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Maher, 28, helped the USA to a bronze medal at this summer's Olympic Games in Paris and is the sport's most popular player on social media. "This is a huge coup to be able to bring Ilona Maher to Bristol Bears on a short-term deal," Bristol head coach Dave Ward said. "She is one of the biggest names in women's sport, let alone rugby, and we believe she will add real value to our programme on and off the field." Last week Maher finished second on US television show "Dancing with the Stars", and she was on the cover of Sports Illustrated's swimsuit edition in July. Maher has signed a three-month deal with Bristol ahead of the World Cup, which starts in England in August. She made her 15-a-side debut for the USA in 2021. "I am excited to join the Bristol Bears and put myself in the best position to earn a spot to represent USA in the 2025 Rugby World Cup alongside such a talented and driven group as the Bears," Maher said in a club statement. Bristol's first game next month is on January 4 against local rivals and Premiership Women's Rugby champions Gloucester-Hartpury, in a repeat of last season's final. obo/iwd/mw
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OTTAWA—Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown said he received pushback from Indian government officials for his use of the term “Sikh nation” during the 2022 Conservative leadership campaign, but generally believes that foreign interference did not alter the outcome of the race. Brown was called to testify before the House of Commons public safety committee on Thursday evening. The committee is studying the Indian government’s involvement in political interference and violence in Canada. Brown initially declined an invitation to appear, but was formally summoned. He said he didn’t want to be part of any political wrangling. “I don’t have an interest in revisiting partisan debates.” A Radio-Canada story earlier this week reported that insiders on Brown’s Conservative leadership campaign felt the Indian government was interfering, trying to undermine his campaign. This included disinviting him from events in the community and encouraging volunteers not to support him. The story also alleged that Calgary MP Michelle Rempel Garner was encouraged by Indian consular officials to drop her support for Brown. Brown said on a campaign call he was told the Indian government rejected the term “Sikh nation,” which he had used in public remarks. “The concern that was raised was that I had used the term, on a number of occasions, Sikh nation, and the consul general had expressed directly to MP Rempel Garner that was something that obviously they didn’t agree with,” he said. Some members of the Sikh community in Canada favour the creation of a separate state in India called Khalistan that would be a homeland for their community, but the Indian government firmly rejects that idea. Brown said he used a different term than “Sikh nation” after the Indian government complained, and downplayed the importance of the wording change, but Liberal MP Jennifer O’Connell said she saw it as a clear example of interference. “I think that constitutes foreign interference, pretty clearly. With foreign interference it doesn’t matter the outcome. It’s the intention to have the foreign government influence the actions in Canadian elections.” Brown also said, in contrast to the Radio-Canada reporting, Rempel-Garner never indicated she was leaving because of any foreign pressure. “At no point when we talked about her departing the campaign did she say it was because of pressure from the consul general,” he said. At the end of the meeting, O’Connell moved to have Rempel Garner and several members of the Brown campaign called to testify. O’Connell’s motion will be voted on at a later meeting. Brown said when he was a provincial party leader he supported motions recognizing a 1984 attack on Sikh communities as a genocide and spoke out about some of the actions of the Indian government. He said Indian diplomats aren’t quiet about their opinions. “I think it’s fair to say that the government of India states their opinions and I think there’s a number of issues that I took a position on that certainly the Government of India wasn’t a fan of,” he said. Brown was disqualified from the Conservative leadership over allegations he had breached the party’s campaign finance rules. Brown said he had no direct knowledge of foreign interference in his campaign. He said he was aware of one community event where he was disinvited, but said he has no doubt the outcome of the race would have been the same. “I believe that Pierre Poilievre was successful in that race because he signed 300,000 plus memberships. And, I don’t believe acts of foreign intervention affected that result.” Brown’s community has a significant Sikh population and he said there is a lot of ongoing concern about India and other countries interfering in Canada. The committee has also heard testimony from the RCMP and other security agencies about the Indian government’s involvement in a campaign of violence in Canada. This has included the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Surrey, B.C., which Brown said is a major concern for the community. He said he believes — to start with — the federal government needs to clearly outline the rules to foreign diplomats who are crossing the lines. “A starting point is a clear education on those who are serving as diplomatic representatives in Canada of what is appropriate behaviour and behaviour that is inappropriate with the laws we have in Canada, clearly there are diplomats that need that education,” he said.Science and Technology Daily: Promoting AI Governance Jointly
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The plan for the Minnesota Vikings was to bring in Sam Darnold as the bridge between Kirk Cousins and J.J. McCarthy, confident his strong arm and starting experience would sufficiently run a high-caliber offense until the rookie was deemed ready to play. Darnold's performance to date has been much closer to superstar than mere stopgap. “He’s a baller," Vikings safety Harrison Smith said. "He can make stuff happen when he needs to. I know with the outside narrative on him and his path and everything, you might not think that, but ever since he got here, it felt like that was going to happen.” Having led the Vikings (10-2) to their fifth consecutive victory with the go-ahead touchdown pass against Arizona last week, one game after a stellar overtime drive to beat Chicago , Darnold has become one of the darlings of this NFL this season with his success in coach Kevin O'Connell's system after the third overall pick in the 2018 draft started his career in rather bleak fashion. His first year in Minnesota sure has been smoother than what Cousins has gone through in his debut with the Atlanta Falcons . Last week in a loss at home to the Los Angeles Chargers, Cousins matched his career high with four interceptions. “I don’t think anybody can put any more pressure on Kirk than he has for himself. He’s carried us through this season when we were figuring out a lot of things on defense,” Falcons defensive tackle Grady Jarrett said. “He’s just having a hard time right now. There’s nothing to say he can’t catch fire and light it up like he’s been doing.” The Falcons (6-6) take their three-game losing streak on the road to face the Vikings, with division races for both teams in full swing. The quarterback contrasts have made this matchup all the more intriguing, with Cousins coming back to the place where he spent the previous six seasons. Cousins has a $25 million salary cap hit this season, the 11th-highest among quarterbacks in the league. Even if the Falcons were to move on in 2026 and swallow the dead money for two more years with eighth overall pick Michael Penix Jr. waiting in the wings, Cousins will carry a $40 million charge in 2025. Darnold’s cap charge is $5 million this season, just 31st on the list. Though he will become a free agent in March, the Vikings structured his contract with void years to spread his cap hit into next season for another $5 million. McCarthy, the 10th overall pick, won't be ready until next year after having surgery to repair the meniscus he tore in his right knee in his first preseason game. Though Darnold has had a couple of clunkers this year, the Vikings still won those games and he's bounced back strong without letting interceptions linger into future decisions. "He’s kind of found a little balance, at least the last few weeks, of ‘When is it too risky?’ and ‘When can I take my shot at something?’” offensive coordinator Wes Phillips said. The Falcons have seen as much on tape. “I think he’s playing free,” Pro Bowl safety Jessie Bates said. “It’s not a lot of complicated throws or anything that he’s doing. I just think that he’s finally able to feel comfortable in himself.” Acknowledging the moment Falcons coach Raheem Morris decided to address the significance of Cousins’ homecoming with the team, bracing for the type of crowd reaction that will only intensify the noise at U.S. Bank Stadium that's already daunting for opponents. Minnesota's defense has thrived this season at home, using the fans to enhance the effectiveness of a disguise-based, aggressive scheme that leads the league with 18 interceptions and has also been adept at rushing the passer and stuffing the run. “The environment they create up in Minnesota is absolutely outstanding,” Morris said. Cousins isn't the only key figure from the Falcons who's well-known to Vikings coaches. Morris was the defensive coordinator in 2021 with the Los Angeles Rams when O'Connell was the offensive coordinator and Phillips was the tight ends coach on that Super Bowl champion team. Listen to your mother Vikings running back Aaron Jones has fumbled three times in the last two games, losing two of them, but he hasn't lost the confidence of coaches or teammates as evidenced by the pass called for his go-ahead touchdown catch against the Cardinals. Family is a strong support system for him, too, but sometimes that means tough love. His mother, Vurgess Jones, let him have it after the game when they talked about the turnovers. “I was like, ‘I’ve got to learn from it,'” Jones said. “She was like, ‘You didn’t learn last week?'” He has matched his career high in 2024 with five fumbles and three lost, a fact not lost on a Falcons defense that's aggressive with dislodging techniques despite only four recovered fumbles in 12 games. “You can see it all over the tape: Those guys are coaching it," Phillips said. Greenard is going strong Vikings outside linebacker Jonathan Greenard, who was named the NFC Defensive Player of the Month after racking up eight tackles for loss in November, carried his pass-rushing mojo into December with a couple of clutch plays in the final minute to preserve the victory over Arizona. Greenard has 10 of the team's 39 sacks. “How many times this year has he affected the quarterback, drawn a penalty, sacked the quarterback, strip-sacked like last week in these critical moments where you need your best players to go make those plays?” O'Connell said. “He’s done it time and time again.” Bijan is busy Falcons running back Bijan Robinson set a career high last week with 26 carries. He had 102 yards rushing and was again a significant part of the passing attack with six catches against the Chargers. “I just do whatever I can to help us as a team,” said Robinson, who’s fifth in the NFL with 1,277 combined yards from scrimmage. “I just trust whatever they have in the plan.” AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL
Dele Momodu’s revelation on monetised presidential primariesHyderabad: The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) has issued notices to several property owners, including actor-politician N Balakrishna and Congress leader K Jana Reddy, as part of a land acquisition plan for road widening in the KBR Park area. To alleviate traffic congestion in one of Hyderabad’s busiest zones, the GHMC has identified 306 properties for acquisition to expand the road. Out of these, 87 properties have already been acquired, according to a GHMC official. Balakrishna’s property will contribute 20 feet of land, while 30 feet may be acquired from Jana Reddy’s property. A budget of Rs 150 crore has been allocated to widen a 6.5 km stretch of road from the Banjara Hills junction near Virinchi Hospital to the Jubilee Hills Checkpost, passing through the KBR Park area. The plan is to increase the road width from the current 50-100 feet to 100-120 feet. Additionally, the GHMC has allocated Rs 210 crore for the construction of elevated corridors around KBR Park. The plan includes a one-way flyover at the NFCL Junction in Banjara Hills and a three-lane underpass at the TV9 Junction, aimed at easing traffic flow in the area.
(BPT) - Has it been a while since you purchased a new TV? You might be surprised by how far TV technology has come since you bought your last set! Today's smart televisions offer dramatic improvements in picture quality and home screens that are far easier to navigate. Plus, they come with a host of cool features like voice control that you may not even know about. It's time to discover what you've been missing — and if you're asking yourself where to start, the Fire TV Buyer Insights Report can help. This independent study surveyed over 2,000 recent purchasers of smart TVs to learn everything from where they did their product research to why they decided to buy. With the holidays almost upon us, the insights in this report can help guide you as you kick off your seasonal shopping. Whether you're buying a gift, hosting a holiday gathering or looking for the perfect game-day screen, read on to find the best TV for your needs. How do you find the right TV? Here's how recent purchasers did it. When it comes to buying a new TV, there are several factors you'll want to consider, starting with who's going to be using it. The study found that spouses (36%), kids (13%), and even grandparents (1%) were involved in the purchase process, so be sure to keep your home's audience in mind. Beyond that, you'll also want to think about: Room size Smart TVs range in size from a 32-inch screen all the way up to a whopping 100 inches or more. To determine the right screen size for your room, follow this guideline: Small rooms: 32"–43" screen Medium rooms: 43"–55" screen Large rooms: 55+" screen As for viewing distance, divide the screen's diameter by 8 to get the ideal viewing distance in feet. For example, a 32-inch screen should be watched from about 4 feet away, while you'll want to be about 8 feet away from a 65-inch screen. Usage How you plan to use your new TV should play a large part in your decision-making process. If you're always looking for the latest show or movie to watch, your smart TV should offer optimal access to the latest streaming services. Gamers will experience better play on a TV with a high refresh rate, while sports enthusiasts will want to watch the big game on a set with smooth motion handling. Connected TV experience One of the most important considerations is how you'll use TV. In the study, 83% of TV purchasers said that easy access to content was one of the things they liked best about their new TV. But beyond being an all-in-one source for entertainment, your smart TV should also play well with other smart home devices. For instance, Fire TV allows you to pair compatible devices seamlessly like video doorbells, smart home devices, and more. And with select models, Fire TV's Ambient Experience can turn the biggest screen in your home into a beautiful, always-on smart display rotating through beautiful art, personal photos, and glanceable information like calendars and reminders. Knowledge is power Before you land on the perfect TV, you'll need to do a little research first. The study found that only 12% of shoppers bought their TV on an impulse, while 65% engaged in some form of product research. Most (82%) respondents conducted some or all of their research online for instant access to smart TV reviews and feature comparisons. In fact, over half of respondents who searched online mentioned digital retailers like Amazon as a great source for honest ratings and buyer reviews. Timing is everything According to the study, the time from research to purchase takes about two weeks, so plan ahead — especially if you're thinking about giving a TV as a holiday gift. There are also some great deals available during this time of year, so keep an eye out for sales and promotional offers. The big picture A new TV is a big purchase, so don't make it an impulsive one. Take the time to do your research and remember that everyone takes a different path to finding the perfect TV. Whether your search begins online, offline, or with a mix of both, it will end with a next-level viewing experience that's just right for the way you watch.The Tennessee Titans (3-9) host a struggling Jacksonville Jaguars (2-10) squad on Sunday, December 8, 2024 at Nissan Stadium (and same-game parlay recommendations are available). The Jaguars have lost five straight games. BetMGM is one of the most trusted Sportsbooks in the nation. Start with as little as $1 and place your bets today . Parlay payout based on standard calculation and is not associated with any sportsbook offers. Visit BetMGM for odds and payout information. 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 .
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