WASHINGTON (AP) — An imprisoned far-right extremist group leader who was the top target of the federal investigation of the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol balked at answering a prosecutor's questions about the attack when he testified on Thursday at the trial of a police officer accused of leaking him confidential information. A federal judge warned former Proud Boys national chairman Enrique Tarrio that he could face consequences, including an order holding him in contempt of court, if he continued to refuse to answer the prosecutor's questions. Tarrio appeared to be heeding the judge's warning before a lunch break interrupted his testimony. Tarrio, who is serving a 22-year prison sentence for a plot to keep Donald Trump in the White House after the 2020 election, waived his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination when he agreed to testify as a defense witness at the bench trial of retired Metropolitan Police Department Lt. Shane Lamond. “What that means is you have to answer all the questions. You don't get to pick and choose,” U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson told Tarrio after he initailly refused to answer whether Proud Boys were at the Capitol on Jan. 6. Dozens of Proud Boys, including Tarrio, are among the 1,500 people who have been charged with federal crimes related to the Capitol siege. A jury convicted Tarrio and three lieutenants of seditious conspiracy and other crimes last year after a months-long trial in the same courthouse where Lamond is on trial this week. Tarrio complained that the prosecutor, Rebecca Ross, shouldn't have “free reign” to ask him questions about Jan. 6. Lamond is on trial for charges that he lied about providing Tarrio with confidential information about a police investigation of Proud Boys who burned a Black Lives Matter banner in December 2020. “This case is not a Jan. 6 case,” he told the judge, arguing that he didn't “completely” waive his Fifth Amendment rights. “There is not a half of a Fifth Amendment privilege,” the judge responded. When Tarrio told her, “We'll agree to disagree,” the judge chuckled and replied, “Well, I'll just say, ‘You’re not in charge.'” Tarrio was the first witness to testify for Lamond's defense against charges that he obstructed justice and made false statements about his communications with Tarrio. The judge will decide the case against Lamond after hearing testimony without a jury. On Monday, the judge said Tarrio was waiting for the outcome of last month’s presidential election before deciding whether to testify at Lamond’s trial. President-elect Trump, who repeatedly has vowed to pardon people convicted of Capitol riot charges, suggested he would consider pardoning Tarrio. Tarrio was sentenced to more than five months in jail for burning the banner that was stolen in December 2020 from a historic Black church in downtown Washington, and for bringing two high-capacity firearm magazines into the district. Tarrio was arrested in Washington two days before the Jan. 6 siege. The Miami resident wasn’t at the Capitol when a mob of Trump supporters stormed the building and interrupted the congressional certification of Biden’s 2020 electoral victory. During the trial's opening statements on Monday, a prosecutor said Lamond was a “Proud Boys sympathizer” who warned Tarrio about his impending arrest for the banner’s destruction and later lied to investigators about their communications. Police officers who investigated the banner’s destruction testified that it would have helped them to know that Tarrio had privately confessed to Lamond that he burned the banner. The Proud Boys leader also publicly admitted on social media and on a podcast that he had burned the banner. Tarrio testified on Thursday that he didn’t confess to Lamond or receive any confidential information from him. Tarrio said he came to Washington two days before Jan. 6 because he wanted to be arrested for the banner burning but released in time to attend then-President Trump’s Jan. 6 “Stop the Steal” rally. “I wanted to get this over with,” Tarrio said. He also said he thought that his arrest before the rally would help “put up a circus tent" and generate publicity for his group's message. “I wanted to show what the Department of Justice was, and I was dedicated to that cause with everything in me,” he said. Lamond, who met Tarrio in 2019, had supervised the intelligence branch of the police department’s Homeland Security Bureau. He was responsible for monitoring groups like the Proud Boys when they came to Washington. Lamond’s indictment accuses him of lying to and misleading federal investigators when they questioned him in June 2021 about his contacts with Tarrio. Lamond, of Stafford, Virginia, was arrested in May 2023. He retired from the police department that same month.aaa slot game online 。

KYIV, Ukraine — NATO and Ukraine will hold emergency talks Tuesday after Russia attacked a central city with an experimental, hypersonic ballistic missile that escalated the nearly 33-month-old war. The conflict is “entering a decisive phase,” Poland’s Prime Minister Donald Tusk said Friday, and “taking on very dramatic dimensions.” Ukraine’s parliament canceled a session as security was tightened following Thursday’s Russian strike on a military facility in the city of Dnipro. In a stark warning to the West, President Vladimir Putin said in a nationally televised speech that the attack with the intermediate-range Oreshnik missile was in retaliation for Kyiv’s use of U.S. and British longer-range missiles capable of striking deeper into Russian territory. Putin said Western air defense systems would be powerless to stop the new missile. Ukrainian military officials said the missile that hit Dnipro had reached a speed of Mach 11 and carried six nonnuclear warheads each releasing six submunitions. Speaking Friday to military and weapons industries officials, Putin said Russia is launching production of the Oreshnik. “No one in the world has such weapons,” he said with a thin smile. “Sooner or later other leading countries will also get them. We are aware that they are under development.” But he added, “we have this system now. And this is important.” Testing the missile will continue, “including in combat, depending on the situation and the character of security threats created for Russia,” Putin said, noting there is ”a stockpile of such systems ready for use.” Putin said that while it isn’t an intercontinental missile, it’s so powerful that the use of several of them fitted with conventional warheads in one attack could be as devastating as a strike with strategic — or nuclear — weapons. Gen. Sergei Karakayev, head of Russia’s Strategic Missile Forces, said the Oreshnik could reach targets across Europe and be fitted with nuclear or conventional warheads, echoing Putin’s claim that even with conventional warheads, “the massive use of the weapon would be comparable in effect to the use of nuclear weapons.” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov kept up Russia’s bellicose tone on Friday, blaming “the reckless decisions and actions of Western countries” in supplying weapons to Ukraine to strike Russia. “The Russian side has clearly demonstrated its capabilities, and the contours of further retaliatory actions in the event that our concerns were not taken into account have also been quite clearly outlined,” he said. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, widely seen as having the warmest relations with the Kremlin in the European Union, echoed Moscow’s talking points, suggesting the use of U.S.-supplied weapons in Ukraine likely requires direct American involvement. “These are rockets that are fired and then guided to a target via an electronic system, which requires the world’s most advanced technology and satellite communications capability,” Orbán said on state radio. “There is a strong assumption ... that these missiles cannot be guided without the assistance of American personnel.” Orbán cautioned against underestimating Russia’s responses, emphasizing that the country’s recent modifications to its nuclear deployment doctrine should not be dismissed as a “bluff.” “It’s not a trick... there will be consequences,” he said. Separately in Kyiv, Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský called Thursday’s missile strike an “escalatory step and an attempt of the Russian dictator to scare the population of Ukraine and to scare the population of Europe.” At a news conference with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, Lipavský also expressed his full support for delivering the necessary additional air defense systems to protect Ukrainian civilians from the “heinous attacks.” He underlined that the Czech Republic will impose no limits on the use of its weapons and equipment given to Ukraine. Three lawmakers from Ukraine’s parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, confirmed that Friday’s previously scheduled session was called off due to the ongoing threat of Russian missiles targeting government buildings in central Kyiv. In addition, there also was a recommendation to limit the work of all commercial offices and nongovernmental organizations “in that perimeter, and local residents were warned of the increased threat,” said lawmaker Mykyta Poturaiev, who added this is not the first time such a threat has been received. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s office continued to work in compliance with standard security measures, a spokesperson said. Ukraine’s Main Intelligence Directorate said the Oreshnik missile, whose name in Russian means “hazelnut tree,” was fired from the Kapustin Yar 4th Missile Test Range in Russia’s Astrakhan region, and flew 15 minutes before striking Dnipro. Test launches of a similar missile were conducted in October 2023 and June 2024, the directorate said. The Pentagon confirmed the missile was a new, experimental type of intermediate-range missile based on its RS-26 Rubezh intercontinental ballistic missile. Thursday’s attack struck the Pivdenmash plant that built ICBMs when Ukraine was part of the Soviet Union. The military facility is located about 4 miles (6 1/2 kilometers) southwest of the center of Dnipro, a city of about 1 million that is Ukraine’s fourth-largest and a key hub for military supplies and humanitarian aid, and is home to one of the country’s largest hospitals for treating wounded soldiers from the front before their transfer to Kyiv or abroad. The stricken area was cordoned off and out of public view. With no fatalities reported from the attack, Dnipro residents resorted to dark humor on social media, mostly focused on the missile’s name, Oreshnik. Elsewhere in Ukraine, Russia struck a residential district of Sumy overnight with Iranian-designed Shahed drones, killing two people and injuring 13, the regional administration said.. Ukraine’s Suspilne media, quoting Sumy regional head Volodymyr Artiukh, said the drones were stuffed with shrapnel elements. “These weapons are used to destroy people, not to destroy objects,” said Artiukh, according to Suspilne.

Imprisoned Proud Boys leader balks at answering a prosecutor's questions about Capitol attackDear Eric: A recent letter about birthday gifts sent to children struck me because, as a parent, I found myself in a similar dilemma. Growing up, my many siblings and I never exchanged gifts of any sort with our many cousins, largely for financial reasons. It was not part of our traditions and we’re still on friendly terms with all of them today. My husband was raised similarly with the same lack of gift-exchanging tradition among cousins. When we entered our parenting years, however, some of my siblings began sending cards with checks of small amounts on my children’s birthdays. Naturally, we were expected to reciprocate. We tried to keep up, but after a few years opted out of a tradition we had never signed onto. It was too expensive. I explained why, though I felt no compunction to go into details. Cards and checks to my children stopped. Years later, I can say that things have worked out financially for my husband and me, but would I do the same thing today? Yes! After all these years, I still hear the occasional innuendo or “whisper” from family about cards never received, remarks that can be meant only to hurt and shame. To me, this shows a stunning lack of understanding. If this is what too much gift-giving leads to, I think I made the right decision. – Wish It Was Otherwise Dear Wish: I’m glad it worked out for you. This can be a frustrating minefield for a lot of people. Gifts should never take the place of genuine relationships or communication. Money talks but mumbles, so we have to be clear. Gifts and cards can be tokens of our appreciation, but that token doesn’t have a one-to-one exchange rate. When family and friends start trading gifts like they’re on the floor of a stock exchange, or feelings get bruised because of an unmet expectation, it’s good to stop and say, “what’s the relationship we’re really trying to have here and how can we make that happen, person-to-person?” Send questions to R. Eric Thomas at eric@askingeric.com or P.O. Box 22474, Philadelphia, PA 19110. Follow him on Instagram and sign up for his weekly newsletter at rericthomas.com .

Paris Saint-Germain are back in the UEFA Champions League top 24 -- but only just -- after a 3-0 win away at Red Bull Salzburg on Tuesday. The Ligue 1 titleholders have found the league phase hard going so far with three defeats after six games but picked up their second three-point haul thanks to Goncalo Ramos, Nuno Mendes and Desire Doue while doubling their goals scored tally. Paris are finally back up into a knockout phase berth but it is by the smallest of provisional margins given that it is only a goal difference of plus three keeping Luis Enrique's men ahead of Feyenoord. With the Dutch outfit likely to see off Sparta Praha in the Netherlands on Wednesday, the French giants will likely drop back out of the top 24 but it does at least give last season's semifinalists hope. Ramos recently returned from injury and notched his first goal of the season in messy fashion after being teed up by Achraf Hakimi 30 minutes in. However, despite largely dominating Salzburg in terms of possession and shots on as well as off-target as has been the case most games this term, it took until the 72nd minute for Mendes to make it two with a sweeping finish from a Doue assist. Another piece of unselfish play from Hakimi offered the Frenchman the chance to make it 3-0 for the visitors which the summer signing did with aplomb. Such a comfortable winning margin was arguably the minimum expected of Les Parisiens, though, against the struggling Austrian powerhouse which has been part of an ailing Red Bull showing alongside eliminated Leipzig. "It was important," said Bradley Barcola of the win postgame. "We knew that if we wanted to continue in this competition then we had to win here. I think that we did it in the best possible way. We started the game well which allowed us to put in a good overall performance. We are happy and I hope that it continues like this. Nuno Mendes arrives at the right time to hammer home a second for PSG 😤 pic.twitter.com/NalkuZtv8p "I think it will be a turning point -- we had been struggling in front of goal for a while," added Barcola. "We scored three goals away from home which is very good. I hope that it continues. We saw that when we play without asking ourselves questions and by giving it our all, it enables us to win games." Looking ahead to the final two games and knowing that PSG will likely be back outside of the top 24 going into their clash with Manchester City unless Feyenoord make a major mess on Wednesday, reaching 13 points is a stretch. Factoring in the current struggles being experienced by Pep Guardiola's men, though, it is not totally impossible and something to motivate Luis Enrique's team. Stylistically, it was another performance that sought to smother the opposition with around 70% of the ball and comfortably more shots on and off target than their hosts. However, it was further proof that this Parisien outfit is not clinical enough in front of goal against one of the poorest sides in this year's competition on a night when Pepijn Lijnders' troops managed just one shot on goal. Crucially, ahead of PSG's return to Parc des Princes in Europe against City, you could argue that it was not an enormous winning margin given how they could have further boosted their goal difference. Going into the Citizens clash as well as their closer vs. VfB Stuttgart, it does feel like it could come down to fine margins as to whether or not the Ligue 1 leaders make it to the knockouts. Given how tight the field is within the top 24, three points against City could make a huge difference for Paris and it certainly makes that clash fascinating once the Champions League returns in early 2025 for the two remaining league phase games. Feyenoord's expected win over Sparta Praha makes this likely to be only temporary relief from what remains a difficult campaign, though.

“Cassoulet, that best of bean feasts, is everyday fare for a peasant but ambrosia for a gastronome.” ~ Julia Child When winter heads our way, bringing chilly temperatures and close, dark nights, my thoughts turn to Cassoulet, the iconic comfort food from southwestern France. It has it all – juicy beans, duck leg confit, sausages and sometimes pork or lamb, slowly simmered in well-seasoned broth, then baked in a wide-mouthed, glazed terra-cotta dish called a cassole . Like any truly traditional dish, there are multiple versions, all claiming to be the “authentic one.” Cassoulet originated in southwestern France. Toulouse claims it — and so does Castelnaudary and Carcassonne — and the recipes vary. Toulouse adherents eschew adding cubed pork. Castelnaudary purists add a bit of lamb, while Carcassonne’s adds partridge. In most restaurants, cassoulets are served in an individual cassole , bubbling with hot juices,and with a bit of duck leg peeking through the top. But at Hostellerie Etienne , a vast indoor- outdoor restaurant on the edge of a forest near Castelnaudary, the cassoulets come to the table in family-size cassoles , big enough to serve two, four, six or even 10 people, so you can share the dish with your dining companions. I don’t know if Etienne’s even has a single-serving bowl size. I didn’t see one, when I was there as the guest of a bean trader from Castelnaudary. According to him, Etiennne’s has the best cassoulet anywhere, and they use the Lauragais lingot beans known as the Castelnaudary bean. Copious doesn’t begin to describe the cassoulet scene there, with stacks of cassoles lined up in Etienne’s kitchen, next to caldrons of simmering beans, ready to be filled and popped into the vast ovens. Here in the Bay Area, we have our own go-to restaurants for cassoulets. Some, like the Left Bank Brasseries in San Jose, Menlo Park, Oakland and Larkspur, and Reve Bistro in Lafayette, only serve it during the winter months as a special. (Reve will be serving cassoulet Dec. 10-14, for example, and Jan. 7-11; reserve it when you reserve your table.) Others, such as Bistro Jeanty in Yountville and Le Central in San Francisco, always have it on the menu. Both Reve Bistro and Bistro Jeanty use cassoles made by potter Kathy Kernes at her Crockett Pottery in Crockett, and they are every bit as beautiful and as practical as those you’ll find in southwestern France. Kernes’ makes cassoles in six sizes ($38-$210), ranging from individual to “extra large plus,” which is very large indeed. (Browse the possibilities at www.crockettpottery.com.) Reve Bistro offers take-out cassoulets if you pre-order the week the dish is on the menu. Pick it up — in a takeout container, not a cassole! — then heat it at home. Just note that chef-owner Paul Magu-Lecugy only makes a limited number of portions. “It’s time consuming,” he says, noting for him, it is a two-day process. Le Central’s cassoulet is one of the more elaborate around, with lamb, pork shoulder and boudin blanc, as well as the all-important duck leg confit and slightly garlicky Toulouse sausage. Left Bank uses chef-owner Roland Passot’s recipe (see below) and keeps it simple, limiting the meats to duck leg confit and Toulouse sausages. (Don’t panic. If you’re making this at home, some specialty markets sell duck confit.) The beans are key to cassoulet. Once cooked, they should not be mushy, but hold their shape after the long cooking. In France, tradition calls for either Tarbais beans, a plump, white bean, or lingot beans — a strain of cannellini beans — in making cassoulet. As Passot suggests in his recipe below, you can substitute cannellini beans or Great Northern beans. Rancho Gordo produces a variety called cassoulet , a West Coast-grown bean from the Tarbais strain. Cassoulet isn’t difficult to make. It just requires time and patience. You can make it a couple of days ahead, refrigerate it and then slowly reheat it. That way, there’s nothing to do on the day of but sip a glass of wine while the beans and meats slowly heat to bubbling. Add a green salad and some crusty bread, and you’ll have the perfect winter meal. Or put your coat on and head to one of our local restaurants, where the cooking is done for you. All you need is a reservation. Serves 6 to 8 Beans: 4 cups dried lingot beans (white kidney, cannellini or Great Northern, will all work) 1 small carrot, peeled and chopped 1 small onion, diced (about 3⁄4 cup) 1 clove garlic, chopped 1 pound slab bacon or extra thick-cut bacon, cut into 1-inch cubes 2 sprigs of thyme 1 bay leaf Cassoulet: 1⁄4 cup duck fat (lard will do in a pinch) 2 pounds pork butt cut in 2-inch cubes 1 cup onions, diced small 4 cloves garlic, chopped 1⁄4 cup tomato paste 1 small can diced tomatoes 11⁄2-2 cups reserved bean water 6 Toulouse sausages 1 small garlic sausage 4 confit duck legs, purchased or homemade (see note below) 1 cup panko bread crumbs 1 teaspoon garlic, chopped 1 tablespoon parsley, chopped 1⁄4 teaspoon fresh thyme, chopped 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil Note: If you are making your own duck confit, start the night before by rubbing the duck legs with a “green salt” mixture — kosher salt, parsley, a couple of bay leaves and thyme ground together. The next day, rinse the duck legs well, pat dry and place in an oven-safe cooking vessel with enough duck fat to cover the legs. Roast in a 225-degree oven for 21⁄2 to 3 hrs. The night before, place the beans in a deep pot and add enough water to cover by 2 inches. Let beans soak overnight. The next day, rinse the beans well. Add the rinsed beans, carrots, onions, garlic, bacon, thyme and bay leaf to cold water and cook, over low heat, until the beans are tender. Strain the beans, saving the water, and set aside the beans. In a large braising pan, melt the duck fat over medium high heat. Once the pan is hot, brown the pork butt pieces without stirring. When beginning to brown, start stirring, making sure you scrape the bottom if it starts to caramelize. The pork doesn’t need much color, but it does need to cook in the duck fat for a while. Add lots of salt and pepper. This is not a shy dish. When the pork is nice and brown on all sides, add the 1 cup onions and garlic, and sauté until the onions are soft and cooked through. Add the tomato paste, diced tomatoes and reserved liquid from the beans. Stir, using a rubber spatula to clean the side of the pot. Preheat your oven to 250 degrees. Bring the heat under the braising pan up to high. Once at a rolling boil, turn down to low heat and add all the sausages. When they are cooked through, remove and set aside. Slice the garlic sausage in half and cut into 1-inch pieces. Return the whole and sliced sausages back to the pot along with the cooked beans. Continue to cook on low heat until the pork is cooked through. Taste for seasoning; add more salt and pepper if needed. Transfer the beans and pork to a heavy, wide mouth, earthenware, clay or cast iron baking dish that can hold 5 to 6 quarts. Bake at 250 degrees for about 11⁄2 hours, checking at least every 30 minutes. It may require a bit more time. If the dish is starting to look too dry, add a small amount of reserved bean broth or chicken stock. Add warmed duck legs to the cassoulet and make a breadcrumb topping by combining the panko, garlic, parsley, thyme and extra virgin olive oil. Return the dish to the oven and continue baking until the crumbs brown on the top. — Courtesy Roland Passot, Propriétaire, Chef Culinary Officer, Vine Hospitality

“Cassoulet, that best of bean feasts, is everyday fare for a peasant but ambrosia for a gastronome.” ~ Julia Child When winter heads our way, bringing chilly temperatures and close, dark nights, my thoughts turn to Cassoulet, the iconic comfort food from southwestern France. It has it all – juicy beans, duck leg confit, sausages and sometimes pork or lamb, slowly simmered in well-seasoned broth, then baked in a wide-mouthed, glazed terra-cotta dish called a cassole . Like any truly traditional dish, there are multiple versions, all claiming to be the “authentic one.” Cassoulet originated in southwestern France. Toulouse claims it — and so does Castelnaudary and Carcassonne — and the recipes vary. Toulouse adherents eschew adding cubed pork. Castelnaudary purists add a bit of lamb, while Carcassonne’s adds partridge. In most restaurants, cassoulets are served in an individual cassole , bubbling with hot juices,and with a bit of duck leg peeking through the top. But at Hostellerie Etienne , a vast indoor- outdoor restaurant on the edge of a forest near Castelnaudary, the cassoulets come to the table in family-size cassoles , big enough to serve two, four, six or even 10 people, so you can share the dish with your dining companions. I don’t know if Etienne’s even has a single-serving bowl size. I didn’t see one, when I was there as the guest of a bean trader from Castelnaudary. According to him, Etiennne’s has the best cassoulet anywhere, and they use the Lauragais lingot beans known as the Castelnaudary bean. Copious doesn’t begin to describe the cassoulet scene there, with stacks of cassoles lined up in Etienne’s kitchen, next to caldrons of simmering beans, ready to be filled and popped into the vast ovens. Here in the Bay Area, we have our own go-to restaurants for cassoulets. Some, like the Left Bank Brasseries in San Jose, Menlo Park, Oakland and Larkspur, and Reve Bistro in Lafayette, only serve it during the winter months as a special. (Reve will be serving cassoulet Dec. 10-14, for example, and Jan. 7-11; reserve it when you reserve your table.) Others, such as Bistro Jeanty in Yountville and Le Central in San Francisco, always have it on the menu. Both Reve Bistro and Bistro Jeanty use cassoles made by potter Kathy Kernes at her Crockett Pottery in Crockett, and they are every bit as beautiful and as practical as those you’ll find in southwestern France. Kernes’ makes cassoles in six sizes ($38-$210), ranging from individual to “extra large plus,” which is very large indeed. (Browse the possibilities at www.crockettpottery.com.) Reve Bistro offers take-out cassoulets if you pre-order the week the dish is on the menu. Pick it up — in a takeout container, not a cassole! — then heat it at home. Just note that chef-owner Paul Magu-Lecugy only makes a limited number of portions. “It’s time consuming,” he says, noting for him, it is a two-day process. Le Central’s cassoulet is one of the more elaborate around, with lamb, pork shoulder and boudin blanc, as well as the all-important duck leg confit and slightly garlicky Toulouse sausage. Left Bank uses chef-owner Roland Passot’s recipe (see below) and keeps it simple, limiting the meats to duck leg confit and Toulouse sausages. (Don’t panic. If you’re making this at home, some specialty markets sell duck confit.) The beans are key to cassoulet. Once cooked, they should not be mushy, but hold their shape after the long cooking. In France, tradition calls for either Tarbais beans, a plump, white bean, or lingot beans — a strain of cannellini beans — in making cassoulet. As Passot suggests in his recipe below, you can substitute cannellini beans or Great Northern beans. Rancho Gordo produces a variety called cassoulet , a West Coast-grown bean from the Tarbais strain. Cassoulet isn’t difficult to make. It just requires time and patience. You can make it a couple of days ahead, refrigerate it and then slowly reheat it. That way, there’s nothing to do on the day of but sip a glass of wine while the beans and meats slowly heat to bubbling. Add a green salad and some crusty bread, and you’ll have the perfect winter meal. Or put your coat on and head to one of our local restaurants, where the cooking is done for you. All you need is a reservation. Serves 6 to 8 Beans: 4 cups dried lingot beans (white kidney, cannellini or Great Northern, will all work) 1 small carrot, peeled and chopped 1 small onion, diced (about 3⁄4 cup) 1 clove garlic, chopped 1 pound slab bacon or extra thick-cut bacon, cut into 1-inch cubes 2 sprigs of thyme 1 bay leaf Cassoulet: 1⁄4 cup duck fat (lard will do in a pinch) 2 pounds pork butt cut in 2-inch cubes 1 cup onions, diced small 4 cloves garlic, chopped 1⁄4 cup tomato paste 1 small can diced tomatoes 11⁄2-2 cups reserved bean water 6 Toulouse sausages 1 small garlic sausage 4 confit duck legs, purchased or homemade (see note below) 1 cup panko bread crumbs 1 teaspoon garlic, chopped 1 tablespoon parsley, chopped 1⁄4 teaspoon fresh thyme, chopped 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil Note: If you are making your own duck confit, start the night before by rubbing the duck legs with a “green salt” mixture — kosher salt, parsley, a couple of bay leaves and thyme ground together. The next day, rinse the duck legs well, pat dry and place in an oven-safe cooking vessel with enough duck fat to cover the legs. Roast in a 225-degree oven for 21⁄2 to 3 hrs. The night before, place the beans in a deep pot and add enough water to cover by 2 inches. Let beans soak overnight. The next day, rinse the beans well. Add the rinsed beans, carrots, onions, garlic, bacon, thyme and bay leaf to cold water and cook, over low heat, until the beans are tender. Strain the beans, saving the water, and set aside the beans. In a large braising pan, melt the duck fat over medium high heat. Once the pan is hot, brown the pork butt pieces without stirring. When beginning to brown, start stirring, making sure you scrape the bottom if it starts to caramelize. The pork doesn’t need much color, but it does need to cook in the duck fat for a while. Add lots of salt and pepper. This is not a shy dish. When the pork is nice and brown on all sides, add the 1 cup onions and garlic, and sauté until the onions are soft and cooked through. Add the tomato paste, diced tomatoes and reserved liquid from the beans. Stir, using a rubber spatula to clean the side of the pot. Preheat your oven to 250 degrees. Bring the heat under the braising pan up to high. Once at a rolling boil, turn down to low heat and add all the sausages. When they are cooked through, remove and set aside. Slice the garlic sausage in half and cut into 1-inch pieces. Return the whole and sliced sausages back to the pot along with the cooked beans. Continue to cook on low heat until the pork is cooked through. Taste for seasoning; add more salt and pepper if needed. Transfer the beans and pork to a heavy, wide mouth, earthenware, clay or cast iron baking dish that can hold 5 to 6 quarts. Bake at 250 degrees for about 11⁄2 hours, checking at least every 30 minutes. It may require a bit more time. If the dish is starting to look too dry, add a small amount of reserved bean broth or chicken stock. Add warmed duck legs to the cassoulet and make a breadcrumb topping by combining the panko, garlic, parsley, thyme and extra virgin olive oil. Return the dish to the oven and continue baking until the crumbs brown on the top. — Courtesy Roland Passot, Propriétaire, Chef Culinary Officer, Vine HospitalityStrictly star Shirley Ballas’ six figure salary revealed – and it’s WAY more than former head judge Len Goodman’s pay

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jilino1 online slot game PM wants monitoring of sugar millsAfter being shot in both legs by a Hamas sniper in Gaza, Israeli reservist and New York native Aaron Bours is among the many soldiers pioneering the use of cutting-edge rehabilitative technologies that have been a result of Israel’s war with Hamas . Bours, now 34, moved from Long Island to Israel as a teenager to join the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and ended up staying in the country. He describes his first entry into Gaza — weeks after Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel — as stepping into a Tolkien-esque apocalyptic landscape. “It’s like Mordor or the Upside Down of ‘Stranger Things,’ ” he told The Post. Just two weeks into his service, Bours was shot while trying to rescue his commanding officer, who was killed at the scene. He barely survived, crawling to safety while dragging his smashed leg. From the initial fear of amputation to transitioning to a wheelchair and then crutches and now to a cane, Bours credits Israel’s medical professionals and technology for his recovery and saving his legs. In fact, Israel’s war in Gaza has spurred a wave of healthcare innovations that are reshaping both mental and physical recovery for soldiers and civilians. From surgical robots that remove bullets and shrapnel to 3D-printed prosthetics tailored for rapid deployment, to a battlefield burn treatment developed from pineapples, these technologies are redefining modern medicine and saving lives. The need is dire: Since the war began,12,000 soldiers have entered the Defense Ministry’s Rehabilitation department, with 40% sustaining limb trauma and a third facing psychological injuries such as anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder and psychosis. At the forefront of Israel’s rehabilitation push is Sheba Medical Center in the Tel Aviv suburb of Ramat Gan, the Middle East’s largest hospital. Here, rehabilitation efforts ranging from augmented and virtual reality to AI-driven PTSD treatments are being both researched and deployed as injuries from Gaza — and more recently, Lebanon — continue to mount. Video-game therapy At Sheba’s new Immersive Rehabilitation Room, Bours, who lost over three inches of bone in his right leg, has been busy mimicking a monkey catching bananas. The space, like a video game reimagined for therapy, projects real-life scenarios onto walls and floors embedded with sensors. “I broke a sweat like I hadn’t done in many months. It’s fun, so the results are that much better,” Bours said of the primate-inspired workout. Therapists design these patient-customized scenarios to prepare them for civilian life — anything from navigating a simulated mall to meditating on a virtual beach. “What we aim to do is practice daily activities, and this technology allows us to bring the outside world into the therapy room,” said Maya Ehrlich, a Sheba rehabilitation psychologist and coordinator. She explained that, while much of the video rehab technology existed prior to the war, its use has been expanded for wartime rehabilitation. For soldiers who’ve required amputation, phantom pain often occurs when the brain repeatedly sends signals to move a limb that no longer exists, interpreting the lack of response as pain. The MyMove system by Israeli startup 6Degrees alleviates that pain by “tricking” the brain into believing the missing limb is moving. Patients wear lightweight bands and a VR headset, engaging in games where a virtual version of their limb performs actions. This reactivates the brain’s motor and sensory circuits to reduce pain and a reliance on medications. Clinical trials show 88% of users report significant pain relief. Advanced 3- D printing Another key wartime development is in the realm of three-dimensional printing, which now enables the rapid production of customized prosthetics and implants. Although the technology existed previously, it has been integrated into hospitals to create prosthetics in hours rather than weeks. At Sheba Medical Center’s 3D Center, a precisely designed skull model was manufactured to help surgeons reconstruct the facial structure of IDF officer Omri Rosenblit, who was severely injured in Khan Yunis when a building collapsed on him. The technology also helped restore his vision. In another case, a 3D-printed personalized implant (PSI) by Synergy 3DMed helped reconstruct the shattered skull of a military dog injured during a Gaza operation. Surgeons fitted the piece of the missing skull seamlessly — much like completing a puzzle — resulting in the dog’s full recovery. Robo ts and AI Surgical robotic technology also isn’t entirely new but has been updated in a groundbreaking way at Hadassah Hospital in Jerusalem after the Oct. 7 attacks. A robotic guidance system by Israeli company Medtronic was used to remove a bullet lodged in a soldier’s sacrum — the bone at the base of the spine — avoiding paralysis, nerve damage, and lead poisoning. The minimally invasive procedure took just 90 minutes, which is a fraction of the time required for traditional surgery. Artificial Intelligence powers Aidoc, a medical imaging system transforming real-time emergency care by quickly identifying and prioritizing critical trauma cases. It played a key role in saving a 23-year-old Nova massacre survivor who was shot in the eye, with the bullet lodged in her brain. Aidoc mapped the bullet’s path in seconds and sent a push notification to an endovascular surgeon, enabling him to prioritize her treatment and save her life. Kemtai is an online workout tool that transforms physical therapy by turning any device with a camera into a personal trainer. The AI-driven platform tracks key body points via smartphone or laptop cameras, offering real-time feedback on exercise form and technique. The technology helps medical providers monitor injured soldiers’ progress and adjust treatment plans remotely. Another innovation is EyeCon, currently being tested at Rambam Medical Center in the northern city of Haifa, the primary hospital treating soldiers and civilians injured in Hezbollah attacks from Lebanon. Comprising a headband, earphone, and camera, EyeCon is helping bring soldiers out of comas by enabling them to communicate through eye gestures like blinking. The system uses EEG electrodes to monitor brain waves and eye muscle activity, translating these signals into prompts that allow patients with limited consciousness to express their needs and ultimately help pull them back into consciousness. Battlefield innovations Magen David Adom (MDA), Israel’s national emergency medical service, has introduced whole blood transfusions on the battlefield, making the IDF the first military to implement this life-saving practice. By delivering comprehensive blood components — red and white blood cells, platelets, and plasma — at the point of injury, survival rates for soldiers suffering massive bleeding and trauma have reached an unprecedented 93%. According to Professor Eilat Shinar, MDA’s director of blood services, the practice could save lives globally, from victims of gun violence to car accident casualties. Also on the battlefield, the IDF has begun using chip-bearing dog tags to improve care for wounded soldiers. Medics input treatment details and vital signs through tablets, and the data stays with the patient, ensuring seamless handovers between medics, evacuation teams, and hospital staff. Revolutionary PTSD treatment With over a third of soldiers in rehabilitation battling PTSD, the psychological toll of war is expected to cost Israel’s economy upwards of $53 billion in the next five years. To address this, the Defense Ministry has launched grants to support AI-driven mental health solutions. One such innovation is LIV, a GenAI-powered platform at Sheba that eases the strain on overburdened mental health professionals. Patients interact directly with LIV, sharing their feelings and experiences as the system guides them with questions and prompts. Using tools rooted in classic psychology, LIV helps patients explore their emotions while simultaneously gathering clinical data. By the time patients meet with a psychiatrist, LIV’s detailed summaries allow doctors to focus on decision-making rather than lengthy intake sessions. Researchers at the Samueli Initiative for Responsible AI in Medicine and the Psychological Trauma Research Lab at Tel Aviv University have developed a self-guided version of the Immediate Stabilization Procedure (ISP) — a therapist-led, early intervention for trauma — into another self-guided app. The platform, based on EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing), is designed to prevent PTSD from developing after a traumatic event. Microsoft Israel R&D volunteered a team of engineers to bring this system to life. Pineapple miracles Anat Iosub Amir, director of healthcare investment at Israeli venture capital fund OurCrowd, said that many of these new technologies emerging from the war have applications far beyond the battlefield. “The war was the spark, but these technologies can grow into much bigger markets,” she said. “The unique technology developed for phantom pain in amputees, for example, could easily be adapted for broader pain management, physical therapy needs, or even gaming.” The new Israeli technologies are also primed for use well beyond Israel’s borders. Last year, for instance, the US Department of Defense invested $15 million in the Yavne-based firm MediWound to develop a new version of its treatment, NexoBrid, which has been heavily deployed in Gaza. Based on enzymes extracted from the stems of pineapple plants, NexoBrid removes dead skin cells from severe burns and was recently approved by the FDA for use in children. The company has just completed a new manufacturing facility and plans to increase production levels by six-fold in the coming year; its stock has also almost doubled. After five months as an inpatient at Sheba, Bours is now home with his wife, whom he married just weeks before Oct. 7, but still returns for intensive therapy three times a week. Despite his journey, Bours refuses to give in to self-pity. “We’re a survivalist nation,” he said. “We have to be because otherwise we’d die.”

Former female sports greats, media figures, and even a conservative lawmaker tore into a recent New York Times article for referring to women as “non-transgender women.” Tennis legend Martina Navratilova and other prominent people blasted the piece online for the characterization, stating the outlet should just be referring to biological women as women. “NYT- you stink. We are women, NOT TRANSGENDER WOMEN. Just WOMEN will do in the future,” Navratilova wrote on the social media platform on Friday. The Times published an article Thursday which documented the inner turmoil of a women’s college volleyball team – the San Jose State University Spartans – attempting to field a transgender female player in upcoming tournament games. The attempt to get the trans player to compete has caused division, not only in the league, but among team members, some of whom are suing their own team. The outlet reported, “Earlier this month, a senior co-captain of the Spartans and the assistant coach filed a lawsuit to stop the transgender athlete from playing in this week’s Mountain West Conference tournament, claiming that she violates Title IX rights to gender equity at federally funded institutions.” The co-captain was joined by 10 female volleyball players, most of whom are on other teams that play against the Spartans. The Times described the situation as a “complicated mess,” noting that “some of the Spartans no longer talk to one another at practice or outside of games” and adding that even the head coach – who supports the trans student – “has stopped talking to some players off the court, too.” The Times reporter Juliet Macur appeared to step into the debate as well, as further down in her piece, she employed the term “non-transgender women” as one way to distinguish biological women. Describing some of the science that fuels that debate as to whether trans women can compete in women’s sport, Macur wrote, “On its website, the N.C.A.A. says trans volleyball players are eligible to play if their testosterone level is less than 10 nanomoles per liter — that’s at least four times more than what many experts say is the top of the range for non-transgender women, and in the typical range for adult men.” At other points in the piece, the reporter also referred to the biological female athletes as “athletes assigned female at birth.” Frustrated social media users trashed these controversial descriptions of women. British Olympian and activist Sharron Davies posted, “Written in the NYT ... women are now Non-transgender women! Just wow! How anyone can say this isn’t a men’s rights movement I’ll never know, whilst women lose their rights, their words, their safeguards, their sports, their sex discrimination laws... I will never understand.” Anti-trans activism account “WomenAreReal” addressed the outlet on X, stating, “Hey @nytimes Don’t call us ‘non-transgender women.’ Just stop it. Stop all the offensive terms for us.” The account listed other politically correct terms trans activists have used to referred to biological women, including, “birthing parent,” “uterus haver,” “menstruator,” and “vaginal presenting.” “We are WOMEN!” the account added. Journalist Tiffany Wong posted, “LMAO, New York Times is calling normal, sane women ‘non-transgender women.’” Conservative journalist Andy Ngo remarked, “In woke ideology, there are only transgender women and non-transgender women.” Even Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., trashed the outlet, stating, “The New York Times, everybody, where women are defined as ‘non-transgender women.’ What bs. #HoldTheLine.” Fox News Digital reached out to The New York Times for comment, but did not immediately hear back.

Disaster preparedness meeting held in Dharmapuri under monitoring officer

The old adage that “speed kills” is ringing true among the world’s fastest roller coasters that have been closing at an alarming rate — but fortunately for thrill seekers a new coaster king will soon arise in 2025. Kingda Ka at New Jersey’s Six Flags Great Adventure — the reigning champ for speed (128 mph) and height (456 feet) — became the latest of the world’s fastest coasters to fall. ALSO SEE: Six Flags to spend $1 billion on 11 coasters over next 2 years Six Flags announced last week that Kingda Ka would be removed and replaced by a new record-breaking launch coaster in 2026. “Kingda Ka has delivered more than 12 million rides since 2005,” Six Flags said in a statement. “What was cutting edge roller coaster technology 20 years ago has been surpassed by more modern advancements.” Four other coasters on Roller Coaster Database’s world’s fastest list are currently “standing but not operating.” That leaves Red Force (112 mph) at Spain’s Ferrari Land as the reigning world’s fastest coaster. Fury 325 (95 mph) at North Carolina’s Carowinds currently holds the title as America’s fastest coaster . The Superman reverse freefall launch coaster will reclaim the U.S. title it hasn’t held in more than two decades when the Magic Mountain ride eventually returns to operation. The Superman: Escape from Krypton coaster closed for repairs in September, according to Magic Mountain officials. A reopening date has not yet been announced. ALSO SEE: Six Flags Magic Mountain plans 21st roller coaster for 2026 The record-setting coaster opened at Magic Mountain in 1997 as Superman: The Escape — tying Tower of Terror at Australia’s Dreamworld as the world’s fastest coaster. The nearly identical Intamin shuttle coasters shared the throne until the 112 mph Dodonpa coaster opened in 2001 at Japan’s Fuji-Q Highland. Cedar Point’s Top Thrill Dragster grabbed the title of world’s fastest coaster in 2003 with a top speed of 120 mph. Kingda Ka became the king of the world when the top hat-style Intamin Accelerator coaster debuted in 2005. Formula Rossa snatched the world’s fastest crown in 2010, but the coaster has been closed since January to repair the launch system — a process that can take a year or more, according to Screamscape . Ring Racer remains an expensive but worthless white elephant — operating for only a few days when it opened in 2013, but still “standing but not operating” to this day. ALSO SEE: Coaster war brewing between Six Flags Magic Mountain and relatively unknown European rival Ferrari World’s Formula Rossa, Cedar Point’s Top Thrill 2 and Magic Mountain’s Superman are all eventually expected to reopen. Cedar Point closed Top Thrill Dragster for the entire 2022 and 2023 seasons after a metal piece flew off the ride and seriously injured a woman waiting in the attraction queue in August 2021. The rechristened Top Thrill 2 replaced the Intamin hydraulic launch system with a Zamperla electro-magnetic propulsion launch system in May — but the ride only operated for about a week before the park closed the coaster again due to mechanical issues. The world’s fastest coaster list will be reshuffled again in 2025 when Falcon’s Flight debuts at Six Flags Qiddiya City in Saudi Arabia. Falcon’s Flight will become the world’s fastest coaster at a blistering 155 mph — 6 mph faster than Formula Rossa’s top speed of 149 mph.

Amazon delivery drivers and Starbucks baristas are on strike in a handful of U.S. cities as they seek to exert pressure on the two major companies to recognize them as unionized employees or to meet demands for an inaugural labor contract. The strikes that started Thursday and Friday followed other recent standoffs between corporate America and organized labor. Large and established labor unions secured meaningful employer concessions this year following strikes by Boeing factory workers , dockworkers at East and Gulf coast ports, video game performers, and hotel and casino workers on the Las Vegas Strip. Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Please enable it in your browser settings.By BILL BARROW, Associated Press PLAINS, Ga. (AP) — Newly married and sworn as a Naval officer, Jimmy Carter left his tiny hometown in 1946 hoping to climb the ranks and see the world. Less than a decade later, the death of his father and namesake, a merchant farmer and local politician who went by “Mr. Earl,” prompted the submariner and his wife, Rosalynn, to return to the rural life of Plains, Georgia, they thought they’d escaped. The lieutenant never would be an admiral. Instead, he became commander in chief. Years after his presidency ended in humbling defeat, he would add a Nobel Peace Prize, awarded not for his White House accomplishments but “for his decades of untiring effort to find peaceful solutions to international conflicts, to advance democracy and human rights, and to promote economic and social development.” The life of James Earl Carter Jr., the 39th and longest-lived U.S. president, ended Sunday at the age of 100 where it began: Plains, the town of 600 that fueled his political rise, welcomed him after his fall and sustained him during 40 years of service that redefined what it means to be a former president. With the stubborn confidence of an engineer and an optimism rooted in his Baptist faith, Carter described his motivations in politics and beyond in the same way: an almost missionary zeal to solve problems and improve lives. Carter was raised amid racism, abject poverty and hard rural living — realities that shaped both his deliberate politics and emphasis on human rights. “He always felt a responsibility to help people,” said Jill Stuckey, a longtime friend of Carter’s in Plains. “And when he couldn’t make change wherever he was, he decided he had to go higher.” Carter’s path, a mix of happenstance and calculation , pitted moral imperatives against political pragmatism; and it defied typical labels of American politics, especially caricatures of one-term presidents as failures. “We shouldn’t judge presidents by how popular they are in their day. That’s a very narrow way of assessing them,” Carter biographer Jonathan Alter told the Associated Press. “We should judge them by how they changed the country and the world for the better. On that score, Jimmy Carter is not in the first rank of American presidents, but he stands up quite well.” Later in life, Carter conceded that many Americans, even those too young to remember his tenure, judged him ineffective for failing to contain inflation or interest rates, end the energy crisis or quickly bring home American hostages in Iran. He gained admirers instead for his work at The Carter Center — advocating globally for public health, human rights and democracy since 1982 — and the decades he and Rosalynn wore hardhats and swung hammers with Habitat for Humanity. Yet the common view that he was better after the Oval Office than in it annoyed Carter, and his allies relished him living long enough to see historians reassess his presidency. “He doesn’t quite fit in today’s terms” of a left-right, red-blue scoreboard, said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, who visited the former president multiple times during his own White House bid. At various points in his political career, Carter labeled himself “progressive” or “conservative” — sometimes both at once. His most ambitious health care bill failed — perhaps one of his biggest legislative disappointments — because it didn’t go far enough to suit liberals. Republicans, especially after his 1980 defeat, cast him as a left-wing cartoon. It would be easiest to classify Carter as a centrist, Buttigieg said, “but there’s also something radical about the depth of his commitment to looking after those who are left out of society and out of the economy.” Indeed, Carter’s legacy is stitched with complexities, contradictions and evolutions — personal and political. The self-styled peacemaker was a war-trained Naval Academy graduate who promised Democratic challenger Ted Kennedy that he’d “kick his ass.” But he campaigned with a call to treat everyone with “respect and compassion and with love.” Carter vowed to restore America’s virtue after the shame of Vietnam and Watergate, and his technocratic, good-government approach didn’t suit Republicans who tagged government itself as the problem. It also sometimes put Carter at odds with fellow Democrats. The result still was a notable legislative record, with wins on the environment, education, and mental health care. He dramatically expanded federally protected lands, began deregulating air travel, railroads and trucking, and he put human rights at the center of U.S. foreign policy. As a fiscal hawk, Carter added a relative pittance to the national debt, unlike successors from both parties. Carter nonetheless struggled to make his achievements resonate with the electorate he charmed in 1976. Quoting Bob Dylan and grinning enthusiastically, he had promised voters he would “never tell a lie.” Once in Washington, though, he led like a joyless engineer, insisting his ideas would become reality and he’d be rewarded politically if only he could convince enough people with facts and logic. This served him well at Camp David, where he brokered peace between Israel’s Menachem Begin and Epypt’s Anwar Sadat, an experience that later sparked the idea of The Carter Center in Atlanta. Carter’s tenacity helped the center grow to a global force that monitored elections across five continents, enabled his freelance diplomacy and sent public health experts across the developing world. The center’s wins were personal for Carter, who hoped to outlive the last Guinea worm parasite, and nearly did. As president, though, the approach fell short when he urged consumers beleaguered by energy costs to turn down their thermostats. Or when he tried to be the nation’s cheerleader, beseeching Americans to overcome a collective “crisis of confidence.” Republican Ronald Reagan exploited Carter’s lecturing tone with a belittling quip in their lone 1980 debate. “There you go again,” the former Hollywood actor said in response to a wonky answer from the sitting president. “The Great Communicator” outpaced Carter in all but six states. Carter later suggested he “tried to do too much, too soon” and mused that he was incompatible with Washington culture: media figures, lobbyists and Georgetown social elites who looked down on the Georgians and their inner circle as “country come to town.” Carter carefully navigated divides on race and class on his way to the Oval Office. Born Oct. 1, 1924 , Carter was raised in the mostly Black community of Archery, just outside Plains, by a progressive mother and white supremacist father. Their home had no running water or electricity but the future president still grew up with the relative advantages of a locally prominent, land-owning family in a system of Jim Crow segregation. He wrote of President Franklin Roosevelt’s towering presence and his family’s Democratic Party roots, but his father soured on FDR, and Jimmy Carter never campaigned or governed as a New Deal liberal. He offered himself as a small-town peanut farmer with an understated style, carrying his own luggage, bunking with supporters during his first presidential campaign and always using his nickname. And he began his political career in a whites-only Democratic Party. As private citizens, he and Rosalynn supported integration as early as the 1950s and believed it inevitable. Carter refused to join the White Citizens Council in Plains and spoke out in his Baptist church against denying Black people access to worship services. “This is not my house; this is not your house,” he said in a churchwide meeting, reminding fellow parishioners their sanctuary belonged to God. Yet as the appointed chairman of Sumter County schools he never pushed to desegregate, thinking it impractical after the Supreme Court’s 1954 Brown v. Board decision. And while presidential candidate Carter would hail the 1965 Voting Rights Act, signed by fellow Democrat Lyndon Johnson when Carter was a state senator, there is no record of Carter publicly supporting it at the time. Carter overcame a ballot-stuffing opponent to win his legislative seat, then lost the 1966 governor’s race to an arch-segregationist. He won four years later by avoiding explicit mentions of race and campaigning to the right of his rival, who he mocked as “Cufflinks Carl” — the insult of an ascendant politician who never saw himself as part the establishment. Carter’s rural and small-town coalition in 1970 would match any victorious Republican electoral map in 2024. Once elected, though, Carter shocked his white conservative supporters — and landed on the cover of Time magazine — by declaring that “the time for racial discrimination is over.” Before making the jump to Washington, Carter befriended the family of slain civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., whom he’d never sought out as he eyed the governor’s office. Carter lamented his foot-dragging on school integration as a “mistake.” But he also met, conspicuously, with Alabama’s segregationist Gov. George Wallace to accept his primary rival’s endorsement ahead of the 1976 Democratic convention. “He very shrewdly took advantage of his own Southerness,” said Amber Roessner, a University of Tennessee professor and expert on Carter’s campaigns. A coalition of Black voters and white moderate Democrats ultimately made Carter the last Democratic presidential nominee to sweep the Deep South. Then, just as he did in Georgia, he used his power in office to appoint more non-whites than all his predecessors had, combined. He once acknowledged “the secret shame” of white Americans who didn’t fight segregation. But he also told Alter that doing more would have sacrificed his political viability – and thus everything he accomplished in office and after. King’s daughter, Bernice King, described Carter as wisely “strategic” in winning higher offices to enact change. “He was a leader of conscience,” she said in an interview. Rosalynn Carter, who died on Nov. 19 at the age of 96, was identified by both husband and wife as the “more political” of the pair; she sat in on Cabinet meetings and urged him to postpone certain priorities, like pressing the Senate to relinquish control of the Panama Canal. “Let that go until the second term,” she would sometimes say. The president, recalled her former aide Kathy Cade, retorted that he was “going to do what’s right” even if “it might cut short the time I have.” Rosalynn held firm, Cade said: “She’d remind him you have to win to govern.” Carter also was the first president to appoint multiple women as Cabinet officers. Yet by his own telling, his career sprouted from chauvinism in the Carters’ early marriage: He did not consult Rosalynn when deciding to move back to Plains in 1953 or before launching his state Senate bid a decade later. Many years later, he called it “inconceivable” that he didn’t confer with the woman he described as his “full partner,” at home, in government and at The Carter Center. “We developed a partnership when we were working in the farm supply business, and it continued when Jimmy got involved in politics,” Rosalynn Carter told AP in 2021. So deep was their trust that when Carter remained tethered to the White House in 1980 as 52 Americans were held hostage in Tehran, it was Rosalynn who campaigned on her husband’s behalf. “I just loved it,” she said, despite the bitterness of defeat. Fair or not, the label of a disastrous presidency had leading Democrats keep their distance, at least publicly, for many years, but Carter managed to remain relevant, writing books and weighing in on societal challenges. He lamented widening wealth gaps and the influence of money in politics. He voted for democratic socialist Bernie Sanders over Hillary Clinton in 2016, and later declared that America had devolved from fully functioning democracy to “oligarchy.” Yet looking ahead to 2020, with Sanders running again, Carter warned Democrats not to “move to a very liberal program,” lest they help re-elect President Donald Trump. Carter scolded the Republican for his serial lies and threats to democracy, and chided the U.S. establishment for misunderstanding Trump’s populist appeal. He delighted in yearly convocations with Emory University freshmen, often asking them to guess how much he’d raised in his two general election campaigns. “Zero,” he’d gesture with a smile, explaining the public financing system candidates now avoid so they can raise billions. Carter still remained quite practical in partnering with wealthy corporations and foundations to advance Carter Center programs. Carter recognized that economic woes and the Iran crisis doomed his presidency, but offered no apologies for appointing Paul Volcker as the Federal Reserve chairman whose interest rate hikes would not curb inflation until Reagan’s presidency. He was proud of getting all the hostages home without starting a shooting war, even though Tehran would not free them until Reagan’s Inauguration Day. “Carter didn’t look at it” as a failure, Alter emphasized. “He said, ‘They came home safely.’ And that’s what he wanted.” Well into their 90s, the Carters greeted visitors at Plains’ Maranatha Baptist Church, where he taught Sunday School and where he will have his last funeral before being buried on family property alongside Rosalynn . Carter, who made the congregation’s collection plates in his woodworking shop, still garnered headlines there, calling for women’s rights within religious institutions, many of which, he said, “subjugate” women in church and society. Carter was not one to dwell on regrets. “I am at peace with the accomplishments, regret the unrealized goals and utilize my former political position to enhance everything we do,” he wrote around his 90th birthday. The politician who had supposedly hated Washington politics also enjoyed hosting Democratic presidential contenders as public pilgrimages to Plains became advantageous again. Carter sat with Buttigieg for the final time March 1, 2020, hours before the Indiana mayor ended his campaign and endorsed eventual winner Joe Biden. “He asked me how I thought the campaign was going,” Buttigieg said, recalling that Carter flashed his signature grin and nodded along as the young candidate, born a year after Carter left office, “put the best face” on the walloping he endured the day before in South Carolina. Never breaking his smile, the 95-year-old host fired back, “I think you ought to drop out.” “So matter of fact,” Buttigieg said with a laugh. “It was somehow encouraging.” Carter had lived enough, won plenty and lost enough to take the long view. “He talked a lot about coming from nowhere,” Buttigieg said, not just to attain the presidency but to leverage “all of the instruments you have in life” and “make the world more peaceful.” In his farewell address as president, Carter said as much to the country that had embraced and rejected him. “The struggle for human rights overrides all differences of color, nation or language,” he declared. “Those who hunger for freedom, who thirst for human dignity and who suffer for the sake of justice — they are the patriots of this cause.” Carter pledged to remain engaged with and for them as he returned “home to the South where I was born and raised,” home to Plains, where that young lieutenant had indeed become “a fellow citizen of the world.” —- Bill Barrow, based in Atlanta, has covered national politics including multiple presidential campaigns for the AP since 2012.

Inframark Executes Multi-Year Wastewater Operations and Maintenance Contract with Fayetteville, ArkansasBy BILL BARROW, Associated Press PLAINS, Ga. (AP) — Newly married and sworn as a Naval officer, Jimmy Carter left his tiny hometown in 1946 hoping to climb the ranks and see the world. Less than a decade later, the death of his father and namesake, a merchant farmer and local politician who went by “Mr. Earl,” prompted the submariner and his wife, Rosalynn, to return to the rural life of Plains, Georgia, they thought they’d escaped. The lieutenant never would be an admiral. Instead, he became commander in chief. Years after his presidency ended in humbling defeat, he would add a Nobel Peace Prize, awarded not for his White House accomplishments but “for his decades of untiring effort to find peaceful solutions to international conflicts, to advance democracy and human rights, and to promote economic and social development.” The life of James Earl Carter Jr., the 39th and longest-lived U.S. president, ended Sunday at the age of 100 where it began: Plains, the town of 600 that fueled his political rise, welcomed him after his fall and sustained him during 40 years of service that redefined what it means to be a former president. With the stubborn confidence of an engineer and an optimism rooted in his Baptist faith, Carter described his motivations in politics and beyond in the same way: an almost missionary zeal to solve problems and improve lives. Carter was raised amid racism, abject poverty and hard rural living — realities that shaped both his deliberate politics and emphasis on human rights. “He always felt a responsibility to help people,” said Jill Stuckey, a longtime friend of Carter’s in Plains. “And when he couldn’t make change wherever he was, he decided he had to go higher.” Defying expectations Carter’s path, a mix of happenstance and calculation , pitted moral imperatives against political pragmatism; and it defied typical labels of American politics, especially caricatures of one-term presidents as failures. “We shouldn’t judge presidents by how popular they are in their day. That’s a very narrow way of assessing them,” Carter biographer Jonathan Alter told the Associated Press. “We should judge them by how they changed the country and the world for the better. On that score, Jimmy Carter is not in the first rank of American presidents, but he stands up quite well.” Later in life, Carter conceded that many Americans, even those too young to remember his tenure, judged him ineffective for failing to contain inflation or interest rates, end the energy crisis or quickly bring home American hostages in Iran. He gained admirers instead for his work at The Carter Center — advocating globally for public health, human rights and democracy since 1982 — and the decades he and Rosalynn wore hardhats and swung hammers with Habitat for Humanity. Yet the common view that he was better after the Oval Office than in it annoyed Carter, and his allies relished him living long enough to see historians reassess his presidency. “He doesn’t quite fit in today’s terms” of a left-right, red-blue scoreboard, said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, who visited the former president multiple times during his own White House bid. At various points in his political career, Carter labeled himself “progressive” or “conservative” — sometimes both at once. His most ambitious health care bill failed — perhaps one of his biggest legislative disappointments — because it didn’t go far enough to suit liberals. Republicans, especially after his 1980 defeat, cast him as a left-wing cartoon. It would be easiest to classify Carter as a centrist, Buttigieg said, “but there’s also something radical about the depth of his commitment to looking after those who are left out of society and out of the economy.” ‘Country come to town’ Indeed, Carter’s legacy is stitched with complexities, contradictions and evolutions — personal and political. The self-styled peacemaker was a war-trained Naval Academy graduate who promised Democratic challenger Ted Kennedy that he’d “kick his ass.” But he campaigned with a call to treat everyone with “respect and compassion and with love.” Carter vowed to restore America’s virtue after the shame of Vietnam and Watergate, and his technocratic, good-government approach didn’t suit Republicans who tagged government itself as the problem. It also sometimes put Carter at odds with fellow Democrats. The result still was a notable legislative record, with wins on the environment, education, and mental health care. He dramatically expanded federally protected lands, began deregulating air travel, railroads and trucking, and he put human rights at the center of U.S. foreign policy. As a fiscal hawk, Carter added a relative pittance to the national debt, unlike successors from both parties. Carter nonetheless struggled to make his achievements resonate with the electorate he charmed in 1976. Quoting Bob Dylan and grinning enthusiastically, he had promised voters he would “never tell a lie.” Once in Washington, though, he led like a joyless engineer, insisting his ideas would become reality and he’d be rewarded politically if only he could convince enough people with facts and logic. This served him well at Camp David, where he brokered peace between Israel’s Menachem Begin and Epypt’s Anwar Sadat, an experience that later sparked the idea of The Carter Center in Atlanta. Carter’s tenacity helped the center grow to a global force that monitored elections across five continents, enabled his freelance diplomacy and sent public health experts across the developing world. The center’s wins were personal for Carter, who hoped to outlive the last Guinea worm parasite, and nearly did. As president, though, the approach fell short when he urged consumers beleaguered by energy costs to turn down their thermostats. Or when he tried to be the nation’s cheerleader, beseeching Americans to overcome a collective “crisis of confidence.” Republican Ronald Reagan exploited Carter’s lecturing tone with a belittling quip in their lone 1980 debate. “There you go again,” the former Hollywood actor said in response to a wonky answer from the sitting president. “The Great Communicator” outpaced Carter in all but six states. Carter later suggested he “tried to do too much, too soon” and mused that he was incompatible with Washington culture: media figures, lobbyists and Georgetown social elites who looked down on the Georgians and their inner circle as “country come to town.” A ‘leader of conscience’ on race and class Carter carefully navigated divides on race and class on his way to the Oval Office. Born Oct. 1, 1924 , Carter was raised in the mostly Black community of Archery, just outside Plains, by a progressive mother and white supremacist father. Their home had no running water or electricity but the future president still grew up with the relative advantages of a locally prominent, land-owning family in a system of Jim Crow segregation. He wrote of President Franklin Roosevelt’s towering presence and his family’s Democratic Party roots, but his father soured on FDR, and Jimmy Carter never campaigned or governed as a New Deal liberal. He offered himself as a small-town peanut farmer with an understated style, carrying his own luggage, bunking with supporters during his first presidential campaign and always using his nickname. And he began his political career in a whites-only Democratic Party. As private citizens, he and Rosalynn supported integration as early as the 1950s and believed it inevitable. Carter refused to join the White Citizens Council in Plains and spoke out in his Baptist church against denying Black people access to worship services. “This is not my house; this is not your house,” he said in a churchwide meeting, reminding fellow parishioners their sanctuary belonged to God. Yet as the appointed chairman of Sumter County schools he never pushed to desegregate, thinking it impractical after the Supreme Court’s 1954 Brown v. Board decision. And while presidential candidate Carter would hail the 1965 Voting Rights Act, signed by fellow Democrat Lyndon Johnson when Carter was a state senator, there is no record of Carter publicly supporting it at the time. Carter overcame a ballot-stuffing opponent to win his legislative seat, then lost the 1966 governor’s race to an arch-segregationist. He won four years later by avoiding explicit mentions of race and campaigning to the right of his rival, who he mocked as “Cufflinks Carl” — the insult of an ascendant politician who never saw himself as part the establishment. Carter’s rural and small-town coalition in 1970 would match any victorious Republican electoral map in 2024. Once elected, though, Carter shocked his white conservative supporters — and landed on the cover of Time magazine — by declaring that “the time for racial discrimination is over.” Before making the jump to Washington, Carter befriended the family of slain civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., whom he’d never sought out as he eyed the governor’s office. Carter lamented his foot-dragging on school integration as a “mistake.” But he also met, conspicuously, with Alabama’s segregationist Gov. George Wallace to accept his primary rival’s endorsement ahead of the 1976 Democratic convention. “He very shrewdly took advantage of his own Southerness,” said Amber Roessner, a University of Tennessee professor and expert on Carter’s campaigns. A coalition of Black voters and white moderate Democrats ultimately made Carter the last Democratic presidential nominee to sweep the Deep South. Then, just as he did in Georgia, he used his power in office to appoint more non-whites than all his predecessors had, combined. He once acknowledged “the secret shame” of white Americans who didn’t fight segregation. But he also told Alter that doing more would have sacrificed his political viability – and thus everything he accomplished in office and after. King’s daughter, Bernice King, described Carter as wisely “strategic” in winning higher offices to enact change. “He was a leader of conscience,” she said in an interview. Rosalynn was Carter’s closest advisor Rosalynn Carter, who died on Nov. 19 at the age of 96, was identified by both husband and wife as the “more political” of the pair; she sat in on Cabinet meetings and urged him to postpone certain priorities, like pressing the Senate to relinquish control of the Panama Canal. “Let that go until the second term,” she would sometimes say. The president, recalled her former aide Kathy Cade, retorted that he was “going to do what’s right” even if “it might cut short the time I have.” Rosalynn held firm, Cade said: “She’d remind him you have to win to govern.” Carter also was the first president to appoint multiple women as Cabinet officers. Yet by his own telling, his career sprouted from chauvinism in the Carters’ early marriage: He did not consult Rosalynn when deciding to move back to Plains in 1953 or before launching his state Senate bid a decade later. Many years later, he called it “inconceivable” that he didn’t confer with the woman he described as his “full partner,” at home, in government and at The Carter Center. “We developed a partnership when we were working in the farm supply business, and it continued when Jimmy got involved in politics,” Rosalynn Carter told AP in 2021. So deep was their trust that when Carter remained tethered to the White House in 1980 as 52 Americans were held hostage in Tehran, it was Rosalynn who campaigned on her husband’s behalf. “I just loved it,” she said, despite the bitterness of defeat. Reevaluating his legacy Fair or not, the label of a disastrous presidency had leading Democrats keep their distance, at least publicly, for many years, but Carter managed to remain relevant, writing books and weighing in on societal challenges. He lamented widening wealth gaps and the influence of money in politics. He voted for democratic socialist Bernie Sanders over Hillary Clinton in 2016, and later declared that America had devolved from fully functioning democracy to “oligarchy.” Yet looking ahead to 2020, with Sanders running again, Carter warned Democrats not to “move to a very liberal program,” lest they help re-elect President Donald Trump. Carter scolded the Republican for his serial lies and threats to democracy, and chided the U.S. establishment for misunderstanding Trump’s populist appeal. He delighted in yearly convocations with Emory University freshmen, often asking them to guess how much he’d raised in his two general election campaigns. “Zero,” he’d gesture with a smile, explaining the public financing system candidates now avoid so they can raise billions. Carter still remained quite practical in partnering with wealthy corporations and foundations to advance Carter Center programs. Carter recognized that economic woes and the Iran crisis doomed his presidency, but offered no apologies for appointing Paul Volcker as the Federal Reserve chairman whose interest rate hikes would not curb inflation until Reagan’s presidency. He was proud of getting all the hostages home without starting a shooting war, even though Tehran would not free them until Reagan’s Inauguration Day. “Carter didn’t look at it” as a failure, Alter emphasized. “He said, ‘They came home safely.’ And that’s what he wanted.” Well into their 90s, the Carters greeted visitors at Plains’ Maranatha Baptist Church, where he taught Sunday School and where he will have his last funeral before being buried on family property alongside Rosalynn . Carter, who made the congregation’s collection plates in his woodworking shop, still garnered headlines there, calling for women’s rights within religious institutions, many of which, he said, “subjugate” women in church and society. Carter was not one to dwell on regrets. “I am at peace with the accomplishments, regret the unrealized goals and utilize my former political position to enhance everything we do,” he wrote around his 90th birthday. Pilgrimages to Plains The politician who had supposedly hated Washington politics also enjoyed hosting Democratic presidential contenders as public pilgrimages to Plains became advantageous again. Carter sat with Buttigieg for the final time March 1, 2020, hours before the Indiana mayor ended his campaign and endorsed eventual winner Joe Biden. “He asked me how I thought the campaign was going,” Buttigieg said, recalling that Carter flashed his signature grin and nodded along as the young candidate, born a year after Carter left office, “put the best face” on the walloping he endured the day before in South Carolina. Never breaking his smile, the 95-year-old host fired back, “I think you ought to drop out.” “So matter of fact,” Buttigieg said with a laugh. “It was somehow encouraging.” Carter had lived enough, won plenty and lost enough to take the long view. “He talked a lot about coming from nowhere,” Buttigieg said, not just to attain the presidency but to leverage “all of the instruments you have in life” and “make the world more peaceful.” In his farewell address as president, Carter said as much to the country that had embraced and rejected him. “The struggle for human rights overrides all differences of color, nation or language,” he declared. “Those who hunger for freedom, who thirst for human dignity and who suffer for the sake of justice — they are the patriots of this cause.” Carter pledged to remain engaged with and for them as he returned “home to the South where I was born and raised,” home to Plains, where that young lieutenant had indeed become “a fellow citizen of the world.” —- Bill Barrow, based in Atlanta, has covered national politics including multiple presidential campaigns for the AP since 2012.

In the first round of Croatia's presidential election, incumbent president Zoran Milanovic secured the highest vote percentage with 49.1%, just shy of the required majority. Consequently, Milanovic will face Dragan Primorac, who garnered 19.35% of the vote, in a second-round election set for January 12. Milanovic, representing the opposition Social Democrats, was outspoken against the current government led by the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ). Nevertheless, he delivered a conciliatory message, pledging to support the government during uncertain times and emphasizing his vision for a Croatia with strong national interests. The HDZ-backed candidate, Primorac, sees the upcoming runoff as a pivotal opportunity to draw support from right-wing voters whose preferences were split among other candidates in the initial round. Around 3.8 million Croatians were eligible to vote, with a turnout of 46%, according to official data. (With inputs from agencies.)

Tannery owner Sylvanus Reynolds was not only a business leader but magistrate, member of Warrington Borough Council and active and prominent Conservative. He help to build the former Conservative Club on Sankey Street and lived at Raddon Court – formerly the site of the well-known furniture shop. Yet one of the most remarkable things about his life was his death on November 13, 1887. According to reports at the time, it occurred the day after a shooting incident in which, while climbing a fence, his gun was accidentally discharged, causing extensive injury to a leg which had to be amputated at a nearby house. His funeral was an impressive occasion, with hundreds of people lining the road from his home at Raddon Court to watch the procession to St Wilfrid’s CE Church in Grappenhall. Taken by carriage, the mourners included Sir Gilbert and Lady Greenall, together with other dignitaries from politics and industry. He became the sole owner of Latchford Tannery in 1868 and by 1878 was also chairman of companies: Arthur Waring & Co, also tanners, in Winwick Street; the Castle Rubber Company in Bridge Street. He built the Raddon Court mansion in 1883 and he also erected a row of cottages for the workforce. The house has been demolished now and replaced by the current Raddon Court business. A former captain of the Warrington Volunteers force, he also presented the stain glass east window to Christ Church in Latchford, along with wife Jane, a month before his death. Tragically, to mark his services to the Conservative Association, members had subscribed for a marble bust to be sculpted in Italy. But it came in the week that he died. Donated by his wife Jane in 1888, the bust was placed in the foyer of the Conservative Club’s Sankey Street premises, where it remained until 1970 when the building was vacated before it was demolished as part of town centre works. It was later given back to the current Warrington Conservative Club back in 1992.

Montreal-based Blockchain Innovator, IP-House Metafy Announces Partnership With Driver Studios For Metafy's Original, Flagship Property Wooshi WorldQatar tribune Agencies Bank of Japan Governor Kazuo Ueda’s unexpectedly dovish position on interest rate hikes expressed at a recent press conference puzzled many market players, calling further into question the central bank’s communication style that it has previously admitted needs to be improved. Explaining the bank’s latest decision to forego a rate hike, Ueda cited the “extremely slow” underlying pace of inflation and noted that the rise in import costs from a weaker yen is “calming down.” He suggested the bank is in no hurry for another hike. “There have been no factors that would clearly prevent the BOJ from raising rates,” said Koichi Fujishiro, an economist at the Dai-ichi Life Research Institute, who had predicted a December rate increase was possible. “It’s hard to tell if the current BOJ is a dove or a hawk. All we know at this point is it is just a bird,” he said, implying the bank is wavering. Ueda’s tone was notably different from that of October, when he signaled the bank was closer to another rate hike on the back of easing concerns about overseas economies. Ueda stated that he will no longer say the BOJ has “more time” to assess if further monetary tightening is necessary. He used the expression in September right after the bank decided to keep its policy rate on hold at around 0.25 percent. In mid-November, Ueda said that the BOJ is making “progress” toward achieving its 2 percent inflation target durably. Meanwhile, he said in a media interview published later that month that the timing of the next rate hike is “nearing.” Those who had taken his words at face value were confused on Thursday when Ueda said he is waiting for more data, particularly on wage trends, before determining when to hike again. The comment led some analysts to believe the next hike may not come until March, when major Japanese firms conclude their annual wage negotiations with labor unions. “The BOJ’s communication has room for improvement,” said Masahiro Ichikawa, chief market strategist at Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Co. The bank “should convey messages in a way that does not lead market participants’ perceptions about its policy to swing” he said. Key economic indicators have so far been moving in line with the BOJ’s expectations, experts say, meaning it could raise interest rates at any time. Some analysts say the bank’s change in discourse may have been attributable to recent political developments. A small opposition party, the Democratic Party for the People, which advocates for policies aimed at increasing disposable income among young people, made headway in October’s general election, while the ruling coalition led by Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba’s Liberal Democratic Party lost a majority in the powerful lower house. The DPP’s increased political clout derived from its younger voters who are struggling to repay mortgages, as well as the fact that Ishiba’s government is drawing up measures to stimulate the economy, may have discouraged the BOJ from raising rates on Thursday, analysts said. “The government and the ruling parties are in the midst of discussions over economic measures,” said Saisuke Sakai, economist at Mizuho Research & Technologies Ltd. If the BOJ had raised rates, it would have had trouble “offering a convincing reason for the decision under such a situation.” The BOJ is exploring the right timing for a rate increase amid the changing political environment. Copy 22/12/2024 10Even Nosferatu’s Nicholas Hoult Admitted To Being Spooked By Bill Skarsgård’s Vampire Character On Set: ‘Bill’s Very Intimidating’

Jimmy Carter: Many evolutions for a centenarian ‘citizen of the world’WOLF INVESTOR DEADLINE: Wolfspeed, Inc. Investors with Substantial Losses Have Opportunity to Lead Shareholder Class Action Lawsuit

NYT Strands today — hints, spangram and answers for game #273 (Sunday, December 1 2024)This undated photo courtesy of the Philippine Stock Exchange Inc. (PSE) shows (from left) PSE Capital Markets Development Division Head Mark Frederick V. Visda, PSE Technology Division Head Philip A. Driz, PSE General Counsel Veronica V. Del Rosario, PSE COO Roel A. Refran, PSE President and CEO Ramon S. Monzon, PSE Issuer Regulation Division Head Marigel B. Garcia, Securities Clearing Corp. of the Philippines COO Renee D. Rubio, and PSE Market Operations Division Head Roel M. Villanueva. The Philippine Stock Exchange index ended the trading year at 6,528.79 points, up by 78.75 points or 1.2 percent from its close of 6,450.04 in 2023. This marked the first time that the PSEi closed higher year-on-year since 2019. Philippine Stock Exchange Inc.CORAL GABLES, Fla. (AP) — RJ Johnson scored 23 points, including the go-ahead 3-pointer in the final minute, Daylen Berry added two clutch free throws and Charleston Southern surprised Miami 83-79 on Saturday. The Buccaneers led for the last four minutes of the first half and deep into the second half before a 3-pointer from Austin Swartz gave Miami a 76-75 lead with 3 minutes left in the game. A three-point play by Lynn Kidd gave the Hurricanes a 79-75 lead with 2:11 remaining. Berry hit a 3-pointer to make it 79-78 and Johnson followed with a 3 that gave the Buccaneers an 81-79 lead. Kidd missed in the paint for Miami but came up with a steal a few seconds later. With 15 seconds left, Swartz missed a 3-pointer and the Buccaneers rebounded. Miami put Berry on the line and he made both free throws for a four-point lead with 11 seconds remaining. Miami’s Jalen Blackmon missed a 3-pointer with 8 seconds left, the Hurricanes’ A.J. Staton-McCray grabbed the rebound and he missed a 3 as time ran out. Taje Kelly had 20 points, 11 rebounds and six assists for the Buccaneers (2-7), who snapped a five-game losing streak and defeated a Division I opponent for the first-time this season. Thompson Camara made five 3-pointers and scored 21. Brandon Johnson made six 3-pointers and scored 23 for Miami (3-4). Swartz scored 15 points off the bench and Staton-McCray had 13 points. ___ Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up . AP college basketball: andLooking after my skin has always been a bit of an afterthought. While I wear SPF every day, make sure to cleanse and moisturise my face in the morning and evening, and splash out on the odd mask or toner, I had never gotten any kind of treatments beyond the very occasional cleansing facial. The world of lasers and peels is all new to me, but as the calendar flipped over onto my 30th birthday in the spring of this year, I realised that I should probably start taking proper care of my skin as it enters its third decade. In the past two years or so, I have noticed my face changing. Fine lines are settling in around my eyes and stretching across my forehead, and the freckles I love are becoming more prominent and splotchy in some areas. Read more: Una Healy nails festive fashion in the perfect Christmas dress on the Late Late Show Read more: Dublin woman's t-shirt business she started in her bedroom is now a sell-out success While I try my best not to resent the evidence of my emotions or the sun kissing my face, I do want to keep my skin looking nice and dewy for as long as I can, and I am starting to want to move away from heavier makeup looks and would love my skin to be in a place where I feel comfortable with just a light touch of concealer here and there. After hiding my teenage face under a thick layer of mousse foundation and pan stick, and the face of my 20s under the high glam 2010s makeup trends inspired by very contoured and highlighted celebrities, I am trying to embrace my natural looks with a lighter makeup bag - saving dramatic makeup for nights on the town rather than day to day. Thinking about what my primary concerns were, and what led me to slathering on the concealer, I realised that my textured skin and areas of discolouration were probably my biggest issues, along with some scarring around my chin. Armed with this knowledge, I delved into a new world of facial treatments. I wanted something that would have long term effects, but with some big events taking place over the year, I also wanted to see some immediate improvements too. Thérapie Clinic is a brand I was familiar with, having had some corrective lip filler in their South William Street clinic after dealing with some overfilling and asymmetry from other practitioners a number of years ago, and the professionalism and compassion that I experienced from their highly-trained therapists and medical professionals made it an easy pick to return to. After they opened their new - and biggest - clinic in Galway in February 2024, I decided to check it out. They are not stingey when it comes to the range of treatments available - cosmetic injections, advanced skin treatments, medical-grade laser hair removal, body sculpting treatments and loads more - so I made an appointment for a consultation. Heading into the clinic, I immediately noticed how shiny and new it is - having grown up in Galway and seeing the Edward Square location transform into many different iterations over the years as businesses come and go, it was incredible to see how perfectly it has been converted into a state of the art clinic. After being shown the downstairs waiting area, it was time for my consultation, which was thorough and very exploratory. I didn't know exactly what treatment I wanted at the time, I only knew what issues I wanted to address, and I was patiently guided through the various options by my practitioner, who was transparent about the pricing, downtime periods and comfort levels of each of the potential treatments. She also performed a thorough check of my skin using one of their Thérascan facial skin analyser machines, which was a pretty futuristic feeling experience. You place your face in the machine, and it clinically measures the surface and subsurface of the skin using RGB visible light, PL polarised light, and UV spectrum imaging technology to assess the areas that are dry, damaged, textured, pigmented, or where fine lines may be more prone to developing. I knew I had some sun damage, but the machine was able to pinpoint the areas I really needed to take care of better. After looking at my skin maps, we decided that the best course of action for me would be the Clear & Brilliant treatment, which would give an overall address of my issues and ticked a lot of the boxes in regards what I was looking for. It also has a reported roster of celebrity fans such as Khloé Kardashian, Drew Barrymore, Hailey Bieber and more, so that's quite an endorsement. The treatment involves lasers of pulsating light which make thousands of microscopic injuries that trigger the skin's natural healing process. My practitioner explained that this process boosts the production of elastin, collagen and cellular repair, all of which work to replace damaged skin with healthy tissue. It's a two-in-one job, using two different wavelengths to address different issues. While one works to even out skin tone and enhance skin radiance, the other burrows deep beneath the skin's surface, improving texture including fine lines, wrinkles, pore size and scars. I was in, and signed up for three to four sessions. While results can be seen after just one session, multiple will be needed to see very visible and long term results, was my understanding. Packages or single treatments are available, with each session costing from €165.83 to €195.00. Results are visible from two weeks after the initial treatment, but within four to six weeks skin looks and feels newer, healthier and younger with improved tone, texture and radiance, and as a bonus, there isn't a huge amount of downtime, which also made me opt for it. After about 45 minutes of chatting - really, I was made to feel like I could have been there all day with my questions and there would have been no issue, they were happy to explain every little thing - I was away, with an information packet in my hands so I could read about my treatment before the first session or get in touch if I needed anything. I was apprehensive heading into my first treatment. I was aware that the treatment might be uncomfortable, and I had never had an advanced skin treatment before, so I really did not know what to expect. After being brought to the treatment room, I was made very comfortable, with a soft blanket over me as I lay back and had my face cleansed before a numbing cream was applied liberally. I aired my fears, and they were completely acknowledged, and I was offered a number of things to help me feel more comfortable, from extra numbing cream to a cooling fan and stress ball. After the cream did its thing and I was thoroughly desensitised, I was goggled and the work began, with plenty of communication about what was happening, what area she would be moving on to next, and what sensations I could experience. For the most part, it was mildly uncomfortable, though I did fell a little bit of pain on the borders of my face, such as near my hairline and along my jaw, plus the upper lip was spicy! However, I had imagined it as much more painful in my head, and was able to sit through it just fine, with great communication really helping the process. The entire treatment took around 40 minutes, and afterwards, my face and neck was covered with a cooling sheet mask to take down some of the hot feeling that began to creep through once the numbing cream wore off. After ten minutes of lying there marinating and recuperating, I was ready to sit up and head home. My practitioner let me know what to expect from the coming hours, a heated sensation, and from the coming days, which was some potential redness (spoiler alert, I was lobster red after each treatment, but not everyone has as colourful a reaction as me) and then a "sandpaper" like texture to the skin, as the micro-injuries healed, leaving brand new shiny skin in their wake. Leaving the clinic, I had a new recovery information packet given to me, with lots of personalised advice hand-jotted on it. I looked like I had been sunbathing with sunglasses on and zero SPF, but there was no pain, just a very warm feeling to my face. I had been advised to avoid makeup for 24 hours - I went without makeup for 2-3 days after each treatment just in case, such is the benefit of working from home - and slathered my skin in a fragrance free light moisturiser throughout the evening. The following morning, I was still mildly pink, and already the sandpaper feeling was beginning to form, prompting more moisturiser slathering and a heavy layer of SPF when I left the house to walk the dog. By day two after my treatment, there were no visible signs, just a slightly dry feeling that was easily healed up with moisturiser. As the weeks went by, I noticed a slight improvement in the appearance of sunspots and freckles, particularly around my mouth and forehead, and thought that a patch of textured skin between my eyebrows was looking a little better. The second treatment was where things really took off. I headed into the clinic again a little apprehensive after experiencing some pain during the first when the laser pulsated over my upper lip and near the borders of my face. I was also nervous as I knew we would be going up a level in intensity with the laser and I, being a creature of comfort, did not want to have any pain. After explaining this when I lay down in the treatment chair, I got an extra dose of the numbing cream in those areas, and once the treatment started, I had no pain at all, it was much less sensitive and I was able to relax through it, though my little cooling fan was definitely a big help. I also had a good chat with my practitioner where we walked through my skincare routine and every single product I used, and she gave me a full, bespoke skincare rundown of advice on what I should be using for my skin and for my skincare goals, a huge bonus! Once we were finished, I was immediately bright red, and remained as such for two full days, and the sandpaper feeling extended two days past that, so upping the intensity was definitely felt after the treatment, rather than during, but there was no discomfort at all. I had planned my appointments during weeks where I had nothing on, so it was fine for me to be quite red for a short while. I made the mistake of meeting a friend for a drink right after the treatment, and I noticed people were looking at me as they passed by because of my redness, but that's my fault for committing to some public socialisation immediately after! Luckily I am not one to care too much about glances from strangers, and after heading home, I treated my red face with the same light moisturiser and went to bed. I saw the most visible results between the second and third treatments, as the days and weeks passed by I could really see a huge difference in the texture across my nose, a lightening of my sun damage, especially on my chin and cheeks, and an overall evening out of my complexion, which you can see in these pictures that were taken before both treatments, six weeks apart. My only downside to the aftermath of treatment two was that I had a coldsore outbreak after it, which is a risk that comes with laser face treatments if you already have the virus, which I have dealt with since I was a child. Treatments that involve heat, such as laser therapy and steam facials, can trigger the virus that lies dormant in the body, and anything that stresses the skin can trigger an immune response, making it easier for the virus to emerge. I expected to have a break out at some stage during this process, as I even get them when I have a bit of sunburn on my face. If you have a coldsore outbreak, you need to wait until your coldsore is fully healed before proceeding with the next treatment. I was practically skipping into the clinic for my third treatment, quite delighted with the very visible results I had noticed since the second appointment. I wasn't the only one who noticed either, once my coldsore had cleared up, I started getting compliments on my skin semi-regularly, and people even reached out to me on social media to say my skin was looking well. I let my practitioner know about the coldsore outbreak, and she examined the area, and decided to avoid that patch of skin during this treatment just in case it was still a little sensitive after healing. She got to work as usual, remembering my extra helping of numbing cream for the upper lip and facial borders. I feel my skin was starting to get used to the sensation of the treatment at this stage too, as the laser pulses did not carry the same mild sting. When it came to downtime, I had one day of redness and two of the sandpaper sensation, and immediately in the week that followed I was seeing a further reduction in my sunspots and lightening of my freckles, as well as a much improved skin texture. I needed to wear makeup a few days after the facial, and it went on beautifully. I had recently purchased a much lighter CC cream type of product - Sculpted by Aimee Tint and Glow - which showed my natural skin and I felt very confident in it, happy to have moved away from a foundation for the first time. Overall, the Clear & Brilliant treatment has dramatically improved my overall skin tone and texture, and reduced the appearance of freckles and sunspots. I feel the wrinkles between my eyebrows appear reduced, and as a bonus, my skin feels more balanced overall, and I have seen a reduction in dry patches and breakouts of spots.

'I haven't got time to run a cult' - the former revolutionary in Kent you've never heard ofDallas Cowboys quarterback Cooper Rush throws a pass against the Philadelphia Eagles during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024, in Philadelphia. Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Copy article link Save PHILADELPHIA — Jerry Jones didn't just have to watch his Cowboys get roughed up by Philadelphia in yet another loss in a season that will end without a trip to the playoffs. He caught grief from exuberant Philly fans, too. Not even his suite could protect Jones from fans who turned toward the glass and snapped selfies and taunted the glum Cowboys owner and general manager each time Philadelphia scored a touchdown. Five times, actually. Eagles fans chanted "Dallas sucks!" throughout the game and generally harassed Jones as voraciously as they could from start to finish in a 41-7 victory for the home team that clinched the NFC East title on Sunday. Wearing sunglasses, Jones seemingly took the jabs in stride when he was on the field during pregame warmups. "Jerry, you're doing a great job this year, man. Keep it going," one fan shouted as others sarcastically clapped toward Jones. "Great job. Keep doing what you're doing, Jerry. We love you in Philly. " The Cowboys entered having won four of five. But they were doomed from the start when Cooper Rush had a pass intercepted by C.J. Gardner-Johnson and returned 69 yards for a touchdown on the opening drive. Rush threw for 147 yards and was picked off twice by Gardner-Johnson. The Cowboys also played without CeeDee Lamb, who was shut down with two games remaining after their 2023 All-Pro receiver spent the second half of the season dealing with a sprained right shoulder. That dropped the Cowboys to 7-9 under coach Mike McCarthy, whose contract expires after the season. Rico Dowdle was the lone highlight, running for 104 yards to top 1,000 yards on the season and become the team's first undrafted free agent to reach that milestone. The rest? It was mostly unwatchable for Dallas. "Those giveaways were avoidable. It's just like every positive play, every negative play. You evaluate it, because that's the only way you truly have a true evaluation," McCarthy said. "The result is what matters and that's why we're sitting here with the record that we have. But at the end of the day, you're going to have those types of plays go against you, but they can't be self-inflicted. Those giveaways are self-inflicted." Rush, who is a free agent after the season, had one of his worst games since he replaced the injured Dak Prescott. "For whatever reason this stadium, I don't know, maybe I don't subconsciously like green, I don't know, something," Rush said. "It's frustrating, especially when we've been playing well. We haven't been turning it over, giving our defense what they need. And you do that versus a good football team, it's very challenging." After three consecutive playoff appearances, the Cowboys were out of contention for a postseason berth with three games to play — the earliest they had been knocked out since 2015. All that's left is the regular-season finale at home against Washington. Prescott could only watch, a bystander following surgery for his torn hamstring. "I'm supporting the teammates, obviously seeing the game from a different view up there in the booth," Prescott said. "Getting a little bit of the coaches' information the way they talk throughout the game, just a different view of it." It's the second time in five years that the 31-year-old Prescott will miss more than half of a season because of an injury. He broke an ankle in Week 5 in 2020, when Dallas finished 6-10. "I'm starting to build up around it, I'm starting to gain some strength in it, start to use it a little bit," Prescott said on his way to the team bus. "I'm probably a few weeks, maybe a month away from really running-running, but I got on the bike and I'm definitely doing some things moving on." Prescott wasn't having a great year before he got hurt. He had 11 touchdowns and eight interceptions for an offense that was in the middle of the pack in the NFL after being among the league's best as he and McCarthy led Dallas to three straight 12-5 seasons. "Nobody plays to have a losing season, to be in this position," Prescott said. "You expect playoffs every year, you expect to win this division, you expect to be in this place or whether it's at home playing this team usually for the division."ph365 casino online game login 。

CHICAGO (AP) — CHICAGO (AP) — Oil-Dri Corp. of America (ODC) on Monday reported earnings of $16.4 million in its fiscal first quarter. On a per-share basis, the Chicago-based company said it had profit of $2.25. The maker of products for soil in the agriculture, horticulture and sports sectors posted revenue of $127.9 million in the period. This story was generated by Automated Insights ( http://automatedinsights.com/ap ) using data from Zacks Investment Research. Access a Zacks stock report on ODC at https://www.zacks.com/ap/ODCRussian energy giant Gazprom said Saturday it would suspend gas exports to Moldova from 0500 GMT on Jan. 1 due to unpaid debt by Moldova, which is bracing for severe power cuts. It said the company reserved the right to take any action, including terminating the supply contract with Moldova. Russia supplies Moldova with about 2 billion cubic meters of gas per year, which is piped via Ukraine to the breakaway region of Transdniestria, where it is used to generate cheap power that is sold to government-controlled parts of Moldova. Moldovan Prime Minister Dorin Recean condemned the Russian decision, which is a precursor to a total shutdown of Russian gas exports via Ukraine and to Europe, where it flows farther to Slovakia, Austria, Hungary and Italy, once a current transit deal with Ukraine expires on Dec. 31. Moldova will be hit the hardest by the shutdown. "This decision confirms once again the intention of the Kremlin to leave the inhabitants of the Transdniestrian region without light and heat in the middle of the winter," Recean wrote on Facebook, accusing Russia of using energy as a political weapon. Moscow has repeatedly dismissed those allegations. Difference over debt Russia, which is critical of Moldova's West-leaning central government, has said Moldova should pay a debt on past supplies. According to Russian calculations, the debt stands at $709 million. Moldova has put the debt at $8.6 million. Gazprom has said previously it wants Moldova to pay the debt before it starts to pump gas to the country via alternate routes. Transdniestria and the government in Chisinau agreed in 2022 that all Russian gas received by Moldova would flow to the breakaway region, which traditionally does not pay for fuel. Without gas supplies, the power-generating plant could stop working and Moldova and Transdniestria would face hourslong blackouts like those experienced by Ukraine due to Russia's attacks on its energy infrastructure in their war. Recean said Moldova had diversified sources of gas supply "in order to reduce dependence on a single supplier." "Our country is prepared to handle any situation that arises following the Kremlin's decision," he said. Moldova's population of 2.5 million has been preparing for long power cuts since Ukraine's government said it will not extend its transit contract with Gazprom. Moldova and Transdniestria have declared states of emergency over the threat of disrupted gas supplies, and Moldova said Friday it will curb power exports and introduce measures to reduce consumption by at least a third beginning Jan. 1. Moldovan President Maia Sandu has accused Gazprom of provoking an energy crisis, saying it was refusing to supply gas through an alternate route.

Georgia quarterback Carson Beck on Saturday announced his plans to enter the NFL draft, five days after having season-ending elbow surgery . Beck, a fifth-year senior, made his NFL plans official on social media. He suffered a right elbow injury in the first half of the Bulldogs’ 22-19 overtime win over Texas in the Southeastern Conference championship game on Dec. 7 in Atlanta. Beck had surgery on Monday to repair his ulnar collateral ligament in the elbow. The procedure was performed by Dr. Neal ElAttrache in Los Angeles. Beck is expected to begin throwing next spring. He could have returned for a sixth season but instead will enter the NFL draft. Beck posted on Instagram: “The past five years at the University of Georgia have been nothing short of a dream come true and I will forever cherish the memories that have been made.” Gunner Stockton, who took over for Beck in the second half against Texas, will make his first start for Georgia on Wednesday in the Sugar Bowl against Notre Dame in the College Football Playoff quarterfinals. Beck has started every game of the 2023 and 2024 seasons. He was 24-3 as a starter. Beck passed for 3,941 yards with 24 touchdowns and only six interceptions in 2023 but had more difficulties with turnovers this season as he passed for 28 touchdowns with 12 interceptions. He completed 7 of 13 passes for 56 yards before his injury in the SEC championship game. Georgia coach Kirby Smart stuck with Beck despite a midseason string of eight interceptions in three games. “Obviously, you look at the stats and they aren’t the same stats as the year before,” offensive coordinator Mike Bobo said Saturday when reflecting on Beck's career. “The goal in this league is to win the SEC championship. And he was the quarterback of that team that got us to that game and put us in that position.” Added offensive guard Tate Ratledge: “I think Carson should be remembered as a great player. He’s who got us to this point of the season.” Stockton, a sophomore, completed 12 of 16 passes for 71 yards with one interception against Texas. He signed with Georgia as a highly recruited in-state player from Rabun County High School, where he broke Trevor Lawrence's state high school record for most career touchdown passes and Deshaun Watson's state record for combined rushing and passing touchdowns in a career. “Obviously when he was in high school, he was one of the best to ever do it in Georgia,” Bulldogs linebacker Chaz Chambliss said of Stockton before adding that he “just has that fire in him.” Georgia was preparing to start Stockton before announcing Beck's season-ending injury. Stockton will attempt to join a short list of quarterbacks who have been promoted from backup jobs to win national championships. The list includes Georgia's Stetson Bennett, who began the 2021 season as the backup to JT Daniels before taking over the starting job in October. Lawrence took over for Kelly Bryant during Clemson's 2018 championship season. The best comparison to Stockton's challenge during the CFP era may be Cardale Jones on the 2014 Ohio State national championship team. Jones' first start was the Big Ten championship game following an injury to J.T. Barrett, who began the preseason as the expected backup before Braxton Miller's injury. Stockton led Georgia to a touchdown on his first drive against Texas and has had extra practice time during the Bulldogs' break after receiving a first-round bye in the playoff. “To see his growth since he’s been here, he’s been waiting patiently, he’s been sitting and putting his time in and he’s been working while he was waiting,” Georgia safety Malaki Starks said Friday. “And now he gets a chance to go out there and prove what he can do. And, you know, I believe in him 100%.” Starks, who is from Jefferson, Ga., often faced Stockton's Rabun County teams in high school. “He’s always been, you know, that guy, you know, since I’ve been growing up,” Starks said. “He’s an easy guy to follow. I mean, Gunner is a great guy, you know, very respectful, great parents. I mean, he’s the guy that you want to lead. And a lot of guys have confidence in him. And I think you saw it during games in the SEC (championship game), how much the guys believed in him.” Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here . AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

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ATLANTA (AP) — Jimmy Carter, the peanut farmer who won the presidency in the wake of the Watergate scandal and Vietnam War, endured humbling defeat after one tumultuous term and then redefined life after the White House as a global humanitarian, has died. He was 100 years old. The longest-lived American president died on Sunday, more than a year after entering hospice care , at his home in the small town of Plains, Georgia, where he and his wife, Rosalynn, who died at 96 in November 2023 , spent most of their lives, The Carter Center said. “Our founder, former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, passed away this afternoon in Plains, Georgia,” the center said in posting about his death on the social media platform X. It added in a statement that he died peacefully, surrounded by his family. Businessman, Navy officer, evangelist, politician, negotiator, author, woodworker, citizen of the world — Carter forged a path that still challenges political assumptions and stands out among the 45 men who reached the nation’s highest office. The 39th president leveraged his ambition with a keen intellect, deep religious faith and prodigious work ethic, conducting diplomatic missions into his 80s and building houses for the poor well into his 90s. “My faith demands — this is not optional — my faith demands that I do whatever I can, wherever I am, whenever I can, for as long as I can, with whatever I have to try to make a difference,” Carter once said. A moderate Democrat, Carter entered the 1976 presidential race as a little-known Georgia governor with a broad smile, outspoken Baptist mores and technocratic plans reflecting his education as an engineer. His no-frills campaign depended on public financing, and his promise not to deceive the American people resonated after Richard Nixon’s disgrace and U.S. defeat in southeast Asia. “If I ever lie to you, if I ever make a misleading statement, don’t vote for me. I would not deserve to be your president,” Carter repeated before narrowly beating Republican incumbent Gerald Ford, who had lost popularity pardoning Nixon. Carter governed amid Cold War pressures, turbulent oil markets and social upheaval over racism, women’s rights and America’s global role. His most acclaimed achievement in office was a Mideast peace deal that he brokered by keeping Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin at the bargaining table for 13 days in 1978. That Camp David experience inspired the post-presidential center where Carter would establish so much of his legacy. Yet Carter’s electoral coalition splintered under double-digit inflation, gasoline lines and the 444-day hostage crisis in Iran. His bleakest hour came when eight Americans died in a failed hostage rescue in April 1980, helping to ensure his landslide defeat to Republican Ronald Reagan. Carter acknowledged in his 2020 “White House Diary” that he could be “micromanaging” and “excessively autocratic,” complicating dealings with Congress and the federal bureaucracy. He also turned a cold shoulder to Washington’s news media and lobbyists, not fully appreciating their influence on his political fortunes. “It didn’t take us long to realize that the underestimation existed, but by that time we were not able to repair the mistake,” Carter told historians in 1982, suggesting that he had “an inherent incompatibility” with Washington insiders. Carter insisted his overall approach was sound and that he achieved his primary objectives — to “protect our nation’s security and interests peacefully” and “enhance human rights here and abroad” — even if he fell spectacularly short of a second term. Ignominious defeat, though, allowed for renewal. The Carters founded The Carter Center in 1982 as a first-of-its-kind base of operations, asserting themselves as international peacemakers and champions of democracy, public health and human rights. “I was not interested in just building a museum or storing my White House records and memorabilia,” Carter wrote in a memoir published after his 90th birthday. “I wanted a place where we could work.” That work included easing nuclear tensions in North and South Korea, helping to avert a U.S. invasion of Haiti and negotiating cease-fires in Bosnia and Sudan. By 2022, The Carter Center had declared at least 113 elections in Latin America, Asia and Africa to be free or fraudulent. Recently, the center began monitoring U.S. elections as well. Carter’s stubborn self-assuredness and even self-righteousness proved effective once he was unencumbered by the Washington order, sometimes to the point of frustrating his successors . He went “where others are not treading,” he said, to places like Ethiopia, Liberia and North Korea, where he secured the release of an American who had wandered across the border in 2010. “I can say what I like. I can meet whom I want. I can take on projects that please me and reject the ones that don’t,” Carter said. He announced an arms-reduction-for-aid deal with North Korea without clearing the details with Bill Clinton’s White House. He openly criticized President George W. Bush for the 2003 invasion of Iraq. He also criticized America’s approach to Israel with his 2006 book “Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid.” And he repeatedly countered U.S. administrations by insisting North Korea should be included in international affairs, a position that most aligned Carter with Republican President Donald Trump. Among the center’s many public health initiatives, Carter vowed to eradicate the guinea worm parasite during his lifetime, and nearly achieved it: Cases dropped from millions in the 1980s to nearly a handful. With hardhats and hammers, the Carters also built homes with Habitat for Humanity. The Nobel committee’s 2002 Peace Prize cites his “untiring effort to find peaceful solutions to international conflicts, to advance democracy and human rights, and to promote economic and social development.” Carter should have won it alongside Sadat and Begin in 1978, the chairman added. Carter accepted the recognition saying there was more work to be done. “The world is now, in many ways, a more dangerous place,” he said. “The greater ease of travel and communication has not been matched by equal understanding and mutual respect.” Carter’s globetrotting took him to remote villages where he met little “Jimmy Carters,” so named by admiring parents. But he spent most of his days in the same one-story Plains house — expanded and guarded by Secret Service agents — where they lived before he became governor. He regularly taught Sunday School lessons at Maranatha Baptist Church until his mobility declined and the coronavirus pandemic raged. Those sessions drew visitors from around the world to the small sanctuary where Carter will receive his final send-off after a state funeral at Washington’s National Cathedral. The common assessment that he was a better ex-president than president rankled Carter and his allies. His prolific post-presidency gave him a brand above politics, particularly for Americans too young to witness him in office. But Carter also lived long enough to see biographers and historians reassess his White House years more generously. His record includes the deregulation of key industries, reduction of U.S. dependence on foreign oil, cautious management of the national debt and notable legislation on the environment, education and mental health. He focused on human rights in foreign policy, pressuring dictators to release thousands of political prisoners . He acknowledged America’s historical imperialism, pardoned Vietnam War draft evaders and relinquished control of the Panama Canal. He normalized relations with China. “I am not nominating Jimmy Carter for a place on Mount Rushmore,” Stuart Eizenstat, Carter’s domestic policy director, wrote in a 2018 book. “He was not a great president” but also not the “hapless and weak” caricature voters rejected in 1980, Eizenstat said. Rather, Carter was “good and productive” and “delivered results, many of which were realized only after he left office.” Madeleine Albright, a national security staffer for Carter and Clinton’s secretary of state, wrote in Eizenstat’s forward that Carter was “consequential and successful” and expressed hope that “perceptions will continue to evolve” about his presidency. “Our country was lucky to have him as our leader,” said Albright, who died in 2022. Jonathan Alter, who penned a comprehensive Carter biography published in 2020, said in an interview that Carter should be remembered for “an epic American life” spanning from a humble start in a home with no electricity or indoor plumbing through decades on the world stage across two centuries. “He will likely go down as one of the most misunderstood and underestimated figures in American history,” Alter told The Associated Press. James Earl Carter Jr. was born Oct. 1, 1924, in Plains and spent his early years in nearby Archery. His family was a minority in the mostly Black community, decades before the civil rights movement played out at the dawn of Carter’s political career. Carter, who campaigned as a moderate on race relations but governed more progressively, talked often of the influence of his Black caregivers and playmates but also noted his advantages: His land-owning father sat atop Archery’s tenant-farming system and owned a main street grocery. His mother, Lillian , would become a staple of his political campaigns. Seeking to broaden his world beyond Plains and its population of fewer than 1,000 — then and now — Carter won an appointment to the U.S. Naval Academy, graduating in 1946. That same year he married Rosalynn Smith, another Plains native, a decision he considered more important than any he made as head of state. She shared his desire to see the world, sacrificing college to support his Navy career. Carter climbed in rank to lieutenant, but then his father was diagnosed with cancer, so the submarine officer set aside his ambitions of admiralty and moved the family back to Plains. His decision angered Rosalynn, even as she dived into the peanut business alongside her husband. Carter again failed to talk with his wife before his first run for office — he later called it “inconceivable” not to have consulted her on such major life decisions — but this time, she was on board. “My wife is much more political,” Carter told the AP in 2021. He won a state Senate seat in 1962 but wasn’t long for the General Assembly and its back-slapping, deal-cutting ways. He ran for governor in 1966 — losing to arch-segregationist Lester Maddox — and then immediately focused on the next campaign. Carter had spoken out against church segregation as a Baptist deacon and opposed racist “Dixiecrats” as a state senator. Yet as a local school board leader in the 1950s he had not pushed to end school segregation even after the Supreme Court's Brown v. Board of Education decision, despite his private support for integration. And in 1970, Carter ran for governor again as the more conservative Democrat against Carl Sanders, a wealthy businessman Carter mocked as “Cufflinks Carl.” Sanders never forgave him for anonymous, race-baiting flyers, which Carter disavowed. Ultimately, Carter won his races by attracting both Black voters and culturally conservative whites. Once in office, he was more direct. “I say to you quite frankly that the time for racial discrimination is over,” he declared in his 1971 inaugural address, setting a new standard for Southern governors that landed him on the cover of Time magazine. His statehouse initiatives included environmental protection, boosting rural education and overhauling antiquated executive branch structures. He proclaimed Martin Luther King Jr. Day in the slain civil rights leader’s home state. And he decided, as he received presidential candidates in 1972, that they were no more talented than he was. In 1974, he ran Democrats’ national campaign arm. Then he declared his own candidacy for 1976. An Atlanta newspaper responded with the headline: “Jimmy Who?” The Carters and a “Peanut Brigade” of family members and Georgia supporters camped out in Iowa and New Hampshire, establishing both states as presidential proving grounds. His first Senate endorsement: a young first-termer from Delaware named Joe Biden. Yet it was Carter’s ability to navigate America’s complex racial and rural politics that cemented the nomination. He swept the Deep South that November, the last Democrat to do so, as many white Southerners shifted to Republicans in response to civil rights initiatives. A self-declared “born-again Christian,” Carter drew snickers by referring to Scripture in a Playboy magazine interview, saying he “had looked on many women with lust. I’ve committed adultery in my heart many times.” The remarks gave Ford a new foothold and television comedians pounced — including NBC’s new “Saturday Night Live” show. But voters weary of cynicism in politics found it endearing. Carter chose Minnesota Sen. Walter “Fritz” Mondale as his running mate on a “Grits and Fritz” ticket. In office, he elevated the vice presidency and the first lady’s office. Mondale’s governing partnership was a model for influential successors Al Gore, Dick Cheney and Biden. Rosalynn Carter was one of the most involved presidential spouses in history, welcomed into Cabinet meetings and huddles with lawmakers and top aides. The Carters presided with uncommon informality: He used his nickname “Jimmy” even when taking the oath of office, carried his own luggage and tried to silence the Marine Band’s “Hail to the Chief.” They bought their clothes off the rack. Carter wore a cardigan for a White House address, urging Americans to conserve energy by turning down their thermostats. Amy, the youngest of four children, attended District of Columbia public school. Washington’s social and media elite scorned their style. But the larger concern was that “he hated politics,” according to Eizenstat, leaving him nowhere to turn politically once economic turmoil and foreign policy challenges took their toll. Carter partially deregulated the airline, railroad and trucking industries and established the departments of Education and Energy, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency. He designated millions of acres of Alaska as national parks or wildlife refuges. He appointed a then-record number of women and nonwhite people to federal posts. He never had a Supreme Court nomination, but he elevated civil rights attorney Ruth Bader Ginsburg to the nation’s second highest court, positioning her for a promotion in 1993. He appointed Paul Volker, the Federal Reserve chairman whose policies would help the economy boom in the 1980s — after Carter left office. He built on Nixon’s opening with China, and though he tolerated autocrats in Asia, pushed Latin America from dictatorships to democracy. But he couldn’t immediately tame inflation or the related energy crisis. And then came Iran. After he admitted the exiled Shah of Iran to the U.S. for medical treatment, the American Embassy in Tehran was overrun in 1979 by followers of the Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. Negotiations to free the hostages broke down repeatedly ahead of the failed rescue attempt. The same year, Carter signed SALT II, the new strategic arms treaty with Leonid Brezhnev of the Soviet Union, only to pull it back, impose trade sanctions and order a U.S. boycott of the Moscow Olympics after the Soviets invaded Afghanistan. Hoping to instill optimism, he delivered what the media dubbed his “malaise” speech, although he didn’t use that word. He declared the nation was suffering “a crisis of confidence.” By then, many Americans had lost confidence in the president, not themselves. Carter campaigned sparingly for reelection because of the hostage crisis, instead sending Rosalynn as Sen. Edward M. Kennedy challenged him for the Democratic nomination. Carter famously said he’d “kick his ass,” but was hobbled by Kennedy as Reagan rallied a broad coalition with “make America great again” appeals and asking voters whether they were “better off than you were four years ago.” Reagan further capitalized on Carter’s lecturing tone, eviscerating him in their lone fall debate with the quip: “There you go again.” Carter lost all but six states and Republicans rolled to a new Senate majority. Carter successfully negotiated the hostages’ freedom after the election, but in one final, bitter turn of events, Tehran waited until hours after Carter left office to let them walk free. At 56, Carter returned to Georgia with “no idea what I would do with the rest of my life.” Four decades after launching The Carter Center, he still talked of unfinished business. “I thought when we got into politics we would have resolved everything,” Carter told the AP in 2021. “But it’s turned out to be much more long-lasting and insidious than I had thought it was. I think in general, the world itself is much more divided than in previous years.” Still, he affirmed what he said when he underwent treatment for a cancer diagnosis in his 10th decade of life. “I’m perfectly at ease with whatever comes,” he said in 2015 . “I’ve had a wonderful life. I’ve had thousands of friends, I’ve had an exciting, adventurous and gratifying existence.” Former Associated Press journalist Alex Sanz contributed to this report.A new year on the London Underground is around the corner. This brings with it developments on the network, and maybe progress towards some long-term goals. Sadiq Khan and Transport for London (TfL) say they need more cash from the Government for some of the capital's largest projects. But some things are already underway. Changes coming in 2025 include new trains and the roll out of new technology at stations and on lines. In addition, discussions will definitely be happening behind the scenes regarding proposals that need developing further. READ MORE: Plans for new London Overground station next to HS2 'under consideration' New Piccadilly line trains A change that is definitely coming is new trains on the Piccadilly line. The stock is part of a £2.9 billion upgrade. Next year, this will begin in earnest as customers will be able to ride the state-of-the-art carriages for the first time. They will be introduced over two years, with the final train rolled out in 2027. Passengers will be able to enjoy walk-through carriages, air con, USB charging ports and better travel information. As well as the new stock, the power system on the Piccadilly line will be upgraded. TfL says this will ensure that the new trains run as reliably and efficiently as possible when it starts running more at the busiest times. The new trains will be also be 'rigorously tested' before they carry our customers. Officials say TfL is also improving its train maintenance depots to ensure that the stock 'works reliably, efficiently and provide the maximum comfort'. At Cockfosters and Northfields depots, staff are building new facilities to maintain the trains with extra stabling track and cleaning facilities. At South Harrow , TfL has installed extra stabling track so that trains can be quickly brought into use when services start to run more frequently. In addition, bosses say the following will be delivered: Four lines modernisation A new signalling system is being installed on the Circle, Hammersmith and City, District and Metropolitan lines. In September 2022, TfL introduced a new timetable. Officials say this has improved journey times by around five per cent on average on the Circle and District lines between Monument, Fulham Broadway, Barons Court and Paddington. Since September 2021, bosses add that journey times between Hammersmith and Aldgate have improved by approximately 10 per cent. Operators have also increased the number of trains between Baker Street and Aldgate from 27 trains an hour to 28 trains an hour during the busiest times. TfL says that areas still to go live include the Metropolitan Line north of Finchley Road and sections of the District line from Barons Court to Stamford Brook and Fulham Broadway to East Putney. The next section to come into service will be on the Metropolitan line between Finchley Road and Preston Road in 2025, officials add. Bakerloo line extension and new stock Something that is less certain, however, is what is happening with the proposed Bakerloo line extension to Lewisham. TfL says more cash from the Government is needed, and a new fleet of trains for the Tube's brown line will need to be built first. This will also require money. But this is included as an option in an already existing contract with Siemens , the same firm that is producing the new Piccadilly line trains. So it's down in black and white in some form. In addition, TfL has asked Aecom and architects WW+P to examine the feasibility of constructing four new stations. These are Burgess Park, Old Kent Road, New Cross Gate and Lewisham. The New Civil Engineer reports that this is expected to take four months. It seems that the extension will be dependent on how well the UK's economy performs in 2025. The Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rachel Reeves, told MyLondon in April : "Of course I want to see the investment in infrastructure our country needs to grow after 14 years of mismanagement. But we have to always show where the money is going to come from, and we need to grow the economy to be able to release funds for crucial infrastructure investment." However, Ms Reeves has said that she will change the Government's self-imposed debt rules in order to free up billions of pounds for infrastructure spending. This is to 'grow the economy', she said. The DfT says that it is working with the Mayor on funding for TfL. Air filters, noise measures and cooling the Tube down The trial of an air filtration system at Baker Street started in May 2024. The technology will be assessed over the coming months to understand its ability to handle large volumes of air, the rate at which dust is captured, ease of maintenance, and any other possible issues, Sadiq Khan has said. The mayor's TfL budget for this year also said that Green Park was also going to get a new filter system as part of the trial. If these prove successful, we could see these rolled out more widely. In addition, testing a brand new Underground train could be deployed as part of officials' efforts to improve the air quality on platforms and in tunnels. The mayor told the London Assembly on July 5 : "As part of its continuing work to improve air quality on the Tube network, Transport for London (TfL) is exploring the latest advances in innovation. This includes trialing a bespoke track cleaning train, which is currently going through TfL’s approval process, to ensure it is safe to operate on the Tube network. "The trial is expected to take place later this year." Who knows, this could start to operate in 2025. In an effort to curb Tube noise, new technology, Delkor fastenings, are now fitted as standard as part of TfL's ongoing Deep Tube track renewal programme. TfL has carried out renewal works – which include the installation of Delkor fastenings – at a number of sites. Further renewal works – including the installation of Delkor fastenings – will continue as part of TfL’s ongoing programme, Mr Khan has said . Further, TfL has successfully trialled new technology that cools down Underground station platforms. The Mayor of London says that they could be rolled out to deep Tube lines in future, but installing them across the city would require more funding. After they were tried out at Holborn Station, testing would need to take place in a station open to customers (Knightsbridge) before TfL could look to potentially introduce them at four additional stations on the Piccadilly line (Green Park, Holborn, Leicester Square and Piccadilly Circus). Sign up for our London Underground newsletter for the latest travel updates to make your commute easier, plus a weekly fix of Tube trivia! Sign up HERE.

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Markets decline amid unabated foreign fund outflows, weak global trends

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government on Monday survived a third vote of no confidence in as many months, brought by his main Tory rival. The minority Liberal government got the support of the New Democratic Party (NDP), a small leftist faction once aligned with the ruling Liberals, to defeat the motion 180-152. The text of the proposition echoed NDP leader Jagmeet Singh's own past criticisms of Trudeau since breaking off their partnership in late August, calling him "too weak, too selfish." Neither Singh nor Trudeau were present for the vote. The House of Commons has been deadlocked most of this fall session by an unprecedented two-month filibuster by the Conservatives. But Speaker Greg Fergus, in a rare move, ordered a short break in the deadlock to allow for this and other possible confidence votes, and for lawmakers to vote on a key spending measure. MPs are scheduled to vote Tuesday on the spending package, which includes funds for social services, disaster relief and support for Ukraine. With a 20-point lead in polls, Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre has been itching for an election call since the NDP tore up its coalition agreement with the Liberals. But the NDP and other opposition parties, whose support is needed to bring down the Liberals, have so far refused to side with the Conservatives. Two no-confidence votes brought by the Tories in September and October failed when the NDP and the separatist Bloc Quebecois backed the Liberals. In Canada's Westminster parliamentary system, a ruling party must hold the confidence of the House of Commons, which means maintaining support from a majority of members. The Liberals currently have 153 seats, versus 119 for the Conservatives, 33 for the Bloc Quebecois, and the NDP's 25. Trudeau swept to power in 2015 and has managed to hold on through two elections in 2019 and 2021. amc/bs/bjtGenenta Science S.p.A. ( NASDAQ:GNTA – Get Free Report ) was the target of a significant growth in short interest in the month of December. As of December 15th, there was short interest totalling 3,100 shares, a growth of 121.4% from the November 30th total of 1,400 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 13,600 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 0.2 days. Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades Separately, HC Wainwright reissued a “buy” rating and set a $25.00 price target on shares of Genenta Science in a report on Wednesday, October 2nd. Check Out Our Latest Stock Analysis on GNTA Genenta Science Trading Down 5.2 % Institutional Investors Weigh In On Genenta Science A hedge fund recently bought a new stake in Genenta Science stock. AlTi Global Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Genenta Science S.p.A. ( NASDAQ:GNTA – Free Report ) during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm bought 200,288 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $621,000. AlTi Global Inc. owned 1.10% of Genenta Science at the end of the most recent quarter. 15.13% of the stock is owned by institutional investors. Genenta Science Company Profile ( Get Free Report ) Genenta Science S.p.A., a clinical-stage biotechnology company, engages in the development of hematopoietic stem cell gene therapies for the treatment of solid tumors in Italy. Its lead product candidate is Temferon, which is in Phase 1/2a clinical trials for use in the treatment of glioblastoma multiforme in patients with unmethylated MGMT gene promoter. See Also Receive News & Ratings for Genenta Science Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Genenta Science and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter .

Councilwoman, city leaders clash as questions over “Operation Aurora” deportation plan persist

what time is best to play online slots North America’s top professional sports leagues have issued warnings to their players about a growing threat from high-tech, organized burglary rings, whose tools of choice are passports, cutting-edge technology and a 90-day calendar. The NBA memo, citing FBI intelligence, specifically linked the crimes to “transnational South American Theft Groups” that target “professional athletes and other high-net-worth individuals.” These groups are known for using “advanced techniques” such as pre-surveillance, drones, signal-jamming devices and other cutting-edge technology. The NFL highlighted the risks posed by what it called “organized and skilled groups” of burglars targeting wealthy athletes. 24/7 San Diego news stream: Watch NBC 7 free wherever you are While the warnings did not name victims, they were issued after the homes of athletes including Kansas City Chiefs stars Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce and Milwaukee Bucks forward Bobby Portis were recently burglarized. The tactics described in the memos bear a striking resemblance to a wave of break-ins targeting affluent residents in Southern California . Federal and local officials from Los Angeles and Orange County have reported a spike in break-ins by what they call “burglary tourists” — criminals from Central and South America who legally enter the U.S. on 90-day tourist visas under the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA). But instead of packing swimsuits and sunscreen, police said these individuals are armed with disguises, video equipment, trail cameras and Wi-Fi jammers. They target wealthy neighborhoods and gated communities before moving on to avoid detection. These “burglary tourists” have been at work for at least five years, but their operations have intensified in recent times as information about addresses and even pictures of properties have become increasingly accessible. “Transnational gangs might not know everything about the house that they are breaking into,” LAPD Chief of Detectives Alan Hamilton told NBC News on Friday. “But there’s always a possibility these suspects know who they are and monitor the athletes’ social media and movements.” Minnesota Timberwolves guard Mike Conley’s home was also burglarized in September while he was attending an NFL game, The Minnesota Star Tribune reported . U.S. & World Trump taps Rollins as agriculture chief, completing proposed slate of Cabinet secretaries A Thanksgiving survival guide for parents of picky eaters Portis posted on Instagram on Nov. 3 saying his “prized possessions” were stolen from his home during his team’s game the previous day. Kelce’s and Mahomes’ homes in Kansas City were broken into hours apart in October. The burglars made off with $20,000 in cash and caused $1,000 in damage to Kelce’s home, according to a police report obtained by NBC affiliate KSHB of Kansas City . Mahomes has called the ordeal “frustrating” and “disappointing.” This trend has spread to other cities including Chicago, Houston and Dallas. “Law enforcement has long recognized this pattern of crimes across the Midwest,” Hamilton said. “It’s not something they have been immune to.” Law enforcement from coast to coast, including the FBI, has been tracking these criminal networks for years, with suspects linked to South American gangs appearing in nearly every state, Hamilton said. “It’s totally military”-level technology, Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer told NBC News over the summer. “People we’ve arrested here in Orange County have criminal records coming from the country of Chile.” If Southern California law enforcement has made progress in reducing these crimes, it may be driving more of these operations to other regions of the country. The NBA and NFL urged players to take preventive measures, such as activating alarm systems and surveillance cameras, securing valuables in safes and avoid oversharing on social media. “The FBI reported that, in most of the incidents, the homes were equipped with alarm systems that were not activated,” reads the NBA memo obtained by NBC News on Friday. “The FBI also reported that the homes were all unoccupied and, in most cases, no dogs were present.” This story first appeared on NBCNews.com. More from NBC News: Hyundai announces recall of over 42,000 vehicles due to wiring issue that can cause them to roll away How ‘Wicked’ the movie compares to ‘Wicked’ the musical Matthew Perry recalls 'scary' confrontation with Jennifer Aniston: 'She was the one'TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Bucky Irving isn’t choosy. The rookie running back relishes any opportunity he gets to contribute to the success of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who have to climb back into a tie for first place in the NFC South. Irving leads NFL rookies in rushing with 732 yards, averaging 5.5 yards per carry while sharing the workload with starter Rachaad White and third-stringer Sean Tucker, who have combined to ease some of the burden on quarterback Baker Mayfield. A fourth-round draft pick out of Oregon, Irving is coming off rushing for a season-best 152 yards and a touchdown in last week’s 26-23 overtime win over the Carolina Panthers. He had another 33 yards receiving, giving him a rookie-leading 1,017 total yards from scrimmage through 12 games. The Bucs (6-6) on Sunday host the Las Vegas Raiders (2-10), who have an outstanding newcomer of their own with Brock Bowers on the verge of breaking the league's record for catches by a rookie tight end. Bowers leads all players, regardless of position, with 84 receptions. He's fourth with 884 yards receiving and second behind Irving among rookies with 895 total yards from scrimmage. “I don’t really like taking all the credit. It’s those guys up front,” Irving said, deferring to Tampa Bay’s improved offensive line. “I think I have to do something special for those guys for Christmas because they’re getting the job done.” The Bucs are eighth in the NFL in rushing at 137.2 yards per game. They’ve gained 100-plus yards on the ground in nine of 12 games after only doing it nine times in 34 games over the past two seasons. Irving, whose ability to make defenders miss and accelerate in the open field, has provided a spark to an offense that sputtered without injured wide receivers Mike Evans and Chris Godwin during a four-game losing streak. It doesn’t seem to bother the rookie that he still sits behind White on the depth chart. The starter had a 38-yard run in overtime to set up the winning field goal last week. Coach Todd Bowles continues to stress that the Bucs, tied with Atlanta for the NFC South lead, need both Irving and White to be successful. “In our room, all our success is one,” said Irving, who in the past two weeks became the first rookie since Miles Sanders in 2019 to string together consecutive games with 150-plus yards from scrimmage. “If I’m having success,’’ Irving added, “everybody in the room is having success.” Tampa Bay’s porous secondary figures to be tested by Bowers, the first tight end to lead the league in catches after Week 13 since Todd Christenson in 1986. The first-round draft pick out of Georgia needs three receptions to break Sam LaPorta’s season record (86 in 2023) for catches by a tight end. He’s 116 yards away from joining Mike Ditka (1,076 in 1961) and Kyle Pitts (1,026 in 2021) as the only rookie tight ends to finish with 1,000-plus yards receiving. “I thought he was one of the best tight ends coming out in a long time – not just this draft, but in a long time,” Bowles said. “He’s living up to expectations. He can play wideout, he can play tight end, he can do some fullback, he can run jet sweeps,” the Bucs coach added. “They do a lot of things with him and he’s a very talented guy.” The last time the Raiders went against Mayfield was two seasons ago when he came off a plane to play for the Los Angeles Rams. Despite having minimal time with the playbook and just one brief practice, Mayfield rallied the Rams to a 17-16 victory on a 23-yard touchdown pass with 10 seconds left. Raiders coach Antonio Pierce was the team’s linebackers coach at the time. “He plays the game kind of like Brett Favre, who I played against in (the) league,” Pierce said. “He’s very fiery. He’ll do whatever it takes to make a play. The play’s never dead with him. You’ve got to keep your eyes on him and then stay in coverage, so that’ll be a challenge.” Raiders quarterback Aidan O’Connell didn’t look as though he had missed nearly six weeks because of a broken thumb when he almost led Las Vegas to a victory at Kansas City last week. He completed 23 of 35 passes for 340 yards and two touchdowns in the Raiders’ 19-17 loss to the Chiefs. But O’Connell had a hard time looking at the positives given how close the Raiders came to beating the two-time defending Super Bowl champions. “Definitely some good plays, but it just stinks more than anything,” O’Connell said. “It was just a really hard loss. Even sometimes when you have a game right after, it’s easier to move on. But we had a longer week this week and so kind of really got to sit in it and it’s no fun.” AP Sports Writer Mark Anderson in Las Vegas contributed to this report. NFL:Lin Ziqi's 'The Correct Way of Youth' Premieres, Offering a New Perspective on Adolescent Challenges

1. An adorably encouraging daily planner you can fill out throughout the course of each day to keep yourself on track for all your calls, goals, and even your water intake. This is especially ideal for hybrid workers because you can tear off each sheet as you go instead of lugging the whole planner around with you! Each planner comes with 50 tear-off sheets the size of a standard piece of paper. Bliss Collections is a family-owned, Wisconsin-based business established in 2012 that specializes in stationery, planners and pads, and drinkware. Promising review: "These daily planning sheets keep this mama on TRACK! I started out printing daily planning and schedule sheets from a free download on my computer. Then I realized why not just buy some already printed so I save my ink at home. I found these and love how the day, schedule, tasks, and health habits are organized. I've already reordered once and will continue to use these." — Shannon Hoglund Get it from Amazon for $11.99 . 2. Or if you want to go ~all in~, a monthly subscription to Silk + Sonder , which will send you a brand new (and stunningly beautiful??) planner each month, equipped with guided prompts, wellness trackers, and dated calendar spreads. It's basically designed to encourage not just organization and growth, but help release creativity and manage stress. Silk + Sonder is a small business founded by Meha Agrawal, a former software engineer who developed the planners as a way for people to stay emotionally and mentally connected with themselves through self-guided structure and creativity. Promising review: "I started S+S to try and get my anxiety and depression better managed. I was struggling with a pretty bad depression period and wanted to be more proactive. It has kept me accountable and given me a mindfulness outlet which was much needed. I noticed a big change even just in the first week of having my first journal. Now, I am going to stick with it for a while longer! LOVE my Silk + Sonder Journals!" — Lindsey S. Get it from Silk + Sonder at $24.95 /month for three months (also available in one-month and 12-month subscriptions). 3. Plus a set of eye-popping fine-point pens designed for planners and journals, so you can — gasp — color code your tasks, putting a fun twist on them that makes it all the more motivating to stay focused 🌈. Perhaps most importantly for anyone out there planning to go full Leslie Knope on these is that they're designed not to bleed through thin pages ! Promising review: "I bought these pens not expecting much, considering they are quite inexpensive. They do not bleed, and the tips are strong and thin. I use these pens for coloring, hand lettering, and note taking, and they're exactly what I was looking for! The only regret I have is that I did not order the larger pack with more colors!!" — Michael Fanizzi Get a set of 18 from Amazon for $4.49 (clip the 50% off coupon on the product page for this price). 4. An internet-beloved time-marked water bottle so you know *precisely* how much you've consumed in an orderly, encouraging fashion before dehydration sneaks up on you. Promising review : "LOVE IT! I am very picky when it comes to water bottles, but this one is perfect! It is 32 ounces so it holds a lot of water to drink throughout the day! My favorite part is that you can add ice to it and it will not sweat due to the material it is made of, which I LOVE!" — Bianca Aguilera Get it on Amazon for $20.99 (available in two sizes and three colors). 5. A teensy undetectable laptop mouse jiggler you can slide into the USB to keep your computer active on Teams, Slack, and all those other various technological overlords that keep track of you when you're working from home — that way you won't have to feel like your attention is split if you're trying to get an important task done off screen. Promising review: "Saves me from auto logouts! My brother recommended this handy gadget. I work from home and have three monitors. When I leave my desk for lunch, the computer goes to sleep, and when I come back, everything is logged out, and whatever was on three monitors ends up on two. SO frustrating. This is programmable for three settings, and I use it on the minimal movement, so when I come back, everything is just as I left it. Revolutionary! Just remember to turn it on!" — Isaiah Get it from Amazon for $8.99+ (available in eight colors). 6. A 52-week tear-off meal planning pad with space to plan all your meals in advance, plus a weekly shopping list you can grab and take to the store with you. Check out a TikTok of the weekly meal planning pad in action. Sweetzer and Orange is a small business specializing in planners, stationery, and educational products. Promising review: "The magnet is great, sticks to fridge very well, does not slide or move. Perfect for planning meals and adding needed grocery items to the right side. Then you just tear off the right side and head to the store. This has made our family meal planning so much easier!" — SandyBeach Get it from Amazon for $8.99 (available in two styles). 7. A pack of bodyweight exercise cards perfect for anyone who has access to equipment but no idea where to start?? If you're suffering from the fitness version of writer's block, let the cards decide your fate. This pack comes with 50 different comprehensive exercises that are easy for beginners to understand, and challenging enough to make anyone feel the 🔥. NewMe Fitness is a small business that specializes in fitness accessories for strength training, weight training, and yoga. Promising review: "There are simply NO words to describe how awesome these cards are! NewMe Fitness has created a comprehensive set of cards that are the perfect size and with a readable font size. The portability is great! The ability to create individual stretching regimens for any fitness goal by mixing and matching the cards is stellar! This is my very first card pack, but I will be purchasing the whole lot in the coming months." — Natalie Nicole Get it from Amazon for $21.75+ (available in 19 volumes). 8. A guided visual "breathing partner" you can use for meditation and calm to get yourself in a better mindset for sleep. This is designed to guide you through either the popular 4/7/8 or 5/5 "calming breaths" to help reduce stress and anxiety, using colors that fade in and out softly as cues. Bonus: it's kid-friendly! Mindset is a small business that specializes in calming personal care and decor products. Promising review: "Who doesn’t need less stress and more sleep these days! Here's your breathing meditation partner. Very useful at your desk and bed stand. So easy to charge and use, not to mention that he’s really cute!" — Cece Get it from Amazon for $21.95 (available in two styles). 9. A user-friendly hexagonal productivity timer with six present countdown times you can initiate just by flipping it on its side. Not only does it have an oh-so-satisfying display screen you can use to count up or down, but it has a "mute" option so you won't disturb your coworkers when you're trying to do an email answering power hour (help). Promising review: "Love love love this product. Simple design, works great. I time myself during writing sessions so I'm not sitting in long stretches. This little timer is perfectly shaped and has several pre-programmed time options. Highly recommend." — Mimi Foster Get it from Amazon for $39.99 (available in three styles). 10. An undated habit calendar that not only comes with 12 months worth of tracking strategies for daily, weekly, and monthly goals, but starts out with a lil' brainstorm on things you might want to track, like getting to bed earlier or managing your extra spending. Promising review: " I wanted to reduce stress and nail down some habits, and I've always done better when I can see progress tangibly. I'd been eyeing this calendar for some time, but was unsure if it was worth the money. I decided to go for it. SO glad I did. It has some 'homework' pages at the beginning to help you focus in on your goals, but mostly it's the cleanness and ready-to-go nature of the monthly calendar pages that have worked for me. It's helped me be more disciplined AND narrow my focus so I'm not worrying about doing everything under the sun each day. I liked it so much that I bought a second one for a friend. Another friend saw me using it and also made a purchase. I'm really happy I made the leap." — Flight of Stars Get it from Amazon for $24 . 11. Plus The 369 Method Manifestation Journal , which you may find helpful not just for setting plans to focus on your goals, but to better help define them for yourself. The journal explains the "Law Of Attraction" method for manifesting, and gives you 12 weeks of space to help make your goals a reality, with lines to write your manifestations three times in the morning, six in the afternoon, and nine at night. Promising review: "This book is exactly what I needed to start my journey to a better life in 2024. This journal helped me write down my goals and mentally practice a positive outlook. I am excited for the journey ahead." — Amazon Customer Get it from Amazon for $7.79 . 12. A set of glass meal prep containers that are safe in the oven and the microwave, meaning you can cook, reheat, and eat out of 'em at the office instead of having an existential crisis about where you're going to eat during the lunch rush. Plus, these lids are tighter than the Pentagon. Promising review: "I started to make lunch boxes recently and was looking for reliable containers. Didn't want to have plastic ones, so after searching decided to choose this five-pack glass set and have no regrets so far. The size is just ideal for lunch — not too big or too small, it'll fit just the right amount of food to eat but not overeat. They are microwave-safe and it's very convenient if you have a microwave in the office." — AlmaMater Get a set of five from Amazon for $25.99 (also available in various sizes, compartments, and sets). 13. And a Bentgo stackable lunch container perfect for commuters who want to get back in the groove of bringing lunch from home again — this right here is a perfect leakproof, sturdy option for your mobile salad/charcuterie/"girl dinner" situations. It's also nice and deep for mixing salads, has an upper compartment to keep your other ingredients separate, *and* a container for dressing. Promising review : "I absolutely love these salad containers. My fiancé and I have big appetites, but try to eat healthy. These containers fit a ton of salad greens and all sizes of toppings — nuts, beans, cheese, fruits, meats, pasta, etc. They make packing lunch easy. Just throw in some greens, a protein, a dressing, and toppings that make salad fun for you! We use ours several times per week and they make it to both our jobs without spilling or leaking. I walk and ride public transit, so mine gets tossed around a bit. Several of my friends and coworkers have bought them after seeing mine! " — izzo Get it from Amazon for $14.99 (available in eight colors). 14. A Mason jar-inspired cold brew coffee maker to save you from going on an errand-running rabbit hole every time you leave to get more at a coffee shop. All you have to do is put your favorite coffee grounds in this pitcher and let them steep overnight. Be the cool, aloof barista with the amazing cold brew on tap you want to see in the world! Promising review : "This is the best way to have coffee without the acid and still have the caffeine. Easy to use and so much cheaper than buying cold brew coffee. I have bought several over the years for friends. I’ve owned mine now for four years and still love it." — Terry Get it from Amazon for $22.99+ (available in two sizes). 15. "Plaud," an AI voice recorder and notes generator that's basically a personal assistant that fits in your pocket. This gadget not only transcribes audio from meetings in real time so you won't forget anything, but uses ChatGPT to create summaries, minutes logs, and to-do lists based on the audio. Now, those meetings that couldn't be emails can get condensed into one! This is also an EXCELLENT tool for students who want to summarize lectures! Promising review: "Love this product! Very user-friendly, and the app is easy to navigate . Can transcribe and summarize meeting notes in a couple of minutes and allows you to choose what layout (meeting notes, transcript, mind map) you would like. Allows you to edit notes if needed and replay the meeting. This handy device can record phone calls. Just place it in the holder and attach to your phone, and switch the button to the phone option for those on-the-go phone conferences. Very helpful and convenient!!" — Rachele Get it from Amazon for $159 (available in two colors). 16. An insulated soundproofing strip that might just be a must-have if you work from home — this easily sticks to the outer rims of your door so you won't get tempted to peace out of work if other members of your household have different work hours and they start blasting Parks & Rec in the next room while you're still trying to focus. Psst — this insulated strip also stops heat and air conditioning from escaping out of the crack under the door, saving energy and money! Promising review: "Product works really well! I needed a quick fix to my home office situation, I live in an apartment in Manhattan and never noticed how much sound comes in and out, until I had to be on conference calls working from home! This little tape made a big difference, took me a couple of minutes to install ." — Sandra Revueltas Get it from Amazon for $7.97 (available in two colors). 17. A sophisticated, minimalist-style sunrise alarm clock to gently ease you into waking every morning by gradually lightening the room so you're not JOLTED awake in a dark room if you've got the curtains drawn or wake up at odd hours. This model offers fully customizable wake-up experience, complete with timing, brightness modes, and soothing sounds. Promising review: "I wanted this clock for the sunrise lighting affect and didn’t want to pay for the really expensive clocks. I think it’s aesthetically pleasing and has tons of options. It really does help you wake up softer with the sunrise light. It’s easy to use and a good value for your money!" — Brianna Hughes Get it from Amazon for $48.89+ (available in three styles). 18. Or a gorgeously designed Hatch Restore 2 — this sunrise alarm and sound machine works overtime as a touch-controlled smart light, bedtime reading light, and even a wind-down light that helps you get into a healthier sleep routine at night. Other bedside lamps could truly never. Hatch Restore lets you personalize a "bedtime routine" for each night to train your brain to recognize sleep cues and get a better night's rest. Options include changing the light settings to more amber tones to help produce melatonin for sleep, soothing noise options, and sleep meditations and sleep stories you can get in the Hatch app. Promising review: "The Hatch Restore 2 is truly a game changer for those looking to improve their night’s sleep and wake-up routine. It’s been the best bedside companion and has improved my overall health and well-being. The combination of sounds, lights, buttons, and aesthetics really all come to play to make this feel like a truly premium device. There are touch adjustments to adjust the volume and brightness of the clock, which work really well. My favorite feature is the physical buttons which you can press to start or stop the routines; it feels very intentional when I get ready for bed and really gets me in the right mindset to begin my bedtime routine ." — Natasha Advani Get it from Amazon for $169.99 (available in three styles). 19. A low-impact under-the-desk elliptical for anyone who gets distracted by aches and pains from sitting in one position all day — this can help keep your body loose so you can keep your brain occupied on the tasks at hand. It also comes with a digital display that tracks time, speed, and distance, as well as eight different modes of resistance, so you can tailor it exactly to your needs. Promising review: "No assembly required! Took right out of the box and put it under my desk. Spend long hours on the computer and suffer from hip and leg pain. Use the exerciser on and off all day especially first thing in the morning to loosen up joints. Felt the different in just a couple of days. Just what I needed." — Amazon Customer Get it from Amazon for $97.99+ (available in three styles). 20. Plus a discreet under-desk electric treadmill all the ~restless~ office workers will truly appreciate — this gizmo will go anywhere from .5 to six miles per hour so you can stay loose and focused on the job. The LED display even comes equipped with a Bluetooth you can sync music with. (Praise be to your Work Jams playlist on Spotify!!) Bonus: this comes as-is, with no assembly required, and easily slides under a bed or couch for storage. Promising review : "This thing is awesome. I'm a small, not technical person and managed to haul this thing up two flights of stairs (slowly), unbox, turn on and even connect my phone to the Bluetooth in it. No assembly. Simple instructions. Distance and time measurements seem to be accurate, but the 'calories' might be missing a decimal point. No squealing or groaning under my walking. Not too loud. Slides right under my bed. Didn't need to adjust the belt, though the tool to do so is included. Packaging says to oil every 30 hours. The remote is needed to make the treadmill function. It is extremely cheap — like dollar store cheap. I hope the company has a remote replacement for if/when the remote bites it. Even still, I would 100% buy this again. Great treadmill!" — Crowells Get it from Amazon for $259.99+ (clip the $30 off coupon on the product page for this price; available in four colors). 21. A "Did You Feed The Dog?" tracker perfect for anyone whose mornings and evenings go by in such a blur that sometimes (okay, every time) Fido 10000% tries to scam an extra meal out of you by pretending they haven't been fed yet (or appealing to another human in the house). Now you'll have peace of mind they've been taken care of, kibble-wise. Promising review: "Awesome product! There are four of us who were working together to feed the dogs. It simplified everything because I no longer have to text to see if anyone had fed them every morning. Now I just to see if it's green and if not, I feed them and indicate it. We all love it so much!" — Toni Deegan Get it from Amazon for $7.95 (available in versions for other pets and brushing your teeth ). 22. A transparent monitor attachment for those of us with an old school, sticky note using habit — this will give you the ability to take the clutter off your desk and put reminders in your clear line of sight. Each of the attachments has a sticky film that's strong enough to adhere it to your monitor, but easy enough to remove that it won't damage it. Promising review: "Because it’s clear, it is not a distraction when I’m not using it. I no longer lose my little notes." — Mel Get it from Amazon for $7.97+ (available in two styles). 23. An under-the-desk phone holder because resisting the siren call of TikTok at 3 p.m. is beyond the power of any mere mortal, especially if your phone is constantly in view. This will keep your eyes on the prize (which is, unfortunately, an Excel spreadsheet) and your productivity intact. Beyond 3D Creations is an Massachusetts-based Etsy shop established in 2020 that specializes in 3D-printed desk accessories. Promising review: "This is definitely a hit! Now I’m so used to reaching my phone from this holder without looking down at my desk, and my screentime has decreased a lot during day time. This really helps in terms of being more efficient so that I can finish my work early and get more me time back at the end of the day. Highly recommend it if you want to be less distracted while working !" — Shelby Cedrone Get it from Beyond 3D Creations on Etsy for $11.88+ (available in six colors, custom sizing available). 24. A handy minimalist weekly cleaning printable that's basically like "chore wheel, but make it fancy." This breaks down each day of the week with manageable cleaning tasks so you can maintain the cleanliness of your space on a day-to-day basis instead of getting overwhelmed cleaning it all at once. Creative Type Store is a woman-owned, Canada-based Etsy shop that specializes in designer printables to make life easier. Promising review : "Great for what I needed! I had started my own schedule, but felt like I was forgetting things, too much in a day, etc. This is super helpful!" — Erin Brie Get it from Creative Type Store on Etsy for $3.33 . 25. A "Worky" station , aka a 15-in-1 mobile workstation you can take with you on the go to have everything you possibly could need in one convenient, portable spot without compromising comfort or convenience. This comes equipped with two standard outlets, two USB ports, a built-in LED light for conference calls, storage compartments for files and tech accessories, and a magnetic dry-erase board for notes. Worky is a small business that specializes in products to improve remote working experiences. Check out a TikTok of the Worky station in action. Promising review : "I've had my Worky for three months now and have loved it. I love that everything is in one place and then I can close it up and work disappears. The compartments are great for tucking away piles of paperwork, the different charging outlets are convenient and the LED lights are helpful on Zoom calls when lighting in the room are not ideal. Everything in one place, simple and convenient. Just the way I like it." — Amy Get it from Amazon for $119.99 . Psst — you can try an even *more* portable 12-in-1 Worky station for $39.99 on Amazon! 26. A magnetic acrylic weekly planner for the fridge to keep you organized in the most aesthetically pleasing way possible. Reviewers use this for everything from meal planning to listing fam activities to appointment reminders. Check out a TikTok of the magnetic acrylic planner in action. Each planner also comes with six colorful markers! Promising review : "I love the bright colors of the markers that it comes with it and it’s super helpful to remember what we’re having for dinner for the week! Comes with markers, an eraser, a little cloth, and some little sticky pads to put on the back of the magnets so that it doesn’t scratch your fridge up, love that!" — Krista Paige Get it from Amazon for $9.99 . 27. A tear-off daily self-care calendar for a gentler way to start your day and still keep it productive and fulfilling — this has space not just for a to-do list, but affirmations, things you're thankful for, reflections, meals, and plans for self-care. Bliss Collections is a family-owned, Wisconsin-based business established in 2012 that specializes in stationery, planners and pads, and drinkware. Promising review: "I got this for my mental health when I was in a really bad place mentally and I was trying to figure out why I was having so many panic attacks. This made me feel on top of stuff and gives me something to look forward to. Super cute, super cheap, and it makes me happy." — katelyn Get a 50-sheet pad from Amazon for $9.99 . 28. Aaaaaand a mini inflatable tube guy for your desk to help cheer you up or cheer you on — sometimes the best thing you can do to focus is take yourself on a lil' dance break! Promising review: "OMG! I love this guy! These things, large and small, will ALWAYS make me laugh. My husband bought the desk version for me, and I can always count on it to make me laugh. My co-workers love it, too. People just stop by to turn him on for a quick pick-me-up. I would recommend getting the AC plug since batteries can run down fast. I think we should create a community of fellow air-dancer-havers and post clips of our little guys dancing to our favorite songs. Anyone in?" — Mark Get it from Amazon for $8.58 . Reviews have been edited for length and/or clarity.Gainers and losers in the ratified P6.35 trillion budget for 2025

Vice President Sara Duterte —Niño Jesus Orbeta MANILA, Philippines — Vice President Sara Duterte on Wednesday said the sudden change in her security detail left her confused, noting the lack of any planning made known to her either by the military or the police. At a press conference in Zamboanga City, Duterte said she would decline from making any further comment for now regarding the major shake-up of the Vice Presidential Security and Protection Group (VPSPG). She said she would like to see first the final arrangements to be made by the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine National Police. “I’d like to hold [my] comment on that because from what I observed, they keep changing their minds and lines about the matter,” Duterte told reporters. READ: Brawner: It’s not true that I will take over VP Duterte’s security group “The AFP would say it will be the PNP [who will take charge of my security], then you have the police saying otherwise. They are not good at planning, which is why it’s confusing.” “My advice to them: Sit down, plan everything before making any statements about it so no one will catch you lying.” She maintained that the threats to her life—a matter she first mentioned during the hot-tempered online press conference she called in the wee hours of Nov. 23—were “very serious.” It was in the context of revealing this supposed threat that she also disclosed having hired a hit man to have President Marcos, first lady Liza Araneta-Marcos and Speaker Martin Romualdez killed in case the plot against her succeeds. Citing a “diametric contrast,” she noted that while the threats to her life was being ignored by the authorities—“baliwala”—her statements about the Marcoses and Romualdez were quickly considered a “national security concern.” On Tuesday, the National Bureau of Investigation issued a subpoena asking Duterte to appear on Nov. 29 and shed light on her open threat to the first couple and the House leader. The NBI said she was being investigated for “alleged grave threats” in relation to the anticybercrime law and for “possible violation” of the Anti-Terrorism Act. Reacting to the subpoena, Duterte also said her lawyers would ask the NBI to reschedule her date of appearance, citing a “conflict in schedule” with the ongoing hearing of the House committee on good government and public accountability. As to the alleged crimes for which she was called, Duterte said the Marcos administration may now be using the antiterror law in a bid to freeze and seize her assets. She said the same law was applied to expelled Negros Oriental Rep. Arnolfo Teves Jr., who faces extradition from Timor-Leste as the prime suspect in the murder of a political rival in 2023. The law might also be invoked to have her passport canceled, place her on an Interpol “red notice,” and have search warrants issued “left and right” so that the government can raid her properties, she added. “This is clearly oppression and harassment. For the remarks [against the President] and to take it out of its logical context,” Duterte said, stressing that being a lawyer herself she knows “what is legal and illegal.” “I know what is actionable and not actionable. It is not actionable to leave a word on someone. It’s not,” Duterte said, referring to her statement about hiring a killer. Subscribe to our daily newsletter By providing an email address. I agree to the Terms of Use and acknowledge that I have read the Privacy Policy . “There’s no active threat there unless I die. There is nothing wrong [with what I said], nothing illegal there.”The Okanagan's own Cat Wells Blues Band is heading to the renowned International Blue Challenge (IBC). This event represents a significant milestone for blues musicians, offering them an invaluable opportunity to enhance their music careers on an international stage. "We're thrilled to be included in the International Blues Challenge and to have a chance to showcase our music to fellow blues artists and industry professionals," said Wells. IBC takes place Jan. 7-11 on Beale Street in Memphis, Tennessee across 20 different venues. "Our band will be showcasing on Friday Jan. 11 at Alfred’s on Beale," said Wells. But the venture to get the entire band to Memphis and find accommodations is quite expensive. So the band is hosting a fundraiser Nov. 28 to help get them there. Break up the winter blues with some groovy tunes at the Vernon Elks Lodge Thursday night, doors open at 6 p.m. Attendees will enjoy live performances from not only the Cat Wells Blues Band but also the Blind Bay Blues Band, The Bagdaddies and Del Rango and the Derailers. Tickets are $25 available on Eventbrite or via e-transfer to catwellsrocks@gmail.com. The National Women in Blues (WiB), an organization committed to supporting female blues musicians, sponsors a stage every year along the iconic Beale Street. This platform provides a rare opportunity for women artists who might not otherwise receive the support needed to break into the music industry. It allows talented women to shine and share their music with a broader audience. Adding to the excitement, the Cat Wells Blues Band will soon release their latest CD, Anything and Everything. This album has been “in the can” for many years and features all original songs. It includes artists (the late) Sonny Rhodes, (the late) Jason Buie and Johnny Ferreria (Colin James). For more information and updates, follow Cat Wells on social media or visit catwells.rocks.

The yummy festive dessert that celebrates British favourite hitting supermarket shelves this Christmas for first time

Democrat Derek Tran Defeats GOP Rep. Michelle Steel in Southern California Swing House DistrictA research team led by Chinese scientist “Crazy Li” has equipped small drones with the ability to emit powerful metal-cutting laser beams—a feat once thought impossible. The research envisions a scenario where a single small drone could confront a squad of fully armed soldiers by emitting a near-infrared laser 200 million times more powerful than a beam of 1080 nanometres wavelength, capable of causing blindness with just five microwatts of power. Such power is sufficient to vaporize subcutaneous fat on contact and cut through metal, according to findings published by Li Xiao and his team from the National University of Defence Technology of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army. High-powered lasers on small drones In his recent research, the Chinese scientist tackled what was once considered impossible: generating a laser beam with a long kill range that typically requires truck-sized equipment. Conventional wisdom dictated that a small platform, such as a consumer drone, could never carry such a high-powered laser weapon or the energy supply it demands, the South China Morning Post reported . Li and his colleagues overcame this limitation by inventing a compact, lightweight device that enables drones to receive powerful laser beams from the ground and redirect them toward enemy targets with precision. To overcome weight and size limits, the drone reflects a laser sent from the ground onto the target. This boosts the drone’s laser power to 30kW or more and allows the beam to bend around obstacles like buildings, striking targets at their weakest points. The research team highlighted that in future applications, multiple drones equipped with this device could detect targets and request laser support from the ground, enhancing response speed. The redirecting device consists primarily of two telescope-like tubes: one receives the laser beam from the ground, and the other reflects it toward the target. The tubes are guided by ultra-precise elevation servo mechanisms and azimuth turntables, with high-performance reflective mirrors linking the optical path between them. Tackling vibration issues to enhance drone laser precision According to the paper, the scientists have addressed most of the technical challenges related to the new laser drone. The primary hurdle to its success is the vibration generated during flight, which can scatter the beam. According to Li, the device needs excellent vibration isolation technology to prevent this issue. In 2016, China launched the world’s first quantum satellite, bringing ultra-long-distance laser aiming technology from science fiction to reality. In recent years, Chinese scientists have also made significant advancements in ultra-high-precision time synchronization on mobile devices, greatly enhancing the coordination accuracy between intelligent weapon platforms. In turn, this has enabled breakthroughs that were once considered impossible, such as combining microwaves or lasers emitted from different platforms into a potent energy beam in the sky. Such advancements have made it easier to coordinate and communicate between systems over large distances.

The impact of The Telegraph's decision to fire Ashworth is not just limited to the staff members directly affected. It has sent shockwaves throughout the entire organization, with many employees now questioning their loyalty to a club that would treat its long-serving employees in such a callous manner. The sense of betrayal and disillusionment is palpable among the Manchester United staff.Furthermore, the rise of new productivity is reshaping the workforce and redefining the skills required in the digital age. As automation and digital technologies become increasingly prevalent, the demand for workers with specialized technical skills is on the rise. At the same time, there is a growing need for employees who possess creativity, critical thinking, and emotional intelligence – qualities that are uniquely human and cannot be replicated by machines.zeus slot game online 。

Adam Pemble, an Associated Press video journalist who covered some of the biggest global news of the past two decades, from earthquakes and conflicts to political summits and elections, has died. He was 52. Pemble died Thursday in Minneapolis surrounded by friends and family, according to his friend Mike Moe, who helped care for him in the final weeks of his fight against cancer. Known for bringing stories alive with his camera, Pemble epitomized the best of television news traditions, casting a curious and compassionate lens onto the lives of the people and communities whose stories he told. He joined the AP in 2007 in New York before moving to Prague in 2011 to help launch AP’s first cross-format operation combining photography, text stories and video. He enhanced Eastern European news coverage, creating distinctive stories highlighting the region’s culture and society. “Adam was an incredibly talented and passionate journalist and an empathetic storyteller. He had this amazing ability to get anyone to talk to him on camera, which I attribute to the Midwestern charm he embodied throughout his life.” said Sara Gillesby, AP’s Director of Global Video and Pemble’s former manager in New York when he joined the AP. “He was the best of us.” Pemble was born in Saint Louis Park, Minnesota, in 1972 and grew up in Minneapolis. After graduating with a degree in mass communications from Minnesota State University Moorhead, he started his journalism career in 1997 at KVLY, a television station in Fargo, North Dakota, and later worked at WCCO in Minneapolis. “He had the skills of the old-school camera people to meet a deadline and turn a beautiful story,” said Arthur Phillips, a cameraman who worked with Pemble at WCCO. “But he had a calling for greater things.” Moving to New York, Pemble covered some of the biggest stories in the city, including the trial of Bernie Madoff, interviews with former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and with then-real estate developer, now U.S. president-elect, Donald Trump. He went to Haiti to cover the aftermath of the 2010 earthquake, where he captured shocking images of devastation. A few weeks later he was in Vancouver, covering the Winter Olympics. With his transfer to Prague, Pemble quickly became the go-to video journalist deployed to the biggest news events in Europe, interviewing government leaders, covering violent protests, the aftermath of terror attacks and numerous national elections across the continent. “An inquiring mind, a keen eye and a healthy skepticism for those in power who tried to spin away from the truth all combined to make Adam’s stories as rich in colour as he was in character,” said Sandy MacIntyre, former AP head of global video. “Time and again he was asked to do the impossible and without fail he delivered the exceptional.” ”But more than all of that, he was the colleague and friend you wanted by your side because if Adam was there we knew we were going to be the winning team.” As civil unrest rocked Ukraine in 2014, Pemble reported from Kyiv and later Donetsk, where he covered the first Russian-backed demonstrations before spending weeks in Crimea during Russia’s annexation of the strategic peninsula. His video reports included the last remaining Ukrainian sailors loyal to Kyiv, who had finally abandoned their ship and came ashore. With the Russian national anthem playing from a car in the background, his final shot showed two distraught sailors heckled as they walked away. Pemble returned to Ukraine following Russia’s invasion of the country in 2022. Among his many assignments was filming the exclusive March 2023 AP interview by Executive Editor Julie Pace with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as a train shuttled them across Ukraine to cities near some of the fiercest fighting. “Adam showed up to every assignment with enthusiasm, creativity and commitment to his work and his colleagues. He loved what he did, and so many of us at AP are better for having worked alongside him,” Pace said. When not deployed overseas, Pemble set his camera’s gaze on his new home in the Czech Republic, offering insight into the traditions and unique stories of Eastern Europe. From Christmas carp fishing at sunrise to graffiti artists in Prague to the intimate story of a Slovak priest challenging the celibacy rules of the Catholic Church, he brought his unmistakable style. He worked with a traditional large broadcast camera in an era where many video shooters shifted to smaller, lighter cameras. He always put himself in the right place to let reality unfold like “an old school analog painter in an often fast and furious digital age,” former AP cameraman Ben Jary recalled. Pemble’s interest in visual storytelling led to experimenting with new technologies, including aerial videography. In 2015, he was the first major news agency camera operator to film live drone footage when reporting on the migration crisis in the Balkans. An avid gardener who planted trees and chilis on his rooftop in Prague, he was adventurous in the kitchen and especially proud of his vegan “meatloaf,” friends said. He loved a seedy dive bar as much as a Michelin restaurant and foods as varied as charcoal choux pastry with truffle creme and his favourite road trip junk food, Slim Jim’s jerky and Salted Nut Rolls. Pemble’s wit, wisdom, energy and positivity enriched the lives and experiences of those around him, friends and colleagues recalled. “If someone asked me to see a picture of quiet strength and courage, dignity and grace, and most of all kindness, I would show them a picture of a man for all seasons,” said Dan Huff, a Washington-based AP video journalist, “I would show them a picture of Adam Pemble.”

The film follows the story of Lily, a quirky and optimistic woman who dreams of becoming a successful writer. However, her life takes an unexpected turn when she accidentally crashes into the moon. Yes, you read that right – the moon! What ensues is a series of hilarious situations as Lily embarks on a quest to mend the moon and set things right in the sky.Fans of the couple have been divided in their reactions to the latest developments, with some expressing concern for the couple's well-being, while others remain hopeful that the rumors of a divorce are unfounded. Many have taken to social media to express their support for Chen Xiao and Michelle Chen, urging the couple to weather this storm together.

In response to the incident, labor rights activists have called for greater transparency in wage payments, improved mechanisms for resolving disputes, and stronger enforcement of labor laws. They emphasize the importance of creating a safe and fair working environment for all workers, where their rights are respected and protected.In his efforts to , Elon Musk has thrown his support behind slashing a federal office created in the wake of the Great Recession to regulate financial services used by Americans. "Delete CFPB," Musk wrote on X early Wednesday of the . "There are too many duplicative regulatory agencies." Musk, along with , has been tasked with heading up the Trump-created , or DOGE, and finding ways to reduce spending and streamline bureaucracy within the federal government. The unofficial advisors have floated , laying off staff, and . When reached for comment, a spokesperson for Trump's transition team said she had nothing to add to Musk's statement. While it's unclear how DOGE and the incoming Trump Administration would abolish agencies, if it does, the CFPB could be on the chopping block. Here's a look at its purpose, employee makeup, and political controversies. The CFPB was created by Congress as part of the 2010 Dodd-Frank Act. The law aimed to strengthen oversight of Wall Street after its risky mortgage lending practices caused the global financial crisis. The CFPB has a broad mandate to protect Americans from deceptive or abusive practices by US financial firms. The agency investigates consumer complaints related to credit cards, loans, bank accounts, and debt collection and enforces consumer protection laws. Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren, a professor at Harvard Law School, originally proposed the agency in 2007. In 2010, President Barack Obama appointed Warren to head the CFPB's steering committee to help establish it. "The time for hiding tricks and traps in the fine print is over," Warren said that year. "This new bureau is based on the simple idea that if the playing field is level and families can see what's going on, they will have better tools to make better choices." As of March 2024, the just under 1,700 people, earning an average of about $184,000 a year, according to the Office of Personnel Management. The broke that workforce into six groups; about 43% of CFPB's employees work in the supervision and enforcement of financial institutions, 18% in operations supporting the Bureau's other initiatives, and 14% in research, monitoring, and regulations. Since its founding, the CFPB for consumers through direct compensation, canceled debt, and reduced loan principals. The agency has also issued $5 billion in civil penalties against banks, credit unions, debt collectors, payday lenders, for-profit colleges, and other financial services companies. That money is deposited into a victims' relief fund, with nearly 200 million people eligible for relief. Some of CFPB's most high-profile enforcement actions have been against Bank of America and Wells Fargo. The agency of harming hundreds of thousands of customers by charging illegal fees, withholding credit card cash and reward points, and enrolling them in credit card accounts without their knowledge. Bank of America agreed to pay $250 million. In 2022, Wells Fargo — a record sum — after a CFPB investigation alleged the bank mismanaged auto loans, mortgages, and deposit accounts, causing some customers to lose their vehicles and homes. Last week, the agency finalized a rule like Apple, Google, and Venmo, which offer digital wallets and payment apps and process some 13 billion transactions a year. Earlier this year, the CFPB also limited to $8 a month, compared to the average $32 fee charged by issuers in 2022. Democrats designed the CFPB to have political independence by funding it through the Federal Reserve rather than While Democrats argue that the CFPB's independence is crucial to its efficacy, Republicans say the agency's funding source and governing structure make it and encourage regulatory overreach. Since its founding, the CFPB has faced legal challenges from Republicans and the banking industry, who've taken issue with a slew of agency policies, including those regulating and those making it easier for consumers to . In May 2024, the Supreme Court rejected a constitutional challenge to the agency's funding structure, reversing a lower court decision in a 7-2 ruling. The high court's decision — authored by Justice Clarence Thomas, a conservative — has bolstered the agency but likely won't shield it from ongoing criticism and legal attacks. Not everything the agency does has courted controversy. Recently, the agency won for a new rule that would allow consumers to have more control over how their financial data is used by banks and other financial firms. Read the original article onComing to a theater near you: How cinema screens may soon become gigantic LED displays thanks to a plethora of Chinese companies looking for new markets

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The promotion of consumption has always been a key strategy for governments to stimulate economic growth and boost market vitality. In recent years, various policies aimed at encouraging consumer spending have been implemented, with positive effects seen in driving domestic demand and enhancing economic resilience. Looking ahead, it is anticipated that efforts to promote consumption will continue to escalate next year, further lifting market sentiment and invigorating the economy.Patient Handling Equipment Market Analysis, Emerging Trends, Growth Drivers, Opportunities, Industry Outlook, Key Segments, Leading Players, and Revenue ForecastThe completion of the 1 trillion yuan long-term special national bond arrangement marks a milestone in China's economic policy and development trajectory. It sets the stage for sustainable growth, innovation-driven transformation, and high-quality development, positioning China as a global leader in the post-pandemic era.Commanders DB Jeremy Reaves proposes to girlfriend on field after overtime SNF win over Falcons

Stocks related to 5G technology and artificial intelligence were among the top gainers, with strong earnings reports and positive industry trends boosting investor confidence. Companies with exposure to the domestic market and government support also performed well, indicating a favorable outlook for the Chinese economy.NDTV Profit’s special research section collates quality and in-depth equity and economy research reports from across India’s top brokerages, asset managers and research agencies. These reports offer NDTV Profit’s subscribers an opportunity to expand their understanding of companies, sectors and the economy.

Scott Bessent a credible, safe pick for Treasury: experts

However, the truth turned out to be far more simple and heartening. According to the villagers, the man had indeed been wandering the mountains for weeks, lost and disoriented. It was only by chance that he had come across the female Master's student, who had also gotten separated from her group during a hike. The two strangers had formed an unlikely bond during their time together in the wilderness, relying on each other for support and companionship.

Oliver Glasner: Crystal Palace are heading in right direction after Ipswich winFor decades, power protected Alan Jones. Now he’s facing his own reckoning - Sydney Morning Herald

In conclusion, the tale of Mr. Li and his guests' evacuation with the assistance of local militants in war-torn Syria stands as a testament to the unbreakable bond of humanity that can flourish amidst the chaos of conflict. It serves as a poignant reminder that, in times of crisis, the light of compassion and empathy can shine the brightest, offering solace and hope to those caught in the turmoil of war.The Impact Of Reservations On Open Merit CandidatesWASHINGTON (AP) — Micah Peavy's 24 points helped Georgetown defeat Saint Francis (PA) 82-65 on Saturday. Peavy added six assists and three steals for the Hoyas (4-1). Jayden Epps added 23 points while going 7 of 17 from the floor, including 4 for 12 from 3-point range, and 5 for 5 from the line and also had six rebounds and three steals. Malik Mack shot 4 of 9 from the field and 3 for 4 from the line to finish with 11 points. The Red Flash (1-5) were led by Bobby Rosenberger III, who posted 20 points and seven rebounds. Riley Parker added 20 points for Saint Francis (PA). The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar .

In a staggering turn of events, billionaire investor Stan Druckenmiller has diverted his focus from Nvidia, the tech giant reaping benefits from the artificial intelligence surge, to Broadcom, signaling a noteworthy shift in market strategies. Nvidia’s Phenomenal Growth Nvidia has seen its stock price catapult by an incredible 895% since 2022, fueled by its advancements in AI-powered GPUs. The company’s prowess in artificial intelligence applications has made it a darling on Wall Street, with expectations of continued expansion driving the hype around its stocks and boosting its market capitalization. Druckenmiller’s Surprising Choice Contrary to the prevailing enthusiasm for Nvidia, Druckenmiller, a well-regarded former hedge fund manager, decided to sell all his Nvidia shares in the third quarter. Instead, he has shifted his investment focus to Broadcom, another prominent chipmaker entering the AI market. By introducing AI-based chips with competitive margins, Broadcom has caught the billionaire’s interest, now ranking among the top-15 in his portfolio. Broadcom: The Rising Star? As Broadcom fortifies its AI offerings, investor interest has surged, causing its stock value to climb significantly. Druckenmiller’s move has aroused curiosity on Wall Street, with many questioning whether he holds insights that could reshape investment strategies in the tech sector. Druckenmiller’s actions have led to speculation about the future of chipmaking and AI investments, challenging investors to rethink which companies might dominate this high-stakes industry. Is Broadcom Poised to Eclipse Nvidia in the AI Race? The tech investment world is abuzz following a notable shift by billionaire Stan Druckenmiller, who recently redirected his investment focus from Nvidia to Broadcom. This strategic pivot prompts a deeper examination of emerging trends and potential shifts in the AI chip market landscape. Understanding the AI Chip Market Dynamics Nvidia, known for its skyrocketing 895% increase in stock price since 2022, has become synonymous with AI advancements, particularly in GPUs, which are a cornerstone for artificial intelligence applications. This meteoric rise is attributed to Nvidia’s consistent innovation and expansion in AI technology, making it a favorite among Wall Street investors. However, Stan Druckenmiller’s decision to sell his Nvidia shares and invest heavily in Broadcom has turned heads. This unexpected move highlights a potential new trajectory for investors looking at the expanding AI market. Let’s delve into why Broadcom has captured Druckenmiller’s attention and what this could mean for the broader industry. Broadcom’s AI Ambitions and Market Potential Broadcom has increasingly focused on entering and growing within the AI market by developing AI-based chips. These chips offer competitive margins, which may enhance Broadcom’s profitability and market appeal. As a result, Broadcom has witnessed a robust uptick in investor interest and significant stock appreciation. This strategic development positions Broadcom as a formidable player in the AI chip domain. Druckenmiller’s investment indicates a potential reevaluation of what constitutes a leading company in this high-stakes field. Broadcom’s leap into AI technology could signify its readiness to replicate Nvidia’s success or perhaps pioneer new advancements that address niche market needs or even broader applications. The Implications for Investors and Market Trends Druckenmiller’s strategic realignment has sparked speculation about future trends in AI investments and chipmaking. His moves encourage investors to reconsider existing paradigms and broaden their focus beyond traditional powerhouses like Nvidia. Broadcom’s positioning could mark the beginning of a more diversified marketplace, where several key players contribute to AI’s growth trajectory. Broader Industry Impacts and Insights If Broadcom continues its aggressive entry into the AI market, it might stimulate increased competition and innovation among chipmakers. This has the potential to drive advancements in technology, affecting everything from AI development speeds to cost structures—the implications of which could ripple across various sectors dependent on AI technology. Predictions and Future Outlook The investment shift suggests a possible future where Broadcom and similar companies could challenge or complement Nvidia’s dominance. While Nvidia remains a leader, Broadcom’s ambitions might introduce new dynamics that reshape market strategies and outcomes. Investors and tech enthusiasts alike should closely monitor these developments for further insights into the evolving AI landscape. Given the rapidly changing tech sector, these strategic movements underscore the importance of flexibility and foresight in investment strategies. Whether Broadcom will eclipse Nvidia or carve out a new niche remains to be seen, but Druckenmiller’s actions signal an exciting potential shift in the AI sector’s competitive landscape. For more information, visit: BroadcomSANTA CLARA — Linebacker Dre Greenlaw, 10 months since tearing his left Achilles in the Super Bowl , is suiting up for his first action since then. The 49ers activated Greenlaw off injured reserve some four hours before today’s 5:15 p.m. kickoff against the Los Angeles Rams at Levi’s Stadium. Not only is Greenlaw active but so are running back Isaac Guerendo (foot sprain) and defensive end Nick Bosa (oblique, hip), the latter of whom is returning from a three-game hiatus. Greenlaw has put in two weeks of practice and months of rehabilitation to recover from an injury that happened in bizarre fashion. After playing 12 snaps and making three tackles, he pounced off the 49ers’ sideline for their fourth defensive series, only to promptly fold onto the ground and stun everyone. Roughly nine minutes remained until halftime, with the 49ers ahead 3-0 in an eventual 25-22 overtime defeat . Greenlaw battled a right Achilles issue in the preceding two months, only to injure his left in non-contact fashion running onto the field after a punt pinned Kansas City at their 20-yard line. The 49ers’ defense parlayed Sunday’s return of safety Talanoa Hufanga into its best outing of the season, allowing just four yards in the first half of a 38-13 rout of the Chicago Bears. That snapped a three-game losing streak for the reigning NFC champions who are teetering on the brink of playoff elimination and/or contention Ruled out Wednesday from this game are left tackle Trent Williams, safety Malik Mustapha and offensive lineman Ben Bartch, who’s been placed on injured reserve to open a roster spot for Greenlaw’s comeback. Also out quarterback Joshua Dobbs, defensive tackle Khalil Davis, running back Israel Abanikanda and cornerback Rock Ya-Sin. DOC EDWARDS HONORED Dr. Harry Edwards, who’s consulted nearly 45 years for the 49ers, has been named their Inspire Change Changemaker, an award reflecting his work toward social justice. Edwards, 82, joined the 49ers under then-coach Bill Walsh in the early 1980s and helped the coach’s diversity-hiring efforts that have become a model across the league. This Changemaker award comes with a $10,000 donation from the NFL Foundation that Edwards himself will match and give to Heritage Home. A year ago, Edwards disclosed his battle with bone cancer. A UC Berkeley professor emeritus of sociology, he’s played a prominent role in sports protests and encouraged Black athletes to speak publicly about racial injustice, including Colin Kaepernick in 2016.fish and slot online game 。

WASHINGTON (AP) — For years, Pat Verhaeghe didn’t think highly of Donald Trump as a leader. Then Verhaeghe began seeing more of Trump’s campaign speeches online and his appearances at sporting events. There was even the former president’s pairing with Bryson DeChambeau as part of the pro golfer’s YouTube channel series to shoot an under-50 round of golf while engaging in chitchat with his partner. “I regret saying this, but a while ago I thought he was an idiot and that he wouldn’t be a good president,” said the 18-year-old first-time voter. “I think he’s a great guy now.” Verhaeghe isn't alone among his friends in suburban Detroit or young men across America. Although much of the electorate shifted right to varying degrees in 2024, young men were one of the groups that swung sharply toward Trump. More than half of men under 30 supported Trump, according to AP VoteCast , a survey of more than 120,000 voters, while Democrat Joe Biden had won a similar share of this group four years earlier. White men under 30 were solidly in Trump’s camp this year — about 6 in 10 voted for Trump — while young Latino men were split between the two candidates. Most Black men under 30 supported Democrat Kamala Harris, but about one-third were behind Trump. Young Latino men’s views of the Democratic Party were much more negative than in 2020, while young Black men’s views of the party didn’t really move. About 6 in 10 Latino men under 30 had a somewhat or very favorable view of the Democrats in 2020, which fell to about 4 in 10 this year. On the other hand, about two-thirds of young Black men had a favorable view of the Democrats this year, which was almost identical to how they saw the party four years ago. “Young Hispanic men, and really young men in general, they want to feel valued," said Rafael Struve, deputy communications director for Bienvenido, a conservative group that focused on reaching young Hispanic voters for Republicans this year. “They're looking for someone who fights for them, who sees their potential and not just their struggles.” Struve cited the attempted assassination of Trump during a July rally in Pennsylvania as one of the catalyzing moments for Trump’s image among many young men. Trump, Struve said, was also able to reach young men more effectively by focusing on nontraditional platforms like podcasts and digital media outlets. “Getting to hear from Trump directly, I think, really made all the difference," Struve said of the former president's appearances on digital media platforms and media catering to Latino communities, like town halls and business roundtables Trump attended in Las Vegas and Miami. Not only did Trump spend three hours on Joe Rogan's chart-topping podcast, but he took up DeChambeau's “Break 50” challenge for the golfer's more than 1.6 million YouTube subscribers. Trump already had an edge among young white men four years ago, although he widened the gap this year. About half of white men under 30 supported Trump in 2020, and slightly less than half supported Biden. Trump's gains among young Latino and Black men were bigger. His support among both groups increased by about 20 percentage points, according to AP VoteCast — and their feelings toward Trump got warmer, too. It wasn’t just Trump. The share of young men who identified as Republicans in 2024 rose as well, mostly aligning with support for Trump across all three groups. “What is most alarming to me is that the election is clear that America has shifted right by a lot,” said William He, founder of Dream For America, a liberal group that works to turn out young voters and supported Harris’ presidential bid. With his bombastic demeanor and a policy agenda centered on a more macho understanding of culture , Trump framed much of his campaign as a pitch to men who felt scorned by the country’s economy, culture and political system. Young women also slightly swung toward the former president, though not to the degree of their male counterparts. It's unclear how many men simply did not vote this year. But there's no doubt the last four years brought changes in youth culture and how political campaigns set out to reach younger voters. Democrat Kamala Harris' campaign rolled out policy agendas tailored to Black and Latino men, and the campaign enlisted a range of leaders in Black and Hispanic communities to make the case for the vice president. Her campaign began with a flurry of enthusiasm from many young voters, epitomized in memes and the campaign's embrace of pop culture trends like the pop star Charli XCX's “brat” aesthetic . Democrats hoped to channel that energy into their youth voter mobilization efforts. “I think most young voters just didn’t hear the message,” said Santiago Mayer, executive director of Voters of Tomorrow, a liberal group that engages younger voters. Mayer said the Harris campaign’s pitch to the country was “largely convoluted” and centered on economic messaging that he said wasn’t easily conveyed to younger voters who were not already coming to political media. “And I think that the policies themselves were also very narrow and targeted when what we really needed was a simple, bold economic vision,” said Mayer. Trump also embraced pop culture by appearing at UFC fights, football games and appearing alongside comedians, music stars and social media influencers. His strategists believed that the former president’s ability to grab attention and make his remarks go viral did more for the campaign than paid advertisements or traditional media appearances. Trump's campaign also heavily cultivated networks of online conservative platforms and personalities supportive of him while also engaging a broader universe of podcasts, streaming sites, digital media channels and meme pages open to hearing him. “The right has been wildly successful in infiltrating youth political culture online and on campus in the last couple of years, thus radicalizing young people towards extremism,” said He, who cited conservative activist groups like Turning Point USA as having an outsize impact in online discourse. “And Democrats have been running campaigns in a very old fashioned way. The battleground these days is cultural and increasingly on the internet.” Republicans may lose their broad support if they don't deliver on improving Americans' lives, Struve cautioned. Young men, especially, may drift from the party in a post-Trump era if the party loses the president-elect's authenticity and bravado. Bienvenido, for one group, will double down in the coming years to solidify and accelerate the voting pattern shifts seen this year, Struve said. “We don’t want this to be a one and done thing,” he said. Associated Press writer Joey Cappelletti in Lansing, Michigan, and AP polling editor Amelia Thomson-DeVeaux contributed to this report.The move has divided opinion internationally on how to protect children online. Under-16s have been banned from using social media under strict new legislation in Australia. The government says it is to protect children, but Big Tech companies and some human rights groups say it will not work. What are the arguments and the views worldwide? Presenter: Bernard Smith Guests: Mark Andrejevic – A professor at Monash University’s School of Media, Film, and Journalism in Melbourne and a specialist on the implications of data mining and online monitoring Nirali Bhatia – A cyberpsychologist and the founder of Cyber BAAP, an anti-cyberbullying campaign in New Delhi Noeline Blackwell – A human rights lawyer and online safety coordinator for the Children’s Rights Alliance in IrelandCompanies tighten security after a health care CEO's killing leads to a surge of threats

Marcus Tomashek scores 30 and Division II Michigan Tech hands Green Bay its 8th straight lossOil company Phillips 66 faces federal charges related to alleged Clean Water Act violations LOS ANGELES (AP) — Oil company Phillips 66 has been federally indicted in connection with alleged violations of the Clean Water Act in California. The Texas-based company is accused of discharging hundreds of thousands of gallons of industrial wastewater containing excessive amounts of oil and grease. The U.S. Department of Justice announced the indictment on Thursday. Phillips is charged with two counts of negligently violating the Clean Water Act and four counts of knowingly violating the Clean Water Act. An arraignment date has not been set. A spokesperson for the company said it was cooperating with prosecutors. US regulators seek to break up Google, forcing Chrome sale as part of monopoly punishment U.S. regulators want a federal judge to break up Google to prevent the company from continuing to squash competition through its dominant search engine after a court found it had maintained an abusive monopoly over the past decade. The proposed breakup floated in a 23-page document filed late Wednesday by the U.S. Justice Department calls for Google to sell its industry-leading Chrome web browser and impose restrictions designed to prevent Android from favoring its search engine. Regulators also want to ban Google from forging multibillion-dollar deals to lock in its dominant search engine as the default option on Apple’s iPhone and other devices. What you need to know about the proposed measures designed to curb Google's search monopoly U.S. regulators are proposing aggressive measures to restore competition to the online search market after a federal judge ruled that Google maintained an illegal monopoly. The sweeping set of recommendations filed late Wednesday could radically alter Google’s business. Regulators want Google to sell off its industry-leading Chrome web browser. They outlined a range of behavioral measures such as prohibiting Google from using search results to favor its own services such as YouTube, and forcing it to license search index data to its rivals. They're not going as far as to demand Google spin off Android, but are leaving that door open if the remedies don't work. SEC Chair Gary Gensler, who led US crackdown on cryptocurrencies, to step down Securities and Exchange Commission Chair Gary Gensler will step down from his post on January 20. Since taking the lead at the SEC, the commission has been aggressive in its oversight of cryptocurrencies and other regulatory issues. President-elect Donald Trump had promised during his campaign that he would remove Gensler, who has led the U.S. government’s crackdown on the crypto industry and repeatedly called for more oversight. But Gensler on Thursday announced that he would be stepping down from his post on the day that Trump is inaugurated. Bitcoin has jumped 40% since Trump’s victory. US intelligence warns defense companies of Russian sabotage threat WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. intelligence officials are warning American defense companies to increase their security after a wave of sabotage in Europe blamed on Russia. The National Counterintelligence and Security Center issued a public bulletin Thursday advising companies that work in the defense industry that Russia may seek to carry out acts of sabotage as part of its effort to undercut Ukraine's allies and their ability to support Ukraine in its defense against Russia. Western authorities say they believe Russian intelligence is behind several recent acts of sabotage targeting European defense companies. Russia has denied the allegations. Elon Musk's budget crusade could cause a constitutional clash in Trump's second term WASHINGTON (AP) — Donald Trump has put Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy in charge of finding ways to cut government spending and regulations. It's possible that their efforts will lead to a constitutional clash. This week, Musk and Ramaswamy said they would encourage the Republican president-elect to refuse to spend money allocated by Congress, which would conflict with a 1974 law that's intended to prevent presidents from blocking funds. If Trump takes such a step, it would quickly become one of the most closely watched legal battles of his second administration. Musk and Ramaswamy also aim to dramatically reduce the size of the federal workforce. Bitcoin is at the doorstep of $100,000 as post-election rally rolls on NEW YORK (AP) — Bitcoin is jumping again, rising above $98,000 for the first time Thursday. The cryptocurrency has been shattering records almost daily since the U.S. presidential election, and has rocketed more than 40% higher in just two weeks. It's now at the doorstep of $100,000. Cryptocurrencies and related investments like crypto exchange-traded funds have rallied because the incoming Trump administration is expected to be more “crypto-friendly.” Still, as with everything in the volatile cryptoverse, the future is hard to predict. And while some are bullish, other experts continue to warn of investment risks. Stock market today: Wall Street rises with Nvidia as bitcoin bursts above $99,000 NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks climbed after market superstar Nvidia and another round of companies said they’re making even fatter profits than expected. The S&P 500 pulled 0.5% higher Thursday after flipping between modest gains and losses several times in the morning. The Dow Jones Industrial Average jumped 1.1%, and the Nasdaq composite edged up by less than 0.1%. Banks, smaller companies and other areas of the stock market that tend to do best when the economy is strong helped lead the way, while bitcoin briefly broke above $99,000. Crude oil, meanwhile, continued to rise. Treasury yields inched higher in the bond market. What will happen to CNBC and MSNBC when they no longer have a corporate connection to NBC News? Two television networks with “NBC” in their names — MSNBC and CNBC — will no longer have any corporate connection to NBC News once a spinoff formally takes effect in about a year. Comcast is cutting loose several of its cable companies into a separate company in order to improve its bottom line. It leaves several questions, particularly for MSNBC. Will the news network geared to liberal viewers continue to use NBC News personnel? Will it have to leave its offices and studios at the NBC News headquarters in New York's Rockefeller Center? Will they even keep the same names? The biggest remaining unsanctioned Russian bank hit with U.S. sanctions, nearly three years into war WASHINGTON (AP) — Russia’s third largest bank, Gazprombank and its six foreign subsidiaries were hit with U.S. sanctions on Thursday. The action is intended to curtail Russia’s ability to evade the thousands of sanctions imposed on the nation since the start of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said the sanctions targeting Russia’s largest remaining non-sanctioned bank would further diminish Russia’s military effort and “will make it harder for the Kremlin to evade U.S. sanctions and fund and equip its military.” In addition, more than 50 internationally connected Russian banks 40 Russian securities registrars, and 15 Russian finance officials were hit with sanctions.

The fired head coach Mike Brown on Friday, the team announced in a press release. The Kings are 13-18 and are in 12th place in the Western Conference. They have lost five consecutive games and have won just five of their past 17 games after an 8-6 start. Doug Christie, an assistant coach under Brown who played for the Kings on some of their best teams, has been named the Kings' interim coach. “This was a difficult decision, and I want to thank Mike for his many contributions to the organization,” Kings GM Monte McNair said in the team's statement. The Kings have not progressed the way that ownership and the front office had expected after making the playoffs with a 48-34 record in 2022-23. They were a play-in team last season, but did not make the eight-team playoff field in the Western Conference after beating Golden State but losing to New Orleans. Brown, who previously was a head coach for Cleveland and the Los Angeles Lakers and spent six seasons as an assistant with Golden State under Steve Kerr, was 107-88 in two-plus seasons with the Kings. Brown signed an extension with the Kings in July. “Mike has done a tremendous job leading our team and this extension is well-deserved,” McNair said in a statement at the time. “His commitment to success is second to none, and I look forward to building on the foundation he’s helped establish in Sacramento.” Brown took over Sacramento in 2022 just as the Kings looked like they were headed in the right direction with De’Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis leading the team on the court. The Kings lost to Golden State in seven games in the 2023 playoffs, and the future looked promising. But even a 46-36 record last season only got the Kings into ninth place in the West, illustrating how talented the West is. That’s even more true this season with teams like Memphis and Houston emerging as top teams in the West and San Antonio displaying growth with Victor Wembanyama. The Kings lost to Detroit 114-113 at home Thursday after leading 98-83 with 8:12 left in the fourth quarter and 107-97 with 2:46 remaining in the fourth. Sacramento, which resumes play Saturday against the Lakers, is 21⁄2 games behind 11th-place San Antonio and three games behind Phoenix, Minnesota and Golden State, who are all 15-14.

Presenters Amanda Holden and Alan Carr led the stars arriving at the 2024 Royal Variety Performance, hours after the Queen pulled out due to lingering symptoms from a chest infection. The King is scheduled to attend the show at London’s Royal Albert Hall on Friday which will see Sir Elton John and his husband David Furnish present a musical number from their new show The Devil Wears Prada – based on the 2006 Oscar-nominated film. Cast members Vanessa Williams, who plays Miranda Priestly, and Matt Henry, who stars as art director Nigel, were among those posing on the red carpet ahead of the performance which showcases an original score by Sir Elton. The variety show will also see debuts from British singer Sophie Ellis-Bextor with her hit track Murder On The Dancefloor while Eurovision winner Nemo is also featured on the bill. Also posing on the carpet were US magicians and comedy duo Penn and Teller, whose performance marks their 50th anniversary. Comedy will come from Ted Lasso star Ellie Taylor, writer and comic Scott Bennett, Scottish comedian Larry Dean and political comic Matt Forde – who posed on the red carpet with a crutch after undergoing surgery for cancer on his spine. Among the arrivals was TV presenter Lorraine Kelly, who will make an appearance in this year’s show with her Change And Check Choir led by Wet Wet Wet singer Marti Pellow. The choir, made up of women from across the UK who detected their breast cancer through Kelly’s campaign, will perform Love Is All Around, which is being re-released to raise awareness of breast cancer early detection. It comes hours after Camilla insisted the “show must go on” after pulling out of attending the performance on Friday evening as doctors advised that she should prioritise rest. A Buckingham Palace spokesperson said: “Following a recent chest infection, the Queen continues to experience some lingering post-viral symptoms, as a result of which doctors have advised that, after a busy week of engagements, Her Majesty should prioritise sufficient rest. “With great regret, she has therefore withdrawn from attendance at tonight’s Royal Variety Performance. His Majesty will attend as planned.” A royal source said the Queen was “naturally disappointed to miss the evening’s entertainments and sends her sincere apologies to all those involved, but is a great believer that ‘the show must go on'”. “She hopes to be back to full strength and regular public duties very soon,” the source added. The Royal Variety Performance will air on ITV1, ITVX, STV and STV Player in December. Money raised from the show will go to help people from the world of entertainment in need of care and assistance, with the Royal Variety Charity launching an initiative to help those with mental health issues this year.

Holiday stress can lead Alzheimer’s patients and those with dementia to go missingCanada’s Trudeau returns home after Trump meeting without assurances that tariffs are off the table

U.S. Outpatient Oncology Infusion Market Set for Exceptional Growth in the Forecast 2024-2032 12-27-2024 07:15 PM CET | Health & Medicine Press release from: Cognate Insights U.S. Outpatient Oncology Infusion Market Latest Market Overview The U.S. outpatient oncology infusion market is projected to reach USD 16.4 billion in 2024, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 12.7% from 2024 to 2032. The increasing prevalence of cancer, the growing demand for effective cancer treatments, and the rising preference for outpatient services are the key drivers of market growth. Outpatient oncology infusion services provide a cost-effective and convenient alternative for patients who require chemotherapy, immunotherapy, or other infusion treatments. The shift towards outpatient care is further supported by advancements in infusion technologies and the expansion of outpatient facilities. The U.S. Outpatient Oncology Infusion Market has experienced steady growth in recent years and is expected to continue expanding at a strong pace from 2024 to 2032. This analysis offers a comprehensive overview, providing valuable insights into key trends and developments within the U.S. Outpatient Oncology Infusion industry. These findings equip business leaders with the necessary knowledge to devise more effective strategies and enhance profitability. Furthermore, the report serves as a useful resource for new and emerging businesses, helping them make informed decisions as they navigate the market and seek growth opportunities. Major Players of U.S. Outpatient Oncology Infusion Market are: McKesson Corporation (Irving, TX) - USD 276 billion revenue in 2023. AmerisourceBergen (Conshohocken, PA) - USD 238 billion revenue in 2023. Cardinal Health (Dublin, OH) - USD 181 billion revenue in 2023. UnitedHealth Group (Minnetonka, MN) - USD 324 billion revenue in 2023. HCA Healthcare (Nashville, TN) - USD 60 billion revenue in 2023. Get Latest PDF Sample Report @ https://www.cognateinsights.com/request-sample/us-outpatient-oncology-infusion-market Our Report covers global as well as regional markets and provides an in-depth analysis of the overall growth prospects of the market. Global market trend analysis including historical data, estimates to 2024, and compound annual growth rate (CAGR) forecast to 2032 is given based on qualitative and quantitative analysis of the market segments involving economic and non-economic factors. Furthermore, it reveals the comprehensive competitive landscape of the global market, the current and future market prospects of the industry, and the growth opportunities and drivers as well as challenges and constraints in emerging and emerging markets. Global U.S. Outpatient Oncology Infusion Market Landscape and Future Pathways: North America: United States Canada Europe: Germany France U.K. Italy Russia Asia-Pacific: China Japan South Korea India Australia China Taiwan Indonesia Thailand Malaysia Latin America: Mexico Brazil Argentina Korea Colombia Middle East & Africa: Turkey Saudi Arabia UAE Korea Speak to Our Analyst for A Discussion on The Above Findings, And Ask for A Discount on The Report @ https://www.cognateinsights.com/check-discount/us-outpatient-oncology-infusion-market Key drivers and challenges influencing the U.S. Outpatient Oncology Infusion market: Regional Analysis: The report involves examining the U.S. Outpatient Oncology Infusion market at a regional or national level. Report analyses regional factors such as government incentives, infrastructure development, economic conditions, and consumer behaviour to identify variations and opportunities within different markets. Market Projections: Report covers the gathered data and analysis to make future projections and forecasts for the U.S. Outpatient Oncology Infusion market. This may include estimating market growth rates, predicting market demand, and identifying emerging trends. Company Analysis: Report covers individual U.S. Outpatient Oncology Infusion manufacturers, suppliers, and other relevant industry players. This analysis includes studying their financial performance, market positioning, product portfolios, partnerships, and strategies. Consumer Analysis: Report covers data on consumer behaviour, preferences, and attitudes towards U.S. Outpatient Oncology Infusion This may involve surveys, interviews, and analysis of consumer reviews and feedback from different by Application. Technology Analysis: Report covers specific technologies relevant to U.S. Outpatient Oncology Infusion. It assesses the current state, advancements, and potential future developments in U.S. Outpatient Oncology Infusion areas. Reason to Buy this Report: -Analysis of the impact of technological advancements on the market and the emerging trends shaping the industry in the coming years. -Examination of the regulatory and policy changes affecting the market and the implications of these changes for market participants. -Overview of the competitive landscape in the U.S. Outpatient Oncology Infusion market, including profiles of the key players, their market share, and strategies for growth. -Identification of the major challenges facing the market, such as supply chain disruptions, environmental concerns, and changing consumer preferences, and analysis of how these challenges will affect market growth. -Evaluation of the potential of new products and applications in the market, and analysis of the investment opportunities for market participants. For In-Depth Competitive Analysis - Purchase this Report now at @ https://www.cognateinsights.com/purchase-report/us-outpatient-oncology-infusion-market Contact Us: Cognate Insights Web: www.cognateinsights.com Email: info@cognateinsights.com Phone: +91 8424946476 About Us: We are leaders in market analytics, business research, and consulting services for Fortune 500 companies, start-ups, financial & government institutions. Since we understand the criticality of data and insights, we have associated with the top publishers and research firms all specialized in specific domains, ensuring you will receive the most reliable and up to date research data available. To be at our client's disposal whenever they need help on market research and consulting services. We also aim to be their business partners when it comes to making critical business decisions around new market entry, M&A, competitive Intelligence and strategy. This release was published on openPR.By Kimberly Palmer, NerdWallet The investing information provided on this page is for educational purposes only. NerdWallet, Inc. does not offer advisory or brokerage services, nor does it recommend or advise investors to buy or sell particular stocks, securities or other investments. The start of a new year can bring a surge of motivation around setting new goals, including financial resolutions. One way to help those goals become reality, financial experts say, is to make them as specific as possible. Then, track your progress, while allowing flexibility for unexpected challenges. “It’s easier to track progress when we know where we are going,” says Sylvie Scowcroft, a certified financial planner and founder of The Financial Grove in Cambridge, Massachusetts. That’s why she encourages her clients to set clearly defined goals, often related to paying off a specific debt, saving a certain amount per month or improving their credit score. Here are more tips from financial experts about crafting 2025 financial goals : Trying to accomplish too much can feel overwhelming. Instead, pick your priorities, says Cathleen Tobin, CFP and owner of Moonbridge Financial Design in Rhinebeck, New York. She suggests focusing on those big, often emotionally-driven goals to find motivation. “It’s more compelling than just a number,” she says. For example, do you want to make sure you’re on track for retirement or save money for a house? “Start there.” Scowcroft says she sees clients get tripped up by selecting overly broad goals, such as “get better with money.” Instead, she encourages people to select specific action items, such as “sign up for a budgeting tool and set aside time each month to learn where my money is going.” That level of specificity provides direction so you know what steps to take next, she adds. For example, if your top priority is to become debt-free, then your specific goal might be to pay off an extra $200 of your debt balance each month. Tobin says labeling savings accounts so they correspond with goals can also help. An emergency fund could be named something like “Peace of mind in 2025,” so you remember why you’re saving every time you make a transfer. “It’s more motivating than just ‘emergency fund,’” Tobin says. Measuring your progress as the year unfolds is also a critical component of successful goal setting, Tobin says. She compares it to weight loss. If you want to lose 20 pounds by June, then you need to lose about a pound a week for the first six months of the year. Similarly, she says it helps to break savings goals into microsteps that specify what you need to do each week. Schedule a weekly or monthly check-in with yourself to make sure you are meeting those smaller goals along the way. You might want to review your debt payoff progress or check your credit score , for example. “Being able to break it down into steps that can be done each week or twice a month really helps,” Tobin says. If your goal is to save more money , then setting up an automatic transfer each month can help turn that goal into reality, as long as you know you have the money in your checking account to spare. “It reduces the mental load,” says Mike Hunsberger, CFP and owner of Next Mission Financial Planning in St. Charles, Missouri, where he primarily supports veterans and current members of the military. He recommends starting small to ease into the change. “I wouldn’t jump to double what you’re currently saving,” he says. For example, when it comes to saving in a retirement account, if you’re starting with a 3% contribution, you might want to bump it up to 4%, then slowly increase it from there. “My number one piece of advice is to start small, but make sure you scale over time,” Hunsberger adds. “Because it’s gradual, you probably won’t notice it impacting your lifestyle.” “Stay flexible,” Scowcroft says. “Part of it is just being kind to yourself and not being too rigid.” When unexpected challenges come up, such as a big unplanned expense, you might have to pause making progress on your goal and reset. You might even need to change your goal. Scowcroft says that doesn’t mean you “failed,” just that life changed your plans. Dwelling on any negativity won’t help your forward progress. Sharing your goals with a friend can also make it easier to reach them, Scowcroft says. “It really helps to have an accountability buddy,” she says. She suggests putting a regular “money date” with your friend on the calendar so you can ask each other how you’re doing, brainstorm any challenges or even budget together side-by-side . “It’s a fun excuse to meet up with a friend.” More From NerdWallet Kimberly Palmer writes for NerdWallet. Email: kpalmer@nerdwallet.com. Twitter: @kimberlypalmer. The article The Secret to Making Successful Financial New Year’s Resolutions originally appeared on NerdWallet .

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Syrians cheer end of 50 years of Assad rule at first Friday prayers since government fellIn October 2024, consumers' average retail price for Premium Motor Spirit (Petrol) was N1184.83 NBS data showed that this is an increase of 87.88% above the value published in October 2023 (N630.63) Delta, Nasarawa, Lagos and other regions have been identified as places that had cheap petrol during the period CHECK OUT: Learn at Your Own Pace! Our Flexible Online Course allows you to fit copywriting skills development around your busy schedule. Enroll Now! Legit.ng journalist Zainab Iwayemi has 5-year-experience covering the Economy, Technology, and Capital Market. The average retail price that customers paid for Premium Motor Spirit (Petrol) in October 2024 was N1184.83, according to a recent study from the National Bureau of Statistics. In comparison to the figure reported in October 2023 (N630.63), this represents an increase of 87.88%. The average retail price also rose 14.98% from N1030.46 to N1030.46 when compared to the previous month (September 2024). Based on zonal profile, the data showed that the North-Central Zone had the lowest average retail price (N1132.94), while the South East Zone had the highest (N1256.76). Read also Naira depreciates by N38/dollar despite increase in FX market turnover PAY ATTENTION: Follow us on Instagram - get the most important news directly in your favourite app! The regions to get cheapest petrol price has been highlighted thus: Delta According to NBS report, the average price of fuel in Delta N1,050 in the month of October. This indicates a 4.24% rise from the N1,007 it sold in the region the month before. It also means a 75.18% rise in price in a year. Nasarawa In Nasarawa , prices of petrol averaged N1063.68 in october 2024, a 4.67% increase compared the N1,016.19 from the previous month. This also means a 66.16% increase year on year. Lagos Petrol price sold for N1,080.95 in Lagos in October. This represents a hike of 8.01% from the previous month and 82.92% year on year increase. Niger The average price of petrol was N1,088.07 in October according to NBS data. Research shows that this indicates 9.48% month on month hike and a 70.81% year on year increase. Read also NBS data shows diesel price rises by 43.41% in one year Katsina Dealers in Katsina sold petrol for an average price of N1100.00. Tha amount shows a month on month increase of 0.35% and a year in year increase of 71.92% Petrol Price Finally Crashes by Over N300/litre Legit.ng reported that the pump price of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), also known as gasoline, has decreased compared to a few weeks ago. Based on recent survey, the pump price was observed to be between N1120 and N1,125 at petrol stations, as opposed to N1400 and N1500 per liter in prior weeks. The survey revealed that, despite having a comparatively lower price than other stores run by independent marketers in the city, major marketers like the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Ltd.'s outlet off Itam junction, in the outskirts of Uyo, have fewer customers waiting in line to purchase their goods. PAY ATTENTION : Legit.ng Needs Your Opinion! That's your chance to change your favourite news media. Fill in a short questionnaire Source: Legit.ngThe Andhra Pradesh government and EdTech company PhysicsWallah have signed an agreement to set up a University of Innovation (UoI) at an investment of up to ₹1,000 crore. The UoI is set to emerge as the first institute of eminence in the state and aligns with Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu’s aim to provide the state’s youth with education in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and other emerging technologies. “We are committed to investing up to ₹1,000 crores by GSV Ventures - US and other investors, the purpose is to create an institution that combines academic learning with industry relevance. The UoI will help learners with the skills they might need in a constantly evolving job market, in an attempt to foster entrepreneurship and innovation,” said PhysicsWallah founder and chief executive Alakh Pandey in a press release on Friday. The UoI will work towards blending academic excellence, innovation, and research, focusing on addressing key challenges in education and employability. Following a hub and spoke model, the varsity will serve as a central hub with satellite centres across the southern state serving as spokes. Further, in a bid to keep the curriculum aligned with the market, PhysicsWallah is collaborating with industry partners like Amazon Web Services India Pvt Ltd to provide industry-relevant education. IT Minister Nara Lokesh added that the partnership with the EdTech company aims at advancing innovation and equipping Andhra Pradesh’s youth with skills which align with industry demands and standards. Comments

Murray – Britain’s greatest ever player – retired after this summer’s Olympics at the age of 37 after finally admitting defeat in his battle against his body. Many in the game expected the Scot would one day return to tennis and become a coach, particularly due to his love of the sport, hard work and his tactical acumen. He never liked retirement anyway. 🙌 pic.twitter.com/Ga4UlV2kQW — Novak Djokovic (@DjokerNole) November 23, 2024 But it came with some degree of shock on Saturday afternoon when a social media post from Djokovic, playing on Murray’s light-hearted tweet upon his departure, read: “He never liked retirement anyway”. The attached video announced Murray, who he lost to in two Slam finals but beat in four Australian showpieces, would coach him over the winter and through January’s Open in Melbourne. “We played each other since we were boys, 25 years of pushing each other to our limits. We had some of the most epic battles in in our sport. They called us gamechangers, risk-takers, history-makers,” Djokovic said. “I thought our story may be over. Turns out it has one final chapter. It’s time for one of my toughest opponents to step into my corner. Welcome aboard, coach Andy Murray.” Murray, who beat Djokovic to win the US Open in 2012 and Wimbledon in 2013, says he wants to help the 24-time grand slam champion achieve his goals. “I’m going to be joining Novak’s team in the off-season, helping him to prepare for the Australian Open, he said. “I’m really excited for it and looking forward to spending time on the same side of the net as Novak for a change, helping him to achieve his goals.” Djokovic, a week younger than his new coach, added: “I am excited to have one of my greatest rivals on the same side of the net, as my coach. “Looking forward to the start of the season and competing in Australia alongside Andy with whom I have shared many exceptional moments on the Australian soil.” Djokovic beat Murray in the 2011, 2013, 2015 and 2016 Australian Open finals as well as the French Open final in 2016. It was after he unseated Djokovic at the top of the rankings in 2016 that Murray suffered the hip injury which ultimately derailed his career. Since his retirement, Murray has been playing golf with the same dedication he pursued his tennis but will now return to his natural habitat. Djokovic, who split with coach Goran Ivanisevic earlier this year, hopes that adding Murray to his team will help him get back to the top of the game after he went through a calendar year without winning a grand slam for the first time since 2017. Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz have developed a stranglehold at the top of the men’s game and Djokovic, who has seen Murray, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal all retire in recent years, is still hoping to move clear of the record 24 grand slams he shares with Margaret Court.

UMass soccer: Minutemen take down Evansville for first NCAA tourney win since 2007

Engadget has been testing and reviewing consumer tech since 2004. Our stories may include affiliate links; if you buy something through a link, we may earn a commission. Read more about how we evaluate products . There are numerous options for concert earplugs nowadays, so you don't have to settle for the bargain bin foam bits that completely seal off your ears anymore. The PPE-grade products vary in design and performance, with some offering different levels of noise reduction. That hearing protection always comes with the promise that the earplugs won't completely muffle the band, which is a real problem when you have to settle for the generic foam versions from the bartender. Loop has been in the concert earplug game since its founding in 2016. In that time, its product roster has grown to encompass nine different models, including dedicated options for sleep, travel, commuting and social events in addition to concerts, festivals and sporting events. The Switch 2 ($59.95) is Loop's latest, an improved version of the original Switch that debuted the ability to change sound filter levels while the earplugs were still in your ears. To put the audio quality to the test, I took them to a 100dB rock show in a small venue last month. Loop/Engadget 88 100 Expert Score Loop Switch 2 The Switch 2 delivers on Loop's promise to safely filter loud noise without overly muffling the sound for social gatherings, concerts, commuting and more. Pros Easy to adjust while wearing Very comfortable Cons Priciest model from Loop Noise levels on vary by 3dB $60 at Loop Loop has maintained mostly the same design from its first model. There's a silicone ear tip, similar to those on wireless earbuds, that's attached to a circular loop where all the protective bits reside. In the case of the Switch 2, the outer half of that loop rotates to allow you to select between three levels of sound filtration: Engage, Experience and Quiet. These settings reduce noise by 20dB, 23dB and 26dB... Billy Steele

This new partnership will focus on astronaut training, research experiments, and mission implementation, marking a step forward in the global space exploration landscape. The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has joined forces with the European Space Agency (ESA) in a significant collaboration aimed at advancing human space exploration. This new partnership will focus on astronaut training, research experiments, and mission implementation, marking a step forward in the global space exploration landscape. Agreement for Human Spaceflight Cooperation On Saturday, ISRO and ESA signed a comprehensive agreement to work together in the areas of human space exploration. The deal was signed by ISRO Chairman S. Somanath and ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher, setting the foundation for joint activities in various aspects of space exploration. The collaboration will cover astronaut training, integration of space experiments, research on human health in space, and educational programs, among other areas. The focus of this partnership is to develop and strengthen human spaceflight capabilities, with both agencies committing to exploring new frontiers in space exploration. Key Initiatives Under the Agreement A significant project under this new collaboration will be the Axiom-4 mission, which will see a crew consisting of both an ESA astronaut and ISRO's Gaganyatri astronaut. The mission will involve a series of experiments led by Indian Principal Investigators aboard the International Space Station (ISS), furthering scientific knowledge in space. In addition to the Axiom-4 mission, the collaboration will focus on human and biomedical research, technology demonstrations, and space experiments, utilizing ESA's advanced facilities on the ISS. The partnership also includes joint outreach and educational programs designed to inspire the next generation of space enthusiasts and scientists. ISRO’s Ambitious Space Exploration Vision Somanath emphasized ISRO’s long-term roadmap for human spaceflight during the signing of the agreement, highlighting the agency's vision for expanding its role in space exploration. One of the key milestones in ISRO's future plans is the Bharatiya Antariksh Station (BAS), India’s upcoming indigenous space station. This new station presents significant opportunities for collaboration and interoperability with international human spaceflight platforms. The partnership with ESA is seen as a major step towards ISRO's goal of becoming a key player in global space exploration efforts, with a particular focus on human spaceflight and scientific research in space. Strengthening International Space Collaboration ESA's Director General, Aschbacher, praised the progress made in the collaboration and expressed his appreciation for ISRO’s efforts in strengthening ties between the two agencies. The partnership represents a solid framework for future space exploration projects, and both ISRO and ESA are excited about the prospects of working together on the Axiom-4 mission and other upcoming space initiatives. The new partnership between ISRO and ESA is expected to open up numerous opportunities for technological advancements, joint scientific research, and continued collaboration in the field of human space exploration. With both agencies committed to this joint effort, the future of space exploration looks brighter than ever. Stay informed on all the latest news , real-time breaking news updates, and follow all the important headlines in india news and world News on Zee News.

MEXICO CITY — A California couple with Mexican roots went south for the holidays to visit relatives, an annual tradition among many U.S. residents of Mexican ancestry. But tragedy struck: Both were shot dead in Mexico's violence-plagued Michoacán state, Mexican authorities said Friday. The couple fell victim to the violence that has been pummeling Mexico. Police were investigating but had no immediate word on a motive or possible suspects, said Magdalena Guzmán, a spokeswoman for the state prosecutor's office. The two were shot just before midnight Thursday while inside a pickup truck on a road in rural Angamacutiro, a municipality of about 15,000 in northern Michoacán. In the last few months, Angamacutiro has seen its chief of security murdered and an ex-mayor disappeared — crimes indicative of the violence that has convulsed the western state of Michoacán. The victims of Thursday's double homicide were identified as Rafael Cardona Aguilera, 53, and his wife, Gloria Ambriz de Cardona, 50, according to authorities and a mourning notice posted on social media. Cardona was the brother-in-law of the town mayor and the couple were staying at the mayor's residence, the prosecutor's spokeswoman said. Cardona was born in the United States and his wife was a naturalized U.S. citizen, Guzmán said. The couple resided in the Sacramento area and arrived in Mexico at the end of November to spend the holidays with relatives, Guzmán said. The wife died at the scene and her spouse succumbed shortly afterward at a hospital, the prosecutor's office said. For decades, Michoacán, a sprawling region to the west of Mexico City, has been a major source of immigrants settling in California and elsewhere in the United States. Many immigrants traditionally return for the end-of-year holidays to visit loved ones and hometowns throughout Mexico. In recent years, Michoacán has seen a wave of violence linked to gangs competing for various lucrative rackets, including drug-smuggling, extortion and illegal timber-harvesting. The state, authorities say, is also a key transit route for precursor chemicals used in the production of U.S.-bound fentanyl, the synthetic opioid, and shipped from China to the Pacific port of Lázaro Cárdenas, on the Michoacán coast. Angamacutiro has seen several recent high-profile crimes. In October, Lizbeth Estela Romero, the head of security in Angamacutiro, was shot dead outside her home. The town's ex-mayor, Maribel Juárez Blanquet, disappeared in August and was presumably kidnapped, authorities say. She remains missing. The ex-mayor's brother, Erik Juárez Blanquet, a state lawmaker and also a former mayor of Angamacutiro, was shot dead in 2020 when a pair of assassins on a motorcycle opened fire on his vehicle in the state capital of Morelia. In a statement, the U.S. Embassy in Mexico City said it was "aware" of the shooting of the U.S. couple and was "closely" tracking developments. "The safety of U.S. citizens abroad is our first priority and we stand ready to assist in any way possible," the embassy said, declining to provide further details. (Los Angeles Times special correspondent Cecilia Sanchez Vidal contributed to this report.) ©2024 Los Angeles Times. Visit latimes.com . Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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NFL legend Randy Moss reveals cancer diagnosis, surgeryAs Kansas citizens, we have a civic duty to engage our government by communicating with our elected officials regularly so they know how best to represent us. This is critical now that President-elect Trump plans to fill his cabinet with people with no other qualifications than loyalty. Jerry Moran and Roger Marshall, both Republicans, serve Kansans in the U.S. Senate where Trump’s cabinet members will be confirmed. This gives us the opportunity to voice any concerns we might have by contacting their offices directly at 202-224-6521 (Moran) and 202-224-4774 (Marshall). These lines will be answered by a staff member who will ask if we are Kansas residents. Elected officials should be representing all of us, though with our diverse views, that can be tough. So they tend to focus on the voices they hear most. Often, thanks to the Citizens United ruling by the Supreme Court, mega-donors and corporations garner the lion’s share of their time. But they do pay attention to constituents who take the time to contact their offices. With so few large donors, our elected officials must be sure to keep the average voter who pays attention happy. That’s where we come in. Let’s look at the decisions these men will be making as the next Congress begins. First, we need to look at Trump’s pick for the Justice Department. He will nominate Pam Bondi, Florida’s former Attorney General for U.S. Attorney General, following the disastrous try for Matt Gaetz. She does have experience, but she also has baggage. Her current employer, Ballard Partners, lobbies Congress on behalf of many corporate clients fighting regulations that, among others, involve antitrust issues, federal prison contracts, and technology privacy issues (politico.com 7 Dec 24). Christopher Wray, the current Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) will resign at the end of the Biden administration. Trump has put forward Kash Patel to lead the nation’s preeminent law enforcement agency. Like Bondi, Patel is a loyalist who has limited legal experience. He does manage the Kash Foundation, which provides support for January 6th defendants (among others), and operates K$H selling Trump merchandise. He has been outspoken in his disdain for the FBI, authoring the “Nunes Memo,” which falsely claimed the FBI investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 campaign was politically motivated (nytimes.com 30 Nov 24). Critical to our position as the leader of the free world is our military dominance. The U.S. spends more than the next eight countries combined (worldpopulationreview.com 13 Dec 24). Trump has picked Pete Hegseth as Secretary of Defense despite his complete lack of qualifications other than loyalty. Though Hegseth served in Iraq and Afghanistan, achieving the rank of major, he has no experience running an organization of significant size. Like other picks for Cabinet posts, Hegseth comes from Fox News where he has railed against “woke” senior officers, including current Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Charles Q. Brown. He is equally blunt about women serving in combat roles, basing most of his policy positions on his extreme religious views (npr.org 14 Nov 24). Trump selected Robert F. Kennedy to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, though he has no practical experience in medicine. His advocacy for removing fluoride from the nation’s water systems, combined with his antagonistic views on vaccines, again show that loyalty is his only qualification. This nomination, if confirmed, could wreak havoc across our culture, but clearly children would suffer the most. His promoting of raw milk, petitioning for the reversal of vaccine approvals (including the polio vaccine), and challenges to providing safe water overshadow the few good ideas he has about processed foods (washingtonpost.com 15 Nov 24). Finally, there is the selection of Kristi Noem to lead the Department of Homeland Security, the guardians of our borders and our government's secrets. Not only will she be in lock step with whatever program Steven Miller comes up with to degrade and humiliate immigrant families, she will be responsible for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), which responds to natural disasters such as floods, wildfires, and tornadoes. Noem, as governor of South Dakota, not only denies the human impact on our climate, but has refused to allow federal programs worth billions of dollars to fund clean energy technologies into her state (scientificamerican.com 13 Nov 24). It has been reported that Trump feels he has a mandate to upend the conventions of the federal government, and has chosen his cabinet accordingly. He also dismisses the idea that he is not in control of the nomination process, arguing that all moves made are his alone (latimes.com 8 Dec 24). As the title of this article suggests, our voices matter. These unqualified nominations should not be viewed as inevitable. We have the power to demand change through Senators Moran and Marshall. But they will not reach out to us. It is up to us to speak up about the risks these nominees pose for our democracy, and for our position of dominance on the world stage. It is up to us to reach out to Senators Moran and Marshall to make sure they understand that confirming such incompetent people to positions of power within the administration would be folly. Our voice matters. Jim Calvert is a retired English Teacher who grew up in Emporia.

G20 has will capacity and determination to address global challenges S African finance minister