luck rabbit foot Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic’s magnificent seven grand slam finalsSINGAPORE: Indian prodigy Gukesh Dommaraju admitted on Saturday to “some nerves” ahead of his quest to become the youngest undisputed world chess champion. The 18-year-old will begin a best-of-14 series for the title against reigning champion Ding Liren of China on Monday in Singapore. “The world championship is a very special event and I have been looking forward to being here since I first began to play chess,” he told reporters. “There are certainly some nerves but I feel good about it and I’m eager to start playing. My only thought is to give my best and see what happens.” Gukesh earned the right to challenge for the title after his sparkling performance at the Candidates tournament in Toronto in April when he topped a field of eight grandmasters to become the youngest-ever world championship challenger. Victory in Singapore would see the teenager surpass Garry Kasparov, who was just 22 when he beat Anatoly Karpov in 1985 to be crowned world champion for the first time. Despite his youth Gukesh is regarded by chess experts as favorite to win, given his strong recent performances and Ding’s struggles. Ding became the first Chinese player to be crowned world champion when he defeated Russia’s Ian Nepomniatchi in Kazakhstan in April 2023 but his performances have dipped since. The 32-year-old took a nine-month break from chess last year, citing personal difficulties and depression. He has yet to regain his form and was unable to win a game while representing China at the Chess Olympiad two months ago. Ding nevertheless struck a confident tone on Saturday. “The last time, in my first world championship match, I was very nervous,” he said. “But this time I feel peace and a lot of energy. “It’s not often that I play against a player who is younger than me. “Although I have more experience than him, he has displayed his maturity in many aspects so he won’t be easy to beat.” - AFP

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Defense contractors that have embraced diversity, equity, and inclusion policies could find themselves targeted under the new Trump administration, especially as Republican lawmakers have full control of Congress for the next two years. President-elect Donald Trump is set to issue a wave of changes to the defense industry when he takes office and is expected to overturn several Biden administration policies focused on DEI initiatives. That puts several defense contractors under the microscope as Republican lawmakers make plans to bring an end to diversity programs in the Pentagon and the defense industry as a whole. “Under the Trump administration, extreme and divisive DEI initiatives across the Pentagon and government agencies will come to an end,” Rep. Greg Steube (R-FL) told the Washington Examiner. “Taxpayer dollars should strengthen our military and national security — not fund radical agendas that distract and divide us. America’s defense industries must focus on protecting our nation and ensuring we lead with strength and unity on the world stage.” Republicans have long sought to crack down on DEI initiatives in the defense sector but have lacked the power to do so over the last four years with Democrats in charge of the White House and Senate. But GOP lawmakers in the House have attempted to use their majority to pass bills signaling their plans to dismantle DEI programs, as evidenced by the lower chamber’s version of the National Defense Authorization Act passed earlier this summer. The spending bill included a number of culture war amendments targeting abortion access and transgender military members — proposals deemed dead on arrival in the Democratic-controlled Senate but could see new light when Republicans take control of the upper chamber in January. “The American people spoke loud and clear when they elected President Trump and Republican majorities: they are sick of the Left’s obsession with DEI,” Sen.-elect Jim Banks (R-IN) told the Washington Examiner. “Taxpayers should not subsidize this radical woke agenda, and President Trump will put a stop to it.” Republicans are already preparing for a massive defense overhaul under the Trump administration, which was seemingly confirmed with the president-elect’s nomination of Pete Hegset h to become the next secretary of defense. Hegseth has repeatedly criticized diversity concerning the military, once referring to it as the “dumbest phrase on planet earth.” With his nomination and others in Trump’s administration, those in his close circles have hinted that organizations outside of the defense industry may also come under fire. “President Trump is putting together a stellar Cabinet that is focused on America First and helping all Americans,” Kimberly Guilfoyle, fiancée to Donald Trump Jr. and who worked on Trump’s 2020 campaign, told the Washington Examiner. “Companies pushing woke policies like DEI are in for a rude awakening.” Several GOP sources close to the president-elect’s team and the Senate told the Washington Examiner that Lockheed Martin will be among the targeted defense contractors in the forthcoming Trump era. “Lockheed Martin has been the poster child for DEI,” one source close to the Trump transition said. “I imagine the Trump administration will give them increased scrutiny for embracing the left. It could harm Lockheed’s ability to navigate this new Washington.” Those involved with those plans pointed to the firm’s policies implemented over the last several years, including a training program reported by Fox News that Lockheed Martin executives and employees underwent that reportedly taught being “a white male was analogous to being a KKK member.” CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER But, while some of those in GOP circles seek to paint Lockheed as an anti-Trump entity with its DEI policies, the defense contractor has aligned itself with the president-elect in the past — working closely with his administration and benefitting from many of his policies. "As we did in his first term, we look forward to a strong working relationship with President Trump, his team, and also with the new Congress to strengthen our national defense," a spokesperson for Lockheed Martin told the Washington Examiner. "We are aligned with the focus of building mission-critical defense technology that helps keep Americans and our allies safe, and to that end, we follow responsible business practices expected by our customers, investors, employees, and other stakeholders." Other defense contractors that could come under fire include RTX Corporation , Boeing , and Northrop Grumman Corporation . All have DEI programs publicly listed on their websites, although Boeing has since reportedly dismantled its diversity department. The Washington Examiner reached out to those defense contractors known for its DEI policies for comment.

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Dangerous choke hold during physical altercation lands former Maple Leafs defenseman William Lagesson in big trouble with Player Safety. A bizarre incident in the AHL involving a former member of the Toronto Maple Leafs has resulted in a suspension, which was certainly warranted, given the circumstances. William Lagesson, who spent the 2023-24 season with the Toronto Maple Leafs and Anaheim Ducks organizations, got plenty of notice on social media over the past couple of days after putting a literal choke hold on Adam Raska of the Iowa Wild. Lagesson, currently playing for the Grand Rapid Griffins of the AHL while under contract with the Detroit Red Wings, caught hold of Raska during a scrum and choked him from behind until Raska, clearly panicked and unable to breathe, finally tapped out. Amazingly, Lagesson received just a two-minute minor for roughing on the play, which is ridiculous. A suspension handed out after the controversy by the AHL, seems just as laughable. Lagesson was given a three game suspension for his action. Three games for using an MMA move on a person during a professional hockey game, going so far as making him tap out for fear of being choked unconscious. Roughing. That was the only explanation given in the statement itself. No other details or conclusions were offered. I like an MMA fight as much as the next person, but submission maneuvers have no place in hockey, unless it involves the Hanson Brothers somehow. Adam Raska has every right to be upset over this, though he has not broken his silence and said anything about it either way. This article first appeared on Maple Leafs Daily and was syndicated with permission.Is Taiwan Semiconductor’s Stock on the Decline? You Won’t Believe What Analysts Are Saying

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Kendrick Lamar gave music listeners an early holiday present Friday with the surprise drop of a new album. The Grammy winner's 12-track “GNX” is his first release since 2022's “Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers” and his sixth studio album overall. It also comes just months after his rap battle with Drake. Lamar first teased the album with a cover art and video snippet of “GNX,” which features multi-instrumentalist Jack Antonoff as a co-producer on every track except for “Peekaboo.” Other notable producers include Sounwave and DJ Mustard , who both contributed production on the hit “Not Like Us,” the ubiquitous diss track emanating from the Drake feud. Lamar's former Top Dawg Entertainment labelmate SZA appears on a couple songs including “Gloria” and “Luther,” which also features sampled vocals from Luther Vandross and Cheryl Lynn through “If This World Were Mine." On the opening track “Wacced Out Murals,” Lamar raps about cruising in his Buick GNX (Grand National Experimental) car with listening to Anita Baker. He brings up Snoop Dogg posting Drake's AI-assisted “Taylor Made Freestyle” diss track on social media and Nas congratulating Lamar for being selected to headline February's Apple Music Super Bowl Halftime Show in New Orleans. Lamar also shows admiration for Lil Wayne, who expressed his hurt feelings after being passed over as the headliner in his hometown. Lamar, 37, has experienced massive success since his debut album “good kid, m.A.A.d city” in 2012. Since then, he’s accumulated 17 Grammy wins and became the first non-classical, non-jazz musician to win a Pulitzer Prize for his 2017 album “DAMN.” The surprise release caps a big year for Lamar, who was featured on the song “Like That” with Future and Metro Boomin — a track that spent three weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 this year. Lamar is up for seven Grammys, fueled by “Not Like Us,” which earned nods for record and song of the year, rap song, music video as well as best rap performance. He has two simultaneous entries in the latter category, a career first: “Like That” is up for best rap performance and best rap song, too. 1. “Wacced Out Murals” 2. “Squabble Up” 3. “Luther” (feat. SZA) 4. “Man at the Garden” 5. “Hey Now” 6. “Reincarnated” 7. “TV Off” 8. “Dodger Blue” 9. “Peekaboo” 10. “Heart Pt. 6” 11. “GNX” 12. “Gloria” (feat. SZA)UC San Diego Matches Max Planck Society with 56 Highly Cited Researchers, Securing 9th Global RankShort Interest in AmpliTech Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMPG) Increases By 1,901.7%

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