop us talking to all the parties, and our interest in HTS is that they live up to their promises to protect the rights of all individuals and all groups, to respect international law and to prevent Syria becoming a base for a fresh terrorist threat.” Mr Healey said that Thursday’s meeting was “about making sure we have, as a Government, a laser focus on the role that we can play with allies to see a stable, peaceful transition. “So that the Syrians get the government they need for the future, and the region can see the stability in the future that it also needs.” Syrians granted protection in the UK after applying for asylum Following the toppling of the Bashar Assad regime over the weekend, the UK has paused decisions on asylum applications from Syria. Thousands of Syrians have been granted asylum in the UK but, earlier this week, the Home Office said decisions on applications would be paused while events unfold in Damascus. When asked how long the system would be paused for, and whether the move was fair, Mr Healey said on Thursday: “This is early days. “It’s a measure in response to rapidly changing developments, and the most important thing for us now is that the UK plays and will continue to play a full role with allies to see a stable, peaceful, orderly transition and that requires a political process. “It requires dialogue at the heart of it, and today’s ministerial meeting, the Cobra meeting, was about making sure that we do just that.” Earlier on Thursday, G7 leaders said that they “stand with the people of Syria” and “denounce terrorism and violent extremism in all its forms”. In a statement, Sir Keir Starmer and his counterparts said: “The G7 will work with and fully support a future Syrian government that abides by those standards and results from that process.” It went on: “After decades of atrocities committed by the Assad regime, we stand with the people of Syria. We denounce terrorism and violent extremism in all its forms. “We are hopeful that anyone seeking a role in governing Syria will demonstrate a commitment to the rights of all Syrians, prevent the collapse of state institutions, work on the recovery and rehabilitation of the country, and ensure the conditions for safe and dignified voluntary return to Syria of all those who were forced to flee the country.”